One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdâd with
three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed
the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims
to answer.

The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the
Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with
three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount
of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions,
they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction
does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this
moment?"

The great assembly
of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In
the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking
on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer
him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission
of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission
to do so.

The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question,

"What was there before Allâh?"

The boy asked, "Do
you know how to count?"

"Yes," said the
man.

"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten,
nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting.

"But what comes before 'one'?" asked
the boy.

"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said
the man.

"Well then, if
there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you
expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth,
All-Eternal, Everlasting- the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"

Now the man was
surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh
facing?"

"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and
tell me in which direction the flame is facing."

"But the flame
is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,

North, South, East
and West. It does not face any one direction only," said
the man in wonderment.

The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions
such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of
the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh- the Light of the
Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions
at all times."

The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering
his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So,
he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy
said,

"Wait! You are
the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the
answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to
where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in
order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."

This seemed reasonable
to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended
the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell
me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"

The boy proudly
answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon
this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and
brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh,
He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal)
power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."

The Roman had nothing
to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile,
this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam.
Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom
and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh
'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'zam,
the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam. May Allâh shower some of His
Mercy in the same way upon our Muslim children who are growing up today. Âmeen.

[Adapted into English
from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written
by Imâm

Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad
al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al-Kitâb al-'Arabiy,

Beirut, 1981/1401H.]