Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Tabi‘un (the Successors) (series completed)
· Lesson 1 of 37
Pictures from the lives of the followers | D. Abdul Rahman Raafat Al-Basha | Episode (1) | Ata bin Abi Rabah, may God have mercy on him
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
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The finest of generations in conduct and exemplar,
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Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
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Mawaddah Association
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Presents:
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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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'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah,
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May Allah have mercy upon him.
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Here we are in the final ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah,
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In the ninety-seventh year of the Hijrah,
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And this Ancient House
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Is surging with pilgrims journeying to Allah from every distant pass:
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On foot and mounted,
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The elderly and the young,
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Men and women,
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Among them the black and the white,
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The Arab and the non-Arab,
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The master and the servant.
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All have come before the King of mankind, humble and proclaiming His praise,
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Hopeful and expectant.
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And here is Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik,
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The Caliph of the Muslims
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And the greatest monarch on earth,
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Circumambulating the Ancient House,
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Bareheaded and barefoot,
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Clad in nothing but an izar and a rida',
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No different in that from the rest of his subjects among his brothers in Allah.
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Behind him were his two sons,
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Two youths as radiant and handsome as the full moon,
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And as fresh and fragrant as rosebuds.
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No sooner had he finished his circumambulation
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Than he turned toward one of his close attendants and asked:
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"Where is your master?"
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The man replied: "He is over there, standing in prayer,"
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Pointing toward the western side of the Sacred Mosque.
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So the Caliph, followed by his two sons, made his way toward where the attendant pointed.
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The royal courtiers moved to follow the Caliph to clear a path for him
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And protect him from the crushing crowd,
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But he restrained them, saying:
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"This is a place where kings and commoners stand equal;
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No one holds precedence over another here
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Except through acceptance and piety.
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Many a disheveled, dust-covered soul has presented himself before Allah,
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And He accepted him in a way He never accepted kings."
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Then he proceeded toward the man,
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Only to find him still engaged in prayer,
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Immersed in his bowings and prostrations,
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With people seated behind him and to his right and left.
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So he sat down wherever the gathering ended,
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And seated his two sons beside him.
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The two Qurayshi youths began
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To gaze intently at this man whom the Commander of the Believers had sought out,
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And beside the common folk sat waiting for him to conclude his prayer.
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He turned out to be an elderly Abyssinian man:
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Dark-skinned, with tightly curled hair,
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And a flat nose;
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When seated, he appeared like a black raven.
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Once the man completed his prayer,
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He turned toward the side where the Caliph sat.
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Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik greeted him,
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And he returned the greeting in like manner.
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Thereupon the Caliph approached him
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And began asking him about the rites of Hajj, rite by rite,
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While the man gave exhaustive answers to every question,
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Explaining each matter in such detail that it left no room for further inquiry,
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Tracing every single statement back to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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When the Caliph finished questioning him,
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He prayed for Allah to reward him with good
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And said to his two sons: "Stand up."
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So they stood,
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And the three of them walked toward the Mas'a.
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While on their way to perform the Sa'y between al-Safa and al-Marwah,
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The two boys heard criers proclaiming:
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"O gathering of Muslims!
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No one is to issue fatwas to the people in this sacred place
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Except 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah;
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And if he cannot be found,
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Then Abd Allah ibn Abi Najih."
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One of the two boys turned to his father and asked:
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"How can the governor of the Commander of the Believers command the people not to seek fatwas from anyone
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Other than 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah and his companion,
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And then we ourselves come to seek a fatwa from this man
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Who paid no regard to the Caliph
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And did not accord him the deference due to his station?"
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Sulayman said to his son:
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"This man whom you saw, my son,
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And before whom you witnessed our humility,
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Is 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah,
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The authority of fatwa in the Sacred Mosque,
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And the heir to Abd Allah ibn Abbas
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In this lofty station."
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Then he added, saying:
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"O my son,
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Acquire knowledge,
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For through knowledge the humble is ennobled,
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The obscure becomes renowned,
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And slaves rise above the ranks of kings."
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Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik was not exaggerating in what he told his son concerning knowledge.
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For 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah had, in his youth,
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Been an enslaved servant belonging to a woman of Makkah.
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Yet Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, honored this Abyssinian youth
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By guiding his steps onto the path of knowledge from his earliest years.
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He divided his time into three parts:
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One part he devoted to his mistress,
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Serving her in the finest manner possible
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And fulfilling his obligations toward her in the most complete way they could be fulfilled;
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A second part he dedicated to his Lord,
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Devoting himself to His worship in the purest and most sincere devotion to Allah Almighty;
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And a third part he reserved for seeking knowledge,
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Where he approached those who remained alive of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
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And began to draw copiously from their pure, abundant springs.
