When Jacob thought his son Joseph was dead, he couldn't stop weeping. He repeated Joseph's name endlessly.
The angel Gabriel appeared. "What has happened to your faith? If you say Joseph's name again, you will no longer be counted among the prophets."
"I repent," said Jacob. He no longer spoke Joseph's name, but he repeated it in his heart.
One night Jacob saw Joseph in a dream. He obeyed the command not to speak Joseph's name, but he beat his breast and sighed.
Gabriel appeared again. "You didn't say Joseph's name, but with that sigh you have undone your repentance."
Inspired by: The Conference of the Birds by Farid Ud-Din Attar, translated by S. C. Nott
Notes: This is in section 12: Story of Jacob.
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