A dervish in Baghdad

There was a dervish in Baghdad who daily would serve 1,200 bowls of food and he would personally supervise their preparation and cooking.

One day he called a meeting of his servants and asked: ‘Did you not overlook someone while you were serving food?’

‘No, we remembered everyone,’ they rejoined, ‘we have forgotten no one. At the time of serving we provide it to everyone who comes to be fed’.

But again the shaykh remarked: ‘Something has gone awry in this procedure’.

‘O shaykh,’ implored the servants, ‘what is the intent of your line of questioning?’

‘For the past three days,’ explained the shaykh, ‘you have given me no food. Every time you have forgotten me’.”