1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,469 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 2 00:00:05,469 --> 00:00:07,469 Summary of the book: 3 00:00:07,469 --> 00:00:11,470 *Ramadan: Events and Lessons*. 4 00:00:11,470 --> 00:00:18,230 The Death of Imam 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak. 5 00:00:18,230 --> 00:00:21,899 The time: in the month of Ramadan, 6 00:00:21,899 --> 00:00:25,899 in the year 181 AH. 7 00:00:25,899 --> 00:00:32,899 A person may be renowned among people 8 00:00:32,899 --> 00:00:35,899 for a single fine, commendable quality, 9 00:00:35,899 --> 00:00:38,899 and become famous among them for that virtuous trait 10 00:00:38,899 --> 00:00:43,899 whenever his share of it exceeds that of others. 11 00:00:43,899 --> 00:00:48,060 Thus, some people are singled out for their knowledge and understanding, 12 00:00:48,060 --> 00:00:52,060 others are renowned for asceticism and worship, 13 00:00:52,060 --> 00:00:56,060 others are noted for military expedition and frontier-guarding (ribat), 14 00:00:56,060 --> 00:01:00,060 others are known for generosity and abundant charity, 15 00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:05,060 while others are recognized for their mastery of the Arabic language, poetry, 16 00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:09,060 horsemanship, commerce, and the like. 17 00:01:09,060 --> 00:01:14,060 But for all these traits to unite in a single person 18 00:01:14,060 --> 00:01:17,060 is among the rarest of examples found in humankind. 19 00:01:17,060 --> 00:01:21,060 Yet the bounty of Allah Almighty upon certain servants of His 20 00:01:21,060 --> 00:01:24,060 may grant them all of this, 21 00:01:24,060 --> 00:01:28,060 uniting in one person virtues that were scattered among many. 22 00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:31,060 Though he may be a small body, 23 00:01:31,060 --> 00:01:34,060 the entire world is enfolded within him. 24 00:01:34,060 --> 00:01:39,260 Among the prime examples of such a personality, uniting all noble traits, 25 00:01:39,260 --> 00:01:44,260 is Imam 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him. 26 00:01:44,260 --> 00:01:48,640 His Name, Lineage, and Birth, may Allah have mercy on him: 27 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:53,019 He is 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak ibn Wadih, 28 00:01:53,019 --> 00:01:55,019 Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, 29 00:01:55,019 --> 00:01:57,019 al-Hanzali by clientage, 30 00:01:57,019 --> 00:02:00,019 al-Turki, then al-Marwazi, 31 00:02:00,019 --> 00:02:04,019 the Hafiz, the warrior, one of the eminent luminaries, 32 00:02:04,019 --> 00:02:07,019 the Imam, Shaykh al-Islam, 33 00:02:07,019 --> 00:02:12,020 the scholar of his era and the leader of the pious of his time. 34 00:02:12,020 --> 00:02:19,280 His father was a Turk, a freedman belonging to a merchant of the Banu Hanzalah from the people of Hamadhan. 35 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:25,310 Whenever Ibn al-Mubarak visited it, he would treat the children of their patrons with kindness. 36 00:02:25,310 --> 00:02:28,310 His mother was from Khwarazm. 37 00:02:28,310 --> 00:02:31,379 He was born in the province of Khurasan, in Merv, 38 00:02:31,379 --> 00:02:35,379 in the year 118 AH. 39 00:02:35,379 --> 00:02:40,340 His Studies and Pursuit of Knowledge, may Allah have mercy on him: 40 00:02:40,340 --> 00:02:43,780 Imam Ibn al-Mubarak was eager to acquire knowledge, 41 00:02:43,780 --> 00:02:47,780 so he began seeking it when he was twenty years old. 42 00:02:47,780 --> 00:02:50,780 We do not know the reason for his delay in doing so; 43 00:02:50,780 --> 00:02:54,780 perhaps it was due to his family's circumstances. 