Early Scholars on Sufism
Early Scholars on Sufism
The following quotations of the scholars of Shariah regarding the precedence of the knowledge and science of Tasawwuf (Purification of the Self).
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H)
"If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way."
[Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.)
"whoever studies Jurisprudence [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwaf] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth."
['Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195.]
Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.)
"I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: ...how to speak; how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism."
[Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.)
"O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power."
[Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
Imam Ghazzali (450 - 505 AH.)
"I knew verily that Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way, and their conduct is the best conduct, and their way is the best way, and their manners are the most sanctified. They have cleaned their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence."
[al-Munqidh, p. 131].
Fakhr ad-Din ar-Razi (544 - 606 AH)
"The way of Sufis for seeking Knowledge, is to disconnect themselves from this worldly life, and they keep themselves constantly busy with Dhikrullah, in all their actions and behaviors."
['Itiqadaat Furaq al-Muslimeen, p. 72, 73]
Imam Nawawi (620 - 676 AH.)
"The specifications of the Way of the Sufis are ... to keep the Presence of Allah in your heart in public and in private; to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) ... to be happy with what Allah gave you..."
[in his Letters, (Maqasid at-tawhid), p. 20]
Ibn Taymiyya (661 - 728 AH)
"Tasawwuf has realities and states of experience which they talk about in their science. Some of it is that the Sufi is that one who purifies himself from anything which distracts him from the remembrance of Allah and who will be so filled up with knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the mind to the point that the value of gold and stones will be the same to him. And Tasawwuf is safeguarding the precious meanings and leaving behind the call to fame and vanity in order to reach the state of Truthfulness, because the best of humans after the prophets are the Siddiqeen, as Allah mentioned them in the verse:
"(And all who obey Allah and the Apostle) are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah: of the prophets, the sincere lovers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous; Ah! what a beautiful fellowship." (an-Nisa', 69,70)
"...some people criticised Sufiyya and Tasawwuf and they said they were innovators, out of the Sunnah, but the truth is they are striving in Allah's obedience [mujtahidin fi ta'at-illahi], as others of Allah's People strove in Allah's obedience. So from them you will find the Foremost in Nearness by virtue of his striving [as-saabiq ul-muqarrab bi hasab ijtihadihi]. And some of them are from the People of the Right hand [Ahl al-Yameen mentioned in Qur'an in Sura Waqi'ah], but slower in their progress.... And this is the origin of Tasawwuf. And after that origin, it has been spread and [tasha'abat wa tanawa'at] has its main line and its branches.
[Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya al-Kubra, Vol. 11, Book of Tasawwuf, p. 497].
"The miracles of saints are absolutely true and correct, by the acceptance of all Muslim scholars. And the Qur'an has pointed to it in different places, and the Hadith of the Prophet (s) has mentioned it, and whoever denies the miraculous power of saints are only people who are innovators and their followers." [al-Mukhtasar al-Fatawa, page 603]. Ibn Taymiyya says, "what is considered as a miracle for a saint is that sometimes the saint might hear something that others do not hear and they might see something that others do not see, while not in a sleeping state, but in a wakened state of vision. And he can know something that others cannot know, through revelation or inspiration."
[Majmu'a Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya, Vol. 11, p. 314].
Ibn Khaldun (733 - 808 AH.)
"The way of the Sufis is the way of the Salaf, the preceding Scholars between the Sahaba and Tabi'een of those who followed good guidance..."
[Muqaddimat ibn al-Khaldun, p. 328]
Tajuddin as-Subki (727 - 771 AH.)
"May Allah praise them [the Sufis] and greet them and may Allah cause us to be with them in Paradise. Too many things havebeen said about them and too many ignorant people have said things which are not related to them. And the truth is that those people left the world and were busy with worship. ...They are the People of Allah, whose supplications and prayer Allah accepts and by means of whom Allah supports human beings"
[Mu'eed an-Na'am p. 190, the chapter entitled Tasawwuf]
Jalaluddin as-Suyuti (849 - 911 AH.)
"At-Tasawwuf in itself is the best and most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to put aside innovation."
