Exasperated with his behaviour...

Exasperated with his behaviour, the owner complained to the Holy Prophet (s) about him, requesting him to advise Samra. The Holy Prophet (s) called for him and said, ‘There is a complaint lodged by the owner of the orchard against you. He is annoyed by your indecent behaviour. You enter his orchard unannounced and eye his women, who don’t get a chance to go indoors.

You are advised to enter only after getting permission from his family from this day onward.’ Samra refused to comply with his (s) directive. The Holy Prophet (s) offered another alternative. He (s) suggested he sell his tree. He refused outright. He (s) raised the price of the tree. He still refused. He (s) promised a tree in heaven for this one. He rejected every offer. The Holy Prophet (s) then gave his verdict on the situation. ‘You are a stubborn and sadistic person.

Islam does not permit anyone to harass or harm anyone.’ He ordered the owner of the orchard to cut down Samra’s tree and throw it in the street. The people went and did as directed. The Holy Prophet (s) looked at Samra and said, ‘Go hence, and use the tree in the open fields you see around.’ Honouring the Caliph The people of Anbar, Iran, were overjoyed to learn that their beloved Caliph Ali ibn e Abi Talib, Ameer ul Momineen (‘a) would be passing through their town on his way to Kufa.

At the appointed time, they all gathered on the sides of the highway that led to Kufa and waited to catch a glimpse of him. Soon, they caught sight of their Caliph entering their town. They all started to run in front of his entourage. Imam Ali (‘a) stopped and asked those people why they were all running, and what purpose it was serving. They explained, ‘This is our conventional way of honouring our popular leaders and honourable personalities, as well as the rich and powerful.

It is an old custom of our region. Imam Ali (‘a) shook his head with disapproval and said, ‘O people! Your act does not trouble you in this world alone, but will also create problems in the next. Never abase yourself before anyone in this manner. Think for a moment: How will this obsequiousness on your part benefit your master or leader, positively?’ Duties of a Neighbour A Medinite ( Ansar ), once moved into a new house, only to find his neighbor to be a very unpleasant person.

He went to the Holy Prophet (s) and presented his problem, ‘I have moved into a new locality and found myself living in close quarters with so-and-so.