2. Kitab Al Luma: Spotlights on Sufism Al Sarraj Part 2

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عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ فَغَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَقَالَ مَنْ دَخَلَ دَارَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ فَهُوَ آمِنٌ، وَمَا يُشْبِهُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يَرِدُ مِنَ الْأَخْبَارِ الصَّحِيحَةِ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى أَكْثَرُ مِمَّا يَتَهَيَّأُ ذِكْرُهُ وَإِنَّمَا ذَكَرْنَا طَرَفًا لِيُسْتَدَلَّ بِهِ عَلَى مَا لَمْ نَذْكُرْهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ، بَابُ بَيَانِ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الرُّخْصِ وَالتَّوْسِيعِ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ فِيمَا أَبَاحَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ وَوَجْهُ ذَلِكَ فِي حَالِ الْخُصُوصِ وَالْعُمُومِ فِي الِاقْتِدَاءِ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَمَّا مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِمَّا جَمَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْوَالِ بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ وَالنَّضِيرِ وَفَدَكَ وَخَيْبَرَ وَأَشْبَاهِ ذَلِكَ وَالْحُلَّةِ الَّتِي أُهْدِيَتْ إِلَيْهِ وَالْمِجَنُّ وَالسَّيْفُ الَّذِي فِي قِرَابِهِ فِضَّةٌ وَالسُّتُورُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي الْبَيْتِ وَالرَّايَةُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ لَهُ [ وَالْفَرَسُ ] وَالْبَغْلُ وَالنَّاقَةُ وَالْحِمَارُ وَالْبَرْدَةُ وَالْعِمَامَةُ وَالْخُفُّ الَّذِي أَهْدَى إِلَيْهِ النَّجَاشِيُّ وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يَكْثُرُ ذِكْرُهُ وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُحِبُّ الْحُلْوَ الْبَارِدَ وَأَنَّهُ أَكَلَ الْخَبِيصَ وَالَّذِي قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ كُلُوا وَاشْبَعُوا وَمَا جَانَسَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْأَخْبَارِ الْمَرْوِيَّةِ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّ جَمِيعَ ذَلِكَ فِي الرُّخْصَةِ وَالتَّوْسِيعِ عَلَى الْأُمَّةِ وَالْإِبَاحَةِ لَهَا لِأَنَّهُ [ كَانَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ] إِمَامَ الْخَلْقِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَأَنَّهُ قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَةِ وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّمَا أَنْسَى لِأَسُنَّ وَلَوْ لَمْ يُوَسِّعِ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى الْخَلْقِ التَّعَلُّقَ بِالرُّخَصِ وَالْأَخْذَ بِمَا أَبَاحَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ فِي الطَّلَبِ وَالْجَمْعِ وَالْإِمْسَاكِ وَالْمَكَاسِبِ بِشَرْطِ الْعِلْمِ لَهَلَكُوا لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَدْعُ الْخَلْقَ إِلَى جَمْعِ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالصَّنَائِعِ وَالتِّجَارَاتِ وَلَكِنْ أَبَاحَ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ لِعِلْمِهِ بِضَعْفِهِمْ وَقَدْ دَعَاهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى طَاعَتِهِ وَعِبَادَتِهِ وَنَدَبَ كَافَّةَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى ذِكْرِهِ وَشُكْرِهِ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ عَلَيْهِ وَالِانْقِطَاعِ إِلَيْهِ بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ

ʿalaykumu al-yawma faghafara Allāhu lakum waqāla man dakhala dāra abī sufyāna fahuwa āminun, wamā yushbihu dhalika mimmā yaridu mina al-akhbāri al-ṣaḥīḥati fī hadhā al-maʿnā aktharu mimmā yatahayyaʾu dhikruhu wa-innamā dhakarnā ṭarafan liyustadalla bihi ʿalā mā lam nadhkurhu, wa-Allāhu aʿlamu bi-al-ṣawābi, bābu bayāni mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī al-rukhṣi wa-al-tawsīʿi ʿalā al-ummati fīmā abāḥa Allāhu taʿālā lahum wawajhu dhalika fī ḥāli al-khuṣūṣi wa-al-ʿumūmi fī al-iqtidāʾi birasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, fa-ammā mā ruwiya ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama mimmā jamaʿa Allāhu ʿalayhi min amwāli banī qurayẓata wa-al-naḍīri wafadaka wakhaybara wa-ashbāhi dhalika wa-al-ḥullati allatī uhdiyat ilayhi wa-al-mijannu wa-al-sayfu alladhī fī qirābihi fiḍḍatun wa-al-sutūru allatī kānat fī al-bayti wa-al-rāyatu allatī kānat lahu [ wa-al-farasu ] wa-al-baghlu wa-al-nāqatu wa-al-ḥimāru wa-al-bardatu wa-al-ʿimāmatu wa-al-khuffu alladhī ahdā ilayhi al-najāshiyyu waghayru dhalika mimmā yakthuru dhikruhu wa-annahu kāna yuḥibbu al-ḥulwa al-bārida wa-annahu akala al-khabīṣa wa-alladhī qāla li-aṣḥābihi kulū wa-ashbaʿū wamā jānasa dhalika mina al-akhbāri al-marwiyyati ʿanhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-inna jamīʿa dhalika fī al-rukhṣati wa-al-tawsīʿi ʿalā al-ummati wa-al-ibāḥati lahā li-annahu [ kāna ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ] imāma al-khalqi ilā yawmi al-qiyāmati wa-annahu qāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama buʿithtu bi-al-ḥanīfiyyati al-samḥati waqāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama innamā ansā li-asunna walaw lam yuwassiʿi Allāhu taʿālā ʿalā al-khalqi al-taʿalluqa bi-al-rukhaṣi wa-al-akhdha bimā abāḥa Allāhu taʿālā lahum fī al-ṭalabi wa-al-jamʿi wa-al-imsāki wa-al-makāsibi bisharṭi al-ʿilmi lahalakū li-anna Allāha taʿālā lam yadʿu al-khalqa ilā jamʿi al-amwāli wa-al-ṣanāʾiʿi wa-al-tijārāti walakin abāḥa lahum dhalika liʿilmihi biḍaʿfihim waqad daʿāhumu Allāhu taʿālā ilā ṭāʿatihi waʿibādatihi wanadaba kāffata al-muʾminīna ilā dhikrihi washukrihi wa-al-tawakkuli ʿalayhi wa-al-inqiṭāʿi ilayhi biqawlihi taʿālā ayyuhā alladhīna

“No reproach shall be upon you today; may God forgive you.” He also said, “Whoever enters the house of Abū Sufyān is safe.” Sound reports conveying the same sense are too numerous to recount here; we have cited only a sample from which the rest may be understood. God knows best what is right. Chapter explaining the dispensations and latitude reported from the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—in matters God Most High made lawful for the community, and how these relate to the elect and the generality in taking the Messenger of God as a model. Among the reports concerning the Messenger of God are those about the wealth God gathered for him from Banū Qurayẓah, al-Naḍīr, Fadak, Khaybar, and similar places; the robe presented to him; the shield; the sword with silver on its scabbard; the curtains in his house; his banner, horse, mule, she-camel, donkey, mantle, turban, and boots presented by the Negus; and many other things. It is also reported that he liked cold sweets, ate khabīṣ, and told his Companions, “Eat and be satisfied,” along with comparable reports. All this belongs to the dispensations, latitude, and permissions granted to the community, for he—may God bless him and grant him peace—was the imam of creation until the Day of Resurrection. He said, “I was sent with the tolerant, upright religion,” and, “I forget only so that I may establish the Sunna.” Had God not granted created beings latitude to make use of dispensations and to take what He made lawful in seeking, gathering, retaining, and earning—provided they observe the requirements of knowledge—they would have perished. God did not summon creation to amass wealth, practice crafts, and engage in trade; He permitted these because He knew their weakness. He summoned them to obedience and worship, and urged all believers to remember Him, thank Him, trust in Him, and devote themselves wholly to Him, saying, “O you who—”

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آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ وَأَشْبَاهِهُ، وَلَيْسَ حَالُ النَّاسِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمُبَاحَاتِ وَالرُّخَصِ كَحَالِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ لِأَنَّ تَعَلُّقَ النَّاسِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِالرُّخَصِ وَالْمُبَاحَاتِ مِنْ ضَعْفِ إِيمَانِهِمْ وَمَيْلِ نُفُوسِهِمْ إِلَى الْحُظُوظِ وَعَجْزِهِمْ عَنْ حَمْلِ أَثْقَالِ مَرَارَةِ الصَّبْرِ وَالْقَنَاعَةِ بِمَا لَا بُدَّ لَهُمْ مِنْهَا وَرُبَّمَا يُؤَدِّيهِمْ ذَلِكَ إِلَى اتِّبَاعِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَاكْتِسَابِ السَّيِّئَاتِ إِنْ تَخَلَّفُوا عَنْ أَدَاءِ حُقُوقِهَا وَلَمْ يَقُومُوا بِشَرَائِطِ الْعِلْمِ فِي تَنَاوُلِهَا، فَأَمَّا الْأَنْبِيَاءُ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ قَدْ هُذِّبُوا بِتَأْيِيدِ النُّبُوَّةِ وَقُوَّةِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَأَنْوَارِ الْوَحْيِ حَتَّى لَا تَأْخُذَ مِنْهُمِ الْأَشْيَاءُ وَيَكُونَ كَوْنُهُمْ فِيهَا لِغَيْرِهِمْ وَقِيَامُهُمْ فِيهَا لِحُقُوقِهِمْ لَا لِحُظُوظِهِمْ، أَلَا تَرَى إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى مَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ، فَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ بِأَنَّ مَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ [ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى، قَالُوا وَمَعْنَى فَهُوَ لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ ] يَعْنِي وَلِلرَّسُولِ أَنْ يَضَعَهُ فِي مَوَاضِعِهِ وَالَّذِي قَالَ خُمُسُ الْخُمُسِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ يَضَعُهُ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ، وَالنَّاسُ فِي مُوَافَقَةِ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَاتِّبَاعِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَقْسَامٍ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ بِالرُّخَصِ وَالْمُبَاحَاتِ وَالتَّأْوِيلِ وَالسَّعَةِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّقَ بِعِلْمِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَالسُّنَنِ وَالْحُدُودِ وَالْأَحْكَامِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَحْكَمَ ذَلِكَ وَعَلِمَ مِنْ أَحْكَامِ الدِّينِ مَا لَا يَسَعُهُ الْجَهْلُ بِهِ ثُمَّ تَعَلَّقَ بِالْأَحْوَالِ السَّنِيَّةِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ الرَّضِيَّةِ وَمَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَمَعَالِي الْأُمُورِ وَحَقَائِقِ الْحُقُوقِ وَالتَّحَقُّقِ وَالصِّدْقِ كَمَا رَوَى فِي الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِحَارِثَةَ لِكُلِّ حَقٍّ حَقِيقَةٌ فَمَا حَقِيقَةُ إِيمَانِكَ قَالَ عَزَفْتُ بِنَفْسِي عَنِ الدُّنْيَا فَأَسْهَرْتُ لَيْلِي وَأَظْمَأْتُ نَهَارِي وَكَأَنِّي كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَرَفْتَ فَالْزَمْ أَوْ قَالَ عَبْدٌ نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ قَلْبَهُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَصْلَ جَمِيعِ مَا تَكَلَّمُوا فِيهِ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْبَاطِنِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَحَادِيثَ حَدِيثُ جِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حَيْثُ سَأَلَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ

āmanū adhkurū Allāha dhikran kathīran waqawluhu taʿālā waʿalā Allāhi fatawakkalū in kuntum muʾminīna waqāla taʿālā wa-anā rabbukum fa-aʿbudūni wa-iyyāya fa-arhabūni wa-iyyāya fa-attaqūni wa-ashbāhihu, walaysa ḥālu al-nāsi fī hadhihi al-mubāḥāti wa-al-rukhaṣi kaḥāli al-anbiyāʾi ʿalayhimi al-salāmu li-anna taʿalluqa al-nāsi aktharuhum bi-al-rukhaṣi wa-al-mubāḥāti min ḍaʿfi īmānihim wamayli nufūsihim ilā al-ḥuẓūẓi waʿajzihim ʿan ḥamli athqāli marārati al-ṣabri wa-al-qanāʿati bimā lā budda lahum minhā warubbamā yuʾaddīhim dhalika ilā attibāʿi al-shahawāti wa-aktisābi al-sayyiʾāti in takhallafū ʿan adāʾi ḥuqūqihā walam yaqūmū bi-sharāʾiṭi al-ʿilmi fī tanāwulihā, fa-ammā al-anbiyāʾu ʿalayhimi al-salāmu qad hudhdhibū bitaʾyīdi al-nubuwwati waquwwati al-risālati wa-anwāri al-waḥyi ḥattā lā taʾkhudha minhumi al-ashyāʾu wayakūna kawnuhum fīhā lighayrihim waqiyāmuhum fīhā liḥuqūqihim lā liḥuẓūẓihim, alā tarā ilā qawlihi taʿālā mā afāʾa Allāhu ʿalā rasūlihi min ahli al-qurā fa-li-Allāhi wa-li-al-rasūli walidhī al-qurbā wa-al-yatāmā wa-al-masākīni wa-abni al-sabīli, faqad akhbara bi-anna mā afāʾa Allāhu ʿalayhi fahuwa li-Allāhi wa-li-al-rasūli [ walidhī al-qurbā wa-al-yatāmā, qālū wamaʿnā fahuwa li-Allāhi wa-li-al-rasūli ] yaʿnī wa-li-al-rasūli an yaḍaʿahu fī mawāḍiʿihi wa-alladhī qāla khumusu al-khumusi fa-inna dhalika kāna yaḍaʿuhu ḥaythu yashāʾu, wa-al-nāsu fī muwāfaqati kitābi Allāhi taʿālā wa-attibāʿi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿalā thalāthati aqsāmin faminhum man taʿallaqa bi-al-rukhaṣi wa-al-mubāḥāti wa-al-taʾwīli wa-al-saʿati, waminhum man taʿallaqa biʿilmi al-farāʾiḍi wa-al-sunani wa-al-ḥudūdi wa-al-aḥkāmi, waminhum man aḥkama dhalika waʿalima min aḥkāmi al-dīni mā lā yasaʿuhu al-jahlu bihi thumma taʿallaqa bi-al-aḥwāli al-saniyyati wa-al-aʿmāli al-raḍiyyati wamakārimi al-akhlāqi wamaʿālī al-umūri waḥaqāʾiqi al-ḥuqūqi wa-al-taḥaqquqi wa-al-ṣidqi kamā rawā fī al-ḥadīthi anna al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla liḥārithata likulli ḥaqqin ḥaqīqatun famā ḥaqīqatu īmānika qāla ʿazaftu bi-nafsī ʿani al-dunyā fa-ashartu laylī wa-aẓmaʾtu nahārī wakaʾannī kamā jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi faqāla al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿarafta fa-al-zam aw qāla ʿabdun nawwara Allāhu qalbahu, wayuqālu inna aṣla jamīʿi mā takallamū fīhi min ʿilmi al-bāṭini arbaʿatu aḥādītha ḥadīthu jibrīla ʿalayhi al-salāmu ḥaythu saʾala rasūla Allāhi

“—believe, remember God with abundant remembrance”; “In God put your trust, if you are believers”; “I am your Lord, so worship Me”; “Me alone you shall fear”; and “Be mindful of Me alone,” together with similar verses. Yet ordinary people do not stand in the same relation to permitted things and dispensations as the prophets—peace be upon them. Most people cling to dispensations and permissions because their faith is weak, their souls incline toward personal shares, and they cannot bear the heavy bitterness of patience or contentment with bare necessity. If they fail to discharge the rights attached to those things and do not observe the conditions of knowledge when using them, this may lead them to follow their appetites and acquire evil deeds. The prophets, by contrast, were refined by the support of prophecy, the strength of the message, and the lights of revelation, so that things did not take possession of them. Their presence amid such things was for the sake of others, and their administration of them fulfilled others’ rights rather than their own shares. Do you not see God Most High’s words, “Whatever God restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns belongs to God, the Messenger, near relatives, orphans, the poor, and the traveller”? He states that what God restored to him belongs to God, the Messenger, near relatives, and orphans. They said that “it belongs to God and the Messenger” means that the Messenger may place it in its proper recipients. As for what is called one fifth of the fifth, he used to place it wherever he wished. People fall into three groups in conforming to God’s Book and following His Messenger—may God bless him and grant him peace. Some cling to dispensations, permissions, interpretive latitude, and ease. Some devote themselves to knowledge of the obligations, prophetic practices, legal limits, and rulings. Others master those matters and learn the religious rulings of which no one may remain ignorant, then devote themselves to noble states, pleasing works, fine character, lofty concerns, the realities of rights, realization, and truthfulness. Thus the Prophet asked Ḥārithah, “Every truth has a reality; what is the reality of your faith?” He replied, “I have turned my soul away from the world, kept my night awake, and made my day thirsty,” and continued as related in the report. The Prophet said, “You have known, so remain steadfast,” or, according to another wording, “A servant whose heart God has illumined.” It is said that the whole foundation of what they teach concerning inward knowledge lies in four reports: first, the report of Gabriel—peace be upon him—when he asked the Messenger of God—

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صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ فَقَالَ الْإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ الْحَدِيثَ، وَحَدِيثُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِيَدِي وَقَالَ لِي يَا غُلَامُ احْفَظِ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ، وَحَدِيثُ وَابِصَةَ الْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي صَدْرِكَ وَالْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّ إِلَيْهِ نَفْسُكَ، وَحَدِيثُ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْحَلَالُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ، وَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، بَابُ [ مَا ] ذُكِرَ [ عَنْ ] الْمَشَايِخِ فِي اتِّبَاعِهِمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَتَخْصِيصِهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ سَمِعْتُ [ أَبَا عَمْرٍو ] عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنِ عَلْوَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ عِلْمُنَا هَذَا مُشْتَبِكٌ بِحَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنَ نُجَيْدٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عُثْمَانَ سَعِيدَ بْنَ عُثْمَانَ الْحِيرِيَّ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَمَّرَ السُّنَّةَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ قَوْلًا وَفِعْلًا نَطَقَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَمَنْ أَمَّرَ الْهَوَى عَلَى نَفْسِهِ قَوْلًا وَفِعْلًا نَطَقَ بِالْبِدْعَةِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا، وَسَمِعْتُ طَيْفُورَ الْبِسْطَامِيَّ يَقُولُ [ سَمِعْتُ مُوسَى بْنَ عِيسَى الْمَعْرُوفَ بِعَمًى يَقُولُ ] سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ قُمْ بِنَا حَتَّى نَنْظُرَ إِلَى هَذَا الرَّجُلِ الَّذِي قَدْ شَهَرَ نَفْسَهُ بِالْوِلَايَةِ وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ فِي نَاحِيَتِهِ مَقْصُودًا مَشْهُورًا بِالزُّهْدِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ وَقَدْ سَمَّاهُ لَنَا طَيْفُورٌ وَنِسْبَتُهُ قَالَ فَمَضَيْنَا قَالَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ وَدَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ رَمَى بِبُزَاقِهِ تُجَاهَ الْقِبْلَةِ فَقَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ قُمْ بِنَا نَنْصَرِفْ قَالَ فَانْصَرَفَ وَلَمْ يُسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ هَذَا رَجُلٌ لَيْسَ بِمَأْمُونٍ عَلَى أَدَبٍ مِنْ آدَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ مَأْمُونًا عَلَى مَا

ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿani al-īmāni wa-al-iḥsāni faqāla al-iḥsānu an taʿbuda Allāha ka-annaka tarāhu al-ḥadītha, waḥadīthu ʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla akhadha rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama biyadī waqāla lī yā ghulāmu aḥfaẓi Allāha yaḥfaẓka, waḥadīthu wābiṣata al-ithmu mā ḥāka fī ṣadrika wa-al-birru mā aṭmaʾanna ilayhi nafsuka, waḥadīthu al-nuʿmāni bni bashīrin ʿani al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama al-ḥalālu bayyinun wa-al-ḥarāmu bayyinun, waqawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama lā ḍarara walā ḍirāra fī al-islāmi, bābu [ mā ] dhukira [ ʿan ] al-mashāyikhi fī attibāʿihim rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama watakhṣīṣihim fī dhalika, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu samiʿtu [ abā ʿamrin ] ʿabda al-wāḥidi bni ʿalwāna raḥimahu Allāhu qāla samiʿtu al-junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu ʿilmunā hadhā mushtabikun biḥadīthi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wasamiʿtu abā ʿamrin ismāʿīla bna nujaydin yaqūlu samiʿtu abā ʿuthmāna saʿīda bna ʿuthmāna al-ḥīriyya yaqūlu man ammara al-sunnata ʿalā nafsihi qawlan wafiʿlan naṭaqa bi-al-ḥikmati waman ammara al-hawā ʿalā nafsihi qawlan wafiʿlan naṭaqa bi-al-bidʿati qāla Allāhu taʿālā wa-in tuṭīʿūhu tahtadū, wasamiʿtu ṭayfūra al-bisṭāmiyya yaqūlu [ samiʿtu mūsā bna ʿīsā al-maʿrūfa bi-ʿaman yaqūlu ] samiʿtu abī yaqūlu samiʿtu abā yazīda al-bisṭāmiyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu qum binā ḥattā nanẓura ilā hadhā al-rajuli alladhī qad shahara nafsahu bi-al-wilāyati wakāna al-rajulu fī nāḥiyatihi maqṣūdan mashhūran bi-al-zuhdi wa-al-ʿibādati waqad sammāhu lanā ṭayfūrun wanisbatuhu qāla famaḍaynā qāla falammā kharaja min baytihi wadakhala al-masjida ramā bibuzāqihi tujāha al-qiblati faqāla abū yazīda qum binā nanṣarif qāla fa-anṣarafa walam yusallim ʿalayhi waqāla hadhā rajulun laysa bimaʾmūnin ʿalā adabin min ādābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fakayfa yakūnu maʾmūnan ʿalā mā

—may God bless him and grant him peace—about faith and iḥsān, and he replied, “Iḥsān is to worship God as though you see Him,” to the end of the report. Second is the report of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with him—who said, “The Messenger of God took me by the hand and said, ‘Young man, be mindful of God and He will guard you.’” Third is the report of Wābiṣah: “Sin is what stirs uneasily in your breast, while righteousness is that in which your soul finds rest.” Fourth is the report of al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr from the Prophet: “The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear.” To these belongs the Prophet’s saying, “There is neither harm nor reciprocal harm in Islam.” Chapter on what is related of the shaykhs concerning their following of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—and their particular distinction in doing so. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: I heard Abū ʿAmr ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAlwān say, “I heard al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—say, ‘This knowledge of ours is interwoven with the reports of the Messenger of God.’” I heard Abū ʿAmr Ismāʿīl ibn Nujayd say, “I heard Abū ʿUthmān Saʿīd ibn ʿUthmān al-Ḥīrī say, ‘Whoever makes the Sunna sovereign over himself in word and deed speaks with wisdom; whoever makes caprice sovereign over himself in word and deed speaks with innovation. God Most High says: If you obey him, you will be guided.’” I heard Ṭayfūr al-Bisṭāmī say—[through Mūsā ibn ʿĪsā, known as the Blind, from his father]—that Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī said, “Come with us to look at this man who has made a reputation for himself as a saint.” The man was widely sought out in his district and was famous for renunciation and worship; Ṭayfūr gave us his name and lineage. We went to him. When he left his house and entered the mosque, he spat in the direction of the qiblah. Abū Yazīd said, “Let us leave.” He departed without greeting the man and said, “A man who cannot be trusted with a single rule of courtesy from the Messenger of God—how can he be trusted regarding the stations of the saints and the utterly truthful that he claims?”

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يَدَّعِيهِ مِنْ مَقَامَاتِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَسَمِعْتُ طَيْفُورَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ مُوسَى بْنَ عِيسَى يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَكْفِيَنِي مُؤْنَةَ الْأَكْلِ وَمُؤْنَةَ النِّسَاءِ ثُمَّ قُلْتُ كَيْفَ يَجُوزُ لِي أَنْ أَسْأَلَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَذَا وَلَمْ يَسْأَلُهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ أَسْأَلْهُ وَكَفَانِي اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَؤُونَةَ النِّسَاءِ حَتَّى لَا أُبَالِيَ اسْتَقْبَلَتْنِي امْرَأَةٌ أَوْ حَائِطٌ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا الطَّيِّبِ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُقَاتِلٍ الْعُكِّيَّ الْبَغْدَادِيَّ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ جَعْفَرٍ الْخُلْدِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [ يَوْمَ مَاتَ الشِّبْلِيُّ ] فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ بُنْدَارٌ الدِّينَوَرِيُّ وَكَانَ خَادِمَ الشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ قَدْ حَضَرَ مَوْتُهُ فَسَأَلَهُ جَعْفَرٌ أَيَشْ رَأَيْتَ مِنْهُ فِي وَقْتِ مَوْتِهِ فَقَالَ لَمَّا أَمْسَكَ لِسَانَهُ وَعَرِقَ جَبِينُهُ أَشَارَ إِلَيَّ وَضِّئْنِي لِلصَّلَاةِ فَوْضَّئْتُهُ فَنَسِيتُ تَخْلِيلَ لِحْيَتِهِ فَقَبَضَ عَلَى يَدِي وَأَدْخَلَ أَصَابِعِي فِي لِحْيَتِهِ يُخَلِّلُهَا قَالَ فَبَكَى جَعْفَرٌ وَقَالَ أَيْشْ يَتَهَيَّأُ أَنْ يُقَالَ فِي رَجُلٍ لَمْ يَذْهَبْ عَلَيْهِ تَخْلِيلُ لِحْيَتِهِ فِي الْوُضُوءِ عِنْدَ نَزْعِ رُوحِهِ وَإِمْسَاكِ لِسَانِهِ وَعَرَقِ جَبِينِهِ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَسَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْوَجِيهِيِّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ يَقُولُ كَانَ أُسْتَاذِي فِي عِلْمِ التَّصَوُّفِ الْجُنَيْدُ وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذِي فِي الْفِقْهِ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ بْنُ سُرَيْجٍ وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذِي فِي النَّحْوِ وَاللُّغَةِ ثَعْلَبٌ وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذِي فِي حَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْحَرْبِيُّ، وَسُئِلَ ذُو النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِمَاذَا عَرَفْتَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ عَرَفْتُ اللَّهَ بِاللَّهِ وَعَرَفْتُ مَا سِوَى اللَّهِ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَقَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كُلُّ وَجْدٍ لَا يَشْهَدُ لَهُ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ فَبَاطِلٌ، وَقَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ رُبَّمَا تَنْكُتُ الْحَقِيقَةُ فِي قَلْبِي أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا فَلَا آذَنُ لَهَا أَنْ تَدْخُلَ قَلْبِي إِلَّا بِشَاهِدَيْنِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، فَهَذَا مَا حَضَرَنِي فِي الْوَقْتِ مِمَّا ذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِ الصُّوفِيَّةُ فِي اتِّبَاعِهِمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَرِهْتُ التَّثْقِيلَ وَاقْتَصَرْتُ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْتُ لِلتَّخْفِيفِ، وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ،

yaddaʿīhi min maqāmāti al-awliyāʾi wa-al-ṣiddīqīna, wasamiʿtu ṭayfūra yaqūlu samiʿtu mūsā bna ʿīsā yaqūlu samiʿtu abī yaqūlu samiʿtu abā yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu laqad hamamtu an asʾala Allāha taʿālā an yakfiyanī muʾnata al-akli wamuʾnata al-nisāʾi thumma qultu kayfa yajūzu lī an asʾala Allāha ʿazza wajalla hadhā walam yasʾaluhu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama falam asʾalhu wakafānī Allāhu taʿālā maʾūnata al-nisāʾi ḥattā lā ubāliya istaqbalatnī amraʾatun aw ḥāʾiṭun aw kamā qāla, wasamiʿtu abā al-ṭayyibi aḥmada bna muqātilin al-ʿukkī al-baghdādiyya yaqūlu kuntu ʿinda jaʿfarin al-khuldī raḥimahu Allāhu [ yawma māta al-shibliyyu ] fadakhala ʿalayhi bundārun al-dīnawariyyu wakāna khādima al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu wakāna qad ḥaḍara mawtuhu fasaʾalahu jaʿfarun ayash raʾayta minhu fī waqti mawtihi faqāla lammā amsaka lisānahu waʿariqa jabīnuhu ashāra ilā waḍḍiʾnī li-al-ṣalāti fawḍḍaʾtuhu fanasītu takhlīla liḥyatihi faqabaḍa ʿalā yadī wa-adkhala aṣābiʿī fī liḥyatihi yukhalliluhā qāla fabakā jaʿfarun waqāla ayshin yatahayyaʾu an yuqāla fī rajulin lam yadhhab ʿalayhi takhlīlu liḥyatihi fī al-wuḍūʾi ʿinda nazʿi rūḥihi wa-imsāki lisānihi waʿaraqi jabīnihi aw kamā qāla, wasamiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿalī al-wajīhiyyi yaqūlu samiʿtu abā ʿalī al-rūdhbāriyya yaqūlu kāna ustādhī fī ʿilmi al-taṣawwufi al-junaydu wakāna istādhī fī al-fiqhi abū al-ʿabbāsi bnu surayjin wakāna ustādhī fī al-naḥwi wa-al-lughati thaʿlabun wakāna istādhī fī ḥadīthi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ibrāhīmu al-ḥarbiyyu, wasuʾila dhū al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu bimā dhā ʿarafta Allāha taʿālā faqāla ʿaraftu Allāha bi-Allāhi waʿaraftu mā siwā Allāhi birasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, waqāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu kullu wajdin lā yashhadu lahu al-kitābu wa-al-sunnatu fabāṭilun, waqāla abū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu rubbamā tankutu al-ḥaqīqatu fī qalbī arbaʿīna yawman falā ādhanu lahā an tadkhula qalbī illā bishāhidayni mina al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati, fahadhā mā ḥaḍaranī fī al-waqti mimmā dhahaba ilayhi al-ṣūfiyyatu fī attibāʿihim rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wakarihtu al-tathqīla wa-aqtaṣartu ʿalā mā dhakartu li-al-takhfīfi, wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu,

I heard Ṭayfūr say, through Mūsā ibn ʿĪsā and his father, that Abū Yazīd—may God have mercy on him—said, “I once intended to ask God Most High to spare me the burden of eating and the burden of women. Then I said, ‘How may I ask God for something the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—did not ask of Him?’ So I did not ask. Yet God spared me concern for women until I no longer cared whether a woman or a wall stood before me,” or words to that effect. I heard Abū al-Ṭayyib Aḥmad ibn Muqātil al-ʿUkkī al-Baghdādī say: I was with Jaʿfar al-Khuldī—may God have mercy on him—[on the day al-Shiblī died] when Bundār al-Dīnawarī, al-Shiblī’s attendant who had been present at his death, entered. Jaʿfar asked him, “What did you see from him at the moment of death?” He replied, “When his tongue had become still and sweat had broken upon his brow, he gestured to me, ‘Make ablution for me for prayer.’ I did so but forgot to comb my fingers through his beard. He seized my hand and inserted my fingers into his beard so that I would comb it.” Jaʿfar wept and said, “What can be said of a man who, while his soul was being drawn out, his tongue had become still, and sweat stood on his brow, still did not let the combing of his beard during ablution escape him?”—or words to that effect. I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Wajīhī say that Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī said, “My master in Sufism was al-Junayd; my master in law was Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn Surayj; my master in grammar and language was Thaʿlab; and my master in the reports of the Messenger of God was Ibrāhīm al-Ḥarbī.” Dhū al-Nūn—may God have mercy on him—was asked, “Through what did you know God Most High?” He replied, “I knew God through God, and I knew all that is other than God through the Messenger of God.” Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh said, “Every spiritual finding for which the Book and the Sunna do not testify is false.” Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī said, “A spiritual reality may keep tapping at my heart for forty days, yet I do not permit it to enter unless it brings two witnesses from the Book and the Sunna.” This is what came to mind at present concerning the Sufis’ way of following the Messenger of God. I wished to avoid burdening the reader, so I have confined myself to what I have mentioned for the sake of brevity. Success is through God.

