بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
والصلاة والسلام عليك يا رسول الله
In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful
The hatred and false propaganda against Sufis and Sufism is a non-Sunni phenomenon, because the early Sufis were orthodox Sunnis. The originally anti-Sufi sentiments of the Shi’ites and other non-Sunnis was eventually inherited by modern-day non-Sunni deviations, especially Wahhabism and modern Salafism. This is ironic considering the classical Muhaddithin had glowing praise for the early Sufis. So here I shall list some of the famous early Sufis and read what the Muhaddithin had to say about them:
1. Habib al-Ajami
حبيب العجمي ثم البصري أبو محمد الزاهد أَحَدُ الأَعْلامِ
روى عن الْحَسَنِ وَشَهْرِ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ وَالْفَرَزْدَقِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ حِكَايَاتٍ
وعنه حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ وَجَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَبُو عَوَانَةَ الْوَضَّاحُ وَدَاوُدُ الطَّائِيُّ وَصَالِحٌ الْمُرِّيُّ وَمُعْتَمِرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ وَغَيْرُهُمْ
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ أنا ابْنُ خَلِيلٍ نا اللَّبَّانُ نا الْحَدَّادُ نا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ قَالَ كَانَ حَبِيبٌ صَاحِبُ الْكَرَامَاتِ مُجَابَ الدَّعْوَةِ كَانَ سَبَبُ زُهْدِهِ حُضُورَهُ مَجْلِسَ الْحَسَنِ فَوَقَعَتْ مَوْعِظَتُهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ فَخَرَجَ عَمَّا كَانَ يَتَصَرَّفُ فِيهِ فَتَصَدَّقَ بِأَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفًا
قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ التَّيْمِيُّ مَا رَأَيْتُ أَصْدَقَ يَقِينًا مِنْ حَبِيبٍ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ
Habib al-Ajami then al-Basri Abu Muhammad, the Zahid, one of the most prominent scholars. He narrated anecdotes from al-Hasan [al-Basri], Shahr bin Hawshab, al-Farazdaq, and others. Hammad bin Salamah, Ja'far bin Sulayman, Abu Awanah al-Waddah, Dawud al-Ta'i, Salih al-Murri, Mu'tamir bin Sulayman, and others narrated from him. Ishaq informed us, on the authority of Ibn Khalil, on the authority of Al-Labban, on the authority of Al-Haddad, on the authority of Abu Nu’aym, who said: Habib was a man of miracles (Sahib-ul-Karamat), and his prayers were answered. The reason for his asceticism was his attendance at the gathering of Al-Hasan [al-Basri], and his sermon entered his heart, so he abandoned what he was doing and gave away forty thousand in charity. Sulayman al-Taymi said: I have never seen anyone more truthful than Habib Abu Muhammad (Tarikh al-Islam, v.8, pp.393-395)
2. Dawud al-Ta’i
داود الطّائيّ هُوَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ دَاوُدُ بْنُ نُصَيْرٍ الطَّائِيُّ الْكُوفِيُّ الْفَقِيهُ الزَّاهِدُ أَحَدُ الأَعْلامِ
رَوَى عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ وَحُمَيْدٍ وَالأَعْمَشِ وَعَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ وَجَمَاعَةٍ
وَعَنْهُ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ وَزَافِرُ بن سليمان ومصعب بن المقدام وإسحاق ابن مَنْصُورِ بْنِ السَّلُولِ وَأَبُو نُعَيْمٍ وَغَيْرُهُمْ
وَكَانَ مِنْ كِبَارِ أَصْحَابِ الرَّأْيِ لَكِنَّهُ آثَرَ الْخُمُولَ وَالإِخْلاصَ وَفَرَّ بِدِينِهِ
وَكَانَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ يَقُولُ أَبْصَرَ دَاوُدُ أَمْرَهُ
وَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ هَلِ الأَمْرُ إِلا مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ دَاوُدُ
وَعَنِ ابْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ قَالَ كَانَ دَاوُدُ الطَّائِيُّ يُجَالِسُ أَبَا حَنِيفَةَ ثُمَّ إنّه عمد إِلَى كُتُبِهِ فَغَرَّقَهَا فِي الْفُرَاتِ وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى الْعِبَادَةِ وَتَخَلَّى
وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الدَّوْرَقِيُّ نَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ دَاوُدَ- وكان من أَفْصَحَ النَّاسِ وَأَعْلَمَهُمْ بِالْعَرَبِيَّةِ يَلْبَسُ قَلَنْسُوةً سَوْدَاءَ طَوِيلَةً مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ التُّجَّارُ