44 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:58,780 Nevertheless, he acquired a vast amount of knowledge. 45 00:02:58,780 --> 00:03:03,780 For what truly matters is not starting early in seeking knowledge or spending many years in it, 46 00:03:03,780 --> 00:03:07,780 but rather the attainment of blessing and divine guidance. 47 00:03:07,780 --> 00:03:12,039 Once Ibn al-Mubarak set foot upon the path of knowledge, 48 00:03:12,039 --> 00:03:15,039 he exerted tremendous effort in acquiring it, 49 00:03:15,039 --> 00:03:17,039 to the point that he surpassed everyone else. 50 00:03:17,039 --> 00:03:19,169 Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: 51 00:03:19,169 --> 00:03:23,169 "There was no one in his time who sought knowledge more eagerly than him. 52 00:03:23,169 --> 00:03:25,169 He amassed a momentous body of learning; 53 00:03:26,169 --> 00:03:29,169 no one made fewer errors than him. 54 00:03:29,169 --> 00:03:33,169 He was a master of hadith and a Hafiz." 55 00:03:33,169 --> 00:03:36,389 Ibn al-Mubarak said of himself: 56 00:03:36,389 --> 00:03:39,389 "I received knowledge from four thousand shaykhs, 57 00:03:39,389 --> 00:03:43,349 and I narrated from one thousand shaykhs." 58 00:03:43,349 --> 00:03:45,349 His Knowledge, may Allah have mercy on him: 59 00:03:45,349 --> 00:03:49,509 Imam Ibn al-Mubarak was among the foremost scholars, 60 00:03:49,509 --> 00:03:52,509 whose deep-rooted grounding in knowledge was recognized by the scholarly community, 61 00:03:52,509 --> 00:03:58,509 who bore witness to their lofty rank in acquiring, teaching, and practicing it, 62 00:03:58,509 --> 00:04:01,509 and who praised him for this momentous trait, 63 00:04:01,509 --> 00:04:05,509 which was merely one of his many virtues. 64 00:04:05,509 --> 00:04:08,509 Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: 65 00:04:08,509 --> 00:04:14,509 "The scholars are unanimously agreed on his acceptability, majesty, leadership, and integrity." 66 00:04:14,509 --> 00:04:16,509 Ibn Ma'in said: 67 00:04:16,509 --> 00:04:19,509 "'Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, 68 00:04:19,509 --> 00:04:22,509 was intelligent, scrupulously verifying, and trustworthy; 69 00:04:22,509 --> 00:04:25,509 he was a scholar whose hadiths were authentic, 70 00:04:25,509 --> 00:04:28,509 and his books from which he narrated 71 00:04:28,509 --> 00:04:34,060 numbered twenty thousand or twenty-one thousand." 72 00:04:34,060 --> 00:04:38,060 Ibn al-Mubarak regarded knowledge as the greatest of noble distinctions, 73 00:04:38,060 --> 00:04:43,060 in the presence of which no other nobility is needed. 74 00:04:43,060 --> 00:04:47,060 He said: "I marvel at someone who did not seek knowledge: 75 00:04:47,060 --> 00:04:51,149 how could his soul ever prompt him toward any noble deed?" 76 00:04:51,149 --> 00:04:54,149 He, may Allah have mercy on him, was passionate about reading, 77 00:04:54,149 --> 00:04:56,149 fond of books, 78 00:04:56,149 --> 00:04:59,149 finding his comfort and delight in sitting among them, 79 00:04:59,149 --> 00:05:04,149 and seeing in his seclusion with them salvation from gatherings of backbiting 80 00:05:04,149 --> 00:05:07,149 and assemblies where time is wasted. 81 00:05:07,149 --> 00:05:09,149 Shaqiq al-Balkhi said: 82 00:05:09,149 --> 00:05:11,149 "It was said to Ibn al-Mubarak: 83 00:05:11,149 --> 00:05:15,149 'When you finish praying, why do you not sit with us?' 84 00:05:15,149 --> 00:05:19,149 He replied: 'I sit with the Companions and the Tabi'un; 85 00:05:19,149 --> 00:05:22,149 I look into their books and traditions. 86 00:05:22,149 --> 00:05:24,149 What would I do with you? 87 00:05:24,149 --> 00:05:27,149 You backbite people.'" 