Thursday, March 24, 2011

Duty of a Governer

During the Caliphate of Hadhrat Ali (a.s.), once a governor was invited to a feast. The governor accepted the invitation and participated in the party. When Hadhrat Ali (a.s.) came to know about this he reprimanded the governor severely saying: "Entertaining a governor is bribe. Why was this bribe given? If it was given to establish a right it is the duty of a governor to give the entitled persons their right without taking bribe, or this bribe was given to validate something invalid. If that be the case it is not lawful for a governor to do any such thing even though the entire world may be offered to him as bribe.
The second thing is: Why did the governor participate in a feast to which the rich were invited but the indigent were ignored and thus a discrimination was made between the slaves of Allah? This discrimination pained many persons and also grieved Ali. Of course if the society is prosperous and the people are well-to-do there is no harm in inviting only some persons to a party to the exclusion of others. However, when the conditions are such that there are poor as well as rich persons in the society, does the extension of an invitation to a governor to participate in a feast not amount to giving him bribe?

Friday, March 11, 2011

Logic of Bohlol

Bohlol was a very wise and a witty man once he went into a mosque where Abu Hanifa was lecturing to his students. Buhlol heard him saying, “I cannot understand three things that Imam J’afar Sadiq (A.S.) says, viz,
(1) God will not be seen even on the Day of Judgment. But you know that if something exists and is present, it would very definitely be seen:
(2) Shaitan will be burned in hell fire. But you all know that Shaitan was created from the element of fore. How can a fire burn or hurt fire?
(3) Man is a free agent and is responsible for all his deeds. But the truth is that man is not free. Whatever he appears to do, is something that was dictated by God.”
Bohlol heard these arguments of Abu Hanifa and he was amused by them. He then went out of the mosque and stood waiting for Abu Hanifa to come out. When Abu Hanifa came out, Bohlol, threw a little rock at him in the face and hurt him, Abu Hanifa’s students seized Bohlol and took him to the court. They told the judge what he had done. When the judge asked him why he had hurt Abu Hanifa’s, He said that he did not hurt him and that he was innocent. Thereupon, Abu Hanifa shouted; “You threw the rock in my face. How can you be innocent.” Bohlol said, “No, I did not. God did. You were saying only a little while ago that God does everything.”
Abu Hanifa said; “My face is hurting and you are joking. I have so much pain.”
Bohlol said; “Pain? Show me the pain. I would like to see it.” Abu Hanifa said, “But pain is something one feels; it is not something that one can see with one’s eyes,”
Bohlol; “But you said that whatever exists and is present, will definitely be seen. If your pain exists and is present, you should be able to show it to me. Furthermore, you said that Shaitan is made from fire, and that fire of Hell cannot, therefore, burn or hurt him (Shaitan). But you were made from dust, and the clod which struck you, was also a lump of dust. If fire, then how can dust hurt dust? You ought to feel no pain at all; after dust hit dust.”
Abu Hanifa was embarrassed. Bohlol had used a little rock to demolish all the arguments of Abu Hanifa. He proved and also demonstrated that man is responsible for his own deeds, and that he cannot blame God for them and their consequences.
Note: To know more about Imam Abu Hanifa CLICK

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The Dodging Truth

A simple man
A man was brought to the second caliph hadhrat Omar.
People had asked this man, that how he started his day.
The man had replied: I started my day to the likeness of Fitna (temptation), dislike for the truth,
giving credence to Judaism and Christianity,
believing to the unseen and accepting a thing which does not exists.
Hadhrat Omar asked his servant to call  Hadhrat Ali (a.s.) to solve this.
When Ali (a.s.) arrived, he was informed about the beliefs (misguided) of this man.
Imam Ali (a.s.) said: What this man is saying is right.
This man says that he loves Fitna (temptation), Allah says "Indeed your wealth and your children are Fitna."
He dislikes Truth. Allah says "The time of death and the final breath is Truth, and it will certainly come."
He testifies the Jews and the Christians. Allah says "Jews say that Christians have no foundation  and Christian believe that the Jews have no base."
He believes in the unseen, that is "God".
A thing which he accepts that has not come into existence is Qayamat (Day of Judgement).
(source: Fadhaaelul Khamsa minas Sihahil Sittah, Vol.2, page 272 and 290)