وَقِيلَ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ قَحْطَبَةَ الأَمِيرَ قَدِمَ الْكُوفَةَ فَقَالَ أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مُؤَدِّبٍ يُؤَدِّبُ أَوْلادِي حَافِظٍ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَالِمٍ بِسُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَبِالأَثَرِ وَالْفِقْهِ وَالنَّحْوِ وَالشِّعْرِ وَأَيَّامِ النَّاسِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ مَا يَجْمَعُ هَذِهِ الأَشْيَاءَ كُلَّهَا إِلا دَاوُدُ الطَّائِيُّ
أَخْبَرَنَا نَصْرُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّالِحِيُّ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَتِسْعِينَ وَسِتِّمِائَةٍ أَنَا أَبُو مُوسَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْغَنِيِّ أَنَا خَلِيلُ بْنُ بَدْرٍ الدَّارَانِيُّ أَنا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْمُقْرِيُّ أَنا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ الْحَافِظُ أَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ نَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ شُعَيْبٍ النَّسَائِيُّ نَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ نَا مُصْعَبُ بْنُ الْمِقْدَامِ عَنْ دَاوُدَ الطَّائِيِّ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ شَقِيقٍ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ مَا تَرَكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا وَلا شَاةً وَلا بَعِيرًا وَلا أَوْصَى
قُلْتُ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحُ الإِسْنَادِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوهُ فِي الْكُتُبِ السِّتَّةِ وَدَاوُدُ صَدُوقٌ فِي الْحَدِيثِ
He is Abu Sulayman, Dawud ibn Nusayr, al-Ta'i al-Kufi, the Zahid, the jurist and one of the most prominent scholars. He narrated from Hisham bin Urwah, Humayd, al-A'mash, Abd al-Malik bin Umayr, and a group. From him, Ibn Ulayyah, Zafir bin Sulayman, Mus'ab bin al-Miqdam, Ishaq bin Mansur ibn al-Salul, Abu Nu'aym and others. He was one of the great thinkers, but he preferred inactivity and sincerity, and fled with his Religion. Sufyan al-Thawri used to say, “Dawud saw his affair.” Ibn al-Mubarak said, “Is the matter anything other than what Dawud was upon?” On the authority of Ibn Uyaynah, he said: Dawud al-Ta’i used to sit with Abu Hanifah, then he took his books and drowned them in the Euphrates, and devoted himself to worship and secluded himself. Ahmad bin Ibrahim al-Dawraqi said: Abu Nu’aym told us: I saw Dawud - who was one of the most eloquent and knowledgeable people in Arabic - wearing a long black qalansuwah (hat), like the one worn by merchants. It was said: Muhammad bin Qahtabah, the emir, came to Kufa and said: I need a tutor to educate my children, a memorizer of the Book of God, knowledgeable in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, and in the Athar, jurisprudence, grammar, poetry, and the days of the people (history). So it was said to him: No one can combine all of these things except Dawud al-Ta’i. Nasrullah bin Muhammad al-Salihi informed us in the year 692, from Abu Musa Abdullah bin Abd al-Ghani, bin Khalil bin Badr al-Darani, from Abu Ali al-Muqri, from Abu Nu’aym al-Hafiz, from Abu al-Qasim al-Tabarani, from Ahmad bin Shu’ayb al-Nasa’i, from Muhammad bin Rafi’, from Mus`ab bin Al-Miqdam, on the authority of Dawud al-Ta'i, on the authority of al-A'mash, on the authority of Shaqiq, on the authority of Aishah, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not leave behind a dinar, nor a dirham, nor a sheep, nor a camel, nor did he make a will." I said: This is a Hadith with a sound chain of transmission, but it was not included in the Six Books, and Dawud is truthful in Hadith (Tarikh al-Islam, v.10, pp.177-182)
3. Ma’ruf al-Karkhi
معروف الكَرْخيّ هُوَ زاهد العراق وشيخ الوقت أبو محفوظ معروف بْن الفَيْرزان وقيل ابن فَيْروز مِن أهل كرْخ بغداد وقيل كنيته أبو الحَسَن وكان أَبُوهُ مِن أعمال واسط مِن الصّابئة وعن أَبِي عليّ الدّقّاق قَالَ كَانَ أبواه نَصْرانيّين فاسلماه إلى مؤدّب نَصرانيّ فكان يَقُولُ لَهُ قل ثالث ثلاثة فيقول معروف بل هُوَ الواحد فيضربه فهرب فكان أبواه يقولان ليته رجع ثمّ أسلم أبواه وقد روى معروف عَنْ بَكْر بْن خُنَيْس وابن السّمّاك شيئًا يسيرًا وعن الربيع بن صبيح روى عَنْهُ خَلَف البزّار وزكريّا بْن يحيى المَرْوَزِيّ ويحيى بْن أَبِي طَالِب وغيرهم وقد ذُكِر معروف عند أحمد بْن حنبل فقالوا قصير العِلْم فقال للقائل أمسِكْ وهل يُراد مِن العِلْم إلا ما وصل إليه معروف قَالَ إسماعيل بْن شدّاد قَالَ لنا سُفْيان بْن عُيَيْنَة ما فعل ذَلِكَ الْحَبْرُ الَّذِي فيكم ببغداد قُلْنَا مَن هُوَ قَالَ أبو محفوظ معروف قلنا بخير قَالَ لا يزال أهل تِلْكَ المدينة بخيرٍ ما بقي فيهم وعن ابن شِيرَوَيْه قلت لمعروف بلغني أنّك تمشي عَلَى الماء قَالَ ما وقع هذا ولكنْ إذا هَممتُ بالعُبور جُمع لي طرفًا النَّهر فأتخَطَاه وقال ابن مسروق نا يعقوب ابن أخي معروف قَالَ قَالُوا لمعروف استسقِ لنا وكان يومًا حارًا فقال ارفعوا ثيابكم قَالَ فما استتمُّوا رفْعَ ثيابهم حتّى مُطِروا وقد استجاب الله لمعروف في غير ما قضية وقد أفرد ابن الجوزيّ كتابًا في مناقبه