[Ta'yid al-Haqiqat al-'Aliyya,p 57]
Ibn Qayyim (691 - 751 AH.)
"We can witness the greatness of the People of Sufism, in the eyes of the earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned by Sufyan ath-Thawri (d. 161 AH), one of the greatest imams of the second century and one of the foremost legal scholars. He said, "If it had not been for Abu Hisham as-Sufi (d. 115) I would never have perceived the action of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self... Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence."
[Manazil as-Sa'ireen.]
Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1115 - 1201 AH.)
"My father Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and I do not deny or criticize the science of Sufism, but on the contrary we support it, because it purifies the external and the internal of the hidden sins, which are related to the heart and to the outward form. Even though the individual might externally be on the right way, internally he might be on the wrong way. Sufism is necessary to correct it."
[ad-Dia'at mukathaffa did ash-shaykh ibn Abdul Wahhab, p. 85]
Ibn 'Abidin (1198 - 1252 AH.)
"The Seekers in this Sufi Way don't hear except from the Divine Presence and they don't love any but Him. If they remember Him they cry, and if they thank Him they are happy; ... May Allah bless them."
[Risa'il Ibn 'Abidin p. 172 & 173]
Muhammad 'Abduh (1265 - 1323 AH.)
"Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It purified the self and straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence."
[Majallat al-Muslim, 6th ed. 1378 H, p. 24].
Maulana Abul Hasan 'Ali an-Nadawi (1331 AH b.)
"These Sufis were initiating people on Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to repent from their sins and to be away from every disobedience of Allah 'Azza wa Jall. Their guides were encouraging them to move in the way of perfect Love to Allah 'Azza wa Jall.
"...In Calcutta India, everyday more than 1000 people were taking initiation into Sufism. "...by the influence of these Sufi people, thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands in India found their Lord and reached a state of Perfection through the Islamic religion."
[Muslims in India, p. 140-146]
Maulana Abul 'Ala Maudoodi (1321 - 1399 AH.)
"Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (saw), where one absents oneself for their sake, and one is annihilated from anything other than them, and it is to know how to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (s). ..Tasawwuf searched for the sincerity in the heart and the purity in the intention and the trustworthiness in obedience in an individual's actions."
"The Divine Law and Sufism: "Sufism and Shariah: what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Divine Law, and the spirit is the internal knowledge."
[Mabadi' al-Islam, p. 17]
In sum, Sufism, in the present, as in the past, is the effective means for spreading the reality of Islam, extending the knowledge and understanding of spirituality and fostering happiness and peace. With it, Muslims can improve, transform, and elevate themselves and find salvation from the ignorance of this world and the misguided pursuit of some materialistic fantasy.
The following quotations of the scholars of Shariah regarding the precedence of the knowledge and science of Tasawwuf (Purification of the Self).
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H)
"If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way."
[Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.)
"whoever studies Jurisprudence [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwaf] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth."
['Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195.]
Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.)
"I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: ...how to speak; how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism."
[Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.)
"O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power."
[Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
Imam Ghazzali (450 - 505 AH.)
"I knew verily that Sufis are the seekers in Allah's Way, and their conduct is the best conduct, and their way is the best way, and their manners are the most sanctified. They have cleaned their hearts from other than Allah and they have made them as pathways for rivers to run receiving knowledge of the Divine Presence."
[al-Munqidh, p. 131].
Fakhr ad-Din ar-Razi (544 - 606 AH)
"The way of Sufis for seeking Knowledge, is to disconnect themselves from this worldly life, and they keep themselves constantly busy with Dhikrullah, in all their actions and behaviors."
['Itiqadaat Furaq al-Muslimeen, p. 72, 73]
Imam Nawawi (620 - 676 AH.)
"The specifications of the Way of the Sufis are ... to keep the Presence of Allah in your heart in public and in private; to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) ... to be happy with what Allah gave you..."
