Husham ibn al-Hakam is one of the prominent figures of Islam and among the most striking students of the Imam (as). He was the spokesman mouthpiece of Shiah. He also owned huge scientific capabilities. He met those scientists who had dissenting opinions and debated and overcame them. He had an excellent debate with Amr ibn Ubayd, the leader of Mutazilah, and could defeat him. Imam al-Sadiq (as) liked to hear about that debate, so he told him:
“O! Husham!”
“Yes? What?” said Husham with politeness and respect.
Imam (as) then said: “Do not you inform me what you did with Amr ibn Ubayd? And how did you ask him?”
Husham was awed with the dignity of the Imam (as) and quietly said: “O son of the Holy Prophet (S)! I am inspired with awe and I am shying in front of you and my tongue does not work before you.”
Have you noticed this politeness and humility in the presence of the successor of the Prophet (S) and the discoverer of science and wisdom in the earth? Husham truly knew his Imam (as) who is the sign of Allah (SwT) for His slaves. So he respected him with humility.
Imam (as) turned to him saying: “When I ask you to do something, do it.”
Husham did not find any pretence, so he began narrating what happened between him and Amr ibn Ubayd, saying:
“I was informed who Amr ibn Ubayd was and I heard about the fact that he was in the Mosque of Basrah. I was annoyed by this news. So I departed towards him. I entered Basrah on Friday and then went to the Basrah Mosque. Suddenly I found myself among a large number of people and saw Amr ibn Ubayd putting a cloak made from wool on his back and wearing another one. People were asking him questions. I opened my way through and then sat on my knee at the end. Then I said:
‘O! Scholar! I am a stranger. Do you allow me to ask a question?’
‘Ask!’
‘Do you have eyes?’
Amr ibn Ubayd was astonished from this question and rejected it, saying: ‘O man! How come you ask this question? How do you ask about it?’
Husham set out to reply by saying: ‘This is my problem.’
Amr ibn Ubayd then gave up and told him: ‘Man! Ask! Although your question is somehow stupid!’
Husham repeated his question, saying: ‘Do you have eyes?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with them?’
Amr mocked at him answering: ‘I see the colours and the people.’
Then Husham addressed him with the next question: ‘Do you have nose?’ This raised the audience’s mocks, but Amr replied, saying: ‘Yes!’
Husham set about to the next question, saying: ‘What do you do with it?’
‘I smell with it.’
Husham continued, saying: ‘Do you have tongue?’
The public was surprised with this question. Amr replied: ‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with it?’
‘I use it for speaking.’
Husham posed another question: ‘Do you have ears?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with them?’
‘I hear sounds.’
Husham addressed the next question asking about the benefits of his organs, saying: ‘Do you have hands?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with them?’
‘I used them for attacking the violence and also for distinguishing between the soft and rough.’
Husham continued asking about the usefulness of other organs, saying: ‘Do you have legs?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with them?’
‘I use them for moving from a place to another.’
‘Do you have mouth?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with it?’
‘I know the taste of foods and their differences.’
‘Do you have heart?’
‘Yes!’
‘What do you do with it?’
‘I sense all that are coming from these organs.’
‘Aren’t these organs independent from the heart?’
‘No!’
‘How should this be so, while they are all functioning properly?’
‘Man! If an organ doubts in what it smelled, saw or tasted, it will get assistance from the heart in order to be certain and have the doubt removed.’
‘So, does Almighty Allah grant the heart to remove the doubts?’
‘Yes!’
‘So, there should be a heart, otherwise the organs’ functions would not be certain?’
‘Yes!’
Husham reached what he wished and then told Amr: ‘O Abu Marwan! Allah, to Whom be ascribed all perfection and majesty, does not leave your organs without a leader which confirmed the correct and reject the doubts. So how come He leaves the whole creations in their confusions, doubts, and differences without setting a leader and Imam for them to remove their doubts, while He specified a leader for your organs to be certain and overcome the doubts?’
Amr was silent and did not give an answer. After a while he lifted his head and said: ‘Are you Husham?’
‘No!’
‘Did not you accompany him?’
‘No!’
‘So, where are you from?’
‘I am from Kufah.’
‘Therefore, you are Husham!’
Afterwards he asked him to sit beside him and did not say anything more”
The Imam (as) was highly interested in this irrefutable evidence that Husham used for the leader of Mutazilah and left him confused and unable to defend his ideology, which denies the Imamate and emphasizing on its unimportance. Imam (as) went on admiring Husham saying: “Husham! Who taught that to you?”
He answered: “O son of the Prophet (S)! That was circulated on my tongue.”
The Imam (as) then said: “I swear by Allah (SwT) that this was mentioned in the Holy Books of Abraham and Moses.”
THE LIFE OF IMAM JAF’AR AL-SADIQ (AS) – BAQIR SHARIF AL-QURASHI