Hind Khettouch
This is the story of a farmer, her husband and their two daughters.
Both girls were married and lived with their husbands in neighboring villages.
The first one married a rich and successful farmer and the second one was working in a big pottery atelier she owned with her husband.
Many months passed and neither of the daughters came to visit their parents. They were busy with their new lives and new responsibilities.Â
One day, the man told his wife:
“We haven’t seen the girls in months, and I cannot stop thinking about them. I want to make sure that they are both happy! Please go visit them and ask them to come see  us as soon as possible. I am an old man now and I want to see them before something happens to me!”
The next week, the farmer packed her clothes, some food and a few gifts for her girls and left.
The first visit: The Farm
When she arrived, the young woman tenderly welcomed her mother. She gave her mother the best room they had and with her husband they organised a big dinner in honour of their wonderful guest. They had a lovely evening and after the party, they stayed up all night talking.
The mother was reassured. Her daughter was happy and her son-in-law was a good man.
She stayed three days with her daughter. It is commonly called in Arab-speaking countries “The visit of the prophet”: Long enough to enjoy her stay, short enough not to be an annoying guest.
It is the equivalent of Ben Franklin’s famous quote: “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days”
Before leaving, the mother hugged her daughter, prayed to God to protect her and her family and asked:
“Daughter, is there anything you need and that I can do for you?”
“My dear mother, look around you and tell me what do you see?”
“Mashallah! I see the biggest piece of land!”
“This is our land, we work very hard to maintain it. All that we ask from God is to keep sending enough rain to our village. Pray for us Mother! If drought strikes our land we will lose everything and we will become very poor.”
“Dear God let it rain!” said the woman and she kept praying until she arrived to her second daughter’s house.
The second visit: Clay
Her daughter welcomed her warmly and prepared all sorts of delicious food for her. The son-in-law was so happy to see his mother-in-law that he gave her a wonderful vase he had made himself for the King. Â
The mother was reassured. She saw that her daughter was happy and that her son-in-law was a good man.
Again, she stayed three days and before leaving, she hugged her daughter and prayed to God to protect her and her family:
“Is there anything you need and that I can do for you?”
“Look around you Mother and tell me what do you see?”
“Mashallah! I see the biggest land of clay.”
“This clay is what we use to make all the beautiful pottery that we sell! Our clients come from all around the world to buy our art!
lease pray for us mother that it does not rain. If the rain comes, it will dissolve all the clay and we will lose everything!”
The farmer was struck by this news but she prayed to God nonetheless.
“Dear God let it not rain!”
A mother’s Heart
On her way home she kept repeating the strangest prayer:
“Dear God let it rain! Dear God let it not rain! Dear God let it rain! Dear God let it not rain! Dear God let it rain! Dear God let it not rain!”
When her husband asked her about the girls, she answered:
