“Dont be a fifth so that you maybe destroyed!”

Abu’l-Darda’ (r) said:

“Be a teacher or a student or one who listens in or one who would love to (but can’t) but don’t be a fifth so that you be destroyed,”

Hasan al-Basri (r) said that the fifth person is an innovator.

Others said it is the one who doesn’t like to seek knowledge, and others said it is those who don’t love the people of knowledge.

– From a comment by AE

‘Abdullah ibn alMubarak (d.181AH)’s Letter to Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad (d.187AH)

asSalaam ‘alaykum wa Rahamtullah,

The entire nasheed:

Download this Audio from Odeo here and from ribaat.org here!

يا عابد الحرمين

يا عابدَ الحرمين لو أبصرتْـَنا … لعلمتَ أنَّكَ في العبادةِ تلعبُ
مَنْ كانَ يخضبُ خدَّه بدموعِه … فنحورنُـا بدمـائِنا تَتَخْضَبُ

أوكان يتعبُ خيله في بـاطل … فخيـولنا يوم الصبيحة تتعبُ

ريحُ العبيرٍ لكم ونحنُ عبيرُنا … رَهَجُ السنابكِ والغبارُ الأطيبُ

ولقد أتـانا مـن مقالِ نبيِنا … قولٌ صحيحٌ صادقٌ لا يَكذبُ

لا يستوي غبـارُ أهلِ الله في … أنفِ أمرئٍ ودخانُ نارٍ تَلهبُ

هذا كتابُ الله ينـطقُ بيننا … ليسَ الشهيدُ بميـتٍ لا يكذبُ

This is an amazing poem written by the Imam, Zaahid, and Mujahid ‘Abdullah ibn alMubarak (d. 181 AH) to another great Imam and Zaahid Fudayl ibn ‘Iyaad (d. 187 AH). Both from amongst the Imams of the salaf.

The audio above starts off by quoting the narration of this poem/letter found in the Tafseer of alHafidh Ibn Katheer (d. 774 AH) which is quoted below:

Al-Hafiz ibn `Asakir mentioned in the biography of `Abdullah bin al-Mubarak, that Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abi Sakinah said,

“While in the area of Tarsus, `Abdullah bin al-Mubarak dictated this poem to me when I was greeting him goodbye. He sent the poem with me to al-FuDayl bin`Iyad in the year 170,

‘O ye who worships in the vicinity of the Two Holy Masjids!

If you but see us, you will realise that you are only jesting in worship.

He who brings wetness to his cheek with his tears should know that our necks are being wet by our blood.

He who tires his horses without purpose, now that our horses are getting tired in battle.

Scent of perfume is yours, while ours is the glimmer of spears and the stench of dust [in battle].

We were narrated about in the speech of our Prophet, an authentic statement that never lies.

That the dust that erupts by Allah’s horses and which fills the nostrils of a man shall never be combined with the smoke of a raging Fire.

This, the Book of Allah speaks among us that the martyr is not dead, and the truth in Allah’s book cannot be denied.’

“I met al-Fudayl ibn `Iyad in the Sacred Masjid and gave him the leter. When he read it, his eyes became tearful and he said, ‘Abu `Abdur-Rahman (`Abdullah bin al-Mubarak) has said the truth and offered sincere advice to me.’ He then asked me, ‘Do you write the Hadeeth?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Write this Hadeeth as reward for delivering the letter of Abu `Abdur-Rahman to me.’ He then dictated,

‘Mansur bin al-Mu`tamir narrated to us that Abu Saalih narrated from Abu Hurayrah that a man asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Teach me a good deed that will earn me the reward of the Mujahideen in Allah’s cause.’

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, ‘Are you able to pray continuously and fast without breaking the fast?’ The man said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I cannot bear it.’

The Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said,

‘By He in Whose Hand is my soul! Even if you were able to do it, you would not achieve the grade of the Mujahideen in Allah’s cause. Did you not know that the horse of the Mujaahid earns rewards for him as long as it lives?'”

[Ahmad]

The following is Brother Shibli Zaman’s write-up on this beautiful poem which I got from MENJ:

“Yaa `aabid al-haramayni, law abSartanaa; la`llimta annaka bi-l `ibaadati tal`abu; Man yakhdubu khaddahu bi dumu’ihi; Fa nuhuruna bi l-dima’i tatakhaddabu…”

This nasheed is mentioned in Imam ad-Dhahabi’s “Siyar al-A`laam al-Nubalaa'”:

“Narrated by al-KhaaTib ibn `Asaakir, on the authority of Muhammad bin Ibraaheem bin Abee Sakeenah who said: ‘Abdullaah ibn al-Mubaarak recited these couplets to us in Tarsus and recited them to FuDayl bin `EeyaaD.’ This was in the year 170 (Hijri).”