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[ كِتَابُ الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ ]، بَابُ مَذْهَبِ أَهْلِ الصَّفْوَةِ فِي الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ الصَّحِيحَةِ فِي فَهْمِ الْقُرْآنِ وَالْحَدِيثِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ وَشَرْحِهَا، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [ إِذَا ] قَالُوا مَا مَعْنَى الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ فَيُقَالُ الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتُ مَا اسْتَنْبَطَهُ أَهْلُ الْفَهْمِ مِنَ الْمُتَحَقِّقِينَ بِالْمُوَافَقَةِ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا وَالْمُتَابَعَةِ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا وَالْعَمَلِ بِهَا بِظَوَاهِرِهِمْ وَبَوَاطِنِهِمْ، فَلَمَّا [ عَمِلُوا بِمَا ] عَلِمُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَرَّثَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِلْمَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمُوا وَهُوَ عِلْمُ الْإِشَارَةِ وَعِلْمُ مَوَارِيثِ الْأَعْمَالِ الَّتِي يَكْشِفُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِقُلُوبِ أَصْفِيَائِهِ مِنْ الْمَعَانِي الْمَذْخُورَةِ وَاللَّطَائِفِ وَالْأَسْرَارِ الْمَخْزُونَةِ وَغَرَائِبِ الْعُلُومِ وَطَرَائِفِ الْحُكْمِ فِي مَعَانِي الْقُرْآنِ وَمَعَانِي أَخْبَارِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَحْوَالُهُمْ وَأَوْقَاتُهُمْ وَصَفَاءِ أَذْكَارِهِمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ أَمْ عَلَى قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَا، وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِمَا عَلِمَ وَرَّثَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِلْمَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ، وَهُوَ الْعِلْمُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ لِغَيْرِهِمْ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَأَقْفَالُ الْقُلُوبِ مَا يَقَعُ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ مِنَ الصَّدَأِ لِكَثْرَةِ الذُّنُوبِ وَاتِّبَاعِ الْهَوَى وَمَحَبَّةِ الدُّنْيَا وَطُولِ الْغَفْلَةِ وَشِدَّةِ الْحِرْصِ وَحُبِّ الرَّاحَةِ وَحُبِّ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمُحْمَدَةِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْغَفَلَاتِ وَالزَّلَّاتِ وَالْمُخَالَفَةِ وَالْخِيَانَاتِ، فَإِذَا كَشَفَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى [ ذَلِكَ عَنْ ] الْقُلُوبِ بِصِدْقِ التَّوْبَةِ وَالنَّدَمِ عَلَى الْحَوْبَةِ فَقَدْ فَتَحَ الْأَقْفَالَ عَنِ الْقُلُوبِ وَأَتَتْهُ الزَّوَائِدُ وَالْفَوَائِدُ مِنَ الْغُيُوبِ فَيُعَبِّرُ عَنْ زَوَائِدِهِ وَفَوَائِدِهِ بِتُرْجُمَانِهِ وَهُوَ

[ kitābu al-mustanbaṭāti ], bābu madhhabi ahli al-ṣafwati fī al-mustanbaṭāti al-ṣaḥīḥati fī fahmi al-qurʾāni wa-al-ḥadīthi waghayri dhalika washarḥihā, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu [ idhā ] qālū mā maʿnā al-mustanbaṭāti fayuqālu al-mustanbaṭātu mā astanbaṭahu ahlu al-fahmi mina al-mutaḥaqqiqīna bi-al-muwāfaqati likitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ẓāhiran wabāṭinan wa-al-mutābaʿati lirasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ẓāhiran wabāṭinan wa-al-ʿamali bihā biẓawāhirihim wabawāṭinihim, falammā [ ʿamilū bimā ] ʿalimū min dhalika warrathahumu Allāhu taʿālā ʿilma mā lam yaʿlamū wahuwa ʿilmu al-ishārati waʿilmu mawārīthi al-aʿmāli allatī yakshifu Allāhu taʿālā liqulūbi aṣfiyāʾihi min al-maʿānī al-madhkhūrati wa-al-laṭāʾifi wa-al-asrāri al-makhzūnati wagharāʾibi al-ʿulūmi waṭarāʾifi al-ḥukmi fī maʿānī al-qurʾāni wamaʿānī akhbāri rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min ḥaythu aḥwāluhum wa-awqātuhum waṣafāʾu adhkārihim qāla Allāhu taʿālā a falā yatadabbarūna al-qurʾāna am ʿalā qulūbin aqfāluhā, waqāla al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama man ʿamila bimā ʿalima warrathahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿilma mā lam yaʿlam, wahuwa al-ʿilmu alladhī laysa lighayrihim dhalika min ahli al-ʿilmi wa-aqfālu al-qulūbi mā yaqaʿu ʿalā al-qulūbi mina al-ṣadaʾi likathrati al-dhunūbi wa-attibāʿi al-hawā wamaḥabbati al-dunyā waṭūli al-ghaflati washiddati al-ḥirṣi waḥubbi al-rāḥati waḥubbi al-thanāʾi wa-al-muḥmadati waghayri dhalika mina al-ghafalāti wa-al-zallāti wa-al-mukhālafati wa-al-khiyānāti, fa-idhā kashafa Allāhu taʿālā [ dhalika ʿan ] al-qulūbi biṣidqi al-tawbati wa-al-nadami ʿalā al-ḥawbati faqad fataḥa al-aqfāla ʿani al-qulūbi wa-atathu al-zawāʾidu wa-al-fawāʾidu mina al-ghuyūbi fayuʿabbiru ʿan zawāʾidihi wa-fawāʾidihi biturjumānihi wahuwa

[Book of Inferences.] Chapter on the method of the people of purity in sound inferences drawn from the Qur’an, the prophetic reports, and other sources, together with an explanation of them. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: If it is asked, “What are inferences?” the answer is that they are meanings drawn out by people of understanding who have realized conformity to God’s Book outwardly and inwardly, followed the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—outwardly and inwardly, and put these into practice in both their outer and inner lives. When they acted upon what they knew, God Most High gave them as an inheritance knowledge of what they had not known. This is the knowledge of allusion and the knowledge inherited from deeds: the stored meanings, subtle graces, and hidden mysteries that God Most High unveils to the hearts of His chosen ones, as well as rare sciences and fresh wisdom concerning the meanings of the Qur’an and the reports of the Messenger of God, in keeping with their states, their times, and the purity of their remembrance. God Most High says, “Will they not ponder the Qur’an, or are there locks upon their hearts?” The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Whoever acts upon what he knows, God Most High will give him as an inheritance knowledge of what he did not know.” This is knowledge possessed by none among the people of learning except them. The locks upon hearts are the rust that settles on them through many sins, following caprice, loving the world, prolonged heedlessness, intense greed, love of ease, love of praise and commendation, and other forms of negligence, slips, opposition, and betrayal. When God Most High removes that from hearts through sincere repentance and remorse for sin, He has opened the locks of those hearts. Additions and benefits then reach them from the unseen, and a person expresses these added gifts and benefits through his interpreter, namely—

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اللِّسَانُ الَّذِي يَنْطِقُ بِغَرَائِبِ الْحِكَمِ وَغَرَائِبِ الْعِلْمِ، فَإِذَا شَرَحُوا هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِيَ الْتَقَطَ الْمُرِيدُونَ وَالْقَاصِدُونَ وَالطَّالِبُونَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْجَوَاهِرِ بِآذَانٍ وَاعِيَةٍ وَقُلُوبٍ حَاضِرَةٍ فَعَاشُوا وَانْتَفَعُوا بِذَلِكَ وَانْتَعَشُوا، وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، فَدَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّ بِتَدَبُّرِهِمْ فِي الْقُرْآنِ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَ إِذْ لَوْ كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ يَعْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَقَالُوا أُولُوا الْأَمْرِ هَاهُنَا أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ فَقَدْ بَيَّنَ هَاهُنَا خُصُوصِيَّةً لِأَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَخُصُوصِيَّةً لِأَهْلِ الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، وَقَدْ رَوَى فِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَلِّمْنِي مِنْ غَرَائِبِ الْعِلْمِ فَقَالَ وَمَا عَمِلْتَ فِي أَوَّلِ الْعِلْمِ أَحْكِمْ أَوَّلَ الْعِلْمِ ثُمَّ تَعَالَ حَتَّى أُعَلِّمَكَ غَرَائِبَ الْعِلْمِ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَلِفُقَهَاءِ الْأَمْصَارِ وَعُلَمَائِهَا فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ مُسْتَنْبَطَاتٌ مَشْهُورَةٌ فِي آيَاتِ الْقُرْآنِ وَالْأَخْبَارِ الظَّاهِرَةِ مُسْتَعِدَّةٌ لِلِاحْتِجَاجِ بِهَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الْمَسَائِلِ الْخِلَافِيَّةِ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ وَلِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ عَلَى مَا جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ إِنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ فِي سَبْعِينَ بَابًا مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْعِلْمِ، وَهَذَا لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مِنْ طَرِيقِ الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ وَكَذَلِكَ أَهْلُ الْكَلَامِ وَالنَّظَرِ احْتِجَاجَاتُهُمُ الْعَقْلِيَّةُ كُلُّهَا مُسْتَنْبَطَاتٌ وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ حَسَنٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهِ وَمَقْبُولٌ إِذِ الْمَقْصُودُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ النُّصْرَةُ لِلْحَقِّ وَالرَّدُّ لِلْبَاطِلِ، وَأَحْسَنُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مُسْتَنْبَطَاتُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالتَّحْقِيقِ وَالْإِخْلَاصِ فِي الْعَمَلِ مِنَ الْمُجَاهَدَاتِ وَالرِّيَاضَاتِ وَالْمُعَامَلَاتِ وَالْمُتَقَرِّبِينَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِأَنْوَاعِ الطَّاعَاتِ وَأَهْلِ الْحَقَائِقِ،

al-lisānu alladhī yanṭiqu bigharāʾibi al-ḥikami wagharāʾibi al-ʿilmi, fa-idhā sharaḥū hadhihi al-maʿāniya iltaqaṭa al-murīdūna wa-al-qāṣidūna wa-al-ṭālibūna min tilka al-jawāhiri bi-ādhānin wāʿiyatin waqulūbin ḥāḍiratin faʿāshū wa-antafaʿū bidhalika wa-intaʿashū, waqad qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla a falā yatadabbarūna al-qurʾāna walaw kāna min ʿindi ghayri Allāhi lawajadū fīhi akhtilāfan kathīran, fadalla ʿalā anna bitadabburihim fī al-qurʾāni yastanbiṭūna idh law kāna al-qurʾānu min ʿindi ghayri Allāhi lawajadū fīhi akhtilāfan kathīran, thumma qāla wa-idhā jāʾahum amrun mina al-amni awi al-khawfi adhāʿū bihi walaw raddūhu ilā al-rasūli wa-ilā ūlī al-amri minhum laʿalimahu alladhīna yastanbiṭūnahu minhum yaʿnī min ahli al-ʿilmi waqālū ūlū al-amri hāhunā ahlu al-ʿilmi faqad bayyana hāhunā khuṣūṣiyyatan li-ahli al-ʿilmi wakhuṣūṣiyyatan li-ahli al-istinbāṭi min ahli al-ʿilmi, waqad rawā fī al-khabari anna rajulan jāʾa ilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama faqāla yā rasūla Allāhi ʿallimnī min gharāʾibi al-ʿilmi faqāla wamā ʿamilta fī awwali al-ʿilmi aḥkim awwala al-ʿilmi thumma taʿāla ḥattā uʿallimaka gharāʾiba al-ʿilmi aw kamā qāla, wa-li-fuqahāʾi al-amṣāri waʿulamāʾihā fī kulli waqtin mustanbaṭātun mashhūratun fī āyāti al-qurʾāni wa-al-akhbāri al-ẓāhirati mustaʿiddatun li-al-iḥtijāji bihā baʿḍuhum ʿalā baʿḍin fī al-masāʾili al-khilāfiyyati baynahum, waqad qāla baʿḍuhum inna fī hadhā al-ḥadīthi alladhī qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama al-aʿmālu bi-al-niyyāti walikulli imriʾin mā nawā faman kānat hijratuhu ilā Allāhi warasūlihi ʿalā mā jāʾa fī al-ḥadīthi annahu yadkhilu fī sabʿīna bāban min abwābi al-ʿilmi, wahadhā lā yakūnu illā min ṭarīqi al-istinbāṭi wakadhalika ahlu al-kalāmi wa-al-naẓari iḥtijājātuhumu al-ʿaqliyyatu kulluhā mustanbaṭātun wakullu dhalika ḥasanun ʿinda ahlihi wamaqbūlun idhi al-maqṣūdu min dhalika al-nuṣratu li-al-ḥaqqi wa-al-raddu li-al-bāṭili, wa-aḥsanu min dhalika mustanbaṭātu ahli al-ʿilmi bi-al-ʿilmi wa-al-taḥqīqi wa-al-ikhlāṣi fī al-ʿamali mina al-mujāhadāti wa-al-riyāḍāti wa-al-muʿāmalāti wa-al-mutaqarribīna ilā Allāhi taʿālā bi-anwāʿi al-ṭāʿāti wa-ahli al-ḥaqāʾiqi,

—the tongue that speaks rare wisdom and uncommon knowledge. When they explain these things, aspirants, seekers, and students gather jewels from them with attentive ears and present hearts; through them they live, benefit, and are revived. God, mighty and majestic, says, “Will they not ponder the Qur’an? Had it been from anyone other than God, they would have found in it much contradiction.” This shows that by pondering the Qur’an they draw inferences: had the Qur’an been from anyone other than God, they would have found much contradiction in it. He then says, “When news concerning security or fear comes to them, they spread it abroad. Had they referred it to the Messenger and to those vested with authority among them, those among them capable of drawing inferences would have known it.” That is, the people of knowledge. They said that “those vested with authority” here are the people of knowledge. The verse thus marks out a distinction for the people of knowledge and, from among them, a further distinction for those capable of inference. It is related that a man came to the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—and said, “Messenger of God, teach me some of the rare sciences.” He replied, “What have you done with the beginning of knowledge? Master its beginning, then return and I will teach you its rarities,” or words to that effect. In every age, the jurists and scholars of the principal towns have well-known inferences from Qur’anic verses and manifest reports, ready for use in arguing with one another over disputed questions. One of them said that the report in which the Messenger of God said, “Actions are only by intentions, and every person shall have only what he intended; whoever emigrated to God and His Messenger…”—as the rest of the report relates—enters into seventy branches of knowledge. That can only be so by way of inference. Likewise, all the rational arguments of theologians and speculative thinkers are inferences. Such work is sound and acceptable among its practitioners because its aim is to support truth and refute falsehood. Better still are the inferences of those who possess knowledge joined to realization and sincerity in practice: those engaged in spiritual struggle, discipline, right conduct, every form of obedience by which one draws near to God Most High, and the people of spiritual realities.

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بَابٌ فِي كَيْفِيَّةِ الِاخْتِلَافِ فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ أَهْلِ الْحَقِيقَةِ فِي مَعَانِي عُلُومِهِمْ وَأَحْوَالِهِمْ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ اِعْلَمْ أَيَّدَكَ اللَّهُ بِالْفَهْمِ وَأَزَالَ عَنْكَ الْوَهْمَ أَنَّ أَبْنَاءَ الْأَحْوَالِ وَأَرْبَابَ الْقُلُوبِ فَإِنَّ لَهُمْ أَيْضًا مُسْتَنْبَطَاتٍ فِي مَعَانِي أَحْوَالِهِمْ وَعُلُومِهِمْ وَحَقَائِقِهِمْ وَقَدِ اسْتَنْبَطُوا مِنْ ظَاهِرِ الْقُرْآنِ وَظَاهِرِ الْأَخْبَارِ مَعَانِيَ لَطِيفَةً بَاطِنَةً وَحِكَمًا مُسْتَطْرَفَةً وَأَسْرَارًا مَذْخُورَةً وَنَحْنُ نَذْكُرُ طَرَفًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَهُمْ أَيْضًا فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ مُخْتَلِفُونَ كَاخْتِلَافِ أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ غَيْرَ أَنَّ اخْتِلَافَ أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ يُؤَدِّي إِلَى [ حُكْمِ ] الْغَلَطِ وَالْخَطَأِ وَالِاخْتِلَافِ فِي عِلْمِ الْبَاطِنِ لَا يُؤَدِّي إِلَى ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهَا فَضَائِلُ وَمَحَاسِنُ وَمَكَارِمُ وَأَحْوَالٌ وَأَخْلَاقٌ وَمَقَامَاتٌ وَدَرَجَاتٌ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّ اخْتِلَافَ الْعُلَمَاءِ [ رَحْمَةٌ وَهَذَا لَهُ مَعْنًى أَمَّا الِاخْتِلَافُ بَيْنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ ] فِي عِلْمِ الظَّاهِرِ رَحْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِأَنَّ الْمُصِيبَ يَرُدُّ عَلَى الْمُخْطِئِ وَيُبَيِّنُ لِلنَّاسِ غَلَطَ الْمُخَالِفِ وَخِلَافَهُ لِلْمُصِيبِ فِي الدِّينِ حَتَّى يَتَجَنَّبُوا مِنْهُ وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَهَلَكَ النَّاسُ بِذَهَابِ دِينِهِمْ، وَأَمَّا الِاخْتِلَافُ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ الْحَقَائِقِ أَيْضًا رَحْمَةٌ [ مِنْ ] اللَّهِ لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ يَتَكَلَّمُ مِنْ حَيْثُ وَقْتُهُ وَيُجِيبُ مِنْ حَيْثُ حَالُهُ وَيُشِيرُ مِنْ حَيْثُ وَجْدُهُ فَتَكُونُ فِيهِمْ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الطَّاعَاتِ وَأَرْبَابِ الْقُلُوبِ وَالْمُرِيدِينَ وَالْمُتَحَقِّقِينَ فَائِدَةً مِنْ كَلَامِهِمْ وَذَلِكَ أَيْضًا عَلَى قَدْرِ تَفَاوُتِهِمْ وَاخْتِصَاصِهِمْ وَدَرَجَاتِهِمْ وَبَيَانُ مَا قُلْنَا فِي اخْتِلَافِهِمْ مَا حَكَى عَنْ ذِي النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ [ هُوَ الَّذِي لَا يَسْكُنُ إِلَى شَيْءٍ وَإِلَيْهِ

bābun fī kayfiyyati al-ikhtilāfi fī mustanbaṭāti ahli al-ḥaqīqati fī maʿānī ʿulūmihim wa-aḥwālihim, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu iʿlam ayyadaka Allāhu bi-al-fahmi wa-azāla ʿank al-wahma anna abnāʾa al-aḥwāli wa-arbāba al-qulūbi fa-inna lahum ayḍan mustanbaṭātin fī maʿānī aḥwālihim waʿulūmihim waḥaqāʾiqihim waqadi astanbaṭū min ẓāhiri al-qurʾāni waẓāhiri al-akhbāri maʿāniya laṭīfatan bāṭinatan waḥikaman mustaṭrafatan wa-asrāran madhkhūratan wanaḥnu nadhkuru ṭarafan min dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, wahum ayḍan fī mustanbaṭātihim mukhtalifūna ka-ikhtilāfi ahli al-ẓāhiri ghayra anna akhtilāfa ahli al-ẓāhiri yuʾaddī ilā [ ḥukmi ] al-ghalaṭi wa-al-khaṭaʾi wa-al-ikhtilāfi fī ʿilmi al-bāṭini lā yuʾaddī ilā dhalika li-annahā faḍāʾilu wamaḥāsinu wamakārimu wa-aḥwālun wa-akhlāqun wamaqāmātun wadarajātun, waqad qīla inna akhtilāfa al-ʿulamāʾi [ raḥmatun wahadhā lahu maʿnan ammā al-ikhtilāfu bayna al-ʿulamāʾi ] fī ʿilmi al-ẓāhiri raḥmatun mina Allāhi taʿālā li-anna al-muṣība yaruddu ʿalā al-mukhṭiʾi wayubayyinu li-al-nāsi ghalaṭa al-mukhālifi wakhilāfahu li-al-muṣībi fī al-dīni ḥattā yatajannabū minhu walawlā dhalika lahalaka al-nāsu bidhahābi dīnihim, wa-ammā al-ikhtilāfu bayna ahli al-ḥaqāʾiqi ayḍan raḥmatun [ min ] Allāhi li-anna kulla wāḥidin yatakallamu min ḥaythu waqtuhu wayujību min ḥaythu ḥāluhu wayushīru min ḥaythu wajduhu fatakūnu fīhim likulli wāḥidin min ahli al-ṭāʿāti wa-arbābi al-qulūbi wa-al-murīdīna wa-al-mutaḥaqqiqīna fāʾidatan min kalāmihim wadhalika ayḍan ʿalā qadri tafāwutihim wa-akhtiṣāṣihim wadarajātihim wabayānu mā qulnā fī akhtilāfihim mā ḥakā ʿan dhī al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu annahu suʾila ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla [ huwa alladhī lā yaskunu ilā shayʾin wa-ilayhi

Chapter on the manner in which the people of spiritual reality differ in their inferences concerning the meanings of their knowledge and states. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Know—may God support you with understanding and remove illusion from you—that the people of spiritual states and the masters of hearts also have inferences concerning the meanings of their states, knowledge, and realities. From the outward wording of the Qur’an and the apparent sense of the reports, they have drawn subtle inward meanings, fresh wisdom, and stored mysteries. We shall mention a portion of this, God Most High willing. They differ among themselves in their inferences just as scholars of outward knowledge differ. The difference is that disagreement among outward scholars can lead to a judgment that one party has erred or mistaken, whereas disagreement in inward knowledge does not lead to this, for its subjects are virtues, good qualities, noble traits, states, character, stations, and degrees. It has been said, “The disagreement of the scholars is a mercy,” and this has a meaning. Disagreement among scholars in outward knowledge is a mercy from God Most High because the one who is right answers the one who is mistaken and makes clear to people the opponent’s error and departure from the correct view in religion, so that they may avoid it. Otherwise people would perish through the loss of their religion. Disagreement among the people of spiritual realities is also a mercy from God, because each person speaks from the standpoint of his present moment, answers from the standpoint of his state, and alludes from the standpoint of what he finds. Each member of the people of obedience, the masters of hearts, the aspirants, and the realized can therefore find benefit in their words, in proportion to differences in their capacities, special gifts, and degrees. What is related of Dhū al-Nūn—may God have mercy on him—illustrates what we have said about their differing answers. Asked about the truly poor person, he replied, “[He is the one who finds rest in nothing, while to him—]”

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يَسْكُنُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَغْرِبِيُّ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ ] فَقَالَ الْفَقِيرُ الصَّادِقُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يَمْلِكُهُ شَيْءٌ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو الْحَرْثِ الْأَوْلَاسِيُّ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ هُوَ الَّذِي لَا يَأْنَسُ بِشَيْءٍ وَيَأْنَسُ بِهِ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَسُئِلَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ مَنْ آثَرَ وَقْتَهُ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ تَطَلُّعٌ إِلَى وَقْتٍ ثَانٍ لَمْ يَسْتَحِقَّ اسْمَ الْفَقْرِ، وَسُئِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ الْفَقِيرُ الصَّادِقُ الَّذِي لَا يَخْتَارُ بِصِحَّةِ الرِّضَا مَا يَرِدُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ، وَسُئِلَ النُّورِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ الْفَقِيرُ الصَّادِقُ الَّذِي لَا يَتَّهِمُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فِي الْأَسْبَابِ وَيَسْكُنُ إِلَيْهِ فِي كُلِّ حَالٍ، وَسُئِلَ سَمْنُونُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ الَّذِي يَأْنَسُ بِالْمَفْقُودِ كَمَا يَأْنَسُ الْجَاهِلُ بِالْمَوْجُودِ وَيَسْتَوْحِشُ بِالْمَوْجُودِ كَمَا يَسْتَوْحِشُ الْجَاهِلُ بِالْفَقْدِ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ [ فَقَالَ الَّذِي يَكُونُ مَعَ كُلِّ وَقْتٍ بِحُكْمِهِ فَإِذَا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ وَارِدٌ يُخْرِجُهُ عَنْ حُكْمِ وَقْتِهِ وَيَسْتَوْحِشُ مِنْهُ، وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ ] فَقَالَ هُوَ أَنْ [ لَا ] يَسْتَغْنِيَ بِشَيْءٍ وَيُسْتَغْنَى بِهِ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ، وَكَمَا سُئِلَ الْمُرْتَعِشُ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ فَقَالَ الَّذِي يَأْكُلُهُ الْقَمْلُ وَلَا يَكُونُ لَهُ ظُفُرٌ يَحُكُّ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ، وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي أَجْوِبَتِهِمْ كَاخْتِلَافِهِمْ فِي أَوْقَاتِهِمْ وَأَحْوَالِهِمْ وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ حَسَنٌ وَلِكُلِّ جَوَابٍ مِنْ أَجْوِبَتِهِمْ أَهْلٌ يَلِيقُ بِهِمْ مَا أَجَابُوا وَهِيَ فَائِدَةٌ وَنِعْمَةٌ وَزِيَادَةٌ لَهُمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ،

yaskunu kullu shayʾin, wasuʾila abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-maghribiyyu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi ] faqāla al-faqīru al-ṣādiqu alladhī yamliku kulla shayʾin walā yamlikuhu shayʾun, wasuʾila abū al-ḥarthi al-awlāsiyyu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla huwa alladhī lā yaʾnasu bishayʾin wayaʾnasu bihi kullu shayʾin, wasuʾila yūsufu bnu al-ḥusayni ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla man āthara waqtahu fa-in kāna fīhi taṭalluʿun ilā waqtin thānin lam yastaḥiqqa asma al-faqri, wasuʾila al-ḥusaynu bnu manṣūrin raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla al-faqīru al-ṣādiqu alladhī lā yakhtāru biṣiḥḥati al-riḍā mā yaridu ʿalayhi mina al-asbābi, wasuʾila al-nūriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla al-faqīru al-ṣādiqu alladhī lā yattahimu Allāha taʿālā fī al-asbābi wayaskunu ilayhi fī kulli ḥālin, wasuʾila samnūnu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla alladhī yaʾnasu bi-al-mafqūdi kamā yaʾnasu al-jāhilu bi-al-mawjūdi wayastawḥishu bi-al-mawjūdi kamā yastawḥishu al-jāhilu bi-al-faqdi, wasuʾila abū ḥafṣin al-naysābūriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi [ faqāla alladhī yakūnu maʿa kulli waqtin biḥukmihi fa-idhā warada ʿalayhi wāridun yukhrijuhu ʿan ḥukmi waqtihi wayastawḥishu minhu, wasuʾila al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi ] faqāla huwa an [ lā ] yustaghnā bishayʾin wayustaghnā bihi kullu shayʾin, wakamā suʾila al-murtaʿishu al-naysābūriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri faqāla alladhī yaʾkuluhu al-qamlu walā yakūnu lahu ẓufurun yaḥukku bihi nafsahu, waqadi akhtalafa hāʾulāʾi fī ajwibatihim ka-ikhtilāfihim fī awqātihim wa-aḥwālihim wakullu dhalika ḥasanun walikulli jawābin min ajwibatihim ahlun yalīqu bihim mā ajābū wahiya fāʾidatun waniʿmatun waziyādatun lahum waraḥmatun,

“—everything finds rest.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Maghribī was asked about the truly poor person and replied, “The truly poor person possesses everything, yet nothing possesses him.” Abū al-Ḥārith al-Awlāsī was asked and replied, “He is the one who is intimate with nothing, while everything is intimate with him.” Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥusayn was asked and replied, “He is the one who gives preference to his present moment. If he looks ahead to a second moment, he does not deserve the name of poverty.” Al-Ḥusayn ibn Manṣūr—may God have mercy on him—was asked and replied, “The truly poor person, because his contentment is sound, makes no choice among the causes that come to him.” Al-Nūrī—may God have mercy on him—was asked and replied, “The truly poor person does not suspect God Most High on account of secondary causes, but rests in Him in every state.” Samnūn—may God have mercy on him—was asked and replied, “He is intimate with what is absent as the ignorant person is intimate with what is present, and estranged from what is present as the ignorant person is estranged by loss.” Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī—may God have mercy on him—was asked and replied, “He is with every moment under that moment’s ruling; when an incoming state removes him from the ruling of his moment, he feels estranged from it.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—was asked and replied, “He finds sufficiency in nothing, while everything finds sufficiency through him.” Al-Murtaʿish al-Naysābūrī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the poor person and replied, “He is the one whom lice devour, while he has no fingernail with which to scratch himself.” Their answers differ as their moments and states differ. All of them are sound, and each answer has people for whom it is fitting; it brings them benefit, grace, increase, and mercy.

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بَابٌ فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ أَهْلِ الصَّفْوَةِ فِي تَخْصِيصِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَفِهِ وَفَضْلِهِ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْفَهْمِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَمَّا الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتُ الَّتِي فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا طَرَفًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فِي بَابِ مَذْهَبِ أَهْلِ الصَّفْوَةِ فِي مُوَافَقَةِ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهَذَا [ الَّذِي نَذْكُرُهُ ] إِنَّمَا نَذْكُرُهُ فِي [ مَعْنَى ] خُصُوصِيَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَفِيمَا اسْتَنْبَطُوا فِيمَا نَطَقَ الْقُرْآنُ بِشَرَفِهِ وَمَا خُصَّ بِهِ مِنْ سَائِرِ الرُّسُلِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْوَاسِطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَدْعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ يَعْنِي أَنْ لَا أَشْهَدَ لِنَفْسِي يَعْنِي أَنْ لَا أَرَى نَفْسِي فَأَسْتَقْطِعَهُمْ بِشَوَاهِدِي، وَمَعْنًى آخَرَ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ [ أُوقِنُ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ إِلَيَّ شَيْءٌ فَيَكُونُ إِلَى نَفْسِي مِنَ الْهِدَايَةِ شَيْءٌ، وَمَعْنًى آخَرُ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَّهُ ] لَا نَمْلِكُ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى تَقْرِيبَهُمْ، وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي عَلَى ذَلِكَ دَعْوَتُهُمْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ [ أَنْ يَكُونَ ] أَحَدٌ يَلْحَقُ مَا يُهِمُّهُ وَيَقْصِدُهُ إِلَّا بِهِ، وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ * أَنْ أَرَى الْهِدَايَةَ مِنْ نَفْسِي أَوْ مِنْهُ بِدَعْوَتِي، قَوْلُهُ [ تَعَالَى ] قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ، قَالُوا مَعْنَاهُ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الْفَهْمِ وَالِاسْتِنْبَاطِ قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ وَبَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَقِيمُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ عِنْدَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ يَعْنِي عِنْدَ كُلِّ قَصْدٍ تَقْصِدُونَهُ

bābun fī mustanbaṭāti ahli al-ṣafwati fī takhṣīṣi al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama washarafihi wafaḍlihi ʿalā ikhwānihi ʿalayhimu al-salāmu min kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla min ṭarīqi al-fahmi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-ammā al-mustanbaṭātu allatī fī kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faqad dhakarnā ṭarafan min dhalika fī bābi madhhabi ahli al-ṣafwati fī muwāfaqati kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wahadhā [ alladhī nadhkuruhu ] innamā nadhkuruhu fī [ maʿnā ] khuṣūṣiyyati rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wafīmā astanbaṭū fīmā naṭaqa al-qurʾānu bisharafihi wamā khuṣṣa bihi min sāʾiri al-rusuli ʿalayhimi al-salāmu qawlahu ʿazza wajalla qul hadhihi sabīlī adʿū ilā Allāhi ʿalā baṣīratin anā wamani attabaʿanī wasubḥāna Allāhi wamā anā mina al-mushrikīna, qāla abū bakrin al-wāsiṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu adʿū ilā Allāhi ʿalā baṣīratin yaʿnī an lā ashhada linafsī yaʿnī an lā arā nafsī fa-astaqṭiʿahum bi-shawāhidī, wamaʿnan ākhara ʿalā baṣīratin [ ūqinu annahu laysa ilayya shayʾun fayakūnu ilā nafsī mina al-hidāyati shayʾun, wamaʿnan ākharu ʿalā baṣīratin annahu ] lā namliku ḍarran walā nafʿan illā an yatawallā Allāhu taʿālā taqrībahum, wamaʿnā qawlihi anā wa-mani attabaʿanī ʿalā dhalika daʿwatuhum subḥāna Allāhi [ an yakūna ] aḥadun yalḥaqu mā yuhimmuhu wayaqṣiduhu illā bihi, wamā anā mina al-mushrikīna * an arā al-hidāyata min nafsī aw minhu bidaʿwatī, qawluhu [ taʿālā ] qul amara rabbī bi-al-qisṭi wa-aqīmū wujūhakum ʿinda kulli masjidin wa-adʿūhu mukhliṣīna lahu al-dīna kamā badaʾakum taʿūdūna, qālū maʿnāhu min ṭarīqi al-fahmi wa-al-istinbāṭi qul amara rabbī bi-al-qisṭi fīmā baynī wabayna al-khalqi wabaynī wabayna Allāhi taʿālā wa-aqīmū wujūhakum ʿinda kulli masjidin yaʿnī ʿinda kulli qaṣdin taqṣidūnahu

Chapter on the inferences that the people of purity draw from God’s Book, by way of understanding, concerning the Prophet’s special distinction, honour, and superiority over his brother messengers—peace be upon them. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: We have already mentioned some inferences from God’s Book in the chapter on the method of the people of purity in conforming to the Book of God, mighty and majestic. What we mention here concerns the special distinction of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—and what they inferred from the Qur’an’s statements about his honour and the distinction granted him above the other messengers—peace be upon them. God, mighty and majestic, says, “Say: This is my way. I call to God with insight—I and whoever follows me. Glory be to God, and I am not one of those who associate partners with Him.” Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī—may God have mercy on him—said: “I call to God with insight” means that I do not bear witness to myself—that is, I do not see myself and thereby cut them off through evidences of my own. Another meaning of “with insight” is: I know with certainty that nothing belongs to me, so no portion of guidance can be attributed to myself. A further meaning is that we possess neither harm nor benefit unless God Most High undertakes to bring them near. “I and whoever follows me” means that I and my followers call them on that basis. “Glory be to God”: no one attains what concerns him and what he seeks except through Him. “I am not one of those who associate partners with Him”: I do not regard guidance as coming from myself, or as coming from the person I summon merely through my summons. God Most High says, “Say: My Lord has commanded justice. Set your faces aright at every place of worship, and call upon Him, making religion sincere for Him. As He began you, so shall you return.” They said that, by way of understanding and inference, “My Lord has commanded justice” means justice between me and creation and between me and God Most High. “Set your faces aright at every place of worship” means at every purpose you intend—

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وَادْعُوهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ يَعْنِي ادْعُوهُ بِلَا رِيَاءٍ وَلَا عَجَبٍ ثُمَّ لَا تَعْتَمِدُوا عَلَى هَذَا لِأَنَّهُ كَمَا بَدَأَكُمْ تَعُودُونَ عِنْدَ الْعَوَاقِبِ، وَفِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى سَنُرِيهِمْ آيَاتِنَا فِي الْآفَاقِ وَفِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مَعْنَاهُ سَنُرِيهِمْ نُعُوتَنَا وَصِفَاتِنَا فِي الْمَلَكُوتِ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لِمَنْ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ وَمَا سِوَاهُ بَاطِلٌ لَا جَرَمَ، فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَتْهَا الْعَرَبُ [ مَا قَالَ لَبِيدٌ ]، أَلَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ بَاطِلُ، وَمِمَّا اسْتَنْبَطُوا مِنْ خُصُوصِيَّةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ سَأَلَ رَبَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي [ وَنُودِيَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِلَا سُؤَالٍ أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ إِلَى آخِرِ السُّورَةِ ]، وَكَذَلِكَ سُؤَالُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَلَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ يُبْعَثُونَ [ فَضْلُ الْحَبِيبِ عَلَى الْخَلِيلِ ] وَقَالَ لِنَبِيِّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُؤَالٍ يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ، وَقِيلَ لَهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا، وَمِمَّا قِيلَ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى أَيْضًا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَاطَبَ جَمِيعَ الْخَلْقِ وَدَعَاهُمْ إِلَيْهِ وَدَلَّهُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِذِكْرِ الْمُلْكِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ فَقَالَ وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَقَوْلُهُ أَوَلَمْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَقَوْلُهُ أَفَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى الْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ، فَلَمَّا خَاطَبَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْخِطَابُ مَعَ الْحَبِيبِ بَدَأَ بِذِكْرِهِ فَقَالَ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى رَبِّكَ، وَفِي [ مَعْنَى ] قَوْلِهِ وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ

wa-adʿūhu mukhliṣīna lahu al-dīna yaʿnī adʿūhu bilā riyāʾin walā ʿajabin thumma lā taʿtamidū ʿalā hadhā li-annahu kamā badaʾakum taʿūdūna ʿinda al-ʿawāqibi, wafī maʿnā qawlihi taʿālā sanurīhim āyātinā fī al-āfāqi wafī anfusihim ḥattā yatabayyana lahum annahu al-ḥaqqu maʿnāhu sanurīhim nuʿūtanā waṣifātinā fī al-malakūti ḥattā yatabayyana liman nubayyinu lahu annahu al-ḥaqqu wamā siwāhu bāṭilun lā jarama, falidhalika qāla al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aṣdaqu kalimatin qālathā al-ʿarabu [ mā qāla labīdun ], alā kullu shayʾin mā khalā Allāha bāṭilu, wamimmā astanbaṭū min khuṣūṣiyyati al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama anna mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu saʾala rabbahu ʿazza wajalla faqāla rabbi ashraḥ lī ṣadrī wayassir lī amrī [ wanūdiya muḥammadun ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bilā suʾālin a lam nashraḥ laka ṣadraka ilā ākhiri al-sūrati ], wakadhalika suʾālu ibrāhīma ʿalayhi al-salāmu walā tukhzinī yawma yubʿathūna [ faḍlu al-ḥabībi ʿalā al-khalīli ] waqāla linabiyyinā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min ghayri suʾālin yawma lā yukhzī Allāhu al-nabiyya wa-alladhīna āmanū maʿahu, waqīla lahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama a lam nashraḥ laka ṣadraka wawaḍaʿnā ʿanka wizraka ilā qawlihi fa-inna maʿa al-ʿusri yusran, wamimmā qīla fī hadhā al-maʿnā ayḍan anna Allāha ʿazza wajalla khāṭaba jamīʿa al-khalqi wadaʿāhum ilayhi wadallahum ʿalayhi bidhikri al-mulki wa-al-malakūti faqāla wakadhalika nurī ibrāhīma malakūta al-samāwāti wa-al-arḍi waqawluhu a walam yanẓurū ilā mā khalaqa Allāhu waqawluhu taʿālā a walam yatafakkarū fī anfusihim, waqawluhu a falā yanẓurūna ilā al-ibili kayfa khuliqat ilā ākhiri al-āyati, falammā khāṭaba rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qāla a lam tara ilā rabbika yā muḥammadu kayfa madda al-ẓilla, falammā kāna al-khiṭābu maʿa al-ḥabībi badaʾa bidhikrihi faqāla a lam tara ilā rabbika, wafī [ maʿnā ] qawlihi wa-attakhadha Allāhu

