Hadith 31

e just as you were’. The Greek called out and he said that, and they raised in the air as if they were dust particles, then went on to gather, part by part from it – until the branches were formed for it – and the leaves, and the roots, and the trunk. Then it composed and gathered and elongated and displayed and settled its roots in its residence and planted its trunk upon these and joined the branches upon it and joined up the leaves upon these, and its dates upon it – and beforehand its clusters were bare – as it was far from the season for the ripe dates, and the un-ripened dates, and the twigs. The Greek said, ‘And another (thing) I would like is that ripened dates should come out from its twigs, and transform it from green to yellow and red, and dates reaching maturity in order to be eaten and you-asws feed me and the ones in your-asws presence from it’. Ali-asws said: ‘You be my-asws messenger to it with that and instruct it with it’. The Greek said it to it what Amir-Al-Momineen-asws had ordered him, and it sprouted twigs and un-ripened dates, and they became yellow, and red, and ripened, and its twigs became heavy with its dates. The Greek said, ‘And another thing I would like is to draw nearer its branches in front of me, or elongate my hand so I can grab these, and the most beloved thing to me is that one of them descends to me and my hand elongates to the other which is its counterpart. Amir-Al-Momineen-asws said: ‘Extend your hand which you want to be elongated and said, ‘O Who Brings nearer the distant, Cause my hand to be near to it! ’ And withhold the other (hand) which you want the dates to descend to it and say, ‘O Easer of the difficulties! Ease for me the grabbing of what is remote from me, from it! ’ He did so and said it, and his right hand elongated and arrive to the dates, and the dates came nearer to the other one and fell upon the ground, and its branch had elongated. Then Amir-Al-Momineen-asws said: ‘You, if you were to eat from these, then do not believe in the one who displayed to you its wonders, Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic would Hasten the Punishment to you – as you would be Tried with it what the intellectuals of His-azwj creatures would take a lesson from it (as well as) the ignorant ones’. The Greek said, ‘I, if I were to disbelieve after what I have seen, then I have reached to be in the stubbornness, and moved to be exposed to the destruction. I testify that you-asws are from the special ones of Allah-azwj – truthful in the entirety of your-asws words from Allah-azwj, therefore order me with whatever you-asws so desire to, I will obey’’. [40]