'They are people with high status prestige' (qasida 15:48)

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Ibrahim ibn Adham 2

An ascetic Follower scholar

We had introduced the great ascetic follower scholar Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] in the previous issue; as he abandoned the throne, his family's palaces and the whole worldly life to the love and worship of Allah. We talked a little about his travel in the countries and his states. Now, we will learn more about his life and his sayings that he became famous of.

His Knowledge and Stories about Angles and People

Ibrahim studied Qur'an in depth and dug deep in religion to extract its jewels of realities of the hereafter, the mundane life, and the high human-ideals. He also understood and narrated the Hadith.  He followed the biography of the Generous Prophet [PPBUH] and the behavior of his family and companions, so he followed their way of life. He excelled in the Arab culture so that he became eloquent and fluent.  So he got back to his Arabic authenticity to work with its virtues and moral exploits. He was an outstanding man among men, and had a strong faith in Allah. Sofian ath-Thawry, a friend of Ibrahim, once said about him “Ibrahim ibn Adham is like Ibrahim al-Khalil [PBUH] and he if he were a companion of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], would have been a virtuous one with inner secrets”.

He was a trusted source of narration of Hadith, by an-Nesa'i, ad-Darqatny, al-Bukhary, and at-Turmuzy. He also narrated from the followers and followers of the followers; like Yazeid ar-Raqqashy, Amro ibn Abdullah Subay'i, and Yahiya ibn sa'd al-Ansary. Many narrated from him; like Shaqiq al-Balkhy, Baqiya ibn al-Walid, Ibrahim Bashshar, and others.

He was a dignified scholar, and a modest hard worker, as he used to say “Seek knowledge for work, since most people wrongly acquire mountains of knowledge, but they have tiny actions” and his saying “He would not be truthful to Allah, a slave whoso seeks popularity for his knowledge, work, or generosity”.

A story was told about Ibrahim; that he once was in Maccah, when he bought dates from a man, then he found two dates on the ground between his legs, so he picked them up and ate them; thinking that they were of what he bought. He then left out to Jerusalem then he entered the Dome of the Rock, where he spent one night. The servants of the dome used to evacuate it every night after the prayer of Al- Asr to leave it for the angels. But Ibrahim was veiled and they did not see him until he was left alone inside. When the angels entered, they said “Here is a sense and scent of a human” One of them said: “It is Ibrahim ibn Adham the ascetic man of Khorasan”. Another said: “The one who does accepted righteous deeds every day?”. The first one said “Yes indeed, but the acceptance of his righteous deeds has been withheld for a year now, and his prayers were not answered for a year also, because of the two dates he owes”. Then the angels got busy with their worship until dawn. Then the servant got back and opened the dome, so Ibrahim got out and headed to Maccah. He went to the shop where he bought the dates. He did not find the same seller, rather, he found a young boy who happened to be his son, as the man was dead. Ibrahim approached him and told him his story about the dates. The boy replied:  “I exempt you from my share of the two dates, but you know that their still is the share of my mother and sister”. Ibrahim asked where they would be and the man told him that they were at the house. Ibrahim went to the house, found the old lady and here daughter, repeated the story to both of them, and they, too, exempted him. He returned to the dome of the rock where he heard the angels saying : “That is him, Ibrahim, whose deeds were withheld for a year, but now they were accepted, after he abolished the two dated that he owed. Allah has answered his prayers and restored his status”. Ibrahim wept out of joy when he heard those words. Afterwards, he used to eat once every seven days some food that knows for sure it is legitimate.

Al-Laka’ey narrated that Ibrahim ibn Adham said: “I was once followed a funeral, and I said to myself ‘May Allah bless death’; a voice came from inside the casket saying ‘And after-death’. The voice terrified me that I could not hold the casket. After the dead was buried and everyone had left, I remained next to the grave thinking of the voice from the casket, until I fell asleep over my knees. A charming man with one of the most beautiful faces, the best scented smells, and the purest dresses came out of the grave and approached me and said “O Ibrahim”. I said “Here I am, at your service, but for who are you? May Allah be Merciful with you”. The man replied “I am he who said to you: And after-death”. I insisted and said to him: By He who created the seed and the soul, by He who wore the the greatness, you tell me who are you? So he answered “I’m the Sunna, I am the protector for my holder in his worldly life, the light and company in his grave, and the guide and driver for him to paradise in the hereafter”. This story goes along with what Prophet Mohammad said about how one’s work comes to him as the image of a person... as was described in the story.

Abo-Yousef Al-Ghouly said that Ibrahim once told him: “I have seen today something fantastic! I was standing by a grave and suddenly it opened and a grey-haired man came out of it, and said ‘O Ibrahim, ask me about  anything, as Allah brought me back to life just for you’. I asked him ‘What has Allah done to you”? he replied ‘I have done ugly things during life, but Allah said to me [I have forgiven you for three reasons: the first one is that you came to Me while loving those who loved me, the second one is that you met Me with not even a tiny bit of forbidden drink inside your chest, and the third one is because you came to me as a grey-haired man and I am shy to torture a grey-hair in hell]. Then the grave close back on the old man. Oh, Ghouly, consider Allah in everything you do, and you will see wonders.

