Imam Al-Awza’i: ‘A Word of Truth to a Tyrant Ruler’

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

فَاللّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظاً وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
“… But Allah is the Best of Protectors and He is the Most Merciful of those who show Mercy.” [Yusuf: 64]

When ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali al-’Abbasi  invaded Damascus, he killed 30,000 Muslims in just one moment. Then he entered his mules and horses into the central Umayyid mosque, seated the people and said to his ministers, ‘Is there anyone who still opposes me?’ They said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Do you think there’ll be anyone who will soon oppose me?’ They said, ‘If there’ll ever be such a person, then it’s likely to be al-Awza’i’ – Imam al-Awza’i was a Muhaddith (scholar of hadith) nicknamed Abu ‘Amr, he was a pious worshipper and from those whom al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated from.

He (Ibn ‘Ali) said, ‘Bring him.’ So the army went to al-Awza’i but he did not move from his place. They said, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali wants you.’ He said, ‘Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakil (Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors). Wait for me a short while.’ He went to perform ghusl (ceremonial bathing) and put on his Akfan (shrouds) under his clothes, because he knew the matter meant clear death for him, killing and blood-shed. Then he said to himself, ‘O Awza’i, now the time has come for you to say the word of Truth. Do not fear the blame of the blamers in the Way of God.’ Then he entered to see the oppressive Ruler.

Imam al-Awza’i himself narrates the rest of what happened:

‘I entered and behold, the heads of the army were lined in two rows, with swords unsheathed. I walked underneath the swords until I reached him. He was sitting on silk and in his hand was a cane. His forehead was knit in anger but when I saw him, I swear by Allah besides whom there is none worthy of worship, he seemed like a fly to me… Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors … I thought of no-one, not my family, not my wealth, not my wife; I only remembered the Throne of al-Rahman when it appears to Mankind on the Day of Judgment and Reckoning. Then he (Ibn ‘Ali) lifted his sight and only Allah knows the anger that was visible on him.

He said to me, ‘O Awza’i, what do you have to say about the blood which we shed?’ 

He said, ‘So-and-so narrated to me in the Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘It is not permissible to shed the blood of a Muslim who testifies that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and testifies that I am the Messenger of Allah, except in three circumstances: A married one who commits adultery, the one who has killed another unlawfully and the one who apostates from his religion and departs from the congregation.’ [al-Bukhari, Muslim]

So if their killing was due to them being from these people, then you are correct. But if they are not from these people, then their blood hangs over your neck.’

He broke his cane and so I lifted my ‘Imamah, waiting for the swords to strike me. I saw the ministers gathering up their garments and lifting them up from the blood (which run along the floor). He (Ibn ‘Ali) said, ‘And what do you have to say about the wealth?’  I said, ‘If it is Halal, then fear the questioning, and if it is Haram, then fear the punishment!’

He said, ‘Take this pouch (which was filled with gold).’ I said, ‘I do not want wealth.’ One of the ministers winked at me (signaling that I should take it), because he was looking for any little reason to kill me.

I took the pouch and gave it out to the army until it became empty. Then I threw it and walked out saying, ‘Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakil (Sufficient is Allah for us and He is the Best of Protectors)…’ – we said it the day we walked in and the day we walked out.

فَانقَلَبُواْ بِنِعْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَّمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُواْ رِضْوَانَ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَظِيمٍ
“So they returned with Grace and Bounty from Allah. No harm touched them; and they followed the good Pleasure of Allah. And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.”
[Aal-'Imran: 174]

من يتق الله يحمد في عواقبه *** ويكفه شر من عزوا وهانوا
Whoever fears Allah will be praised in the end
And he shall be protected from the evil of the proud and lowly ones

من استجار بغير الله في فزع *** فإن ناصره عجز وخذلان
Whoever seeks protection during afflictions with other than Allah
Then his helper is one rendered powerless and a traitor

فالزم يديك بحبل الله معتصما *** فإنه الركن إن خانتك الأركان
So hold your hands firmly to the Rope of Allah
For it is a support when you lose all other support

كم نطلب الله في خير يحل بنا *** فإن تولت بلايانا نسيناه
How often we seek Allah for ease to come to us
And when our troubles go away, we forget Him

