Appendix 1: A Part Of The Tradition Of A Meeting Between A Greek Doctor And Amir Al-Muʾminin ʿAli (ʿa)
The Original Arabic with English Translation
The Original Arabic
عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَسْكَرِيَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ زَيْنِ الْعَابِدِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) قَاعِداً ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَأَقْبَلَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْيُونَانِيِّينَ الْمُدَّعِينَ لِلْفَلْسَفَةِ وَالطَّبُ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ بَلَغَنِي خَبَرُ صَاحِبِكَ وَأَنَّ بِهِ جُنُوناً وَجِئْتُ لأُعَالِجَهُ فَلَحِقْتُهُ قَدْ مَضَى لِسَبِيلِهِ وَفَاتَنِي مَا أَرَدْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَقَدْ قِيلَ لِي إِنَّكَ ابْنُ عَمِّهِ وَصِهْرُهُ وَأَرَى بِكَ صُفَاراً قَدْ عَلَاكَ وَسَاقَيْنِ دَقِيقَيْنِ وَلَمَا أَرَاهُمَا تُقِلَائِكَ
فَأَمَّا الصُّفَارُ فَعِنْدِي دَوَاؤُهُ، وَأَمَّا السَّافَانِ الدَقِيقَانِ فَلَا حِيلَةَ لِي لِتَعْلِيظِهِمَا، وَالْوَجْهُ أَنْ تَرْفُقَ بِنَفْسِكَ فِي الْسَفِي تُقَلَّلَهُ وَلَا تُكَثَرَهُ ۖ وَفِيمَا تَحْمِلُهُ عَلَى ظَهْرِكَ وَتَحْتَضِنُهُ بِصَدْرِكَ أَنْ تُقَلّلَهُمَا وَلَا تُكْثَرَهُمَا فَإِنَّ سَاقَيْكَ دَقِيقَانِ لَا يُؤْمَنُ عِنْدَ حَمْلِ تَقِيلٍ انْقِصَافُهُمَا
وَأَمَّا الصُّفَارُ فَدَوَاؤُهُ عِنْدِي وَهُوَ هَذَا - وَأَخْرَجَ دَوَاءٌ - وَقَالَ هَذَا لَا يُؤْذِيكَ وَلَا يُخَيِّسُكَ وَلَكِنَّهُ يَلْزَمُكَ حِمْيَةٌ مِنَ اللَّحْمِ أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحاً ثُمَّ يُزِيلُ صُفَارَكَ
فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ )عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) قَدْ ذَكَرْتَ نَفْعَ هَذَا الدَّوَاءِ لِصُفَارِي فَهَلْ تَعْرِفُ شَيْئاً يَزِيدُ فِيهِ وَبَضُرُّهُ؟ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ بَلَى حَبَّةٌ مِنْ هَذَا - وَأَشَارَ إِلَى دَوَاء مَعَهُ - وَقَالَ: إِنْ تَنَاوَلَهُ إِنْسَانُ وَبِهِ صُفَارُ أَمَاتَهُ مِنْ سَاعَتِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَا صُفَارَ صَارَ بِهِ صُفَارُ حَتَّى بَسُوتَ فِي يَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ عَلِيُّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ): فَأَرِنِي هَذَا الضَّارَ فَأَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهُ
فَقَالَ لَهُ كَمْ قَدْرُ هَذَا قَالَ قَدْرُهُ مِثْقَالَيْنِ سَمُ نَاقِعُ قَدْرُ كُلَّ حَبَّةٍ مِنْهُ يَقْتُلُ رَجُلًا فَتَنَاوَلَهُ عَلَيَّ ( عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) فَقَسَحَهُ وَعَرِقَ عَرَقاً خَفِيفاً وَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَرْتَعِدُ وَيَقُولُ فِي نَفْسِهِ:
الآنَ أُوخَذُ بِابْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَيُقَالُ قَتَلْتَهُ وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنِّي قَوْلِي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْجَانِي عَلَى نفْسِه فَتَبَسمَ عَلَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ وَقَالَ: يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ أَصَحُ مَا كُنتُ بَدَنَا الْآنَ لَمْ يَضُرَّنِي مَا زَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُ سَمَّ ثُمَّ قَالَ فَغَمُضْ عَيْنَيْكَ فَغَمَّضَ ثُمَّ قَالَ افْتَحْ عَيْنَيْكَ فَفَتَحَ وَنَظَرَ إِلَى وَجْهِ عَلِي ابنِ أَبي طَالِبٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ فَإِذَا هُوَ أَبْيَضُ أَحْمَرُ مُشْرَبُ حُمْرَةٌ فَارْتَعَدَ الرَّجُلُ لِمَا رَآهُ
وَتَبَسَّمَ عَليّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) وَقَالَ: أَيْنَ الصُّفَارُ الَّذِي زَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُ بِي؟ فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَكَأَنَّكَ لَسْتَ مَنْ رَأَيْتُ قَبْلُ كُنْتَ مُصْفَارًا فَأَنْتَ الْآنَ مُوَرَّد
فَقَالَ عَلِيُّ ابْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ )عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) فَزَالَ عَنِي الصُّفَارُ بِسَمُكَ الَّذِي زَعَمْتَ أَنَّهُ قَاتِلِي وَأَمَّا سَاقَايَ هَاتَانِ وَمَدَ رِجْلَيْهِ وَكَشَفَ عَنْ سَاقَيْهِ فَإِنَّكَ زَعَمْتَ أَنِّي أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَنْ أَرْفُقَ بِبَدَنِي فِي حَمْلٍ مَا أَحْمِلُ عَلَيْهِ لِئَلَّا يَنْقَصِفَ السَّاقَانِ وَأَنَا أُرِيكَ أَنَّ طِبّ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خِلافُ طِبْكَ وَضَرَبَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى أُسْطُوَانَةِ خَشَبٍ عَظِيمَةٍ عَلَى رَأْسِهَا سَطْحُ تَجْلِسِهِ الَّذِي هُوَ فِيهِ وَفَوْقَهُ حُجْرَتَانِ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَوْقَ الْأُخْرَى وَحَرَّكَهَا فَاحْتَمَلَهَا فَارْتَفَعَ السَّطْحُ وَالْحِيطَانُ وَفَوْقَهُمَا الْغُرْفَتَانِ فَغُشِيَ عَلَى الْيُونَانِي
فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ المؤْمِنِينَ ( عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ): صُبُّوا عَلَيْهِ مَاءً فَصَبُّوا عَلَيْهِ مَاءً فَأَفَاقَ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ وَالله مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ عَجَباً
فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلَيَّ ( عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ( هَذِهِ قُوَّةُ السَّاقَيْنِ الدَقِيقَيْنِ وَاحْتِمَالُهُمَا أَنَّى طِبُّكَ هَذَا يَا يُونَانِي
فَقَالَ الْيُونَانِيُّ أَمِثْلَكَ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ؟ فَقَالَ عَلِيْ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) وَهَلْ عِلْمِي إِلَّا مِنْ عِلْمِهِ وَعَقْلِي إِلَّا مِنْ عَقْلِهِ وَقُوَتِي إِلَّا مِنْ قُوَّتِهِ؟
English Translation
[Imam] Abu Muhammad [al-Hasan] al-ʿAskari (ʿa), narrated from ʿAli ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-ʿAbidin (ʿa), that he said: Amir al-Mu’minin (ʿa) was sitting one day, when a man from Greece, claiming to be a philosopher and a doctor, came to him (ʿa) and said: ‘O Aba al-Hasan (ʿa), I was told about your associate, and that he (S) was insane, and I had come to treat him, but found that he had passed away and so I missed the opportunity to do that. I was also told that you are his cousin and son in- law, and I can see that you have jaundice and have such thin legs that I do not think they will be able to bear the weight of your body.
‘As for jaundice, I have its remedy. However, there is no alternative to thicken your legs. Be gentle to yourself, walk less and do not walk excessively; also, minimize lifting things on your back, or in your arms, for indeed your legs are thin, which when lifting a weighty load are not safe from being fractured. As for jaundice, I have its medicine with me and here it is.’
He said: ‘This will not affect you adversely nor pain you, but you have to abstain from partaking meat in your diet for forty days, after which the jaundice will be removed.’
ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) said to him: ‘Indeed you have mentioned the advantage of this medicine for my jaundice; but do you know something that can increase this illness and worsen it?’ The man said: ‘Yes, a grain of this,’ and he pointed to another medicine that was with him. He continued: ‘If a person with jaundice were to take a grain of this it would kill him at that very moment; and if he does not have jaundice then he would get jaundice until he dies the same day.’ ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) said: ‘Then show me this harmful medicine!’ So the man gave it to him.
Then the Imam (ʿa) asked the doctor: ‘How much is this?’ He said: ‘Two mithqals, which are poisonous and penetrating, each grain of which can kill a man.’ ʿAli (ʿa) consumed all of it, and thereafter started sweating slightly. The man began trembling in fear, saying to himself:
‘Now I will be captured by the son of Abu Talib (ʿa). It will be said that I killed him and my word will not be accepted that he himself perpetrated this on himself.’
ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) smiled and said: ‘O servant of Allah! I am now physically healthier than I was, and what you conjectured as poison did not harm me.’ Then he (ʿa) said to him: ‘Close your eyes.’ He closed them. Then he said: ‘Open your eyes!’ So he opened them and looked at the face of ʿAli (ʿa) finding it white and rosy, whereupon the man began trembling due to what he saw.
ʿAli (ʿa) smiled at him and said: ‘So where is the jaundice that you thought I had?’ The man said: ‘By Allah! It is as if you are not the same person whom I saw before; you were yellow, but now you are like a red rose.’
ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (ʿa) said: ‘My jaundice has been eradicated by the very poison which you thought would kill me. As for these two legs of mine (and Imam ʿAli (ʿa) extended his two legs and exposed both of his shins) you conjecture that I need to be gentle to my body in lifting what I lift, so that my two legs do not fracture? I will now show you that the medical treatment of Allah, the Invincible and Majestic, is opposed to your medical treatment.’
He (ʿa) then held a huge wooden pillar on top of which rested the roof of the building that he was sitting in, and on top of the roof were two rooms, one above the other; he shook the pillar and lifted it as a result of which the walls, the roof, and the two rooms above were raised; on [seeing this] the Greek man fainted.
The Commander of the Faithful (ʿa) said: ‘Sprinkle some water on him.’ So they sprinkled some water on him and he regained consciousness and said: ‘By Allah! I have never seen anything as amazing as I have today.’ ʿAli (ʿa) said to him: ‘This is the strength and ability of the two thin legs. Where is your medical treatment now, O Greek fellow?’ The Greek man said: ‘Was Muhammad like you?’
ʿAli (ʿa) said: ‘And is my knowledge save from his knowledge, my intellect from his intellect and my strength from his strength?’