LOVING STRANGENESS
Muhammad ibn Salih al – Taymi narrated that Abu ‘ Abdullah , the mu’ adhdhin of the Mosque of Banu Haram , said, ‘ My neighbour was a young boy, whenever I called the adhan and iqamah for prayer , it would seem that he was standing at the nape of my neck. When he had prayed , he would put on his shoes and enter his house . I would hope that he would talk to me or ask me for something and one day he asked me , “Abu ‘ Abdullah, do you have a mushaf that you could lend me that I may recite from?” I gave him one , he took it and held it against his chest and then said, “ Something will happen to you and I today, ” that whole day I did not see him . I called the iqamah for Maghrib but he did not come and likewise for ‘ Isha ’ , so I started having suspicions . I went to his house and all I saw there was a bucket and a washroom . There was a curtain on his door which I pulled back and saw him there, dead . My mushaf was also there which I took and then called some people to help lift him onto his bed . I spent the night thinking about who I could ask concerning his burial sheet . I called the adhan for Fajr and entered the Mosque to see a light coming from the direction of the Qiblah, I went to it and found a wrapped burial sheet there which I took , all the while praising Allah, Most High . I put it in my house and then called the iqamah ; after prayer I found sitting on my right hand side Thabit al – Bunani , Malik ibn Dinar , Habib al – FarisI and Salih al – Murri . I said, “Brothers, what has brought you here?” They said, “Has someone died here this gone by ? ” I said, “ A young boy who used to pray with me . ” They said, “Show us . ” When they entered his house , Malik ibn Dinar removed the garment covering the deceased face and kissed his forehead on the place where he would prostrate and said , “ May my father and mother be ransomed! You – Hajjaj, if you became known in a particular place , you would move on to a place in which you were not known … Come let us wash him ! ” Each one of them had a burial sheet in which they wished to wrap him. I informed them of what had happened that morning and they agreed to bury him in the burial sheets I had found . We then left and could hardly lift up his bier for the great crowd of people who had gathered to attend his funeral !”
Abu’l – Fadl al-`Abbas ibn Yusuf al – Shikli quoted to me the following odes from one of his colleagues ,
It is likely that one attired in rags
sit in a gathering tomorrow:
His carpet spread out ,
laid out with cushions ;
Rivers flow ceaselessly in his meadow ;
Accompanied by burs ,
encircled by gardens .
Lands and homes, wondrous, treasured!
Wonderful is the Abode of Eternity ,
excellent company.
A friend and neighbour
of the Prophet , Muhammad
Granted closeness to a friend
most worthy .
Wonder for the servant living
in his Lord ’s vicinity.
In the Abode of Richness,
in the embrace of ladies fair.
Wonder for him : the burs walking
in close proximity ,
On green brocaded carpets .
Glory to the Creator!
al – Husayn ibn Ahmad al – Azdi said, A young boy , devout in worship, came to al – MasIsah and set up residence near the Mosque of Asad al – Khushab . He would listen to the speech of the people and wore old garments . He was a thin boy of languid complexion and when Asad saw his devotion to worship, he drew him close to himself . When the boy realised this, he ran away and did not come back . This caused him a great deal of sorrow and he composed the following lines of poetry ,
O one who saw a stranger
in a threadbare garment,
Thin of body , pale in colour .
Face smeared with dust , despondent.
In the depths of the night ,
conversing with the Compeller ;
‘My heart craves You,’ says he ,
‘ O Glorious, O Clement .’
His tears flow in abject desire .
O wonderful a home to seek :
the Gardens of enchantment!
Wives in pavilions of glorious pearls
Full breasted, large eyed, youthful , innocent,
Clothed in silk, the eyes they bewilder,
Bracelets on their forearms, O what wonderment!
Their drink is sealed wine springing
forth from rivers ,
And the fount of Salsabil and wine …
blessed be the Omnipotent !
Surrounded by a company exalted,
O wonder!
O one who saw a stranger
in a threadbare garment .
Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Ttab said : I heard Abu Bakr [ibn Muslim] saying .
O you who thinks he desires anonymity ,
If you are true adhere to this quality :
Relinquish all gatherings and company ;
Let your going for prayer be illusory ,
Rather pray it as if dead, yet alive,
A stranger should not expect his company.
Take comfort with your Lord and have certainty
That He assists you in your desire,
He rectifies iniquity.
He grants , then gives more graciously
After reward and gives hope to expectancy .
Who wants love and a comforter?
Who wants to devote himself to another?
Who delights in not mentioning his Master?
Who works deeds for other than the Creator?
In this life, suffice only with the Director .
