The Desert

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam Posted by Jeevan Sivasubramaniam, Managing Director, Editorial, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc.



Two men are stranded out in the desert. The first day is hot, and they're miserable after running out of food and water. The night is surprisingly cold and even worse than the day. The second day and night are even worse.

On the third morning, hotter than the previous two days, they see a mosque. "We're saved!" exclaims one. The other is wary and says, "We're not Muslims so they won't help us."

They arrive at the mosque and are greeted by the imam. The first man says, "I will be honest with you--I am not a Muslim, but I need your help and charity." The Imam responds, "Of course, no problem--we will get you plenty of food and water immediately and we will have a comfortable room made up for you to wash up and rest, and also bring in a computer for you to notify loved ones that you are alive. We also have Netflix, obviously."

The second man--the initially wary one--now thinks that if a non-Muslim gets such good treatment, surely a Muslim will get better, and so lies to the imam, "I am actually a devout Muslim myself."

"Oh! Salaam, my brother! It's wonderful to have you here during Ramadan! Just thirteen more hours of fasting until we eat or drink but let us go pass those hours in prayer."

Moral of the Story: Being a member of a select group brings advantages, but also obligations.