The Dead Snake

Marhum Qadhi was a scholar of the highest calibre in Najaf in the last century. He taught akhlaq, aqaaid and 'irfan, and was also well versed in falsafah and fiqh. Many great scholars of the previous generation were his students. He had a special status and piety, which enabled him to perform many miraculous acts, some of which his students have described.  

One of the teachers at the Hawza in Najaf reports:

“I had heard much about the wondrous abilities of Marhum Qadhi, but I doubted whether the stories were actually true or not, until one day, when I met him outside the masjid of Kufa. I greeted him and we spoke together for a few moments. When we reached the entrance of the mosque of Kufa, (which was facing the open desert), we sat outside facing the qiblah in the shade of one of the walls of the mosque, for some rest, before we entering the mosque.

We began a discussion and Marhum Qadhi related some matters about the secrets and signs of Allah swt, the definition of tawhid, the importance of pondering deeply on this subject and the fact that this is the true and the only purpose of man's creation. The talk continued until the call for prayers came.

As he spoke, I thought to myself, “Truly, we are all confused and totally unaware of the actual reality of our creation. How shameful will it be if our lives end in this manner? What he says is so true, and if we do not take benefit from it, then woe to us!”

Suddenly, I saw a large snake come out of its lair and begin to slide next to the wall of the mosque, coming towards us. There were many snakes in that region, and people would often see them, but they did not usually attack anyone. However, this snake came right next to us, really frightening me. I noticed that immediately Marhum Qadhi pointed at it (the snake) and said, “mut, bi idhnillah” - i.e. “die, by the permission of Allah!” To my utter surprise, I saw that the snake immediately withered away and died. Then without even pausing for a moment, he concluded his comments and then we stood up to attend the prayers.

Marhum Qadhi recited his prayers in the mosque and then retired to a side room where he used to engage in worship. I also performed some a'mal, and then decided to return to Najaf. Before I left, a thought passed in my mind, “was the snake truly dead or had this man somehow tricked me, as some magicians do?” I decided to go and examine the snake to see if it was actually dead. I went out and saw that it was exactly in the same place, dead & dried up. I pushed it to check - it did not move. I became ashamed of my doubts and returned to the mosque to continue with prayers, but I could not concentrate.

Marhum Qadhi remained in his room for some time engrossed in his worship, and then came out and left the mosque. I also came out and we met again. As soon as he saw me, he turned to me and with a smile said, “Well sir, you tested me, you tested me!”