He is the Zahid of Iraq and the Sheikh of the time, Abu Mahfuz Ma’ruf bin al-Fayrzan, and it was said that he was Ibn Fayruz, from the people of Karkh Baghdad, and it was said that his kunyah was Abu al-Hasan, and his father was from the works of Wasit among the Sabians. On the authority of Abu Ali al-Daqqaq, he said that his parents were Christians, so they handed him over to a Christian tutor, who would say to him, “Say the third of three,” and Ma’ruf would say, “Rather, He is the One,” and he would beat him, so he ran away, and his parents would say, “If only he would return.” Then his parents converted to Islam. Ma’ruf narrated a small amount on the authority of Bakr bin Khunais and Ibn al-Sammak, and on the authority of al-Rabi’ bin Subaih. Narrated from him: Khalaf al-Bazzar, Zakariya bin Yahya al-Marwazi, Yahya bin Abi Talib, and others. Ma’ruf was mentioned before Ahmad bin Hanbal, and they said: "He has little knowledge." He said to the speaker: "Hold on! Is knowledge meant to be anything other than what Ma’ruf attained?" Isma’il bin Shaddad said: Sufyan bin Uyaynah said to us: What did that Habr (scholar) among you do in Baghdad?We said: Who is he? He said: Abu Mahfuz, Maruf! We said: In good health. He said: The people of that city will continue to be good as long as he remains among them. On the authority of Ibn Shiruwayh: I said to Ma'ruf: "I have heard that you walk on water." He said: "This has not happened, but when I intend to cross, the two ends of the river are gathered for me, and I step over them. Ibn Masruq said: Ya'qub, my nephew, narrated to us: They said to Ma'ruf: Pray for rain for us, and it was a hot day. He said: Lift up your clothes. They had hardly finished lifting their clothes before they received rain. Allah answered Ma'ruf's prayer in more than one case. Ibn al-Jawzi devoted a book to his virtues (Tarikh al-Islam, v.13, pp.399-404)
4. Al-Sari al-Saqati
السري بن المغلس أبو الحسن السقطي البغدادي الزاهد
علم الأولياء في زمانه صحب معروفا الكرخي
وحدث عَنْ الفُضَيْل بْن عَياض وهُشَيْم وأبي بَكْر بْن عَيَّاش وعلي بْن غراب ويزيد بْن هارون
وعنه أَبُو الْعَبَّاس بْن مسروق والْجُنَيْد بْن محمد وأبو الْحَسَن النُّوريّ وإِبْرَاهِيم بْن عَبْد اللَّه المُخَرّميّ
قَالَ عَبْد اللَّه بن شاكر عَنْ سَرِيّ السَّقَطيّ قَالَ صلَّيت وِرْدي ليلةً ومددتُ رِجْلي فِي المحراب فنوديتُ يا سَرِيّ كذا تُجالس الملوك فضَممتُ رِجْلي ثم قلتُ وعزَّتك لَا مددتها
وقال الفرجاني سمعتُ الْجُنَيْد يقول ما رأيت أعبد الله من السّريّ أتت عليه ثمان وتسعون سنة ما رُئيَ مُضْطَجِعًا إلَا فِي علّة الموت
Al-Sari
bin al-Mughlis, Abu al-Hasan al-Saqti al-Baghdadi, the Zahid, the
scholar of the saints of his time, accompanied Ma’ruf al-Karkhi.
He
narrated from al-Fudayl bin Ayyad, Hisham, Abu Bakr bin Ayyash, Ali
bin Ghurab, and Yazid bin Harun. Abu al-Abbas bin Masruq, al-Junayd
bin Muhammad, Abu al-Hasan al-Nuri, and Ibrahim bin Abdullah
al-Mukharrami narrated from him. Abdullah bin Shakir said, on the
authority of Sari al-Saqti, he said, One night I prayed my ritual
prayer and stretched out my legs in the prayer niche. Then I was
called, 'O Sari, this is how you sit with kings.' So I closed my legs
and said, 'By Your glory, I will not stretch them out.' Al-Farjani
said: I heard al-Junayd say: I have never seen anyone worship Allah
more than al-Sari. He lived to be ninety-eight years old, and he was
never seen lying down except when he was dying. (Tarikh al-Islam,
v.19, pp.150-151)
5. Al-Junayd al-Baghdadi
الْجُنَيْد بن محمد بن الْجُنَيْد
أبو القاسم النَّهاونديّ الأصل البغداديّ القواريريّ الخزّازوقيل كان أبوه قواريريًّا يعني زَجّاجًا وكان هو خزّازا
