Perseverance — Page 42
42 – the story of al-haj Rashid ahmad american named after the founder of the country, Muhammad Ali Jinnah). Huzoor ra asked me, “Is this your regular dress?” I replied, “This is not my regular dress. This was given to me by different people. ” He said, “You should not be so quick to adopt other customs, because some of your customs may be better. For example, if a person here in Punjab wants to relieve himself, they just stop where they are and urinate. They have no care of whoever sees them. So you do not want to adopt such a custom because you have a better way. ” He then said to me, “You are now old news. You arrived last night. You should find some work to keep yourself busy and to greet the new people. ” I searched to find something to do and was able to work in the Rot ī Ta q s ī m [Urdu: Bread Distribution ] in the Langar Kh a na [Urdu: Community Kitchen ]. This job is usually performed by little children who are just learning how to count. Since I was limited by my inability to speak the Urdu language, this job was the most appropriate for me. My job was to count the bread in quantities of ten. Huzoor ra was very pleased to hear that I took upon this responsibility and he made mention of it during his Jalsa Sal ā na speech, stating that a man came here from America and he is now working in R o t i Ta q s ī m. I would accompany the Second Khal ī fah ra for the next five years of my life and I was to experience some of the most memorable events in my life. The Khal ī fah ra took me to all big affairs and dinners in his own car, the Khal ī fah ra sitting in between me and his wife. After every event he would ask me two questions: “What did you eat?” and “Who did you talk to?”