NASRUDIN had saved up to buy a new shirt. He went to a tailor’s shop, full of excitement. The tailor measured him and said: ‘Come back in a week, and -if Allah wills- your shirt will be ready.’
The Mulla contained himself for a week and then went back to the shop. ‘There has been a delay. But -if Allah wills- your shirt will be ready tomorrow.’
The following day Nasrudin returned. ‘I am sorry,’said the tailor, ‘but it is not quite finished. Try tomorrow, and -if Allah wills- it will be ready.’
‘How long will it take’, asked the exasperated Nasrudin, ‘if you leave Allah out of it?’
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‘If Allah wills it’, in: The Pleasantries of the incredible Mulla Nasrudin, Idries Shah (NY 1968)
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AYA DÜRST BRITT 