What was there before Allah?

Many years ago, during the time of the Taabi'een (the generation of Muslims
>after the Sahabah), Baghdad was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the
>capital of the Islamic Empire and because of the great number of scholars
>who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge. One day, the ruler
>of Rome at that time sent an envoy to Baghdad with three challenges for the
>Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed the Khalifah
>that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims to answer.
>
>The Khalifah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the Roman
>messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with three
>questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great
>amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome.
>As for the questions, they were:
>
>'What was there before Allah?'
>
>'In which direction does Allah face?'
>
>'What is Allah engaged in at this moment?'"
>
>
>The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to
>these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of
>Islam, there was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father!
>I will answer him and silence him!" said the youth.
>
>So the boy sought the permission of the Khalifah to give the answers and
>he was given the permission to do so.
>The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question,
>"What was there before Allah?" The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"
>"Yes," said the man.
>"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine,
>eight,
>.." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting. "But what comes
>before
>'one'?" asked the boy.
>"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man. "Well then, if
>there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you
>expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute
>truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the Manifest, the
>Hidden?"
>
>
>Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not
>dispute.
>
>So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allah facing?"
>"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which
>direction the flame is facing."
>"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,
>North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only,"
>said the man in wonderment.
>The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions
>such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of
>the Nur-us-Samawati-wal-'Ard: Allah - the Light of the Heavens and the
>Earth!? Light upon Light, Allah faces all directions at all times."
>
>The Roman was stupefied and astounded that here was a young child answering
>his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs.
>
>So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so,
>the boy said, "Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am
>the one who is giving the answers to these challenges. It is only fair that
>you should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where
>you are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the
>questions.
>
>"This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was
>standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final
>challenge, "Tell me, what is Allah doing at this moment?" The boy proudly
>answered, "At this moment, when Allah found upon this high platform a liar
>and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And as
>for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allah, He raised him up and
>established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah 55
>ar-Rahman, Verse 29)."
>
>The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his country,
>defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most
>famous scholars of Islam. Allah, the Exalted, blessed him with special
>wisdom and knowledge of the Deen (religion). His name was Abu Hanifah
>(rahmatullah alayhi- May Allah have mercy on him) and he is known today as
>Imam Abu Hanifah (Imam-e-Azam), the Great Imam and scholar of Islam.
>
>
>May God bless our youngsters to get islamic knowledge.

--A forward message