Expand your efforts , your desires dismember .
How noble you would be should you prosper !
If you fail, the lawful you did not consider.
Glorified be the Exalted, the Bestower .
Dhu’l – Nun al – Misri said , `Once, while on a journey, I met a devout woman , from her saddened state it seemed like she had lost a child. She asked me, “Where are you from? ” I said , “I am a stranger here. ” She exclaimed, “Stranger ! Is it possible to feel the woes of strangeness when one is with Allah , Mighty and Magnificent ? He is the recourse and solace of the strangers and the helper of the weak!” At this I started to cry and she said, “Know that crying relieves the heart and is something to recourse to , the
heart has not repressed something more deserving [of display] than sighs and moans . ” I said , “Teach me something ! ” She replied , “Love your Lord and desire to meet Him , for one day He will show Himself to those who love Him and they will attain their hope of seeing Him . ” I then left her as I found her and went on my way . ‘ (Abu Nu`yam, vol. 9, p. 353 #14107.)
Muhammad ibn Abu ‘Abdullah al-Khuza( I said that a man from Syria said to him, ‘A Christian accompanied me on a journey and I asked him where he intended to go. He replied, “I wish to visit a monk in such-and-such a place to learn from him.” “Can I come with you?” I asked, “If you wish”, he replied. We arrived at a cave in the mountain on one side of the path and he called out,“Teacher of good! I have come to learn something of benefit from you, teach me! May Allah benefit you by your knowledge.” Someone called out from within the cave, “O questioner after the paths of benefit! Awake at a time when the ignorant are negligent of their own souls!” The Christian sat down and wept saying, “I am sure that he is ill,I fear that his time is near and it is my belief that rain comes down through him.” I said, “What if we went in?” He replied, “If you wish.”
We climbed up towards the cave until we came to a debris covered cleft at which we found an old man, his brows overshadowing his eyes, back bent over saying, “Were I to cling covetously to this world, and You were to prolong my misery in the Hereafter, O Noble One, You would have overlooked me and abandoned me!” We greeted him and he raised his head and we found the ground wet with tears. He asked, “Why have you come to me? Is not the earth vast and its people a source of comfort for you: When Isaw that this was a truly intelligent individual I said, “By Allah!I can only hope that such a perspicuous person would not be thrown in the Fire!” He wept and said, “What is it that you see in me that makes you despair of the mercy of Allah?” I replied, “The mercy of Allah will only be meted out to those who follow Islam.” He wept again and said, “I know of no religion save Islam.” The Christian exclaimed, “Teacher of good! Have you abandoned Christianity, the religion of the Messiah!” He replied, “May your mother be bereft of you! I am upon the religion of the Messiah! What was his religion if it was not Islam? When Allah, Blessed and Most High, created the creation, He chose for them Islam as their religion, whoever turns away from it will have no portion of the Hereafter.” The Christian turned away in a rage to leave and Isaid, “Wait a bit so I may leave with you,” the monk said, “Leave him, those for whom misery and wretchedness is decreed will never be happy.” I said, “May Allah be merciful to you!You have left the people and come to this strange place?” He said,‘You too should do something similar. Whenever you see a path before you that you think will draw you closer to Allah, take it, for you will never find a path to replace it better than that.”
“What of food?” I asked, “Scarce is the need for it,” he replied. “What is scarcity?” I asked he said. “We make do with what the earth grows and what trees produce,” I said, “Should I not take you from this place to urban land rich in vegetation?” He wept and said, “Richness is found wherever Allah, Mighty and Magnificent,is obeyed.I am an old man,I am about to die,I have no need for people.” I said, “Advise me with something,” he asked. “Will you do it?” he asked, “InshaAllah,” I replied. He said, “Do not hoard things for your soul; do not look down on any person because of your worldly allotment; carefully preserve the limits ordained by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, at times when your base desires intensify; breathe the refreshing fragrance of doing what He loves, even if you find it strenuous; and finally I say to you an all-encompassing word: never desire any save Him by your deeds. Peace be with you.” Then he bent forward again, weeping, and I left.’ (A summarised version of this story can also be seen in ibn al-Jawzi, Sifatul Safwa, vol. 3, p. 364.)
