Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 36 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (36) | Abu Hanifa Al-Numan, may God have mercy on him | C (1)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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The best of generations in their conduct and example.
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Following the Messenger, peace be upon him, in his striving and his speech.
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A society of affection.
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Proceeding.
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Portraits from the lives of the Tabi'un.
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By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha.
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man.
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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He was of a handsome face and a striking appearance.
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Eloquent in speech and pleasant in conversation.
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He was not excessively tall.
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Nor was he short, such that the eyes would turn away from him.
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Beyond that, he was a man who dressed in elegant clothing.
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He had a radiant appearance and used perfume generously.
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Whenever he appeared before people,
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They would recognize him by his fragrance before they even saw him.
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That is al-Nu'man ibn Thabit ibn al-Marzuban,
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Known by the kunya Abu Hanifah.
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He was the first to unfold the blossoms of fiqh,
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And extract from them the most exquisite of scents.
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Abu Hanifah lived through the end of the Umayyad era,
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And the beginning of the Abbasid era.
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He lived in a time when the caliphs and governors were lavish
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In their generosity toward those of talent,
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To the point that their sustenance came to them easily from every place,
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Without them even realizing it.
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However, Abu Hanifah honored his knowledge and his own soul too much for that,
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And he resolved to live only from the earnings of his own hands,
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And that his hand would always be the upper one.
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Once, al-Mansur asked to visit him.
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When he arrived at his place,
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He showed him great honor, respect, and welcome,
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And brought him close to his own seat.
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He began asking him about many matters of religion and worldly affairs.
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When he intended to leave,
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He handed him a bag containing thirty thousand dirhams,
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Despite al-Mansur’s well-known stinginess.
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Abu Hanifah said to him,
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"O Commander of the Faithful,
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I am a stranger in Baghdad,
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And this money has no place with me,
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And I fear for it,
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So keep it for me in the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal),
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Until I need it, at which point I will ask you for it."
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Al-Mansur granted his request.
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However, life did not last long for Abu Hanifah after that.
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When his time came,
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There were found in his house deposits belonging to people that exceeded many times that amount.
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When al-Mansur heard of this, he said,
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"May Allah have mercy on Abu Hanifah,
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For he deceived us,
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And refused to take anything from us,
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And was subtle in turning us away."
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And it is no wonder,
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For Abu Hanifah was certain that
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No person ever ate a morsel more wholesome,
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Nor more honorable, than a morsel earned by the work of his own hands.
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Therefore, we find him dedicating a portion of his time to trade.
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He began trading in silk and fine fabrics.
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His trade went back and forth between the cities of Iraq.
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He had a well-known shop that people would seek out,
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Where they would find honesty in transactions,
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And integrity in taking and giving.
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There is no doubt that they also found high taste there.
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His trade brought him abundant goodness,
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And bestowed upon him much wealth from the bounty of Allah.
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He would take wealth from its lawful source and place it in its proper place.
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It was known that whenever a year passed,
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He would calculate the profits from his trade,
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Keep what was sufficient for his own expenses,
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And then buy with the remainder the needs of the reciters of the Qur'an and the scholars of hadith,
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As well as the jurists and students of knowledge, providing their food and clothing.
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He would allocate a sum of cash for each of them,
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And hand it all to them, saying,
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"These are the profits of your goods, which Allah has caused to reach you through my hands.
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By Allah, I have not given you anything from my own wealth,
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It is only the bounty of Allah upon me for your sake,
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For in the provision of Allah, there is no power for anyone other than Allah."
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The news of Abu Hanifah’s generosity and magnanimity spread far and wide,
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Especially with his companions and associates.
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Among these stories is that one of his companions came to his shop one day and said,
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"I am in need of a silk garment, O Abu Hanifah."
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Abu Hanifah asked him, "What color?"
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He replied, "Such and such."
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He said, "Be patient until I find one, and I will get it for you."
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By the time the week had passed, he had found the requested garment.
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His companion passed by, and Abu Hanifah said to him,
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"I have found what you needed."
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And he brought out the garment for him.
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He liked it and asked,
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"How much should I pay your assistant for it?"
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He replied, "One dirham."
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The man said in astonishment,
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"One dirham?"
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Abu Hanifah said, "Yes."
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The man said to him,
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"I did not think you would mock me, O Abu Hanifah."
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Abu Hanifah replied,
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"I have not mocked you,
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I bought this garment and another one with it
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For twenty gold dinars.
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[I sold the first for twenty dinars and] one silver dirham.
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I have already sold one of the two garments for twenty gold dinars,
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And this one remains with me for one dirham.
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And I would never seek profit from my companion."
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An old woman came to him seeking a silk garment,
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And he brought out the requested garment for her.
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She said to him,
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"I am an old woman,
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And I have no knowledge of prices,
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And this is a matter of trust,
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So sell me the garment for what it cost you,
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And add a little profit to it,
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For I am weak."
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He said to her,
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"I bought two garments in a single transaction,
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Then I sold one of them for the cost price,
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Except for four dirhams.
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So take it for that,
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And I do not want any profit from you."
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One day, he saw ragged clothes on one of his companions.
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When the people had left,
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And no one remained in the gathering except him and the man,
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He said to him,
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"Lift this prayer mat,
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And take what is underneath it."
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The man lifted the mat,
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And there were a thousand dirhams underneath it.
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Abu Hanifah said to him,
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"Take it and improve your situation with it."
