Download PDF: [S] A Scholar who can answer all questions (Islamic Story)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Haatim Sahl bin Mohammed Sajastani narrates:

 

Once a person was nominated as the Governor of Basrah and certainly we had never seen a person in this position who was more intelligent than this person. One day I visited this person and he asked me, “O Sajastani! Who are the eminent ‘Ulama of Basrah?”

 

I replied, “Hadrat Sayyiduna Ziyaadi is considered highly intelligent and clever and one who is highly learned in speech. Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Uthman Maazini is considered as an authority in the Arabic language and in Arabic syntax. The same status is also given to Hadrat Sayyiduna Bilal Raa’i in the science of Ahadith. Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaaz Kufi is considered an authority and in the field of Qur’an, I am considered as the most eminent.”

 

The clerk of ibn Kalbi was noting whatever I was saying. The Governor then mentioned to the clerk, “Tomorrow, please invite all of them to my court so that I can be blessed with their presence.”

 

The next day, when all of them appeared, the Governor asked, “Who among you is Maazini?”

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Uthman Maazini – may Allah be pleased with him – replied, “May Allah  Almighty be pleased with you, I am present.”

 

He was then asked, “In the matter of Zihaar, if a slave who is deaf is freed, would this be sufficient?”

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Maazini – may Allah be pleased with him – replied, “May Allah Almighty give you blessing, I am not learned in the science of Jurisprudence. I am only learned in the field of Arabic language and syntax.”

 

The Governor then asked Hadrat Sayyiduna Ziyaadi – may Allah be pleased with him, “If a female agrees to merely one-third of the Mehr as payment for her freedom, what is your opinion in this regard?”

 

The eminent scholar replied, “This question has nothing to do with my field, the person who will be able to answer this is Bilal Raa’i”.

 

The Governor then turned to Hadrat Sayyiduna Bilal Raa’i and asked him, “O Bilal, tell me, how many Ahadith was quoted by ibn Auf from Hadrat Sayyiduna Hasan?”

 

Hadrat Bilal replied, “This question can be better answered by Hadrat Sayyiduna Shaaz Kufi because he is an authority in this field.”

 

After listening to their answer, the Governor spoke, “How unfortunate that a person would spend nearly forty years, and yet be able to answer only that answer in the field in which he studied. However, let me explain to all of you that in Kufah there is a scholar named Imam Kisaa’i who if you ask him a question in any faculty, he would be able to give you an answer immediately.” (Uyunul Hikaayah)

 

Meaning of Zihaar– in the above narration, the word Zihaar was used. This would imply that person who attributes to his wife or any part of his wife such a description which is only found in someone upon whom it is Haraam for him to marry. For example, if a person says to his wife, “That from today, you are like my mother or that your stomach, your hand or feet is like that of my mother”. As Kaffarah for this, one has to either free a healthy slave, or keep fast for two months or feed seventy orphans two times a day.” (Bahaareh Shari’ah, 8.52)