The Moral Stories (part 2)

Evaluation of Haroon

By chance once Haroon and Bahlool both were going to Hammam (a public bath). Haroon asked him:

"What would my value be if I were a slave?" Bahlool replied: "Fifty dinars" Haroon in an enranged voice remarked: "Oh mad man! How could that be. My own valuable clothes are worth that much or more"

Bahlool reacted to this saying: "The value I had suggested was for your clothes, otherwise you yourself are of no value at all!"

Perhaps what Bahlool meant to taunt Haroon was that if he were a slave, he would not be able to provide any service to his master because of his easy and lusty life-style. As such he would be of no value on the slave market.

THE DRUNKARD CALIPH

Bahlool once arrived at Haroon's palace to find him drinking wine. Haroon wanted to cover up his vice hence he put this question to him: "Is it haram if one were to eat grapes?"

"Certainly not." Replied Bahlool. "How is it if one were to drink water after eating grapes?" asked Haroon. "Nothing wrong in it" replied Bahlool. "Is there anything wrong if after eating grapes and drinking water, one were to sit in the sun?" further question by Haroon.

"Not at all" replied Bahlobl.

Bahlool understood what the drinking Caliph was driving at. After pausing for a while, Bahlool put forward to Haroon the following questions: "If a little earth were to be put over someone's head, what harm would it cause to him."

"No harm" replied Haroon. "If then a little water were to be added to that earth?" asked Bahlool. "No harm also" replied Haroon.

"If bricks were to be made by mixing earth and water and thence strike his head with it, what would happen?" Bahlool asked this question.

"His head would burst open and blood come out" replied Haroon. Bahlool thereafter argued that just as earth and water mixed together could cause severe harm to one's head,

similarly water and grapes (grape juice) when converted into the form of wine would cause much harm and misery to man. Hence the prohibition of drinking wine in the Islamic Sharia. The following hadtth of the Prophet of Islam on the harm of wine drinking is worth noting:

"Alcohol is a collection of sins" Obviously one is likely to commit any sort of sin when in senseless condition under the influence of drinks. The ghastly crimes committed today under the intoxication of alcohol need no enumeration.

Argument With Abuhanifa

Abu Hanifa was once giving lessons to his disciples and disclosed to them his disagreement on three things which Imam Jaffer Sadiq (A.S.) had been teaching.

Firstly: Satan would go to hell. How could this happen when Satan himself was created from fire and how could fire burn fire?

Secondly: God is not to be seen. Why could we not see God when everything in existence can be seen?

Thirdly: Every person is responsible for his action and not Allah. Experience shows the opposite that every action of man is caused by God, man has no control over it.

When Bahlool heard of this, he picked up a lump of mud and threw it at the forehead of Abu Hanifa. He then tried to run away quickly from there but the disciples of Abu Hanifa managed to arrest him. They dragged him before the Caliph and lodged their complaint of what he had done.

Before the case was to be convened before the Caliph, Bahlool requested that Abu Hanifa should also be present in the court. When he arrived, Bahlool put forward to him the following questions:

"What inquiry did you receive from me?" "My head pains as a result of the lump of mtid you threw at me" said Abu Hanifa.

"Show me the pain", asked Bahlool.

"How could the pain, which is an invisible, be shown" replied Abu Hanifa. "But you yourself had argued before your disciples that what is in existence is possible to be seen with naked eyes" retorted Bahlool and added:

"That the lump of mud had injured you is also untrue. According to your belief, how could something made of earth and mud injure and cause pain to man who is made of earth?"

"You had also argued that whatever actions committed by man are caused by Allah. Therefore why complain against me for hitting you?" concluded Bahlool. On hearing these words from Bahlool, Abu Hanifa was ashamed and dumbfounded. He had no choice but to withdraw from the court.

In this way, by stricking with a lump of mud, Bahlool adequately replied and solved the three objections raised by Abu Hanifa before his disciples.

The practical lesson taught by Bahlool to Abu Hanifa was so profoundly logic that it made him dumbfounded. Indeed it was a lesson of Pure TAWHID as expounded by Ahl-ul-Bayt of the Prophet but presented in a practical form by Bahlool.

In his farewell sermon, the Prophet of Islam reminded his followers that they would never go astray should they follow what he was leaving behind.for them:

"Verily I have left behind among you that which if you take hold of, you will never go astray: The Book of Allah (the Holy Qura'n) and my progeny (the people of my house)