[in his Letters, (Maqasid at-tawhid), p. 20]
Ibn Taymiyya (661 - 728 AH)
"Tasawwuf has realities and states of experience which they talk about in their science. Some of it is that the Sufi is that one who purifies himself from anything which distracts him from the remembrance of Allah and who will be so filled up with knowledge of the heart and knowledge of the mind to the point that the value of gold and stones will be the same to him. And Tasawwuf is safeguarding the precious meanings and leaving behind the call to fame and vanity in order to reach the state of Truthfulness, because the best of humans after the prophets are the Siddiqeen, as Allah mentioned them in the verse:
"(And all who obey Allah and the Apostle) are in the company of those on whom is the grace of Allah: of the prophets, the sincere lovers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous; Ah! what a beautiful fellowship." (an-Nisa', 69,70)
"...some people criticised Sufiyya and Tasawwuf and they said they were innovators, out of the Sunnah, but the truth is they are striving in Allah's obedience [mujtahidin fi ta'at-illahi], as others of Allah's People strove in Allah's obedience. So from them you will find the Foremost in Nearness by virtue of his striving [as-saabiq ul-muqarrab bi hasab ijtihadihi]. And some of them are from the People of the Right hand [Ahl al-Yameen mentioned in Qur'an in Sura Waqi'ah], but slower in their progress.... And this is the origin of Tasawwuf. And after that origin, it has been spread and [tasha'abat wa tanawa'at] has its main line and its branches.
[Majmu'a Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya al-Kubra, Vol. 11, Book of Tasawwuf, p. 497].
"The miracles of saints are absolutely true and correct, by the acceptance of all Muslim scholars. And the Qur'an has pointed to it in different places, and the Hadith of the Prophet (s) has mentioned it, and whoever denies the miraculous power of saints are only people who are innovators and their followers." [al-Mukhtasar al-Fatawa, page 603]. Ibn Taymiyya says, "what is considered as a miracle for a saint is that sometimes the saint might hear something that others do not hear and they might see something that others do not see, while not in a sleeping state, but in a wakened state of vision. And he can know something that others cannot know, through revelation or inspiration."
[Majmu'a Fatawi Ibn Taymiyya, Vol. 11, p. 314].
Ibn Khaldun (733 - 808 AH.)
"The way of the Sufis is the way of the Salaf, the preceding Scholars between the Sahaba and Tabi'een of those who followed good guidance..."
[Muqaddimat ibn al-Khaldun, p. 328]
Tajuddin as-Subki (727 - 771 AH.)
"May Allah praise them [the Sufis] and greet them and may Allah cause us to be with them in Paradise. Too many things havebeen said about them and too many ignorant people have said things which are not related to them. And the truth is that those people left the world and were busy with worship. ...They are the People of Allah, whose supplications and prayer Allah accepts and by means of whom Allah supports human beings"
[Mu'eed an-Na'am p. 190, the chapter entitled Tasawwuf]
Jalaluddin as-Suyuti (849 - 911 AH.)
"At-Tasawwuf in itself is the best and most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to put aside innovation."
[Ta'yid al-Haqiqat al-'Aliyya,p 57]
Ibn Qayyim (691 - 751 AH.)
"We can witness the greatness of the People of Sufism, in the eyes of the earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned by Sufyan ath-Thawri (d. 161 AH), one of the greatest imams of the second century and one of the foremost legal scholars. He said, "If it had not been for Abu Hisham as-Sufi (d. 115) I would never have perceived the action of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self... Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence."
[Manazil as-Sa'ireen.]
Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1115 - 1201 AH.)
"My father Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and I do not deny or criticize the science of Sufism, but on the contrary we support it, because it purifies the external and the internal of the hidden sins, which are related to the heart and to the outward form. Even though the individual might externally be on the right way, internally he might be on the wrong way. Sufism is necessary to correct it."
[ad-Dia'at mukathaffa did ash-shaykh ibn Abdul Wahhab, p. 85]
Ibn 'Abidin (1198 - 1252 AH.)
"The Seekers in this Sufi Way don't hear except from the Divine Presence and they don't love any but Him. If they remember Him they cry, and if they thank Him they are happy; ... May Allah bless them."
[Risa'il Ibn 'Abidin p. 172 & 173]
Muhammad 'Abduh (1265 - 1323 AH.)
"Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It purified the self and straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence."
[Majallat al-Muslim, 6th ed. 1378 H, p. 24].
