There was once a man who was travelling and felt really hungry. He walked past a garden and saw an apple on the walk path. It had fallen off the tree whose branch extends beyond the fences to shade the way. He picked it up and ate it.
Shortly thereafter, he was struck by guilt, thinking he had consumed an apple that didn’t belong to him. He set out to find the owner of the garden to inform him that he ate one of his apples without permission, in order to pay the monetary value of it, or be forgiven for this sinful deed, and he did!
The owner was amazed and cleverly responded, “I will not forgive you unless you accept my one stipulation: that you marry my daughter. But she is deaf, blind, mute and paralysed”.
The man was gobsmacked, and juggled his thoughts in his head for a moment. He then surrendered to the stipulation, knowing that persevering with such a misfortune wife is less horrific than the torment of Allah for ‘stealing’ an apple. The night of the marriage came, and the groom walks in to his brides room with deep sorrow feelings, only to find a woman of magical beauty awaiting him; she speaks, hears, see’s and walks. Moreover, she was very well learned in Islam, exceptional in piety. She said to her now husband, “I know you are surprised. My father described me as blind, and that is because I have blinded my eyes away from any sight which displeases Allah; he said I’m mute, because I’ve muted my tongue from all speech but that which is remembrance of Allah; I’m paralyzed because I indulge in no forbidden activity; and I’m deaf because I refrain from hearing all vein speech. My father wanted to ensure my husband is a very pious man, one whom deserves me”.
The pious couple brought a gift to the Ummah; their child was one of the greatest scholars of Islam who was the “Father of the Imam’s” and who established the 1st of the 4 major schools of thought. None other than Imam Abu Hanifah (Rahimullah).
source:From the Original Arabic Piece by Adel bin Muhammad al-Abdul ‘Aalee
Translated by Abu Dujanah:
توكّل على الله 