In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The best of generations in character and example,
Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
Mawaddah Association
Presents:
Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un,
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
May Allah have mercy on him.
Muhammad ibn Sirin,
May Allah have mercy on him.
Sirin resolved to complete half of his religion,
After Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) had granted him his freedom,
And after his craft began yielding abundant profit and plentiful good fortune;
For he was a skilled coppersmith who excelled in fashioning pots.
His choice fell upon a freed maidservant of the Commander of the Faithful, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him),
Named Safiyyah, to be his wife.
Safiyyah was a young woman in the prime of her youth,
Radiant of countenance and sharp of mind,
Noble in character and endowed with fine virtues,
Beloved by all the women of Medina who knew her,
Whether by the young maidens bound to her by ties of youth,
Or by the elder women who saw her as their equal in soundness of mind and sobriety of conduct.
The most affectionate of women toward her were the wives of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
Especially Lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.
Sirin approached the Commander of the Faithful,
Proposing to his freed maidservant, Safiyyah.
Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) at once inquired into the suitor's religious commitment and character,
Just as an affectionate, tender father would inquire into the character of a suitor for his daughter;
And no wonder, for Safiyyah held the place of a child in the heart of Abu Bakr.
Above all, she was a trust that Allah had placed around his neck.
Thus, he set about investigating Sirin's circumstances with the utmost diligence,
Scrutinizing his conduct with meticulous care.
Foremost among those he consulted regarding him was Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him).
Anas said to him: "Marry her to him, O Commander of the Faithful,
And fear no harm for her;
For I have known him only as sound in faith, of pleasing character, and abundant in virtue.
Indeed, my life has been entwined with his ever since Khalid ibn al-Walid captured him
At the Battle of Ayn al-Tamr alongside forty young boys and brought them to Medina.
Sirin fell to my share, and I was truly fortunate to have him."
Al-Siddiq agreed to marry Safiyyah to Sirin,
And resolved to treat her generously, just as a tender father honors his favored daughter.
He organized a wedding celebration for her the likes of which few maidens of Medina had ever enjoyed;
A large gathering of the noble Companions attended her wedding contract,
Among whom were eighteen veterans of Badr.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b, the scribe of the revelation of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), supplicated for her,
And all present said "Amin" to his supplication.
Three of the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them) perfumed and adorned her when she was escorted to her husband.
Among the fruits of this blessed marriage was that the two parents were granted a boy
Who, two decades later, would become a foremost luminary among the Tabi'un
And an extraordinary figure among the Muslims: Muhammad ibn Sirin.
Come, then, let us recount the life of this illustrious Tabi'i from its very beginning.
Muhammad ibn Sirin was born two years before the end of the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful, Uthman ibn Affan (may Allah be pleased with him),
And was raised in a home fragrant with piety and righteousness in every corner.
When the intelligent and discerning youth came of age,
He found the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
Teeming with the remaining noble Companions and senior Tabi'un,
Such as Zayd ibn Thabit, Anas ibn Malik, Imran ibn Husayn,
Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them all).
He turned to them as an intensely thirsty soul rushes to pure, sweet water,
Quenching his thirst from their knowledge of the Book of Allah and their deep fiqh of Allah's religion,
And their transmission of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
Which filled his mind with wisdom and knowledge,
And saturated his soul with righteousness and guidance.
The family then moved with their distinguished son to Basra,
Taking it as their home.
Basra was at that time a young, burgeoning city,
Founded by the Muslims toward the end of the caliphate of al-Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him).
It embodied most of the characteristics of the Muslim Ummah in that era:
It was a military base for the Muslim armies campaigning in the cause of Allah,
A center of learning and guidance for the people of Iraq and Persia entering the religion of Allah,
And an image of a serious Muslim society that works for this world as if it will live forever,
Yet works for the Hereafter as if it will die tomorrow.
In his new life in Basra, Muhammad ibn Sirin pursued two parallel and balanced paths:
He devoted one part of his day to sacred knowledge and worship,
And another part to earning a livelihood and commerce.