—and “call upon Him, making religion sincere for Him” means: call upon Him without ostentation or self-admiration. Then do not rely upon even that, for “as He began you, so shall you return” at the final outcomes. Concerning God Most High’s words, “We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that He is the Real,” the meaning is: We shall show them Our attributes and descriptions in the dominion until it becomes clear to those for whom We make it clear that He is the Real and that all besides Him is false, without doubt. Hence the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “The truest word spoken by the Arabs is what Labīd said: Behold, everything apart from God is false.” Among the special distinctions of the Prophet that they inferred is this: Moses—peace be upon him—asked his Lord, mighty and majestic, “My Lord, expand my breast for me and ease my task for me,” whereas Muḥammad—may God bless him and grant him peace—was addressed without asking: [“Have We not expanded your breast for you?” to the end of the sūrah.] Likewise Abraham—peace be upon him—asked, “Do not disgrace me on the day they are raised”—[showing the Beloved’s superiority over the intimate friend]—while our Prophet was told without asking, “On the day when God will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him.” He was also told, “Have We not expanded your breast for you and lifted your burden from you?” down to the words, “Surely with hardship comes ease.” It was further said that God, mighty and majestic, addressed all creation, summoned them to Himself, and directed them to Him by mentioning the visible kingdom and the unseen dominion. He said, “Thus We show Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth”; “Have they not looked at what God has created?”; “Have they not reflected within themselves?”; and “Will they not look at the camels, how they were created?” to the end of the verse. But when He addressed the Messenger of God, He said, “Have you not seen your Lord, Muḥammad, how He extends the shadow?” Because the address was to the Beloved, He began by mentioning Himself: “Have you not seen your Lord?” Concerning the words, “God took—”

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إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا قَالُوا إِنَّ الْخَلَّةَ مَا يُخَلِّلُ الْقَلْبَ وَالْمَحَبَّةَ مَا يَكُونُ فِي حَبَّةِ الْقَلْبِ يَعْنِي سُوَيْدَاءِ الْقَلْبِ وَسَمَّى الْمَحَبَّةَ مَحَبَّةً لِأَنَّهَا تَمْحُو بِهَا مَا سِوَاهَا مِنَ الْقَلْبِ فَلِذَلِكَ فَضَّلَ الْحَبِيبَ عَلَى الْخَلِيلِ [ وَقَالَ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ وَقَالَ لِنَبِيِّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى فَدَلَّ بِذَلِكَ فَضْلَ الْحَبِيبِ عَلَى الْخَلِيلِ ]، وَمِمَّا قَالُوا فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى أَيْضًا أَنَّ آدَمَ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ لَمَّا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى تَوْبَتَهُ فَقَالَ وَعَصَى آدَمُ رَبَّهُ فَغَوَى فَذَكَرَ جِنَايَتَهُ قَبْلَ تَوْبَتِهِ ثُمَّ اجْتَبَاهُ رَبُّهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ وَهَدَى، وَذَكَرَ أَيْضًا خَطِيئَةَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ثُمَّ قَالَ فَغَفَرْنَا لَهُ، وَكَذَلِكَ خَبَّرَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بِقَوْلِهِ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَقَالَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَفَا اللَّهُ عَنْكَ لِمَ أَذِنْتَ لَهُمْ، قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ آنْسَهُ بِذِكْرِ الْعَفْوِ حَتَّى لَا يُوحِشَهُ ذِكْرُ الْعِتَابِ، وَقَالَ أَيْضًا لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ، فَابْتَدَأَ بِذِكْرِ الْغُفْرَانِ قَبْلَ الذَّنْبِ وَغَفَرَ لَهُ الذَّنْبَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُذْنِبَ [ وَقَبْلَ الْعَتْبِ ]، وَقَالُوا أَيْضًا مَعْنًى آخَرُ أَنَّ جَمِيعَ مَا أُعْطِيَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ مِنَ الْكَرَامَاتِ قَدْ أَعْطَى مِثْلَهُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَزَادَ لَهُ [ عَلَيْهِمْ ] مِثْلَ انْشِقَاقِ الْقَمَرِ وَنَبْعِ الْمَاءِ مِنَ الْأَصَابِعِ وَالْمِعْرَاجِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَذَكَرَ مَا اسْتَخَصَّهُمْ [ بِهِ ] وَأَضَافَ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْخُلَّةَ وَإِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْكَلَامَ وَإِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الْمُلْكَ وَإِلَى أَيُّوبَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ الصَّبْرَ وَلَمْ يُضِفْ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَيْئًا مِمَّا أَعْطَاهُ مِنَ الْكَرَامَاتِ فَقَالَ لَعَمْرُكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّى يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ الْآيَةَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ الْآيَةَ، وَقَالَ فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمَى، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ لِنَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَيْئًا غَيْرَهُ، فَلَمَّا أَدَّبَهُ بِذَلِكَ قَالَ

ibrāhīma khalīlan qālū inna al-khallata mā yukhallilu al-qalba wa-al-maḥabbata mā yakūnu fī ḥabbati al-qalbi yaʿnī suwaydāʾa al-qalbi wasammā al-maḥabbata maḥabbatan li-annahā tamḥū bihā mā siwāhā mina al-qalbi falidhalika faḍḍala al-ḥabība ʿalā al-khalīli [ waqāla afʿal mā tuʾmaru waqāla linabiyyinā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama walasawfa yuʿṭīka rabbuka fatarḍā fadalla bidhalika faḍla al-ḥabībi ʿalā al-khalīli ], wamimmā qālū fī hadhā al-maʿnā ayḍan anna ādama ṣalawātu Allāhi ʿalayhi lammā dhakara Allāhu taʿālā tawbatahu faqāla waʿaṣā ādamu rabbahu faghawā fadhakara jināyatahu qabla tawbatihi thumma ajtabāhu rabbuhu fatāba ʿalayhi wahadā, wadhakara ayḍan khaṭīʾata dāwuda ʿalayhi al-salāmu thumma qāla faghafarnā lahu, wa-kadhalika khabbara ʿan sulaymāna ʿalayhi al-salāmu biqawlihi walaqad fatannā sulaymāna wa-alqaynā ʿalā kursiyyihi jasadan thumma anāba qāla rabbi aghfir lī, waqāla li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿafā Allāhu ʿanka lima adhinta lahum, qāla baʿḍuhum ānsahu bidhikri al-ʿafwi ḥattā lā yūḥishahu dhikru al-ʿitābi, waqāla ayḍan liyaghfira laka Allāhu mā taqaddama min dhanbika wamā taʾakhkhara, fa-abtadaʾa bidhikri al-ghufrāni qabla al-dhanbi waghafara lahu al-dhanba qabla an yudhniba [ waqabla al-ʿatbi ], waqālū ayḍan maʿnan ākharu anna jamīʿa mā uʿṭiya al-anbiyāʾu ʿalayhimi al-salāmu mina al-karāmāti qad aʿṭā mithlahu muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wazāda lahu [ ʿalayhim ] mithla anshiqāqi al-qamari wanabʿi al-māʾi mina al-aṣābiʿi wa-al-miʿrāji waghayri dhalika, thumma dhakara al-anbiyāʾa wadhakara mā istakhaṣṣahum [ bihi ] wa-aḍāfa ilā ibrāhīma ʿalayhi al-salāmu al-khullata wa-ilā mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu al-kalāma wa-ilā sulaymāna ʿalayhi al-salāmu al-mulka wa-ilā ayyūba ʿalayhi al-salāmu al-ṣabra walam yuḍif ilā muḥammadin ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama shayʾan mimmā aʿṭāhu mina al-karāmāti faqāla laʿamruka yā muḥammadu falā warabbika lā yuʾminūna ḥattā yuḥakkimūka fīmā shajara baynahum al-āyata, thumma qāla inna alladhīna yubāyiʿūnaka innamā yubāyiʿūna Allāha al-āyata, waqāla falam taqtulūhum walakinna Allāha qatalahum wamā ramayta idh ramayta walakinna Allāha ramā, walam yadhkur linabiyyihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama shayʾan ghayrahu, falammā addabahu bidhalika qāla

“—Abraham as an intimate friend,” they said that intimate friendship is what permeates the heart, whereas love is what dwells in the heart’s kernel—its black inner core. Love is called maḥabbah because it effaces from the heart everything other than itself. They therefore judged the Beloved superior to the intimate friend. [To Abraham He said, “Do what you are commanded,” whereas to our Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—He said, “Your Lord will surely give you until you are well pleased.” This shows the Beloved’s superiority over the intimate friend.] They also said in this connection that when God Most High mentioned Adam’s repentance—blessings be upon him—He first said, “Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray,” mentioning his offence before his repentance; then, “His Lord chose him, turned toward him, and guided him.” He likewise mentioned David’s sin—peace be upon him—and then said, “So We forgave him.” He similarly related of Solomon—peace be upon him—“We certainly tried Solomon and cast a body upon his throne; then he turned back. He said, ‘My Lord, forgive me.’” But to the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—He said, “May God pardon you! Why did you grant them permission?” One of them said, “He first comforted him by mentioning pardon so that the ensuing reproach would not make him feel estranged.” God also said, “So that God may forgive you what preceded of your sin and what followed.” He began with forgiveness before mentioning sin and forgave him before the sin occurred [and before the reproach]. They also gave another explanation: every charismatic gift bestowed upon the prophets—peace be upon them—was likewise bestowed upon Muḥammad—may God bless him and grant him peace—and he received additional gifts, such as the splitting of the moon, water springing from his fingers, the Ascension, and others. God then mentioned the prophets and what He had specially granted them: He attached intimate friendship to Abraham, speech to Moses, kingship to Solomon, and patience to Job—peace be upon them. Yet He did not attach to Muḥammad any one of the honours He had bestowed upon him. Instead He said, “By your life, Muḥammad”; “No, by your Lord, they do not believe until they make you judge what has arisen between them,” to the end of the verse; “Those who pledge allegiance to you only pledge allegiance to God,” to the end of the verse; and, “You did not kill them, but God killed them; and you did not throw when you threw, but God threw.” He mentioned nothing to His Prophet apart from Himself. Once the Prophet had been formed by this discipline, he said—

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اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أَصُولُ وَبِكَ أَجُولُ وَبِكَ أُقَاتِلُ وَبِكَ أُحَاوِلُ، وَسُئِلَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلُهُ [ تَعَالَى ] لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًا، قَالَ لَوِ اطَّلَعْتَ عَلَى الْكُلِّ مِمَّا سِوَانَا لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًا إِلَيْنَا يَا مُحَمَّدُ، وَقَالُوا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَسْرَى بِرُوحِهِ كَمَا قَالَ الْمُخَالِفُونَ لَمْ يَقُلْ أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لِأَنَّ اسْمَ الْعَبْدِ لَا يَقَعُ إِلَّا عَلَى الرُّوحِ وَالْجَسَدِ، وَقِيلَ أَيْضًا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا يَعْنِي بِاجْتِبَائِكَ وَاصْطِفَائِكَ لِأَنَّ النُّبُوَّةَ وَالرِّسَالَةَ لَمْ تُقْسَمْ عَلَى الْجَزَاءِ وَالِاسْتِحْقَاقِ وَلَوْ كَانَتْ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْجَزَاءِ وَالِاسْتِحْقَاقِ لَمَا فُضِّلَ نَبِيُّنَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ لِأَنَّهُمْ أَكْثَرُ أَعْمَالًا وَأَطْوَلُ أَعْمَارًا، وَقَالُوا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا أَنَّهُ خَاطَبَهُ بِأَتَمِّ الْخِطَابِ وَأَخَصِّ الْفَضِيلَةِ إِذْ قَالَ وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَقَالَ لِغَيْرِهِ اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ، طَالَبَهُمْ بِالصَّبْرِ عَلَى الْمُعَاوَضَةِ وَطَالَبَ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالصَّبْرِ مَعَ الْمُرَاقَبَةِ، وَقَالَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ لِأَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَجَلُّ عِنْدَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يُطَالِبَهُ بِمُعَامَلَةٍ يُقْتَضَى عَلَيْهَا مُعَاوَضَةٌ لِأَنَّ مَحَلَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَحَلُّ الِاخْتِصَاصِ، فَهَذَا طَرَفٌ مِنَ الْمُسْتَنْبَطَاتِ الَّتِي لِلْقَوْمِ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فِي مَعْنَى خُصُوصِيَّةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ،

Allāhumma bika aṣūlu wabika ajūlu wabika uqātilu wabika uḥāwilu, wasuʾila al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawlihi [ taʿālā ] lawi aṭṭalaʿta ʿalayhim lawallayta minhum firāran walamuliʾta minhum ruʿban, qāla lawi aṭṭalaʿta ʿalā al-kulli mimmā siwānā lawallayta minhum firāran ilaynā yā muḥammadu, waqālū fī maʿnā qawlihi subḥāna alladhī asrā biʿabdihi laylan mina al-masjidi al-ḥarāmi ilā al-masjidi al-aqṣā alladhī bāraknā ḥawlahu annahu law asrā birūḥihi kamā qāla al-mukhālifūna lam yaqul asrā biʿabdihi li-anna isma al-ʿabdi lā yaqaʿu illā ʿalā al-rūḥi wa-al-jasadi, waqīla ayḍan fī maʿnā qawlihi wakāna faḍlu Allāhi ʿalayka ʿaẓīman yaʿnī bi-ijtabāʾika wa-iṣṭifāʾika li-anna al-nubuwwata wa-al-risālata lam tuqsam ʿalā al-jazāʾi wa-al-istiḥqāqi walaw kānat min jihati al-jazāʾi wa-al-istiḥqāqi lamā fuḍḍila nabiyyunā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿalā sāʾiri al-anbiyāʾi ʿalayhimi al-salāmu li-annahum aktharu aʿmālan wa-aṭwalu aʿmāran, waqālū fī maʿnā qawlihi ʿazza wajalla wa-aṣbir liḥukmi rabbika fa-innaka bi-aʿyuninā annahu khāṭabahu bi-atammi al-khiṭābi wa-akhaṣṣi al-faḍīlati idh qāla wa-aṣbir liḥukmi rabbika fa-innaka bi-aʿyuninā waqāla lighayrihi aṣbirū waṣābirū waqāla innamā yuwaffā al-ṣābirūna ajrahum bighayri ḥisābin, ṭālabahum bi-al-ṣabri ʿalā al-muʿāwaḍati waṭālaba al-muṣṭafā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bi-al-ṣabri maʿa al-murāqabati, waqāla fī mawḍiʿin ākhara wa-aṣbir wamā ṣabruka illā bi-Allāhi li-annahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ajallu ʿindahu min an yuṭālibahu bimuʿāmalatin yuqtaḍā ʿalayhā muʿāwaḍatun li-anna maḥallahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama maḥallu al-ikhtiṣāṣi, fahadhā ṭarafun mina al-mustanbaṭāti allatī li-al-qawmi mina al-qurʾāni fī maʿnā khuṣūṣiyyati al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama,

—“O God, through You I assault, through You I move, through You I fight, and through You I strive.” Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about God Most High’s words, “Had you looked upon them, you would have turned from them in flight and been filled with terror of them.” He replied, “Had you looked upon the whole of what is other than Us, you would have fled from them to Us, Muḥammad.” Concerning the words, “Glory be to the One who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed,” they said that had He carried only his spirit by night, as the dissenters claim, He would not have said, “carried His servant,” because the name ‘servant’ applies only to spirit and body together. It was also said that “God’s favour upon you was immense” means His choosing and electing you. Prophecy and messengership are not distributed as recompense for merit. Had they been granted as recompense for merit, our Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—would not have been preferred above the other prophets—peace be upon them—for they performed more works and lived longer lives. Concerning the words, “Be patient under your Lord’s judgment, for you are before Our eyes,” they said that God addressed him with the most complete form of address and the most particular distinction. He said to him, “Be patient under your Lord’s judgment, for you are before Our eyes,” whereas to others He said, “Be patient and vie in patience,” and, “Those who are patient will be paid their reward without measure.” He required them to be patient in view of recompense, but required the Chosen One—may God bless him and grant him peace—to be patient together with watchful awareness. Elsewhere He said, “Be patient, and your patience is only through God,” because the Prophet’s standing before Him was too august for Him to demand from him a transaction requiring compensation: his was the station of special election. This is a portion of the people’s Qur’anic inferences concerning the Prophet’s special distinction—may God bless him and grant him peace.

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بَابٌ فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ فِي خُصُوصِيَّةِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفَضْلِهِ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ مِنَ الْأَخْبَارِ الْمَرْوِيَّةِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَمَّا مُسْتَنْبَطَاتُهُمْ فِي أَخْبَارِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَكَمَا قِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِهِ أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ، قَالُوا يَقُولُ اللَّهُ وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِبْ فَوَجَدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي سُجُودِهِ مَعْنًى مِنَ الْقُرْبِ فَقَالَ أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِمُعَافَاتِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ فَاسْتَعَاذَ بِصِفَاتِهِ مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ، ثُمَّ شَاهَدَ مَعْنًى آخَرَ مِنَ الْقُرْبِ مَا انْدَرَجَ فِيهِ الْقُرْبُ الَّذِي شَاهَدَ [ بِهِ ] الصِّفَاتِ وَالنُّعُوتَ فَقَالَ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ وَكَانَ قَدِ اسْتَعَاذَ بِصِفَاتِهِ مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ فَلَمَّا اسْتَعَاذَ بِهِ لَمْ يَكُنِ الْمُسْتَعَاذُ بِهِ إِلَّا مِنْهُ ثُمَّ زِيدَ فِي قُرْبِهِ وَوَجَدَ مِنَ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ مَعْنًى أَفْنَاهُ عَنْ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ بِهِ فَقَالَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ فَاحْتَشَمَ مِنَ الِاسْتِعَاذَةِ بِهِ فِي مَحَلِّ الْقُرْبِ فَالْتَجَأَ إِلَى الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ وَمَنْ لَمْ يُطِقِ الِاسْتِعَاذَةَ الَّتِي هِيَ حَدُّ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ فَكَيْفَ يُطِيقُ الثَّنَاءَ وَهُوَ صِفَةُ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ لَا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ ثُمَّ احْتَشَمَ أَيْضًا مِنَ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَحَلِّ الْقُرْبِ فَأَخْرَجَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ بِمَا أَثْنَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى [ بِهِ ] عَلَى نَفْسِهِ قَبْلَ الْخَلْقِ وَحَمِدَ نَفْسَهُ قَبْلَ حَمْدِهِمْ لَهُ وَشَهِدَ لِنَفْسِهِ بِالْوَحْدَانِيَّةِ قَبْلَ شَهَادَتِهِمْ لَهُ فَقَالَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ، وَهَذَا حَقِيقَةُ نِهَايَةِ التَّقْرِيبِ وَحَقِيقَةُ التَّجْرِيدِ أَنْ يَتَلَاشَى الْعَبْدُ كَمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ وَيَكُونُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَمَا لَمْ يَزُلْ، فَلَوْ جَمَعَ جَمِيعَ [ إِشَارَاتِ ] الْوَاجِدِينَ وَالْعَارِفِينَ وَالْمُتَحَقِّقِينَ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ لَمْ يَبْلُغْ عُشْرَ مِعْشَارِ مَا أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

bābun fī mustanbaṭātihim fī khuṣūṣiyyati al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wafaḍlihi ʿalā ikhwānihi ʿalayhimu al-salāmu mina al-akhbāri al-marwiyyati ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-ammā mustanbaṭātuhum fī akhbāri rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fakamā qīla fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu kāna yaqūlu fī sujūdihi aʿūdhu biriḍāka min sakhaṭika wa-aʿūdhu bimuʿāfātika min ʿuqūbatika wa-aʿūdhu bika minka lā uḥṣī thanāʾan ʿalayka anta kamā athnayta ʿalā nafsika, qālū yaqūlu Allāhu wa-asjud wa-aqtarib fawajada rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī sujūdihi maʿnan mina al-qurbi faqāla aʿūdhu biriḍāka min sakhaṭika wa-aʿūdhu bimuʿāfātika min ʿuqūbatika fa-astaʿādha biṣifātihi min ṣifātihi, thumma shāhada maʿnan ākhara mina al-qurbi mā andaraja fīhi al-qurbu alladhī shāhada [ bihi ] al-ṣifāti wa-al-nuʿūta faqāla aʿūdhu bika minka wakāna qadi astaʿādha biṣifātihi min ṣifātihi falammā astaʿādha bihi lam yakuni al-mustaʿādhu bihi illā minhu thumma zīda fī qurbihi wawajada mina al-mushāhadati maʿnan afnāhu ʿan al-istiʿādhati bihi faqāla lā uḥṣī thanāʾan ʿalayka fa-aḥtashama mina al-istiʿādhati bihi fī maḥalli al-qurbi fa-iltajaʾa ilā al-thanāʾi ʿalayhi waman lam yuṭiqi al-istiʿādhata allatī hiya ḥaddu al-ʿubūdiyyati fakayfa yuṭīqu al-thanāʾa wahuwa ṣifatu al-rubūbiyyati falidhalika qāla lā uḥṣī thanāʾan ʿalayka thumma aḥtashama ayḍan mina al-thanāʾi ʿalayhi fī maḥalli al-qurbi fa-akhraja nafsahu mina al-thanāʾi ʿalayhi bimā athnā Allāhu taʿālā [ bihi ] ʿalā nafsihi qabla al-khalqi waḥamida nafsahu qabla ḥamdihim lahu washahida linafsihi bi-al-waḥdāniyyati qabla shahādatihim lahu faqāla anta kamā athnayta ʿalā nafsika, wahadhā ḥaqīqatu nihāyati al-taqrībi waḥaqīqatu al-tajrīdi an yatalāshā al-ʿabdu kamā lam yakun wayakūnu Allāhu taʿālā kamā lam yazul, falaw jamaʿa jamīʿa [ ishārāti ] al-wājidīna wa-al-ʿārifīna wa-al-mutaḥaqqiqīna fī al-tawḥīdi lam yablugh ʿushra miʿshāri mā ashāra ilayhi rasūlu Allāhi

Chapter on their inferences from reports transmitted from the Messenger of God concerning the Prophet’s special distinction and his superiority over his brother prophets—peace be upon them. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for their inferences from the reports of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—one example is their explanation of the supplication he used to say in prostration: “I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath; I seek refuge in Your pardon from Your punishment; and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot encompass praise of You; You are as You have praised Yourself.” They said that God says, “Prostrate and draw near.” In his prostration, the Messenger of God found a meaning of nearness and said, “I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath, and I seek refuge in Your pardon from Your punishment,” seeking refuge in some of His attributes from others. He then witnessed another meaning of nearness within which the former nearness—the one in which he witnessed the attributes and descriptions—was subsumed. He therefore said, “I seek refuge in You from You.” When he had sought refuge in Him, the One from whom refuge was sought could only be Him. He was then increased in nearness and found in witnessing a meaning that effaced him from the very act of seeking refuge. He said, “I cannot encompass praise of You,” feeling too much reverence to seek refuge in Him at the station of nearness, and so he turned to praising Him. But if he could not bear the act of seeking refuge—the boundary of servanthood—how could he bear praise, which is an attribute of lordship? He therefore said, “I cannot encompass praise of You.” He then felt too much reverence even to praise Him in the station of nearness, so he removed himself from praising Him by referring praise to that with which God Most High praised Himself before creation, praised Himself before their praise of Him, and testified to His own oneness before their testimony. Thus he said, “You are as You have praised Yourself.” This is the true furthest reach of being brought near and the reality of pure detachment: the servant fades away as though he had never been, while God Most High remains as He has never ceased to be. Were all the allusions of the finders, knowers, and realized affirmers of divine unity gathered together, they would not attain a tenth of a tenth of what the Messenger of God—

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صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى، وَقِيلَ أَيْضًا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلًا وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا وَلَخَرَجْتُمْ إِلَى الصُّعُدَاتِ وَلَمَّا تَقَارَرْتُمْ عَلَى الْفُرُشِ، قَالُوا لَوْ أَنَّ الَّذِي عَلِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ الَّتِي أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَأَمَرَ بِإِبْلَاغِهِ لَبَلَّغَهُمْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَوْ عَلِمُوا ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَقُلْ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ، وَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ يُطِيقُونَ ذَلِكَ لَعَلِّمَهُمْ كَسَائِرِ الْعُلُومِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ الْمُتَعَارَفَةِ بَيْنَ الْخَلْقِ أَيْضًا لَقَالُوا عَلِّمْنَا بَعْدَ مَا قَالَ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لِأَنَّ حَقَائِقَ رِسَالَتِهِ وَمَا خَصَّهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ لَوْ وُضِعَتْ عَلَى الْجِبَالِ لَذَابَتْ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُظْهِرُهَا لَهُمْ عَلَى مَقَادِيرِهِمْ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَقَالَ وَقُلْ رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا، وَقَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَا أَعْلَمُكُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَلَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ وَقَدْ أَشَارَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى مَعْنًى مِنْ مَعَانِي تَخْصِيصِهِ إِشَارَةً لَا تُدْرِكُهَا الْعُقُولُ وَلَا تَصِلُ إِلَيْهَا الْفُهُومُ وَتَعْجِزُ عَنْهَا عُلُومُ جَمِيعِ الْخَلْقِ وَهُوَ قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَسْتُ كَأَحَدِكُمْ إِنِّي أَظَلُّ عِنْدَ رَبِّي يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْقِينِي، فَلَا يَتَهَيَّأُ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يُخْبِرَ عَنِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَهُ وَسَقَاهُ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي عُلُوِّ مَرْتَبَتِهِ وَمَا خُصَّ بِهِ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ بِاللَّهِ لَمْ يُخْبِرْ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يَصِفْهُ، وَقِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي دَعَوَاتِهِ اللَّهُمَّ اكْفُلْنِي كَفَالَةَ الْوَلِيدِ لَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِي إِلَيْكَ وَأَلْجَأْتُ ظَهْرِي إِلَيْكَ لَا مَلْجَأَ وَلَا مُنْجَى مِنْكَ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا يُشْبِهُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ دَعَوَاتِهِ أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَظْهَرَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ صِدْقَ اللَّجَأِ وَأَظْهَرَ الْفَاقَةَ إِلَيْهِ وَالِاسْتِكَانَةَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِلَا مُشَاهَدَةِ حَرَكَةٍ مِنْ حَرَكَاتِهِ وَلَا إِضَافَةِ فِعْلٍ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْوَاسِطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَبِصُدْقِ اللَّجَأِ وَإِظْهَارِ الْفَقْرِ وَصِدْقِ الْفَاقَةِ تَزَيَّنَتِ السَّرَايِرُ، وَقِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ وَا كَرْبَاهُ قَالُوا يُسِّرَتِ الْمَنِيَّةُ عَلَيْهِ لِمُبَادَرَتِهِ إِلَى مَا لَاحَظَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ مِنَ الْمَرَاتِبِ الرَّفِيعَةِ فَقَالَ وَا كَرْبَاهُ مِنَ الْبَقَاءِ فِيمَا بَيْنَكُمْ شَوْقًا مِنِّي إِلَى اللِّقَاءِ،

ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī hadhā al-maʿnā, waqīla ayḍan fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama law taʿlamūna mā aʿlamu laḍaḥiktum qalīlan walabakaytum kathīran walakharajtum ilā al-ṣuʿudāti walammā taqārartum ʿalā al-furushi, qālū law anna alladhī ʿalima rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama kāna mina al-ʿulūmi allatī anzala Allāhu taʿālā ʿalayhi wa-amara bi-iblāghihi laballaghahum dhalika, walaw ʿalimū dhalika lam yaqul law taʿlamūna mā aʿlamu, walaw ʿalima annahum yuṭīqūna dhalika laʿallimahum kasāʾiri al-ʿulūmi, walaw kāna mina al-ʿulūmi al-mutaʿārafati bayna al-khalqi ayḍan laqālū ʿallimnā baʿda mā qāla law taʿlamūna mā aʿlamu li-anna ḥaqāʾiqa risālatihi wamā khaṣṣahu Allāhu taʿālā bihi mina al-ʿilmi law wuḍiʿat ʿalā al-jibāli ladhābat illā annahu kāna yuẓhiruhā lahum ʿalā maqādīrihim li-anna Allāha taʿālā qāla fa-aʿlam annahu lā ilaha illā Allāhu waqāla waqul rabbi zidnī ʿilman, waqāla ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama anā aʿlamukum bi-Allāhi walaw taʿlamūna mā aʿlamu waqad ashāra rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ilā maʿnan min maʿānī takhṣīṣihi ishāratan lā tudrikuhā al-ʿuqūlu walā taṣilu ilayhā al-fuhūmu wataʿjizu ʿanhā ʿulūmu jamīʿi al-khalqi wahuwa qawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama lastu ka-aḥadikum innī aẓallu ʿinda rabbī yuṭʿimunī wayasqīnī, falā yatahayyaʾu li-aḥadin an yukhbira ʿani alladhī aṭʿamahu wasaqāhu li-anna al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī ʿuluwwi martabatihi wamā khuṣṣa bihi mina al-ʿilmi bi-Allāhi lam yukhbir ʿanhu walam yaṣifhu, waqīla fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī daʿawātihi Allāhumma ukfulnī kafālata al-walīdi lā takilnī ilā nafsī ṭarfata ʿaynin wajjahtu wajhī ilayka wa-aljaʾtu ẓahrī ilayka lā maljaʾa walā munjā minka illā ilayka wamā yushbihu dhalika min daʿawātihi annahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aẓhara min nafsihi ṣidqa al-lajaʾi wa-aẓhara al-fāqata ilayhi wa-al-istikānata bayna yadayhi bilā mushāhadati ḥarakatin min ḥarakātihi walā iḍāfati fiʿlin ilā nafsihi, qāla abū bakrin al-wāsiṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu wabiṣudqi al-lajaʾi wa-iẓhāri al-faqri waṣidqi al-fāqati tazayyanati al-sarāʾiru, waqīla fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿinda mawtihi wā karbāhu qālū yussirati al-maniyyatu ʿalayhi limubādaratihi ilā mā lāḥaẓa ʿinda al-mawti mina al-marātibi al-rafīʿati faqāla wā karbāhu mina al-baqāʾi fīmā baynakum shawqan minnī ilā al-liqāʾi,

—may God bless him and grant him peace—indicated in this saying. It was also said concerning the Prophet’s words, “If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much; you would go out to the open roads and would find no rest upon your beds”: had what the Messenger of God knew belonged to the revealed teachings that God Most High commanded him to convey, he would have conveyed it to them. Had they known it, he would not have said, “If you knew what I know.” Had he known them able to bear it, he would have taught it to them like the other branches of knowledge. And had it belonged to the kinds of learning familiar among created beings, they would have said, “Teach us,” after he said, “If you knew what I know.” The realities of his messengership and the knowledge God specially granted him would have melted the mountains if laid upon them. Yet he disclosed them to people according to their capacities, for God Most High said, “Know that there is no god but God,” and, “Say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge.” The Prophet said, “I know God better than any of you,” and, “If you knew what I know…” The Messenger of God pointed to a meaning of his special distinction that intellects cannot apprehend, understandings cannot reach, and all created knowledge is powerless to grasp. It is his saying, “I am not like any one of you: I remain with my Lord, who feeds me and gives me drink.” No one can report what fed him and gave him drink, for despite the loftiness of his rank and the knowledge of God specially granted him, the Prophet neither reported it nor described it. It was said concerning such prayers of his as, “O God, care for me as an infant is cared for; do not entrust me to myself for the blink of an eye; I have turned my face to You and committed my back to You; there is no refuge and no deliverance from You except in You,” and similar supplications, that he manifested true recourse, utter need for God, and humble submission before Him without witnessing any motion as his own or attributing any act to himself. Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī—may God have mercy on him—said, “Inner beings are adorned through true recourse, the manifestation of poverty, and sincere need.” Concerning the Prophet’s words at his death, “O my anguish!” they said that death itself had been made easy for him because he hastened toward the lofty ranks he beheld at death. His meaning was, “O my anguish at remaining among you, because of my longing for the meeting!”

