Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (RA) and the Acceptance of Deeds

Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (RA) and the Acceptance of Deeds

Once, Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Masood Ganj Shakar (RA) was addressing his close disciples, who had attained spiritual perfection. During the conversation, Baba Farid (RA) narrated the story of a saint from the city of Herat.

This saint used to earn his livelihood by cooking and selling curry. One day, as usual, he prepared a large pot of curry and waited for customers. A woman came and requested some curry. The saint gave her what she asked for, and in return, the woman handed him a counterfeit coin as payment. Without revealing to her whether he could distinguish between real and fake coins, the saint quietly accepted it and placed it in his money box.

The woman then spread the word in the village, telling others that there was a saint who could not recognize counterfeit coins. Hearing this, more people, including other women, began coming to the saint. They would buy curry and pay him with fake coins, which he continued to accept without complaint, silently serving them.

After some time, the saint fell ill, and a group of villagers came to visit him. The saint requested that a prayer mat be spread out for him. When this was done, he sat on the mat and placed the bundles of counterfeit coins before him. Turning to Allah, he supplicated:

" Ya Allah, Your creation has been bringing me counterfeit coins, and I accepted them without objection. Today, my life is coming to an end. O Absolute Truth, I plead with You to accept my counterfeit prayers, my flawed fasts, and my imperfect prostrations."

Shortly after his prayer, the walls of the house began to tremble, and a divine voice declared:

"Your prayer has been accepted. Your deeds have been pardoned, and you are granted a place in Paradise among the Prophets and the Truthful."

Reference: Rahat-ul-Quloob, Fawaid-ul-Fuad