88 00:05:27,149 --> 00:05:33,310 He, may Allah have mercy on him, did not study or memorize knowledge to outshine others 89 00:05:33,310 --> 00:05:36,310 or to pursue any worldly gain; 90 00:05:36,310 --> 00:05:38,310 rather, he sought it in order to act upon it. 91 00:05:38,310 --> 00:05:44,310 Therefore, he was widely renowned for his devotion to worship and acting upon what he learned. 92 00:05:44,310 --> 00:05:46,310 Nu'aym ibn Hammad said: 93 00:05:46,310 --> 00:05:49,310 "I have never seen anyone wiser than Ibn al-Mubarak, 94 00:05:49,310 --> 00:05:52,310 nor anyone more dedicated in worship." 95 00:05:52,310 --> 00:05:55,629 Among the examples of his acting upon his knowledge 96 00:05:55,629 --> 00:05:58,629 is what al-Hasan ibn 'Arafah related, saying: 97 00:05:58,629 --> 00:06:00,629 "Ibn al-Mubarak said to me: 98 00:06:00,629 --> 00:06:03,629 'I borrowed a pen in the land of the Levant, 99 00:06:03,629 --> 00:06:06,629 and I set out intending to return it. 100 00:06:06,629 --> 00:06:10,629 But when I reached Merv, I looked and found that it was still with me! 101 00:06:10,629 --> 00:06:15,629 So I returned to the Levant just to hand it back to its owner.'" 102 00:06:15,629 --> 00:06:19,699 This is the pinnacle of trustworthiness. 103 00:06:19,699 --> 00:06:23,949 He was beloved among the people for his knowledge and his practice of it, 104 00:06:23,949 --> 00:06:25,949 widely recognized among them; 105 00:06:25,949 --> 00:06:29,949 whenever he arrived in a town, its people celebrated his arrival. 106 00:06:29,949 --> 00:06:33,050 Once, Harun al-Rashid arrived in al-Raqqah, 107 00:06:33,050 --> 00:06:36,050 and the crowds surged behind Ibn al-Mubarak; 108 00:06:36,050 --> 00:06:40,050 sandals were broken and dust billowed into the air. 109 00:06:40,050 --> 00:06:43,050 An umm walad of the Commander of the Believers looked out 110 00:06:43,050 --> 00:06:46,050 from a tower of the wooden palace 111 00:06:46,050 --> 00:06:49,050 and asked: "Who is this?" 112 00:06:49,050 --> 00:06:53,050 They replied: "A scholar from the people of Khurasan has arrived." 113 00:06:53,050 --> 00:06:57,050 She said: "By Allah, this is true kingship! 114 00:06:57,050 --> 00:07:00,050 Not the kingship of Harun, who cannot gather the people 115 00:07:00,050 --> 00:07:03,050 except with guards and helpers." 116 00:07:03,050 --> 00:07:05,819 His Generosity, may Allah have mercy on him: 117 00:07:05,819 --> 00:07:11,040 Generosity and magnanimity were among the most prominent virtues of Ibn al-Mubarak. 118 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,069 Among the facets of his generosity for which he was renowned 119 00:07:14,069 --> 00:07:19,069 was honoring his companions and neighbors by covering their Hajj expenses. 120 00:07:19,069 --> 00:07:24,069 Another facet of his generosity was paying off the debts of the indebted. 121 00:07:24,069 --> 00:07:27,100 His generosity in this regard reached such a level 122 00:07:27,100 --> 00:07:30,100 that a man once came to him 123 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:33,100 asking him to pay off a debt he owed. 124 00:07:33,100 --> 00:07:36,100 So he wrote a letter for him to his financial agent. 125 00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:39,100 When the letter reached him, 126 00:07:39,100 --> 00:07:41,100 the agent asked the man: 127 00:07:41,100 --> 00:07:44,100 "How much is the debt you asked him to pay?" 128 00:07:44,100 --> 00:07:47,100 He replied: "Seven hundred dirhams." 129 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:53,100 But lo and behold, 'Abdullah had written instructing him to give the man seven thousand dirhams! 130 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:55,100 The agent wrote back to him, saying: 131 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:58,100 "The revenues have been exhausted." 