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وَسَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ دَاوُدَ الدِّينَوَرِيَّ الْمَعْرُوفَ بِالدُّقَّى يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُرَيْرِيَّ يَقُولُ قِيلَ لِلْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَلَا فَخْرَ فَقَالَ لِي هَاتِ أَيْشْ وَقَعَ لَكَ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ وَلَا فَخْرَ وَهَذَا عَطَاؤُهُ وَأَنَا لَا أَفْتَخِرُ بِالْعَطَاءِ لِأَنَّ فَخْرِي بِالْمُعْطِي فَقَالَ لِي أَحْسَنْتَ يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَسُئِلَ [ الْجُنَيْدُ ] عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي زَيْنَبَ امْرَأَةِ زَيْدٍ وَوَجْهُ الْحِكْمَةِ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَانَ زَيْدٌ يُدْعَى ابْنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَانَ ابْنَ الدِّعَايَةِ لَا ابْنَ الْوِلَادَةِ فَأَرَادَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ بِحَلِيلَتِهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ فَرْقًا بَيْنَ أَبْنَاءِ الْوِلَادَةِ وَأَبْنَاءِ الدِّعَايَةِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ وَتُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ فَإِنِّي أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، قَالُوا كَانَ حَالُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى [ زِيَادَةٌ ] فِي كُلِّ نَفَسٍ وَطَرَفَةِ عَيْنٍ فَكَانَ إِذَا رَقَى بِهِ إِلَى زِيَادَةِ حَالٍ أَشْرَفَ مِنْ زِيَادَتِهِ عَلَى حَالَتِهِ فِي النَّفَسِ الْمَاضِي اسْتَغْفَرَ اللَّهَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَتَابَ إِلَيْهِ، وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَيْضًا كَمَا بَلَغَنِي عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ أَخِي عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَوِ ازْدَادَ يَقِينًا لَمَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ، فَقَالَ مَعْنَاهُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مَشَى عَلَى الْمَاءِ بِيَقِينِهِ وَالنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ بِزِيَادَةِ يَقِينِهِ عَلَى يَقِينِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَقَالَ لَوِ ازْدَادَ يَقِينًا يَعْنِي لَوْ أَعْطَى مِنْ زِيَادَةِ الْيَقِينِ مِثْلَ مَا أُعْطِيتُ لَمَشَى فِي الْهَوَاءِ، يُخْبِرُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ حَالَتِهِ، وَسَمِعْتُ الْحُصَرِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِي مَعَ اللَّهِ وَقْتٌ لَا يَسَعُنِي فِيهِ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَقَالَ إِنْ صَحَّ ذَلِكَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ ذَلِكَ أَوْ لَمْ يَصِحَّ فَإِنَّ جَمِيعَ أَوْقَاتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَتْ وَقْتًا لَا يَسَعُهُ فِيهِ [ مَعَهُ ] غَيْرُ اللَّهِ بِسِرِّهِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَلَكِنْ كَانَ يَرُدُّ بِصِفَاتِهِ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ حَتَّى يُؤَدِّبَهُمْ وَيُعَلِّمَهُمْ وَيُجْرَى عَلَى صِفَاتِهِ تَلْوِينُ الْأَحْكَامِ لِيَنْتَفِعَ بِهِ الْخَلْقُ فَإِذَا بَدَا عَلَى صِفَاتِهِ مِنْ أَنْوَارِ سِرِّهِ

wasamiʿtu muḥammada bna dāwuda al-dīnawariyya al-maʿrūfa bi-al-duqqā yaqūlu samiʿtu al-jurayriyya yaqūlu qīla li-al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu mā maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama anā sayyidu waladi ādama walā fakhra faqāla lī hāti aysh waqaʿa laka fī dhalika faqultu maʿnā qawlihi anā sayyidu waladi ādama walā fakhra wahadhā ʿaṭāʾuhu wa-anā lā aftakhiru bi-al-ʿaṭāʾi li-anna fakhrī bi-al-muʿṭī faqāla lī aḥsanta yā abā muḥammadin aw kamā qāla, wasuʾila [ al-junaydu ] ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī zaynaba amraʾati zaydin wawajhu al-ḥikmati fī dhalika faqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu kāna zaydun yudʿā ibna al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wakāna abna al-diʿāyati lā abna al-wilādati fa-arāda Allāhu ʿazza wajalla an yatazawwaja biḥalīlatihi ḥattā yakūna farqan bayna abnāʾi al-wilādati wa-abnāʾi al-diʿāyati, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama astaghfirū Allāha watūbū ilayhi fa-innī astaghfiru Allāha wa-atūbu ilayhi fī al-yawmi miʾyata marratin aw kamā qāla, qālū kāna ḥālu al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama maʿa Allāhi taʿālā [ ziyādatun ] fī kulli nafasin waṭarafati ʿaynin fakāna idhā raqā bihi ilā ziyādati ḥālin ashrafa min ziyādatihi ʿalā ḥālatihi fī al-nafasi al-māḍī astaghfara Allāha min dhalika watāba ilayhi, wasuʾila al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ayḍan kamā balaghanī ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama raḥima Allāhu akhī ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu lawi azdāda yaqīnan lamashā fī al-hawāʾi, faqāla maʿnāhu wa-Allāhu aʿlamu anna ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu mashā ʿalā al-māʾi biyaqīnihi wa-al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama mashā fī al-hawāʾi laylata al-miʿrāji biziyādati yaqīnihi ʿalā yaqīni ʿīsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu faqāla lawi azdāda yaqīnan yaʿnī law aʿṭā min ziyādati al-yaqīni mithla mā uʿṭītu la-mashā fī al-hawāʾi, yukhbiru rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿan ḥālatihi, wasamiʿtu al-ḥuṣariyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama lī maʿa Allāhi waqtun lā yasaʿunī fīhi maʿahu shaʾun ghayru Allāhi ʿazza wajalla faqāla in ṣaḥḥa dhalika ʿani al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla dhalika aw lam yaṣiḥḥa fa-inna jamīʿa awqāti rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama kānat waqtan lā yasaʿuhu fīhi [ maʿahu ] ghayru Allāhi bisirrihi waqalbihi walakin kāna yaruddu biṣifātihi ilā al-khalqi ḥattā yuʾaddibahum wayuʿallimahum wayujrā ʿalā ṣifātihi talwīnu al-aḥkāmi liyantafiʿa bihi al-khalqu fa-idhā badā ʿalā ṣifātihi min anwāri sirrihi

I heard Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd al-Dīnawarī, known as al-Duqqī, say that he heard al-Jurayrī say: Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, “I am the master of Adam’s children, and this is no boast.” He said to me, “Come, tell me what has occurred to you concerning it.” I replied, “The meaning is: ‘I am the master of Adam’s children, and this is no boast. This is His gift; I do not boast of the gift, for my boast is in the Giver.’” He said, “You have answered well, Abū Muḥammad,” or words to that effect. [Al-Junayd] was asked about the Prophet’s marriage to Zaynab, the former wife of Zayd, and the wisdom in it. He replied, “Zayd was called the Prophet’s son—may God bless him and grant him peace—but he was a son by designation, not by birth. God, mighty and majestic, willed that the Prophet marry Zayd’s former wife so that a distinction would be established between sons by birth and sons by designation.” Al-Junayd also explained the Prophet’s words, “Seek God’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance, for I seek God’s forgiveness and turn to Him one hundred times each day,” or words to that effect. They said that in every breath and blink of an eye the Prophet’s state with God Most High increased. Whenever he was raised to a higher state, from its vantage point he regarded his state in the preceding breath and sought God’s forgiveness for it and turned to Him. Al-Junayd was also asked, as I was told, about the Prophet’s words, “May God have mercy on my brother Jesus—peace be upon him. Had his certainty increased, he would have walked through the air.” He replied, “Its meaning—and God knows best—is that Jesus walked upon water by virtue of his certainty, whereas the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—travelled through the air on the Night of the Ascension by virtue of a certainty greater than that of Jesus. Thus ‘had his certainty increased’ means: had he been given an increase in certainty like that given to me, he would have walked through the air.” In this way the Messenger of God was reporting his own state. I heard al-Ḥuṣrī—may God have mercy on him—speak about the Prophet’s saying, “I have a time with God in which nothing other than God has room in me alongside Him.” He said, “Whether or not this is soundly transmitted from the Prophet, all the moments of the Messenger of God were such that, in his innermost being and heart, nothing other than God had room in him alongside God. Yet in his outward attributes he was returned to creation so that he might refine and teach them, and the differing rulings might proceed through those attributes for creation’s benefit. Whenever something from the lights of his innermost being appeared upon his outward attributes—”

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أَخَذَهُ عَنِ الْخَلْقِ كَمَا قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا انْتَبَهْتُ لَيْلَةً فَلَمْ أَجِدْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي فِرَاشِهِ فَقُمْتُ أَطْلُبُهُ فَوَقَعَتْ يَدِي عَلَى قَدَمَيْهِ وَهُمَا مُنْتَصِبَتَانِ سَاجِدًا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ [ وَسَمِعْتُهُ ] وَهُوَ يَقُولُ أَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ الْحَدِيثَ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْوَقْتُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَبْدُو عَلَى سِرِّهِ وَالْأَنْوَارُ عَلَى صِفَاتِهِ وَإِذَا رُدَّتِ الْأَنْوَارُ إِلَى سِرِّهِ رُدَّ بِصِفَاتِهِ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ لِيَنْتَفِعُوا بِهِ وَيَقْتَدُوا بِهِ، مَعْنَى صِفَاتِهِ أَيْ ظَاهِرِهِ وَمَعْنَى سِرِّهِ أَيْ بَاطِنِهِ، بَابٌ فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ فِي مَعَانِي أَخْبَارٍ مَرْوِيَّةٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ وَالْفَهْمِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ بِالْبَصْرَةِ وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَطْيَبُ مَا أَكَلَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ كَسْبِ يَدِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ السَّائِلُ نَحْنُ مُسْتَعْبِدُونَ بِالِاكْتِسَابِ إِذًا فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ الْكَسْبُ سُنَّةُ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَالتَّوَكُّلُ حَالُ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنَّمَا اسْتَنَّ لَهُمُ الْكَسْبُ لِعِلْمِهِ بِضَعْفِهِمْ حَتَّى إِذَا عَجَزُوا عَنِ التَّوَكُّلِ الَّذِي هُوَ حَالُهُ وَسَقَطُوا عَنْ مَرْتَبَتِهِ فِي التَّوَكُّلِ وَدَرَجَتِهِ وَقَعُوا فِي الِاكْتِسَابِ الَّتِي هِيَ سُنَّتُهُ وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَهَلَكُوا، [ وَقِيلَ فِي مَعْنَى ذَلِكَ إِنْ رَفَعَ الْعَبْدُ يَدَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَيَدْعُو اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَيُجِيبُهُ فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ كَسْبَ يَدِهِ ]، وَسُئِلَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جُعِلَ رِزْقِي تَحْتَ ظِلِّ سَيْفِي فَقَالَ كَانَ سَيْفُهُ [ التَّوَكُّلُ عَلَى ] اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَمَّا ذُو الْفَقَارِ فَهُوَ قِطْعَةٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ، وَمِثْلُ ذَلِكَ فِي مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ كَثِيرٌ إِنَّ ذِكْرَنَا يُطَوِّلُ الْكِتَابَ، وَأَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ فِي غَيْرَ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ فَهُوَ كَمَا سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنَ عَلْوَانَ بِرَحْبَةِ مَالِكِ

akhadhahu ʿani al-khalqi kamā qālat ʿĀʾishatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā intabahtu laylatan falam ajid rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fī firāshihi faqumtu aṭlubuhu fawaqaʿat yadī ʿalā qadamayhi wahumā muntaṣibatāni sājidan li-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla [ wasamiʿtuhu ] wahuwa yaqūlu aʿūdhu biriḍāka min sakhaṭika al-ḥadītha, fahadhā huwa al-waqtu alladhī kāna yabdū ʿalā sirrihi wa-al-anwāru ʿalā ṣifātihi wa-idhā ruddati al-anwāru ilā sirrihi rudda biṣifātihi ilā al-khalqi liyantafiʿū bihi wayaqtadū bihi, maʿnā ṣifātihi ay ẓāhirihi wa-maʿnā sirrihi ay bāṭinihi, bābun fī mustanbaṭātihim fī maʿānī akhbārin marwiyyatin ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min ṭarīqi al-istinbāṭi wa-al-fahmi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu samiʿtu abā al-ḥasani aḥmada bna muḥammadi bni sālimin bi-al-baṣrati waqad suʾila ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aṭyabu mā akala al-rajulu min kasbi yadihi faqāla lahu al-sāʾilu naḥnu mustaʿbidūna bi-al-iktisābi idhan faqāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu al-kasbu sunnatu al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-al-tawakkulu ḥālu al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-innamā astanna lahumu al-kasbu liʿilmihi biḍaʿfihim ḥattā idhā ʿajazū ʿani al-tawakkuli alladhī huwa ḥāluhu wasaqaṭū ʿan martabatihi fī al-tawakkuli wadarajatihi waqaʿū fī al-iktisābi allatī hiya sunnatuhu walawlā dhalika lahalakū, [ waqīla fī maʿnā dhalika in rafaʿa al-ʿabdu yadahu ilā Allāhi taʿālā fayadʿū Allāha taʿālā fayujībuhu fayakūnu dhalika kasbun yadihi ], wasuʾila al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama juʿila rizqī taḥta ẓilli sayfī faqāla kāna sayfuhu [ al-tawakkulu ʿalā ] Allāhi taʿālā wa-ammā dhū al-faqāri fahuwa qiṭʿatun min ḥadīdin, wamithlu dhalika fī mustanbaṭātihim kathīrun anna dhikranā yuṭawwilu al-kitāba, wa-ammā mā kāna min mustanbaṭātihim fī ghayra hadhā al-maʿnā mina al-ḥadīthi fahuwa kamā samiʿtu abā ʿamrin ʿabda al-wāḥidi bna ʿalwāna bi-raḥbati māliki

“—it drew him away from creation.” Thus ʿĀʾishah—may God be pleased with her—said, “I awoke one night and did not find the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—in his bed. I rose to look for him, and my hand fell upon his feet, which were upright while he prostrated to God, mighty and majestic. [I heard him] saying, ‘I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath…,’” to the end of the report. This was the time when the lights appeared upon his outward attributes from his innermost being. When the lights were returned to his innermost being, he was returned in his outward attributes to creation so that they might benefit from him and take him as their model. By “outward attributes” is meant his exterior, and by “innermost being” his interior. Chapter on their inferences, by way of inference and understanding, concerning meanings in reports transmitted from the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: I heard Abū al-Ḥasan Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Sālim in Basra when he was asked about the Prophet’s words, “The finest food a man eats is that earned by his own hand.” The questioner said, “Are we therefore bound as servants to earn?” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—replied, “Earning is the Messenger’s Sunna, while trust in God is the Messenger’s state. He established earning as a Sunna for them because he knew their weakness, so that if they proved incapable of the trust in God that was his state and fell below his rank and degree in trust, they would fall back upon earning, which was his Sunna. Without that, they would perish.” [It was said in explanation that when a servant raises his hand to God Most High and supplicates, and God answers him, this is the earning of his hand.] Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, “My provision was placed beneath the shadow of my sword.” He replied, “His sword was [trust in] God Most High; Dhū al-Faqār was merely a piece of iron.” Their inferences of this kind are numerous, and recounting them would make the book too long. As for their inferences from hadith on other subjects, an example is what I heard Abū ʿAmr ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn ʿAlwān relate in Raḥbat Mālik—

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بْنِ طَوْقٍ قَالَ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَنَا عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٌ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ تَوَكَّلْتُمْ عَلَى اللَّهِ حَقَّ تَوَكُّلِهِ لَغَذَاكُمْ كَمَا يَغْذُو الطَّيْرَ تَغْدُو خِمَاصًا وَتَرُوحُ بِطَانًا وَهُوَ ذَا تَرَى أَنَّ الطَّيْرَ يَطِيرُ فِي طَلَبِ الرِّزْقِ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَيَتَحَرَّكُ وَيَطْلُبُ وَيَنْبَعِثُ، فَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَهَا وَإِنَّمَا طَيَرَانُ الطَّيْرِ وَحَرَكَتُهُ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ وَنَقْلَتُهُ مِنْ مَكَانٍ إِلَى مَكَانٍ مِنْ أَجْلِ الزِّينَةِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى طَيَرَانَهُ لِلزِّينَةِ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا لِطَلَبِ الرِّزْقِ، وَوَجَدْتُ فِي كِتَابِ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُثْمَانَ الْمَكِّيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ اعْبُدِ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ، وَكَذَلِكَ إِجَابَةُ جِبْرِيلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حِينَ سَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْإِحْسَانِ فَقَالَ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ، فَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ ] كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ شَيْءٌ بَيْنَ شَيْئَيْنِ بَيْنَ رُؤْيَةٍ وَيَقِينٍ فَلَمْ يُخْرِجْهَا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى رُؤْيَةِ عِيَانٍ وَلَمْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى صِفَةِ يَقِينٍ وَإِنَّمَا مَثَّلَ لَهُ مَثَلٌ يَدُلُّ عَلَى نِهَايَةٍ مِنْ نِهَايَاتِ حَقَائِقِ الْإِيمَانِ وَبِذَلِكَ طَالَبَ حَارِثَةُ إِنْ صَحَّ الْخَبَرُ، وَمَا كَانَ كَأَنَّ بِمَعْنَى أَنَّ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ إِنْ وَلَكِنَّهُ قَدْ قَرُبَ مِنْ مَعْنَى الرُّؤْيَةِ فِي تَغْلِيبِ الْمُشَاهَدَةِ عِنْدَ حُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ وَمُدَانَاتِهَا إِلَى مَا وَارَتْهُ الْغُيُوبُ فَهَذَا أَصْلُ الْحُجَّةِ عَلَى مُشَاهَدَةِ الْقُلُوبِ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْوَاسِطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جُبِلَ وَلِيُّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى السَّخَاءِ وَحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ فَقَالَ أَمَّا السَّخَاوَةُ مِنْ وَلِيِّ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنْ يَهَبَ نَفْسَهُ وَقَلْبَهُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَحُسْنُ خُلُقِهِ أَنْ يُوَافِقَ خُلُقُهُ اخْتِلَافَ تَدْبِيرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَسُئِلَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى مَا رَوَى فِي الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ النَّفْسَ إِذَا

bni ṭawqin qāla saʾala rajulun al-junayda raḥimahu Allāhu wa-anā ʿindahu jālisun ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama law tawakkaltum ʿalā Allāhi ḥaqqa tawakkulihi laghadhākum kamā yaghdhū al-ṭayra taghdū khimāṣan watarūḥu biṭānan wahuwa dhā tarā anna al-ṭayra yaṭīru fī ṭalabi al-rizqi min mawḍiʿin ilā mawḍiʿin wayataḥarraku wayaṭlubu wayanbaʿithu, faqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla Allāhu taʿālā innā jaʿalnā mā ʿalā al-arḍi zīnatan lahā wa-innamā ṭayarānu al-ṭayri waḥarakatuhu min mawḍiʿin ilā mawḍiʿin wanaqlatuhu min makānin ilā makānin min ajli al-zīnati allatī dhakara Allāhu taʿālā faqad jaʿala Allāhu taʿālā ṭayarānahu li-al-zīnati allatī dhakara Allāhu taʿālā lā liṭalabi al-rizqi, wawajadtu fī kitābi ʿamri bni ʿuthmāna al-makkiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu fī maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama liʿabdi Allāhi bni ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yā ʿabda Allāhi bna ʿumara aʿbudi Allāha ka-annaka tarāhu fa-in lam takun tarāhu fa-innahu yarāka, wakadhalika ijābatu jibrīla ʿalayhi al-salāmu ḥīna saʾalahu ʿani al-iḥsāni faqāla an taʿbuda Allāha ka-annaka tarāhu fa-in lam takun tarāhu fa-innahu yarāka, faqāla ʿamrū bnu ʿuthmāna raḥimahu Allāhu [ maʿnā qawlihi ] ka-annaka tarāhu shayʾun bayna shayʾayni bayna ruʾyatin wayaqīnin falam yukhrijhā ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ilā ruʾyati ʿiyānin walam yuriddhā ilā ṣifati yaqīnin wa-innamā maththala lahu mathalun yadullu ʿalā nihāyatin min nihāyāti ḥaqāʾiqi al-īmāni wabidhalika ṭālaba ḥārithatu in ṣaḥḥa al-khabaru, wamā kāna ka-anna bi-maʿnā anna wa-laysa huwa in walakinnahu qad qaruba min maʿnā al-ruʾyati fī taghlībi al-mushāhadati ʿinda ḥuḍūri al-qalbi wamadānātihā ilā mā wārathu al-ghuyūbu fahadhā aṣlu al-ḥujjati ʿalā mushāhadati al-qulūbi, wasuʾila abū bakrin al-wāsiṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama jubila walī Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā al-sakhāʾi waḥusni al-khuluqi faqāla ammā al-sakhāwatu min waliyyi Allāhi taʿālā an yahaba nafsahu waqalbahu li-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-ḥusnu khuluqihi an yuwāfiqa khuluquhu akhtilāfa tadbīri Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, wasuʾila al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā mā rawā fī al-ḥadīthi anna al-nafsa idhā

—ibn Ṭawq: A man asked al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—while I was sitting with him about the Prophet’s words, “If you trusted in God as He deserves to be trusted, He would feed you as He feeds the birds: they set out in the morning with empty bellies and return in the evening full.” The man said, “Yet you can see the birds fly from place to place seeking provision; they move, search, and set forth.” Al-Junayd replied, “God Most High says, ‘We have made what is upon the earth an adornment for it.’ The birds’ flight and movement from one place to another are only part of the adornment God mentioned. God made their flight for that adornment, not for seeking provision.” I found in a book by ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān al-Makkī—may God have mercy on him—an explanation of the Prophet’s words to ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him: “ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, worship God as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He sees you.” The same occurs in the Prophet’s reply to Gabriel—peace be upon him—when Gabriel asked about iḥsān: “It is to worship God as though you see Him; for if you do not see Him, He sees you.” ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān said: the words “as though you see Him” occupy an intermediate point between two things—vision and certitude. The Prophet did not take it as far as direct ocular vision, nor did he reduce it to mere certitude. Rather, he gave an image pointing to one of the furthest reaches of the realities of faith. He demanded this of Ḥārithah as well, if the report is sound. “As though” does not mean “that,” nor is it “if”; yet through the predominance of witnessing when the heart is present, and through its drawing close to what the unseen veils, it approaches the meaning of vision. This is the foundation of the proof for the hearts’ witnessing. Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, “The friend of God Most High is formed upon generosity and fine character.” He replied, “His generosity is that he gives his self and heart to God, mighty and majestic; his fine character is that his character accords with the varying ways in which God, mighty and majestic, disposes affairs.” Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the meaning of the report that when the soul—

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أَحْرَزَتْ قُوتَهَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ فَقَالَ إِذَا عَرَفَتْ مَنْ يَقُوتُهَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ قَوْلَهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُقِيتًا، وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حُبُّكَ لِلشَّيْءِ يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ فَقَالَ حُبُّكَ لِلدُّنْيَا يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ عَنِ الْآخِرَةِ، وَسُئِلَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى مَا رَوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَلَاءِ فَسَلُوا اللَّهَ رَبَّكُمُ الْعَافِيَةَ فَقَالَ أَهْلُ الْبَلَاءِ أَهْلُ الْغَفْلَةِ عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَسُئِلَ أَيْضًا عَنْ مَعْنَى حَدِيثِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِي رَوَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ حَرَامٌ عَلَى قَلْبٍ عَلَيْهِ زَبَانِيَةٌ [ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا أَنْ يَجِدُ حَلَاوَةَ الْآخِرَةِ فَقَالَ صَدَقَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ وَأَنَا ذَا أَقُولُ حَرَامٌ عَلَى قَلْبٍ عَلَيْهِ زَبَانِيَةٌ ] مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ أَنْ يَجِدَ حَلَاوَةَ التَّوْحِيدِ، وَسُئِلَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْفَرْغَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَبِي حُجَيْفَةَ يَا أَبَا حُجَيْفَةَ سَائِلِ الْعُلَمَاءَ [ وَخَالِلِ الْحُكَمَاءَ وَجَالِسِ الْكُبَرَاءَ فَقَالَ سَائِلِ الْعُلَمَاءَ ] عَنِ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ وَخَالِلِ الْحُكَمَاءَ الَّذِينَ يَسْلُكُونَ بِهَا عَلَى طَرِيقِ الصِّدْقِ وَالصَّفَاءِ [ وَالْإِخْلَاصِ ] وَجَالِسِ الْكُبَرَاءَ الَّذِينَ عَنِ اللَّهِ يَنْطِقُونَ وَإِلَى رُبُوبِيَّتِهِ يُشِيرُونَ وَبِنُورِ قُرْبِهِ يَنْظُرُونَ، وَسُئِلَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ [ مَعْنَى ] قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْمُؤْمِنُ مَنْ تَسُرُّهُ حَسَنَتُهُ وَتَسُؤُّهُ سَيِّئَتُهُ قَالَ حَسَنَتُهُ نِعَمُ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلُهُ وَسَيِّئَتُهُ نَفْسُهُ إِنْ وُكِّلَ إِلَيْهَا، وَسُئِلَ سَهْلٌ أَيْضًا عَنْ مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ [ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ] الدُّنْيَا مَلْعُونَةٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَا فِيهَا إِلَّا ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، قَالَ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ الزُّهْدُ فِي الْحَرَامِ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَكُونَ إِذَا اسْتَقْبَلَهُ حَرَامٌ يَذْكُرُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَيَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مُطَّلِعٌ عَلَيْهِ فَيَجْتَنِبُ ذَلِكَ الْحَرَامَ، وَمِثْلُ هَذَا كَثِيرٌ مِنْ مُسْتَنْبَطَاتِهِمْ فِي مَعْنَى حَدِيثِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَذَكَرْنَا طَرَفًا مِنْهُ وَفِيهِ كِفَايَةٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ هَلْ تَجِدُ لِلِاسْتِنْبَاطِ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَالْحَدِيثِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ أَصْلًا فِي الْعِلْمِ فَيُقَالُ نَعَمْ قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ وَهُمْ [ عِنْدَهُ ] مُجْتَمِعُونَ وَفِيهِمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ أَحْدَثُهُمْ سِنًّا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ

aḥrazat qūtahā aṭmaʾannat faqāla idhā ʿarafat man yaqūtuhā aṭmaʾannat thumma qaraʾa qawlahu ʿazza wajalla wakāna Allāhu ʿalā kulli shayʾin muqītan, wasuʾila al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḥubbuka li-al-shayʾi yuʿmī wa-yuṣimmu faqāla ḥubbuka li-al-dunyā yuʿmī wa-yuṣimmu ʿani al-ākhirati, wasuʾila al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā mā rawā ʿani al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla idhā raʾaytum ahla al-balāʾi fasalū Allāha rabbakumu al-ʿāfiyata faqāla ahlu al-balāʾi ahlu al-ghaflati ʿani Allāhi taʿālā, wasuʾila ayḍan ʿan maʿnā ḥadīthi al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama alladhī rawā ʿanhu annahu qāla ḥarāmun ʿalā qalbin ʿalayhi zabāniyatun [ mina al-dunyā an yajidu ḥalāwata al-ākhirati faqāla ṣadaqa ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama in qāla dhalika wa-anā dhā aqūlu ḥarāmun ʿalā qalbin ʿalayhi zabāniyatun ] mina al-ākhirati an yajida ḥalāwata al-tawḥīdi, wasuʾila muḥammadu bnu mūsā al-farghāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama li-abī ḥujayfata yā abā ḥujayfata sāʾili al-ʿulamāʾa [ wakhālili al-ḥukamāʾa wajālisi al-kubarāʾa faqāla sāʾili al-ʿulamāʾa ] bi-al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi wakhālili al-ḥukamāʾa alladhīna yaslukūna bihā ʿalā ṭarīqi al-ṣidqi wa-al-ṣafāʾi [ wa-al-ikhlāṣi ] wajālisi al-kubarāʾa alladhīna ʿani Allāhi yanṭiqūna wa-ilā rubūbiyyatihi yushīrūna wabinūri qurbihi yanẓurūna, wasuʾila sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu ʿan [ maʿnā ] qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama al-muʾminu man tasurruhu ḥasanatuhu wa-tasūʾuhu sayyiʾatuhu qāla ḥasanatuhu niʿamu Allāhi wafaḍluhu wasayyiʾatuhu nafsuhu in wukkila ilayhā, wasuʾila sahlun ayḍan ʿan maʿnā qawlihi [ ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ] al-dunyā malʿūnatun malʿūnun mā fīhā illā dhikru Allāhi taʿālā, qāla dhikru Allāhi fī hadhā al-mawḍiʿi al-zuhdu fī al-ḥarāmi wahuwa an yakūna idhā astaqbalahu ḥarāmun yadhkuru Allāha taʿālā wayaʿlamu anna Allāha muṭṭaliʿun ʿalayhi fayajtanibu dhalika al-ḥarāma, wamithlu hadhā kathīrun min mustanbaṭātihim fī maʿnā ḥadīthi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wadhakarnā ṭarafan minhu wafīhi kifāyatun in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, fa-in qāla qāʾilun hal tajidu li-al-istinbāṭi fī al-qurʾāni wa-al-ḥadīthi waghayri dhalika aṣlan fī al-ʿilmi fayuqālu naʿam qawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama li-aṣḥābihi wahum [ ʿindahu ] mujtamiʿūna wafīhim ʿabdu Allāhi bnu ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa aḥdathuhum sinnan faqāla al-nabī

—secures its sustenance it finds rest. He replied, “When it knows the One who sustains it, it finds rest.” He then recited God’s words, “God is the Sustainer over everything.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, “Your love for a thing makes you blind and deaf.” He replied, “Love of the world makes you blind and deaf to the Hereafter.” Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the report from the Prophet, “When you see people afflicted, ask God your Lord for well-being.” He replied, “The afflicted are those who are heedless of God Most High.” He was also asked about the report, “It is forbidden for a heart over which wardens from this world stand to taste the sweetness of the Hereafter.” He replied, “He spoke truly—may God bless him and grant him peace—if he said it. I add: it is forbidden for a heart over which wardens from the Hereafter stand to taste the sweetness of divine unity.” Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Farghānī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words to Abū Juḥayfah: “Abū Juḥayfah, question the learned, keep company with the wise, and sit with the great.” He replied, “Question the learned about the lawful and unlawful; keep company with the wise, who walk the path of truthfulness, purity, [and sincerity]; and sit with the great, who speak from God, point toward His lordship, and behold by the light of His nearness.” Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the Prophet’s words, “The believer is one whom his good deed pleases and his evil deed saddens.” He replied, “His good deed is God’s blessings and grace; his evil deed is his own self, if he is entrusted to it.” Sahl was also asked about the words, “The world is accursed, and accursed is all it contains except the remembrance of God Most High.” He replied, “The remembrance of God here is renunciation of the unlawful: when something unlawful confronts a person, he remembers God Most High, knows that God beholds him, and avoids it.” Many of their inferences from the reports of the Messenger of God are of this kind. We have mentioned a portion, and it is sufficient, God Most High willing. If someone asks, “Can you find a basis in knowledge for inference from the Qur’an, the prophetic reports, and other sources?” the answer is yes. The Prophet asked his Companions while they were gathered around him—including ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, who was the youngest among them—

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صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيُّ شَجَرَةٍ تُشْبِهُ ابْنَ آدَمَ قَالَ فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ فِي أَشْجَارِ الْبَادِيَةِ وَوَقَعَ فِي قَلْبِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ وَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ أَنْ أُجِيبَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَسَكَتُّ حَتَّى قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقُلْتُ لِعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَقَدْ كِدْتُ أَنْ أَقُولَ إِنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَلِكَ كَانَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ حُمْرِ النَّعَمِ أَوْ كَمَا فِي الْخَبَرِ، وَالْحُجَّةُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَحَدًا لَمْ يَسْتَنْبِطْ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَعْنَى مَا سَأَلَهُمْ عَنْهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَّا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ أَصْغَرُهُمْ سِنًّا وَكَذَلِكَ الِاسْتِنْبَاطُ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي عَلَى مِقْدَارِ مَا يَفْتَحُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِلْقُلُوبِ مِنْ غَيْبِهِ، وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ، [ كِتَابُ الصَّحَابَةِ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ ]، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَمَعَانِيهِمْ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ، فَقَدْ وَقَعَ اسْمُ السَّابِقِينَ عَلَى الْجَمِيعِ بِظَاهِرِ الْآيَةِ مَعَ رِضَا اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمْ وَشَهِدَ لَهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ رَاضُونَ عَنْهُ، وَالسَّابِقُونَ هُمُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ بِنَصِّ الْآيَةِ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا تَخْصِيصَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ مِنَ الْأَبْرَارِ وَتَخْصِيصَ الْأَبْرَارِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ فِي بَابِ الْمُوَافَقَةِ لِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ * فَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي آيَةٍ أُخْرَى وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ، قَالَ ذُو النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [ يَعْنِي ] أَكْبَرَ وَأَقْدَمَ حِينَ قَالَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ * فِي سَابِقِ عِلْمِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ

ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ayyu shajaratin tushbihu abna ādama qāla fawaqaʿa al-nāsu fī ashjāri al-bādiyati wawaqaʿa fī qalbī annahā al-nakhlatu wa-astaḥyaytu an ujība rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-sakattu ḥattā qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama hiya al-nakhlatu qāla abnu ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqultu liʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu laqad kidtu an aqūla innahā al-nakhlatu faqāla ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu laʾin qulta dhalika kāna aḥabba ilayya min ḥumri al-naʿami aw kamā fī al-khabari, wa-al-ḥujjatu fī dhalika anna aḥadan lam yastanbiṭ min aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama maʿnā mā saʾalahum ʿanhu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama illā ʿabda Allāhi bna ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa aṣgharuhum sinnan wakadhalika al-istinbāṭu fī hadhihi al-maʿānī ʿalā miqdāri mā yaftaḥu Allāhu taʿālā li-al-qulūbi min ghaybihi, wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu, [ kitābu al-ṣaḥābati riḍwānu Allāhi ʿalayhim ], bābun fī dhikri aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wamaʿānīhim raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum, qāla Allāhu taʿālā wa-al-sābiqūna al-awwalūna mina al-muhājirīna wa-al-anṣāri wa-alladhīna attabaʿūhum bi-iḥsānin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu, faqad waqaʿa asmu al-sābiqīna ʿalā al-jamīʿi biẓāhiri al-āyati maʿa riḍā Allāhi taʿālā ʿanhum washahida lahum bi-annahum rāḍūna ʿanhu, wa-al-sābiqūna humu al-muqarrabūna bi-naṣṣi al-āyati, waqad dhakarnā takhṣīṣa al-muqarrabīna mina al-abrāri watakhṣīṣa al-abrāri min ahli al-jannati fī bābi al-muwāfaqati likitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, fa-ammā qawluhu taʿālā raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu * faqad qāla Allāhu taʿālā fī āyatin ukhrā wariḍwānun mina Allāhi akbaru, qāla dhū al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu [ yaʿnī ] akbara wa-aqdama ḥīna qāla raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum waraḍū ʿanhu * fī sābiqi ʿilmihi falidhalika

—“Which tree resembles the child of Adam?” Ibn ʿUmar said, “The people began naming the trees of the desert, but it occurred to me that it was the date palm. I was too shy to answer the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—so I remained silent until he said, ‘It is the date palm.’ I later told ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him—‘I nearly said that it was the date palm.’ ʿUmar replied, ‘Had you said it, that would have been dearer to me than red camels,’” or as the report relates. The proof lies in the fact that none of the Companions of the Messenger of God inferred the answer to the question except ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar, although he was the youngest of them. Inference in these matters likewise accords with what God Most High opens to hearts from His unseen. Success is through God. [Book of the Companions—may God be pleased with them.] Chapter mentioning the Companions of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—their inward meanings and qualities, may God be pleased with them. God Most High says, “The first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them with devotion—God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him.” By the outward sense of the verse, the name ‘forerunners’ applies to them all, together with God Most High’s pleasure in them; He also testifies that they are pleased with Him. The forerunners are those brought near, as the verse explicitly states. In the chapter on conformity to God’s Book, mighty and majestic, we have already discussed how those brought near are distinguished from the righteous, and the righteous from the general people of Paradise. As for the words, “God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him,” God Most High says elsewhere, “Pleasure from God is greater.” Dhū al-Nūn—may God have mercy on him—said, “[That is,] greater and prior, for He said, ‘God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him,’ in His pre-eternal knowledge. Therefore—”

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اسْتَرْضَاهُمْ لَهُ وَأَرْضَاهُمْ حَتَّى رَضُوا عَنْهُ، وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَصْحَابِي كَالنُّجُومِ بِأَيِّهِمُ اقْتَدَيْتُمُ اهْتَدَيْتُمْ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْقَسْمَ بِالنُّجُومِ مِنَ الْكَوَاكِبِ وَالنُّجُومِ مَا يُهْتَدَى بِهِ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ لِكِبَرِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ ضَوْءِهِ وَنُورِهِ فَلِذَلِكَ شَبَّهَهُمْ بِالنُّجُومِ وَلَمْ يُشَبِّهْهُمْ بِالْكَوَاكِبِ لِأَنَّ الْكَوَاكِبَ هِيَ الصِّغَارُ الَّتِي لَا يُهْتَدَى بِهَا ثُمَّ دَلَّ عَلَى الِاهْتِدَاءِ بِالِاقْتِدَاءِ بِهِمْ وَلَمْ يَخُصَّ الِاقْتِدَاءَ يَعْنِي دُونَ الْآخَرِ فَعَلِمْنَا أَنَّ الِاهْتِدَاءَ بِهِمْ فِي الِاقْتِدَاءِ [ بِهِمْ ] فِي جَمِيعِ مَعَانِيهِمْ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَالْبَاطِنَةِ، فَأَمَّا الظَّاهِرُ فَمَشْهُورٌ عِنْدَ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْفُقَهَاءِ فِي عِلْمِ الْحُدُودِ وَالْأَحْكَامِ وَالْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ، وَقَدْ رَوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَرْحَمُ أُمَّتِي بِأُمَّتِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَقْوَاهُمْ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَصْدَقُهُمْ حَيَاءً عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَفْرَضُهُمْ زَيْدٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِالْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَقْرَؤُهُمْ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَقْضَاهُمْ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَا أَظَلَّتِ الْخَضْرَاءُ وَلَا أَقَلَّتِ الْغَبْرَاءُ عَلَى ذِي لَهْجَةٍ أَصْدَقَ مِنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا الْبَاطِنُ فَنَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِقَوْلِهِ اقْتَدُوا بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ بَعْدِي أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، فَنَبْدَأُ بِأَبِي بَكْرٍ ثُمَّ مِنْ بَعْدِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ بِعُمَرَ، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ أَبِي عُتْبَةَ الْحُلْوَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ عَنْ حَالٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهَا أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوَّلُهَا لِقَاءُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَانَ أَحَبَّ [ إِلَيْهِمْ ] مِنَ الْحَيَاةِ وَالثَّانِيَةُ كَانُوا لَا يَخَافُونَ عَدُوًّا قَلُّوا أَوْ كَثُرُوا وَالثَّالِثَةُ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَخَافُونَ عَوَزًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَكَانُوا وَاثِقِينَ بِرِزْقِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالرَّابِعَةُ إِنْ بَدَأَ بِهِمُ الطَّاعُونُ لَمْ يَبْرَحُوا حَتَّى يَقْضِيَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ وَكَانُوا أَخْوَفَ مَا يَكُونُونَ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَصَحَّ مَا يَكُونُونَ، وَيُحْكَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْكَتَّانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ النَّاسُ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ الْإِسْلَامِ

astarḍāhum lahu wa-arḍāhum ḥattā raḍū ʿanhu, waqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aṣḥābī ka-al-nujūmi bi-ayyihimu aqtadaytumu ahtadaytum, waqad dhakara Allāhu taʿālā al-qasma bi-al-nujūmi mina al-kawākibi wa-al-nujūmi mā yuhtadā bihi fī al-barri wa-al-baḥri likibarihi wakathrati ḍawʾihi wanūrihi falidhalika shabbahahum bi-al-nujūmi walam yushabbihhum bi-al-kawākibi li-anna al-kawākiba hiya al-ṣighāru alladhī lā yuhtadā bihi thumma dalla ʿalā al-ihtidāʾi bi-al-iqtidāʾi bihim walam yakhuṣṣa al-iqtidāʾa yaʿnī dūna al-ākhari fa-ʿalimnā anna al-ihtidāʾa bihim fī al-iqtidāʾi [ bihim ] fī jamīʿi maʿānīhimi al-ẓāhirati wa-al-bāṭinati, fa-ammā al-ẓāhiru famashhūrun ʿinda al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-fuqahāʾi fī ʿilmi al-ḥudūdi wa-al-aḥkāmi wa-al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi, waqad rawā ʿani al-nabī ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla arḥamu ummatī bi-ummatī abū bakrin al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-aqwāhum fī dīni Allāhi ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-aṣdaquhum ḥayāʾan ʿuthmānu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-afraḍuhum zaydun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-aʿlamuhum bi-al-ḥalāli wa-al-ḥarāmi muʿādhu bnu jabalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-aqraʾhum ubayyu bnu kaʿbin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-aqḍāhum ʿalī raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wamā aẓallati al-khaḍrāʾu walā aqallati al-ghabrāʾu ʿalā dhī lahjatin aṣdaqa min abī dharrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wa-ammā al-bāṭinu fanabdaʾu bimā badaʾa bihi rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama biqawlihi aqtadū bi-alladhīna min baʿdī abī bakrin waʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā, fanabdaʾu bi-abī bakrin thumma min baʿdi abī bakrin biʿumara, wabalaghanī ʿan abī ʿutbata al-ḥulwāniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla alā ukhbirukum ʿan ḥālin kāna ʿalayhā aṣḥābu rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama awwaluhā liqāʾu Allāhi taʿālā kāna aḥabba [ ilayhim ] mina al-ḥayāti wa-al-thāniyatu kānū lā yakhāfūna ʿaduwwan qallū aw kathurū wa-al-thālithatu lam yakūnū yakhāfūna ʿawazan mina al-dunyā wakānū wāthiqīna birizqi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-rābiʿatu in badaʾ bihimu al-ṭāʿūnu lam yabraḥū ḥattā yaqḍiya Allāhu fīhim wakānū akhwafa mā yakūnūna mina al-mawti aṣaḥḥa mā yakūnūna, wayuḥkā ʿan muḥammadi bni ʿaliyyin al-kattānī raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla kāna al-nāsu fī ibtidāʾi al-islāmi

