STORY OF THE RABBI

Masjid-e-Umar

One day Hazrat Bayazid Bastami while in meditation, saw himself in a synagogue dressed as a Jew. At first he was confused, but when he kept on seeing the same vision over and over again, he decided to put it in to action. So, he dressed himself as a Jew and went to their synagogue. 

When the Jews and their scholars were present, their chief Rabbi stood up to speak. But when he stood up, his tongue became stuck and he could not talk.  After he had been standing quietly for some time, the Jews started to complain. The Rabbi said, “In this gathering there is a follower of the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him and I cannot speak because he has come to examine us.” 

On hearing this, their anger fled like wild fire and they asked the Rabbi to give them permission to kill this follower of the Prophet Muhammed The Rabbi replied, “He cannot be killed without proof, so we must talk to him peacefully and respectfully and then we can decide.” 

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The Rabbi then said, “Oh Muhammadi. For the sake of your Prophet please stand up in your place. If you can remove our doubt about Islam then we shall accept Islam, but if you can't, then we shall kill you.” On hearing this, Hazrat Bayazid stood up and gave permission for them to question him. 

Rabbi: What is one and not two? 
Bayazid: Allah. (God) 
Rabbi: What is two and not three? 
Bayazid: Night and day. 
Qur’aan chapter 17 verse 12: 

And we made night and day two examples.

(The darkness of the night and the brightness of the day, sometimes one and sometimes the other is bigger or smaller. Then in the night, the increasing and decreasing of the moon, and the cool and soft moonlight. The sharp hot sunlight in the day, all these are examples of the power of Allah (God) from which their arrangements are separate and from which thousands of benefits come.) 

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Rabbi: What is three and not four? 
Bayazid: The Throne, Chair, and the Pen of Allah. (God) 
Rabbi: What is four and not five? 
Bayazid: The Torah, Bible, Psalms, and the Qur’aan. 
Rabbi: What is five and not six? 
Bayazid: The five compulsory Prayers. 
Rabbi: What is six and not seven? 
Bayazid: The six days in which the Earth, the sky, and whatever is in between them was created. 
Qur’aan chapter 50 verse 38:

And we created the Sky and the Earth and whatever is between them in six days.

(There is a difference of opinion on whether the six days are of this world or of the next world as Allah (God) says, 
Qur’aan chapter 22 verse 47: 

And one day of your lord is equal to one thousand years here.

Meaning that one thousand years here is equal to one day in the Hereafter.) 

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Rabbi: What is seven and not eight? 
Bayazid: The seven skies. 
Qur’aan chapter 67 verse 3, 

Who created the seven skies layer upon layer!

(It comes in narration of the Prophet Mohammed  that on top of the first sky is the second sky, and on top of that is the third, all the way up to the seventh sky. And the distance from one sky to the other is five hundred years of travel). 
Rabbi: What is eight and not nine? 
Bayazid: The bearers of the throne of Allah. 
 Quraan chapter 69 verse 17: 

And they will lift their Lord's throne on themselves on that day, eight persons.

(Now only four Angels are holding up the Throne, whose piousness or virtue only Allah (God) knows. But on the day of resurrection another four will be added to make eight). 
Rabbi: What is nine and not ten? 
The villagers of Hazrat Salih  in which the mischief mongers lived. 
Qur’aan chapter 27 Verse 48: 

And in that city there were nine persons who created mischief on the Earth, and they didn’t amend.

(It is possible that those nine persons are like nine groups whose work was to spread mischief in the kingdom. For correction they never lifted a foot. In Makkah there was also nine chief who in the time of the beginning of Islam, endeavored to create more enmity between the Prophet Muhammad s and his enemies.) 

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Rabbi: What is ten and not eleven? 
Bayazid: The person who performs a minor pilgrimage along with the major one and doesn't have the capacity to sacrifice an animal, he has to keep ten fasts. 
Qur’aan chapter 2 verse 196: 

So keep the three Haj (Pilgrimage) days and seven fasts when you return.