132 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:00,100 So 'Abdullah wrote back to him: 133 00:08:00,100 --> 00:08:03,100 "If the revenues have been exhausted, 134 00:08:03,100 --> 00:08:06,100 one's lifespan is likewise being exhausted; 135 00:08:06,100 --> 00:08:10,199 so disburse to him what my pen has already written." 136 00:08:10,199 --> 00:08:14,199 It was as though he did not want to break the debtor's heart 137 00:08:14,199 --> 00:08:18,199 or deprive him of the joy of that large sum. 138 00:08:18,199 --> 00:08:22,129 His Jihad, may Allah have mercy on him: 139 00:08:22,129 --> 00:08:25,290 'Abdah ibn Sulayman al-Marwazi said: 140 00:08:25,290 --> 00:08:30,290 "We were in a raiding party with Ibn al-Mubarak in Byzantine territory, 141 00:08:30,290 --> 00:08:32,289 and we encountered the enemy. 142 00:08:32,289 --> 00:08:34,289 When the two battle lines met, 143 00:08:34,289 --> 00:08:36,289 a man stepped out from the enemy ranks 144 00:08:36,289 --> 00:08:38,289 and challenged someone to a duel. 145 00:08:38,289 --> 00:08:41,289 A Muslim stepped out to face him, and the Byzantine killed him; 146 00:08:41,289 --> 00:08:44,289 then another stepped out, and he killed him; 147 00:08:44,289 --> 00:08:46,289 then another stepped out, and he killed him. 148 00:08:46,289 --> 00:08:49,289 Then he called for a duel once again, 149 00:08:49,289 --> 00:08:51,289 so a man stepped out against him, 150 00:08:51,289 --> 00:08:55,289 fought him for an hour, then struck and killed him. 151 00:08:55,289 --> 00:08:57,289 The people crowded around the victor, 152 00:08:57,289 --> 00:08:58,289 so I looked closely, 153 00:08:58,289 --> 00:09:01,289 and it was 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, 154 00:09:01,289 --> 00:09:04,289 who was covering his face with his sleeve. 155 00:09:04,289 --> 00:09:08,289 I grabbed the edge of his sleeve and pulled it back, 156 00:09:08,289 --> 00:09:10,289 and sure enough, it was him! 157 00:09:10,289 --> 00:09:11,289 So he said: 158 00:09:11,289 --> 00:09:13,289 'Are you, too, Abu 'Umar, 159 00:09:13,289 --> 00:09:15,289 among those who expose us?'" 160 00:09:15,289 --> 00:09:20,309 Such was his sincerity, may Allah have mercy on him. 161 00:09:20,309 --> 00:09:22,309 His Uniting of Virtues 162 00:09:22,309 --> 00:09:25,309 that were Scattered Among Others, may Allah have mercy on him: 163 00:09:25,309 --> 00:09:28,700 After reviewing some of these virtuous traits 164 00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:30,700 found in Imam Ibn al-Mubarak, 165 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:32,700 it becomes evident to us that this man 166 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,700 united praiseworthy qualities 167 00:09:34,700 --> 00:09:37,700 that are rarely ever combined in anyone else. 168 00:09:37,700 --> 00:09:41,759 For this reason, some early scholars of the past mentioned 169 00:09:41,759 --> 00:09:45,950 several statements pointing to this very fact. 170 00:09:45,950 --> 00:09:47,950 Isma'il ibn 'Ayyash said: 171 00:09:47,950 --> 00:09:51,950 "There is no one on the face of the earth like Ibn al-Mubarak, 172 00:09:51,950 --> 00:09:55,950 and I know of no noble trait that Allah created 173 00:09:55,950 --> 00:09:59,950 except that He placed it in 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak." 174 00:09:59,950 --> 00:10:03,179 Al-'Abbas ibn Mus'ab said: 175 00:10:03,179 --> 00:10:06,179 "'Abdullah united hadith, fiqh, 176 00:10:06,179 --> 00:10:09,179 Arabic, historical chronicles, 177 00:10:09,179 --> 00:10:11,179 bravery, generosity, 178 00:10:11,179 --> 00:10:15,179 commerce, and affection among all different factions." 