كان شيخ العارفين وقُدْوة السّائرين وعَلَم الأولياء في زمانه رحمه الله عليه وُلِد ببغداد بعد العشرين ومائتين فيما أحسب أو قبلها وتفقّه على أبي ثور وسمع من الحَسَن بن عَرَفَة وغيره واختصّ بصُحبة السريّ السَّقطيّ والحَرَميّ وأبي حمزة البغدادي وأتقن العلم ثمّ أقبل على شبابه واشتغل بما خُلِق له وحدَّث بشيء يسير روى عنه جعفر الخُلْديّ وأبو محمد الجريريّ وأبو بكر الشّبليّ ومحمد بن علي بن حُبَيْش وعبد الواحد بن علوان وطائفة من الصُّوفيّة وكان ممّن برز في العِلم والعمل قال أحمد بن جعفر بن المنادي في تاريخه سمع الكثير وشاهد الصّالحين وأهلَ المعرفة ورزق من الذكاء وصواب الإجابات في فنون العلم ما لم ير في زمانه مثله عند أحد من أقرانه ولا ممن أرفع سنا منه ممن كان منهم ينسب إلى العلم الباطن والعلم الظاهر في عفاف وعزوف عن الدّنيا وأبنائها لقد قيل لي إنّه قال ذات يوم كنت أُفتي في حلقة أبي ثَوْر الكلبيّ ولي عشرون سنة
قال أحمد بن عطاء الرّوذباريّ كان الْجُنَيْد يتفقّه لأبي ثَوْر ويفتي في حلقته
وقال عبد الواحد بن علوان الرَّحْبيّ سمعته يقول عِلْمُنا هذا يعني التصوّف مشبَّك بحديث رسول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيهِ وَسَلَّمَ
قال أبو الحسين بن المنادي مات الْجُنَيْد ليلة النَّيْروز في شوّال سنة ثمانٍ وتسعين ومائتين
قال فذكر لي أنّهم حزروا الجمْع يومئذٍ الّذي صلّوا عليه نحو ستّين ألف إنسان وما زالوا يأتون قبره في كلّ يوم نحو الشّهر ودُفِنَ عند قبر السّريّ السَّقَطيّ
Al-Junayd bin Muhammad bin al-Junayd. Abu al-Qasim al-Nahwandi, originally from Baghdad, al-Qawariri al-Khazzaz. It is said that his father was a Qawariri, meaning a glassmaker. He was the sheikh of the gnostics, a role model for those who travel, and a symbol of the saints of his time. May Allah have mercy on him. He was born in Baghdad after 220 AH, I believe, or before. He studied jurisprudence under Abu Thawr. He heard from al-Hasan bin Arafah and others. He was a close companion of al-Sari al-Saqati, al-Harami, and Abu Hamzah al-Baghdadi. He mastered knowledge, then turned to his youth, engaged in the pursuit of his talent, and narrated a few Hadith. He was also narrated by Ja'far al-Khuladi, Abu Muhammad al-Jariri, Abu Bakr al-Shibli, Muhammad bin Ali ibn Hubaysh, Abd al-Wahid bin Alwan, and a group of Sufis. He was one of those who excelled in knowledge and action. Ahmad bin Ja'far bin al-Munadi said in his history: He heard much, witnessed righteous people and people of knowledge, and was blessed with intelligence and correct answers in the various branches of knowledge, the likes of which he had never seen in his time, among any of his peers, nor among those of a higher rank than him, among whom were attributed to esoteric and exoteric knowledge, with chastity and abstinence from the world and its children. It was said to me that he once said: I was issuing fatawa in the circle of Abu Thawr al-Kalbi, and I was twenty years old. Ahmad bin Ata' al-Rudhbari said: Al-Junayd studied jurisprudence with Abu Thawr and issued fatawa in his circle. Abd al-Wahid bin Alwan al-Rahbi said: I heard him say: This knowledge of ours—meaning Sufism—is intertwined with the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Abu al-Husayn bin al-Munadi said: Al-Junayd died on the night of Nowruz in Shawwal of the year 298. He said: It was mentioned to me that they estimated the number of people who prayed over him that day at about 60,000. They continued to visit his grave every day for about a month. He was buried next to the grave of Al-Sari al-Saqati (Tarikh al-Islam, v.22, pp.118-122)
6. Al-Harith al-Muhasibi
الحارث بن أسد المُحَاسِبيّ
أبو عبد الله البغداديّ الصّوفيّ الزّاهد العارف صاحب المصنَّفات في أحوال القوم روى عن يزيد بن هارون وغيره وعنه أبو العبّاس بن مسروق وأحمد بن القاسم أخو أبي اللَّيْث وأحمد بن الحسن بن عبد الجبار الصُّوفيّ والْجُنيد رحمه الله وإسماعيل بن إسحاق السّرّاج وأبو عليّ بن خيْران الفقيه واسمه حسين
قال الخطيب وله كُتُب كثيرة فِي الزُّهد وأُصُول الدّيانة والرّدّ على المعتزلة والرّافضة قال الْجُنَيْد مات والدُ الحارث يوم مات وإنّ الحارث لَمُحْتَاجٌ إلى دانِق وخلّف مالا كثيرًا فما أخذ منه الحارث حبّة وقال أهلُ ملَّتين لا يتوارثان وكان أَبُوهُ واقفيّا يعني يقف في القرآن لا يقول مخلوق ولا غير مخلوق
وقد كان الحارث كبير الشّأن قليل المِثْل لكنّه دخل في شيء يسير من الكلام فنقموه عليه
قال أحمد بْن إسحاق الصِبْغيّ الفقيه سمعت إسماعيل بْن إسحاق السّرّاج يقول قال لي أحمد بْن حنبل يبلغني أنّ الحارث هذا يُكِثر الكَوْن عندك فلو أحضرتَه منزلَكَ وأجلستني من حيث لا يراني فأَسْمَع كلامَهُ فقصدت الحارث وسألته أن يحضرنا تلك اللّيلة وأن يُحضِر أصحابَه
