Hasan al-Basri (Rahimahulla) and Pride/Vanity

Umm Khadija

Often the greatest sources of the downfall of mankind stems from his or her vanity and pride. From sisters comparing their clothing to scholars comparing their students and achievements, Shaytan’s most common trick is to delude a person into believing they are better than the others.  It is important that such pride be routed out of our hearts for as per the Hadith of the Prophet , a person with an atoms-worth of pride shall not enter Jannah.  The example below truly exemplifies how pride should be recognised and dealt with.

An incident occured with the student of the great Companion Ali (radhialla’anhu), the renowned ascetic, Imam Hasan al-Basri (Rahimahullah).

One day on the bank of the River Dajla he found a man seated with a young lady and a bottle of wine in front of him.  A thought crossed his mind, “how depraved is this man!  Would that he were like me.”  Just then a boat appeared in the river at a little distance from him, and gradually began to sink in deep water.  That man immediately jumped into the water and of the seven men in the boat who were drowning, he saved six and then looking towards Hasan he said, “if you are superior to me, then in God’s name save the seventh man.  You save only one man, whilst I have saved six.”  Hasan could not do so.  The man then addressing Hasan said, “sir, this woman seated by my side is my mother, and this bottle contains water.  This scene was enacted to put you to test.”  Hasan fell on his feet and said, “just as you have saved six people, save me also from drowning in the waters of pride and vanity.”  He replied, “may God fulfil thy desire!”  Hasan felt that his desire was fulfilled.  Since then he became so humble that seeing a dog one day he remarked, “O lord! for the sake of this virtuous dog, accept me as thy slave.“

(Attar, Fariduddin (1993) Tadhkirat ul-Aulia [Memoirs of the Aulia] (Muhammad Ashraf:India) 12-13)

This incident highlighted the pride in his heart and marked a turning point for him to the extent that a person once asked him, “how do you feel?”  Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah) replied,

“I am like a person in the midst of the sea whose boat is shattered and he is floating in the waters.”

(ibid. 15)

He reduced himself to nothing such became his humility.

May Allah remove all the diseases from our hearts and may He make us humble before Him. Ameen.

The Unique Muslim in the West

By CoolnessofHind

In an age where “scholars” compromise there own understanding of Islam for the sake of external influences, it is sometimes important to stop and think about where one’s understanding of Islam is heading and how one fits in society.  It is important to understand the responsibility of a Muslim within the Western social contruct and one’s level of adherence to the Deen.

Imam Abdullah bin Mubarak about Imam Abu Hanifa

By Saiful Islam

May Allah have Mercy upon them both! Reading the lives of the pious scholars nourishes and enriches the souls so much subhanAllah… more so than the  “nasheeds” of today!

Imam Ibn Mubarak Rahimahullah was undoubtedly one of the greatest men of his day.  A contemporary of the famous Faqih and Imam, Nu’man bin Thabit Abu Hanifa Rahimahullah, he was pious ascetic, Hanafi scholar and Mujahid who would teach for 6 months, and wage Jihad for the sake of Allah on the borders for the remaining 6 months of the year, thus attaining the best of deeds throughout the year.  He is known as one of the few scholars who avoided any scholarly criticism about himself whatsoever.  The behaviour of such scholars was exemplary, and nothing demonstrates this fact more than how such scholars would talk about one another.  His words for his teacher, Imam Abu Hanifa Rahimahullah are a case in point.

The Return of the Pied Piper

By Saiful Islam

Their [musical instruments] beginning is from Shaytan and their end is the anger of Al-Rahman

Khalif Umar bin Abdul Aziz (Rahimahullah)

Music.  The effect it has on the salient faculties of man in an Islamic context is most disconcerting.  But what is more disconcerting is the huge drive to make it Halal by particular organisations by staging concerts and even one-sided debates on the premise one is encouraging “healthy discussion”.  Make no mistake, there is a big difference between staging a healthy debate where the pro and against panels exist and the moderator is unbiased, and staging one where only one side is shown followed swiftly by an “Islamic” concert where brothers and sisters are dancing together without regard for Hijab, as happened a few months ago.

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (ra) and tawhid…..

Salaams

It often seems the case that when we think of the Great Shaykh Abdul Qadir GIlani (ra) we think of some great mystic sufi saint.

The truth is that his great work is often missed…it was his students who were preaching tawhid on the battlefield and it was they that ALLAH(SWT) bestowed with the honour of giving the first khutbah after Salahuddin Ayyoubi (ra) retook Al Aqsa.

Please if you have a few minutes read this Khutbah

http://www.macalester.edu/~cuffel/sermon.pdf”>http://www.macalester.edu/~cuffel/sermon.pdf

(starts bottom of page 634)

Wallahi, I was there when Br Ismail Adam Patel read this…..and it was proper moving…..

I pray that ALLAH(SWT) bestows on us the likes of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (ra), Ameen

WasSallaams

An Intimate Conversation with Allah

Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi, May Allah have mercy on him, the Imam, Faqih and exegete was born in Palestine in 541/1146.  A master in Hambali fiqh, he authored the nine volume al-Mughni in Hambali jurisprudence, which remains to this day one of the most central and relied upon works in the Hambali school.  He also did Jihad in the ranks of Salahudeen al-Ayubi’s (May Allah have mercy on him) army against the Crusaders.

Here we see his counsel and advice on matters of the heart and in this particular excerpt, he gives an example of how supplication should be made with utmost humility, weakness and submission, and enjoin in an intimate conversation with the Almighty.