179 00:10:15,179 --> 00:10:19,580 His Death, may Allah have mercy on him: 180 00:10:19,580 --> 00:10:21,870 After a praiseworthy life 181 00:10:21,870 --> 00:10:23,870 that he spent in every good deed 182 00:10:23,870 --> 00:10:25,870 which Allah bestowed upon him 183 00:10:25,870 --> 00:10:27,870 and aided him to perform, 184 00:10:27,870 --> 00:10:31,870 Abu 'Abd al-Rahman surrendered his soul to its Creator, 185 00:10:31,870 --> 00:10:33,870 departing this worldly life. 186 00:10:33,870 --> 00:10:36,870 And Allah left for him among later generations 187 00:10:36,870 --> 00:10:39,870 an enduring, honorable reputation that flows with praise 188 00:10:39,870 --> 00:10:41,870 and remembers him with supplication. 189 00:10:41,870 --> 00:10:45,970 He passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, in Hit on the Euphrates, 190 00:10:45,970 --> 00:10:48,970 while returning from an expedition against the Byzantines, 191 00:10:48,970 --> 00:10:52,970 in Ramadan of the year 181 AH, 192 00:10:52,970 --> 00:10:55,970 at the age of sixty-three. 193 00:10:55,970 --> 00:10:58,289 When Ibn al-Mubarak was on his deathbed, 194 00:10:58,289 --> 00:11:00,289 a man began prompting him, saying: 195 00:11:00,289 --> 00:11:03,289 "Say: 'There is no god but Allah.'" 196 00:11:03,289 --> 00:11:05,289 He repeated it excessively to him, 197 00:11:05,289 --> 00:11:06,289 so Ibn al-Mubarak said to him: 198 00:11:06,289 --> 00:11:08,289 "You are not doing it properly, 199 00:11:08,289 --> 00:11:11,289 and I fear you might cause distress to a Muslim after me. 200 00:11:11,289 --> 00:11:15,289 When you prompt me and I say: 'There is no god but Allah,' 201 00:11:15,289 --> 00:11:18,289 and I do not utter any words after it, 202 00:11:18,289 --> 00:11:20,289 then leave me be. 203 00:11:20,289 --> 00:11:22,289 But if I speak any words after that, 204 00:11:22,289 --> 00:11:26,289 then prompt me again, so that it may be my final words." 205 00:11:26,289 --> 00:11:29,509 And this precious counsel 206 00:11:29,509 --> 00:11:32,509 was the last advice he gave to the Ummah of Muhammad. 207 00:11:32,509 --> 00:11:35,509 How magnificent a piece of counsel, 208 00:11:35,509 --> 00:11:38,509 given in such a critical state! 209 00:11:38,509 --> 00:11:42,019 Lessons from the life of 'Abdullah 210 00:11:42,019 --> 00:11:44,019 ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him: 211 00:11:44,019 --> 00:11:46,309 First: 212 00:11:46,309 --> 00:11:49,309 "How excellent is lawful wealth for a righteous servant!" 213 00:11:49,309 --> 00:11:51,309 And how beautiful is sacred knowledge 214 00:11:51,309 --> 00:11:54,309 when paired with lawful wealth, 215 00:11:54,309 --> 00:11:58,309 through which one preserves one's dignity from begging people, 216 00:11:58,309 --> 00:12:02,309 uses it to aid in obeying Allah Almighty, 217 00:12:02,309 --> 00:12:06,309 and supports one's companions in learning and teaching. 218 00:12:06,309 --> 00:12:08,470 Second: 219 00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:12,470 There is no good in knowledge if it is not accompanied by action. 220 00:12:12,470 --> 00:12:13,629 Third: 221 00:12:13,629 --> 00:12:15,629 Checking on the scholars 222 00:12:15,629 --> 00:12:19,629 and fulfilling their needs is among the best of righteous deeds. 223 00:12:19,629 --> 00:12:21,820 Fourth: 224 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:23,820 Sincerity in performing good deeds 225 00:12:23,820 --> 00:12:26,820 is what elevates a person's standing 226 00:12:26,820 --> 00:12:29,820 both with Allah and among the people. 227 00:12:29,820 --> 00:12:32,049 Fifth: 228 00:12:32,049 --> 00:12:35,049 Let a believer have an active, virtuous contribution 229 00:12:35,049 --> 00:12:38,049 across multiple avenues of goodness 230 00:12:38,049 --> 00:12:40,049 as much as one is able, 231 00:12:40,049 --> 00:12:43,049 without restricting oneself to a single area 232 00:12:43,049 --> 00:12:47,049 when one has the capacity to extend beyond it. 233 00:12:47,049 --> 00:12:53,809 Ramadan: Events and Lessons.