ندعوه في البحر أن ينجي سفينتنا *** فإن رجعنا إلى الشاطئ عصيناه
We call Him when out at sea, to save our ship
But when we return to shore, we disobey Him

ونركب الجو في أمن وفي دعة *** فما سقطنا لأن الحافظ الله
We travel by air in safety and peace
And we do not fall, for the Protector is Allah

- احفظ الله يحفظك by ‘Aaidh al-Qarni

From the Wise Words of Ibn al-Mubarak

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

Some nice quotes of Ibn al-Mubarak (rahimahullah), taken from the upcoming biography:

Ibn al-Mubarak said:

‘How many people carry the Qur’an in the hearts but the Qur’an curses them from inside their hearts! If the bearer of Qur’an disobeys his Lord, the Qur’an calls him from inside his chest saying, ‘By Allah, you have not carried me (i.e. memorised me) for this! Will you not be shy from your Lord?’

‘There is nothing in this world for a person except one’s daily portion of food.’

‘If a person’s goodness outweighs his errors, then his errors are not mentioned, and if his errors outweigh his goodness, then his goodness is not mentioned.’

A man once said to Ibn al-Mubarak: ‘Is there anyone who will advice us?’ He replied, ‘Rather, is there anyone who will accept the advice?’

‘This world is a prison for the believer and the best of deeds in prison is to have patience and to overcome one’s anger. The believer has no country in this world, indeed his country lies in the Hereafter.’

A man said to him, ‘Advice me.’ So he said, ‘Abandon looking at things for long periods of time and you shall be granted Khushu’ (humbleness), abandon excessive speech and you shall be granted wisdom, abandon excessive food and you shall be guided to ‘Ibadah (worship), abandon looking towards the faults of others and you shall be guided to seeing your own faults and abandon delving into the issues that concern the Being of Allah `azza wa jall, and you shall be guided away from doubts and hypocrisy.’

Another man once said to him, ‘I see myself as being in a better state than someone who killed a person wrongfully.’ He said to him, ‘Indeed the security you feel for yourself (and have given yourself) is worse than a person who killed another wrongfully!’

‘Make your places of gathering to be with the poor and be cautious of sitting with the people of innovation.’

He loved to spend on others and assist his companions when they were in financial difficulties. It is reported that he once said to al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyyadh, ‘Were it not for you and your companions, I would never have done business.’

And this quote is just a beauty:

‘Indeed the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets, but if they fall into covetousness and greed, who shall be taken as leaders? The merchants and businessmen are the trustees of Allah, so if they are treacherous, who can be trusted? The warriors are the guests of Allah so if they become extreme (or take spoils without right), with whom can we defeat the enemies? The righteous and ascetic ones are the kings of the earth but if they become insincere (i.e. have riya’), who shall be followed? The governors/rulers are the shepherds (protectors) of the people, but if the shepherd becomes a wolf, who shall protect the flock?’

_________________________

Sources include: Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’, Tanbih al-Mughtarin, Tadhkirat al-Huffadh, Hilyat al-Awliya’ and Dhayl Jawahir al-Mudhiyyah.

Let Days Go Forth…

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

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A beautiful poem by Imam al-Shafi’i

دع الأيام تفعل ما تشاء *** وطب نفسا إذا حكم القضاء
ولا تجزع لحادثة الليالي *** فما لحوادث الدنيا بقاء
وكن رجلا على الأهوال جلدا *** وشيمتك السماحة والوفاء
وإن كثرت عيوبك في البرايا *** وسرك أن يكون لها غطاء
يغطى بالسماحة كل عيب *** وكم عيب يغطيه السخاء
ولا حزن يدوم ولا سرور *** ولا بؤس عليك ولا رخاء
ولا ترج السماحة من بخيل *** فما في النار للظمآن ماء
ورزقك ليس ينقصه التأني *** وليس يزيد في الرزق العناء
إذا ما كنت ذا قلب قنوع *** فأنت ومالك الدنيا سواء
ومن نزلت بساحته المنايا *** فلا أرض تقيه ولا سماء
وأرض الله واسعة ولكن *** إذا نزل القضا ضاق الفضاء
دع الأيام تغدر كل حين *** ولا يغني عن الموت الدواء

Let days go forth and do as they please
And remain firm when settled is the Decree

Don’t be afraid of what happens by night
For the affairs of this world are not to last

And be a man, strong in the face of calamities
And let your nature be that of kindness and honesty

If your faults become too much in front of the people
And you wish that they were to be concealed,

Then know that kindness covers all faults
And how many faults are kept hidden by kindness!

