Story Behind a Slap

Once a student from America came home after a long period of time. He had built so critical way of thinking that he challenged his ‘Ustadz’ (Arabic word of ‘teacher’—usually used to call someone expert in Islamic studies) about religion matters.

He asked 3 questions :
Why can’t I see God?
What is fate?
Why devil is punished in hell which consists of fire—while devil itself is made from fire? It must not feel any pain, then?

But instead of answering the questions, right after the student spoke suddenly the Ustadz strongly SLAP him!

“S**t! What the h**l are u doing???” shout the student.
“I’m doing what u want,” said the Ustadz calmly. “I’m answering ur questions.”
“Huh??? I heard even no single answer!” the student protested.
“My slap,” told the Ustadz. “It answered all of your questions.”
“You fool,” mock the student. “How come?”

“OK I’ll explain it, Young Guy. When I slapped you, what did you feel?”
“Painful,” he answered.
“Could you see it?”
“Pain? Of course I can’t see it.”
“Then how can you know that it exists?”
“I just feel it.”
“And so is GOD,” said the Ustadz. “It’s the answer of your first question. You can’t see Him but you can feel Him, that’s why you know that HE absolutely exists.”

Hearing this answer, the student can only gawked.

Still in his calm style, the Ustadz asked the student again.
“When I slapped you, did you predict, or even dreamt, that you will get slapped today, at this time?”
The student just moved his head side to side.
“That’s what you called FATE,” said the Ustadz. “And it also answered your second question.”

The student’s mouth opened wider and wider.

Finally, the Ustadz asked him again.
“Then, what do you think my hand was made from?”
“Skin, of course.”
“And your cheek?”
“Skin, too.”
“And you felt painful when I slapped you?”
“Yes I’ve told you,” the student answered—started think that this Ustadz may bullied him.
“Naaahhh,” the Ustadz got his point. “So does DEVIL. Though it was made from fire, and it was punished in hell which also consists of fire, still it feels painful.”

With this last answer of his questions, the student was left unspeakable.
(Translated from Media Ummat, 3rd-4th week of January 2009 Edition, with some changes to make this more dramatic story…=p)