The Story of the Divine Judgment

In the golden age of the Abbasid Caliphate, when Baghdad was the greatest city in the world and scholars from every land came to study in its libraries, there occurred a case so complex and troubling that it challenged the very foundations of human justice. The case came before Qadi Yusuf, the most renowned judge in all the empire, known far and wide for his wisdom, fairness, and deep understanding of Islamic law.

The dispute involved two men who had been friends since childhood: Salim, a wealthy merchant known for his honesty and charitable works, and Omar, a poor but hardworking craftsman who supported his elderly mother and three young children. Their friendship had endured through decades of vastly different fortunes, with Salim often helping Omar during difficult times and Omar providing loyal service and companionship to his wealthy friend.

The Accusation

One morning, the peace of their long friendship was shattered when Omar appeared before Qadi Yusuf with a terrible accusation. He claimed that Salim had entrusted him with a large sum of gold—one thousand dinars—to safeguard while Salim traveled on a long trading journey. According to Omar, when Salim returned and asked for his gold, Omar had faithfully returned it. However, Salim now claimed that Omar had never returned the money and was demanding repayment.

“Your Honor,” Omar said, his voice shaking with emotion, “I swear by Allah and His Prophet that I returned every dinar to my friend when he asked for it. Yet now he claims I still owe him this vast sum. I am a poor man—where would I get such wealth to repay what I do not owe?”

When Salim was brought before the court, he presented a very different version of events. “Honored Qadi,” he said with apparent sincerity, “I trusted my dear friend Omar with my gold because I valued our friendship above any written contract. When I returned from my journey and asked for my money, he told me he had invested it and lost it all. He promised to work to repay me, but now he denies ever receiving the gold at all.”

The Impossible Dilemma

Qadi Yusuf found himself facing a situation that challenged all his experience and wisdom. Both men were known in the community as honest and God-fearing. Both had excellent reputations, and both swore by Allah that they were telling the truth. There were no witnesses to either the original deposit or the alleged return of the money, as such transactions between close friends often occurred in private, sealed by trust rather than formal contracts.

The judge called for witnesses to character, hoping to find some clue that might point to the truth. Testimony revealed that Salim was indeed wealthy enough to have entrusted such a sum to a friend, and that he had a long history of helping Omar in times of need. But it also showed that Omar was known for his absolute honesty—never in his life had anyone accused him of taking so much as a copper coin that did not belong to him.

For days, Qadi Yusuf wrestled with the case, consulting law books, seeking advice from other scholars, and praying for guidance. The law was clear about the need for evidence, but evidence seemed impossible to obtain. Meanwhile, the case had become the talk of Baghdad, with people taking sides based on their personal relationships with the two men rather than any knowledge of the facts.

The Prayer for Guidance

On the night before he was to render his final judgment, Qadi Yusuf performed ritual ablutions and spent the entire night in prayer. He begged Allah for wisdom, for guidance, and for a way to uncover the truth that human investigation could not reveal.

“Oh Allah,” he prayed, prostrating himself in his private chamber, “You who see all things hidden and know all secrets, guide Your servant to justice. I fear to wrong an innocent man, whether rich or poor, and I fear to let a guilty man escape the consequences of his deeds. Show me the path to truth.”

As dawn approached and the call to prayer echoed across the city, Qadi Yusuf felt a strange peace descend upon him. He rose from his prayers with a clear sense of what he must do, though he could not have explained the source of his certainty.

The Unusual Verdict

When court convened that morning, crowds packed every available space to hear the judge’s decision in the case that had divided the city. Qadi Yusuf entered with solemn dignity and took his place at the bench.

“I have spent many days seeking the truth in this matter,” he began, “and I have prayed for divine guidance in reaching a just decision. The law requires evidence, but sometimes Allah provides evidence in ways that human wisdom cannot anticipate.”

He paused, looking at both men with compassion. “I therefore order that both men appear here tomorrow at dawn. They will each place their right hand upon the Holy Quran and repeat their claims. After they have done so, they will both remain in prayer until sunset, asking Allah to judge between them. The truth will be revealed before this court within one day, for Allah does not leave the innocent to suffer indefinitely when they call upon Him for justice.”

The crowd murmured with surprise at this unusual procedure, but none could question the judge’s right to seek divine guidance in such a difficult case.

The Night of Truth

That night, both men went to their homes knowing that the next day would bring a final resolution to their dispute. What happened in the darkness of that night was known only to Allah and to the two men themselves, but it would soon be revealed to all.

