Stories form Qur'an - A brief compilation

The Monk Barsisa

There was a monk in Israelite, his name was Barsisa. He was very pious and righteous man and some of the scholar also narrated that he spent sixty years of his life just in worship of Allah (SWT). HE even has a temple, a special place where he limits himself to pray dedicatedly and cannot be distracted by world outside.

The story of Barsisa starts when three brothers from the Israelite decided to go for an expedition. This journey can be very long and could take months or may be years. They have a young sister; all of the three brothers were only worried about her. That after they went to expedition how will be taking care of her. All of the three brothers came to a decision that they must ask Barsisa to take their sister in his shelter.

Barsisa was well reputed, and because he was a monk the brothers cannot trust on any one else for this responsibility for that long time. Next day all of the three brothers went to the temple of Barsisa and tell him about their expedition and they requested him to take their sister's responsibility till the time we came back.

Barsisa refused and said I seek refuge with Allah; he doesn't want any kind of distraction or temptation that can interfere with his worship. Disappointedly, the brother went back to their home. After this refusal devil came to Barsisa. He told Barsisa that she is a lonely girl what happen if someone else took an advantage of her; she is defenseless without her brothers. You are a monk; there is no other place better for her than this temple.

Next day Barsisa went to meet those brothers and told them that he will gave their sister a shelter, but she have to stay in the room next to the temple; I will not going to give her any place with in my temple. All of the brothers agreed with Barsisa condition and send their sister with Barsisa. This girl was staying in the room behind the close doors and curtains, completely disconnected with from the temple.

Even Barsisa never goes near to that room; he always leaves the food on the doorstep of the temple, from where she takes it and go back to her room. They never saw each other. It's over a month and Barsisa was doing this as a routine. One day devil came to Barsisa and said you should at least take the food to her doorstep, she is a girl, living alone in that room what happen if someone finds out that she is living alone in that room and saw her while she was out of her room.

Next day Barsisa take the food to her doorstep and leave it there, he knocked the door and get disappeared so that they can't see each other. Barsisa continued this practice for certain months and then Devil came back to him. He told Barsisa you were doing it all wrong, she is still coming out of the room; At least you should go inside and leave the food behind the curtain so that she doesn't have to come out of the room.

Barsisa thought that this is a much better idea, from the next day he started to do the same thing as devil told him to do. He knocked the door and wait when she open the door Barsisa goes inside the room and leave the food behind the curtain and go back to the temple again. Now she remains inside the room and no one can saw her that she is living alone inside.

This time the devil came up with a different idea; look Barsisa this poor girl is all alone in there, her brother are gone now for a long time, you should at least ask her how is she doing, is she alright in there. Barsisa next day take the food to her room and start talking to her from behind the curtain. He does that every day when he takes food for her. He eventually started to enjoy her company.

When devil saw that Barsisa was enjoying her company, he came to Barsisa and told him that why don't you go behind the curtain and take face to face with her; you both already know each other now. Barsisa take this idea in consideration and go inside the room behind the curtain to talk with her. Now he was spending more time with her rather than praying and worshiping Allah.

The deception of the devil was successfully executed, one day Barsisa slept in that room and committed the sin of "Zinnah" with that girl. And from that "Zinnah" the girl got pregnant and gave birth to a child. This was Barsisa's Child. When Barsisa Saw that child, devil asked him, what will you do when her brothers came back for her? This child will ruin your reputation and your name; you have to get rid of this child.

Barsisa has made his mind he gone inside the room and murdered the child; Devil again came to him; Barsisa what are you doing, why you didn't you kill her as well, because she is going to tell everyone about you the you have committed this murdered and you have committed "zinnah" with her as well. You need to get rid of her as well. Barsisa killed that girl right away.

Now there were two dead bodies in that room; Barsisa asked devil, now what would he do with these body. The devil gave him the idea that he must hide the body; go outside these lands and buried the somewhere hidden, and if someone asked you about this girl tell them that she was sick and she died due to that sickness.

After few months when everything happened, her brothers came back to town and pay visit to Barsisa temple for their sister. Barsisa told them the same story as devil told him. Her brother asked Barsisa about the grave of their sister. Barsisa take them to a random grave and said that I buried her here; this is her grave. They were very sad and from that point they directly went back to their home.

Next Morning one the brother said that I have a dream in which I saw that our sister was not buried in that grave that Barsisa showed us yesterday, she is buried in and other place and Barsisa killed her and the child, and buried both of them in a hidden place. The other two brothers said, we have the same dream. Some of the scholar narrated that it was the devil that came in their dream and showed them everything.

All three of them go to that place, which they saw in their dream and found a grave over there. When they dug up that grave they found that there were two bodies, one of a woman and along with it a child was there inside the same grave. When they found this proof they went back to Barsisa and told him that they knew what happed with their sister and they will tell everything to the ruler and he will hang you for your crimes.

At that time Barsisa knows that the punishment of murder is death sentence, and there is no possibility left for him to get out of this situation. It now the time that he should repent to Allah for the crimes and the sins he committed. He needs to seek refuge with Allah. But he knew his time was up. Soldiers came to his temple and arrested him.

According to some narrators, when Barsisa was about to be crucified, devil came to see him in form of a man. He asked him do you recognize me, Barsisa said know. Devil said, I am the one who brought you to this situation and I am the only one that can get you out of this situation, all you have to do is to prostrate to me instead to Allah; Barsisa was so desperate that he prostrated to the devil.

This prostration was in a way that he was actually worshiping the devil, when devil saw him doing this, he vanished right away and soldiers executed him. The work of the devil was completed successfully; he was slow, steady and carefully placed his every trick. Devil made him commit "Zinnah", then murder and then finally make him to prostrate. The biggest and the worst sin of all; Barsisa died worshiping the devil not Allah.