It has reached us that (Abdullah ibn al-Faraj, the worshipper, said, ‘1 was in need of someone to make something for me so I went to the marketplace looking for a suitable person. At the end of the market I found a pale young boy who was in a large basket, he wore a garment of wool and had a woollen towel. I asked him, “Do you work?” He replied, “Yes”, “How much do you charge?” I asked. He replied, “One and one-sixth of a dirham.” Isaid,“Stand and come to work,” he said, “I have one condition…”, “What is it?” I asked. He replied, “When the time for Zuhr comes and the adhan is given,I leave, purify myself, pray in congregation in theMosque and then return.The same applies for(Asr.” I agreed. He went with me to my house and I explained to him what needed to be done. He tightened his belt and commenced work, not saying a single word until the adhdn for Zuhr had been called. He left for prayer and when he returned, he worked assiduously until (Asr and left for prayer again, when he returned, he worked until nightfall, then I paid him his wage and he left. A few days later,we were in need of some more work and my wife advised me to find the same youth again because of his sincere efforts. I went to the marketplace but could not find him and upon asking about him I found that he only ever came on Saturday and always sat alone. On Saturday, I went to him and asked, “Do you wish to work?” He replied, “You already know the wage and my condition,” I agreed and he stood and worked for me as he had previously done. This time I paid him more than he had asked for but he refused to accept anything additional, I insisted and he became irritated and left. This bore down on me heavily and I left after him to at least give him the wage we had agreed upon.
After some time, I needed more work done and on Saturday I went looking for the youth, but did not find him. I inquired after him and discovered that he was ill. Someone who knew about him told me that he would work for one and one sixth dirham, and spend one sixth every day to meet his daily needs. I found out where he lived and went to his house, and there I found an old woman and enquired after him. She told me that he had been ill for a number of days;I visited him and found him in a state,resting his head on a brick. I extended the salam to him and asked him if he needed anything. He said, “Yes, if you accept”, I said, “I accept inshaAllah.” He said, “If I die,sell this iron spade, wash my woollen garment and towel and bury me in them. Undo the pocket of my garment and you will find a ring in it, take it and await the day that Harun al-Rashld, the Khallfah, comes; stand in a place where he can see you, call him and show him the ring. He will call you and when he does, give him the ring, but make sure this only happens after my burial.” I agreed and he passed away. I did what he asked and awaited the day that al-Rashld would pass by.
When that day came, I called out to him, “Leader of the Believers! I have a trust to discharge,” and I showed him the ring. He ordered me to come and I went with him to his house, he then called me to him and everybody else left. He asked me who I was and I told him, then he asked me where I got the ring from.I told him the story of the youth and he wept, and kept weeping until I felt sorry for him and comforted him. When his weeping subsided,I asked him who the youth was, he replied, “My son. He was born to me before I was afflicted with leadership; he was a righteous boy who learned the Qur’an and knowledge, when I became the Khallf,he left me, not desiring anything of the world that had been opened before me. I gave his mother this precious ring to give to him, knowing that he was obedient to his mother, in the hope that he could sell it and use the money. His mother passed away and after that I have heard nothing of him till this day.”Then he said, “At nightfall take me to his grave.” When night came, I took him to his grave, he sat by it and weeping overtook him, when dawn broke, we arose and returned. He asked me to stay with him and help him to go to the grave every day and I did so.I never knew that that youth was the son of al-Rashld until al-Rashld himself told me.’ (Ibn Qudamah, al-Tawwabin, pp. 171-173; and Samarqandi, Tanbih al-Ghafilin, vol. 2, pp. 681-683.)
Abu ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mikhlad al-Attar also narrated this incident to me and added that al-Rashid offered Abdullah ibn al-Faraj a great deal of wealth but he refused to accept it.
It has reached me that when Abdullah ibn al-Faraj died, his wife did not inform his brothers of his death even though they were waiting on his doorstep to visit him in his illness. She washed him and shrouded him. She then took one of the doors of his house and placed him on top of it, tying him down, then called out to his brothers saying, ‘He has died and I have prepared him.’
They entered and bore him to his grave and, when he had been taken,she locked the door behind them. (Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad vol. 10, p. 42.)
Muhammad ibn Khallad al-Bahill said that the Mu’adhdhin of Lahjlm informed him that,‘Sufyan al-Thawri would visit us in our locality. He would sit amongst us but none of us knew him, instead thinking he was a Bedouin. He would listen to our words and when he spoke, we would hear great words; he would remind us of Paradise and inculcate in us the fear of Hell, then, when the sun’s heat became intense he would get up and say,
The one whose final abode is Firdas
will not face injury
By what precedes it of hardship
and poverty.
In a state of fear and dread he
walks amongst humanity;
Strolling towards the Masjids,
in garments torn and tatty.
All delights will vanish,
even those of great quality,
All that will remain is disgrace
and ignominy;
All that remains of them will be
their resultant iniquity.
There is no good in a delight after
which is the Fire.
By Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali & Imam Al-Ajurri
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.