"I wish that car would go faster!" Alain muttered, his hands gripping the steering wheel. "We’ll be late for Feast!"
Papa shrugged. "Perhaps it is God’s will."
Alain glanced at Papa in disbelief. "Why would God want us to be late for Feast?”
"Sometimes it’s hard to understand the will of God," Papa told him. "Did I ever tell you about the brothers from the city of Mashad in Persia?"
Alain relaxed his grip on the steering wheel.
Papa began, “Sháhvirdí and his brother ‘Azíz were merchants. Sháhvirdí was a Bahá’í, but his brother was not. Together they traveled throughout Persia. Although they sold little of their merchandise, they were always greeted warmly by the Bahá’ís in each town. Nevertheless, ‘Azíz wanted nothing to do with this "new" Bahá’í religion.
"‘Azíz worried much of the time. He worried that they would never sell their goods and return to Mashad. He worried that they would be robbed by the bandits that hid along the roads.
"When ‘Azíz expressed his concerns, Sháhvirdí would calmly answer, ‘Inshá’lláh! (God willing) Then he would return his gaze to the books that he read — books that he kept like a treasure in their own case.
