Imam Ali's Mathematical Brilliance: DIVIDING 17 CAMELS
A person was about to die, and before dying he wrote his Will which went as follows:
"I have 17 Camels, and I have three sons. Divide my Camels in such a way that my eldest son gets half of them, the second one gets 1/3rd of the total and my youngest son gets 1/9th of the total number of Camels."
After his death when the relatives read his will they got extremely perplexed and said to each other that how can we divide 17 camels like this.
So after a long hard thought they decided that there was only one man in Arabia who could help them: "Imam Ali (AS)."
So they all came to the door of Imam Ali (AS) and put forward their problem.
Imam Ali (AS) said, "Ok, I will divide the camels as per the man's will."
Imam Ali (AS) said, "I will lend one of my camels to the total which makes it 18 (17+1=18), now lets divide as per his will."
The eldest son gets 1/2 of 18 = 9
The second one gets 1/3 of 18 = 6
The youngest gets 1/9 of 18 = 2
Now the total number of camels = 17 (9+6+2=17)
Then Imam Ali (AS) said, "Now I will take my Camel back."
Imam Ali's Mathematical Brilliance: THE FIVE LOAVES OF BREAD
Zarr Bin Hobeish relates this story: Two travelers sat together on the way to their destination to have a meal. One had five loaves of bread. The other had three. A third traveler was passing by and at the request of the two joined in the meal.
The travelers cut each of the loaf of bread in three equal parts. Each of the travelers ate eight broken pieces of the loaf.
At the time of leaving the third traveler took out eight dirhams and gave to the first two men who had offered him the meal, and went away. On receiving the money the two travelers started quarrelling as to who should have how much of the money.
The five-loaf-man demanded five dirhams. The three-loaf-man insisted on dividing the money in two equal parts.
The dispute was brought to Imam Ali (AS) (the Caliph of the time in Arabia) to be decided.
Imam Ali (AS) requested the three-loaf-man to accept three dirhams, because five-loaf-man has been more than fair to you. The three-loaf-man refused and said that he would take only four dirhams. At this Imam Ali (AS) replied, "You can have only one dirham." You had eight loaves between yourselves. Each loaf was broken in three parts. Therefore, you had 24 equal parts. Your three loaves made nine parts out of which you have eaten eight portions, leaving just one to the third traveler. Your friend had five loaves which divided into three made fifteen pieces. He ate eight pieces and gave seven pieces to the guest. As such the guest shared one part from your loaves and seven from those of your friend. So you should get one dirham and your friend should receive seven dirhams.
Imam Ali's Answering Difficult Questions: EARS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
One day another Jewish person came to Imam Ali (AS). He was planning to ask Imam Ali (AS) such a question, which would take Imam Ali (AS) a long time to answer and because of that his Maghrib Prayers would be delayed.
He asked, "Imam Ali you say you know everything in the world, then tell me which animals lay eggs and which animals give birth to their young ones."
Imam Ali (AS) looked back at him smiled and said, "The animals who have their 'EARS' outside their body give birth to their young ones and the animals who have their 'EARS' inside their body lay eggs."
Imam Ali's Mathematical Brilliance: DIVIDING INHERITANCE
Imam Ali (AS) was endowed with a quick, sharp, incisive, mathematical mind. Here are a few interesting stories in which Imam Ali's mathematical brilliance revealed itself.
What is a wife's share?
Imam Ali (AS) was once interrupted while he was delivering a sermon from the pulpit by someone who asked him how to distribute the inheritance of someone who had died leaving a wife, his parents and two daughters. The Imam instantly answered:
"The wife's share becomes one ninth."
How?
This answer is in fact the result of a long analysis with a number of steps. Ordinarily, we have to decide on the original share of each of these heirs, in the following way:
The wife takes one eighth, in view of the presence of an inheriting child. [Holy Quran 4:12]
The deceased's father and mother take one sixth each. [Holy Quran 4:11]
The two daughters take two thirds of the inheritance. [Holy Quran 4:11]
So the total will be: 1/8 + 1/6 + 1/6 + 2/3 = 3/24 + 4/24 + 4/24 + 16/24 = 27/24
This means the share becomes less than 1/8 in view of the increase of the total of the shares which are so fixed and prescribed. So the one eighth, the original share due to the wife out of twenty-four total shares, has become three shares out of a total of twenty-seven, which is one ninth.
Imam Ali's mind went through this complex mathematical process in a second!
Imam Ali's Mathematical Brilliance: WHOLE NUMBER AND NOT A FRACTION
One Day a Jewish person came to Imam Ali (AS), thinking that since Imam Ali thinks he is too smart, I'll ask him such a tough question that he won't be able to answer it and I'll have the chance to embarrass him in front of all the Arabs.
He asked "Imam Ali, tell me a number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction."
Imam Ali (AS) looked back at him and said, "Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer."
The Jewish person got astonished but as he was a polytheist (Mushrik), he still didn't believe Imam Ali (AS). He calculated the answer Imam Ali (AS) gave him.
To his amazement he came across the following results:
The number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arab)
The Number of Days in a Week = 7
The product of the two numbers = 2520
Now...
2520 ÷ 1 = 2520
2520 ÷ 2 = 1260
2520 ÷ 3 = 840
2520 ÷ 4 = 630
2520 ÷ 5 = 504
2520 ÷ 6 = 420
2520 ÷ 7 = 360
2520 ÷ 8 = 315
2520 ÷ 9 = 280
2520 ÷ 10= 252
Women Sufis
“One of my favourite verses of the Quran is Surah Al Azhab which makes it clear that spiritual blessings are intended for both righteous men and women who are equal in the eyes of God. The woman “auliya” meaning friend of God appeared in the early history of Islam and the dignity of sainthood was conferred on women as much as men. The doctrine of Sufism which seeks Union with God through love and devotion does not leave space for the distinction of sex. Islam has no order of priesthood and nothing prevents a woman from achieving great mystical heights. Sufis themselves have chosen the famed mystic woman Rabia Basri (died 801) as the representative of the first development of mysticism in Islam.
