KHUTAB IV: 19. ABDULLAH IBN AL-MUBĀRAK (118-181/736-797)
19. ABDULLAH IBN AL-MUBĀRAK
(118-181/736-797)
The Faqīh of the Arab from Khorasan
One of the great great scholars in the
past whose books are still used in Indonesian Islamic boarding schools called pesantren
was Shaykh Muṣṭafā al-Ghalāyayn who was born in Beirut in 1889. He wrote at
least six books, two of which are still in use by these schools, namely: Jāmi‘u ’l-Durūs
("Extensive
Studies" on Arabic Language) in which he traced the origin of the word
هَذَا, from هَا which to call the listeners' attention and
the word ذا meaning "this." It is like
saying "hey, this." So, if we say هَذا
كِتَاب
it literally means "hey (or attention) this is a book, and we can drop the
هَا and just say ذَا كِتَاب.
The other book is ‘Iẓat al-Nāshi’īn ("Advice for Youth") in which he
advised young people, in order to obtain Islamic morality and good character,
besides reading the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., they should also read the
biography of heroes, champions (قِرَاءَةُ سِيَر الأَبْطَال)
It is also important to read and learn the
biography of our prominent ‘ulamā’ (Muslim scholars).
In a long hadith Abū al-Drdā’ narrated that
the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: العُلَمَاءُ وَرَثَةُ
اْلأَنْبِيَاء“The ‘ulamā’ are inheritors of Prophets” (Reported by
al-Bayhaqī). One of these Muslim scholars was ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubārak
(118-181/736-797), whom people used to call “the faqīh of the
Arab from Khorasan”. He was a contemporary of Imam Abu H.anīfah, Imām Mālik, and Hārūn al-Rashīd. He was born
in the time of the Umawi caliph Hishām ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, and died in the time of
Harūn al-Rashīd. Abdullah ibn al-Mubārak was a scholar known
for his many virtues. The historian al-Dhahabī related that his friends made
the list of these virtues: “Knowledge, fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence),
literature, grammar, language, zuhd (ascetism), eloquence, poetry,
praying at night, worship, hajj, jihad, bravery, chivalry, strength,
speaking little in what doesn’t concern him, justice, and lack of conflict with
his companions
His
strong memory
Abdullah bin al-Mubarak has a strong
memory. He memorized the Qur’an and many ḥadīths of the Prophet. One of
his relatives
called S.akhr said that when they were
attending the Qur’ānic elementary school (Kuttāb) they passed by a man
delivering a long speech. After finishing the speech Ibn al-Mubārak said to S.akhr that he could repeat the speech.
A man who happened to hear him asked him to repeat the speech which he did
without any mistake.
His teachers
Among scholars who taught Ibn al-Mubārak were: Ibn Abī Laylā, al-A‘mash, Sulaymān al-Tamīmī, al-Awzā‘ī, Mālik, and he studied with Abū ‘Amr
ibn al-‘Alā’, al-Layth and others. He learned fiqh from Malik and
ath-Thawri, and he was the first of Abū anīfah's companions. Then he left him and
abandoned his madhhab."
His search for knowledge
Ibn al-Mubārak was twenty-three years old when he started traveling and
seeking knowledge from the tābi‘īn (people belonging to the generation
after that of the s.ah.ābah, companions of the Prophet) and
the generation after it, as well as joining in the battlefield until he died.
Qāḍī Abu'l-Faḍl said that a person called as-Sadafi said,
"When Ibn al-Mubārak came of age, his father sent him 50,000 dirham to use
for commerce. He spent the money in seeking knowledge. When the money was gone, his father met him
and said, “What have you bought with the money?” He brought out his books to
him and said, “This is my trade.” His father was happy and went into the house
and gave him 30,000 dirhams more and said, “Take this and continue your trade
with them.”
Ibn Ḥanbal said, "In the time of Ibn al-Mubārak, there was no one
who sought knowledge more than him. He went to Yemen,
Egypt, Syria, the Hijaz, Basra and Kufa, took knowledge from people,
young and old, and related hadiths from his notes."
Ibn al-Mubārak was a good reader. Shaqīq
al-Balkhī said that someone asked him:
“Why don’t you sit down with us after performing your prayer?” He
answered: “What shall I do with you when you are gossiping and slandering
people? I sit with the s.ah.ābah and the tābi‘īn
reading their books.” At another time when he was criticized for staying alone and
isolating himself he said that he was not alone, and was not isolating himself,
but rather with the company of prophets, awliyā’ (saints), wise people,
the Prophet and his companions.
Ibn Waddah said, "Ibn al-Mubārak
related about 25,000 hadiths. When he was asked, “How long will you keep
studying?” he answered, “Hopefully until I die."
His Bravery
For
his bravery and sincerity ‘Abdah bin Sulayman said: “We were on an expedition
in the lands of the Romans with ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubārak. We met the enemy, and
when the two armies met, a man came out from their side calling for a duel. One
of our men went out to him and dueled with him for an hour, injuring him and
killing him. Another came out, and he killed him. He called for another duel,
and another man came out. They dueled for an hour, and he injured and killed
him as well. The people gathered around this man, and I was with them, and saw
that he was covering his face with his sleeve. I took the edge of his sleeve
and pulled it away to find that it was ‘Abdullah bin al-Mubarak,” and in the
version reported by al-Dhahabī, he made him swear not to reveal his identity
until the day he died.[1]
His du‘ā’ was accepted
It is related that al-asan bin ‘Isa bin Sirjis would walk by Ibn
al-Mubārak, and he was a Christian. Ibn al-Mubārak asked who he was, and was
told: “He is a Christian.” So, Ibn al-Mubārak said: “O Allah, grant him Islam.”
