The Debate across the River

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

It is said that once, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) was challenged to a debate by a Christian ruler and he accepted it.  The debate was to take place by a river.  Imam ash-Shafi’i’s (r.a.) students accompanied him, whilst the Christians were represented by three hundred of the king’s scholars.  Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) arrived on one side of the river and the Christians arrived on the other. 

The Christians then said Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) should come to their side of the river to debate, and the students of Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) argued that the Christians should come to the Muslims side.  Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) resolved this by walking atop of the river, laid his sajadah down, and said, “Let us meet here, in the middle, and deliberate.”  At this, the Christians were amazed and said the shahadah. 

When the news reached the Christian king, he remarked “It is fortunate that we had sent our priests out rather than inviting ash-Shafi’i to our kingdom.”  He was expressing his concern that had Imam ash-Shafi’i (r.a.) come to them, the entire kingdom would have embraced Islam.