Maulana Abul Hasan 'Ali an-Nadawi (1331 AH b.)
"These Sufis were initiating people on Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to repent from their sins and to be away from every disobedience of Allah 'Azza wa Jall. Their guides were encouraging them to move in the way of perfect Love to Allah 'Azza wa Jall.
"...In Calcutta India, everyday more than 1000 people were taking initiation into Sufism. "...by the influence of these Sufi people, thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands in India found their Lord and reached a state of Perfection through the Islamic religion."
[Muslims in India, p. 140-146]
Maulana Abul 'Ala Maudoodi (1321 - 1399 AH.)
"Sufism is a reality whose signs are the love of Allah and the love of the Prophet (saw), where one absents oneself for their sake, and one is annihilated from anything other than them, and it is to know how to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (s). ..Tasawwuf searched for the sincerity in the heart and the purity in the intention and the trustworthiness in obedience in an individual's actions."
"The Divine Law and Sufism: "Sufism and Shariah: what is the similitude of the two? They are like the body and the soul. The body is the external knowledge, the Divine Law, and the spirit is the internal knowledge."
[Mabadi' al-Islam, p. 17]
In sum, Sufism, in the present, as in the past, is the effective means for spreading the reality of Islam, extending the knowledge and understanding of spirituality and fostering happiness and peace. With it, Muslims can improve, transform, and elevate themselves and find salvation from the ignorance of this world and the misguided pursuit of some materialistic fantasy.
Views: 65
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Haqqani Fellowship on -
بارك الله فييك
-
Permalink Reply by Hafsa Azeem on -
MashaAllah..
-
Permalink Reply by Zia Aziz on -
Mashallah brother you are the man of your word. May Allah bless you and your Family. May Allah make your heart Qulab-e-Saleem.
Dua,
May we all pray to Allah Tala that our beloved Murshid-e-Kamil Darajat may increase, May we all get to hear or attend sobas of our Shaikh, May our love for our Shaikh increase day my day, May all we become Ashiq-e-Rasool (SAW) (Ameen).
-
Permalink Reply by Awase Bashir on -
:') Allah bless you habibi beautiful dua. amin amin amin
Zia Aziz said:Mashallah brother you are the man of your word. May Allah bless you and your Family. May Allah make your heart Qulab-e-Saleem.
Dua,
May we all pray to Allah Tala that our beloved Murshid-e-Kamil Darajat may increase, May we all get to hear or attend sobas of our Shaikh, May our love for our Shaikh increase day my day, May all we become Ashiq-e-Rasool (SAW) (Ameen).
-
Permalink Reply by Mohamed on -
Salam aleykum
Mashallah,barakallah-u-Fik,dear brothers,this is very important,cause today,there's many peolpe who leave the Holy Sharia and follaws wrong teatcher,may Allah Bless you and protectus from fantasy Amin
Salam aleykum
-
Permalink Reply by bashir on -
MORE ON ABU HANIFA
The Greatest Imam Abu Hanifa
By Dr. G.F. Haddad
Al-Nu`man ibn Thabit al-Taymi, al-Imam Abu Hanifa (d. 150), called "The Imam" by Abu Dawud, and "The Imam, one of those who have reached the sky" by Ibn Hajar, he is known in the Islamic world as "The Greatest Imam" (al-imâm al-a`zam) and his school has the largest number of followers among the four schools of Ahl al-Sunna. He is the first of the four mujtahid imams and the only Successor (tâbi`i) among them, having seen the Companions Anas ibn Malik, `Abd Allah ibn Abi Awfa, Sahl ibn Sa`d al-Sa`idi, Abu al-Tufayl, and `Amir ibn Wathila.
