Ahmed Fathi

“One day Moses was walking in the mountains on his own when he saw a shepherd in the distance.
The man was on his knees with his hands spread out to the sky, praying. Moses was delighted. But
when he got closer, he was equally stunned to hear the shepherd’s prayer.
“Oh, my beloved God, I love Thee more than Thou can know. I will do anything for Thee, just say
the word. Even if Thou asked me to slaughter the fattest sheep in my flock in Thy name, I would do so
without hesitation. Thou would roast it and put its tail fat in Thy rice to make it more tasty.”
Moses inched toward the shepherd, listening attentively.
“Afterward I would wash Thy feet and clean Thine ears and pick Thy lice for Thee. That is how much I love Thee.”
Having heard enough, Moses interrupted the shepherd, yelling, “Stop, you ignorant man! What do
you think you are doing? Do you think God eats rice? Do you think God has feet for you to wash? This
is not prayer. It is sheer blasphemy.”
Dazed and ashamed, the shepherd apologized repeatedly and promised to pray as decent people did.
Moses taught him several prayers that afternoon. Then he went on his way, utterly pleased with
himself.
But that night Moses heard a voice. It was God’s.
“Oh, Moses, what have you done? You scolded that poor shepherd and failed to realize how dear he
was to Me. He might not be saying the right things in the right way, but he was sincere. His heart was
pure and his intentions good. I was pleased with him. His words might have been blasphemy to your
ears, but to Me they were sweet blasphemy.”
Moses immediately understood his mistake. The next day, early in the morning, he went back to the
mountains to see the shepherd. He found him praying again, except this time he was praying in the way
he had been instructed. In his determination to get the prayer right, he was stammering, bereft of the
excitement and passion of his earlier prayer. Regretting what he had done to him, Moses patted the
shepherd’s back and said: “My friend, I was wrong. Please forgive me. Keep praying in your own way.
That is more precious in God’s eyes.”
The shepherd was astonished to hear this, but even deeper was his relief. Nevertheless, he did not
want to go back to his old prayers. Neither did he abide by the formal prayers that Moses had taught
him. He had now found a new way of communicating with God. Though satisfied and blessed in his
naïve devotion, he was now past that stage—beyond his sweet blasphemy.
“So you see, don’t judge the way other people connect to God,” concluded Shams. “To each his own
way and his own prayer. God does not take us at our word. He looks deep into our hearts. It is not the
ceremonies or rituals that make a difference, but whether our hearts are sufficiently pure or not.”
― elif shafak