WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.469 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 00:00:05.469 --> 00:00:07.469 Summary of the book: 00:00:07.469 --> 00:00:11.470 *Ramadan: Events and Lessons*. 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:18.230 The Death of Imam 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak. 00:00:18.230 --> 00:00:21.899 The time: in the month of Ramadan, 00:00:21.899 --> 00:00:25.899 in the year 181 AH. 00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:32.899 A person may be renowned among people 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:35.899 for a single fine, commendable quality, 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:38.899 and become famous among them for that virtuous trait 00:00:38.899 --> 00:00:43.899 whenever his share of it exceeds that of others. 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:48.060 Thus, some people are singled out for their knowledge and understanding, 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:52.060 others are renowned for asceticism and worship, 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:56.060 others are noted for military expedition and frontier-guarding (ribat), 00:00:56.060 --> 00:01:00.060 others are known for generosity and abundant charity, 00:01:00.060 --> 00:01:05.060 while others are recognized for their mastery of the Arabic language, poetry, 00:01:05.060 --> 00:01:09.060 horsemanship, commerce, and the like. 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:14.060 But for all these traits to unite in a single person 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:17.060 is among the rarest of examples found in humankind. 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:21.060 Yet the bounty of Allah Almighty upon certain servants of His 00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:24.060 may grant them all of this, 00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:28.060 uniting in one person virtues that were scattered among many. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:31.060 Though he may be a small body, 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:34.060 the entire world is enfolded within him. 00:01:34.060 --> 00:01:39.260 Among the prime examples of such a personality, uniting all noble traits, 00:01:39.260 --> 00:01:44.260 is Imam 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him. 00:01:44.260 --> 00:01:48.640 His Name, Lineage, and Birth, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:53.019 He is 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak ibn Wadih, 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:55.019 Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, 00:01:55.019 --> 00:01:57.019 al-Hanzali by clientage, 00:01:57.019 --> 00:02:00.019 al-Turki, then al-Marwazi, 00:02:00.019 --> 00:02:04.019 the Hafiz, the warrior, one of the eminent luminaries, 00:02:04.019 --> 00:02:07.019 the Imam, Shaykh al-Islam, 00:02:07.019 --> 00:02:12.020 the scholar of his era and the leader of the pious of his time. 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. 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:25.310 Whenever Ibn al-Mubarak visited it, he would treat the children of their patrons with kindness. 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:28.310 His mother was from Khwarazm. 00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:31.379 He was born in the province of Khurasan, in Merv, 00:02:31.379 --> 00:02:35.379 in the year 118 AH. 00:02:35.379 --> 00:02:40.340 His Studies and Pursuit of Knowledge, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:02:40.340 --> 00:02:43.780 Imam Ibn al-Mubarak was eager to acquire knowledge, 00:02:43.780 --> 00:02:47.780 so he began seeking it when he was twenty years old. 00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:50.780 We do not know the reason for his delay in doing so; 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:54.780 perhaps it was due to his family's circumstances. 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:58.780 Nevertheless, he acquired a vast amount of knowledge. 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, 00:03:03.780 --> 00:03:07.780 but rather the attainment of blessing and divine guidance. 00:03:07.780 --> 00:03:12.039 Once Ibn al-Mubarak set foot upon the path of knowledge, 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:15.039 he exerted tremendous effort in acquiring it, 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:17.039 to the point that he surpassed everyone else. 00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:19.169 Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: 00:03:19.169 --> 00:03:23.169 "There was no one in his time who sought knowledge more eagerly than him. 00:03:23.169 --> 00:03:25.169 He amassed a momentous body of learning; 00:03:26.169 --> 00:03:29.169 no one made fewer errors than him. 00:03:29.169 --> 00:03:33.169 He was a master of hadith and a Hafiz." 