There is a well-known story in India of a girl crossing a place where a Muslim was performing his prayers; and the law is that no one should cross where a person is praying. When the girl returned, the man said to her, “How insolent! Do you know what you have done?” “What did I do?” asked the girl. And the man told her. “I did not mean any harm,” said the girl. “But tell me, what do you mean by praying?” “For me, prayer is thinking of God,” said the man.
There was once a young man who was the son of a famous teacher. This teacher had a number of pupils from all over India. Not only was he a very great teacher himself, but he had trained many other teachers; in fact in nearly every village and town there was by now a teacher who had been one of his disciples. Of course this son of his had received all kinds of attention. Now the son when still a boy one day had a dream, and in this dream he saw himself visiting all the saints. He dreamt that there was a great gathering of saints and spiritual teachers and masters. He was accompanying his father, but whereas his father was admitted to the gathering, he himself was not allowed in.
There is a story of an Arab who was running to the mosque where the prayer of God was being offered, but before he arrived the prayers were finished. On his way he met a man coming from the mosque, and asked him, “Are the prayers finished?” The man replied that they were finished, and the other sighed deeply and said, “Alas!” Then the man asked, “Will you give me the virtue of your sigh in exchange for the virtue of my prayers?” And the other agreed.
Someone went to a Sufi with a question. He said, “I have been puzzling for many, many years and reading books, and I have not been able to find a definite answer. Tell me, what happens after death?”
There is a story of a slave called Ayaz, who was brought before a king with nine others; and the king had to select one to be his personal attendant. The wise king gave into the hands of each of the ten a wineglass and commanded him to throw it down. Each one obeyed the command. Then the king asked each one of them, “Why did you do such a thing?”
There is a story told of Hafiz Shirazi, who, together with ten others named Hafiz, was being trained under the same Murshid. A certain time was set apart for their meditation and other practices, and a certain time for food and sleep. Hafiz Shirazi kept awake during the night in rapt contemplation of Allah.
It is said in the Puranas that once Sita, the consort of Ramachandra, was staying in the guardianship of Vashista Rishi with her sons. The younger son, Lahu, one day went to see the neighboring town. He saw Kalanki, a most beautiful horse, running about the city without a rider. When he enquired whose the horse was, people told him that this horse had been let loose so that whoever was able to catch it should be made the king of that kingdom.