The Fakir and The Atheist

By Dinny

One day, a fakir was approached by an atheist who said angrily,

“You talk about God all day long, but what good is your God if He doesn’t fulfill my needs? You’re just lying to people about a false god and fooling everyone! Look at you—wearing so many gold chains and rings on all your fingers. You’re looting people in the name of God! You should be jailed—or even hanged—for deceiving people and corrupting the youth. There is no God! All religions and religious leaders are frauds!”

The crowd fell silent, staring at the atheist in anger. The fakir stood up calmly. The atheist grew uneasy, thinking he might have gone too far.

But the fakir simply smiled, walked up to him, and said gently,

“No worries, my friend. You are right—from where you stand, it may seem like I’m lying. I understand.”

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, the fakir took off all his golden chains and rings and handed them to the atheist.

The atheist, thinking he had cleverly exposed the fakir, said to the crowd,

“See? He’s giving me all this willingly!”

The fakir smiled again. “Yes, my friend. It’s all yours. Don’t worry.”

The atheist, filled with pride, walked away triumphantly with the valuables. His ego swelled—he thought he had proven his point.

He rushed to a goldsmith to sell everything. The goldsmith examined the items carefully and discovered they were only gold-plated silver—of little value. Then he noticed a small locket among the chains, with a photo of the fakir inside. Realizing who it belonged to, the goldsmith—who was also a devotee of the fakir—immediately called the police.

The atheist was soon caught and brought back to the fakir along with the police and the goldsmith.

Meanwhile, the crowd around the fakir asked,

“Master, why did you give away all your valuables so easily?”

The fakir replied with a peaceful smile,

“Can anything truly be stolen from a fakir? I am a fakir for a reason. Don’t worry—he will be back soon.”

Just as he said, the atheist returned with the police.

The fakir told the officers,

“He is innocent. I gave him those items myself.”

The atheist fell to the fakir’s feet, ashamed, and asked for forgiveness.

The fakir said softly,

“There is no need for forgiveness, my friend, because you are me, and I am you. As for those chains and rings—even if they were made of real gold, they have no value to me. People who love me gifted me genuine gold, but I made copies and began wearing those instead. I did this not because I wanted to, but because my followers felt sad when I didn’t wear their gifts. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, so I wore the imitations.”

Then the fakir looked into the atheist’s eyes and said,

“My friend, now I want something from you. Will you give it to me?”

The atheist replied, “Anything—if I can give it, I will.”

The fakir smiled. “Then give me your ego.”

The atheist was puzzled. “How can I give you my ego? It’s not something I can hold or hand over.”

The fakir replied,

“Just as you thought my gold was real but it wasn’t, so too the ego is an illusion. Reality is not what it seems. Things—and people—are never what they appear to be. Know thyself, and one day you may find the Divine within.”

Moral of the Story

Everyone is born rich in spirit, for nature itself is abundant. But humans have developed a limited mindset—we are always chasing one thing after another, never content. This endless pursuit breeds jealousy and comparison.

We look at others and think they are happier, richer, or more successful, without knowing the pain they might be hiding. We forget that there will always be someone above us and someone below us.

Life is short. Instead of wasting it in comparison, let us live joyfully—moment to moment—like the fakir.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Live simply, live fully, and live free.

By Dinny