“To be grateful for the blessings of God in time of want and trouble…”

At lunch time the Master invited a number of people to the table, saying:

‘Come! We are in Montreal, Canada, in this home, eating Persian rice which has been cooked by Mirza Ahmad. This has a relish all its own; what a tale it makes!’

Continuing, He said:

To be grateful for the blessings of God in time of want and trouble is necessary. In the abundance of blessings everyone can be grateful. It is said that Sultan Mahmud cut a melon and gave a portion of it to Ayaz who ate it cheerfully and expressed gratitude. When the Sultan ate a little of the same melon, he found it bitter. He asked, ‘How did you eat such a bitter melon and show no sign of disliking it?’ Ayaz answered, ‘I had eaten many sweet and palatable things from the hands of the Sultan and I thought it very unworthy of me to express dislike on eating a slightly bitter thing today.’ Thus man, who is immersed in the blessings of God, should not be grieved if he experiences a little trouble. He should not forget the manifold divine bounties.