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He studied under Abu Hurayrah,
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Abd Allah ibn Umar,
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Abd Allah ibn Abbas,
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Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr,
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And other noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
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Until his heart was filled with knowledge, fiqh,
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And transmissions from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
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When the Makkan noblewoman saw
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That her servant had sold his soul to Allah
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And dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge,
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She relinquished her claim over him
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And emancipated him seeking closeness to Allah Almighty,
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In the hope that Allah would benefit Islam and the Muslims through him.
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From that day forth,
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'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah took the Sacred Mosque as his dwelling:
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He made it the home to which he retreated,
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The school in which he studied,
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And the sanctuary in which he drew near to Allah through piety and obedience,
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So much so that historians remarked:
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The mosque served as the bed of 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah for nearly twenty years.
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The eminent tabi'i 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah attained a station in knowledge
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That surpassed all measure,
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Rising to a rank attained by only a few of his contemporaries.
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It was narrated that Abd Allah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father,
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Arrived in Makkah for Umrah,
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And the people flocked to him, questioning him and seeking his fatwas.
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He said:
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"I am truly astonished at you, O people of Makkah!
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Do you gather questions to ask me while you have among you 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah?"
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'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah achieved this lofty rank in religion and knowledge
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Through two distinct qualities:
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First, he mastered complete control over himself,
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Never allowing his ego free rein to indulge in that which brought no benefit;
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And second, he exercised strict mastery over his time,
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Never squandering it in idle speech or useless action.
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Muhammad ibn Suqah addressed a group of his visitors, saying:
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"Shall I not narrate to you a hadith that may benefit you just as it benefited me?"
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They said: "Yes, indeed."
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He said: 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah once advised me,
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Saying: "O my nephew,
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Those before us used to detest superfluous speech."
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I asked: "And what was superfluous speech in their view?"
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He said: "They considered all speech superfluous
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Except the Book of Allah Almighty recited and understood,
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Or the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, transmitted and comprehended,
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Or enjoining good and forbidding wrong,
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Or knowledge through which closeness is sought to Allah the Exalted,
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Or speaking of your necessary needs and livelihood without which you cannot manage."
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Then he gazed intently into my face and said:
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"Do you deny that there are over you guardian scribes, honorable recorders,
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And that with each of you are two angels?"
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“When the two Receivers receive (him), seated on the right hand and on the left,” (50:17)
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“He uttereth no word but there is with him an observer ready.” (50:18)
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Then he said: "Is not one of us ashamed
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That if his scroll—which he dictated throughout the early part of his day—were spread before him,
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He would find that most of it concerns neither his religious affairs nor his worldly well-being?"
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Indeed, Allah Almighty brought benefit
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Through the knowledge of 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah
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To diverse groups of people:
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Among them were specialized scholars,
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Among them were professional craftsmen,
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And among them were others besides.
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Imam Abu Hanifah al-Nu'man related of himself, saying:
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"I fell into error regarding five matters of the pilgrimage rites in Makkah,
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And a cupper-barber taught them to me.
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That happened when I wished to shave my head to exit the state of ihram,
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So I went to a barber and asked:
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'For how much will you shave my head?'
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He said: 'May Allah guide you!
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A rite of worship is not bargained over;
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Sit down and give whatever is easy for you.'
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Overcome with embarrassment, I sat down,
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But I sat facing away from the Qiblah.
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He gestured to me to face the Qiblah,
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So I did, feeling all the more embarrassed.
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Then I presented the left side of my head for him to shave,
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But he said: 'Turn your right side.'
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So I turned it, and he began shaving my head
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While I sat in silence, looking at him in utter astonishment.
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He said to me: 'Why do I see you silent?
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Proclaim the Takbir!' So I began reciting the Takbir,
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Until I stood up to leave.
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He said: 'Where do you intend to go?'
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I said: 'I want to head back to my lodging.'
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He said: 'Pray two rak'ahs,
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Then go wherever you please.'
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So I prayed two rak'ahs,
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And I thought to myself,
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"Such knowledge could not possibly come from a mere cupper,
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unless he were a man of profound learning."
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So I asked him,
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"Where did you learn these pilgrimage rites that you instructed me to perform?"
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He replied, "May Allah preserve you!
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I saw 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah doing them,
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so I learned them from him,
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and I have been guiding the people to him ever since."
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Indeed, the worldly life came pursuing 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah,
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yet he completely turned away from it,
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rejecting it with the utmost resolve.
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He lived his entire life wearing a simple garment
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worth no more than five dirhams.
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The caliphs frequently invited him to join their court,
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but he never accepted their invitations,
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fearing for his religion from the temptations of their worldly allurements.