No sadness lasts forever, nor any happiness
And you shall not remain in poverty, or any luxury

Generosity cannot be hoped from the miserly
For no water exists in the Fire for the thirsty

Your provision will not be decreased due to life’s delays
And it cannot be increased due to your haste

If, in your heart, you possess contentment
Then you and those who possess the world are equal

And for him upon whose horizon death descends,
No earth can offer him protection, nor any sky

Indeed, the earth of Allah is certainly vast
But if decree descends, then the world constricts

Let days be the ones that betray you at all times
For no cure can avail a person of death

The School of ‘Qiyam al-Layl’

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

This next post is the sequel to ‘Sukoon al-Layl’ - taken from Shaykh Khalid al-Sayyid’s fantastic book on ‘Ibadah and Tarbiyyah.

The School of Qiyam al-Layl

‘It is a school whose graduates are Islam’s best: the worshippers by night & knights by day. They straighten their feet before Allah in the depths of the night, in a place where no-one can see them or know them to be. Their tears fall upon their cheeks and purify their hearts.

They have sought safety in their Lord, they have fled to Him and returned to Him fully recognizing His Rights upon them, hoping for His Pleasure, and so He became pleased with them. He placed light upon their faces and light in their limbs, steadfastness in their deeds, sincerity in their hearts and insight in their souls.

So they see with a light from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, and they take delight in praying in the depths of the night more than the people of desires take delight in the desires they love most. So praying by night has become the most valued thing in their lives and an act upon which they are the most steadfast. Rather, it has become a part of their heart which cannot be separated. You see their hearts longing for the night prayer and it flutters in happiness when the night draws near because it shall soon stand before its Lord in tranquility, humbleness and repentance.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the Night prayer.’ [Sahih Muslim]

He (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) also said, ‘May Allah have mercy upon a man who wakes up at night, prays and wakes up his wife; if she refuses he sprinkles water on her face. And may Allah have mercy upon a woman who wakes up at night, prays and wakes up her husband; if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his face.’ [Abu Dawud, al-Nasa'i]

Hadith: ‘Indeed, there are in Paradise homes which are transparent – Allah has prepared them for whoever gives food (to the poor), spreads the salam and prays by night when everyone else is asleep.’ [Ibn Hibban, declared sahih by al-Albani] 

Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyyadh: ‘I saw a people whose shyness of Allah in the darkness of the night drove away their long sleep. One of them would be lying on his side but when he moved he would say, ‘This is not for you. Get up and take your portion of the Hereafter.’

It was said to al-Hasan (al-Basri), ‘How comes the Mutahajjidin (those who pray tahajjud) have the most beautiful faces?’ He said, ‘Because they secluded themselves with the Most Merciful and so He clothed them with a light from Him.’

Thabit al-Bunani said, ‘I can’t find in my heart anything sweeter to me than Qiyam al-Layl.’

Ibrahim ibn Shimas: ‘I knew Ahmad ibn Hanbal when he was a young boy, and he used to revive the night (with prayer).’

‘Amr ibn Dinar used to split the night into 3: One third for sleeping, one third for studying Hadith and one third for praying.

‘Amr ibn Dharr: ‘When the worshippers see that night has come over them, and they see that the people of heedlessness have taken their place of rest on their beds and returned to sleep, they rise up to stand before Allah in happiness and bliss. They seek out glad-tidings because of what He (`azza wa jall) has granted them of lengthy tahajjud and allowed them to partake from the goodness of maintaining night vigil. So they turn towards the night with their bodies and their faces touch the earth. The night comes to an end but the sweetness they find in recitation does not come to an end and their bodies do not tire from prolonged worship. Then morning comes for both of these two parties, the night has left them either with a profit or with deceit. Those people (who slept) wake up after they have tired of sleep and rest, and these people (who prayed) wake up looking forward to the approach of another night. How different these two groups are.

