Short, sweet stories

This one is from the PPIM-net mailing list.

And He Died.

Ash’ab was about to relate a story to a ruler, and he began: “There was a man……” But at that point, he noticed a tray of food being brought to them. He paused as he was staring at the tasty food. The ruler said, “Yes….and then?” Ash’ab said, “And he died!”

Fiqh

A man looked at his wife as she was climbing the stairs and he said, “You are divorced if you descend a single step, and divorced if you stand still!” She threw herself down over the railing and remained his wife.

The forebearance of ‘Ali bin Hussain

‘Abdur Razzaq related that a slave girl who belonged to ‘Ali bin Husain r.a.d was pouring water over him so he could make ablution, but the jug fell from her hand, landed on his face, and fractured his bone. He raised his head to her and she recited a part of Verse:

“ ….who repress anger…….( Qur’an 3:134)

He said, “ I have indeed controlled my anger .”

She then recited:

“ ……who pardon men…..(Qur’an 3:134)

He said, “ may Allah forgive you.”

She then recited the end of the Verse:

“….verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers).” (Qur’an 3:134)

He said, “You are free for the Countenance of Allah.”

Who should be followed?

A judge from Khurasan wanted to marry off his son, so he sought counsel with a man who was a follower of the Majus religion. The man said, “People come to you seeking judgement, and here you are coming to seek counsel from me!” The judge said, “You must advised me.” He said, “Our leader, Khosrau (Kisra), would choose wealth (when seeking a wife): the leader of the Christians, Caesar (Qaiser), would choose beauty: and the pre Islamic Arabs would choose based on ancestry and status: and your Ptophet would choose based on religion – so choose which among them you will follow.”

The Prodigious Understanding of ‘Ali

A woman gave birth to a child only six months after she got married; obviously, however, most women only give birth after nine months, or if the case is really premature, after seven months. People began to become suspicious, thinking that the child was not that of her husband, but of a man with whom she had relations prior to her marriage.

They took her to the caliph, so that she could receive her punishment. The caliph at that time was ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan r.a.d. When they went to him, they found ‘Ali r.a.d to be in his company, and he was ‘Uthman’s judge. ‘Ali said, “You have no right to punish her for this reason.”

They were surprised and asked, “ And how is that?”

He recited to them two Verses:

“And the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty (30) months,” (Quran 46:15)
(this means that the period of pregnancy as well as the period of breastfeeding is a total of 30 months.)

“The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years,” (Quran 2:233)
(this means that the period of breastfeeding is two years - in other words, 24 months.)

Then ‘Ali said, “It’s possible, therefore, for the period of pregnanacy to be six months only.”

And thus was the woman saved from stoning.

Leave him in the Fire

A man who was an adherent of the Majus religion (worship the sun) died and left behind a hige debt. Some of his creditors said to his son, “Sell the house and pay off your father’s debt.” The son said, “If I sell the house and pay off my father’s debt, will he enter Paradise?”

They said , “No.”

He said, “Then leave him in the Hellfire and leave me in the house.”