Al-Ghazaly, in his famous book "the Resurrection of the Religious Knowledge", told a story about Ibrahim; that he once asked a Christian monk for knowledge and wisdom. Baqiya ibn al-Walid narrated that Ibrahim ibn Adham said: “I took some knowledge from a monk, whose name was Sam'an [Simon]. I entered his hermitage and asked him “Oh, Sam'an, How long have you been here, in your hermitage”? He said: “For seventy years”. I said: “And what kind of food do you eat”? He said “O, Muslim, why do you ask”? I told him that I was interested to know. He replied: “I eat one seed of chick-pea every night”. I asked him: “What excits your heart so that one chick-pea satisfies you”? He said: “Do you see those behind you”? I said “Yes!”. He said “They visit me once every year. They decorate my hermitage and circumabulate it to glorify me. So, whenever I become tired of worship I remember the day when they visit me. I tolerate the effort of the whole year for the glory of one hour. So should tolerate the effort of one hour for the glory of forever”. So I felt knowledge in my heart. He then said: “Do you want to learn more”? I answered: “Yes”. He told me to go down from the hermitage. Then he dangled down to me a bag with twenty of the chick-pea seeds and told me to enter the monastery as they have seen what he gave me. When I entered the monastery, the Christians gathered around me and asked me: “You Muslim! What did the old man give you”? I said: “Some of his food”. They said: “What would you do with it, we deserve it more. Name your price!”. I said: “Twenty dinars”. So they gave me twinty dinars. I went back to the old man who said: “You were wrong. If you would have asked them for twenty thousand, they would have given it you. That’s the glory of he who does not worship Allah. So consider the glory of who worship Him! Oh, Muslim, be devoted to your Lord”.

Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] said that he once went to a mountain in Lebanon. There he found a young man standing in worship and saying “O, You whom I miss, my heart love, my soul serve, and I am all consumed in Your will and command. It is You and only You. When are You going to save me from this platonic love”? I said “May Allah have mercy upon you, what is it like to love Allah”? He said “To have the yearning to meet him”. I said “What is the evidence of the yearning one”? He said “Lack of rest and sleep, day or night, from his yearning to Allah”. I said “What is the evidence of the exhausted”? He said “Inability to differentiate between friends and enemies or between sweet and bitter. Because he is consumed off his self, image, and body. I said “What is the evidence of a servant?”, he said: “To keep his heart, senses and greed away from asking Allah for rewards”. i.e. not to ask for reward from Allah for service. 

Of his Sayings

He said “If kings realized what we have, they would have fought us for it with their swords”.

Salm al-Khawwas narrated that Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] said “People who know Hadith keep ordeals away from other people”. Or he said "epidemics".

Mohamed ibn Homair narrated from Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] that he said “Those who seek knowledge from the dissent scholars, they would carry big evil. i.e. those who do not agree with the consensus of the nation scholars.

Al-Asqalany narrated from Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] “Whoever shock hands with a heretic, he would have aided in the destruction of Islam.”

Rashdin ibn Saad narrated from Ibrahim ibn Adham [AAH] that he said “There will come a time when the dearest three things to people are: to have good friend, to earn a legitimate dirham, and to follow Sunnah”.

He also said “Piety is when people find nothing wrong with what you say, and when angels find nothing wrong with what you do, and when Allah finds nothing wrong with your inner secret”.

Baqiya narrated from him “No one would ask Allah better than the one who says «Its Allah's will»ˮ

He narrated from Shahr ibn Hawshab that he asked Om-Salamah “what prayer, the Prophet [PPBUH] used to do most when he was in your place”? She said “He used to say (O’Allah, Turner of the hearts! Fix my hearts to Your religion)! I said to him "Do you fear for us"! He said (All the hearts are between two fingers of Ar-Rahman Almighty. If He chose, He would set any of it loose or make it stand).

He once said to Oza'y that Malik ibn Dinar said “Those who knew Allah will always be occupied with grief, but the total perdition is for those who wasted their life time without knowing Him.”

Ibrahim [AAH] was asked “Why is it that our prayers are not accepted’? He said: “Because Allah called you and you didn’t answer. He recited: [Allah calls to the home of peace] Yunis 10:25, and [And He listens to those who believe and do deeds of righteousness] al-Shura 42:26. It was also narrated that Ibrahim said when he was asked the same question “Because you knew Allah but you did not obey Him. You knew The Messenger but you did not follow his Sunna. You knew the Qur'an but you did not apply it. You were given graces but you were not thankful. You knew about paradise but you did not seek it. You knew about hell but you did not run away from it. You knew about Satan but you did not fight him, rather, you followed him. You knew about death but you did not prepare for it. You buried the dead but you did not consider their death. You looked for other people’s disadvantages rather than your own.”

A man said to Ibrahim: “The poor people [the ascetic ones] are thankful when they are given, and patient when they are not”. Ibrahim said “These are the manners of dogs, but the pious people are thankful when they are not given and prefer others to themselves when they are given”.

He [AAH] also said "People leave this world without tasting anything". They said to him: What did they miss. He said "The sweetness of knowledge"

Ibrahim ibn Adham said: When Allah said [choose the forgiveness; order the kindness; and turn away from the ignorant] al-A’raf 7:199, the Messenger of Allah said (I was commanded to take the forgiveness out of people's mannars).

To be continued,

Edited by Samir Gamal

Translated by Shayma Bassyouni

Whoever wants to read more about the great companions, can browse the companions pages in al-Ahbab site.

Editors Team