Omar spent the night in prayer, repeating again and again his claim of innocence and begging Allah to vindicate him before the court. His mother and children prayed with him, their faces showing the strain of the accusation that had hung over their family like a dark cloud.

Salim, in his magnificent house, also spent the night in solitude. Those who lived with him heard him pacing, muttering to himself, and occasionally crying out as if in distress. When servants asked if he needed anything, he waved them away and continued his solitary vigil.

The Divine Revelation

The next morning, both men appeared before Qadi Yusuf as ordered. The court was even more crowded than the day before, with people standing in the streets outside to hear news of the final judgment.

Omar approached the judge’s bench first, placed his hand upon the Holy Quran, and in a clear, steady voice repeated his claim: “I swear by Allah, by His Prophet, and by this Holy Book that I faithfully returned every dinar that Salim entrusted to me. I owe him nothing, and I have spoken only the truth in this matter.”

As Omar spoke these words, his face was calm and peaceful, and those watching noted that he seemed to grow stronger and more confident with each word.

Then it was Salim’s turn. He approached the Quran, but as he reached out to place his hand upon it, something extraordinary happened. His hand began to shake uncontrollably, and sweat broke out on his forehead despite the cool morning air.

“I…” he began, then stopped. His voice came out as barely a whisper. “I…”

The court waited in absolute silence as Salim struggled to speak. Finally, he fell to his knees before the judge’s bench and cried out in a voice filled with anguish: “Forgive me! I have lied! Omar returned my gold as he claimed, but I spent it in foolish investments and lost it all. I accused my faithful friend because I was too proud to admit my own failures!”

The Mercy of Justice

The court erupted in gasps and murmurs as Salim’s confession confirmed what divine judgment had revealed. Qadi Yusuf called for silence and looked upon the weeping merchant with both sternness and compassion.

“You have chosen truth over falsehood at the last moment,” the judge said solemnly. “This shows that your heart is not entirely corrupt, though your actions have been shameful. The law requires that you face the consequences of your false accusation, but it also recognizes your repentance.”

He turned to Omar, who stood in stunned silence. “You have been vindicated by Allah Himself, and your reputation is restored in the eyes of all who witness this day.”

Then Qadi Yusuf pronounced his final judgment: “Salim ibn Abdullah, you will publicly apologize to Omar and his family before this assembly. You will pay compensation for the suffering you have caused him, and you will perform community service under the supervision of this court until you have demonstrated genuine repentance. But because you chose truth over continued deception, you will not face the harshest penalties that the law provides for false accusation.”

The Lesson Learned

In the days that followed, the story of the divine judgment spread throughout the Islamic world, becoming a lesson taught in madrasas and discussed in mosque gatherings. Scholars pointed to it as an example of how Allah protects the innocent and how truth ultimately prevails when human beings seek divine guidance with sincere hearts.

Salim fulfilled all the requirements of his judgment and eventually became known for his charitable works and his advocacy for honest dealing in business. He and Omar, remarkably, eventually reconciled, with their friendship ultimately strengthened by the trial they had endured.

Omar’s vindication brought him respect throughout Baghdad, and his business prospered as people sought out a craftsman who had been proven honest by divine intervention. But he never forgot the lesson of the case—that truth is more precious than gold and that Allah watches over those who trust in Him.

Qadi Yusuf’s reputation for wisdom grew even greater, and judges from across the empire sought his advice on difficult cases. But he always reminded them that human wisdom has limits, and that the greatest judges are those who recognize their dependence on divine guidance.

The Eternal Truth

The courthouse where the divine judgment occurred became a symbol of justice throughout the Abbasid Empire. People would come from distant lands to see the place where Allah had directly intervened to protect the innocent and reveal the truth.

Carved above the entrance to the court, in beautiful Arabic calligraphy, were the words that Qadi Yusuf had spoken after the case: “Truth is the foundation of justice, and justice is the foundation of all righteous governance. When human wisdom fails, divine wisdom suffices for those who seek it with sincere hearts.”

And in Baghdad today, when complex legal cases arise that seem to have no clear solution, lawyers and judges still remember the story of the divine judgment, reminding themselves that ultimate justice belongs to Allah, and that those who seek truth with pure intentions will find that truth has a power all its own to emerge and prevail.

Thus ends the story of the divine judgment, where the scales of justice were held not by human hands but by divine will, and where truth proved stronger than deception, light more powerful than darkness, and mercy greater than the desire for revenge.