Can a princess marry a construction worker?

What is the real meaning of freedom in Islam?

Sister Muslema Purmul starts this excellent talk with a very interesting story of a princess and a construction worker.

Once upon a time there was a new big grand mosque being built…

When we let go of certain bad habits, there is a happiness and there is a sweetness in this experience that you can’t really compare to other things.

This story provides a really nice image of what that could look like.

At that mosque, there was a young man who was working in its construction.

At the completion of the masjid, the Sultan who ordered its building commanded all workers to leave.

And the reason is because his daughter, the princess, had asked him a special request to be the first one to go into that masjid and pray two raqaas in the musalla, with no one else there.

The masjid is finished, the construction workers leave and this one construction worker was falling behind.

He was late and he didn’t realize that everyone else had left, and they had allowed the princess into the masjid to go pray.

So as he’s leaving, he catches a glimpse of the princess inside the musalla of the masjid praying two raqaas of nafl.

And the scene was just so incredible to him.

It was such an amazing scene, and he basically just fell in love with the princess.

It was just a very beautiful image to him, and he fell in love with her.

But it became more than that.

He became infatuated with her.

So when he came home, he told his mother what had happened, and he said you have to go to the Sultan and ask for the princess’s hand in marriage.

His mother said I can’t do that, you’re a construction worker, and the Sultan is not going to have his daughter marry you.

But this construction worker became infatuated; he couldn’t work, he couldn’t think, eat, sleep …

He was just in a miserable state…

And the mother out of fearing for her son and his well-being, she realized if she does not do something he may die, because he’s refusing food and water at this point.

So she goes to the palace and she asks to speak to the Sultan, and the guards turn her away.

And she insists and she says my son is going to die.

“I have to talk to the Sultan.”

So finally, they let her talk to the Sultan.

And she mentions the story to the Sultan, and the Sultan asks that she comes back with the construction worker.

So they come back together, and he tells the construction worker after every one leaves the masjid at night time, after the Ishaa prayer, you have to come and pray qiyam in this masjid for forty nights.

If you come and pray qiyam in this masjid for forty nights straight, I will let you marry my daughter.

And he said, there will be someone there to make sure that you come, and if you miss a day we will know about it.

So in forty days, if you fulfill your end of the bargain, I will let you consider my daughter for marriage.

So the construction worker is excited.

This is a chance of lifetime…

So he goes the first day, and he prays qiyam in the masjid, after everyone leaves.

And he goes the second day, and the third …

And after a few weeks, he notices he is getting better …

What happens after that?

Is he able to complete the forty days?

Then what happens next?

Check this video to find out the ending of this amazing story, how we can benefit from it and some deep reflections on the concept of freedom and real happiness in Islam.