INCIDENTS OF GOD FEARING PERSONS(4)

It is related from Imam Mohammad-al-Baqir (A.S.) that in Bani Israel there was a prostitute who had seduced and tempted many youth. There lived a virtuous person among them. One day some youth plotted, that if that virtuous man had a glimpse of that woman, he too would be tempted to commit sin. When they revealed their intention to the woman she said, "I swear that until I do not seduce this man I will not go home". During the night she went and knocked at the door of the virtuous man. She requested him to give her shelter for one night. When the man refused to permit her in, she said that some men of Bani Israel were trying to commit indecency with her and she had come to take his refuge, She also said that if he did not open the door, those men would disgrace her. When the virtuous man heard this he opened the door. As soon as the woman entered his house, she threw away her clothes. When the virtuous man saw her beauty he was tempted and forwarded his hand towards her. Suddenly fear of Allah overcame him and he held back his hand. Instead he put it in a pot which was boiling on the stove nearby. The woman was surprised and asked him as to what was he doing. To
which he replied that he was punishing himself by burning his hand for the sin. The woman was scared and ran out and told the people that the virtuous man was burning his hand. When the people came in they saw that his entire hand had burnt.