A Wise Young Muslim Boy

Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of
Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it
was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the great number
of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.

One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with
three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he
informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged
the Muslims to answer.

The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the
Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with
three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great
amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for
the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which
direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this moment?"

The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to
these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students
of Islam was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I
will answer him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the
permission of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the
permission to do so.

The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question,
"What was there before Allâh?"

The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"

"Yes," said the man.

"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine,
eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting

"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy.

"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.

"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one',
then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One'
who is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the
Manifest, the Hidden?"

Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not
dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh facing?"

"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which
direction the flame is facing."

"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four
directions,

North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only,"
said the man in wonderment.

The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four
directions such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you
expect of the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens
and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all
times."

The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child
answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the
proofs. So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before
doing so, the boy said,

"Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who
is giving the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you
should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where you
are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the
questions."

This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was
standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his
final challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"

The boy proudly answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this
high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and
brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of
Allâh, He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises
(universal) power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."

The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his
country, defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the
most famous scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with
special wisdom and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah
(rahmatullâh 'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as
Imâm-e-A'dham, the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam.



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Adapted into English from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written by Imâm
Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al - Kitâb al-'Arabiy, Beirut,
1981/1401H