Storia do Mogor 281.3.4

281.3.4

Moved by this craze of being held a saint, the king got up one night to pray. Before beginning he ordered a eunuch to bring him water to wash his hands and feet, for it is a great sin among the Mahomedans to say your prayers without this ceremony. The eunuch, heavy with sleep, rose in a hurry, and by mischance stumbled against the king and knocked him down. Overcome with fear and dread, the eunuch collapsed at once in the other direction, with all the appearance of a dead man. The king noticed this, and said to him in the mildest of tones : ' Wherefore fearest thou a created being, one like thyself ? thou shouldest reserve such fear for God, and thereby hinder thyself from offending Him. Rise and be not afraid.' As soon as this adventure became known among the people, they were confirmed in their previous good opinion of his holiness. Another time, as the king was on his way to the mosque, one of the officials noticed that the carpet on which he would have to tread had a hole in it, and he therefore attempted to spread a cloth over it. On noticing this action, the king reproved the man most severely, and said that all this cleaning and fussing was well enough for the court, but had no place in God's house, where he was no higher than the least of his subjects. These words were highly prized by the people, and regarded as proceeding from a saint. This is ever the chief end aimed at by this monarch in all his actions and in all his talk. I add another example.