Abu Hanifa is the first in Islam to organize the writing of fiqh under sub-headings embracing the whole of the Law, beginning with purity (tahara) followed by prayer (sala), an order which was retained by all subsequent scholars such as Malik, Shafi`i, Abu Dawud, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and others. All these and their followers are indebted to him and give him a share of their reward because he was the first to open that road for them, according to the hadith of the Prophet: "He who starts something good in Islam has its reward and the reward of those who practice it until the Day of Judgement, without lessening in the least the reward of those who practice it. The one who starts something bad in Islam will incur its punishment and the punishment of all those who practice it until the Day of Judgement without lessening their punishment in the least." Al-Shafi`i referred to this when he said: "People are all the children of Abu Hanifa in fiqh, of Ibn Ishaq in history, of Malik in hadith, and of Muqatil in tafsîr."
Al-Khatib narrated from Abu Hanifa’s student Abu Nu`aym that the latter said: "Muslims should make du`a to Allah on behalf of Abu Hanifa in their prayers, because the Sunan and the fiqh were preserved for them through him. Al-Dhahabi wrote one volume on the life of each of the other three great Imams and said: "The account of Abu Hanifa’s life requires two volumes." His son Hammad said as he washed his father’s body for burial: "May Allah have mercy on you! You have exhausted whoever tries to catch up with you."
Abu Hanifa was scrupulously pious and refused Ibn Hubayra’s offer of a judgeship even when the latter had him whipped. Like al-Bukhari and al-Shafi`i, he used to make 60 complete recitations (khatma) of Qur’an every Ramadan: one in the day, one in the night, besides his teaching and other duties. Ibrahim ibn Rustum al-Marwazi said: "Four are the Imams that recited the entire Qur’an in a single rak`a: `Uthman ibn `Affan, Tamim al-Dari, Sa`id ibn Jubayr, and Abu Hanifa." Ibn al-Mubarak said: "Abu Hanifa for a long time would pray all five prayers with a single ablution."
Al-Suyuti relates in Tabyid al-Sahifa that a certain visitor came to observe Abu Hanifa and saw him all day long in the mosque, teaching relentlessly, answering every question from both the scholars and the common people, not stopping except to pray, then standing at home in prayer when people were asleep, hardly ever eating or sleeping, and yet the most handsome and gracious of people, always alert and never tired, day after day for a long time, so that in the end the visitor said: "I became convinced that this was not an ordinary matter, but wilâya (Friendship with Allah)."
Al-Shafi`i said: "Knowledge revolves around three men: Malik, al-Layth, and Ibn `Uyayna." Al-Dhahabi commented: "Rather, it revolves also around al-Awza`i, al-Thawri, Ma`mar, Abu Hanifa, Shu`ba, and the two Hammads [ibn Zayd and ibn Salama]."
Sufyan al-Thawri praised Abu Hanifa when he said: "We were in front of Abu Hanifa like small birds in front of the falcon," and Sufyan stood up for him when Abu Hanifa visited him after his brother’s death, and he said: "This man holds a high rank in knowledge, and if I did not stand up for his science I would stand up for his age, and if not for his age then for his Godwariness (wara`), and if not for his Godwariness then for his jurisprudence (fiqh)." Ibn al-Mubarak praised Abu Hanifa and called him a sign of Allah. Both Ibn al-Mubarak and Sufyan al-Thawri said: "Abu Hanifa was in his time the most knowledgeable of all people on earth." Ibn Hajar also related that Ibn al-Mubarak said: "If Allah had not rescued me with Abu Hanifa and Sufyan [al-Thawri] I would have been like the rest of the common people." Dhahabi relates it as: "I would have been an innovator."
An example of Abu Hanifa’s perspicuity in inferring legal rulings from source-texts is his reading of the following hadith:
The Prophet said: "Your life in comparison to the lifetime of past nations is like the period between the time of the mid-afternoon prayer (‘asr) and sunset. Your example and the example of the Jews and Christians is that of a man who employed laborers and said to them: ‘Who will work for me until mid-day for one qirât (a unit of measure, part of a dinar) each?’ The Jews worked until mid-day for one qirât each. Then the man said: ‘Who will work for me from mid-day until the ‘asr prayer for one qirât each?’ The Christians worked from mid-day until the ‘asr prayer for one qirât each. Then the man said: ‘Who will work for me from the `asr prayer until the maghrib prayer for two qirât each?’ And that, in truth, is all of you. In truth, you have double the wages. The Jews and the Christians became angry and said: ‘We did more labor but took less wages.’ But Allah said: ‘Have I wronged you in any of your rights?’ They replied no. Then He said: ‘This is My Blessing which I give to whom I wish.’"