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The man said,
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"I am well-off,
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And Allah has blessed me,
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And I have no need for it."
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Abu Hanifah said to him,
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"If Allah has blessed you,
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Then where are the traces of His blessing?
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Has it not reached you that the Messenger of Allah, may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, said:
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'Indeed, Allah loves to see the trace of His blessing upon His servant.'
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So you should improve your situation,
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So that you do not sadden your friend."
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The generosity of Abu Hanifah and his kindness to people reached such a point
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That whenever he spent on his family,
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He would give the same amount in charity to others in need.
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And whenever he wore a new garment,
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He would clothe the poor with the equivalent of its price.
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And when food was placed before him,
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He would set aside double what he usually ate,
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And give it to the poor.
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Among the things narrated about him
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Is that he made a covenant with himself
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That he would not swear by Allah during his speech
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Without giving a silver dirham in charity.
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Then he progressed in the matter,
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And made a covenant with himself that if he swore by Allah,
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He would give a gold dinar in charity.
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So whenever he swore truthfully, he would give a dinar.
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Hafs ibn Abd al-Rahman was
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A partner of Abu Hanifah in some of his trade.
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Abu Hanifah would prepare silk goods for him,
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And send them with him to some of the cities of Iraq.
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Once, he prepared a large amount of goods for him,
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And informed him that there were defects in such-and-such a garment.
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He said to him, "When you intend to sell them,
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Inform the buyer of the defect in them."
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Hafs sold all the goods,
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And forgot to inform the buyers
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Of the defects in the faulty garments.
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He exerted himself to remember the men
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To whom he had sold the faulty garments,
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But he did not succeed.
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When Abu Hanifah learned of the matter,
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And was unable to identify those
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Who had been wronged,
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He could not find peace,
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And his soul was not at rest until he gave away
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The entire price of the goods in charity.
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Abu Hanifah was,
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Above all of that,
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Pleasant in company,
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Sweet in conversation,
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His companion would be happy with him,
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And those who were absent from him would not suffer,
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Even if they were his enemies.
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One of his companions narrated, saying:
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"I heard Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak
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Say to Sufyan al-Thawri,
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'O Abu Abd Allah,
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How far is Abu Hanifah from backbiting!
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For I have never heard him
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Mention an enemy of his with evil at all.'"
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Sufyan said to him,
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"Abu Hanifah is too wise to allow
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His good deeds to be taken away."
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Abu Hanifah was
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Keen on capturing people’s affection,
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He was keen to maintain their friendship.
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For it was known of him
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that a man might pass by him
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from among the people,
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and sit in his gathering without prior intent,
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nor any prior acquaintance.
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Yet, when the man would leave, he would inquire about him.
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If the man were in need, he would assist him.
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If he were ill, he would visit him.
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And if he had a request, he would fulfill it,
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until he drew the person into a lasting bond with him.
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Before all of that, Abu Hanifah was,
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and above all of that,
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a man who fasted by day and stood in prayer by night,
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a constant companion to the Qur'an,
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and one who sought forgiveness in the hours before dawn.
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Among the reasons for his deep immersion in worship
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and his dedication to it
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was that he once approached a group of people
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and heard them saying,
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"This man whom you see
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does not sleep at night."
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No sooner had their words touched his ears
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than he said,
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"I am in the eyes of the people different from what I am
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in the sight of Allah.
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By Allah, people shall not speak of me from this hour forth with what I do not do.
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I shall not lay my head upon a bed at night from this day on,
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until I meet Allah."
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From that day, he committed himself to standing in prayer for the entire night.
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When darkness cast its veil over the universe,
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and people surrendered their sides to their beds,
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he would rise and put on his finest clothes,
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comb his beard, apply perfume, and adorn himself.
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Then he would stand in his prayer niche,
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spending his night in devout obedience,
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or bowing his back over the verses of the Qur'an,
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or raising his hands in humble supplication.
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He would sometimes recite the entire Qur'an in a single rak'ah,
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and at other times, he would spend the entire night reciting a single verse.
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It is narrated that he spent the whole night
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repeating the words of the Almighty,
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"Nay, but the Hour is their appointed time,
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and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter."
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"Nay, but the Hour is their appointed time,
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and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter."
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He would weep out of fear of Allah with a weeping
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that would rend the very heartstrings,
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sobbing with a hoarse cry that would break the soul.
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It was known of him that he performed the Fajr prayer with the wudu of Isha
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for about forty years,
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never once failing to do so during that time.
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And that he completed the Qur'an in the very place where he passed away
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seven thousand times.
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When he would recite Surah al-Zalzalah,
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his skin would tremble and his heart would quake.
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He would take hold of his beard and begin to say,
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"O You who rewards the weight of an atom of good with good,
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and O You who rewards the weight of an atom of evil with evil,
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save Your servant al-Nu'man from the Fire,
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and distance him from that which brings him closer to it,
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and admit him into Your vast mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful."
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I have not seen anyone more intelligent, more virtuous, or more pious than Abu Hanifah.
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Yazid ibn Harun [said this],
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in stance and in example,
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following the Messenger whether in his striving or his speech.
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They were here, watering our lives like rain clouds,
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and so, among us, their memory remains exalted.
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They departed, leaving behind a question in the conscience:
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Is there any star like them that has risen and shone?
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They filled life with pride through their deeds,
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and the world of humanity flourished because of them.