Thursday 8 April 2010

The Teacher of Imam Abu Hanifa

STORY ONE

There was one incident when Harun Rasheed and his wife were taking a stroll and heard someone shouting out buy a palace in jannah buy a palace in jannah.

Harun Rasheed and his wife went to see what was going on and saw it was Bahlool. He had made little sand castles and selling them for 10 dinars calling them palaces of jannah.

Harun Rasheed said you fool this is not a palace of jannah its just a sand castle and walked off. His wife was a woman of understanding & purchased one.

That night Harun Rasheed saw a beautiful palace in his dream and walked towards it. When he got close and tried entering he was prevented and told its not for him its for his wife. the next day Harun Rasheed went searching for Bahlool and finally found him.

He said I want to buy a palace in jannah. Bahlool said they are all gone now. He offered Bahlool thousands of dinars but Bahloool replied the time has now gone.

Behlool liked to visit the graveyards. "People here are good friends", he used to say, "They do not backbite."

Once, he sat in a corner of a graveyard and with a long heavy stick started probing some of the old skulls which lay scattered about. Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid passed by, and saw him said: O Behlool, what are you doing?

Oh nothing very important, said Behlool. I am just trying to find out whether the skulls belong to Caliphs or paupers. They are all the same.

And what is the stick for, Harun Al-Rashid asked.

Well, I am measuring the earth, Behlool replied.

Measuring the earth? What are your findings? Harun Al-Rashid joked!

It is equal and the same, O Caliph! Behlool retorted. Three arm lengths for me, in spite of my poverty and three arm lengths for you, in spite your pomp and wealth.

STORY TWO

One day a Baghdadi businessman met Bohlool and said, "Sir Shaykh Bohlool! Give me advice as to what I should buy that would benefit me most."

Bohlool replied, "Iron and cotton."

The man went away and bought a lot of iron and cotton and stocked them. After a few months, he sold them and gained a lot of profit. Again he met Bohlool and said, "O Crazy Bohlool! What should I buy that would profit me?"

This time Bohlool told him to buy onions and watermelons. The businessman went and bought his entire savings worth of onions and watermelons. Just a few days later, they all rotted and caused a lot of harm. He immediately sought out Bohlool and said, " When I first asked you for advice, you said buy iron and cotton. I profited a lot from this, but the second time what kind of advice did you give me? All my wealth was destroyed!"

Bohlool said, "The first day you addressed me as Shaykh Bohlool, and since you addressed me as an intelligent person, I advised you according to my wisdom. The second time you called me Crazy Bohlool, so I advised you like a crazy person."

The businessman was ashamed of his behavior and understood Bohlool well.

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