The Moral Stories (part 2)

A Question From Haroon

Sitting in his palace gallery once, Haroon was enjoying the natural scenery of the greenery around and the flow of the river Tigris with the sound of water gushing forward. Bahlool happened to be there and Haroon said to him:

"I shall ask you a question to which if you reply correctly, I shall gift you with a thousand dinars of gold, otherwise I shall throw you out into the river." Bahlool replied:

"I am not in greed of wealth. If I answer correctly, you should agree to release a hundred of my friends from your prison, otherwise you may throw me into the water."

Haroon then put forward to him this question:

"Supposing there is a sheep, a wolf and a heap of grass. How could these be transferred from bank to the opposite bank of the river so that neither the sheep eats the grass nor the wolf is able to devour sheep?" Bahlool replied by saying:

"The sheep should first be taken across to the opposite bank of the river. Thence take the grass heap there and return the sheep this side of the river and leaving it here, take the wolf across to that side. Finally returning to this side, take the sheep back to that side of the water. In this way, neither the sheep would have an opportunity to eat the grass nor the wolf to devour the sheep."

Haroon was touched by Bahlool's intelligence and admired this answer. Bahlool then presented to him a list of a hundren prisoners, who were all the followers and lovers of Ali ibn Abi Taleb (A.S.). Breaking his promise, Haroon refused to release them. However, finally on persuasion, he agreed to release ten of them.

What a profound sense of intelligence as well as deep concern for the innocent prisoners held by Haroon on accusation of professing the love of Ali ibn Abi Taleb (A.S.) and belief in him as the rightful divinely appointed Caliph.

Bahlool always looked down upon the worldly wealth and never compromised against the principles of righteousness and justice. This fact made him feared by one and all and he proved to be one among a few pious personalities of his time.

The Uncontrolable FLies

Haroon once told Bahlool that if he would give correct answer to a question, he would gift him with a thousand dinars in gold. Failing to give the answer, he would give instructions to shave off all his beard and moustache. Further he would be exposed before the people in the streets and bazars, mounted on an ass. To this Bahlool said:

"I do not need any worldly wealth or money from you. But if I reply correctly, then you undertake to order the flies not to harass us." Haroon after a little thought replied:

"That is not possible as the flies around were not under his control" To this Bahlool retorted:

"What could be expected from a person who has no control over tiny weak creatures like the flies."

By this statement, Bahlool implied that one who could not control and rule over flies, how could he be expected to rule over the whole world as claimed. The true and legitimate Caliph and vicegerent of the Prophet could only be the one who had control and rule over all the creatures.

Every small or big thing should be under submission to him. As such Bahlool meant that he may not answer a question from Haroon on his stipulated conditions.

"O people! a parable is set forth, therefore listen to it: surely those whom you call upon besides Allah cannot create fly, though they should all gather for it, and should the fly snatch away anything from them, they could not take it back from i weak are the invoker and the invoked." (22:73)

Anyhow, Haroon then asked what that tree was which had twelve branches and every branch had thirty leaves, and every leaf had one side shining while another dark.

Bahlool replied:

"The tree is the year, the twelve branches are the twelve months and thirty shining and dark leaves are the thirty days of the months" Haroon and his courtiers were flabbergasted to hear this logical answer.

HEAVEN FOR SALE

Once sitting on the bank of a river and playing with mud, Bahlool was constructing small houses and gardens. At that moment, Zubeida - the wife of Haroon - happened to pass nearby. She asked what he was doing and the reply given was that he was building houses in heaven.

"Would you sell to me?" inquired Zubeida. "Why not!" replied Bahlool.

"What is the price?" she asked. "One-hundred dinnars for each house", said he.

Thinking that it would be a sort of help to the poor and insane Bahlool, Zubeida asked her servant to bring the money which she paid to him. The same night she dreamt seeing a fabulous palace in heaven with beautiful hooriya in it. They told her that this palace was the one which she had bought from Bahlool.

Zubeida on waking up in the morning related the dream to her husband Haroon - the Caliph. Upon hearing this, Haroon sent someone with one- hundred dinars to Bahlool with a request to sell him a house in heaven.

Bahlool smiled and said that Zubeida had purchased without first seeing or knowing whereas Haroon wanted to have it after coming to know about its true existence in heaven. Therefore he would not sell to him.

The following ayat in the Holy Qura'n stresses the need of having faith in the unseen:

"This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil). hose who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them." (2: 2-3)

HAROON'S ANGER ON BAHLOOL

Haroon had employed some special secret officers to investigate and report on the actual faith and belief of Bahlool. The information passed to the Caliph was that Bahlool was one from the staunch followers of Ahl-ul-Bayt and a close friend of Imam Musa Al-Kazim (A.S.).

Haroon called in Bahlool to accuse him of inciting enmity against him whilst posing as an insane person. He enquired what the Caliph planned to do to him and the reply given was:

"I shall get you unclothed and make you go round the city seated over a donkey and thence kill you."

As this punishment was being arranged, Jaffer Barmaki arrived. On seeing the condition ol Bahlool, he enquired of what wrong he had done. Bahlool said the punishment was because he had uttered the truth.

Hearing this, they all laughed. Haroon then instructed that Bahlool be presented with nice and rich clothes instead but he would not accept them. Putting back his old clothes on, he went away.

What is worth noting herewith is that Bahlool remained always steadfast on Islamic principles of justice and fairplay and refused to accept material favours from the oppressive and unjust ruler of the time.