فقال فيهم كثرة فلا تُزِدْهم على الكُسْبِ والتَّمر فأتيت أَبَا عبد الله فأعلمته فحضر إلى غرفةٍ واجتهد فِي وِرْده وحضر الحارث وأصحابه فأكلوا ثُمَّ صلُّوا العتمة ولم يصلُّوا بعدها وقعدوا بين يدي الحارث لا ينطقون إلى قرب نصف اللّيل ثُمَّ ابتدأ رَجُل منهم فسأل عن مسألة فأخذ الحارث فِي الكلام وأصحابه يستمعون وكأنّ على رءوسهم الطَّير فمنهم مَن يبكي ومنهم مَن يحنّ ومنهم من يَزعق وهو فِي كلامه فصعدتُ الغرفة لأتعرَّف حال أبي عبد الله فوجدته قد بكى حَتَّى غُشِي عليه فانصرفتُ إليهم ولم تزل تلك حالهم حَتَّى أصبحوا فقاموا وتفرّقوا فصعدت إلى أَبِي عبد الله وهو متغيّر الحال فقلت كيف رَأَيْت هؤلاء يا أَبَا عبد الله فقال ما أعلم أنّي رَأَيْت مثل هؤلاء القوم ولا سمعت فِي علم الحقائق مثل كلام هذا الرجل ومع هذا فلا أرى لك صُحْبتهم ثُمَّ قام وخرج
Al-Harith bin Asad al-Muhasibi. Abu Abdullah al-Baghdadi, the Sufi, the Zahid, the gnostic, the author of books on the conditions of the people. He narrated from: Yazid bin Harun, and others. From him, narrated: Abu al-Abbas bin Masruq, Ahmad bin al-Qasim, the brother of Abu al-Layth, Ahmad bin al-Hasan bin Abd al-Jabbar al-Sufi, al-Junayd, may Allah have mercy on him, Isma’il bin Ishaq al-Sarraj, and Abu Ali bin Khairan the jurist, whose name was Husayn. Al-Khatib said: He has many books on asceticism, the principles of religion, and refutations of the Mu'tazilah and the Rafidah. Al-Junayd said: Al-Harith's father died on the day he died, and Al-Harith was in need of a daniq, and he left behind a great deal of wealth, so Al-Harith did not take a single grain from him, and he said: People of two religions do not inherit from each other. His father was a Waqifite, meaning he would stop at the Quran and not say: created or uncreated. Al-Harith was a man of great stature and there is few of his like, but he engaged in something little of Kalam, which caused them to resent him. Ahmad bin Ishaq al-Sibghi the jurist said: I heard Isma’il bin Ishaq al-Sarraj say: Ahmad bin Hanbal said to me: I have heard that this al-Harith frequently visits you. If you bring him to your house, let me sit where he cannot see me, so I can hear his speech. So I went to al-Harith and asked him to come to us that night, and to bring his companions. He said: There are many of them, so do not give them more than their earnings and dates. So I went to Abu Abdullah [Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal] and informed him. He went to a room and strove to complete his ritual prayer. Al-Harith and his companions came and ate, then prayed the Isha prayer. They did not pray again after that, and sat in front of al-Harith without speaking until nearly midnight. Then one of them began to ask a question. Al-Harith began to speak, and his companions listened as if birds were on their heads. Some of them were crying, some were longing, and some were screaming, while he continued to speak. I went up to the room to check on Abu Abdullah's condition, and I found that he had cried until he fainted. I then turned to them. Their condition remained the same until morning, when they stood up and dispersed. I went up to Abu Abdullah, who was in a different state, and said, "How do you see these people, O Abu Abdullah?" He said, "I do not know that I have ever seen anyone like these people, nor have I heard anyone speaking about the truth like this man. Despite this, I do not think you should be in their company." Then he stood up and left.
(Tarikh al-Islam, v.18, pp.205-208)
7. Abu Bakr al-Shibli
أبو بكر الشِّبْلِيُّ الصوفيّ المشهور صاحب الأحوالاسمه دُلف بن جَحدر وقيل جعفر بن يونس وقيل جعفر بن دُلف وقيل غير ذلك أصله من الشِّبْلِيَّةِ وهي قرية ومولده بسرَّ من رَأَى ولي خالُه إمرة الإسكندرية وولي أبوه حجابة الحُجاب وولي هو حجابة الموفقَّ فلما عُزل الموفَّق من ولاية العهد حضر الشبلي يوما مجلس خير النساج وتاب فيه وصحب الْجُنيد ومن في عصره وصار أوحد الوقت حالًا وقالًا في حال صحوه لا في حال غيبته وكان فقيها مالكيّ المذهب وسمع الحديث حكي عنه محمد بن عبد الله الرازي ومنصور بْن عبد اللَّه الهَرَويّ ومحمد بْن الْحَسَن الْبَغْدَادِيّ وأبو القاسم عَبْد الله بن محمد الدمشقيّ ومحمد ابن أحمد الغسانيّ وجماعة
وقال أحمد بن عطاء سمعت الشبلي قال كتبت الحديث عشرين سنة وجالست الفقهاء عشرين سنة