Tarsus is “Tarsoos” in Arabic. Back then it was Byzantine Anatolia, or Greece, which the Muslims called “ar-Room”. Today it is in modern day Turkey.

This is also found in Tafseer ibn Katheer at the end of the interpretation of Surah Aal `Imraan from ibn `Asaakir instead of Abdullaah bin Muhammad QaaDee.

The Nasheed is also found in the Tareekh Damashq (History of Damascus) of Ibn `Asaakir.

The translation is as follows:

“O you who worships in the Two Holiest of places, If you had seen us you would know that your worship is but mere play;
You whose cheeks are tinted with tears, our chests are tinted with our blood!
And if your horse is busy in frivolity, our horses are busy from the morning of the day;
The scent of your fragrance to you, and our fragrance to us!
The debris and dust of the hooves of the steed are superior;
Perchance we received this from the sayings of our Prophet;
A speech of rectitude and truth, that can never be perjurous;
There is no equality between the dust of the horse of Allah in the nostrils of a man, and the smoke of a kindling fire;
This is the Book of Allah enunciated between us;
Nay! The martyr is not dead, nor is he false.”

[This is an approximate translation and I have attempted to preserve the poetic nature when rendered into English]”

The Letter translated by Shaykh Ahmad Jibril:

Streaming audio available soon insha’Allah.

Download this audio from FileFront here!

Note: Shaykh Ahmad Jibril starts off by saying AbdulMalik ibn alMubarak instead of Abdullah ibn alMubarak but he fixes it later on in the audio. This is taken from the Intro to the lectures on Legends of Islam: Noorud Deen Zinki

The translation from the Will of Shaykh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam:

“Oh you who offer prayer in the sacred mosque!
Had you witnessed us in the battlefield
You would known that, compared to our jihaad,
Your worship is child’s play.
For every tear you have shed upon your cheek,
We have shed in its place blood upon our chests.
You are playing with your worship,
While worshipers offer your worship
Mujahideen offer their blood and person (life).”

Quote for Thought (3)

17. Said the great Zāhid and Sufi or ascetic, Imām Sahl b. Abdallāh al-Tustarī (d.283), rahīmahullāh:

“The principles of our Madhhab are three: eating permissible food; following the Messenger in his words and deeds; sincerity of intentions and all actions”

 

[Source: Sahl al-Tustarī, Tafsīr p.153]

18. During the trial of Imām Ahmad, he would often say:

“Say to the heretics, the decisive factor between us and you is the day of funerals”

 

[Source: Imām Ahmad ibn Hanbal by Abuz Zubair]

19. My thoughts after reading a section of the Excellence of Du’ā from Du’ā: The Weapon of the Believer,

“Du’ā is the greatest act of worship when directed towards Allāh. It is indeed the greatest act of shirk when directed towards anyone other than Allāh.”

20. al Mu’taman reports from Abū Ismā’īl al Harawī al Ansārī(d. 418 AH):

 

“This affair is an affair for one who has no affair but this affair”

He was talking about the study of hadīth.
[Source: Abu Isma’il al Harawi al Ansari by Abu Rumaysah]

 

21. ‘Abdullaah ibn al Mubarak (b. 118 AH – d. 181 AH) said,

“A small deed may be great due to the intention behind it., while a great deed may be insignificant due to the intention behind it”

[Source: Ibn Rajab al Hanbali (d. 795 AH), Jaami’ al Uloom wal Hikam, Page 13, Umm al Qura, alMansura, Egypt]

22. Ibnul Qayyim says in his Qaseedha Nooniyyah:

If you say “Allah said, and the Messenger (SAW) said,”

the ignorant one will say “where is the saying of so and so?”

23. Shaykh Safi Khan (May Allah preserve Him and restore his health):

“Without Allah, Life is not worth living,

With Allah, Life is worth dying for!”

24. It was related from al Marroodhee that he asked Imaam Ahmad (d. 241 AH – rahimahullaah):

How are you today?

He replied :

How can one’s day be while…

 

…he is required by his Lord to perform obligatory acts of worship?

 

…his Prophet is calling him to practice the Sunnah?

 

…two angels are requiring from him to correct his deeds?

 

…his nafs urges him to follow its desires?

 

…Iblees is beckoning him to commit all types of indecent, evil deeds?

 

…the Angel of Death is observing him (waiting) to take his soul?

 

…his dependants are asking him to provide them with maintenance?

[Siyaar A’laamin Nubalaa by Al-Imaam adh-Dhahaabee; volume 11/227]

Quote for Thought – 2

9. The Prophet () said.

“The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried”

[al Mishkāt (5302) – Sahīh Jāmi’ us Saghīr (7957) and Sahīh Sunan at Tirmidhī (2043) of Imām al Albānī]

10. “At one point, for example, in a colorful display of his contempt for Rationalists who reject isolated (ahād) hadith on the argument that they do not yield certainty, and then adduce in their place rational arguments that are also far from certain, the Hanbalite Ibn Qudāma (d. 620 AH) exclaims:

‘Their case is like a blind man urinating on a roof, facing the people with his pudendum, and supposing that no one sees him, since he himself is incapable of seeing his own person'”

[George Makdisi, Ibn Qudāma’s Censure of Speculative Theology]

11.George W. Bush:

It is unacceptable to think!

