In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The best of generations in deeds and example,
Who followed the Messenger in all he strove for or said.
Mawaddah Association
Presents
Vignettes from the Lives of the Tabi'un
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha
May Allah have mercy on him.
Salamah Ibn Dinar
May Allah have mercy on him.
In the ninety-seventh year of the Hijrah,
The Caliph of the Muslims, Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik, set out
On a journey to the Holy Lands,
Responding to the call of the Father of the Prophets,
Abraham, peace be upon him.
His caravan hastened its pace
From Damascus, the capital of the Umayyads,
To Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.
For he harbored a deep longing in his soul to pray
In the Noble Rawdah,
And a yearning to send blessings upon Muhammad,
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The Caliph's entourage was filled
With Qur'an reciters, hadith scholars,
Jurists, men of knowledge,
Princes, and military commanders.
When he reached Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
And dismounted there,
Prominent figures and men of status came forward
To greet him and welcome him.
However, Salamah Ibn Dinar,
The judge of Al-Madinah, its authoritative scholar,
And its trusted imam,
Was not among those who visited
The Caliph to welcome and greet him.
When Sulayman Ibn Abd al-Malik finished
Receiving those who came to welcome him,
He said to some of his companions,
"Truly, souls rust
Just as metals rust
If they do not find someone to remind them
From time to time,
And polish away their rust."
They replied, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful."
He then asked, "Is there not in Al-Madinah
A man who met a group
Of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Who can remind us?"
They answered, "Indeed, O Commander of the Faithful!
Right here is Abu Hazim al-A'raj."
He asked, "And who is Abu Hazim al-A'raj?"
They said, "Salamah Ibn Dinar,
The scholar of Al-Madinah and its imam,
And one of the Tabi'un who met a number
Of the noble Companions."
He said, "Summon him to us,
And be gentle in inviting him."
So they went to him and invited him.
When he arrived before him,
The Caliph welcomed him, seated him close by,
And said to him reproachfully,
"What is this coldness, O Abu Hazim?"
He replied,
"And what coldness have you seen from me, O Commander of the Faithful?"
He said,
"The prominent figures of the people visited me, yet you did not visit me."
He replied,
"Coldness only occurs after acquaintance,
But you did not know me before today,
Nor had I ever seen you.
So what coldness could have come from me?"
The Caliph said to his companions,
"The Sheikh is correct in his excuse,
And the Caliph was mistaken in his reproach."
Then he turned to Abu Hazim
And said,
"There are matters in my heart
That I would like to share with you, O Abu Hazim."
He said,
"Bring them forth, O Commander of the Faithful,
And Allah is the One whose help is sought."
The Caliph asked,
"O Abu Hazim,
Why do we hate death?"
He answered,
"Because we have built up our worldly life
And ruined our Hereafter,
So we hate moving from a built-up land to ruins."
The Caliph said,
"You have spoken the truth."
Then he added, saying,
"O Abu Hazim,
Would that I knew what awaits us with Allah tomorrow!"
He replied,
"Examine your deeds in light of the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
And you will find that."
He asked,
"And where do I find it in the Book of Allah Almighty?"
He said,
"You find it in His saying—exalted is His Word: ◁'Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, and indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.'▷"
The Caliph asked,
"Then
Where is the mercy of Allah?"
Abu Hazim replied,
"Indeed, the mercy of Allah
Is near
To the doers of good."
The Caliph
Asked,
"Would that I knew how the arrival before Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
Will be
Tomorrow!"
Abu Hazim replied,
"As for the doer of good,
He is like an absent traveler returning to his family.
But as for the evildoer,
He is like a runaway slave
Being dragged forcibly back to his master."
The Caliph wept until he sobbed loudly,
And his weeping grew intense.
Then he said,
"O Abu Hazim,
How can we rectify ourselves?"
He replied,
"By abandoning arrogance—
Meaning pride and conceit."
The Caliph
Asked,
"And this wealth—
What is the way to fear Allah regarding it?"
Abu Hazim replied,
"When you take it rightfully,
Place it with those entitled to it,
Distribute it equally,
And act justly with it among
The subjects."
The Caliph said,
"O Abu Hazim,
Tell me, who are the best of people?"
He replied, "Those who possess piety and intellect."
Then he asked,
The Caliph,
"And what is the most just speech, O Abu Hazim?"
He replied,
"A word of truth spoken by a person
Before one he fears and one
From whom he hopes for gain."