“—He caused them to seek His pleasure and made them content until they were pleased with Him.” The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “My Companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided.” God Most High swears by the stars among the heavenly bodies. Stars are used for guidance on land and sea because of their size and the abundance of their radiance and light. For this reason the Prophet compared the Companions to stars, not to the smaller heavenly bodies by which one is not guided. He then indicated that guidance is found by following them, without singling out one rather than another. We thereby know that guidance lies in following them in all their outward and inward meanings and qualities. Their outward qualities are well known to scholars and jurists in the sciences of legal limits and rulings, the lawful and the unlawful. It is related that the Prophet said, “The most merciful of my community toward my community is Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him; the strongest of them in God’s religion is ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him; the truest of them in modesty is ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him; the most knowledgeable of inheritance shares is Zayd—may God be pleased with him; the most knowledgeable of the lawful and unlawful is Muʿādh ibn Jabal—may God be pleased with him; the finest reciter is Ubayy ibn Kaʿb—may God be pleased with him; and the finest judge is ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him. Neither the green sky has shaded nor the dusty earth borne anyone more truthful in speech than Abū Dharr—may God be pleased with him.” As for the inward qualities, we begin where the Messenger of God began, with his words, “Follow the two who come after me: Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—may God be pleased with them both.” We therefore begin with Abū Bakr and, after him, with ʿUmar. It has reached me that Abū ʿUtbah al-Ḥulwānī—may God have mercy on him—said, “Shall I tell you of a condition in which the Companions of the Messenger of God lived? First, meeting God Most High was dearer to them than life. Second, they did not fear an enemy, whether they themselves were few or many. Third, they did not fear want in this world, for they trusted in God Most High’s provision. Fourth, if plague began among them, they did not leave until God passed His decree upon them. They were most fearful of death when they were in the fullest health.” It is related that Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Kattānī—may God have mercy on him—said, “At the beginning of Islam, people—”

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يَتَعَامَلُونَ بِالدِّينِ حَتَّى رَقَّ الدِّينُ ثُمَّ تَعَامَلَ الْقَرْنُ الثَّانِي بِالْوَفَاءِ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ الْوَفَاءُ ثُمَّ تَعَامَلَ الْقَرْنُ الثَّالِثُ بِالْمُرُوءَةِ حَتَّى ذَهَبَتِ الْمُرُوءَةُ ثُمَّ تَعَامَلَ الْقَرْنُ الرَّابِعُ بِالْحَيَاءِ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ الْحَيَاءُ ثُمَّ صَارَ النَّاسُ يَتَعَامَلُونَ بِالرَّغْبَةِ وَالرَّهْبَةِ، بَابُ ذِكْرِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَتَخْصِيصِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ <أَصْحَابِ> رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِالْأَحْوَالِ الَّتِي تَعَلَّقَ بِهَا أَهْلُ الصَّفْوَةِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ وَتَخَلَّقَ بِذَلِكَ وَاقْتَدَى بِهِ، رُوِيَ عَنْ مُطَرِّفِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَوْ نَادَى مُنَادٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِنَّهُ لَنْ يَلِجَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ لَرَجَوْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا [ هُوَ ] وَلَوْ نَادَى مُنَادٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَدْخُلُ النَّارَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ لَخِفْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا هُوَ، قَالَ مُطَرِّفٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ هَذَا وَاللَّهِ أَعْظَمُ الْخَوْفِ وَأَعْظَمُ الرَّجَاءِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ الْآيَةَ قَالَ مَعْنَاهُ كُونُوا كَأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ لَمَّا مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اضْطَرَبَتْ أَسْرَارُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كُلُّهَا لِمَوْتِهِ وَلَمْ يُؤَثِّرْ ذَلِكَ فِي سِرِّ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ شَيْئًا وَخَرَجَ وَقَالَ لِلنَّاسِ [ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ] مَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ مَاتَ وَمَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ، فَحُكْمُ الرَّبَّانِيِّ أَنْ يَكُونَ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ لَا تُؤَثِّرُ الْحَوَادِثُ فِي سِرِّهِ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ كَانَ فِيهِ انْقِلَابُ الْخَافِقَيْنِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْوَاسِطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَوَّلُ لِسَانِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ظَهَرَتْ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ عَلَى لِسَانِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِشَارَةٌ فَاسْتَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا أَهْلَ الْفَهْمِ

yataʿāmalūna bi-al-dīni ḥattā raqqa al-dīnu thumma taʿāmala al-qarnu al-thānī bi-al-wafāʾi ḥattā dhahaba al-wafāʾu thumma taʿāmala al-qarnu al-thālithu bi-al-muruwwati ḥattā dhahabati al-muruwwatu thumma taʿāmala al-qarnu al-rābiʿu bi-al-ḥayāʾi ḥattā dhahaba al-ḥayāʾu thumma ṣāra al-nāsu yataʿāmalūna bi-al-raghbati wa-al-rahbati, bābu dhikri abī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu watakhṣīṣihi min bayni <aṣḥābi> rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bi-al-aḥwāli allatī taʿallaqa bihā ahlu al-ṣafwati min hadhihi al-ummati watakhallaqa bidhalika wa-aqtadā bihi, ruwiya ʿan muṭarrifi bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla qāla abū bakrin al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu law nādā munādin mina al-samāʾi innahu lan yalija al-jannata illā rajulun wāḥidun la-rajawtu an akūna anā [ huwa ] walaw nādā munādin mina al-samāʾi innahu lā yadkhulu al-nāra illā rajulun wāḥidun lakhiftu an akūna anā huwa, qāla muṭarrifun raḥimahu Allāhu hadhā wa-Allāhi aʿẓamu al-khawfi wa-aʿẓamu al-rajāʾi, waḥukiya ʿan abī al-ʿabbāsi bni ʿaṭāʾin raḥimahu Allāhu annahu suʾila ʿan qawlihi taʿālā kūnū rabbāniyyīna al-āyata qāla maʿnāhu kūnū ka-abī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu lammā māta rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama iḍṭarabat asrāru al-muʾminīna kulluhā limawtihi walam yuʾaththir dhalika fī sirri abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu shayʾan wakharaja waqāla li-al-nāsi [ yā ayyuhā al-nāsu ] man kāna yaʿbudu muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-inna muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qad māta waman kāna yaʿbudu Allāha taʿālā fa-inna Allāha ḥayyun lā yamūtu, faḥukmu al-rabbīniyyi an yakūna bihadhihi al-ṣifati lā tuʾaththiru al-ḥawādithu fī sirrihi shayʾan walaw kāna fīhi anqilābu al-khāfiqayni, waqāla abū bakrin al-wāsiṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu awwalu lisāni al-ṣūfiyyati ẓaharat fī hadhihi al-ummati ʿalā lisāni abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ishāratun fa-istakhraja minhā ahla al-fahmi

—dealt with one another according to religion until religion grew thin. Then the second generation dealt with one another in fidelity until fidelity disappeared; the third dealt in chivalry until chivalry disappeared; and the fourth dealt in modesty until modesty disappeared. Thereafter people came to deal with one another through desire and fear. Chapter mentioning Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him—and the states by which he was specially distinguished among [the Companions of] the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—which the people of purity in this community adopted, made part of their character, and followed. It is related from Muṭarrif ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—that Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him—said, “If a herald called from heaven that only one man would enter Paradise, I would hope to be that man; and if a herald called from heaven that only one man would enter the Fire, I would fear that I was he.” Muṭarrif—may God have mercy on him—said, “By God, this is the greatest fear and the greatest hope.” It is related of Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAṭāʾ—may God have mercy on him—that he was asked about God Most High’s words, “Be godly people,” to the end of the verse. He replied, “It means: be like Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him. When the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—died, the inward beings of all the believers were shaken by his death, but this had no effect upon Abū Bakr’s inward being. He went out and said to the people, ‘O people, whoever worshipped Muḥammad, Muḥammad has died; but whoever worships God Most High, God is living and does not die.’ The mark of a godly person is to possess this quality: events do not affect his inward being, even if the two horizons were overturned.” Abū Bakr al-Wāsiṭī—may God have mercy on him—said, “The first utterance of the Sufis to appear in this community was an allusion upon the tongue of Abū Bakr—may God be pleased with him—from which the people of understanding drew—”

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لَطَائِفُ تُوَسْوِسُ فِيهَا الْعُقَلَاءُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَهَذَا الَّذِي أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ الْوَاسِطِيُّ فِي قَوْلِهِ أَوَّلُ لِسَانِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ظَهَرَتْ عَلَى لِسَانِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِأَنَّهُ حِينَ خَرَجَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مِلْكِهِ قَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَيْشْ خَلَّفْتَ لِعِيَالِكَ قَالَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَعَمْرِي إِنَّهَا إِشَارَةٌ جَلِيلَةٌ لِأَهْلِ التَّوْحِيدِ فِي حَقَائِقِ التَّفْرِيدِ غَيْرَ أَنَّ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِشَارَاتٍ غَيْرَهَا، مُسْتَخْرَجَةٌ مِنْهَا لَطَائِفُ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ وَهِيَ مَعْلُومَةٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْحَقَائِقِ وَمَفْهُومَةٌ لِلتَّعَلُّقِ وَالتَّخَلُّقِ بِهَا مِنْهَا قَوْلُهُ حِينَ صَعِدَ الْمِنْبَرَ بَعْدَ مَا مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَاضْطَرَبَ قُلُوبُ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَخَشَوْا عَلَى ذَهَابِ الْإِسْلَامِ بِمَوْتِهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَخُرُوجِهِ مِنْ بَيْنِ ظَهْرَانَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ مَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ مِنْكُمْ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ مَاتَ وَمَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ، وَاللَّطِيفَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ ثَبَاتُهُ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ وَمَا ثَبَّتَ بِهِ قُلُوبُ الْجَمَاعَةِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ، وَمِنْهَا قَوْلُهُ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَيْثُ [ كَانَ ] يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ تُهْلِكْ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةَ لَمْ تُعْبَدْ فِي الْأَرْضِ [ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ ]، فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ دَعْ مُنَاشَدَتَكَ رَبَّكَ فَإِنَّهُ وَاللَّهُ مُنْجِزٌ لَكَ مَا وَعَدَكَ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى إِذْ يُوحِي رَبُّكَ إِلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَنِّي مَعَكُمْ فَثَبِّتُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا سَأُلْقِي فِي قُلُوبِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الرُّعْبَ، فَخُصَّ بِحَقِيقَةِ التَّصْدِيقِ لِمَا وَعَدَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنَ النَّصْرِ مِنْ جَمِيعِ الصَّحَابَةِ [ عِنْدَ اضْطِرَابِ قُلُوبِهِمْ ] فَدَلَّ عَلَى حَقِيقَةِ إِيمَانِهِ وَخُصُوصِيَّتِهِ، فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ فَمَا مَعْنَى تَغَيُّرِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَثَبَاتِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ أَتَمُّ مِنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَحْوَالِ فَيُقَالُ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَعْلَمُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَقْوَى إِيمَانًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ

laṭāʾifu tuwaswisu fīhā al-ʿuqalāʾu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wahadhā alladhī ashāra ilayhi al-wāsiṭiyyu fī qawlihi awwalu lisāni al-ṣūfiyyati ẓaharat ʿalā lisāni abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fadhalika qawlu abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-annahu ḥīna kharaja min jamīʿi milkihi qāla lahu al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aysh khallafta liʿiyālika qāla Allāhu warasūluhu faqāla Allāhu thumma qāla warasūluhu walaʿamrī innahā ishāratun jalīlatun li-ahli al-tawḥīdi fī ḥaqāʾiqi al-tafrīdi ghayra anna li-abī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ishārātin ghayrahā, mustakhrajatun minhā laṭāʾifu ghayra dhalika wahiya maʿlūmatun ʿinda ahli al-ḥaqāʾiqi wamafhūmatun li-al-taʿalluqi wa-al-takhalluqi bihā minhā qawluhu ḥīna ṣaʿida al-minbara baʿda mā māta rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-aḍṭaraba qulūbu aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wakhashaw ʿalā dhahābi al-islāmi bimawtihi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wakhurūjihi min bayni ẓahrānayhim faqāla man kāna yaʿbudu minkum muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-inna muḥammadan ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama qad māta waman kāna yaʿbudu Allāha fa-inna Allāha ḥayyun lā yamūtu, wa-al-laṭīfatu fī dhalika thabātuhu fī al-tawḥīdi wamā thabbata bihi qulūbu al-jamāʿati mina al-ṣaḥābati raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum, waminhā qawluhu yawma badrin li-al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḥaythu [ kāna ] yaqūlu Allāhumma in tuhlik hadhihi al-ʿiṣābata lam tuʿbad fī al-arḍi [ min baʿdi dhalika ], faqāla abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu daʿ munāshadataka rabbaka fa-innahu wa-Allāhu munjizun laka mā waʿadaka aw kamā qāla, wahuwa qawlu Allāhi taʿālā idh yūḥī rabbuka ilā al-malāʾikati annī maʿakum fathabbitū alladhīna āmanū saʾulqī fī qulūbi alladhīna kafarū al-ruʿba, fakhuṣṣa biḥaqīqati al-taṣdīqi limā waʿadahumu Allāhu taʿālā mina al-naṣri min jamīʿi al-ṣaḥābati [ ʿinda aḍṭirābi qulūbihim ] fadalla ʿalā ḥaqīqati īmānihi wakhuṣūṣiyyatihi, fa-in qāla qāʾilun famā maʿnā taghayyuri al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wathabāti abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa atammu min abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī jamīʿi al-aḥwāli fayuqālu li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aʿlamu bi-Allāhi min abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu aqwā īmānan min aṣḥābi

“—subtleties over which intelligent minds ponder.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: What al-Wāsiṭī meant by saying that the first utterance of the Sufis appeared upon the tongue of Abū Bakr—may God be pleased with him—was Abū Bakr’s answer when he had given away all that he possessed. The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—asked him, “What have you left for your dependants?” He replied, “God and His Messenger.” He named God first and then His Messenger. By my life, this is a majestic allusion for the people of divine unity concerning the realities of single-hearted devotion. Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him—also made other allusions from which further subtleties have been drawn. They are known among the people of spiritual realities and understood as qualities to which one may attach oneself and by which one may shape one’s character. Among them are his words when he mounted the pulpit after the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—had died. The hearts of the Companions were shaken, and they feared that Islam would pass away with his death and departure from their midst. Abū Bakr said, “Whoever among you worshipped Muḥammad, Muḥammad has died; but whoever worships God, God is living and does not die.” The subtle point is his firmness in divine unity and the way he thereby steadied the hearts of the whole company of the Companions—may God be pleased with them. Another example is what he said to the Prophet on the day of Badr, when the Prophet was saying, “O God, if You destroy this company, You will not be worshipped upon the earth [after this].” Abū Bakr—may God be pleased with him—said, “Cease beseeching your Lord, for by God He will fulfil what He promised you,” or words to that effect. This corresponds to God Most High’s words, “When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, so make firm those who believe; I shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve.” Among all the Companions, he was specially distinguished by true confidence in the victory God Most High had promised them [when their hearts were troubled]. This showed the reality of his faith and his special distinction. If someone asks, “What does it mean that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—was visibly affected while Abū Bakr remained firm, although the Prophet was more complete than Abū Bakr in every state?” the answer is that the Prophet knew God better than Abū Bakr, while Abū Bakr possessed stronger faith than the other Companions of—

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رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَثَبَاتُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِنْ حَقِيقَةِ إِيمَانِهِ بِمَا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَتَغَيُّرُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ زِيَادَةِ عِلْمِهِ بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِأَنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَعْلَمُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَلَا غَيْرُهُ أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ [ كَانَ ] إِذَا اشْتَدَّ هُبُوبُ الرِّيحِ تَغَيَّرَ لَوْنُهُ [ وَلَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ لَوْنُ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ ]، وَقَالَ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلًا وَلَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا وَلَخَرَجْتُمْ إِلَى الصُّعُدَاتِ تَجْأَرُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَلَمَا تَقَارَرْتُمْ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ، وَلِأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ [ أَيْضًا ] خُصُوصِيَّةٌ فِي الْإِلْهَامِ وَالْفِرَاسَةِ [ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ] فِي ثَلَاثَةِ مَوَاضِعَ أَحَدُهَا حِينَ اتَّفَقَ رَأْيُ الْجَمِيعِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى تَرْكِ مُقَاتَلَةِ أَهْلِ الرِّدَّةِ عَلَى مَنْعِ الزَّكَاةِ وَثَبَتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَلَى قِتَالِهِمْ وَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ مَنَعُونِي عِقَالًا مِمَّا كَانُوا يُؤَدُّونَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَقَاتَلْتُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ [ بِالسَّيْفِ ] فَأَصَابَ رَأْيَهُ [ وَقَالُوا إِنَّ الْإِصَابَةَ فِي رَأْيِهِ مَعَ خِلَافِهِ لَهُمْ فِيمَا أَشَارُوا عَلَيْهِ ] وَرَجَعَ الْجَمِيعُ إِلَى رَأْيِهِ حَيْثُ رَأَوْا الصَّوَابَ مَعَهُ، وَالثَّانِي عِنْدَ خِلَافِهِ رَأْيَ جُمْهُورِ الصَّحَابَةِ فِيمَا رَأَوْا مِنْ رَدِّ جَيْشِ أُسَامَةَ وَقَوْلِهِ وَاللَّهِ لَا أَحُلُّ عُقْدَةً عَقَدَهَا رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَالثَّالِثُ قَوْلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِعَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا إِنِّي كُنْتُ نَحَلْتُكِ نَحْلًا وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ أَخَوَاكِ وَأُخْتَاكِ وَمَا عَرَفَتْ [ عَائِشَةُ ] إِلَّا أَخَوَيْنِ وَأُخْتًا، وَكَانَتْ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ جَارِيَةٌ حُبْلَى فَقَالَ لَقَدْ أَلْقَى فِي رَوْعِي أَنَّهَا أُنْثَى فَوَلَدَتْ أُنْثَى فَهَذَا أَتَمُّ مَا كَانَ فِي الْفِرَاسَةِ وَالْإِلْهَامِ، وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اتَّقُوا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَلِأَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَعَانٍ أُخَرُ مِمَّا تَعَلَّقَ بِهَا أَهْلُ الْحَقَائِقِ وَأَرْبَابُ الْقُلُوبِ وَإِنْ ذَكَرْنَا جَمِيعَ ذَلِكَ طَالَ الْكِتَابُ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ بَكْرِ ابْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمُزَنِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا فَاقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ جَمِيعَ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِكَثْرَةِ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَلَكِنْ بِشَيْءٍ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ

rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fathabātu abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu min ḥaqīqati īmānihi bimā waʿada Allāhu taʿālā wataghayyuru al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama min ziyādati ʿilmihi bi-Allāhi taʿālā li-annahu yaʿlamu mina Allāhi mā lā yaʿlamu abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu walā ghayruhu alā tarā annahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama [ kāna ] idhā ashtadda hubūbu al-rīḥi taghayyara lawnuhu [ walam yataghayyar lawnu wāḥidin min aṣḥābihi ], waqāla law taʿlamūna mā aʿlamu laḍaḥiktum qalīlan walabakaytum kathīran walakharajtum ilā al-ṣuʿudāti tajʾarūna ilā Allāhi taʿālā walamā taqārartum ʿalā furushikum, waliʾabī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu [ ayḍan ] khuṣūṣiyyatun fī al-ilhāmi wa-al-firāsati [ min bayni aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ] fī thalāthati mawāḍiʿa aḥaduhā ḥīna ittafaqa raʾyu al-jamīʿi min aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ʿalā tarki muqātalati ahli al-riddati ʿalā manʿi al-zakāti wathabata abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʿalā qitālihim waqāla wa-Allāhi law manaʿūnī ʿiqālan mimmā kānū yuʾaddūna ilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama laqātaltuhum ʿalayhi [ bi-al-sayfi ] fa-aṣāba raʾyahu [ waqālū inna al-iṣābata fī raʾyihi maʿa khilāfihi lahum fīmā ashārū ʿalayhi ] warajaʿa al-jamīʿu ilā raʾyihi ḥaythu raʾaw al-ṣawāba maʿahu, wa-al-thānī ʿinda khilāfihi raʾya jumhūri al-ṣaḥābati fīmā raʾaw min raddi jayshi usāmata wa-qawlihi wa-Allāhi lā aḥullu ʿuqdatan ʿaqadahā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa-al-thālithu qawlu abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-ʿāʾishata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā innī kuntu naḥaltuki naḥlan wa-innamā huwa akhawāki wa-ukhtāki wamā ʿarafat [ ʿĀʾishatu ] illā akhawayni wa-ukhtan, wakānat li-abī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu jāriyatun ḥublā faqāla laqad alqā fī rawʿī annahā unthā fawaladat unthā fahadhā atammu mā kāna fī al-firāsati wa-al-ilhāmi, waqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama attaqū firāsata al-muʾmini fa-innahu yanẓuru binūri Allāhi taʿālā, waliʾabī bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu maʿānin ukharu mimmā taʿallaqa bihā ahlu al-ḥaqāʾiqi wa-arbābu al-qulūbi wa-in dhakarnā jamīʿa dhalika ṭāla al-kitābu, waqad ḥukiya ʿan bakri abni ʿabdi Allāhi al-muzaniyyi annahu qāla mā fāqa abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu jamīʿa aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bikathrati al-ṣawmi wa-al-ṣalāti walakin bishayʾin kāna fī qalbihi qāla baʿḍuhum

—the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace. Abū Bakr’s firmness arose from the reality of his faith in what God Most High had promised; the Prophet’s visible change arose from the increase of his knowledge of God Most High, for he knew of God what neither Abū Bakr nor anyone else knew. Do you not see that when the wind blew fiercely, the Prophet’s colour would change [while the colour of none of his Companions changed]? He said, “If you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much; you would go out to the open roads crying aloud to God Most High, and you would find no repose upon your beds.” Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him—was also specially distinguished among the Companions of the Messenger of God in inspiration and spiritual insight on three occasions. First, when all the Companions agreed that those who had renounced Islam and withheld the alms-tax should not be fought, Abū Bakr stood firm in fighting them and said, “By God, if they withheld from me so much as a camel-halter that they used to deliver to the Messenger of God, I would fight them for it [with the sword].” His judgment proved correct, and they acknowledged that he had been right despite opposing the course they had advised. They all returned to his judgment when they saw that the truth lay with him. The second occasion was his disagreement with the majority of the Companions when they proposed recalling Usāmah’s army. He said, “By God, I shall not untie a knot tied by the Messenger of God.” The third was Abū Bakr’s statement to ʿĀʾishah—may God be pleased with her: “I had given you a gift, but now [the heirs] are your two brothers and your two sisters.” ʿĀʾishah knew of only two brothers and one sister. Abū Bakr had a pregnant bondwoman, and he said, “It has been cast into my heart that the child is female.” She then gave birth to a girl. This was among the fullest manifestations of spiritual insight and inspiration. The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Beware the believer’s spiritual insight, for he looks by the light of God Most High.” Abū Bakr possessed other qualities to which the people of spiritual realities and the masters of hearts attached themselves; if we recounted them all, the book would become too long. It is related that Bakr ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Muzanī said, “Abū Bakr did not surpass all the Companions of the Messenger of God through an abundance of fasting and prayer, but through something that was in his heart.” Some said—

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الَّذِي كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ الْحُبُّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لَهُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ يَقُولُ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قُومُوا إِلَى نَارِكُمُ الَّتِي أَوْقَدْتُمُوهَا فَأَطْفِئُوهَا، وَرَوَى [ عَنْهُ ] أَنَّهُ أَكَلَ طَعَامًا مِنْ شُبْهَةٍ فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ بِهِ تَقَيَّأَ وَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَوْ لَمْ تَخْرُجُ إِلَّا مَعَ رُوحِي لَأَخْرَجْتُهَا سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ بَدَنٌ غُذِّيَ بِحَرَامٍ فَالنَّارُ أَوْلَى بِهِ، [ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ وَدِدْت أَنْ أَكُونَ خَضْرَاءَ تَأْكُلُنِي الدَّوَابُّ وَلَمْ أُخْلَقْ مَخَافَةَ الْعَذَابِ وَهَوْلِ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ ثَلَاثُ آيَاتٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ اشْتَغَلْتُ بِهَا عَمَّا سِوَاهَا إِحْدَاهَا قَوْلُهُ وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يُرِدْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلَا رَادَّ لِفَضْلِهِ فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ إِنْ أَرَادَنِي بِخَيْرٍ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَرْفَعَ عَنِّي غَيْرَهُ وَإِنْ أَرَادَنِي بِشَرٍّ لَمْ يَقْدِرْ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَصْرِفُ غَيْرَهُ، وَالثَّانِيَةُ قَوْلُهُ فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ فَاشْتَغَلْتُ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَنْ كُلِّ مَذْكُورٍ سِوَى اللَّهِ، وَالثَّالِثَةُ قَوْلُهُ وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا فَوَاللَّهِ مَا هَمَمْتُ بِرِزْقِي مُنْذُ قَرَأْتُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَات ] لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، يَا مَنْ تَرَفَّعَ بِالدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتِهَا * * لَيْسَ التَّرَفُّعُ رَفْعَ الطِّينِ بِالطِّينِ إِذَا أَرَدْتَ شَرِيفَ النَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ * * فَانْظُرْ إِلَى مَلِكٍ فِي زِيِّ مَسْكِينِ ذَاكَ الَّذِي عَظُمَتْ فِي النَّاسِ رَأْفَتُهُ * * وَذَاكَ يَصْلُحُ لِلدُّنْيَا وَلِلدِّينِ، [ وَحُكِيَ عَنْ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَشْرَفُ كَلِمَةٍ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ قَوْلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لِلْخَلْقِ طَرِيقًا إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ إِلَّا الْعَجْزَ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهِ ]،

alladhī kāna fī qalbihi al-ḥubbu li-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-naṣīḥatu lahu, wayuqālu inna abā bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kāna idhā dakhala waqtu al-ṣalāti yaqūlu yā banī ādama qūmū ilā nārikumu allatī awqadtumūhā fa-aṭfiʾūhā, warawā [ ʿanhu ] annahu akala ṭaʿāman min shubhatin falammā ʿalima bihi taqayyaʾa waqāla wa-Allāhi law lam takhruju illā maʿa rūḥī laʾakhrajtuhā samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu badanun ghudhdhā biḥarāmin fa-al-nāru awlā bihi, [ wakāna yaqūlu wadidt an akūna khaḍrāʾa taʾkulunī al-dawābbu walam ukhlaq makhāfata al-ʿadhābi wahawli yawmi al-ḥisābi, waruwiya ʿan abī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi annahu qāla thalāthu āyātin min kitābi Allāhi ʿazza wajalla ashtaghaltu bihā ʿammā siwāhā iḥdāhā qawluhu wa-in yamsaska Allāhu biḍurrin falā kāshifa lahu illā huwa wa-in yuridka bikhayrin falā rādda lifaḍlihi faʿalimtu annahu in arādanī bikhayrin lam yaqdir aḥadun an yarfaʿa ʿannī ghayrahu wa-in arādanī bisharrin lam yaqdir aḥadun an yaṣrifu ghayrahu, wa-al-thāniyatu qawluhu fa-adhkurūnī adhkurkum fa-ashtaghaltu bidhikri Allāhi taʿālā ʿan kulli madhkūrin siwā Allāhi, wa-al-thālithatu qawluhu wamā min dābbatin fī al-arḍi illā ʿalā Allāhi rizquhā fa-wa-Allāhi mā hamamtu birizqī mundhu qaraʾtu hadhihi al-āyata, wayuqālu inna hadhihi al-abyāt ] li-abī bakrin al-ṣiddīqi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, yā man taraffaʿa bi-al-dunyā wazīnatihā * * laysa al-taraffuʿu rafʿa al-ṭīni bi-al-ṭīni idhā aradta sharīfa al-nāsi kullihim * * fa-anẓur ilā malikin fī zī maskīni dhāka alladhī ʿaẓumat fī al-nāsi raʾfatuhu * * wadhāka yaṣluḥu li-al-dunyā wa-li-al-dīni, [ waḥukiya ʿan al-junaydi annahu qāla ashrafu kalimatin fī al-tawḥīdi qawlu abī bakrin subḥāna man lam yajʿal li-al-khalqi ṭarīqan ilā maʿrifatihi illā al-ʿajza ʿan maʿrifatihi ],

—that what was in his heart was love for God, mighty and majestic, and sincere devotion to Him. It is said that when the time of prayer arrived, Abū Bakr—may God be pleased with him—would say, “Children of Adam, rise to the fire you have kindled and extinguish it.” It is related that he once ate food of doubtful provenance. When he learned of it, he vomited it up and said, “By God, even if it would not come out except together with my soul, I would bring it out. I heard the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—say, ‘A body nourished by unlawful food is more deserving of the Fire.’” [He would also say, “I wish I were a green plant eaten by grazing animals and had never been created, for fear of the punishment and the terror of the Day of Reckoning.”] It is related that Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq said, “Three verses from the Book of God, mighty and majestic, have occupied me to the exclusion of everything else. The first is His saying, ‘If God touches you with harm, none can remove it but He; and if He intends good for you, none can repel His bounty.’ I therefore knew that if He intended good for me, no one could remove it from me, and if He intended evil for me, no one could turn it away. The second is His saying, ‘Remember Me, and I shall remember you’; so I occupied myself with remembrance of God Most High rather than with anything remembered besides Him. The third is His saying, ‘There is no creature upon the earth whose provision does not rest with God’; by God, I have not worried about my provision since I read this verse.” These verses are also said to be by Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him: “O you who seek elevation through the world and its adornment, elevation does not consist in raising clay upon clay. If you wish to see the noblest of all people, look upon a king in the garb of a poor man: the one whose compassion among people is immense and who is fit for both this world and religion.” [It is related that al-Junayd said, “The noblest statement concerning divine unity is Abū Bakr’s saying: Glory be to Him who has given created beings no path to knowing Him except their inability to know Him.”]