So, Allah answered his supplication and al-asan became an excellent Muslim, and he
travelled to seek knowledge and became one of the scholars of the ummah.”
(‘Tartīb al-Madārik’ (1/162),
His wittiness
One day Ibn al-Mubārak
prayed at the side of Abū anīfah. Ibn al-Mubarak began to lift his hands in each takbīr. Abū
anīfah said to him, 'Do you want to fly?'
He replied, 'If I had wanted to, I would have flown in the first one.'”,
meaning takbīrat al-ih.rām.
His generosity
Ibn al-Mubārak was a successful rich business man, but
at the same time an ascetic man. His friend called Abū ‘Alī asked him: “You
have told us to be ascetic, but we see you bringing goods from Khorasan to the
holy land, how could it be?” He said: “I do it in order to protect my face, to
ptotect my honour, to help me in obeying my Lord, whenever I find any of
Allah’s rights I would immediately do it.” Ibn al-Jawzī mentions that Ibn al-Mubārak
“spent a hundred thousand dirhams a year on the poor.”[2]
On his way
to hajj Ibn al-Mubārak entered
Kufah and found a poor woman was sitting on a rubbish heap and plucking a carrion
of duck to feed her family. He stopped his mule and asked her where she lived.
Then he left her and went to an inn where he paid one dirham to someone to take
him to the woman’s house. The man knocked at the door with his stick. The woman
opened the door half-way. Ibn al-Mubarak asked her to open her door fully, then
got off his mule, hit it with his stick, and the mule went into the house. Then
he told her that the mule and the provision, money and clothes it was carrying
were all gifts to her, then went into hiding until people returned from the
pilgrimage.
When people congratulated him for his
pilgrimage, he told them that he was sick and did not go to pilgrimage that
year. One of them said, 'Glory be to Allah! Did I
not leave you my goods with you while we were at Mina and we were going to ‘Arafat?'
Another said, 'Did you not buy for me on the way?' He said to them: “I do not know what you are talking about. As
for myself, I did not go on hajj this year.” One night he dreamed
someone talking to him, “Abdullah, rejoice! Allah has accepted your sadaqah
(charity), and sent an angel in your form to perform the hajj for you.”
A similar incident happened to Ibn
Taymiyyah. While he was in jail, people still saw him outside the prison. When
they asked him in jail about it he said that it was a Muslim jinni who took his
form to be like him to help people.
What Ibn al-Mubārak did is the opposite of what we used to do. We keep
going to h.ajj, if possible every
year, keeping blind eyes on the poor in our community, let alone people in
distant places where they need our help very badly just to survive. When the
late Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazālī advised a rich man to help a young student who
had just graduated in chemistry to establish himself as Muslims need chemists,
rather than going to hajj which he had done before, he did not take the
advise. When Shaykh Yūsuf al-Qarad.āwī advised a
rich man who had performed hajj many times before to send his money to
Bosnia instead of going to hajj that year, he did not take the advise.
We forget that helping the poor is more important that going to hajj for
the second or third time.
His Wise-saying and advice:
This is the
dialogue between H.abīb
al-Jallāb and Ibn al-Mubārak who asked him:
“What
is the best thing given to man?” asked H.abīb.
“Instinct
of reasoning,” answered Ibn al-Mubārak.
“If
he does not have one?”
“Then
good behaviour.”
“If
he does not have either?”
“Then
a compassionate brother who would advise him.”
“If
he does not have?”
“Long
silence”
“And
if he does not have either?”
“Then
eminent death.”
There is no point of living
without any of these things: reason, good behaviour, someone who would give
advise, and keeping silent.
Ibn al-Mubārak
gives us ten advices, as follows:
1. No matter how bad you think you are, you can always become better
2 - You should associate with honorable people
3 - You should be a helpful guest.
2 - You should associate with honorable people
3 - You should be a helpful guest.
4 - You should give money to the poor
5 - You should always return borrowed
items to their owners.
6 - You should be brave, and hide your good deeds:
7 - You should have a tender heart.
8 - You should be generous to your friends.
9 - You should not give in to Satan’s whispers.
10 - You should sincerely pray for people to accept Islam.
6 - You should be brave, and hide your good deeds:
7 - You should have a tender heart.
8 - You should be generous to your friends.
9 - You should not give in to Satan’s whispers.
10 - You should sincerely pray for people to accept Islam.
Ibn al-Mubārak criticized people who
claimed to love Allah, but disobeyed Him. In one of his poems he said:
تَعْصِيْ الإلَهَ وَ
أَنْتَ تُظْهِرُ حُبَّهُ * هَذاَ لَعُمْرِيْ فَِي الْفِعَالِ بَدِيْعُ
لَوْ كَانَ حُبُّكَ
صَادِقًا لأَطَعْتَهُ * إنَّ الْمُحِبَّ لِمَنْ يُحِبُّ مُطِيْعُ
You disobey Allah and yet, you proclaim
that you love Him,
This, upon my life, is in effect
unprecedented
If you really love Him you would have
obeyed Him,
Verily, the person who loves obeys whom
he loves.
We used to hear people say to show his
love and obedience: “If you ask me to jump, I would say ‘how high?’”
Comments
Post a Comment