It was deduced from the phrase "We did more labor" that the time of mid-day to `asr must always be longer than that between `asr and maghrib. This is confirmed by authentic reports whereby:
The Prophet hastened to pray zuhr and delayed praying `asr.
The Prophet said: "May Allah have mercy on someone who prays four rak`as before `asr.
`Ali delayed praying `asr until shortly before the sun changed, and he reprimanded the mu’adhdhin who was hurrying him with the words: "He is trying to teach us the Sunna!"
Ibrahim al-Nakha`i said: "Those that came before you used to hasten more than you to pray zuhr and delay more than you in praying `asr." Al-Tahanawi said: "Those that came before you" are the Companions.
Ibn Mas`ud delayed praying `asr.
Sufyan al-Thawri, Abu Hanifa, and his two companions Muhammad ibn a-Hasan and Abu Yusuf therefore considered it better to lengthen the time between zuhr and `asr by delaying the latter prayer as long as the sun did not begin to redden, while the majority of the authorities considered that praying `asr early is better, on the basis of other sound evidence to that effect.
Like every Friend of Allah, Abu Hanifa had his enemies. `Abdan said that he heard Ibn al-Mubarak say: "If you hear them mention Abu Hanifa derogatively then they are mentioning me derogatively. In truth I fear for them Allah’s displeasure." Authentically related from Bishr al-Hafi is the statement: "No-one criticizes Abu Hanifa except an envier or an ignoramus." Hamid ibn Adam al-Marwazi said: I heard Ibn al-Mubarak say: "I never saw anyone more fearful of Allah than Abu Hanifa, even on trial under the whip and through money and property." Abu Mu`awiya al-Darir said: "Love of Abu Hanifa is part of the Sunna."
-
Permalink Reply by bashir on
-
Abū H. anīfas Foresight GF Haddad Qasyoun@ziplip.com
Imām Abū H. anīfa ! was known for his keen foresight (firāsa). He said to Dāwūd al-T.
āī: You are
going to devote yourself entirely to worship. He said to Abū Yūsuf: You will have much to do with
the world. The story of his prediction of Abū Yūsufs princely future is famous. The latter narrates:
My father died when I was little and my mother placed me with a bleacher. But I used to pass
by Abū H. anīfas circle and sit there. My mother would follow me, take me by the hand, away from the
gathering, and return me to the bleachers shop. Then I would escape again and, against her wishes, sit
with Abū H. anīfa. One day she had had enough and went to him, shouting, This boy is an orphan with
nothing to his name except what I feed him from my spinning, and you are spoiling him and causing my
ruin! Abū H. anīfa said, Woman, be quiet! He is right here, learning the Science, and he shall be
feasting on flour and honey pastries (fālūdhaj) with pistachio butter in dishes of turquoise (fayrūzaj)!
She replied, You are an old man who has lost his senses! Later, when I became a judge, I was with
[Hārūn] al-Rashīd one day when they brought flour and honey pastry in a dish of turquoise and Hārūn
said to me, Eat from this! Seeing this, I smiled. When he pressed me to say why, I told him what
Abū H. anīfa had said. He replied, Truly, knowledge raises ones state both in life and in the hereafter.
Allāh have mercy on Abū H. anīfa! He used to see with the eyes of the mind what cannot be seen with
the eyes of the head.1
It is narrated that Abū H. anīfa recommended Mālik whom he first saw when he went on pilgrimage
among the scholars of Madīna: If there is any excellence in them it lies in the fair-haired, blueeyed
youth. Another narration states: I saw great knowledge spread in it [Madīna], and if any single
person possesses it all it is the fair-skinned youth.2
Ibn H.
abīb narrates in his Uqalā al-Majānīn that Sufyān al-Thawrī, Misar [ibn Kidām al-
Hilālī al-Kūfī (d. 153)], Abū H. anīfa, and Sharīk ibn Abd Allāh al-Nakhaī (d. 177) were arrested and
taken to al-Mans.