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Nevertheless, he would still travel to visit them
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whenever he saw in doing so a benefit for the Muslims or a good for Islam.
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Among such accounts is what 'Uthman ibn 'Ata' al-Khurasani narrated, saying:
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"I set out with my father heading toward Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik.
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When we approached Damascus in the morning,
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we suddenly came upon an old man riding a black donkey,
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wearing a coarse shirt, a worn-out cloak,
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and a small cap clinging tightly to his head,
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with stirrups made of wood.
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I laughed at his sight and asked my father, 'Who is this?'
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He said, 'Be quiet! This is the master of the jurists of the Hijaz:
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'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah.'
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When he drew near to us,
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my father dismounted from his mule,
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and 'Ata' dismounted from his donkey.
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They embraced and inquired about each other's well-being,
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then remounted
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and rode on until they arrived at the gates of Hisham ibn 'Abd al-Malik's palace.
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No sooner had they sat down
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than permission was granted for them to enter.
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When my father came out, I said to him,
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'Tell me what happened between you two.'
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He replied,
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'When Hisham learned that 'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah was at the door,
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he promptly granted him entrance;
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and by Allah, I only gained admittance because of him.
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When Hisham saw him, he exclaimed,
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"Welcome! Welcome!
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Come over here, come over here!"
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And he kept saying to him,
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"Come over here, come over here!"
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until he seated him beside him on his couch,
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with his knee touching his own.
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Present in the assembly were the most eminent of the people,
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who had been speaking amongst themselves,
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but they fell completely silent.
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Then Hisham turned to him and asked,
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"What is your request, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He said,
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"O Commander of the Faithful!
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The people of the Two Holy Sanctuaries—
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who are the people of Allah and the neighbors of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—
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distribute to them their provisions and stipends."
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He replied, "Yes.
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Boy!
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Write down that the people of Makkah and Madinah be granted their stipends and provisions for a full year."
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Then he asked,
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"Do you have any other request, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful.
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The people of the Hijaz and the people of Najd,
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who are the origin of the Arabs and the vanguards of Islam—
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let the surplus of their charity be redistributed among them."
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He replied, "Yes.
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Boy!
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Write that the surplus of their charity be returned to them.
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Do you have any other need besides that, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful.
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The garrison frontier guards,
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who stand in the face of your enemies
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and slay those who seek evil against the Muslims—
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ensure continuous stipends to be distributed to them,
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for if they perish, the frontiers will be lost."
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He replied, "Yes.
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Boy!
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Write an order to dispatch their stipends to them.
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Is there any other request, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Yes, O Commander of the Faithful.
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The non-Muslim subjects under your covenant of protection (Dhimmah)—
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do not burden them with what is beyond their capacity,
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for what you collect from them serves as an aid for you against your enemies."
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He said,
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"Boy!
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Write an order regarding the protected non-Muslim subjects that they must not be overburdened beyond their capacity.
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Is there any other request, O Abu Muhammad?"
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He replied, "Yes.
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Fear Allah regarding your own soul, O Commander of the Faithful!
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Know that you were created alone,
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you will die alone,
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you will be resurrected alone,
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and you will be held accountable alone;
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and by Allah, not a single one of those you see around you will be with you."
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Thereupon, Hisham bowed his head, scratching at the ground while weeping profusely.
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Then 'Ata' stood up,
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and I stood up with him.
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When we reached the door,
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a man suddenly followed him carrying a pouch—I know not what was in it—
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and said to him,
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"The Commander of the Faithful has sent this for you."
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'Ata' replied,
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"Far from it!
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'And I do not ask you for any reward for it;
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my reward is only from the Lord of the worlds.'
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So by Allah, he entered upon the caliph
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and departed from him,
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without having drunk even a single drop of water.'
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To conclude:
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'Ata' ibn Abi Rabah lived a long life,
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reaching one hundred years of age,
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which he filled with sacred knowledge and righteous deeds,
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imbued with piety and devotion,
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and purified through ascetic detachment from what people possessed
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and eager longing for that which is with Allah.
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So when the certainty of death arrived for him,
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it found him carrying a light burden of worldly entanglements,
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abundantly provisioned with righteous deeds for the Hereafter,
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and having accomplished alongside that
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seventy pilgrimages,
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during which he stood seventy times upon the plains of 'Arafat,
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imploring Allah Almighty for His pleasure and Paradise,
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and seeking His refuge from His wrath and the Hellfire.
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"I have never seen anyone who sought the Countenance of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, through sacred knowledge
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other than these three:
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'Ata', Tawus, and Mujahid."
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— Salamah ibn Kuhayl.
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Did any shining star ever ascend and illuminate like them?
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They filled life with glorious deeds through their lofty heights,
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and through them the horizons of humanity flourished with splendor.