00:03:33.169 --> 00:03:36.389 Ibn al-Mubarak said of himself: 00:03:36.389 --> 00:03:39.389 "I received knowledge from four thousand shaykhs, 00:03:39.389 --> 00:03:43.349 and I narrated from one thousand shaykhs." 00:03:43.349 --> 00:03:45.349 His Knowledge, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:03:45.349 --> 00:03:49.509 Imam Ibn al-Mubarak was among the foremost scholars, 00:03:49.509 --> 00:03:52.509 whose deep-rooted grounding in knowledge was recognized by the scholarly community, 00:03:52.509 --> 00:03:58.509 who bore witness to their lofty rank in acquiring, teaching, and practicing it, 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:01.509 and who praised him for this momentous trait, 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:05.509 which was merely one of his many virtues. 00:04:05.509 --> 00:04:08.509 Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: 00:04:08.509 --> 00:04:14.509 "The scholars are unanimously agreed on his acceptability, majesty, leadership, and integrity." 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:16.509 Ibn Ma'in said: 00:04:16.509 --> 00:04:19.509 "'Abdullah, may Allah have mercy on him, 00:04:19.509 --> 00:04:22.509 was intelligent, scrupulously verifying, and trustworthy; 00:04:22.509 --> 00:04:25.509 he was a scholar whose hadiths were authentic, 00:04:25.509 --> 00:04:28.509 and his books from which he narrated 00:04:28.509 --> 00:04:34.060 numbered twenty thousand or twenty-one thousand." 00:04:34.060 --> 00:04:38.060 Ibn al-Mubarak regarded knowledge as the greatest of noble distinctions, 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:43.060 in the presence of which no other nobility is needed. 00:04:43.060 --> 00:04:47.060 He said: "I marvel at someone who did not seek knowledge: 00:04:47.060 --> 00:04:51.149 how could his soul ever prompt him toward any noble deed?" 00:04:51.149 --> 00:04:54.149 He, may Allah have mercy on him, was passionate about reading, 00:04:54.149 --> 00:04:56.149 fond of books, 00:04:56.149 --> 00:04:59.149 finding his comfort and delight in sitting among them, 00:04:59.149 --> 00:05:04.149 and seeing in his seclusion with them salvation from gatherings of backbiting 00:05:04.149 --> 00:05:07.149 and assemblies where time is wasted. 00:05:07.149 --> 00:05:09.149 Shaqiq al-Balkhi said: 00:05:09.149 --> 00:05:11.149 "It was said to Ibn al-Mubarak: 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:15.149 'When you finish praying, why do you not sit with us?' 00:05:15.149 --> 00:05:19.149 He replied: 'I sit with the Companions and the Tabi'un; 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:22.149 I look into their books and traditions. 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:24.149 What would I do with you? 00:05:24.149 --> 00:05:27.149 You backbite people.'" 00:05:27.149 --> 00:05:33.310 He, may Allah have mercy on him, did not study or memorize knowledge to outshine others 00:05:33.310 --> 00:05:36.310 or to pursue any worldly gain; 00:05:36.310 --> 00:05:38.310 rather, he sought it in order to act upon it. 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:44.310 Therefore, he was widely renowned for his devotion to worship and acting upon what he learned. 00:05:44.310 --> 00:05:46.310 Nu'aym ibn Hammad said: 00:05:46.310 --> 00:05:49.310 "I have never seen anyone wiser than Ibn al-Mubarak, 00:05:49.310 --> 00:05:52.310 nor anyone more dedicated in worship." 00:05:52.310 --> 00:05:55.629 Among the examples of his acting upon his knowledge 00:05:55.629 --> 00:05:58.629 is what al-Hasan ibn 'Arafah related, saying: 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:00.629 "Ibn al-Mubarak said to me: 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:03.629 'I borrowed a pen in the land of the Levant, 00:06:03.629 --> 00:06:06.629 and I set out intending to return it. 00:06:06.629 --> 00:06:10.629 But when I reached Merv, I looked and found that it was still with me! 00:06:10.629 --> 00:06:15.629 So I returned to the Levant just to hand it back to its owner.'" 00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:19.699 This is the pinnacle of trustworthiness. 00:06:19.699 --> 00:06:23.949 He was beloved among the people for his knowledge and his practice of it, 00:06:23.949 --> 00:06:25.949 widely recognized among them; 00:06:25.949 --> 00:06:29.949 whenever he arrived in a town, its people celebrated his arrival. 00:06:29.949 --> 00:06:33.050 Once, Harun al-Rashid arrived in al-Raqqah, 00:06:33.050 --> 00:06:36.050 and the crowds surged behind Ibn al-Mubarak; 00:06:36.050 --> 00:06:40.050 sandals were broken and dust billowed into the air. 00:06:40.050 --> 00:06:43.050 An umm walad of the Commander of the Believers looked out 00:06:43.050 --> 00:06:46.050 from a tower of the wooden palace 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:49.050 and asked: "Who is this?" 