Rabbi: What is eleven, twelve and thirteen things which Allah has mentioned? 
Bayazid: Hazrat Yusuf (Joseph)  had eleven brothers. 
The twelve months in a year, 
Qur’aan chapter 9 verse 36: 

The number of months, with Allah (God), or twelve months.

Hazrat Yusuf (Joseph)  saw thirteen things prostrating to him. 
Qur’aan chapter 12 verse 4: 

I saw in a dream eleven stars, the sun and the moon, I saw them (for my sake) prostrating (to me).

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Rabbi: Which is that nation which lied and went in to paradise and which is that nation which said the truth and entered hell? 
Bayazid: Hazrat Yusuf ’s brothers lied but they went to paradise. 
Qur’aan chapter 12 verse 17: 

Oh father! We went out to run and we left Yusuf (Joseph) with our belongings, then he was eaten by the wolf.

The contradiction between the Christians and the Jews was true but they went to hell. 
Qur’aan chapter 2 verse 113: 

And the Jews said that the Christians are not on any path, and the Christians said that the Jews are not on any path, even though they all read the book.

(The Jews read the Torah and understand that when the Christians made Hazrat Isa (Jesus)  son of God, then without doubt they became unbelievers, and the Christians saw clearly in the Bible that when the Jews refused to accept Hazrat Isa  as a Prophet, then they became unbelievers.) 

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Rabbi: What is the meaning of Qur’aan chapter 51 verse 1-4: 

In the name of those flying scattered ships, then weight carrying ships, then calmly sailing ships, then those angels which share out (with the order of Allah (God)?

Bayazid: The meaning of flying scattered ships is air, the meaning of weight carrying ships is a water filled cloud, the meaning of calmly sailing ships is boat, and the meaning of those angels are the angels which distribute the sustenance. 
Rabbi: What is that thing which has no soul nor any connection with breathing, yet it breathes? 
Bayazid: It is the dawn, it has no soul but it still breathes. 
Qur’aan Chapter 81 verse 18: 

And the morning, when it breathes.

Rabbi: What are those twenty things that Allah talks with honour? 
Bayazid: The seven earth’s and the seven skies, 
Quraan chapter 41 verse 11: 

Then He said to it and to the Earth, come both of you with happiness or hardly, They said we will come happily.

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Rabbi: Which is that grave which moves the person in it around? 
Bayazid: Hazrat Yunus (fish). 
Qur’aan chapter 37 verse 142: 

Then the fish took him as a morsel.

Rabbi: Which is that water which didn’t come from the earth nor rain from the sky? 
Bayazid: The water which Hazrat Sulaiman  sent to Bilqis, Queen of Sheeba, it was the sweat of a horse. 
Rabbi: What are those four things which had no father nor were born from a mothers stomach? 
Bayazid: The sheep of Hazrat Ismail 
The she camel of Hazrat Salih Hazrat Adam and Eve. 
Rabbi: Who’s blood flowed first on the Earth? 
Bayazid: It was Habil’s (Able) when Qabil (Kane) killed him. 

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Rabbi: What is that thing which Allah created and then bought? 
Bayazid: A believers soul. 
Qur’aan chapter 9 verse 11: 

Allah bought from the Muslim’s their souls (spirits).

Rabbi: What is that voice which Allah created and then spoke bad about? 
Bayazid: The donkeys voice. 
Qur’aan chapter 31 verse 19: 

Without doubt the worse voice is of a donkey.

(Speak with humbleness. Don’t talk without need. When you speak don’t go over the limit, and if you want to speak loudly, then remember the voice of the donkey. It takes its voice out loudly and it is undesirable.) 
Rabbi: What is that creation that Allah created and from it greatness created fear? 
Bayazid: Women’s plan. 
Qur’aan chapter 12 verse 28: 

Certainly your trick is bad.