The Caliph asked,
"Which supplication is most quickly answered,
O Abu Hazim?"
He replied,
"The supplication of a doer of good for other doers of good."
The Caliph asked,
"And what is the best charity?"
He replied, "The effort of one with little wealth—
Meaning what a person with scarce means
Can afford—
Placed in the hand of the miserable and poor,
Without following it up
With reminders of generosity or injury."
The Caliph asked,
"Who is the shrewdest of people, O Abu Hazim?"
He replied,
"A man who gains the obedience of Allah
Almighty,
Acts upon it, and then guides the people
To it."
The Caliph asked, "And who is the most foolish of people?"
He replied,
"A man who indulged the desires of his companion
While his companion was an oppressor,
Thus selling his Hereafter
For another person's worldly gain."
The Caliph said,
"Would you accompany us, O Abu Hazim,
So that you may benefit from us and we may benefit
From you?"
He replied,
"No, O Commander of the Faithful."
The Caliph asked, "And why not?"
He replied,
"I fear that I might incline toward you even a little,
Whereupon Allah would cause me to taste a double punishment
In life and a double punishment after death."
The Caliph said,
"Present your needs to us,
O Abu Hazim."
But he remained silent and did not answer.
So the Caliph repeated his statement,
"Present your needs to us,
O Abu Hazim,
And we shall fulfill them for you, whatever they may be."
He replied,
"My need is that you save me
From the Fire
And admit me into Paradise."
The Caliph said,
"That is not within my power, O Abu
Abu Hazim.
Abu Hazim said:
"I have no need other than this,
O Commander of the Faithful."
The Caliph said:
"Pray for me, Abu Hazim."
So he said:
"O Allah, if Your servant
Sulayman is among Your allies,
then make easy for him the good of this world
and the Hereafter.
But if he is among Your enemies,
then set him right and guide him
to that which You love and are pleased with."
A man among those present said:
"How wretched is what you have said
since you entered upon the Commander
of the Faithful!
You have made the Caliph of the Muslims
one of Allah's enemies
and offended him!"
Abu Hazim replied:
"Rather, wretched is what you have said!
For Allah took a covenant from the scholars
to speak
the word of truth."
He recited:
"You shall surely clarify it to the people
and not conceal it."
Then he turned to the Caliph
and said: "O Commander
of the Faithful,
indeed those who passed before us
from the past nations
remained in goodness and well-being
as long as their rulers came to
their scholars desiring what
they possessed.
Then there arose a people from the vilest
of men
who sought thereby to attain
something of the fleeting gains of this world,
so the rulers dispensed with
the scholars.
Thus they stumbled, relapsed,
and fell from the sight of Allah, Almighty and Glorification be to Him.
Had the scholars
renounced what is in the hands of
the rulers, the rulers would have desired
their knowledge.
But instead, they coveted what
the rulers possessed, so the rulers disdained
them and they became humbled in their eyes."
The Caliph said:
"You have spoken the truth.
Admonish me further, O Abu Hazim,
for I have seen no one
to whose mouth wisdom is closer
than yours."
He said: "If you are
among those who heed,
I have told you enough.
But if you are not
among them, then it is not fit
for me to shoot from a bow
that has no bowstring."
The Caliph said:
"I urge you to advise me,
O Abu Hazim."
He replied: "Yes,
I will advise you briefly.
Exalt your Lord, Mighty and Sublime,
and deem Him far above
seeing you where He forbade you to be,
or missing you where He commanded you to be."
Then he offered greetings of peace and departed.
The Caliph said
to him: "May Allah reward you
with goodness as a sincere scholar
and adviser." Hardly had
Abu Hazim reached his home
when he found that the Commander
of the Faithful had sent him
a pouch filled with dinars,
and written to him saying:
"Spend these,
and you have much more like them
with me." But he returned them
and wrote back saying:
"O Commander of the Faithful,
I seek refuge in Allah lest
your asking of me was a jest
and my response to you was in vain.
By Allah, I do not accept
that, O Commander
of the Faithful, either for you
or for myself.
O Commander of the Faithful,
if these dinars are
in exchange for the discourse I shared with you,
then carrion
and swine flesh in cases
of dire necessity are more lawful than them.
But if they are my rightful share
in the public treasury of the Muslims,
have you treated me equally with
all the people regarding this
right?" Indeed,
the home of Salamah ibn Dinar was
a sweet watering place for the hearts
of those seeking righteousness,
making no distinction in that between
his brothers and his students.