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:53.050 They replied: "A scholar from the people of Khurasan has arrived." 00:06:53.050 --> 00:06:57.050 She said: "By Allah, this is true kingship! 00:06:57.050 --> 00:07:00.050 Not the kingship of Harun, who cannot gather the people 00:07:00.050 --> 00:07:03.050 except with guards and helpers." 00:07:03.050 --> 00:07:05.819 His Generosity, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:11.040 Generosity and magnanimity were among the most prominent virtues of Ibn al-Mubarak. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.069 Among the facets of his generosity for which he was renowned 00:07:14.069 --> 00:07:19.069 was honoring his companions and neighbors by covering their Hajj expenses. 00:07:19.069 --> 00:07:24.069 Another facet of his generosity was paying off the debts of the indebted. 00:07:24.069 --> 00:07:27.100 His generosity in this regard reached such a level 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:30.100 that a man once came to him 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:33.100 asking him to pay off a debt he owed. 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:36.100 So he wrote a letter for him to his financial agent. 00:07:36.100 --> 00:07:39.100 When the letter reached him, 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:41.100 the agent asked the man: 00:07:41.100 --> 00:07:44.100 "How much is the debt you asked him to pay?" 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:47.100 He replied: "Seven hundred dirhams." 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:53.100 But lo and behold, 'Abdullah had written instructing him to give the man seven thousand dirhams! 00:07:53.100 --> 00:07:55.100 The agent wrote back to him, saying: 00:07:55.100 --> 00:07:58.100 "The revenues have been exhausted." 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:00.100 So 'Abdullah wrote back to him: 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:03.100 "If the revenues have been exhausted, 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:06.100 one's lifespan is likewise being exhausted; 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:10.199 so disburse to him what my pen has already written." 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.199 It was as though he did not want to break the debtor's heart 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:18.199 or deprive him of the joy of that large sum. 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.129 His Jihad, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:08:22.129 --> 00:08:25.290 'Abdah ibn Sulayman al-Marwazi said: 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:30.290 "We were in a raiding party with Ibn al-Mubarak in Byzantine territory, 00:08:30.290 --> 00:08:32.289 and we encountered the enemy. 00:08:32.289 --> 00:08:34.289 When the two battle lines met, 00:08:34.289 --> 00:08:36.289 a man stepped out from the enemy ranks 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:38.289 and challenged someone to a duel. 00:08:38.289 --> 00:08:41.289 A Muslim stepped out to face him, and the Byzantine killed him; 00:08:41.289 --> 00:08:44.289 then another stepped out, and he killed him; 00:08:44.289 --> 00:08:46.289 then another stepped out, and he killed him. 00:08:46.289 --> 00:08:49.289 Then he called for a duel once again, 00:08:49.289 --> 00:08:51.289 so a man stepped out against him, 00:08:51.289 --> 00:08:55.289 fought him for an hour, then struck and killed him. 00:08:55.289 --> 00:08:57.289 The people crowded around the victor, 00:08:57.289 --> 00:08:58.289 so I looked closely, 00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:01.289 and it was 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, 00:09:01.289 --> 00:09:04.289 who was covering his face with his sleeve. 00:09:04.289 --> 00:09:08.289 I grabbed the edge of his sleeve and pulled it back, 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:10.289 and sure enough, it was him! 00:09:10.289 --> 00:09:11.289 So he said: 00:09:11.289 --> 00:09:13.289 'Are you, too, Abu 'Umar, 00:09:13.289 --> 00:09:15.289 among those who expose us?'" 00:09:15.289 --> 00:09:20.309 Such was his sincerity, may Allah have mercy on him. 00:09:20.309 --> 00:09:22.309 His Uniting of Virtues 00:09:22.309 --> 00:09:25.309 that were Scattered Among Others, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:09:25.309 --> 00:09:28.700 After reviewing some of these virtuous traits 00:09:28.700 --> 00:09:30.700 found in Imam Ibn al-Mubarak, 00:09:30.700 --> 00:09:32.700 it becomes evident to us that this man 00:09:32.700 --> 00:09:34.700 united praiseworthy qualities 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:37.700 that are rarely ever combined in anyone else. 