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بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَمَّا عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ رَوَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَدْ كَانَ فِي الْأُمَمِ مُحَدَّثُونَ وَمُكَلَّمُونَ فَإِنْ يَكُ فِي هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ فَعُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، سُئِلَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْفَهْمِ عَنِ الْمُحَدَّثِ فَقَالَ أَعْلَى دَرَجَةً مِنْ دَرَجَاتِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَدَلَائِلُ ذَلِكَ ظَهَرَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ مَا ذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَخْطُبُ فَصَاحَ فَقَالَ فِي وَسَطِ خُطْبَتِهِ يَا سَارِيَةُ الْجَبَلَ وَسَارِيَةُ فِي عَسْكَرٍ عَلَى بَابِ نَهَاوَنْدَ فَسَمِعَ صَوْتَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَخَذَ نَحْوَ الْجَبَلِ وَظَفِرَ بِالْعَدُوِّ، وَقِيلَ لِسَارِيَةَ كَيْفَ عَلِمْتَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ يَا سَارِيَةُ الْجَبَلَ الْجَبَلَ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ عَلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَمِيصًا فِيهِ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ رُقْعَةً وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ امْرَءًا أَهْدَى إِلَيَّ عُيُوبِي، وَقَدْ رَوَى عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَفْرَقُ مِنْ ظِلِّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَنْ خَافَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَشْفِ غَيْظَهُ وَمَنِ اتَّقَى اللَّهَ لَمْ يَفْعَلْ كُلَّمَا يُرِيدُ وَلَوْلَا الْقِيَامَةُ لَكَانَ غَيْرَ مَا تَرَوْنَ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُ أَخَذَ تِبْنَةً مِنَ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ تَلِدْنِي أُمِّي يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ هَذِهِ التَّبِنَةَ يَا لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَكُ شَيْئًا، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا ابْتُلِيتُ بِبَلِيَّةٍ إِلَّا كَانَ لِلَّهِ [ عَلَيَّ فِيهَا ] أَرْبَعُ نِعَمٍ إِذْ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِي دِينِي وَإِذْ لَمْ تَكُنْ أَعْظَمَ مِنْهَا وَإِذْ لَمْ أُحْرَمِ الرِّضَا فِيهَا وَأَنْ أَرْجُوَ الثَّوَابَ عَلَيْهَا، وَقَالَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَوْ كَانَ الصَّبْرُ وَالشُّكْرُ بَعِيرَيْنِ لَمْ أُبَالِ أَيَّهُمَا رَكِبْتُ، وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَشَكَا إِلَيْهِ الْفَقْرَ فَقَالَ عِنْدَكَ عَشَاءُ لَيْلَتِكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ لَسْتَ بِفَقِيرٍ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ

bābun fī dhikri ʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-ammā ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu qad rawā ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla qad kāna fī al-umami muḥaddathūna wa-mukallamūna fa-in yaku fī hadhihi al-ummati faʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, suʾila baʿḍu ahli al-fahmi ʿani al-muḥaddathi faqāla aʿlā darajatan min darajāti al-ṣiddīqīna, wa-dalāʾilu dhalika ẓaharat ʿalayhi wahuwa mā dhukira ʿanhu annahu kāna yakhṭubu faṣāḥa faqāla fī wasaṭi khuṭbatihi yā sāriyatu al-jabala wasāriyatu fī ʿaskarin ʿalā bābi nahāwanda fasamiʿa ṣawta ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-akhadha naḥwa al-jabali waẓafira bi-al-ʿaduwwi, waqīla lisāriyata kayfa ʿalimta dhalika faqāla samiʿtu ṣawta ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu yā sāriyatu al-jabala al-jabala, waruwiya ʿan abī ʿuthmāna al-nahdiyyi annahu qāla raʾaytu ʿalā ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu qamīṣan fīhi ithnatā ʿashrata ruqʿatan wahuwa yakhṭubu, waruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla raḥima Allāhu amraʾan ahdā ilā ʿuyūbī, waqad ruwiya ʿan al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla al-shayṭānu yafraqu min ẓilli ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waqāla ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu man khāfa Allāha taʿālā lam yashfi ghayẓahu wamani attaqā Allāha lam yafʿal kullamā yurīdu walawlā al-qiyāmatu lakāna ghayra mā tarawna, wayuqālu innahu akhadha tibnatan mina al-arḍi faqāla yā laytanī lam talidnī ummī yā laytanī kunt hadhihi al-tabinata yā laytanī lam aku shayʾan, waqad ruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla mā abtulītu bibaliyyatin illā kāna li-Allāhi [ ʿalayya fīhā ] arbaʿu niʿamin idh lam takun fī dīnī wa-idh lam takun aʿẓama minhā wa-idh lam uḥrami al-riḍā fīhā wa-an arjuwa al-thawāba ʿalayhā, waqāla ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu law kāna al-ṣabru wa-al-shukru baʿīrayni lam ubāli ayyahumā rakibtu, wajāʾa rajulun ilā ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fashakā ilayhi al-faqra faqāla ʿindaka ʿashāʾu laylatika qāla naʿam qāla lasta bifaqīrin, waruwiya ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla mā ʿalā wajhi al-arḍi

Chapter mentioning ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may God be pleased with him. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, it is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Among earlier communities there were inspired people who were addressed inwardly; if there is one in this community, it is ʿUmar.” One of the people of understanding was asked about the inspired person and replied, “It is among the highest degrees of the utterly truthful.” The signs of this appeared in ʿUmar. It is related that while delivering a sermon he suddenly cried out in its midst, “Sāriyah, the mountain!” Sāriyah was with an army at the approach to Nihāwand. He heard ʿUmar’s voice, moved toward the mountain, and prevailed over the enemy. When Sāriyah was asked how he had known what to do, he replied, “I heard ʿUmar’s voice saying, ‘Sāriyah, the mountain, the mountain!’” Abū ʿUthmān al-Nahdī related, “I saw ʿUmar delivering a sermon in a shirt bearing twelve patches.” It is also related that ʿUmar said, “May God have mercy on a man who presents me with my faults as a gift.” The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—is reported to have said, “Satan is afraid even of ʿUmar’s shadow.” ʿUmar said, “Whoever fears God Most High does not give vent to his anger, and whoever is mindful of God does not do everything he desires. Were it not for the Resurrection, what you see would be otherwise.” It is said that he picked up a straw from the ground and said, “Would that my mother had not borne me; would that I were this straw; would that I had never been anything.” It is related that he said, “I have never been afflicted by a trial without God having four blessings for me within it: it did not touch my religion; it was not greater than it was; I was not deprived of contentment within it; and I could hope for reward through it.” He also said, “If patience and gratitude were two camels, I would not care which one I rode.” A man came to ʿUmar and complained of poverty. ʿUmar asked, “Do you have supper for tonight?” He replied, “Yes.” ʿUmar said, “Then you are not poor.” It is related that ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—said, “There is no one upon the face of the earth with whose record I would rather meet God Most High than this shrouded man, ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him.” It is also related—

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أَحَدٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِمِثْلِ صَحِيفَتِهِ إِلَّا هَذَا الْمُسَجَّى عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ وَرَأَى عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَوْمًا عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَعْدُو فِي وَقْتِ الْهَاجِرَةِ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ عَدْوِهِ فَقَالَ [ قَدْ ] أُغِيرَ عَلَى إِبِلِ الصَّدَقَةِ فَرُحْتُ أَعْدُو فِي طَلَبِهَا قَالَ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَقَدْ أَتْعَبْتَ الْخُلَفَاءَ بَعْدَكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَلِأَهْلِ الْحَقَائِقِ أُسْوَةٌ وَتَعَلُّقٌ بِعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِمَعَانٍ خُصَّ بِذَلِكَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِنَ اخْتِيَارِهِ لُبْسَ الْمَرَقَّعَةِ وَالْخُشُونَةِ وَتَرْكِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَاجْتِنَابِ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَإِظْهَارِ الْكَرَامَاتِ وَقِلَّةِ الْمُبَالَاةِ مِنْ لَائِمَةِ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ انْتِصَابِ الْحَقِّ وَمَحَقِّ الْبَاطِلِ وَمُسَاوَاةِ الْأَقَارِبِ وَالْأَبَاعِدِ فِي الْحُقُوقِ وَالتَّمَسُّكِ بِالْأَشَدِّ مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ وَأَشْبَاهُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ وَبَيَانُهُ يَطُولُ، وَأَمَّا مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ رَأَى جَمَاعَةً جُلُوسًا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَأَمَرَهُمْ بِطَلَبِ الْكَسْبِ وَالَّذِي كَتَبَ بِهِ إِلَى سَلْمَانَ فَلَعَلَّهُ عَرَفَ مِنْهُمْ عَجْزًا فِي جُلُوسِهِمْ وَطَمَعِهِمْ فِي النَّاسِ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ [ فَلِذَلِكَ أَمَرَهُمْ بِطَلَبِ الْكَسْبِ ] لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَدْ رَأَوْا أَصْحَابَ الصُّفَّةِ وَهُمْ نَيِّفٌ وَثَلَاثُ مِائَةٍ وَلَمْ يَكْرَهُوا ذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يُؤْمَرُوا بِالْخُرُوجِ مِنْ الْمَسْجِدِ وَطَلَبِ الْمَعَاشِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِأَخِيهِ زَيْدِ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ إِنْ شِئْتَ نَزَعْتُ دِرْعِي هَذِهِ حَتَّى تَلْبَسَهَا فَقَالَ لَهُ زَيْدٌ أَنَا أَيْضًا أُحِبُّ الشَّهَادَةَ كَمَا أَنَّكَ تُحِبُّ الشَّهَادَةَ، وَهَذِهِ إِشَارَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ مِنْهُمَا تَدُلُّ عَلَى حَقِيقَةِ التَّوَكُّلِ، وَأَشْبَاهِ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرَةٌ وَفِي الْقَلِيلِ كِفَايَةٌ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَجَدْتُ الْعِبَادَةَ فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْيَاءَ أَوَّلُهَا أَدَاءُ فَرَائِضِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالثَّانِي اجْتِنَابُ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالثَّالِثُ الْأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ابْتِغَاءَ ثَوَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالرَّابِعُ النَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ اتِّقَاءَ غَضَبِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى،

aḥadun aḥabbu ilayya an alqā Allāha taʿālā bimithli ṣaḥīfatihi illā hadhā al-musajjā ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, qāla waraʾā ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yawman ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa yaʿdū fī waqti al-hājirati fasaʾalahu ʿan ʿadwihi faqāla [ qad ] ughīra ʿalā ibili al-ṣadaqati fa-ruḥtu aʿdū fī ṭalabihā qāla faqāla ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu laqad atʿabta al-khulafāʾa baʿdaka yā amīra al-muʾminīna, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu waliʾahli al-ḥaqāʾiqi uswatun wataʿalluqun biʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bi-maʿānin khuṣṣa bidhalika ʿumaru raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mina akhtiyārihi lubsa al-maraqqaʿati wa-al-khushūnati watarki al-shahawāti wa-ajtinābi al-shubuhāti wa-iẓhāri al-karāmāti wa-qillati al-mubālāti min lāʾimati al-khalqi ʿinda antiṣābi al-ḥaqqi wamaḥaqqi al-bāṭili wa-musāwāti al-aqāribi wa-al-abāʿidi fī al-ḥuqūqi wa-al-tamassuki bi-al-ashaddi mina al-ṭāʿāti wa-ashbāhu dhalika mimmā ruwiya ʿanhu wabayānuhu yaṭūlu, wa-ammā mā ruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu raʾā jamāʿatan julūsan fī al-masjidi fa-amarahum biṭalabi al-kasbi wa-alladhī kataba bihi ilā salmāna falaʿallahu ʿarafa minhum ʿajzan fī julūsihim waṭamaʿihim fī al-nāsi aw ghayri dhalika [ falidhalika amarahum biṭalabi al-kasbi ] li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-abā bakrin waʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā qad raʾaw aṣḥāba al-ṣuffati wahum nayyifun wa-thalāthu miʾatin walam yakrahū dhalika walam yuʾmarū bi-al-khurūji min al-masjidi waṭalabi al-maʿāshi, waruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla li-akhīhi zaydi bni al-khaṭṭābi yawma uḥudin in shiʾta nazaʿtu dirʿī hadhihi ḥattā talbasahā faqāla lahu zaydun anā ayḍan uḥibbu al-shahādata kamā annaka tuḥibbu al-shahādata, wahadhihi ishāratun ʿaẓīmatun minhumā tadullu ʿalā ḥaqīqati al-tawakkuli, wa-ashbāhi dhalika kathīratun wafī al-qalīli kifāyatun, waqad ruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla wajadtu al-ʿibādata fī arbaʿati ashyāʾa awwaluhā adāʾu farāʾiḍi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-thānī ajtinābu maḥārimi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-thālithu al-amru bi-al-maʿrūfi abtighāʾa thawābi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-rābiʿu al-nahyu ʿani al-munkari attiqāʾa ghaḍabi Allāhi taʿālā,

—that ʿAlī once saw ʿUmar running in the heat of midday and asked what he was pursuing. ʿUmar replied, “[A raid has been made] upon the camels of the alms-tax, so I have gone out running in search of them.” ʿAlī said, “You have wearied the caliphs who will come after you, Commander of the Faithful.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: The people of spiritual realities have an example in ʿUmar and attach themselves to meanings by which he was specially distinguished: his choice of patched clothing and austerity; his abandonment of appetites and avoidance of doubtful matters; the manifestation of charismatic gifts; his slight concern for the blame of created beings when establishing truth and erasing falsehood; his equality between relatives and strangers in matters of right; and his adherence to the most demanding forms of obedience. The reports concerning this are numerous, and their explanation would be long. As for the report that ʿUmar saw a group sitting in the mosque and ordered them to seek a livelihood, and the letter he wrote to Salmān on the matter, perhaps he recognized in them an incapacity in their sitting and a coveting of what people possessed, or something similar; [for this reason he ordered them to seek earnings]. The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—and Abū Bakr and ʿUmar—may God be pleased with them both—had seen the People of the Bench, who numbered more than three hundred, yet they did not disapprove of their state or order them to leave the mosque and seek a livelihood. It is related that on the day of Uḥud, ʿUmar said to his brother Zayd ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, “If you wish, I shall take off this coat of mail and let you wear it.” Zayd replied, “I love martyrdom just as you love martyrdom.” This was a mighty allusion from them both, indicating the reality of trust in God. Similar reports are many; a little is sufficient. It is related that ʿUmar said, “I found worship in four things: first, performing the obligations of God Most High; second, avoiding what God Most High has forbidden; third, commanding what is right in pursuit of God Most High’s reward; and fourth, forbidding what is wrong in fear of God Most High’s wrath.”

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بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَمَّا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ خُصَّ بِالتَّمْكِينِ وَالتَّمْكِينُ مِنْ أَعْلَى مَرَاتِبِ الْمُتَحَقِّقِينَ، وَمِمَّا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهِ أَهْلُ الْحَقَائِقِ مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّصَوُّفِ بِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ [ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ ] عَنِ الدُّخُولِ فِي السُّعَاتِ فَقَالَ لَا يَصِحُّ إِلَّا لِلْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ، وَالدُّخُولُ فِي السَّعَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ مِنْ أَحْوَالِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ أَنْ يَكُونَ دَاخِلًا فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ [ خَارِجًا مِنْهَا وَأَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَ الْأَشْيَاءِ ] بَائِنًا عَنْهَا كَمَا سُئِلَ يَحْيَى بْنُ مُعَاذٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ صِفَةِ الْعَارِفِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ كَائِنٌ [ مَعَهُمْ ] بَائِنٌ عَنْهُمْ، وَسُئِلَ ابْنُ الْجَلَّاءِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ فَقَالَ يَكُونُ دُخُولُهُ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ لِغَيْرِهِ لَا لِنَفْسِهِ، وَهَذَا وَصْفُ حَالِ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَوْلَا أَنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ ثُلْمَةٌ أَسُدُّهَا بِهَذَا الْمَالِ مَا جَمَعْتَهُ، وَعَلَامَةُ مَنْ يَكُونُ هَذَا حَالُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْإِنْفَاقُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْإِمْسَاكِ وَالْخَرْجُ عِنْدَهُ آثَرُ مِنَ الدَّخْلِ كَعُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي تَجْهِيزِ جَيْشِ الْعُسْرَةِ وَاشْتَرَى بِئْرَ رُومَةَ حَتَّى قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا ضَرَّ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا فَعَلَ بَعْدَ هَذَا، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ بَعَثَ إِلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِكِيسٍ فِيهِ أَلْفُ دِرْهَمٍ وَدَفَعَهَا إِلَى عَبْدٍ لَهُ وَقَالَ إِنْ قَبِلَهَا فَأَنْتَ حُرٌّ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَنَّ أَمْوَالَهُ كَانَتْ مُسْتَعِدَّةً لِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْجِهَاتِ وَلَا يَصِحُّ هَذَا الْحَالُ إِلَّا لِعَبْدٍ كَامِلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ سَالِمٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ قَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَا يَصِحُّ الدُّخُولُ فِي السَّعَةِ إِلَّا لِعَبْدٍ يَعْرِفُ الْإِذْنَ إِذَا أَذِنَ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَنْ يُنْفِقَ أَنْفَقَ عَلَى مِقْدَارِ مَا يَأْذَنُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ وَإِنْ

bābun fī dhikri ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu ammā ʿuthmānu bnu ʿaffāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad khuṣṣa bi-al-tamkīni wa-al-tamkīnu min aʿlā marātibi al-mutaḥaqqiqīna, wamimmā yataʿallaqu bihi ahlu al-ḥaqāʾiqi min ahli al-taṣawwufi biʿuthmana bni ʿaffāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā ruwiya ʿan baʿḍi al-mutaqaddimīna [ annahu suʾila ] ʿani al-dukhūli fī al-suʿāti faqāla lā yaṣiḥḥu illā li-al-anbiyāʾi wa-al-ṣiddīqīna, wa-al-dukhūlu fī al-saʿati allatī hiya min aḥwāli al-ṣiddīqīna an yakūna dākhilan fī al-ashyāʾi [ khārijan minhā wa-an yakūna maʿa al-ashyāʾi ] bāʾinan ʿanhā kamā suʾila yaḥyā bnu muʿādhin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ʿan ṣifati al-ʿārifi faqāla rajulun kāʾinun [ maʿahum ] bāʾinun ʿanhum, wasuʾila abnu al-jallāʾi raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi faqāla yakūnu dukhūluhu fī al-ashyāʾi lighayrihi lā linafsihi, wahadhā waṣfu ḥāli ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu li-annahu qad ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla lawlā annī khashītu an yakūna fī al-islāmi thulmatun asudduhā bi-hadhā al-māli mā jamaʿtahu, waʿalāmatu man yakūnu hadhā ḥāluhu an yakūna al-infāqu aḥabba ilayhi mina al-imsāki wa-al-kharju ʿindahu ātharu mina al-dakhli ka-ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī tajhīzi jayshi al-ʿusrati wa-ishtarā biʾra rūmata ḥattā qāla rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama mā ḍarra ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā faʿala baʿda hadhā, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu baʿatha ilā abī dharrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bi-kīsin fīhi alfu dirhamin wadafaʿahā ilā ʿabdin lahu waqāla in qabilahā fa-anta ḥurrun liwajhi Allāhi taʿālā, fadalla dhalika ʿalā anna amwālahu kānat mustaʿiddatan limithli hadhihi al-jihāti walā yaṣiḥḥu hadhā al-ḥālu illā liʿabdin kāmili al-maʿrifati, samiʿtu abna sālimin raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu qāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu lā yaṣiḥḥu al-dukhūlu fī al-saʿati illā liʿabdin yaʿrifu al-idhna idhā adhina Allāhu lahu an yunfiqa anfaqa ʿalā miqdāri mā yaʾdhanu Allāhu taʿālā lahu wa-in

Chapter mentioning ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, he was specially distinguished by firm establishment, which is among the highest ranks of the realized. Among the qualities by which the people of spiritual realities among the Sufis attach themselves to ʿUthmān is what is related from one of the early masters. [He was asked] about entering into abundance and replied, “It is sound only for prophets and the utterly truthful.” Entering into the abundance that belongs to the states of the utterly truthful means being within things [while remaining outside them], and being with things while remaining separate from them. Thus Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh—may God be pleased with him—was asked to describe the gnostic and replied, “A man present [with them], yet separate from them.” Ibn al-Jallāʾ—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the truly poor person and replied, “His entry into things is for the sake of others, not for himself.” This describes the state of ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him, for it is related that he said, “Were I not afraid that there might be a breach in Islam which I could repair with this wealth, I would not have accumulated it.” A sign of one whose state is such is that giving is dearer to him than withholding and outflow is preferable to inflow. This was ʿUthmān’s condition when he equipped the Army of Hardship and purchased the Well of Rūmah, until the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Nothing ʿUthmān does after this day will harm him.” It is related that ʿUthmān sent Abū Dharr—may God be pleased with him—a purse containing one thousand dirhams. He gave it to one of his servants and said, “If he accepts it, you are free for the sake of God Most High.” This shows that his wealth stood ready for uses of this kind. Such a state is sound only for a servant whose knowledge is complete. I heard Ibn Sālim—may God have mercy on him—say that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—said, “Entering into abundance is sound only for a servant who recognizes divine permission. When God permits him to spend, he spends according to the measure God Most High permits him; and when He permits him—”

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أَمْسَكَ أَمْسَكَ عَلَى حَسَبِ مَا يَأْذَنُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ وَيَكُونُ قِيَامُهُ فِيمَا يَجْمَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ لِلْحُقُوقِ وَلَا لِلْحُظُوظِ فَيَكُونُ مِثْلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْوَكِيلِ يَتَصَرَّفُ فِي مَالِ صَاحِبِهِ تَصَرُّفَ الْمَالِكِينَ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّ الْمَالِ وَهُوَ مَكَانٌ صَعْبٌ وَقَدْ غَلِطَ فِي ذَلِكَ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ بِدَعْوَاهُمْ هَذَا الْحَالَ وَهُمْ عَبِيدُ الدُّنْيَا وَعِنْدَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رُبَّمَا يَمْلِكُ الْعَبْدُ الدُّنْيَا وَيَكُونُ أَزْهَدَ الْخَلْقِ فِي زَمَانِهِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ مِثْلُ مَنْ فَقَالَ مِثْلُ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَكَانَ [ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَعْنِي عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ] فِي خِلَافَتِهِ يُمَيِّزُ بَيْنَ الزَّيْتِ الَّذِي يُسْرَجُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَالزَّيْتِ الَّذِي يُسْرَجُ لِلْعَامَّةِ وَكَانَ يَضَعُ سِرَاجَهُ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ قَصَبَاتٍ وَفِي يَدِهِ خَزَائِنُ الْأَرْضِ، فَمِنْ هَاهُنَا غَلِطَ مَنْ غَلِطَ فِي تَشْرِيفِ الْغِنَى عَلَى الْفَقْرِ وَذَهَبَ عَلَيْهِ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ لَمْ يَكُونُوا أَغْنِيَاءَ بِأَعْرَاضِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا فُقَرَاءَ بِمَا يُعْدَمُونَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لِأَنَّ غِنَاهُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَفَقْرُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ، وَمِمَّا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهِ أَهْلُ الْحَقَائِقِ بِعُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ حَمَلَ حُزْمَةَ حَطَبٍ مِنْ بَعْضِ بَسَاتِينِهِ وَكَانَ لَهُ عِدَّةُ مَمَالِيكَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ لَوْ دَفَعْتَهَا إِلَى بَعْضِ عَبِيدِكَ فَقَالَ إِنِّي قَدِ اسْتَطَعْتُ أَنْ أَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُجَرِّبَ نَفْسِي هَلْ تَعْجَزُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ أَوْ هَلْ تَكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ أَيْضًا [ عَلَى ] أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَدَعُ افْتِقَادَ نَفْسِهِ وَكَانَ يَفْتَقِدُ رِيَاضَةَ نَفْسِهِ لِئَلَّا يَسْكُنَ إِلَى مَا جُمِعَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي ذَلِكَ كَغَيْرِهِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقْرَأُ بِالسَّبْعِ الطُّوَلِ فِي رَكْعَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ خَلْفَ الْمَقَامِ وَهُوَ مُقَنِّعٌ رَأْسَهُ بِاللَّيْلِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا تَغَنَّيْتُ وَلَا تَمَنَّيْتُ وَلَا مَسِسْتُ ذَكَرِي بِيَمِينِي مُنْذُ بَايَعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَ [ مِمَّا ] [ يَدُلُّ عَلَى ] تَخْصِيصِهِ بِالتَّمْكِينِ وَالثَّبَاتِ وَالِاسْتِقَامَةِ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ يَوْمَ قُتِلَ لَمْ يَبْرَحْ مِنْ مَوْضِعِهِ وَلَمْ يَأْذَنْ لِأَحَدٍ بِالْقِتَالِ وَلَا وَضَعَ الْمُصْحَفَ مِنْ حِجْرِهِ إِلَى أَنْ قُتِلَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَسَالَ الدَّمُ عَلَى الْمُصْحَفِ وَتَلَطَّخَ بِالدَّمِ وَوَقَعَ الدَّمُ عَلَى مَوْضِعِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ فَسَيَكْفِيَكَهُمُ

amsaka amsaka ʿalā ḥasabi mā yaʾdhanu Allāhu taʿālā lahu wayakūnu qiyāmuhu fīmā yajmaʿu Allāhu ʿalayhi mina al-amwāli li-al-ḥuqūqi walā li-al-ḥuẓūẓi fayakūnu mithluhu kamathali al-wakīli yataṣarrafu fī māli ṣāḥibihi taṣarrufa al-mālikīna bi-idhni rabbi al-māli wahuwa makānun ṣaʿbun waqad ghaliṭa fī dhalika khalqun kathīrun bidaʿwāhum hadhā al-ḥāla wahum ʿabīdu al-dunyā waʿindahum annahum min hāʾulāʾi, waqad ḥukiya ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla rubbamā yamliku al-ʿabdu al-dunyā wayakūnu azhada al-khalqi fī zamānihi faqīla lahu mithlu man faqāla mithlu ʿumara bni ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi wakāna [ raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu aʿnī ʿumara bna ʿabdi al-ʿazīzi ] fī khilāfatihi yumayyizu bayna al-zayti alladhī yusraju linafsihi wa-al-zayti alladhī yusraju li-al-ʿāmmati wakāna yaḍaʿu sirājahu ʿalā thalāthi qaṣabātin wafī yadihi khazāʾinu al-arḍi, famin hāhunā ghaliṭa man ghaliṭa fī tashrīfi al-ghinā ʿalā al-faqri wadhahaba ʿalayhi anna hāʾulāʾi lam yakūnū aghniyāʾa bi-aʿrāḍi al-dunyā walā fuqarāʾa bimā yuʿdamūna mina al-dunyā li-anna ghināhum bi-Allāhi wafaqruhum ilayhi, wamimmā yataʿallaqu bihi ahlu al-ḥaqāʾiqi bi-ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā ruwiya ʿanhu annahu ḥamala ḥuzmata ḥaṭabin min baʿḍi basātīnihi wakāna lahu ʿiddatu mamālīka faqīla lahu law dafaʿtahā ilā baʿḍi ʿabīdika faqāla innī qad istaṭaʿtu an afʿala dhalika walakin aradtu an ujarriba nafsī hal taʿjazu ʿan dhalika aw hal takrahu dhalika aw kamā qāla, fadalla dhalika ayḍan [ ʿalā ] annahu kāna lā yadaʿu iftiqāda nafsihi wakāna yaftaqidu riyāḍata nafsihi li-allā yaskuna ilā mā jumiʿa ilayhi mina al-amwāli li-annahu laysa fī dhalika kaghayrihi, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqraʾu bi-al-sabʿi al-ṭuwali fī rakʿatin wāḥidatin khalfa al-maqāmi wahuwa muqanniʿun raʾsahu bi-al-layli, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla mā taghannaytu walā tamannaytu walā masistu dhakarī bi-yamīnī mundhu bāyaʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa [ mimmā ] [ yadullu ʿalā ] takhṣīṣihi bi-al-tamkīni wa-al-thabāti wa-al-istiqāmati mā ruwiya ʿanhu annahu yawma qutila lam yabraḥ min mawḍiʿihi walam yaʾdhan li-aḥadin bi-al-qitāli walā waḍaʿa al-muṣḥafa min ḥijrihi ilā an qutila raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wasāla al-damu ʿalā al-muṣḥafi watalaṭṭakha bi-al-dami wawaqaʿa al-damu ʿalā mawḍiʿi hadhihi al-āyati fasayakfiyakahumu

“—to retain, he retains according to the measure God Most High permits him. His stewardship over the wealth God gathers to him is for the fulfilment of rights, not the enjoyment of personal shares. He is like an agent who administers his principal’s wealth with the freedom of an owner, yet only by permission of the owner of the property. This is a difficult station. Many people have fallen into error by claiming this state while they remain slaves of the world, though they imagine themselves to belong to these people.” It is related that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—said, “A servant may possess the world and nevertheless be the most renunciant person of his age.” He was asked, “Like whom?” and replied, “Like ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz.” During his caliphate, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz—may God be pleased with him—distinguished between the oil used to light his own lamp and the oil used for public business. He would set his lamp upon three reeds while the treasuries of the earth were in his hand. Here lies the error of those who prefer wealth to poverty. They fail to see that such people were not rich through the passing goods of the world, nor poor through what they lacked of it: their wealth was through God and their poverty was toward Him. Among the qualities by which the people of spiritual realities attach themselves to ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him—is the report that he carried a bundle of firewood from one of his gardens although he owned several slaves. Someone said, “Why did you not give it to one of your servants?” He replied, “I was able to do that, but I wanted to test my soul: would it be incapable of this, or would it dislike it?”—or words to that effect. This shows that he never ceased examining his soul and testing its discipline, lest it repose in the wealth gathered to him, for his relation to that wealth was unlike that of others. It is related that he recited the seven long suras in a single cycle of prayer behind the Station, his head covered, at night. It is also related that he said, “I have neither sung nor indulged idle wishes, and I have not touched my private part with my right hand since I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace.” [Among the things] showing that he was specially distinguished by firm establishment, steadfastness, and rectitude is the report that on the day he was killed he did not leave his place, permit anyone to fight, or set the Qur’an down from his lap until he was killed—may God be pleased with him. His blood flowed upon the Qur’an, staining it at the words of this verse: “God will suffice you against them—”

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اللَّهُ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ، وَالتَّمْكِينُ حَالٌ رَفِيعٌ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو بْنَ عِلْوَانَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَيْلَةً مِنَ اللَّيَالِي وَهُوَ [ يَقُولُ ] فِي مُنَاجَاتِهِ إِلَهِي أَتُرِيدُ أَنْ تَخْدَعَنِي [ عَنْكَ ] بِقُرْبِكَ أَمْ تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَقْطَعَنِي عَنْكَ بِوَصْلِكَ هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ، قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَمْرٍو مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ قَالَ التَّمْكِينُ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَجَدْتُ الْخَيْرَ مَجْمُوعًا فِي أَرْبَعَةٍ أَوَّلُهَا التَّحَبُّبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى [ بِالنَّوَافِلِ ] وَالثَّانِي الصَّبْرُ عَلَى أَحْكَامِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالثَّالِثُ الرِّضَا بِتَقْدِيرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالرَّابِعُ الْحَيَاءُ مِنْ نَظَرِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ عَلِيٍّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَمَّا عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْوَجِيهِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ جُنَيْدًا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَوْلَا أَنَّهُ اشْتَغَلَ بِالْحُرُوبِ لَأَفَادَنَا مِنْ عِلْمِنَا هَذَا مَعَانِيَ كَثِيرَةً ذَاكَ امْرُؤٌ أُعْطِيَ الْعِلْمَ اللَّدُنِّيَّ، وَالْعِلْمُ اللَّدُنِّيُّ هُوَ الْعِلْمُ الَّذِي خُصَّ بِهِ الْخَضِرُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْمًا، وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُمْ بِقِصَّةِ الْخَضِرِ وَمُوسَى عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ وَقَوْلُهُ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا، فَمِنْ هَاهُنَا غَلِطَ مَنْ غَلِطَ فِي تَفْضِيلِ الْوِلَايَةِ عَلَى النُّبُوَّةِ وَسَنَذْكُرُ ذَلِكَ فِي بَابِ الرَّدِّ عَلَى مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، وَلِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ [ عَلِيٍّ ] رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ خُصُوصِيَّةٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ جَمِيعِ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَعَانٍ جَلِيلَةٍ وَإِشَارَاتٍ لَطِيفَةٍ وَأَلْفَاظٍ مُفْرَدَةٍ وَعِبَارَةٍ وَبَيَانٍ لِلتَّوْحِيدِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْإِيمَانِ [ وَالْعِلْمِ ] وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ وَخِصَالٍ شَرِيفَةٍ تَعَلَّقَ وَتَخَلَّقَ بِهَا أَهْلُ الْحَقَائِقِ مِنْ

Allāhu wahuwa al-samīʿu al-ʿalīmu, wa-al-tamkīnu ḥālun rafīʿun, samiʿtu abā ʿamrin bna ʿilwāna yaqūlu samiʿtu al-junayda raḥimahu Allāhu laylatan mina al-layālī wahuwa [ yaqūlu ] fī munājātihi ilāhī aturīdu an takhdaʿanī [ ʿanka ] biqurbika am turīdu an taqṭaʿanī ʿanka biwaṣlika hayhāta hayhāta, qultu li-abī ʿamrin mā maʿnā qawlihi hayhāta hayhāta qāla al-tamkīnu, waruwiya ʿan ʿuthmāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla wajadtu al-khayra majmūʿan fī arbaʿatin awwaluhā al-taḥabbubu ilā Allāhi taʿālā [ bi-al-nawāfili ] wa-al-thānī al-ṣabru ʿalā aḥkāmi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-thālithu al-riḍā bitaqdīri Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-rābiʿu al-ḥayāʾu min naẓari Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, bābun fī dhikri ʿaliyyin bni abī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-ammā ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innī samiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaliyyin al-wajīhiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu abā ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyya yaqūlu samiʿtu junaydan raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu riḍwānu Allāhi ʿalā amīri al-muʾminīna ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lawlā annahu ashtaghala bi-al-ḥurūbi laʾafādanā min ʿilminā hadhā maʿāniya kathīratan dhāka imruʾun uʿṭiya al-ʿilma al-laduniyya, wa-al-ʿilmu al-laduniyyu huwa al-ʿilmu alladhī khuṣṣa bihi al-khaḍiru ʿalayhi al-salāmu qāla Allāhu taʿālā waʿallamnāhu min ladunnā ʿilman, waqad samiʿtum biqiṣṣati al-khaḍiri wamūsā ʿalayhimā al-salāmu waqawluhu innaka lan tastaṭīʿa maʿiya ṣabran, famin hāhunā ghaliṭa man ghaliṭa fī tafḍīli al-wilāyati ʿalā al-nubuwwati wasanadhkuru dhalika fī bābi al-raddi ʿalā man qāla dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu, waliʾamīri al-muʾminīna [ ʿaliyyin ] raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu khuṣūṣiyyatun min bayni jamīʿi aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama bi-maʿānin jalīlatin wa-ishārātin laṭīfatin wa-alfāẓin mufradatin waʿibāratin wabayānin li-al-tawḥīdi wa-al-maʿrifati wa-al-īmāni [ wa-al-ʿilmi ] waghayri dhalika wakhiṣālin sharīfatin taʿallaqa wa-takhallaqa bihā ahlu al-ḥaqāʾiqi min

“—and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” Firm establishment is a lofty state. I heard Abū ʿAmr ibn ʿAlwān say, “One night I heard al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—say in his intimate prayer, ‘My God, do You wish to draw me away from You through Your nearness, or cut me off from You through Your union? Far be it, far be it!’” I asked Abū ʿAmr what al-Junayd meant by “Far be it, far be it,” and he replied, “Firm establishment.” It is related that ʿUthmān—may God be pleased with him—said, “I found goodness gathered in four things: first, seeking God Most High’s love through supererogatory works; second, patience under God Most High’s judgments; third, contentment with what God, mighty and majestic, determines; and fourth, modesty before the gaze of God, mighty and majestic.” Chapter mentioning ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib—may God be pleased with him. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for ʿAlī, I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Wajīhī say that he heard Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī say, “I heard al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—say, ‘May God’s good pleasure rest upon the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him. Had he not been occupied by wars, he would have furnished us with many meanings belonging to this knowledge of ours. He was a man granted knowledge from the divine presence.’” Knowledge from the divine presence is the knowledge by which al-Khiḍr—peace be upon him—was specially distinguished. God Most High says, “We taught him knowledge from Our presence.” You have heard the account of al-Khiḍr and Moses—peace be upon them both—and al-Khiḍr’s words, “You will not be able to bear patiently with me.” From here arose the error of those who preferred sainthood to prophecy. We shall discuss this in the chapter refuting those who hold that view, God willing. Among all the Companions of the Messenger of God, the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī was specially distinguished by majestic meanings, subtle allusions, singular expressions, and lucid explanations concerning divine unity, knowledge of God, faith, [knowledge], and other matters, together with noble qualities which the people of spiritual realities among—

