Hafiz Saab and the Big, Bad Jinn

My respected Sheikh, Hazrat Maulana Abdur Rahim Sahib (DB) mentioned to me a very funny story about the virtues of Surah Baqarah. The story can also be found in Ibn Batutta's 'Safarana'.

There was once a Hafiz Saab who had gone to the Maldives to do the work of Da'wat and calling people to Islam. As he was progressing through the land, he went in to a house to meet a family who were in deep sorrow and anguish. He asked them,

"What is the matter?! Why are you crying so much?"

They told Hafiz Saab that there is a river that flows in the village and every month it stops. On the night of its stoppage, the people of the village summon beautiful, young, virgin girls and embellish them with jewellery and make up and then place them in this river. They all leave and come back in the morning to find the girl dead. And so, the river continues to flow until the next month. The family informed Hafiz Saab of this and told him,

"We are sad because today is the day our daughter is put in to the river."

When Hafiz Saab was informed of all of this, he instantly knew that there was some 'ghar bhar' (something dodgy) about this. Putting his full trust in Allah Ta'ala, Hafiz Saab consoled the family and told them,

"No need to worry. Tonight, dress me up as your daughter and cover me. I will go in to this river and see what the problem is!"

Hafiz Saab had to trick the people of the village into making them think that he was a woman but at the same time he could not wear make up etc. So he covered his face with a burkah and was taken to the river by the menfolk. Hafiz Saab sat in the middle of this river and was left in the darkness of the night by the people who returned home in sadness at the prospect of another death.

Hafiz Saab was on red alert! His eyes kept scanning the area to spot anything dodgy. After a while, a huge, evil Jinn was approaching him from the distance. He realised that this Jinn would rape and then murder the young women and leave, then, when his desires had been worked up, he would stop the waterflow to the town until they placed for him another young woman to savage! So this big, bad Jinn began to approach what he thought was a young, beautiful woman and began to call her saying,

"Come to me woman!"

Hafiz Saab ripped his burkah off and shouted,

"I'm not no woman!

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَىُّ ٱلۡقَيُّومُ‌ۚ "

He then began to read Ayyatul Khursi and verses from Surah Baqarah! The Jinn, despite his power could not come near Hafiz Saab! He tried coming from all sides but was unable to due to the sheer power of the Qur'an. Eventually, out of fear and hurt, the Jinn ran away with the water flowing naturally. In the morning, the people of the village came to see what had happened. They saw Hafiz Saab who informed them of his doings last night. They became elated and dumbstruck at the power of the Qur'an. They then all accepted Islam on account of this amazing scene and from then on, the Jinn never returned.