Whenever dawn broke and the world shone with the light of its Lord,
He went early to the Mosque of Basra to teach and to learn.
When the day was well advanced, he moved from the mosque to the marketplace, buying and selling.
And when night fell and cast its dark curtains over the world,
He stood in the prayer niche of his home, bowing his back over the sections of the Qur'an,
Weeping out of awe of the Most Merciful with the tears of his eyes and heart,
Until his family and close neighbors would feel deep compassion for him
Because of the heartbreaking sobbing they heard from him.
While walking about the marketplace by day to buy and sell,
He never ceased reminding people of the Hereafter, giving them insight into the reality of worldly life,
Directing them to whatever would draw them closer to Allah,
And settling whatever disputes arose among them.
Every now and then, he would regale them with pleasant humor
To wipe away the fatigue and worry from their weary souls,
Without this diminishing his dignity and reverence in their eyes in the least.
For Allah, Mighty and Majestic, had granted him upright guidance and a dignified demeanor,
And bestowed upon him widespread acceptance and profound influence.
Whenever people in the market saw him while immersed in heedlessness,
They would be awakened, remember Allah, and proclaim His oneness and greatness.
His practical conduct was the best guide for the people;
Whenever two choices were presented to him in his trade,
He invariably chose the one safest for his religion,
Even if it entailed a worldly loss.
His precise understanding of the inner depths of the religion
And his sound discernment between what is lawful and unlawful
Sometimes led him to take stances that appeared strange to the eyes of ordinary people.
For example, a man falsely claimed that he was owed two dirhams by him,
But Ibn Sirin refused to give them to him.
The man said to him: "Will you swear an oath?"
Thinking that he would never swear an oath over a mere two dirhams.
He replied, "Yes," and swore the oath to him.
The people said to him:
"O Abu Bakr, do you swear an oath over just two dirhams,
When only yesterday you renounced forty thousand dirhams over a doubt
That no one else would have doubted?"
He replied: "Yes, I swear;
For I do not wish to feed him unlawful wealth
When I know that it is unlawful."
The gathering of Ibn Sirin was
An assembly of goodness, righteousness, and exhortation.
If a man was mentioned unfavorably in his presence,
He promptly mentioned the best of what he knew about him.
Indeed, he once heard someone reviling al-Hajjaj after the latter's death;
He turned to him and said:
"Hush, O nephew!
Al-Hajjaj has departed to his Lord.
When you appear before Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
You will find that the smallest sin you committed in this world
Will weigh more heavily upon your soul than the greatest sin committed by al-Hajjaj.
On that Day, each of you will have enough concerns of his own.
Know, my nephew,
That Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
Will exact retribution from al-Hajjaj for those he wronged,
Just as He will exact retribution for al-Hajjaj from those who wrong him.
So never preoccupy yourself after today with reviling anyone."
Whenever a man came to bid him farewell before embarking on a trading journey,
He would say to him:
"O nephew,
Fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic,
And seek what has been decreed for you through lawful means.
Know that if you seek it through unlawful means,
You will never obtain more than what has already been decreed for you."
Muhammad ibn Sirin had
Renowned stances with the Umayyad governors,
In which he proclaimed the truth boldly,
Offering sincere counsel for the sake of Allah, His Messenger,
And the leaders of the Muslims.
Among these was when Umar ibn Hubayrah al-Fazari,
The eminent Umayyad statesman
And their governor over the two Iraqs,
Sent for him, inviting him to visit.
He went to him accompanied by his nephew.
When he arrived before him,
The governor welcomed him warmly, treated him with great honor,
Gave him an elevated seat in his council,
And questioned him about many religious and worldly affairs.
Then he said to him:
"How did you leave the people of your city, O Abu Bakr?"
He replied:
"I left them while injustice among them is widespread,
And you are heedless of them."
His nephew nudged him with his shoulder,
Whereupon he turned to him and said:
"You are not the one being asked about them;
It is I who am being asked,
And this is a testimony."