The Students of Knowledge and Qiyam al-Layl

The night of the true student of knowledge differs from the nights of the heedless and the negligent. His nights are filled with worship, standing before Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala whereby he asks Him of His Blessings, seeks forgiveness for his shortcomings, requesting all that he wishes for and beseeching Him in his complaints.

But indeed there are a people from amongst the students of knowledge who claim to seek knowledge but yet they are careless in their nights and so it passes them by in regret and sorrow. Gaining knowledge has thus become difficult for them and their akhlaq (character) turned bad, and that is because they spent the night in deep sleep such that nothing woke them up except the sun’s heat!

The scholars never thought that there could be a student of knowledge or a person of ‘ilm who slept the whole night without there being some form worship therein. In fact, they used to criticize whoever fell short in that!

Ibn al-Jawzi and al-Dhahabi both mention that Tawus went looking for someone during the last third of the night but they said, ‘He is sleeping.’ He said, ‘I didn’t think anyone actually slept during al-Sahr (the last part of the night).’

Nafi’ narrates: Ibn ‘Umar (radhiallahu `anhu) used to revive the night with prayers then he would say, ‘O Nafi’! Has the last portion come?’ I would say ‘No,’ so he would continue praying until I said, ‘Yes,’ then he used to sit seeking forgiveness and supplicating until morning.

- Translated from ‘Ladhat al-’Ibadah’ by Khalid al-Sayyid Rusha (لذة العبادة – منهج عملي للتربية الإيمانية), pg. 351 – 363

Travel! For in Travel is a Benefit…

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah

Selected poetry from the Diwan of Imam al-Shafi’i (rahimahullah)

I recently managed to buy a very nice edition of the Diwan (Al-Shafi’i’s book of poems), complete with quotes, historical incidents and a biography bonus. So insha’Allah I’ll try translating some of his poetry and adding it to the (somewhat neglected) Mawa’idh al-Shafi’i project.

Ok, I know I have a problem staying in one city or town for a long time (you see, I’m a born explorer)… so this poem on the benefits of travelling made my day

فوائد الأسفار

The Benefits in Travelling

تغرب عن الأوطان في طلب العلى *** وسافر ففي الأسفار خمس فوائد
Leave your country in search of loftiness
And travel! For in travel there are 5 benefits,

تفرج هم واكتساب معيشة *** وعلم وآداب وصحبة ماجد
Relief of adversity and earning of livelihood
And knowledge and etiquettes and noble companionship

فإن قيل في الأسفار ذل ومحنة *** وقطع الفيافي وارتكاب الشدائد
If it is said that travelling brings humiliation and difficulty
And long journeys across deserts and toil and trouble,

فموت الفتى خير له من قيامه *** بدار هوان بين واش وحاسد
Then death is better for a person than him remaining
In a humiliating land between traitors and enviers

 

الورع

المرء إن كان عاقلا ورعا *** أشغله عن عيوب غيره ورعه
If a person is intelligent and pious
His piety occupies him from the sins of others

كما العليل السقيم أشغله *** عن وجع الناس كلهم وجعه
Just like the ill one is kept preoccupied
From the sickness of others by his own sickness

 

هكذا الحظ

Due Provision

تموت الأسد في الغابات جوعا *** ولحم الضأن تأكله الكلاب
Lions die hungry out in the wild
And the meat of sheep is only eaten by dogs

وعبد قد ينام على حرير *** وذو نسب مفارشه التراب
Indeed, a slave may end up sleeping on silk
Whilst the bed of masters turns out to be dust

أدب التعلم

The Etiquettes of Learning

اصبر على مر الجفا من معلم *** فإن رسوب العلم في نفراته
Be patient over the teacher’s strictness and harshness
For the stores of knowledge are present in his harshness

ومن لم يذق ذل التعلم ساعة *** تجرع ذل الجهل طول حياته
Whoever does not taste the humility of learning, even for an hour
Will drink the humility of ignorance for the rest of his life

ومن فاته التعليم وقت شبابه *** فكبر عليه أربعا لوفاته
For him who misses out on learning in his youth,
Then announce four takbirs over him for his death is due

حياة الفتى – والله – بالعلم والتقى *** إذا لم يكونا لا اعتبار لذاته
By Allah, the life of a youth is by knowledge and piety
If they are not present, then nothing can express his existence