More on this here!

12. “Rationalists often invoke tradition (including haīth and tracing the provenance of their tradition back to the Salaf) but they are hostile toward the authority claimed by Traditionalists for the latter’s construction of that tradition. Meanwhile, Rationalists writings reflect a clear and sustained recognition of the authority of Aristotelian-Neoplatonic tradition, inncluding the propriety of following it by taqlīd. Traditionalists, on the other hand, use reason – even aspects of Aristotelian reason – but they do not recognize the tradition of Aristotelian reason as an ultimate authority. Moreover, they are appalled by the Rationalists’ selective acceptance and rejection of what they (Traditionalists) identify as ‘Islamic’ tradition.”

[Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson, On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam]

13. Ayyoob as Sakhtiyānī who said:

“Indeed from the well-being of a youth or a non-Arab is that Allāh should guide them to a scholar from the companions of the Sunnah.”

14. Muhammad ibn an-Nadr said :

“The greatest start of Knowledge is to listen and remain silent, then to memorise it, then to act upon it, then to spread it.”

15. al Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād said:

 

 

“Whoever is saddened by lonliness and feels tranquil around the people, is not safe from Riyā‘”

[Reported by ad Dhahabī in as Siyār 8/436]

16. Imām Ash-Shāfi’ī (d. 204 AH) said:

“That a servant meets Allāh with every sin except Shirk is better than meeting Him upon any of the innovated beliefs.”

[Reported by Al Baihaqī in Al-I’tiqād].

 

Previous Related Posts:
Quote for Thought -1

Quote for Thought – 1

1. Ibn Aqeel (d. 513 AH):

“The intellectuals debate and discourse regarding the nature of reason and fail to understand it, how dare they discourse about the nature of God!”

Source: G. Makdisi – Ibn ‘Aqil

2. “…(Sufyan bin Hussayn ) said: So I sat until he got up and when he got up I mentioned him to Iyas….He then looked at my face and didn’t say anything to me until I was unoccupied and said to me, ‘Have you fought the Persians?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Have you fought the Sindhis?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Have you fought the Indians?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Have you fought the Romans?’ I replied, ‘No.’ He then said,

 

‘Safe from you are the Persians, the Sindhis, the Indians and the Romans, but this brother of yours is not safe from you?!!’

He (Sufyan) then said, So Sufyan did not return to that (backbiting).'”
This is found in al-Mizzi’s Tahthib al-Kamal Fi Asma’ ar-Rijal, under Iyas bin Mu`awiyah bin Qurrah bin Iyas bin Hilal al-Muzani.

3. From Sunni Side Up-

“I admire the pious, but I am not one of them!”

4. Imaam Jameel Al Ameen (May Allah Make it easy for him) said,

The mission of the Muslim is different from secular responsibility, secular rule. It does not emanate from secular rule… [Allah] has given you this deen and it will dominate!- not accommodate, not associate, not integrate, not affiliate!

5. The Hanbalite Shaykh in both Fiqh and ‘Aqeedah, al-Imam, Abd al-Qadir al-Jilaanee (d. 561 AH), rahimullah, was once asked:

‘Can there be a Walee of Allah on a creed different from Ahmad Ibn Hanbal?’

To which he responded:

“Ma kana wa-la yakun!” (That happened not, nor will that happen)

 

6. Sufyaan ath-‘Thawree (d. 161 AH) wrote to ‘Abbaad ibn ‘Abaad al Khawwaas al’Arsoofee, saying, “As for that which comes after:

Indeed you are in an era which the Companions of the Prophet used to seek refuge from encountering, and they had knowledge which we do not have, and they had a place and honour which we do not have. So how is it for us now that we have reached that time, having scanty knowledge, little patience, few people who assist goodness, and there being corruption amongst the people and distress in the world!

Hence you must take to the original affair (Quran and Sunnah) and hold tight to it, and you should take to being unknown, for indeed this the age to remain unknown.

 

And take to remaining aloof and secluded, and associating little with the people, because when they people used to meet, some of them would benefit from others.

 

But as for today, then that has gone, and in our view, salvation lies in abandoning them (innovators).“

 

7.

Who said Alif Laam Meem?

 

8. Imaam Ibn Abee Zayd Al Qayrawaanee (d. 386 AH) narrates Imaam Malik (d. 179 AH) said,

If you see these affairs about which there are doubts then take hold of one which is more sure.