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الصُّوفِيَّةِ وَإِنْ ذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ طَالَ بِهِ الْكِتَابُ وَلَكِنْ نَذْكُرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ طَرَفًا نَكْتَفِي بِهِ عَنِ التَّطْوِيلِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، فَمِنْهَا مَا سُئِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَقِيلَ لَهُ بِمَا عَرَفْتَ رَبَّكَ فَقَالَ بِمَا عَرَّفَنِي نَفْسَهُ لَا تُشْبِهُهُ صُورَةٌ وَلَا يُدْرَكُ بِالْحَوَاسِّ وَلَا يُقَاسُ بِالنَّاسِ قَرِيبٌ فِي بُعْدَهُ بَعِيدٌ فِي قُرْبِهِ فَوْقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يُقَالُ شَيْءٌ تَحْتَهُ وَتَحْتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يُقَالُ شَيْءٌ فَوْقَهُ أَمَامَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا يُقَالُ شَيْءٌ أَمَامَهُ دَاخِلٌ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ لَا كَشَيْءٍ وَلَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَلَا فِي شَيْءٍ وَلَا بِشَيْءٍ سُبْحَانَ مَنْ هُوَ هَكَذَا وَلَا هَكَذَا غَيْرُهُ، وَكَانَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ خَلَقَ الْأَشْيَاءَ لَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ كَانَ مَعَهُ وَلَا عَنْ شَيْءٍ احْتَذَاهُ وَلَا عَنْ شَيْءٍ امْتَثَلَهُ فَكُلُّ صَانِعٍ فَمِنْ شَيْءٍ صَنَعَ وَكُلُّ عَالِمٍ فَمِنْ بَعْدِ جَهْلٍ عَلِمَ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَالِمٌ لَا مِنْ بَعْدِ جَهْلٍ، وَقَوْلُهُ فِي الْإِيمَانِ كَمَا ذَكَرَ عَنْهُ عَمْرُو بْنُ هِنْدٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَقُولُ الْإِيمَانُ يَبْدُو لُمْظَةً بَيْضَاءَ فِي الْقَلْبِ فَكُلَّمَا ازْدَادَ الْإِيمَانُ ازْدَادَ الْقَلْبُ بَيَاضًا فَإِذَا اسْتَكْمَلَ الْإِيمَانُ ابْيَضَّ الْقَلْبُ وَإِنَّ النِّفَاقَ يَبْدُو لُمْظَةً سَوْدَاءَ فِي الْقَلْبِ فَكُلَّمَا ازْدَادَ النِّفَاقُ ازْدَادَ الْقَلْبُ سَوَادًا فَإِذَا اسْتَكْمَلَ النِّفَاقُ اسْوَدَّ الْقَلْبُ، وَقَامَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ فَقَالَ الْإِيمَانُ عَلَى أَرْبَعِ دَعَائِمَ عَلَى الصَّبْرِ وَالْيَقِينِ وَالْعَدْلِ وَالْجِهَادِ ثُمَّ وَصَفَ الصَّبْرَ عَلَى عَشْرِ مَقَامَاتٍ وَكَذَلِكَ الْيَقِينُ وَالْعَدْلُ وَالْجِهَادُ فَوَصَفَ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهَا عَلَى عَشْرِ مَقَامَاتٍ، فَإِنْ صَحَّ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ فَهُوَ أَوَّلُ مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ فِي الْأَحْوَالِ وَالْمَقَامَاتِ، وَقِيلَ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَنْ أَسْلَمُ النَّاسِ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْعُيُوبِ قَالَ مَنْ جَعَلَ عَقْلَهُ أَمِيرَهُ وَحَذَرَهُ وَزِيرَهُ وَالْمَوْعِظَةَ زِمَامَهُ وَالصَّبْرَ قَائِدَهُ وَالِاعْتِصَامَ بِالتَّقْوَى ظَهِيرَهُ وَخَوْفَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى جَلِيسَهُ وَذِكْرَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْبِلَى أَنِيسَهُ، وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي حَدِيثِ كُمَيْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ هَا إِنَّ هَاهُنَا عِلْمًا لَوْ وُجِدَ لَهُ حَمَلَةٌ وَأَشَارَ إِلَى قَلْبِهِ، فَكَانَ تَخْصِيصُهُ مِنْ بَيْنِ

al-ṣūfiyyati wa-in dhakarnā dhalika kullahu ṭāla bihi al-kitābu walakin nadhkuru min dhalika ṭarafan naktafī bihi ʿani al-taṭwīli in shāʾa Allāhu, faminhā mā suʾila amīru al-muʾminīna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu waqīla lahu bimā ʿarafta rabbaka faqāla bimā ʿarrafanī nafsahu lā tushbihuhu ṣūratun walā yudraku bi-al-ḥawāssi walā yuqāsu bi-al-nāsi qarībun fī buʿdahu baʿīdun fī qurbihi fawqa kulli shayʾin walā yuqālu shayʾun taḥtahu wataḥta kulli shayʾin walā yuqālu shayʾun fawqahu amāma kulli shayʾin walā yuqālu shayʾun amāmahu dākhilun fī al-ashyāʾi lā ka-shayʾin walā min shayʾin walā fī shayʾin walā bishayʾin subḥāna man huwa hākadhā walā hākadhā ghayruhu, wakāna amīru al-muʾminīna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu fī khuṭbatihi khalaqa al-ashyāʾa lā min shayʾin kāna maʿahu walā ʿan shayʾin iḥtadhāhu walā ʿan shayʾin amtathalahu fakullu ṣāniʿin famin shayʾin ṣanaʿa wakullu ʿālimin famin baʿdi jahlin ʿalima wa-Allāhu taʿālā ʿālimun lā min baʿdi jahlin, waqawluhu fī al-īmāni kamā dhakara ʿanhu ʿamrū bnu hindin qāla samiʿtu ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaqūlu al-īmānu yabdū lumẓatan bayḍāʾa fī al-qalbi fakullamā azdāda al-īmānu azdāda al-qalbu bayāḍan fa-idhā astakmala al-īmānu abyaḍḍa al-qalbu wa-inna al-nifāqa yabdū lumẓatan sawdāʾa fī al-qalbi fakullamā azdāda al-nifāqu azdāda al-qalbu sawādan fa-idhā astakmala al-nifāqu aswadda al-qalbu, waqāma rajulun ilā ʿaliyyi bni abī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fasaʾalahu ʿani al-īmāni faqāla al-īmānu ʿalā arbaʿi daʿāʾima ʿalā al-ṣabri wa-al-yaqīni wa-al-ʿadli wa-al-jihādi thumma waṣafa al-ṣabra ʿalā ʿashri maqāmātin wakadhalika al-yaqīnu wa-al-ʿadlu wa-al-jihādu fawaṣafa kulla wāḥidin minhā ʿalā ʿashri maqāmātin, fa-in ṣaḥḥa dhalika ʿanhu fahuwa awwalu man takallama fī al-aḥwāli wa-al-maqāmāti, waqīla li-amīri al-muʾminīna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu man aslamu al-nāsi min sāʾiri al-ʿuyūbi qāla man jaʿala ʿaqlahu amīrahu waḥadharahu wazīrahu wa-al-mawʿiẓata zimāmahu wa-al-ṣabra qāʾidahu wa-al-iʿtiṣāma bi-al-taqwā ẓahīrahu wakhawfa Allāhi taʿālā jalīsahu wadhikra al-mawti wa-al-bilā anīsahu, waqāla ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fī ḥadīthi kumayli bni ziyādin hā inna hāhunā ʿilman law wujida lahu ḥamalatun wa-ashāra ilā qalbihi, fakāna takhṣīṣuhu min bayni

—the Sufis adopted and made part of their character. To recount all this would make the book too long, so we shall mention a portion sufficient to avoid prolixity, God willing. The Commander of the Faithful—may God be pleased with him—was asked, “Through what did you know your Lord?” He replied, “Through that by which He made Himself known to me. No form resembles Him; He is not apprehended by the senses or measured by comparison with people. He is near in His remoteness and remote in His nearness; above everything, though it may not be said that anything is beneath Him; beneath everything, though it may not be said that anything is above Him; before everything, though it may not be said that anything is before Him; within things, but not as one thing is within another, nor from a thing, nor in a thing, nor by means of a thing. Glory be to Him who is thus, while none besides Him is thus.” The Commander of the Faithful would say in his sermon, “He created things not from anything that existed alongside Him, not after anything He copied, and not after anything He took as a model. Every maker makes from something, and every knower learns after ignorance; but God Most High knows without having learned after ignorance.” Concerning faith, ʿAmr ibn Hind related, “I heard ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—say, ‘Faith begins as a white gleam in the heart. Whenever faith increases, the heart increases in whiteness, until, when faith is complete, the heart becomes white. Hypocrisy begins as a black stain in the heart. Whenever hypocrisy increases, the heart increases in blackness, until, when hypocrisy is complete, the heart becomes black.’” A man stood before ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib—may God be pleased with him—and asked him about faith. He replied, “Faith rests upon four pillars: patience, certainty, justice, and striving.” He then described patience in ten stations, and likewise certainty, justice, and striving, describing each of them in ten stations. If this is soundly related from him, he was the first to speak about spiritual states and stations. The Commander of the Faithful was asked, “Who is safest of all people from faults?” He replied, “One who makes his intellect his commander, caution his minister, admonition his bridle, patience his leader, holding fast to reverent awareness his supporter, fear of God Most High his companion, and remembrance of death and decay his intimate friend.” In the report of Kumayl ibn Ziyād, ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—said, “Indeed, here is knowledge, if only bearers could be found for it,” and he pointed to his heart. Thus he was specially distinguished among—

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الصَّحَابَةِ بِالْبَيَانِ وَالْعِبَارَةِ عَنِ التَّوْحِيدِ وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَالْبَيَانُ مِنْ أَتَمِّ الْمَعَانِي وَأَعْلَى الْأَحْوَالِ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى هَذَا بَيَانٌ لِلنَّاسِ، وَلَا يَبْلُغُ الْعَبْدُ كَمَالَ الشَّرَفِ إِلَّا بِالْبَيَانِ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ كُلُّ مَنْ عَقَلَ يَعْلَمُ وَلَا كُلُّ مَنْ عَلِمَ يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يُبَيِّنَ فَإِذَا أُعْطِيَ الْعَبْدُ الْعَقْلَ وَالْعِلْمَ وَالْبَيَانَ فَقَدْ بَلَغَ إِلَى الْكَمَالِ، وَالْمَشْهُورُ عَنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا أَشْكِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْءٌ مِنْ أُمُورِ الدِّينِ سَأَلُوا عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَكَانَ يُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الَّذِي يُشْكِلُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ أَحْبِبْ حَبِيبَكَ هَوْنًا مَا كَيْمَا يَكُونَ بَغِيضَكَ يَوْمًا مَا وَأَبْغِضْ بَغِيضَكَ هَوْنًا مَا كَيْمَا يَكُونَ حَبِيبَكَ يَوْمًا مَا، وَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ وَقَفَ عَلَى بَابِ الْخِزَانَةِ خِزَانَةِ الْأَمْوَالِ وَقَالَ يَا صَفْرَاءُ وَيَا بَيْضَاءُ غُرِّي غَيْرِي، وَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ لَبِسَ قَمِيصًا شَرَاهُ ثَلَاثَةَ دَرَاهِمَ فَقَطَعَهُ مِنْ رَأْسِ أَصَابِعِهِ، وَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ عَمِلَ بِأُجْرَةٍ فَأَخَذَ أُجْرَتَهُ مُدًّا مِنْ تَمْرٍ وَحَمَلَ ذَلِكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى تَقَوَّى بِهِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِنْ أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَلْقَى صَاحِبَكَ فَرَقِّعْ قَمِيصَكَ وَاخْصِفْ نَعْلَكَ وَقَصِّرْ أَمَلَكَ وَكُلْ دُونَ الشِّبَعِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَوْلَا عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَهَلَكَ عُمَرُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُ لَمَّا قُتِلَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ صَعِدَ الْحَسَنُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِنْبَرَ الْكُوفَةِ وَقَالَ يَا أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ لَقَدْ قُتِلَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْكُمْ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ مَا خَلَّفَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا شَيْئًا إِلَّا أَرْبَعَمِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ وَكَانَ قَدْ عَزَلَهَا لِيُشْتَرَى بِهَا خَادِمًا يَخْدُمُهُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَ إِذَا جَاءَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ يَتَزَلْزَلُ وَيَتَغَيَّرُ لَوْنُهُ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ مَا لَكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَيَقُولُ جَاءَ وَقْتُ أَمَانَةٍ عَرَضَهَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنْسَانُ فَلَا أَدْرِي أَحْسَنْتُ

al-ṣaḥābati bi-al-bayāni wa-al-ʿibārati ʿani al-tawḥīdi wa-al-maʿrifati, wa-al-bayānu min atammi al-maʿānī wa-aʿlā al-aḥwāli qāla Allāhu taʿālā wa-idh akhadha Allāhu mīthāqa alladhīna ūtū al-kitāba latubayyinunnahu li-al-nāsi, waqāla taʿālā hadhā bayānun li-al-nāsi, walā yablughu al-ʿabdu kamāla al-sharafi illā bi-al-bayāni li-annahu laysa kullu man ʿaqala yaʿlamu walā kullu man ʿalima yuḥsinu an yubayyina fa-idhā uʿṭiya al-ʿabdu al-ʿaqla wa-al-ʿilma wa-al-bayāna faqad balagha ilā al-kamāli, wa-al-mashhūru ʿan aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahum kānū idhā ashkila ʿalayhim shaʾun min umūri al-dīni saʾalū ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fakāna yubayyinu lahumu alladhī yushkilu ʿalayhim, waruwiya ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu aḥbib ḥabībaka hawnan mā kaymā yakūna baghīḍaka yawman mā wa-abghiḍ baghīḍaka hawnan mā kaymā yakūna ḥabībaka yawman mā, wadhukira ʿanhu ayḍan annahu waqafa ʿalā bābi al-khizānati khizānati al-amwāli waqāla yā ṣafrāʾu wayā bayḍāʾu ghurrī ghayrī, wadhukira ʿanhu ayḍan annahu labisa qamīṣan sharāhu thalāthatu darāhima faqaṭaʿahu min raʾsi aṣābiʿihi, wadhukira ʿanhu annahu ʿamila bi-ujratin fa-akhadha ujratahu muddan min tamrin waḥamala dhalika ilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḥattā taqawwā bihi, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla liʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu in aradta an talqā ṣāḥibaka faraqqiʿ qamīṣaka wa-ikhṣif naʿlaka waqaṣṣir amalaka wakul dūna al-shibaʿi, waruwiya ʿan ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla lawlā ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lahalaka ʿumaru, wayuqālu innahu lammā qutila raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ṣaʿida al-ḥasanu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu minbara al-kūfati waqāla yā ahla al-kūfati laqad qutila bayna ẓahrānaykum amīru al-muʾminīna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wa-Allāhi innahu mā khallafa mina al-dunyā shayʾan illā arbaʿa miʾata dirhamin wakāna qad ʿazalahā liyushtarā bihā khādiman yakhdumuhu, wayuqālu inna ʿaliyyan raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kāna idhā jāʾa waqtu al-ṣalāti yatazalzalu wayataghayyaru lawnuhu fayuqālu lahu mā laka yā amīra al-muʾminīna fayaqūlu jāʾa waqtu amānatin ʿaraḍahā Allāhu taʿālā ʿalā al-samawāti wa-al-arḍi wa-al-jibāli fa-abayna an yaḥmilnahā wa-ashfaqna minhā waḥamalahā al-insānu falā adrī aḥsantu

—the Companions by lucid expression concerning divine unity and knowledge of God. Lucid explanation is among the most complete meanings and loftiest states. God Most High says, “When God took the covenant of those who were given the Book: you shall make it clear to the people,” and, “This is a clear statement for humankind.” A servant does not attain complete nobility without lucid expression, for not everyone who understands possesses knowledge, and not everyone who possesses knowledge knows how to explain. When a servant is given intellect, knowledge, and lucid expression, he has reached completion. It is well known that when a matter of religion presented difficulty to the Companions of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—they would ask ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—and he would explain what had perplexed them. It is related that ʿAlī said, “Love the one you love with some moderation, for one day he may become one you dislike; and dislike the one you dislike with some moderation, for one day he may become one you love.” It is also related that he stood at the door of the treasury and said, “O yellow gold and white silver, entice someone other than me!” He once wore a shirt he had bought for three dirhams and cut its sleeves at the ends of his fingers. It is related that he worked for hire, received as his wage a measure of dates, and carried it to the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—so that he might regain strength from it. He said to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may God be pleased with him, “If you wish to meet your companion, patch your shirt, mend your sandals, shorten your hopes, and eat without reaching satiety.” It is related that ʿUmar said, “Were it not for ʿAlī, ʿUmar would have perished.” It is said that when ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—was killed, al-Ḥasan—may God be pleased with him—mounted the pulpit of Kufa and said, “People of Kufa, the Commander of the Faithful has been killed among you. By God, he left nothing of this world except four hundred dirhams, which he had set aside to purchase a servant.” It is said that whenever the time of prayer arrived, ʿAlī would tremble and his colour would change. When asked, “What is the matter, Commander of the Faithful?” he would reply, “The time has come for a trust that God Most High offered to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains. They refused to bear it and were afraid of it, but humankind bore it. I do not know whether—”

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أَدَاءَ مَا احْتَمَلْتُ أَمْ لَا، وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا أَنَا وَنَفْسِي إِلَّا كَرَاعِي غَنَمٍ كُلَّمَا ضَمَّهَا مِنْ جَانِبٍ انْتَشَرَتْ مِنْ جَانِبٍ، وَلِعَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَشْبَاهُ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ وَالْأَخْلَاقِ وَالْأَفْعَالِ الَّتِي يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهَا أَرْبَابُ الْقُلُوبِ وَأَهْلُ الْإِشَارَاتِ وَأَهْلُ الْمَوَاجِيدِ مِنْ الصُّوفِيَّةِ، فَمَنْ تَرَكَ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا وَخَرَجَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا يَمْلِكُ وَجَلَسَ عَلَى بِسَاطِ الْفَقْرِ وَالتَّجْرِيدِ بِلَا عَلَاقَةٍ فَإِمَامُهُ فِيهِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ أَخْرَجَ بَعْضَهَا وَتَرَكَ الْبَعْضَ لِعِيَالِهِ وَلِصِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ وَأَدَاءِ الْحُقُوقِ فَإِمَامُهُ [ فِيهَا ] عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ جَمَعَ لِلَّهِ وَمَنَعَ لِلَّهِ وَأَعْطَى لِلَّهِ وَأَنْفَقَ لِلَّهِ فَإِمَامُهُ [ فِيهَا ] عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَمَنْ لَا يَحُومُ حَوْلَ الدُّنْيَا وَإِنْ جُمِعَتْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ طَلَبِهِ رَفَضَهَا وَهَرَبَ مِنْهَا فَإِمَامُهُ فِي ذَلِكَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ مَجْمُوعٌ فِي أَرْبَعَةٍ الصَّمْتِ وَالنُّطْقِ وَالنَّظَرِ وَالْحَرَكَةِ فَكُلُّ نُطْقٍ لَا يَكُونُ فِي ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَهُوَ لَغْوٌ وَكُلُّ صَمْتٍ لَا يَكُونُ فِي فِكْرٍ فَهُوَ سَهْوٌ وَكُلُّ نَظَرٍ لَا يَكُونُ فِي عِبْرَةٍ فَهُوَ غَفْلَةٌ وَكُلُّ حَرَكَةٍ لَا تَكُونُ فِي تَعَبُّدِ اللَّهِ فَهِيَ فَتْرَةٌ فَرَحِمَ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا جَعَلَ نُطْقَهُ ذِكْرًا وَصَمْتُهُ فِكْرًا وَنَظَرَهُ عِبْرَةً وَحَرَكَتِهِ تَعَبُّدًا وَيَسْلَمُ النَّاسُ مِنْ لِسَانِهِ وَيَدِهِ، بَابُ صِفَةِ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ رِضْوَانُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَهْلَ الصُّفَّةِ كَانُوا كَمَا جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ نَيِّفٌ وَثَلَاثُ مِائَةٍ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ إِلَى زَرْعٍ وَلَا إِلَى ضَرْعٍ وَلَا إِلَى تِجَارَةٍ وَكَانَ أَكْلُهُمْ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَنَوْمُهُمْ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُؤَانِسُهُمْ وَيَجْلِسُ مَعَهُمْ وَيَأْكُلُ مَعَهُمْ وَيَحُثُّ النَّاسَ عَلَى إِكْرَامِهِمْ وَ [ مَعْرِفَةِ ] فَضْلِهِمْ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي

adāʾa mā iḥtamaltu am lā, waqāla ʿaliyyun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā anā wanafsī illā ka-rāʿī ghanamin kullamā ḍammahā min jānibin antasharat min jānibin, wa-li-ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ashbāhu dhalika kathīrun mina al-aḥwāli wa-al-akhlāqi wa-al-afʿāli allatī yataʿallaqu bihā arbābu al-qulūbi wa-ahlu al-ishārāti wa-ahlu al-mawājīdi min al-ṣūfiyyati, faman taraka al-dunyā kullahā wakharaja min jamīʿi mā yamliku wajalasa ʿalā bisāṭi al-faqri wa-al-tajrīdi bilā ʿalāqatin fa-imāmuhu fīhi abū bakrin al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waman akhraja baʿḍahā wataraka al-baʿḍa liʿiyālihi waliṣilati al-raḥimi wa-adāʾi al-ḥuqūqi fa-imāmuhu [ fīhā ] ʿumaru bnu al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waman jamaʿa li-Allāhi wamanaʿa li-Allāhi wa-aʿṭā li-Allāhi wa-anfaqa li-Allāhi fa-imāmuhu [ fīhā ] ʿuthmānu bnu ʿaffāna raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waman lā yaḥūmu ḥawla al-dunyā wa-in jumiʿat ʿalayhi min ghayri ṭalabihi rafaḍahā waharaba minhā fa-imāmuhu fī dhalika ʿaliyyu bnu abī ṭālibin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, waruwiya ʿan ʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla al-khayru kulluhu majmūʿun fī arbaʿatin al-ṣamti wa-al-nuṭqi wa-al-naẓari wa-al-ḥarakati fakullu nuṭqin lā yakūnu fī dhikri Allāhi taʿālā fahuwa laghwun wakullu ṣamtin lā yakūnu fī fikrin fahuwa sahwun wakullu naẓarin lā yakūnu fī ʿibratin fahuwa ghaflatun wakullu ḥarakatin lā takūnu fī taʿabbudi Allāhi fahiya fatratun faraḥima Allāhu ʿabdan jaʿala nuṭqahu dhikran waṣamtuhu fikran wanaẓarahu ʿibratan waḥarakatihi taʿabbudan wayaslamu al-nāsu min lisānihi wayadihi, bābu ṣifati ahli al-ṣuffati riḍwānu Allāhi ʿalayhim ajmaʿīna, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu thumma inna ahla al-ṣuffati kānū kamā jāʾa fī al-khabari nayyifun wa-thalāthu miʾatin lā yarjiʿūna ilā zarʿin walā ilā ḍarʿin walā ilā tijāratin wakāna akluhum fī al-masjidi wanawmuhum fī al-masjidi wakāna rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yuʾānisuhum wayajlisu maʿahum wayaʾkulu maʿahum wayaḥuththu al-nāsa ʿalā ikrāmihim wa [ maʿrifati ] faḍlihim, waqad dhakarahumu Allāhu taʿālā fī

“—I have fulfilled well what I undertook or not.” ʿAlī—may God be pleased with him—said, “My soul and I are like a shepherd with sheep: whenever he gathers them from one side, they scatter from another.” ʿAlī possessed many similar states, character traits, and deeds to which the masters of hearts, the people of allusions, and the people of spiritual findings among the Sufis attach themselves. Whoever abandons the whole world, parts with everything he owns, and sits upon the carpet of poverty and pure detachment without any attachment has Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him—as his imam in that. Whoever parts with some of it and leaves some for his dependants, maintaining kinship ties and fulfilling rights, has ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may God be pleased with him—as his imam. Whoever gathers for God, withholds for God, gives for God, and spends for God has ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān—may God be pleased with him—as his imam. Whoever does not circle around the world and, if it is gathered to him without his seeking it, rejects it and flees from it, has ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib—may God be pleased with him—as his imam. It is related that ʿAlī said, “All good is gathered in four things: silence, speech, looking, and movement. Every speech not devoted to remembering God Most High is idle talk; every silence not devoted to reflection is heedlessness; every look not devoted to taking a lesson is neglect; and every movement not devoted to worshipping God is a lapse. May God have mercy on a servant who makes his speech remembrance, his silence reflection, his looking a lesson, and his movement worship, while people remain safe from his tongue and hand.” Chapter describing the People of the Bench—may God’s good pleasure rest upon them all. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As related in the report, the People of the Bench numbered more than three hundred. They did not return to cultivated land, livestock, or trade. They ate in the mosque and slept in the mosque. The Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—kept them company, sat and ate with them, and urged people to honour them and [recognize] their merit. God Most High mentioned them in—

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مَوَاضِعَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مِنْهَا قَوْلُهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الْآيَةَ وَقَوْلُهُ وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ الْآيَةَ وَقَوْلُهُ وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ الْآيَةَ، وَقَدْ عَاتَبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى نَبِيَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيهِمْ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّى أَنْ جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَى، قِيلَ نَزَلَتْ فِي شَأْنِ ابْنِ أُمِّ مَكْتُومٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَكَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ فَكَانَ إِذَا رَآهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ يَا مَنْ عَاتَبَنِي فِيهِ رَبِّي عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ لَا يَقُومُ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ إِذَا جَلَسَ أَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِ حَوْلَهُ حَتَّى يَقُومُونَ وَكَانَ إِذَا صَافَحَهُمْ لَمْ يَنْزِعْ يَدَهُ مِنْ أَيْدِيهِمْ قَبْلَهُمْ وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ يُفَرِّقُهُمْ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْجِدَاتِ وَالسَّعَةِ عَلَى كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ عَلَى مِقْدَارِهِ يَبْعَثُ بِهِمْ مَعَ وَاحِدٍ ثَلَاثَةً وَمَعَ الْآخَرِ الْأَرْبَعَةَ وَالْخَمْسَةَ، قَالَ فَرُبَّمَا كَانَ يَنْقَلِبُ سَعْدُ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ بِثَمَانِينَ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى بَيْتِهِ فَيُطْعِمُهُمْ، وَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ رَأَيْتُ سَبْعِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ يُصَلُّونَ فِي ثَوْبٍ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا يَبْلُغُ رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَإِذَا رَكَعَ أَحَدُهُمْ قَبَضَ بِيَدَيْهِ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ تَبْدُوَ عَوْرَتُهُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَانَتْ تُشْبِهُ رَائِحَتُنَا رَائِحَةَ الشَّاةِ مِنْ لُبْسِ الْعَبَاءِ، وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ طَلْحَةَ صَحِبْنَا جَمَاعَةَ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ يَوْمًا فَقُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحْرَقَتْ بُطُونَنَا التَّمْرُ وَحُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْنَا الْجِيفَةُ فَسَمِعَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَعِدَ الْمِنْبَرَ ثُمَّ قَالَ مَا بَالُ أَقْوَامٍ يَصِيحُونَ وَيَقُولُونَ أَحْرَقَتْ بُطُونَنَا التَّمْرُ أَمَا عَلِمْتُمْ أَنَّ هَذَا التَّمْرَ [ إِنَّمَا ] هُوَ طَعَامُ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَقَدْ وَاسَوْنَا بِهِ فَوَاسَيْنَاكُمْ مِمَّا وَاسَوْنَا بِهِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ إِنَّهُ مُنْذُ شَهْرٍ أَوْ شَهْرَيْنِ لَمْ تَرْتَفِعْ مِنْ [ بَيْتِ ] رَسُولِ اللَّهِ دُخَانٌ لِلْخُبْزِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ غَيْرُ الْأَسْوَدَيْنِ التَّمْرِ وَالْمَاءِ، وَالْمَعْنَى فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اعْتَذَرَ [ فِي ذَلِكَ ] إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِمْ شِكَايَتَهُمْ وَلَمْ

mawāḍiʿa mina al-qurʾāni minhā qawluhu ʿazza wajalla li-al-fuqarāʾi alladhīna uḥṣirū fī sabīli Allāhi al-āyata waqawluhu walā taṭrudi alladhīna yadʿūna rabbahum al-āyata waqawluhu wa-aṣbir nafsaka maʿa alladhīna yadʿūna rabbahum al-āyata, waqad ʿātaba Allāhu taʿālā nabiyyahu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fīhim qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla ʿabasa watawallā an jāʾahu al-aʿmā, qīla nazalat fī shaʾni abni ummi maktūmin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wakāna min ahli al-ṣuffati fakāna idhā rāhu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama baʿda dhalika yaqūlu yā man ʿātabanī fīhi rabbī ʿazza wajalla, wayuqālu inna rasūla Allāhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama kāna lā yaqūmu min majlisihi idhā jalasa ahlu al-ṣuffati ḥawlahu ḥattā yaqūmūna wakāna idhā ṣāfaḥahum lam yanziʿ yadahu min aydīhim qablahum warubbamā kāna yufarriquhum ʿalā ahli al-jidāti wa-al-saʿati ʿalā kulli wāḥidin ʿalā miqdārihi yabʿathu bihim maʿa wāḥidin thalāthatan wamaʿa al-ākhari al-arbaʿata wa-al-khamsata, qāla farubbamā kāna yanqalibu saʿdu bnu muʿādhin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu bithamānīna minhum ilā baytihi fayuṭʿimuhum, waqāla abū hurayrata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu raʾayt sabʿīna min ahli al-ṣuffati yuṣallūna fī thawbin minhum man lā yablughu rukbatayhi fa-idhā rakaʿa aḥaduhum qabaḍa biyadayhi makhāfata an tabduwa ʿawratuhu, waqāla abū mūsā al-ashʿariyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kānat tushbihu rāʾiḥatunā rāʾiḥata al-shāti min lubsi al-ʿabāʾi, waqāla ʿabdu Allāhi bnu ṭalḥata ṣaḥibnā jamāʿata ahli al-ṣuffati yawman faqulnā yā rasūla Allāhi aḥraqat buṭūnanā al-tamru waḥurrimat ʿalaynā al-jīfatu fasamiʿa dhalika rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama faṣaʿida al-minbara thumma qāla mā bālu aqwāmin yaṣīḥūna wayaqūlūna aḥraqat buṭūnanā al-tamru amā ʿalimtum anna hadhā al-tamra [ innamā ] huwa ṭaʿāmu ahli al-madīnati faqad wāsawnā bihi fawāsaynākum mimmā wāsawnā bihi wa-alladhī nafsu muḥammadin biyadihi innahu mundhu shahrin aw shahrayni lam tartafiʿ min [ bayti ] rasūli Allāhi dukhānun li-al-khubzi walaysa lahum ghayru al-aswadayni al-tamri wa-al-māʾi, wa-al-maʿnā fī dhalika anna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama aʿtadhara [ fī dhalika ] ilayhim walam yarudda ʿalayhim shikāyatahum walam

—several places in the Qur’an, including His words, “For the poor who are confined in the way of God,” to the end of the verse; “Do not drive away those who call upon their Lord,” to the end of the verse; and “Keep yourself patiently with those who call upon their Lord,” to the end of the verse. God Most High reproached His Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—on their account in His words, “He frowned and turned away because the blind man came to him.” It is said that this was revealed concerning Ibn Umm Maktūm—may God be pleased with him—who belonged to the People of the Bench. Thereafter, whenever the Messenger of God saw him, he would say, “You are the one concerning whom my Lord, mighty and majestic, reproached me.” It is said that when the People of the Bench sat around the Messenger of God, he would not rise from his place until they rose. When he shook hands with them, he would not withdraw his hand from theirs before they did. Sometimes he would distribute them among people of means and abundance, according to each person’s capacity: he would send three with one person, four or five with another. It is related that Saʿd ibn Muʿādh—may God be pleased with him—would sometimes take eighty of them home and feed them. Abū Hurayrah—may God be pleased with him—said, “I saw seventy of the People of the Bench praying in a single garment apiece; some garments did not reach the knees. When one of them bowed, he held it with his hands for fear that his nakedness might appear.” Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī—may God be pleased with him—said, “Because we wore woollen cloaks, our smell resembled the smell of sheep.” ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭalḥah said, “One day we accompanied a group of the People of the Bench and said, ‘Messenger of God, dates have burned our stomachs, while carrion has been forbidden to us.’ The Messenger of God heard this, mounted the pulpit, and said, ‘What is the matter with people who cry out, “Dates have burned our stomachs”? Do you not know that dates are the food of the people of Medina? They have shared them with us, and we have shared with you what they shared with us. By Him in whose hand is Muḥammad’s soul, for a month or two no smoke from baking bread has risen from the [house] of the Messenger of God; they have had nothing but the two black things, dates and water.’” The meaning is that the Messenger of God offered them an explanation; he did not reject their complaint, nor did he—

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يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِطَلَبِ الْمَعَاشِ [ مِنَ الِاكْتِسَابِ وَالتِّجَارَاتِ ]، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَقَفَ عَلَى جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ وَقَدِ اسْتَتَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ مِنَ الْعُرْيِ وَقَارِئٌ يَقْرَأُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنَ وَهُمْ يَبْكُونَ، فَأَمَّا غَيْرُ أَهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَا انْفَرَدُوا بِهِ وَخُصُّوا بِهِ مِنَ الْأَحْوَالِ الرَّضِيَّةِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ الزَّكِيَّةِ وَمَكَارِمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ مَا تَعَلَّقَ بِهَا أَهْلُ الْحَقَائِقِ مِنَ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ وَطَلَبَ الِاهْتِدَاءَ فِي الِاقْتِدَاءِ بِهِمْ، وَيَكْثُرُ ذِكْرُ ذَلِكَ وَلَكِنْ نَذْكُرُ طَرَفًا لِيُسْتَدَلَّ بِذَلِكَ عَلَى مَا لَمْ نَذْكُرْهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَمَّا طَلْحَةُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ زِيَادِ بْنِ حُدَيْرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ طَلْحَةَ بْنَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَوْقَ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ فِي مَجْلِسٍ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَخِيطُ طَرَفَ إِزَارِهِ بِيَدِهِ، وَأَمَّا مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ رَوَى عَنْهُ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ عُمَيْرَةَ قَالَ إِنِّي لَجَالِسٌ عِنْدَ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَجُودُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَيَقُولُ اخْنُقْ خَنْقَكَ فَوَعِزَّتِكَ إِنِّي لَأُحِبُّكَ، وَأَمَّا عِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي كُنْتُ تُرَابًا تَذْرُونِي الرِّيَاحُ وَلَمْ أُخْلَقْ مَخَافَةَ الْعَذَابِ، وَقَالَ ثَابِتٌ الْبُنَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ يَعْنِي عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ اشْتَكَى بَطْنَهُ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ يَعُودُونَهُ فَقَالُوا يَمْنَعُنَا مِنَ الدُّخُولِ عَلَيْكَ طُولُ شِكَايَتِكَ فَقَالَ لَا تَفْعَلُوا [ ذَلِكَ ] فَإِنَّ أَحَبَّهُ إِلَى رَبِّي أَحَبُّهُ إِلَيَّ، وَأَمَّا سَلْمَانُ الْفَارِسِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّهُ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ صَاحَ صَيْحَةً وَوَضَعَ [ يَدَهُ ] عَلَى رَأْسِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ هَارِبًا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَفِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ سَلْمَانَ

yaʾmuruhum biṭalabi al-maʿāshi [ mina al-iktisābi wa-al-tijārāti ], waqad ruwiya fī al-khabari anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama waqafa ʿalā jamāʿatin min ahli al-ṣuffati waqadi astatara baʿḍuhum bibaʿḍin mina al-ʿuryi waqārāʾ yaqraʾu ʿalayhimu al-qurʾāna wahum yabkūna, fa-ammā ghayru ahli al-ṣuffati faqad ruwiya ʿan kulli wāḥidin minhum mā anfaradū bihi wa-khuṣṣū bihi mina al-aḥwāli al-raḍiyyati wa-al-aʿmāli al-zakiyyati wamakārimi al-akhlāqi mā taʿallaqa bihā ahlu al-ḥaqāʾiqi mina al-mutaṣawwifati waṭalaba al-ihtidāʾa fī al-iqtidāʾi bihim, wayakthuru dhikru dhalika walakin nadhkuru ṭarafan liyustadalla bidhalika ʿalā mā lam nadhkurhu in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, bābun fī dhikri sāʾiri al-ṣaḥābati fī hadhā al-maʿnā, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-ammā ṭalḥatu bnu ʿubaydi Allāhi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad ruwiya ʿan ziyādi bni ḥudayrin annahu qāla raʾaytu ṭalḥata bna ʿubaydi Allāhi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fawqa miʾati alfin fī majlisin wa-annahu layakhīṭu ṭarafa izārihi biyadihi, wa-ammā muʿādhu bnu jabalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad rawā ʿanhu al-ḥārithu bnu ʿumayrata qāla innī lajālisun ʿinda muʿādhi bni jabalin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa yajūdu binafsihi wayaqūlu ukhnuq khanqaka fa-wa-ʿizzatika innī laʾuḥibbuka, wa-ammā ʿimrānu bnu ḥuṣaynin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu qāla wadidtu annī kuntu turāban tadhrūnī al-riyāḥu walam ukhlaq makhāfata al-ʿadhābi, waqāla thābitun al-bunāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu annahu yaʿnī ʿimrāna bna ḥuṣaynin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ishtakā baṭnahu thalāthan wa-thalāthīna sanatan fadakhala ʿalayhi aṣḥābuhu yaʿūdūnahu faqālū yamnaʿunā mina al-dukhūli ʿalayka ṭūlu shikāyatika faqāla lā tafʿalū [ dhalika ] fa-inna aḥabbahu ilā rabbī aḥabbuhu ilayya, wa-ammā salmānu al-fārisiyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad qīla innahu lammā nazalat hadhihi al-āyatu wa-inna jahannama lamawʿiduhum ajmaʿīna ṣāḥa ṣayḥatan wawaḍaʿa [ yadahu ] ʿalā raʾsihi thumma kharaja hāriban thalāthata ayyāmin, wafī al-khabari anna salmāna

