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"A Wise Young Muslim Boy"
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Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of
Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In
fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire  and,  because  of
the great number of scholars who lived there, it  was  the center
of Islamic knowledge.

One day, the ruler of Rome at the time  sent  an envoy to Baghdad
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.
 Ameen.