“If ye be on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a pledge in hand (shall suffice). And if one of you entrusteth to another let him who is trusted deliver up that which is entrusted to him (according to the pact between them) and let him observe his duty to Allah his Lord. Hide not testimony. He who hideth it, verily his heart is sinful. Allah is Aware of what ye do.” (2:283)
When the gathering dispersed,
Umar ibn Hubayrah bade him farewell
With the same warmth and veneration with which he had received him,
And sent him a purse containing three thousand dinars;
But he refused to accept it.
His nephew said to him:
"What prevents you from accepting the gift of the governor?"
He said:
"He only gave it to me because of the good opinion he holds of me;
If I am truly among the people of virtue as he thinks,
It is not appropriate for me to accept it.
And if I am not as he thinks,
Then I am even less entitled to deem its acceptance permissible."
Allah, Mighty and Majestic, willed
To test the sincerity and patience of Muhammad ibn Sirin,
Subjecting him to the trials with which the believers are tested.
Among these:
He once purchased oil for forty thousand dirhams on deferred payment.
When he opened one of the waterskins of oil,
He found a dead, decomposed mouse inside it.
He said to himself:
"All the oil was held in a single vat in the press,
And the impurity is not confined to this skin alone.
If I return it to the seller due to this defect,
He might well sell it to the people."
So he poured it all out.
This occurred at a time
When he was already suffering from a heavy loss that had befallen him,
So debts overwhelmed him.
The owner of the oil demanded his money,
But he was unable to pay it.
The matter was raised to the governor,
Who ordered him imprisoned until he paid what he owed.
When he was placed in prison
And his stay there grew long,
The jailer took pity on him when he realized his religious devotion
And witnessed his intense scrupulous piety and prolonged worship.
He said to him, "O venerable Shaykh,
when night falls,
go to your family and spend the night with them,
and when morning comes, return to me,
and continue doing so until you are released."
But he replied, "No, by Allah, I will not do that."
The jailer asked,
"And why not, may Allah guide you?"
He answered, "So that I do not assist you in betraying the ruler."
When Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, was on his deathbed,
he made a bequest that Muhammad ibn Sirin should wash his body and lead the funeral prayer over him,
while he was still imprisoned.
When he passed away, the people went to the governor
and informed him of the bequest of the Companion and servant of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
asking his permission to temporarily release Muhammad ibn Sirin to fulfill the bequest.
The governor granted him permission,
but Muhammad ibn Sirin said to them,
"I will not leave until you seek the permission of the creditor,
for I was imprisoned only because of the right he holds against me."
So the creditor gave his permission as well.
Only then did he leave his prison;
he washed Anas, shrouded him, and prayed over him,
and then returned directly to the prison as he was,
without going to see his family.
Muhammad ibn Sirin lived to the age of seventy-seven,
and when certainty (death) came to him,
it found him carrying a light burden of worldly entanglements,
yet abundant in provisions for the life after death.
Hafsah bint Rashid narrated—
and she was among the devout worshipping women—saying:
"Marwan al-Mahmali was our neighbor,
and he was untiring in worship and striving in obedience.
When he died,
we grieved over him with deep sorrow.
Then I saw him in a dream
and asked, 'O Abu 'Abdullah,
what has your Lord done with you?'
He replied, 'He admitted me into Paradise.'
I asked, 'Then what?'
He said, 'Then I was elevated to the Companions of the Right.'
I asked, 'Then what?'
He said, 'Then I was elevated to those brought near (al-Muqarrabun).'
I asked, 'Whom did you see there?'
He replied, 'Al-Hasan al-Basri
and Muhammad ibn Sirin.'"
"I have never seen a man with a deeper understanding of his scrupulous piety,
nor more scrupulous in his understanding,
than Muhammad ibn Sirin,"
said Muwarriq al-'Ijli.
They departed, leaving in the conscience a lingering question:
Did ever a star like them ascend and shine so brightly?
They filled life with glories through their deeds,
and the world of forbearance and nobility flourished through them.