Qazi can do anything. A Story from a social media and my analysis. Dr Shabir Choudhry, London.

 Qazi can do anything. A Story from a social media and my analysis.

Dr Shabir Choudhry, London.

A man brought a slaughtered chicken to a poultry seller’s shop and said,

“Brother, please cut this chicken into pieces.”

The shopkeeper replied,

“Leave the chicken here and come back after half an hour to collect it.”

By coincidence, the city judge (Qazi) came to the same shop and said to the shopkeeper,

“Give me this chicken.”

The shopkeeper replied,

“This chicken is not mine; it belongs to someone else, and I don’t have another chicken to give you.”

The Qazi said,

“No problem, just give me this chicken. When the owner comes, tell him that the chicken flew away.”

The shopkeeper said in surprise,

“How can I say that? The man himself slaughtered the chicken. How can a slaughtered chicken fly?”

The Qazi replied,

“Listen carefully to what I say. Just give me this chicken and tell its owner that his chicken flew away. At most, he will bring a case against you to me.”

The shopkeeper said,

“May God protect everyone’s honour,”

and handed the chicken over to the Qazi.

The Qazi left with the chicken.

After a short while, the owner of the chicken returned and asked,

“Have you cut the chicken?”

The shopkeeper replied,

“I had started cutting it, but your chicken flew away.”

The owner said in astonishment,

“How is that possible? I slaughtered it myself! How could it fly?”

An argument started between them, which soon turned into a quarrel. Finally the owner said,

“Let’s go to court and see the Qazi.”

So, both of them headed towards the court.

On the way, they saw two men fighting, one a Muslim and the other a Jew. While trying to separate them, the shopkeeper’s finger accidentally struck the Jew’s eye, causing him to lose his eye. The people caught the shopkeeper and said they would take him to court.

Now, two cases had been filed against the shopkeeper.

As the people were taking him towards the court, he managed to break free and run away. But when people chased him, he ran into a nearby mosque and climbed its minaret.

When people began climbing the minaret to catch him, he jumped down. Unfortunately, he landed on an old man, who died as a result.

Now the old man’s son also joined the others, and they all took the shopkeeper to the Qazi.

When the Qazi saw the shopkeeper, he laughed, because he remembered the chicken. But he did not yet know about the other two cases.

When he was told about all three cases, he held his head in frustration. Then, after turning a few pages of some books, he said,

“We will decide each case separately.”

First, the owner of the chicken was called.

The Qazi asked,

“What is your claim against the shopkeeper?”

The man replied,

“Sir, he stole my chicken. I slaughtered it myself and gave it to him. He says the chicken flew away. How can a dead chicken fly?”

The Qazi asked: “Do you believe in Allah and His power?”

The man said, “Yes, of course.”

The Qazi replied,

“Is Allah not capable of bringing rotten bones back to life? If Allah can do that, then what difficulty is there in your chicken coming back to life and flying away?”

Hearing this, the owner of the chicken fell silent and withdrew his case.

The Qazi said, “Bring the second claimant.”

The Jew was brought forward. He said: “Your Honour, this man poked his finger in my eye and I lost it. I want to poke his eye and make him lose it as well.”

The Qazi thought for a moment and said,

“The compensation for a non-Muslim against a Muslim is half. Therefore first this Muslim will destroy your other eye, and then you may destroy one of his eyes.”

The Jew immediately said,

“No, leave it. I withdraw my case.”

The Qazi then said,

“Bring the third case.”

The son of the dead man came forward and said,

“Your Honour, he jumped on my father and caused his death.”

The Qazi thought for a moment and said,

“Go to that same minaret. You should climb it and jump onto this man in the same way he jumped on your father.”

The young man said,

“But Your Honour, if he moves to the side, I might fall and die!”

The Qazi replied,

“That is not my problem. My job is to deliver justice. Why didn’t your father move aside?”

Hearing this, the young man also withdrew his claim.

Conclusion:

If you have a chicken to give to the Qazi, he will know every trick to save you.

Analysis

This story is a satirical folk tale that criticises corruption, misuse of authority, and manipulation of religious or legal reasoning. Below is a short commentary you could attach when sharing it, which explains the deeper meaning.

The Deeper Meaning of the Story

At first glance, the story appears humorous and absurd. However, it contains a powerful social and political message.

The central character in the story is the Qazi (judge), who represents the authority responsible for delivering justice. In principle, a judge should act with fairness, impartiality, and moral responsibility. Instead, the Qazi in the story uses clever arguments, selective religious reasoning, and legal technicalities to protect himself and avoid responsibility.

The first case illustrates how religious belief can be manipulated. When the owner of the chicken argues that a dead chicken cannot fly, the Qazi invokes belief in God’s power to resurrect the dead. By turning a theological truth into a legal argument, he confuses the claimant and forces him to withdraw his case.

The second case highlights inequality in the legal system. The Qazi cites a rule that the compensation for a non-Muslim is half that of a Muslim, and twists it in such a way that the victim would suffer even greater harm. Faced with this absurd logic, the complainant abandons the case.

The third case shows how justice can become dangerously mechanical when it ignores fairness and common sense. By insisting that the son of the deceased must repeat the same action that caused his father’s death, the judge again ensures that the complainant withdraws.

In all three cases, the Qazi avoids delivering real justice. Instead, he uses authority, legal language, and intellectual tricks to silence those seeking justice.

The Moral

The story ends with a simple but powerful message:

When power and justice are controlled by those who benefit from corruption, the law becomes a tool of protection for the powerful rather than a shield for the weak.

The humorous conclusion— “If you have a chicken to give to the Qazi, he will know every trick to save you”—symbolises bribery and influence. It reminds us that when corruption enters the justice system, truth and fairness become secondary.

Relevance Today

Although this story belongs to traditional folklore, its message remains relevant in many societies. It warns that:

• Justice can be manipulated through technical arguments.
• Authority can misuse religion or law to justify unfair decisions.
• Corruption often protects those who hold power.

For this reason, the story is not only a joke but also a sharp social critique of unjust systems.