The Moral Stories (part 2)

Bahlool's Advice To Haroon

Haroon Al-Rashid once requested Bahlool for his advice in matters of administration of his Caliphate. In reply Bahiool said:

"Suppose for a moment that you get trapped into a jungle and you are suffering from intense thirst whilst there is no water available. If by good luck someone comes to offer you a cup of water to save your life, what would you givel him in return?"

Haroon said: "One hundred Dinars of Gold". Bahlool said: "If he was not satisfied with this and willing to accept, then what?"

Haroon said: "I would offer half of my kingdom" Bahlool. then asked:

"Supposing after quenching your thirst, you were to suffer from strangury (restriction in passing urine), what would you offer to get cured?" Haroon replied:

" The Balance half of my kingdom" Bahlool then advised:

"Do not be arrogant on your kingdom whilst you are willing to give away so much in return for a cup of water and cure of your sickness. It is only wise that you should treat your people fairly and kindly" How rightly has the Prophet said that:

"The worldly life is subject to changes. What good is meant for you would reach you even in your state of weakness. And what bad is to have, you will not be able to discard even with your power".

HIS OUTSTANDING WISDOM

A trader accompanied by his slave was travelling in a boat to Basra. By chance Bahlool happened to travel in the same boat. The slave got perturbed with the storm in the river water and started panicking and crying. Bahlool seeked the permission of the Master to calm him by some way.

When the permission was granted Bahlool ordered that the slave be thrown into the water and this was done .When the slave was on the verge of drowning, he gave instructions then to rescue him. Following this, the slave sitting quietly in one corner of the boat behaved calmly.

When asked on the wisdom of such a treatment to the slave, Bahlool explained that he had no understanding of a boat and its movement in the water. Only when he was thrown out into the water did he then come to appreciate the condition of a boat.

The Prophet of Islam has encouranged people to travel by saying: "Travel snd you will enrich yourselves' (by new experiences and contacts}

Debate With A Jurist

A Faqih (jurist) happened to come to Baghdad from Khorasan and Haroon Rashid invited him to his court. When he arrived, Haroon accorded him every honour and made him sit next to him. By chance Bahlool also appeared in the court and Haroon also accorded him due respect and made him sit nearby.

The jurist on seeing the crazy outlook of Bahlool remarked that it was rather surprising for the Caliph to welcome such people hear him. When Bahlool overheard this rernark, he, retorted by telling the jurist not to be puffed up with his little and imperfect knowledge.

He further claimed that he was prepared to debate with him and prove his ignorance. The jurist reacted to this by saying that what could he talk to an insane person. And Bahlool responded by saying:

" I may confess my insanity but you do not accept the challenge to your own ignorance and imperfect knowledge"

On hearing this hot, exchange, Haroon tried to calm Bahlool but he would not. Again he challenged the jurist to enter a polemic conversation with him if at all he was confident of his knowledge. Haroon said to the jurist:

"What is the objection, why not put some questions to Bahlool?" To this, the jurist responded by saying: "I am willing to do so on condition that if he failed to answer satisfactorily, he should pay a thousand dinars in gold coins. Likewise he would pay similar amount if he failed."

Bahlool responded that from the worldly treasure he had nothing but should he be defeated, he was willing to enter into the slavery of the jurist. The jurist then put forward this question:

"Supposing a woman was sitting in a house with her husband. And a man was occupied in prayers and another person was in the state of fasting. During that period another man entered that house, the marriage of wife and husband became mutually null and void, whilst the prayer of the one who was praying and the fasting of the one who fasted also became unacceptable. Who was the person who entered the house?"

In reply to the above question, Bahlool promptly answered by explaining that the person who entered that house was the previous husband of that woman. He had gone on a journey and had not returned for quite some time. The woman was informed that he had died, so after securing the consent of Hakime Sheria (Executer of Islamic Laws) she married again with the man with whom, she was sitting.

Besides she had arranged with those other two men on behalf of the husband who was reckoned to be dead.

Now as soon as her first husband who was alive entered the house , the first marriage revived and the second marriage became automatically null and void. And that prayer and fasting on his behalf also became unnecessary, since prayer and fast on behalf of one who is alive is not acceptable in the Islamic Sharia Haroon and his courtiers were much impressed by this logic answer. Bahlool then took his turn and posed the following question to the jurist:

"Supposing one bowl is full of sugar syrup and while another one with vinegar.

If for the purpose of preparing 'Sikanjabin' (a kind of vinegar syrup), we put them in third bowl and we find a small rat in it. How can we determine whether that rat originally was in the bowl of vinegar or in that of the supar syrup?" To this question put forward by Bahlooi, the jurist had no answer to give. Haroon noticing his. silence, called for the answer from Bahlool himself and Bahlool answered:

"We should first remove the dead rat from the syrup, wash it with water and thence tear open its body to see what was there in its tummy. If we find vinegar, we can conclude that the rat had got into the bowl of vinegar. If however, we find sugar syrup in its tummy, we conclude that it was originally in the bowl of syrup."

On hearing this answer to tne question, all those present in the court were awe struck with the remarkable intelligence of Bahlool.

Finally the jurist had to part with the agreed sum of a thousand dinars of gold to Bahlool who instead of pocketing them himself, distributed among the poor. This polemic between Bahlool and the jurist denotes the deep knowledge he had in Islamic jurisprudence. This made htm famous to be held in high esteem despite his insanely ways of living.

The following sayings of the Prophet are herewith worth noting: "He whose knowledge is higher is considered more in value than others" "A slip by a learned becomes widely publicized whereas that of an ignorant gets covered up under his ignorance".

"The happiness of this world and the next Has in learning and the evil of this world .and the next in ignorance"