وكان يتفقه لمالك وكان له يوم الجمعة صيحة فصاحَ يومًا فتشوَّش الخلْق فحرد أبو عمران الأشيب والفقهاء فقام الشبليّ وجاء إليهم فلمّا رآه أبو عمران أجلسه بجنبه فأراد بعضُ أصحابه أن يُرِيَ الناس أن الشبليّ جاهل فقال يا أبا بكر إذا اشتبه على المرأة دَم الحيض بدم الاستحاضة كيف تصنع فأجاب الشبليّ بثمانية عشر جوابًا فقام أبو عمران وقبل رأسه وقال مِن الأجوبة ستة ما كنتُ أعرفها
وقال أبو عبد الله الرازيّ لم أر في الصوفيّة أعلم من الشبليّ
قال السلميّ سمعت محمد بن الحسن البغدادي سمعت الشبليّ يقول
أعرفُ من لم يدخل في هذا الشأن حتّى أنفقَ جميع مُلْكه وغرَّق في دجلة سبعين قمطرًا بخطه وحفظ الموطّأ وقرأ كذا وكذا قراءة يعني نفسه
Abu Bakr al-Shibli, the famous Sufi, the master of states. His name is Dulaf bin Jahdar, and it is said Ja’far bin Yunus, and it is said Ja’far bin Dulaf, and it is said otherwise. His origin is from al-Shibliyah, which is a village, and his birthplace is Samarra. His maternal uncle was appointed governor of Alexandria, and his father was appointed chamberlain of chamberlains, and he was appointed chamberlain of al-Muwaffaq. When al-Muwaffaq was removed from the position of crown prince, al-Shibli attended one day the council of Khair al-Nasaj, and he repented there, and he accompanied al-Junayd and those of his era, and he became the most unique in speech and speech during his sobriety, not during his absence. He was a jurist of the Maliki school, and he heard Hadith. Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Razi, Mansur bin Abdullah al-Harawi, Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Baghdadi, Abu al-Qasim Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Dimashqi, Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Ghassani, and a group narrated from him. Ahmad bin Ata' said: I heard al-Shibli say: I wrote Hadith for twenty years, and I sat with the jurists for twenty years. He studied jurisprudence under Malik. He had a shout on Friday. One day, he shouted, and the crowd was disturbed. Abu Imran al-Ash'ib and the jurists were outraged. Al-Shibli got up and went to them. When Abu Imran saw him, he sat him next to him. One of his companions wanted to show the people that al-Shibli was ignorant, so he said: O Abu Bakr, if a woman is confused between menstrual blood and istihadhah blood, what should she do? Al-Shibli gave eighteen answers. Abu Imran stood up, kissed his head, and said: There were six answers that I did not know. Abu Abdullah al-Razi said: I have not seen anyone among the Sufis more knowledgeable than al-Shibli. Al-Sulami said: I heard Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Baghdadi say: I heard al-Shabli say: I know someone who did not enter into this matter until he had spent all his wealth, drowned seventy camels of his handwriting in the Tigris, memorized the Muwatta, and recited so-and-so in such-and-such a way. He meant himself (Tarikh al-Islam, v.25, pp.116-119)
8. Bishr al-Hafi
بِشْر الحافي بن الحارث بن عبد الرحمن بن عطاء أبو نصر المَرْوَزِيّ ثمّ البغداديّ الزّاهد الكبير المعروف ببِشْر الحافي وهو ابن عمّ عليّ بن خشرم المحدِّث سمع إبراهيم بن سَعْد وحمّاد بن زيد وأبا الأحْوَص وشَرِيكًا ومالكًا والفُضَيْل بن عِيَاض وعبد الرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم وخالد بن عبد الله الطّحّان والمُعافى بن عِمران وعبد الله بن المبارك وغيرهم وعنه أحمد الدَّوْرقيّ ومحمد بن يوسف الْجَوْهَريّ ومحمد بن المُثَنَّى السِّمسار وسَرِيّ السَّقَطيّ وعمر بن موسى الجلّاء وإبراهيم بن هاني وخلق غيرهم وكان عديم النّظير زُهْدًا وورعًا وصلاحًا
وقال أحمد بن حنبل لو كان بِشْر تزوج لتمّ أمره
وقال إبراهيم الحربيّ ما أخرجتْ بغدادُ أتمّ عقلًا من بِشْر ولا أحفظ للسانه كان في كلّ شعرة منه عقل وطيِّئ النّاسُ عُنُقه خمسين سنة ما عُرِف له غِيبةٌ لمسلم وما رأيت بعيني أفضَلَ من بِشْر
أَخْبَرَنَا القاضي أبو محمد بن علوان أنا أبو محمد بن قُدامة الفقيه سنة إحدى عشرة وستّمائة قال حدَّثني ابني أبو المجد عيسى أنا أبو طاهر بن المعطوش أنا أبو الغنائم محمد بن محمد أنا أبو إسحاق البَرْمكيّ أنا عُبَيْد الله بن عبد الرحمن الزُّهْريّ حدَّثني حمزة بن الحسين البزّاز ثنا عبد الله بن محمد بن عيسى حدَّثني حمزة بن دهقان قال قلت لِبِشْر بن الحارث أحبّ أن أخلو معك قال إذا شئت ونكون يومًا فرأيته قد دخل قبّةً فصلّى فيها أربع ركعات لا أُحسِن أصلّي مثلها فسمعته يقول في سجوده اللَّهمّ إنّك تعلم فوق عرشك أنّ الذُّلّ أحبّ إليّ من الشَّرَف اللَّهمّ إنك تعلم فوق عرشك أنّ الفقر أحبّ إليّ من الغنى اللهمّ إنك تعلم فوق عرشك أنّي لا أؤثر على حبّك شيئًا فلمّا سمِعتُه أخذني الشهيق والبكاء فلمّا سمعني قال اللَّهمّ أنتَ تعلم أنّي لو أعلم أنّ هذا ها هنا لم أتكلّم