00:09:37.700 --> 00:09:41.759 For this reason, some early scholars of the past mentioned 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:45.950 several statements pointing to this very fact. 00:09:45.950 --> 00:09:47.950 Isma'il ibn 'Ayyash said: 00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:51.950 "There is no one on the face of the earth like Ibn al-Mubarak, 00:09:51.950 --> 00:09:55.950 and I know of no noble trait that Allah created 00:09:55.950 --> 00:09:59.950 except that He placed it in 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak." 00:09:59.950 --> 00:10:03.179 Al-'Abbas ibn Mus'ab said: 00:10:03.179 --> 00:10:06.179 "'Abdullah united hadith, fiqh, 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:09.179 Arabic, historical chronicles, 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:11.179 bravery, generosity, 00:10:11.179 --> 00:10:15.179 commerce, and affection among all different factions." 00:10:15.179 --> 00:10:19.580 His Death, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:21.870 After a praiseworthy life 00:10:21.870 --> 00:10:23.870 that he spent in every good deed 00:10:23.870 --> 00:10:25.870 which Allah bestowed upon him 00:10:25.870 --> 00:10:27.870 and aided him to perform, 00:10:27.870 --> 00:10:31.870 Abu 'Abd al-Rahman surrendered his soul to its Creator, 00:10:31.870 --> 00:10:33.870 departing this worldly life. 00:10:33.870 --> 00:10:36.870 And Allah left for him among later generations 00:10:36.870 --> 00:10:39.870 an enduring, honorable reputation that flows with praise 00:10:39.870 --> 00:10:41.870 and remembers him with supplication. 00:10:41.870 --> 00:10:45.970 He passed away, may Allah have mercy on him, in Hit on the Euphrates, 00:10:45.970 --> 00:10:48.970 while returning from an expedition against the Byzantines, 00:10:48.970 --> 00:10:52.970 in Ramadan of the year 181 AH, 00:10:52.970 --> 00:10:55.970 at the age of sixty-three. 00:10:55.970 --> 00:10:58.289 When Ibn al-Mubarak was on his deathbed, 00:10:58.289 --> 00:11:00.289 a man began prompting him, saying: 00:11:00.289 --> 00:11:03.289 "Say: 'There is no god but Allah.'" 00:11:03.289 --> 00:11:05.289 He repeated it excessively to him, 00:11:05.289 --> 00:11:06.289 so Ibn al-Mubarak said to him: 00:11:06.289 --> 00:11:08.289 "You are not doing it properly, 00:11:08.289 --> 00:11:11.289 and I fear you might cause distress to a Muslim after me. 00:11:11.289 --> 00:11:15.289 When you prompt me and I say: 'There is no god but Allah,' 00:11:15.289 --> 00:11:18.289 and I do not utter any words after it, 00:11:18.289 --> 00:11:20.289 then leave me be. 00:11:20.289 --> 00:11:22.289 But if I speak any words after that, 00:11:22.289 --> 00:11:26.289 then prompt me again, so that it may be my final words." 00:11:26.289 --> 00:11:29.509 And this precious counsel 00:11:29.509 --> 00:11:32.509 was the last advice he gave to the Ummah of Muhammad. 00:11:32.509 --> 00:11:35.509 How magnificent a piece of counsel, 00:11:35.509 --> 00:11:38.509 given in such a critical state! 00:11:38.509 --> 00:11:42.019 Lessons from the life of 'Abdullah 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:44.019 ibn al-Mubarak, may Allah have mercy on him: 00:11:44.019 --> 00:11:46.309 First: 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:49.309 "How excellent is lawful wealth for a righteous servant!" 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:51.309 And how beautiful is sacred knowledge 00:11:51.309 --> 00:11:54.309 when paired with lawful wealth, 00:11:54.309 --> 00:11:58.309 through which one preserves one's dignity from begging people, 00:11:58.309 --> 00:12:02.309 uses it to aid in obeying Allah Almighty, 00:12:02.309 --> 00:12:06.309 and supports one's companions in learning and teaching. 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:08.470 Second: 00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:12.470 There is no good in knowledge if it is not accompanied by action. 00:12:12.470 --> 00:12:13.629 Third: 00:12:13.629 --> 00:12:15.629 Checking on the scholars 00:12:15.629 --> 00:12:19.629 and fulfilling their needs is among the best of righteous deeds. 00:12:19.629 --> 00:12:21.820 Fourth: 00:12:21.820 --> 00:12:23.820 Sincerity in performing good deeds 00:12:23.820 --> 00:12:26.820 is what elevates a person's standing 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:29.820 both with Allah and among the people. 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:32.049 Fifth: 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:35.049 Let a believer have an active, virtuous contribution 00:12:35.049 --> 00:12:38.049 across multiple avenues of goodness 00:12:38.049 --> 00:12:40.049 as much as one is able, 00:12:40.049 --> 00:12:43.049 without restricting oneself to a single area 00:12:43.049 --> 00:12:47.049 when one has the capacity to extend beyond it. 00:12:47.049 --> 00:12:53.809 Ramadan: Events and Lessons.