Khoja Nasruddin on Prayer
Khoja Nasruddin clarifies what happens when one confuses the made with the Maker in prayer, and in many other things.
One day Khoja Nasruddin had some business that took him to Bursa. He had a specific problem concerning his business which he could not solve.
A friend therefore advised him, saying, “Since you will be in Bursa anyway, go to Ulu Masjid and pray there. Pray, earnestly, in front of the mihrab, every morning asking for a solution to your problem, and it will be solved.
Khoja Nasruddin did as his friend advised. For forty days he prayed and made supplication in front of the mihrab without fail. His prayers were not answered.
A few days later, Khoja Nasruddin was still in Bursa, and his problem was still unsolved. He walked into Orhan Masjid, a smaller, less ornate mosque a few blocks from Ulu Masjid.
He prayed there and all his business problems were solved on the same day. His prayer was heard and answered.
Khoja Nasruddin went back to Ulu Masjid and cried out: “You ought to be ashamed, you big, fancy masjid! Your simple little neighbor managed in one day what you could not do in forty!”
