Download PDF: [S] He Destroyed the Kings alcohol (Islamic story)

The historian ibn Asaakir and Allamah Zehbi narrate:

 

Once Abu Husain Ahmed bin Mohammed was walking on the banks of the river Dajlah when he saw a boat travelling by. He saw that the people in charge of this boat had many containers of alcohol with them. He then climbed on this boat and asked them what this was. The captain replied, “By Allah, you are indeed someone who seems to waste time. These are the containers of alcohol which belong to the Khalifah Al Mu’tazid billah.”

 

Abu Husain became very angry when he heard this and picking up his stick, he began to destroy one container after the next. The captain tried to stop him but to no avail. When the captain began to scream in panic, the people around and also the police in the area came rushing to see what was happening. By the time these people arrived, except for one container, all the others had been destroyed. The police then arrested him and presented him in front of the khalifah.

 

The Khalifah said to him, “May you be destroyed, who are you?”

 

The pious Muslim replied, “I am a Muhtasib, (in other words, I am someone who commands good and prohibits evil).”

 

The Khalifah then asked him as to who had nominated him to this position.

 

He replied, “The same Divine Being who had made you a Khalifah, the same Divine Being had commanded me to perform this duty.”

 

The Khalifah then lowered his head and then asked him, “What instilled bravery in you to commit such an act and what was your purpose?”

 

Abu Husain replied, “The reason I performed this act was out of great concern for you and I also realised that this was extremely harmful, bad and something which could destroy you in the long term.”

 

The Khalifah again bowed his head and after thinking a little while, he said, “You had destroyed all these containers and yet, you left one container untouched. What was the reason for this?”

 

Abu Husain replied, “When I started to destroy these containers, the only purpose in my heart was to seek the Divine Pleasure of the Allah. I continued to perform this task with this intent. However, before I could break the last container, suddenly a thought appeared in my mind which was, ‘I am shocked at the immense act which I had committed and I had done this in spite of the fact that these items belonged to the Khalifah and I had also done this without any fear.’ When this thought appeared in my heart, I stopped breaking this last container because I realised that at that moment, I did not have the intention to please the Allah Almighty but to please myself. Therefore, the minute this thought appeared in me, I resisted breaking the last container.”

 

When the Khalifah heard this, he said, “Go, I have also nominated you are my Muhtasib and whatever you see wrong been committed in the kingdom, you are at liberty to change it.”

 

However Abu Husain replied, “I now have no interest in performing this task any longer.”

 

When the Khalifah asked him the reason, he replied, “Prior to this, I used to perform this task with the sole intent of pleasing the Allah Almighty and I used to perform this task with His Divine Help. Now, if I perform this task, it would be because of pleasing you and I would do this with the help of your police force.”

 

When the Khalifah heard this, he asked him whether he needed any personal favour.

 

He replied, “I only request that you allow me to leave this court without any harm and none of your people should be an obstacle to me.”

 

The Khalifah also gave this instruction.

 

When Abu Husain Noori left the court, he also left Baghdad Shareef and settled in Basrah. He continued to conceal himself from everyone so that no one would approach him to intercede on his behalf with the Khalifah. (In other words, he did not wish to visit the Khalifah again).

 

However, when Mutazid billah died, only then did he return to Baghdad Shareef. The Great saint also passed away in 295 A.H.. (Sayr ‘Alaamul Nublah. 14/76)