وقَالَ عَبْد الرحمن بْن أبي حاتم ثنا محمد بن المُثَنَّى صاحب بِشْر بن الحارث قال قال رجل لِبِشْر وأنا حاضر إنّ هذا الرجل يعني أحمد بن حنبل قيل له: أليس الله قديمًا وكلّ شيءٍ دونه مخلوق قال فما ترك بِشْر الرجل يتكلَّم حَتّى قال ألا كلّ شيءٍ مخلوق إلّا القرآن
وقيل لأحمد بن حنبل مات بِشْر فقال مات رحمه الله وما له نظير في هذه الأمّة إلّا عامر بن عبد قيس فإنّ عامرًا مات ولم يترك شيئًا
سألت الدَّارَقُطْنيّ عنه فقال زاهد جبل ثقة ليس يروى إلّا حديثًا صحيحًا
وقال إبراهيم الحربيّ رأيت رجالات الدُّنيا فلم أرَ مثل ثلاثة رأيت أحمد بن حنبل وتعجز الدُّنيا أن تلد مثله ورأيت بِشْر بن الحارث من قرنه إلى قَدَمه مملوءًا عقلًا ورأيت أبا عُبَيْد كأنّه جبل نُفخ فيه عِلْم وقال أيضًا لو قُسّم عَقْل بِشْر على أهل بغداد صاروا عقلاء قلت وقد روى له أبو داود في كتاب المسائل والنَّسائيّ في مُسْنَد عليّ
Bishr al-Hafi bin al-Harith bin Abd al-Rahman bin Ata' Abu Nasr al-Marwazi, then al-Baghdadi, the great ascetic known as Bishr al-Hafi. He is the cousin of Ali bin Khashram the Hadith scholar. He heard from Ibrahim bin Sa'd, Hammad bin Zayd, Abu al-Ahwas, Sharik, Malik, al-Fudayl bin Iyad, Abd al-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam, Khalid bin Abdullah al-Tahhan, al-Mu'afa bin Imran, Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, and others. Narrated from him: Ahmad al-Dawraqi, Muhammad bin Yusuf al-Jawhari, Muhammad bin al-Muthanna al-Simmar, Sari al-Saqati, Umar bin Musa al-Jala', Ibrahim bin Hani, and many others. He was peerless in his asceticism, piety, and righteousness. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: If Bishr had married, his affair would have been perfected. Ibrahim al-Harbi said: Baghdad has not produced anyone more perfect intellect than Bishr, nor more retentive of tongue. He had intelligence in every hair of his being, and people were so humble that for fifty years he was never known to have backbitten a Muslim. I have never seen anyone better than Bishr with my own eyes. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad bin Alwan informed us, from Abu Muhammad bin Qudamah the jurist, in the year 611 AH. He said: My son Abu al-Majd Isa informed me, from Abu Tahir bin al-Ma’tush, from Abu al-Ghanayim Muhammad bin Muhammad, from Abu Ishaq al-Barmaki, from Ubayd Allah bin Abd al-Rahman al-Zuhri, Hamza ibn al-Husayn al-Bazzaz informed me, Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Isa informed us, Hamza bin Dahqan informed me, he said: I said to Bishr bin al-Harith: I would like to be alone with you. He said: If you wish, and we meet one day. I saw him enter a dome and pray in it four rak’at, which I am not good at praying. I heard him say in his prostration: Allahumma, You know above Your throne that humiliation is more beloved to me than honor. Allahumma, You know above Your throne that poverty is more beloved to me than wealth. Allahumma, You know above Your throne that I do not prefer anything to Your love. When I heard him, I gasped. And crying, when he heard me, he said, Allahumma You know that if I had known that he was here, I would not have spoken. Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Hatim said: Muhammad bin al-Muthanna, the companion of Bishr bin al-Harith, told us: A man said to Bishr while I was present: This man, meaning Ahmad bin Hanbal, was asked: Isn't Allah eternal, and is everything besides Him created? Bishr did not allow the man to speak until he said: Everything is created except the Quran. It was said to Ahmad bin Hanbal: Bishr died. He said: He died, may Allah have mercy on him, and he has no equal in this nation except Amir bin Abd Qais, for Amir died and left nothing behind.
I
asked al-Daraqutni about him, and he said: He was an ascetic, a man
of integrity, and trustworthy. He only narrated authentic Hadith.
Ibrahim al-Harbi said: I saw the men of the world, and I did not see
the likes of three: I saw Ahmad bin Hanbal, and the world is unable
to produce anyone like him. I saw Bishr bin al-Harith, from head to
toe, filled with intelligence. I saw Abu Ubayd, as if he were a
mountain into which knowledge had been breathed. He also said: If
Bishr's intelligence were divided among the people of Baghdad, they
would become rational.