On one occasion, there entered upon him
'Abd al-Rahman ibn Jarir
accompanied by his son.
They took their seats with him,
greeted him with peace, and prayed
for him to have the best of this world and the Hereafter.
So he returned their greeting
with a better one, welcomed
them both, and then conversation
ensued between them.
'Abd al-Rahman ibn Jarir said to him:
"How do we attain spiritual breakthroughs,
O Abu Hazim?"
He replied:
"When inner intentions are made sincere,
major sins are forgiven.
And when a servant resolves to abandon
sins, spiritual breakthroughs head toward him—
that is, divine openings come upon him.
And do not forget, O 'Abd al-Rahman,
that a little of this world
distracts us from much of the Hereafter.
And every blessing
that does not bring you closer to Allah, Mighty and Sublime,
is a affliction."
His son then asked him:
"Indeed, our elders are many,
so whom among them should we emulate?"
He said:
"O my son,
emulate the one who fears Allah in secret,
refrains from being tainted
by defects,
rectifies himself during the time of his youth,
and does not defer that
until the period of old age.
And know, O my son,
that there is no day on which the sun rises
except that there comes
upon the seeker of knowledge his desire and his knowledge.
They then struggle against each other
in his chest like the struggling
of two litigants.
If his knowledge overcomes his desire,
his day is a day of gain
for him.
But if his desire overcomes his knowledge,
his day is a day of loss
against him."
'Abd al-Rahman ibn Jarir said to him:
"You have often urged us
to give thanks, O Abu Hazim.
What is the reality of gratitude?"
He replied: "For every limb
among our limbs, there is a duty
of gratitude incumbent upon us."
'Abd al-Rahman asked:
"What is the gratitude of the eyes?"
He said: "If you see good with them,
you make it known;
and if you see evil with them,
you conceal it."
'Abd al-Rahman asked:
"And what is the gratitude of the ears?"
He said: "If you hear good with them,
you comprehend it;
and if you hear evil with them,
you bury it." 'Abd al-Rahman asked: "And what is the gratitude of the hands?" He replied: "That you do not take
with them what is not yours, and that you do not withhold with them a right among the rights of Allah. And do not overlook,
O 'Abd al-Rahman, that whoever restricts his gratitude to his tongue and does not engage all
his limbs and his heart along with it, his likeness is that of a man who has a cloak, but he takes hold
of its edge and does not wear it. That does not protect him from the heat, nor does it safeguard him from
the cold." In a certain year, Salamah ibn Dinar set out with the armies of the Muslims
heading toward the lands of the Romans, seeking jihad in the cause of Allah alongside
the fighters. When the army reached the final stage of the journey,
it preferred rest and recuperation before meeting the enemy and engaging in battle.
There was in the army a commander from among the commanders of the Umayyads, so he sent a messenger to Abu
Hazim saying to him: "The commander invites you to come to him so that you may speak to him and teach him fiqh." So he wrote
to the commander saying: "O commander, I have known the people of knowledge, and they do not
carry religion to the people of worldly pursuits. Nor do I think you wish for me to be the first to
do that. If you have a need of us, then come to us. Peace be upon you
and upon those with you." When the commander read his letter, he went to him, greeted him
warmly, and said: "O Abu Hazim, we have reviewed what you wrote to us, and it has only increased your
honor and nobility in our eyes. So remind us and admonish us; may you be rewarded on our behalf with the best
reward." Thereupon Abu Hazim set about admonishing and reminding him. Among the things he said
"Look at what you would wish to have with you in the Hereafter, and strive for it in this world;
and look at what you would hate to have with you there, and renounce it here. Know,
O leader, that if falsehood finds favor with you and gains currency, the purveyors of falsehood and hypocrites will flock to you
and gather around you. But if the truth finds favor with you and prevails, the people of goodness will gather around you
and assist you in upholding it. So choose for yourself whatever pleases you." And when death approached Abu Hazim al-A'raj, his companions asked him, "How do you find yourself, O
Abu Hazim?"
He replied, "If we are saved from the evil of what we have acquired in this world, then whatever of it was withheld from us will do us no harm."
He then recited the noble verse, repeating it continuously until certainty (death) came to him.
"I have never seen anyone whose speech was closer to wisdom than Abu Hazim,"
said 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn Zayd.
They filled life with glory through their deeds, and the world blossomed through them.