ūr [who wanted to force one of them to be chief judge]. Abū H. anīfa said: I will use
ruse to save myself, Sufyān will escape on the way, Misar will act the madman, and Sharīk will fall.
On the way, Sufyān said to his guard: I need the privy. The guard waited behind a certain wall but
Sufyān hailed a passing barge, telling them: The man behind the wall wants to kill me! They hid him
and took him. The guard came back without him and his chief beat him up. The remaining three
entered to see al-Mans.
ūr. Misar walked up to him, shook his hand, and said: How are you, Commander
of the Believers after me? How are your female slaves? How are your beasts of burden? You will make
me chief judge, yes?? A man standing next to the Caliph said: This is a madman! Al-Mans.
ūr
replied: You are right. Take him out! They let him go. Abū H. anīfa was summoned next. He came
forward and said: Commander of the Believers, I am al-Numān ibn Thābit the son of the slave
silkmaker in al-Kūfa. The people of al-Kūfa will never accept that the son of a slave silkmaker be judge
over them! He said: You spoke truly. Sharīk began to speak but the Caliph said: Shut up! No-one
but you remains, so give your pledge! Sharīk said: Commander of the Believers, I have memory lapses.
He said: Chew resin gum!3 Sharīk said: I joke too much. The Caliph said: We will make honey
pastries for you to eat before you sit in your chair to judge! Sharīk said: I will judge whoever comes
and goes! The Caliph said: Judge, be it myself and my own son! Sharīk said: Then I will.
It is related that Abū H. anīfa said: Most of the cases in which faith (al-īmān) is removed from a
person is at the time of death and its cause is the commission of injustice.4
Like al-Shāfiī after him, Abū H. anīfa practiced physiognomy. He said: If you see a man with
a long head, know he is a fool; If you see a person who is both tall and intelligent, hold on to him for
they are rare!
Main source: al-S.
ālih. īs Uqūd al-Jumān (p. 248-250).
1In Ibn Kathīr, Bidāya (10:180). 2Both reports narrated by al-Gharnāt.
ī al-Mālikī in Intis. ār al-Faqīr al-Sālik lil-Imām al-Kabīr Mālik (p. 139) as
cited by Abū Ghudda in al-Intiqā (p. 43). 3The mountain shrub lubān or olibanum (=frankincense, used to strengthen memory) resembles the mastic tree. 4Narrated in al-Tadhkirat al-Muaz.z.
amiyya
-
Permalink Reply by Abdelhafeez Bin Ibrahim on -
mashaallah!
-
Permalink Reply by Ihsaan on
-
Excellent article, jazakallah khairun
Going forward any chance you can incorporate an email icon enabling article to be forwarded to others.
-
Permalink Reply by visionaire786 on -
Mashallah, Happy to of read this brother as its confirmation of Haq. For ourselfs & others. Shukran for sharing.
Shah Naqshband on Fellowship
The Imam of the Naqshbandi Order said, "طريقتنا الصحبة والخير في الجمعية - Tariqatuna as-suhbah wa 'l-khayru fi 'l- jam`iyyah" - “Our way is fellowship, and the goodness is in the gathering”.
Definition of Fellowship:
1. The companionship of individuals in a pleasant atmosphere.
2. A close association of friends sharing similar interests.
Islamic Calendar
Sufi Live Broadcast Status
Birthdays
Badge
Blog Posts
Death is a beginning, not an end
Posted by Nafi (N.O) on May 26, 2012 at 12:58pm
The article : Diseases are a part of our test ( Harun Yahya )
Posted by Nafi (N.O) on May 26, 2012 at 12:41pm
In the Grave Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani Thursday, Mar 08, 2007
Posted by Nafi (N.O) on May 26, 2012 at 6:07am — 2 Comments
Friday Khutba in Oakland Mosque Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani Friday, Mar 02, 2007
Posted by Nafi (N.O) on May 26, 2012 at 5:58am
Sohba at Richmond Mosque Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani Friday, Feb 23, 2007
Posted by Nafi (N.O) on May 26, 2012 at 4:45am
© 2012 Created by Sons of Habibi.