I said: Abu Dawud narrated from him in the
Kitab al-Masa’il and al-Nasa'i in Musnad Ali (Tarikh al-Islam,
v.16, pp.105-113)
9. Dhu al-Nun al-Misri
ذو النُّون المصريّ الزّاهد رحمةُ الله عليه
اسمه ثَوْبان بن إبراهيم ويقال أبو الفيض بن أحمد ويقال ابن إبراهيم أبو الفَيْض ويقال أبو الفيّاض الإِخميميّ وأبوه نوبيّ روى عن مالك واللَّيث وابن لَهِيعة وفضيل بن عياض وسفيان بن عيينة وسلم الخواص وجماعة
وعنه أحمد بن صبيح الفيومي وربيعة بن محمد الطائي ورضوان بن محيميد ومقدام بن داود الرعيني والحسن بن مصعب النخعي والجنيد بن محمد وغيرهم
وقال ابن يونس كان عالمًا فصيحًا حكيمًا أصله من النُّوبة
وقال يوسف بْن أحمد البغداديّ كان أهلُ ناحيته يسمّونه الزِّنْديق فلمّا مات أظلّت الطَّيْرُ جنازته فاحترموا بعد ذلك قبره
وفي كتاب المِحَن للسُّلَميّ أن ذا النُّون أول من تكلَّم ببلدته فِي ترتيب الأحوال ومقامات أهل الولاية أنكر عليه عبد الله بْن عَبْد الحَكَم وكان رئيسَ مصر وكان يذهب مذهب مالك ولذلك هجره علماء مصر حَتَّى شاع خبره وأنّه أحْدَث عِلْمًا لم يتكلَّم فِيهِ السَّلَف وهجروه حَتَّى رَمَوْه بالزَّنْدَقة قال فدخل عليه أخوه فقال إنّ أهل مصر يقولون أنتَ زِنْديق فأنشأ يقول وما لي سوى الإطراق والصَّمْت حيلةٌ ووضْعي كفّي تحت خدّي وتذكاري قال وقال محمد بْن يعقوب بْن الفَرَجيّ كنت مع ذي النُّون فِي الزَّورق فمرّ بنا زورقٌ آخر فقيل لذي النُّون إنّ هؤلاء يمرّون إلى السُلطان يشهدون عليك بالكُفْر فقال اللَّهمّ إنْ كانوا كاذبين فغرّقهم فانقلب الزَّورق وغرقوا فقلت له احسب أن هؤلاء قد مضوا يكذبون فما بال الملاح قال لِمَ حَمَلَهم وهو يعلم قصْدهم ولأن يقفوا بين يدي اللَّه غَرْقَى خير لهم من أن يَقِفُوا شهود زُور ثُمَّ انتفض وتغيّر وقال وعِزَّتك لا أدعو على خلْقك بعد هذا ثُمَّ دعاه أمير مصر وساله عن اعتقاده فتكلَّم فرضيَ أمره وكتب به إلى المتوكّل فأمر بإحضاره فَحُمِل على البريد فلمّا سمع كلامه ولَعَ به وأحبّه وأكرمه حتّى أنّه لو كان إذا ذكر العُّلماء يقول إذا ذُكِر الصّالحون فحَيْ هَلا بذي النُّون وقال عليّ بْن حاتم سمعت ذا النّون يقول القرآن كلام اللَّه غير مخلوق وقال يوسف بْن الْحُسَيْن سمعت ذا النّون يقول مهما تصوّر فِي وهْمك فاللَّه بخلاف ذلك
Dhu al-Nun al-Misri, the Zahid, may Allah have mercy on him. His name is Thawban bin Ibrahim, and it is also said Abu al-Fayd bin Ahmad, and it is also said Ibn Ibrahim Abu al-Fayd, and it is also said Abu al-Fayyad al-Ikhmimi. His father was Nubian. He narrated from: Malik, al-Layth, Ibn Lahi'ah, Fudayl bin Iyyad, Sufyan bin Uyaynah, Salim al-Khawass, and a group. From him narrated: Ahmad bin Subaih al-Fayyumi, Rabi'ah bin Muhammad al-Ta'i, Ridwan bin Muhaimid, Muqaddam bin Dawud al-Ra'ini, al-Hasan bin Mus'ab al-Nakha'i, al-Junayd bin Muhammad, and others. Ibn Yunus said: He was a knowledgeable, eloquent, and wise man, originally from Nubia. Yusuf bin Ahmad al-Baghdadi said: The people of his neighborhood called him the zindiq (the heretic), but when he died, birds shaded his funeral procession, and after that, they respected his grave. In the book Al-Mihan by Al-Sulami, Dhul-Nun was the first to speak in his town about the order of states [ahwal] and the stations of the people of Wilayah. Abdullah bin Abd al-Hakam, the chief of Egypt, denounced him and followed the Maliki school of thought. Therefore, the scholars of Egypt shunned him until news spread that he had introduced a new science that the Salaf had not discussed. They shunned him until they accused him of heresy. Then his brother came to him and said, The people of Egypt say you are a heretic. So he began to say: And I have no other recourse but to lower my head and remain silent and to place my hand under my cheek and remember.
He
said: Muhammad bin Ya'qub bin al-Faraji said: I was with Dhu al-Nun
in the boat, and another boat passed by us, and it was said to Dhu
al-Nun: These people are passing by to the Sultan to testify against
you of unbelief. He said: Allahumma, if they are lying, then drown
them. The boat capsized and they drowned.
I said to him: I think
these people were lying, but what about the sailor? He said: Why did
he carry them when he knew their intention? For them to stand drowned
before Allah is better for them than to stand as false witnesses.
Then he shuddered and changed and said: By Your glory, I will not
curse Your creation after this. Then the Emir of Egypt summoned him
and asked him about his belief. He spoke, and the latter was pleased
with his request. He wrote about it to Al-Mutawakkil, who ordered him
to be brought and carried by post. When he heard his words, he was
captivated by them, loved them, and honored them, to the point that
whenever scholars were mentioned, he would say, When the righteous
are mentioned, then hail Dhul-Nun! Ali bin Hatim said, I heard
Dhul-Nun say, The Qur'an is the speech of Allah, not created. Yusuf
bin al-Husayn said, I heard Dhul-Nun say, Whatever you imagine in
your imagination, Allah is different from that.
(Tarikh al-Islam, v.18, pp.265-268)
To be continued, in sha Allah!
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