(It is about the story of Hazrat Yusuf , when the women tried to blame him of raping her.) 

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Rabbi: What is that thing that Allah created and then asked about? 
Bayazid: The staff of Hazrat Musa 
Qur’aan Chapter 20 verse 18: 

And what is that in your right hand, Oh Musa? He said “This is my staff.”

Rabbi: Who was the most pious of the women and what are the blessed rivers? 
Bayazid: The most pious women are Hazrat Eve, Hazrat Khadija (The fist wife of the Prophet Muhammad ), Hazart Aisha (The wife of the Prophet Muhammad ) and Hazrat Fatima (The daughter of the Prophet Muhammad ). 
The most blessed rivers are Oxus, Simwon, Tigris, Euphrates and Nile. 
Rabbi: Which is the most blessed mountain and the most blessed animal? 
Bayazid: Mount Toor in Makkah and the horse. 
Rabbi: Which is the best of all months and the best of all nights? 
Bayazid: The month of Ramdhan and the Night of Power. 
Qur’aan Chapter 2 verse 185: 

The month of Ramdhan in which the Qur’aan was revealed in.

Qur’aan chapter 97 verse 3: 

The night of power. It is better than a thousands months.

(To do worship on this night is as if worshipping for a thousand months, rather, it is even more). 

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Rabbi: There is a tree which has twelve twigs, each twig has thirty leafs, and each leaf has five fruits, two in the sun and three in the shade. What is the meaning of this tree? 
Bayazid: The tree means one year, the twigs mean the twelve months, the leafs means thirty days, and the fruits means the daily prayers. Two of which are prayed in the day and the remaining three which are prayed in the morning, at dusk, and at night time. 
Rabbi: What is that thing that circled around the Ka’bah (The House of God) in Makkah even though it had no soul? 
Bayazid: The boat of Hazrat Nuh (Noah) in the time of the flood it arrived in Arabia and circled around the Ka’bah. 
Rabbi: How many prophets did Allah send as Apostles? 
Bayazid: Only Allah knows, but in narrations it is said that Allah created 126.000 prophets from which 313 were Apostles. 
(Apostle: A Prophet who bought a book.) 
Rabbi: What are those four things whose roots are one but their colours and tastes are different? 
Bayazid: Eyes, ears, mouth and nose. 
Eyes wetness are sour. 
Ears wetness is acid. 
Noses wetness is acid. 
Mouths wetness is sweet. 
Rabbi: What is the voice of the donkey called? 
Bayazid: It is the curse on the tax takers. 

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Rabbi: What is the voice of the dog called? 
Bayazid: Doom on the dwellers of Hell by the anger of Allah. 
Rabbi: What is the remembrance of the ox? 
Bayazid: So remember the pure Allah and all praise are for Him. 
Rabbi: What is the remembrance of the camel? 
Bayazid: Allah is enough for us and as a guardian He is enough for us. 
Rabbi: What is the remembrance of the peacock? 
Bayazid: He is extremely loving, the one who is sitting on the Throne. 
Rabbi: What is the beautiful recitation of the nightingale? 
Bayazid: So remember the pure Allah when it is morning and evening. 
Rabbi: What is that thing which Allah sent revelation on, but it was not human, Jinn or Angel? 
Bayazid: The honey bee. 
Qur’aan chapter 16 verse 68: 

And your lord gave order to the honey bee.

After this the Rabbi couldn’t ask anymore questions and became quiet. Hazrat Bayazid said, “Now you give me the answer to my one question. What is the key to paradise?” The Rabbi replied, “If I give the answer to this question, this gathering will kill me.” 

The gathering shouted in one voice “We shall not do anything. Now tell us the true answer!” 

The Rabbi then said, “Listen! the key to paradise is: There is no God worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” On hearing this the whole gathering accepted Islam and Hazrat Bayazid returned giving thanks to Allah. 

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