There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous
questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad
could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in
public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a
small boy, who was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and
screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly
to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would
challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your
challenge". The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even
more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you
people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the
man, and with Allah's help and guidance, he would put this to an end.
The man finally accepted. The entire city gathered around a
small "hill" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed
to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.
"What is your God doing right now?" The small boy thought for a
little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to
allow him to go up in order to address the question.
The man says "What? You want me to come down?" The boy says, "Yes. I
need to reply, right?"
The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little
feet made his way up. This small child's reply was "Oh Allah
Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have
just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a
Muslim be brought to a high level!"
The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second
question... "What existed before your God?" The small child thought
and thought. Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10
backwards."
The man counted..."10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"
The boy asked, "What comes before 0 ?" The man: "I don`t
know...nothing"
The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and
absolute." The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-
akbar!!!!"
The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In
which direction is your Allah facing?" The boy thought and thought.
He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed
child handed it to the man and asked him to light it. The man did so
and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"
The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle
going?"
The man responded, "It is going in all directions."
The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah's light (Noor)
goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He
cannot be found.
"The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy's knowledge and
spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the
young boy.
So ended the debate.
Who was the young boy?
The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest
scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him).
questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad
could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in
public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a
small boy, who was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and
screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly
to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would
challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your
challenge". The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even
more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you
people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the
man, and with Allah's help and guidance, he would put this to an end.
The man finally accepted. The entire city gathered around a
small "hill" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed
to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.
"What is your God doing right now?" The small boy thought for a
little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to
allow him to go up in order to address the question.
The man says "What? You want me to come down?" The boy says, "Yes. I
need to reply, right?"
The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little
feet made his way up. This small child's reply was "Oh Allah
Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have
just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a
Muslim be brought to a high level!"
The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second
question... "What existed before your God?" The small child thought
and thought. Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10
backwards."
The man counted..."10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"
The boy asked, "What comes before 0 ?" The man: "I don`t
know...nothing"
The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and
absolute." The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-
akbar!!!!"
The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In
which direction is your Allah facing?" The boy thought and thought.
He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed
child handed it to the man and asked him to light it. The man did so
and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"
The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle
going?"
The man responded, "It is going in all directions."
The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah's light (Noor)
goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He
cannot be found.
"The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy's knowledge and
spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the
young boy.
So ended the debate.
Who was the young boy?
The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest
scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him).
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