Rabia was consumed by love and desire for God and a famous anecdote explains the Sufi attitude. Rabia was found running while carrying a fire torch in one hand and a pail of water in the other. When people asked the meaning of her actions, the Sufi replied, “I am going to burn paradise with the fire and dampen the fires of Hell with this water so that people love God for the sake of God and not for want of paradise or the fear of Hell.”
Among the other early women mystics are Umm Haram whose tomb is in Cyprus, Rabia bint Ismail of Syria, Muadha al Adaiyya of Syria, Nafisa of Makkah, Zainab and Ishi Nili of Persia. These women made major contributions to the vitality and development of Islamic thought. For Sufis, it is the inner purpose of heart that matters and not outward forms. Some amongst Delhi Sufi women are recognized the world over.
Bibi Fatima Sam’s shrine is in Kaka Nagar facing the Oberoi Hotel in Delhi and the tombstone recognizes her title as the Rabia of Delhi. The mystic woman is frequently mentioned in the published discourses of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, who met her when she was alive and continued to visit her shrine for meditation. Commenting on Bibi Fatima’s spiritual status, the Sufi master said “When the lion has come out of the forest ,nobody asks if it is male or female.” She was the adopted sister of my master Baba Farid Ganj e Shaker. Bibi Fatima Sam once told me “ The saints will cast away both worldly and religious blessings to give a piece of bread or a drink of water to someone in need .This is a spiritual state one cannot obtain by one hundred thousand fasts and prayers.”
“You may seek love and you may seek soul.
Seek them both, but it won’t be easy.”
It is believed that after her death she appeared in a fellow Sufis dream and said “One day by appointment I went to the revered Lord and passed some angels who asked , “Who are you and why should you be proceeding so carelessly ?” I replied , “I have sworn an oath that I shall not move till God himself summons me”; the wife and the daughter of Prophet Muhammad came and I felt at their feet. They said “Fatima Sam, who is there like you today? God has sent us in search of you.” I said, “I am your slave; but I have sworn an oath.” Then the decree came from God: “ Fatima Sam speaks rightly. You both must depart and leave her alone.” Then I heard God call, “Come to Me, to Me.” I moved and spoke to the lord.
Bibi Zulekha known as Mai Sahiba is the mother of Hazrat Nizam ud din Auliya.
Widowed early, she brought up her son and daughter Bibi Jannat under great hardship earning a living by weaving cloth. When there was nothing to eat in the house, Mai Sahiba would say,” Nizamuddin. Today we are the guests of God”. She explained to the children that God sent down spiritual nourishment which was different than the taste of worldly food.
Mai Sahiba was a pious woman completely devoted to God. One new moon she said, ”Nizam! At whose feet shall you put your head next month” The Shaikh with tears in his eyes said,” At whose care shall you entrust me”. “I will tell you tomorrow.” Mai Sahiba replied and directed him to go and sleep in the neighbouring house of Shaikh Najeeb ud din Mutawakkil, Baba Farids brother and disciple. In the early hours of the morning the maid servant rushed to call Mai Sahiba’s son who hurried to the house. She held his right hand and said, “ O God. I entrust him to Thee”. Having said this, Mai Sahiba breathed her last.
Mai Sahiba’s shrine is on Sri Aurobindo Marg earlier known as the Udhchini village. The shrine is visited by hundreds of devotees specially women. It is believed that Mai Sahiba cannot bear the sorrow of a woman and bestows her blessings on them immediately. Whenever in acute distress Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya used to go and pray at his mothers shrine and said his prayers were always answered.
Jahanara ( 1614-1681) daughter of the Emperor Shahjahan, like her brother Dara Shikoh was a Sufi and like him an the author of biographical works on contemporary and historical Sufi saints. Jahanara wrote a biography of her Sufi mentor Mulla Shah as well as a literary biographical account of the famous Sufi of Ajmer, Moin al-Din Chishty (d. 1236). In “ The Confidant of Spirits” the Princess uses the word faqira—the feminine form of faqir—to signify her own spiritual vocation as a Sufi woman.
Jehanara spent many weeks along with her father Shahjehan at Ajmer seeking the blessings of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz. The princess details her spiritual activities at the shrine and her mystical experiences. “ “Praise be to God as I attained the happiness of pilgrimage to the illuminated and perfumed tomb of the revered saving master. I went to the holy sanctuary and rubbed my pale face on the dust of the threshold. From the door-way to the blessed tomb I went barefoot, kissing the ground. Having entered the dome, I went around the light-filled tomb of my master seven times, sweeping it with my eyelashes, and making the sweet-smelling dust of that place the mascara of my eyes.” Of Khwaja she wrote ,
Our Moin ud-Din is annihilated in God,
And after that he subsists in the absolute essence.
The Sufi princess is buried in a small white marble tomb, open to the elements and devoid of any dome opposite her beloved Sufi Hazrat Nizam al-Din Auliya in Delhi. The inscription on her shrine reads as follows :
He is the Living, the Sustaining.
Let no one cover my grave except with greenery,
For this very grass suffices as a tomb cover for the poor.
The annihilated faqira Lady Jahanara,
Disciple of the Lords of Chisht,
Daughter of Shahjahan the Warrior
(May God illuminate his proof).”
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