—order them to seek a livelihood [through earning and trade]. It is related in a report that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—came upon a group of the People of the Bench. Because they were unclothed, some screened others while a reciter recited the Qur’an to them and they wept. Concerning Companions other than the People of the Bench, reports relate the pleasing states, pure deeds, and noble character traits by which each was individually distinguished and to which the people of spiritual realities among the Sufis attached themselves, seeking guidance by following them. Such reports are numerous, but we shall mention a portion from which what we omit may be inferred, God Most High willing. Chapter mentioning the other Companions in this connection. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh—may God be pleased with him, Ziyād ibn Ḥudayr related, “I saw Ṭalḥah ibn ʿUbayd Allāh in a gathering with more than one hundred thousand [dirhams at his disposal], yet he was sewing the edge of his loincloth with his own hand.” As for Muʿādh ibn Jabal—may God be pleased with him, al-Ḥārith ibn ʿUmayrah related, “I was sitting with Muʿādh ibn Jabal as he was surrendering his soul, and he said, ‘Strangle as You will; by Your might, I love You.’” As for ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn—may God be pleased with him, he said, “I wish I were dust scattered by the winds and had never been created, for fear of the punishment.” Thābit al-Bunānī—may God have mercy on him—related that ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn suffered an illness of the belly for thirty-three years. His companions visited him and said, “The length of your illness makes us reluctant to come in to you.” He replied, “Do not do that. What is dearest to my Lord is dearest to me.” As for Salmān al-Fārisī—may God be pleased with him, it is said that when the verse, “Hell is surely the appointed place for them all,” was revealed, he cried out, put his hand upon his head, and fled for three days. A report also relates that Salmān—

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رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ زَارَ أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْعِرَاقِ إِلَى الشَّامِ رَاجِلًا وَعَلَيْهِ كِسَاءٌ غَلِيظٌ مَعْصُوبَ الرَّأْسِ شَاحِبًا فَقِيلَ لَهُ شَهَّرْتَ نَفْسَكَ فَقَالَ الْخَيْرُ خَيْرُ الْآخِرَةِ وَإِنَّمَا أَنَا عَبْدٌ أَلْبَسُ كَمَا يُلْبَسُ الْعَبِيدُ فَإِذَا أُعْتِقْتُ لَبِسْتُ جُبَّةً لَا تَبْلَى حَوَاشِيهَا، وَأَمَّا أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ امْرَءًا تَاجِرًا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمْتُ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَجْمَعَ بَيْنَ التِّجَارَةِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ فَلَمْ تَجْتَمِعَا لِي فَآثَرْتُ الْعِبَادَةَ عَلَى التِّجَارَةِ، قَالَ وَسُئِلَتْ أُمُّ الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا عَنْ أَفْضَلِ عِبَادَةِ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَتِ التَّفَكُّرُ وَالِاعْتِبَارُ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ قِيَامِي بِالْحَقِّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى لَمْ يَتْرُكْ لِي صَدِيقًا وَإِنَّ خَوْفِي مِنْ يَوْمِ الْحِسَابِ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى بَدَنِي لَحْمًا وَإِنَّ يَقِينِي بِثَوَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مَا تَرَكَ فِي بَيْتِي شَيْئًا، وَيُرْوَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَتَلَنِي هَمُّ يَوْمٍ لَمْ أُدْرِكْهُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَمَا ذَاكَ قَالَ إِنَّ أَمَلِي جَاوَزَ أَجَلِي وَدِدْتُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَنِي شَجَرَةً تُعْضَدُ، وَدُعِيَ أَبُو ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِلَى وَلِيمَةٍ فَسَمِعَ صَوْتًا فَانْصَرَفَ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَكْثَرَ سَوَادَ قَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ وَمَنْ رَضِيَ عَمَلَ قَوْمٍ فَهُوَ شَرِيكُهُمْ، وَحَمَلَ حَبِيبُ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ إِلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ عِنْدَنَا عَنْزٌ نَحْلُبُهَا وَمَرْكُوبٌ نُسَافِرُ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا فَلَا حَاجَةَ لَنَا فِي غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ خَرَجَتْ فِي كَفِّهِ طَعْنَةٌ فِي أَيَّامِ الطَّاعُونِ فَعَظُمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفَرِقُوا مِنْهَا فَأَقْسَمَ لَهُمْ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا يُحِبُّ أَنَّ لَهُ مَكَانَهَا حُمْرَ النَّعَمِ، وَجَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَسَأَلَهُ فَرَدَّهُ ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ فَسَأَلَهُ فَأَعْطَاهُ فَقَالَ الَّذِي أَعْطَاكَ وَالَّذِي رَدَّكَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، [ وَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ وَدِدْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ كَبْشًا لِأُهْدَى فَيَتَعَرَّقُ لَحْمِي وَيُجْتَنَى فَرْثِي وَلَمْ

raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu zāra abā al-dardāʾi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mina al-ʿirāqi ilā al-shāmi rājilan waʿalayhi kisāʾun ghalīẓun maʿṣūba al-raʾsi shāḥiban faqīla lahu shahharta nafsak faqāla al-khayru khayru al-ākhirati wa-innamā anā ʿabdun albasu kamā yulbasu al-ʿabīdu fa-idhā uʿtiqtu labistu jubbatan lā tablā ḥawāshīhā, wa-ammā abū al-dardāʾi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu qāla kuntu amraʾan tājiran fī al-jāhiliyyati falammā aslamtu aradtu an ajmaʿa bayna al-tijārati wa-al-ʿibādati falam tajtamiʿā lī fāthartu al-ʿibādata ʿalā al-tijārati, qāla wasuʾilat ummu al-dardāʾi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhā ʿan afḍali ʿibādati abī al-dardāʾi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqālati al-tafakkuru wa-al-iʿtibāru, wa-ammā abū dharrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla inna qiyāmī bi-al-ḥaqqi li-Allāhi taʿālā lam yatruk lī ṣadīqan wa-inna khawfī min yawmi al-ḥisābi mā taraka ʿalā badanī laḥman wa-inna yaqīnī bithawābi Allāhi taʿālā mā taraka fī baytī shayʾan, wayurwā ʿanhu annahu qāla qatalanī hammu yawmin lam udrikhu faqīla lahu wamā dhāka qāla inna amalī jāwaza ajalī wadidtu anna Allāha taʿālā khalaqanī shajaratan tuʿaḍḍadu, waduʿiya abū dharrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ilā walīmatin fasamiʿa ṣawtan fa-anṣarafa wahuwa yaqūlu man akthara sawāda qawmin fahuwa minhum waman raḍiya ʿamala qawmin fahuwa sharīkuhum, waḥamala ḥabību bnu maslamata ilā abī dharrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu alfa dirhamin faradda ʿalayhi waqāla ʿindanā ʿanzun naḥlubuhā wamarkūbun nusāfiru ʿalā ẓahrihā falā ḥājata lanā fī ghayri dhalika, wa-ammā abū ʿubaydata bnu al-jarrāḥi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu kharajat fī kaffihi ṭaʿnatun fī ayyāmi al-ṭāʿūni faʿaẓuma dhalika ʿalā aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wafariqū minhā fa-aqsama lahum abū ʿubaydata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā yuḥibbu anna lahu makānahā ḥumra al-naʿami, wajāʾa rajulun ilā abī ʿubaydata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fasaʾalahu faraddahu thumma jāʾahu fasaʾalahu fa-aʿṭāhu faqāla alladhī aʿṭāka wa-alladhī raddaka Allāhu ʿazza wajalla, [ waqāla abū ʿubaydata wadidtu an akūna kabshan li-uhdā fayataʿarraqu laḥmī wa-yujtanā farthī walam

—may God be pleased with him—walked from Iraq to Syria to visit Abū al-Dardāʾ—may God be pleased with him. He wore a coarse cloak, his head was wrapped, and he was gaunt. Someone said, “You have made a spectacle of yourself.” He replied, “Good is the good of the Hereafter. I am only a servant, and I dress as servants dress. When I am set free, I shall wear a robe whose hems never wear out.” As for Abū al-Dardāʾ—may God be pleased with him, he said, “I was a merchant in the time of ignorance. When I entered Islam, I wished to combine trade with worship, but the two would not come together for me, so I preferred worship to trade.” Umm al-Dardāʾ—may God be pleased with her—was asked about Abū al-Dardāʾ’s finest worship and replied, “Reflection and taking heed.” As for Abū Dharr—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he said, “My standing for God’s truth has left me no friend; my fear of the Day of Reckoning has left no flesh upon my body; and my certainty concerning God Most High’s reward has left nothing in my house.” It is also related that he said, “Concern for a day I shall not reach has killed me.” Asked what he meant, he replied, “My hope has gone beyond my appointed term.” He also said, “I wish God Most High had created me as a tree that would be cut down.” Abū Dharr was invited to a feast. When he heard a sound of entertainment, he turned away, saying, “Whoever swells the number of a people belongs to them, and whoever approves the deed of a people shares in it.” Ḥabīb ibn Maslamah sent Abū Dharr one thousand dirhams, but he returned them and said, “We have a she-goat to milk and a mount upon whose back we travel; we need nothing beyond that.” As for Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ—may God be pleased with him, it is related that during the plague a lesion appeared in his palm. The Companions of the Messenger of God were greatly distressed by it and became afraid. Abū ʿUbaydah swore to them that he would not wish to possess red camels in its place. A man came to Abū ʿUbaydah and asked him for something, but he sent him away. The man then returned and asked again, and Abū ʿUbaydah gave to him, saying, “The One who gave you and the One who refused you is God, mighty and majestic.” [Abū ʿUbaydah also said, “I wish I were a ram offered as a gift, my flesh stripped from the bones and my dung gathered, and that I had never—”

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أُخْلَقْ ]، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ يَا حَبَّذَا الْمَكْرُوهَانِ الْمَوْتُ وَالْفَقْرُ فَمَا أُبَالِي بِأَيِّهِمَا ابْتُدِئْتُ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّ فِي بَيْتِهِ كَانَتْ أَعْشَاشُ الْخَطَاطِيفِ وَكَانَ لَهُ بَنُونَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ لَوْ نَقَضْتَ هَذِهِ الْأَعْشَاشَ فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ لَأَنْ <أَكُونَ قَدْ> نَفَضْتُ يَدِيَ مِنْ تُرَابِ قُبُورِهِمْ يَعْنِي أَوْلَادَهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَكْسِرَ مِنْ أَعْشَاشِ هَذِهِ الْخَطَاطِيفِ بَيْضَةً وَاحِدَةً، وَأَمَّا الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُ قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَقَدْ مَالَ بِرِجْلَيْهِ عَلَى الْحَائِطِ وَهُوَ يَتَرَنَّمُ بِالشَّعْرِ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَخِي أَبَعْدَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَالْقُرْآنَ فَقَالَ يَا أَخِي دِيوَانُ الْعَرَبِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَتَرَانِي أَمُوتُ عَلَى فِرَاشِي وَقَدْ قَتَلْتُ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ مُبَارِزًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سِوَى مَا أَشْرَكْتُ [ فِيهِ ]، فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ حَصْرِ مَدِينَةِ تُسْتَرَ قَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ كَمْ مِنْ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ لَا يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لَأَبَرَّهُ مِنْهُمُ الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ مَلَكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، فَقَالَ الْبَرَاءُ اللَّهُمَّ فَإِنِّي أُقْسِمُ عَلَيْكَ لِمَّا رَزَقْتَنِي الشَّهَادَةَ وَرَزَقْتَ أَصْحَابِي الْفَتْحَ، قَالَ فَاسْتُشْهِدَ الْبَرَاءُ وَفَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ أَفْضَلُ الْمَجَالِسِ مَجْلِسٌ فِي قَعْرِ بَيْتِكَ حَتَّى لَا تَرَى وَلَا تُرَى، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَيَبْتَلِيَ الْعَبْدَ بِالْفَقْرِ شَوْقًا إِلَى دُعَائِهِ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعَ يَعْنِي جَفْنَهُ [ كَانَ ] مِثْلَ شِرَاكِ النَّعْلِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ الدَّمْعِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَ [ رَوَى ] عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَأَنْ أُرَقِّعَ ثَوْبًا فَأَلْبَسَهُ فَيَرْفَعُنِي عِنْدَ الْخَالِقِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَلْبَسَ ثِيَابًا تَضَعُنِي عِنْدَ الْخَالِقِ وَتَرْفَعُنِي عِنْدَ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ، وَأَمَّا كَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ

ukhlaq ], wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu masʿūdin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu yā ḥabbadhā al-makrūhāni al-mawtu wa-al-faqru famā ubālī bi-ayyihimā ubtudiʾtu, waruwiya ʿanhu anna fī baytihi kānat aʿshāshu al-khaṭāṭīfi wakāna lahu banūna faqīla lahu law naqaḍta hadhihi al-aʿshāsha faqāla wa-Allāhi la-an <akūna qad> nafaḍtu yadiya min turābi qubūrihim yaʿnī awlādahu aḥabbu ilayya min an aksira min aʿshāshi hadhihi al-khaṭāṭīfi bayḍatan wāḥidatan, wa-ammā al-barāʾu bnu mālikin faqad ruwiya ʿan anasi bni mālikin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā annahu qāla dakhaltu ʿalā al-barāʾi bni mālikin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu waqad māla birijlayhi ʿalā al-ḥāʾiṭi wahuwa yatarannamu bi-al-shaʿri faqultu yā akhī abʿada al-islāmi wa-al-qurʾāna faqāla yā akhī dīwānu al-ʿarabi thumma qāla atarānī amūtu ʿalā firāshī waqad qataltu tisʿatan watisʿīna mubārizan bayna yaday rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama siwā mā ashraktu [ fīhi ], falammā kāna yawmu ḥaṣri madīnati tustara qāla abū mūsā al-ashʿariyyu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu samiʿtu rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama yaqūlu kam min dhī ṭimrayni lā yuʾbahu lahu law aqsama ʿalā Allāhi laʾabarrahu minhumu al-barāʾu bnu mālikin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, faqāla al-barāʾu Allāhumma fa-innī uqsimu ʿalayka limmā razaqtanī al-shahādata warazaqta aṣḥābī al-fatḥa, qāla fa-astushhida al-barāʾu wafataḥa Allāhu ʿalayhim, wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu afḍalu al-majālisi majlisun fī qaʿri baytika ḥattā lā tarā wa-lā turā, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu inna Allāha taʿālā layabtaliya al-ʿabda bi-al-faqri shawqan ilā duʿāʾihi, wayuqālu inna hadhā al-mawḍiʿa yaʿnī jafnahu [ kāna ] mithla shirāki al-naʿli min kathrati al-damʿi yaʿnī abna ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wa [ rawā ] ʿanhu annahu qāla laʾan uraqqiʿa thawban fa-albasahu fayarfaʿunī ʿinda al-khāliqi aḥabbu ilayya min an albasa thiyāban taḍaʿunī ʿinda al-khāliqi watarfaʿunī ʿinda al-makhlūqīna, wa-ammā kaʿbu al-aḥbāri raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad ruwiya ʿanhu

“—been created.”] As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he would say, “How welcome are the two disliked things: death and poverty. I do not care with which of them I am first visited.” Swallows had built nests in his house, and he had sons. Someone said, “Why do you not tear down these nests?” He replied, “By God, to shake my hands free of the dust of my children’s graves would be dearer to me than to break a single egg from these swallows’ nests.” As for al-Barāʾ ibn Mālik, Anas ibn Mālik—may God be pleased with them both—related, “I entered upon al-Barāʾ ibn Mālik. He had stretched his legs against the wall and was chanting poetry. I said, ‘Brother, after Islam and the Qur’an?’ He replied, ‘Brother, poetry is the register of the Arabs.’ Then he said, ‘Do you imagine I shall die upon my bed when I have killed ninety-nine men in single combat before the Messenger of God, apart from the battles in which I fought together with others?’” On the day of the siege of Tustar, Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī—may God be pleased with him—said, “I heard the Messenger of God say, ‘How many a person in two worn garments, to whom no importance is attached, would be answered by God if he swore an oath by Him; al-Barāʾ ibn Mālik is one of them.’” Al-Barāʾ said, “O God, I swear by You that You grant me martyrdom and grant my companions victory.” Al-Barāʾ was martyred, and God granted them victory. As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he would say, “The finest gathering is a seat in the innermost part of your house, so that you neither see nor are seen.” He also said, “God Most High sometimes tries a servant with poverty because He longs to hear his prayer.” It is said that his eyelid was like the thong of a sandal from the abundance of his tears. He also said, “That I patch a garment and wear it, so that it raises me in the sight of the Creator, is dearer to me than wearing clothes that lower me in the sight of the Creator and raise me in the sight of created beings.” As for Kaʿb al-Aḥbār—may God be pleased with him, it is related—

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أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَنْ يَنَالُوا شَرَفَ الْآخِرَةِ حَتَّى يَكْرَهُوا الْمِدْحَةَ وَالثَّنَاءَ وَأَنْ يَنَالُوا الْمَلَامَةَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَقَالَ كَعْبٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَنْ يَسْتَكْمِلَ الْعَبْدُ أَجْرَ الْحَجِّ وَالْجِهَادِ حَتَّى يَصْبِرَ عَلَى الْأَذَى، وَأَمَّا حَارِثَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْظَرُ إِلَى عَبْدٍ نَوَّرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْإِيمَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى حَارِثَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّ ثَعْلَبَةَ بْنَ أَبِي مَالِكٍ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَحْمِلُ حُزْمَةَ حَطَبٍ وَهُوَ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَلِيفَةُ مَرْوَانَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ فَقَالَ أَوْسِعِ الطَّرِيقَ لِلْأَمِيرِ يَا بْنَ أَبِي مَالِكٍ فَقُلْتُ أَصْلَحَكَ اللَّهُ يَكْفِيكَ هَذَا فَقَالَ أَوْسِعِ الطَّرِيقَ لِلْأَمِيرِ يَا بْنَ أَبِي مَالِكٍ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ بَكَى لَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ فَقِيلَ لَهُ مَا يُبْكِيكَ قَالَ بُعْدُ الْمَفَازَةِ وَقِلَّةُ الزَّادِ وَضَعْفُ الْيَقِينِ وَعَقَبَةٌ كَؤُودٌ وَالْمَهْبَطُ مِنْهَا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ أَوْ إِلَى النَّارِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ جُزَّأتُ اللَّيْلِ ثَلَاثَةَ أَجْزَاءٍ ثُلُثًا أُصَلِّي وَثُلُثًا أَنَامُ وَثُلُثًا أَسْتَذْكِرُ [ فِيهِ ] حَدِيثَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَأَمَّا أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَرِدُ الْحَوْضَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ الذَّابِلُونَ النَّاحِلُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا جَنَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ اسْتَقْبَلُوهُ بِحُزْنٍ، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ ابْنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ مَا كُنَّا نَنَامُ وَنَحْنُ عُزَّابٌ فِي أَيَّامِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَّا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَنَا مَسْكَنٌ وَلَا مَأْوَى، وَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا تُحْبِبْ أَبَدًا إِلَّا مَنْ تَثِقُ بِدِينِهِ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ لَا تُطْعِمُوا طَعَامَكُمْ إِلَّا كُلَّ تَقِيٍّ [ نَقِيٍّ ] وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا إِلَّا مِنْ طَعَامِ تَقِيٍّ نَقِيٍّ، وَعَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّمَا سُلِّطَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ مَنْ يَخَافُهُ وَلَوْ لَمْ يَخَفِ ابْنُ آدَمَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ لَمْ يُسَلِّطِ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا، وَأَمَّا حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ الْيَمَانِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ أَقَرَّ يَوْمٍ لِعَيْنِي لَيَوْمٌ إِذَا رَجَعْتُ إِلَى أَهْلِي فَيَشْكُونَ إِلَيَّ الْحَاجَةِ، وَقَالَ حُذَيْفَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَمْ مِنْ شَهْوَةِ سَاعَةٍ أَوْرَثَتْ صَاحِبَهَا حُزْنًا طَوِيلًا، وَدُعِيَ حُذَيْفَةُ إِلَى مَائِدَةٍ فَرَأَى عَلَيْهَا زِيَّ الْعَجَمِ فَانْصَرَفَ

annahu qāla lan yanālū sharafa al-ākhirati ḥattā yakrahū al-midḥata wa-al-thanāʾa wa-an yanālū al-malāmata fī Allāhi taʿālā, waqāla kaʿbun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu lan yastakmila al-ʿabdu ajra al-ḥajji wa-al-jihādi ḥattā yaṣbira ʿalā al-adhā, wa-ammā ḥārithatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama annahu qāla man arāda an yanẓaru ilā ʿabdin nawwara Allāhu taʿālā al-īmāna fī qalbihi falyanẓur ilā ḥārithata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wa-ammā abū hurayrata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-inna thaʿlabata bna abī mālikin qāla raʾaytu abā hurayrata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu wahuwa yaḥmilu ḥuzmata ḥaṭabin wahuwa yawmaʾidhin khalīfatu marwāna bni al-ḥakami faqāla awsiʿi al-ṭarīqa li-al-amīri yā bna abī mālikin faqultu aṣlaḥaka Allāhu yakfīka hadhā faqāla awsiʿi al-ṭarīqa li-al-amīri yā bna abī mālikin, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu bakā lammā ḥaḍarathu al-wafātu faqīla lahu mā yubkīka qāla buʿdu al-mafāzati waqillatu al-zādi waḍaʿfu al-yaqīni wa-ʿaqabatun kaʾūdun wa-al-mahbaṭu minhā ilā al-jannati aw ilā al-nāri, waqāla abū hurayrata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu juzzaʾtu al-layli thalāthata ajzāʾin thuluthan uṣallī wathuluthan anāmu wathuluthan astadhkiru [ fīhi ] ḥadītha rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama, wa-ammā anasu bnu mālikin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla inna awwala man yaridu al-ḥawḍa yawma al-qiyāmati al-dhābilūna al-nāḥilūna alladhīna idhā jannahumu al-laylu astaqbalūhu biḥuznin, wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi abnu ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-ruwiya ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu mā kunnā nanāmu wanaḥnu ʿuzzābun fī ayyāmi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama illā fī al-masjidi walam yakun lanā maskanun walā maʾwā, waruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla lā tuḥbib abadan illā man tathiqu bidīnihi, wakāna yaqūlu lā tuṭʿimū ṭaʿāmakum illā kulla taqiyyin [ naqiyyin ] walā taʾkulū illā min ṭaʿāmi taqiyyin naqiyyin, waʿani abni ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla innamā sulliṭa ʿalā abni ādama man yakhāfuhu walaw lam yakhafi abnu ādama illā Allāha lam yusalliṭi Allāhu taʿālā ʿalayhi shayʾan, wa-ammā ḥudhayfatu bnu al-yamāni raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla inna aqarra yawmin liʿaynī layawmun idhā rajaʿtu ilā ahlī fayashkūna ilā al-ḥājati, waqāla ḥudhayfatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu kam min shahwati sāʿatin awrathat ṣāḥibahā ḥuznan ṭawīlan, waduʿiya ḥudhayfatu ilā māʾidatin faraʾā ʿalayhā ziyya al-ʿajami fa-anṣarafa

—that he said, “People will not attain the honour of the Hereafter until they dislike praise and commendation and accept blame for God Most High.” Kaʿb—may God be pleased with him—also said, “A servant will not complete the reward of pilgrimage and striving until he bears injury patiently.” As for Ḥārithah—may God be pleased with him, it is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Whoever wishes to look upon a servant whose heart God Most High has illumined with faith, let him look upon Ḥārithah.” As for Abū Hurayrah—may God be pleased with him, Thaʿlabah ibn Abī Mālik said, “I saw Abū Hurayrah carrying a bundle of firewood when he was serving as Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam’s deputy. He said, ‘Make way for the commander, son of Abū Mālik!’ I said, ‘May God set you right; this is enough for you.’ But he again said, ‘Make way for the commander, son of Abū Mālik!’” It is related that when death came to Abū Hurayrah, he wept. Asked what made him weep, he replied, “The great distance of the wilderness, the scarcity of provision, the weakness of certainty, and a steep pass whose descent leads either to Paradise or to the Fire.” He said, “I divided the night into three parts: one third I pray, one third I sleep, and one third I devote to recalling the reports of the Messenger of God.” As for Anas ibn Mālik—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he said, “The first to reach the Basin on the Day of Resurrection will be the emaciated and wasted, those who, when night enveloped them, received it with sorrow.” As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him, he said, “In the days of the Messenger of God, when we were unmarried, we slept only in the mosque; we had neither dwelling nor shelter.” He would say, “Never make anyone beloved to you unless you trust his religion.” He also said, “Feed your food only to one who is reverently aware and pure, and eat only the food of one who is reverently aware and pure.” Ibn ʿUmar said, “Only one whom the child of Adam fears is given power over him. Had the child of Adam feared none but God, God Most High would have given nothing power over him.” As for Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān—may God be pleased with him, he said, “The day most pleasing to my eye is the day I return to my family and they complain to me of need.” He also said, “How many an hour’s desire has bequeathed its possessor lasting sorrow.” Ḥudhayfah was invited to a table, but when he saw upon it the ornamentation of the non-Arabs, he left—

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وَهُوَ يَقُولُ مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَحْشٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَرَوَى سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَحْشٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُقْسِمُ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَلْقَى الْعَدُوَّ وَإِذَا لَقِيتُ الْعَدُوَّ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونِي ثُمَّ يَبْقُرُوا بَطْنِي ثُمَّ يُمَثِّلُوا بِي فَإِذَا لَقِيتُكَ قُلْتَ فِيمَ قُتِلْتَ فَأَقُولُ فِيكَ قَالَ فَلَقَى الْعَدُوَّ فَقُتِلَ وَفُعِلَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ، وَأَمَّا صَفْوَانُ بْنُ مُحْرِزٍ الْمَازِنِيُّ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِذَا أَوَيْتُ إِلَى أَهْلِي وَأَصَبْتُ رَغِيفًا أَكَلْتُهُ فَجَزَى [ اللَّهُ ] الدُّنْيَا عَنْ أَهْلِهَا شَرًّا وَمَا زَادَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى أَنْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، وَأَمَّا أَبُو فَرْوَةَ فَإِنَّهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ مَوْلًى لِبَنِي سُلَيْمٍ سَارَ مِيلًا لَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فِيهِ فَرَجَعَ حَتَّى [ سَارَ فِيهِ ] ذَاكِرًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مُنْتَهَاهُ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَنْسَ أَبَا فَرْوَةَ [ فَإِنَّ أَبَا فَرْوَةَ ] لَيْسَ يَنْسَاكَ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو بَكْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَ قَبْرٍ فَصَرَخُوا عَلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ مَا مِنْ نَفْسٍ تَخْرُجُ وَلَا نَفْسُ دَابَّةٍ [ إِلَّا وَهِيَ ] أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي قِيلَ لَهُ وَلِمَ قَالَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ أَبْقَى إِلَى زَمَانٍ لَا آمُرُ فِيهِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَلَا أَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ بَكَى فَبَكَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ فَقَالَ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ قَالَتْ إِنَّكَ بَكَيْتَ فَبَكَيْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي أُنْبِئْتُ أَنِّي وَارِدٌ النَّارَ وَلَمْ أُنْبَأْ أَنِّي صَادِرٌ، وَأَمَّا تَمِيمٌ الدَّارِيُّ فَذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَامَ لَيْلَةً إِلَى الصَّبَاحِ يَبْكِي وَيَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ أَمْ حَسِبَ الَّذِينَ اجْتَرَحُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ الْآيَةَ، وَأَمَّا عَدِيُّ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَرُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا كَانَ يَفُتُّ الْخُبْزَ لِلنَّمْلِ تَرَحُّمًا عَلَيْهِمْ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو رَافِعٍ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَقَدْ رَوَى عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ النَّاسِ أَفْضَلُ قَالَ كُلُّ مَخْمُومٍ الْقَلْبِ صَدُوقُ اللِّسَانِ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا مَخْمُومُ الْقَلْبِ

wahuwa yaqūlu man tashabbaha biqawmin fahuwa minhum, wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu jaḥshin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu farawā saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi raḥimahu Allāhu qāla qāla ʿabdu Allāhi bnu jaḥshin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yawma uḥudin Allāhumma innī uqsimu ʿalayka an alqā al-ʿaduwwa wa-idhā laqītu al-ʿaduwwa an yaqtulūnī thumma yabqurū baṭnī thumma yumaththilū bī fa-idhā laqītuka qulta fīma qutilta fa-aqūlu fīka qāla falaqā al-ʿaduwwa faqutila wafuʿila bihi dhalika, wa-ammā ṣafwānu bnu muḥrizin al-māziniyyu fa-innahu kāna yaqūlu idhā awaytu ilā ahlī wa-aṣabtu raghīfan akaltuhu fajazā [ Allāhu ] al-dunyā ʿan ahlihā sharran wamā zāda ʿalā dhalika ilā an kharaja mina al-dunyā, wa-ammā abū farwata fa-innahu rajulun min aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama kāna mawlan li-banī sulaymin sāra mīlan lam yadhkuri Allāha taʿālā fīhi farajaʿa ḥattā [ sāra fīhi ] dhākiran li-Allāhi taʿālā falammā balagha muntahāhu qāla Allāhumma lā tansa abā farwata [ fa-inna abā farwata ] laysa yansāk, wa-ammā abū bakrata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ughmiya ʿalayhi ʿinda qabrin faṣarakhū ʿalayhi falammā afāqa qāla mā min nafsin takhruju walā nafsu dābbatin [ illā wahiya ] aḥabbu ilayya min nafsī qīla lahu walima qāla innī akhāfu an abqā ilā zamānin lā āmuru fīhi bi-al-maʿrūfi walā anhā ʿani al-munkari, wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu rawāḥata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fadhukira ʿanhu annahu bakā fabakati amraʾatuhu faqāla lahā mā yubkīki qālat innaka bakayta fabakaytu qāla innī unbiʾtu annī wāridun al-nāra walam unbaʾ annī ṣādirun, wa-ammā tamīmun al-dāriyyu fadhukira ʿanhu annahu qāma laylatan ilā al-ṣabāḥi yabkī wayaqraʾu hadhihi al-āyata am ḥasiba alladhīna ajtaraḥū al-sayyiʾāti al-āyata, wa-ammā ʿadiyyu bnu ḥātimin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-ruwiya ʿanhu annahu rubbamā kāna yafuttu al-khubza li-al-namli taraḥḥuman ʿalayhim, wa-ammā abū rāfiʿin mawlā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu faqad rawā ʿani abni ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla qāla rajulun yā rasūla Allāhi ayyu al-nāsi afḍalu qāla kullu makhmūmin al-qalbi ṣadūqu al-lisāni qīla yā rasūla Allāhu wamā makhmūmu al-qalbi

—saying, “Whoever imitates a people belongs to them.” As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jaḥsh—may God be pleased with him, Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib—may God have mercy on him—related that on the day of Uḥud he said, “O God, I swear by You that I shall meet the enemy, and that when I meet them they shall kill me, split open my belly, and mutilate me. Then, when I meet You, You will ask, ‘For what were you killed?’ and I shall reply, ‘For You.’” He met the enemy, was killed, and this was done to him. As for Ṣafwān ibn Muḥriz al-Māzinī, he would say, “When I return to my family and find a loaf of bread, I eat it; may God repay the world with evil on behalf of its people.” He added nothing to this until he left the world. As for Abū Farwah, a Companion of the Messenger of God and a client of Banū Sulaym, he once walked a mile without remembering God Most High. He retraced the distance and [walked it again] in remembrance of God. When he reached its end, he said, “O God, do not forget Abū Farwah, [for Abū Farwah] does not forget You.” As for Abū Bakrah—may God be pleased with him, he lost consciousness beside a grave and the people cried out over him. When he recovered, he said, “There is no departing human soul, nor the soul of any creature, that is not dearer to me than my own soul.” He was asked why and replied, “I fear that I may remain until a time when I neither command what is right nor forbid what is wrong.” As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rawāḥah—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he wept and his wife began to weep. He asked, “Why are you weeping?” She replied, “You wept, so I wept.” He said, “I have been informed that I must come to the Fire, but I have not been informed that I shall depart from it.” As for Tamīm al-Dārī, it is related that he stood throughout one night until morning, weeping and reciting the verse, “Do those who commit evil deeds suppose…?” As for ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he would sometimes crumble bread for the ants out of mercy for them. As for Abū Rāfiʿ, the client of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—may God be pleased with him, he related from Ibn ʿUmar that a man asked, “Messenger of God, which people are best?” He replied, “Everyone whose heart is swept clean and whose tongue is truthful.” They asked, “Messenger of God, what is a heart swept clean?” He replied—

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قَالَ التَّقِيُّ النَّقِيُّ الَّذِي لَا كَدَرَ فِيهِ [ وَلَا بَغْيٌ ] وَلَا حَسَدَ الَّذِي يَشْنَأُ الدُّنْيَا وَيُحِبُّ الْآخِرَةَ قَالُوا فَمَا نَعْرِفُ فِينَا [ مِثْلَ ] ذَلِكَ غَيْرَ أَبِي رَافِعٍ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ ذُكِرَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا [ جَعَلَ فِيهِ ثَلَاثَ خِلَالٍ ] فَقَّهَهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَزَهَّدَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَبَصَّرَهُ عُيُوبَ نَفْسِهِ، وَأَمَّا زُرَارَةُ بْنُ أَوْفَى رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ أَمَّ فِي مَسْجِدِ بَنِي قُشَيْرٍ فَقَرَأَ فَإِذَا نُقِرَ فِي النَّاقُورِ فَذَلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ فَخَرَّ مَيِّتًا، وَأَمَّا حَنْظَلَةُ الْكَاتِبُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنَّا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَّرَنَا الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ حَتَّى كَأَنَّهَا رَأْيَ الْعَيْنِ فَعُدْتُ إِلَى أَهْلِي فَضَحِكْتُ وَلَقِيتُ النَّاسَ فَقُلْتُ نَافَقَ حَنْظَلَةُ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا لَكَ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّا لَنَفْعَلُهُ أَيْضًا فَذَهَبَ حَنْظَلَةُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَكَرَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ لَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ كَمَا تَكُونُونَ عِنْدِي لَصَافَحَتْكُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً، وَأَمَّا اللَّجْلَاجُ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ وَكُنْيَتُهُ أَبُو كَثِيرٍ هَكَذَا فِي كِتَابِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ السِّجِسْتَانِيِّ صَاحِبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَأَنَا ابْنُ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً وَمَاتَ اللَّجْلَاجُ وَهُوَ ابْنُ عِشْرِينَ وَمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَقَالَ مَا مَلَأْتُ بَطْنِي مِنْ طَعَامٍ مُنْذُ أَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آكُلُ حَسْبِي وَأَشْرَبُ حَسْبِي، وَأَمَّا أَبُو جُحَيْفَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّ امْرَأَتَهُ اسْتَخْبَأَتْ ثُلُثَيْ دِرْهَمٍ فَنَسِيَتْهُمَا حَتَّى مَضَتْ لَهَا سَنَةٌ ثُمَّ إِنَّهَا ذَكَرَتْهُمَا فَقَالَ لَهَا يَا أُخْتَ هُذَيْلٍ اعْتَدِّي بِئْسَ حَشْوَةُ الْبَيْتِ أَنْتِ لَوْ مِتِّ لَعَدِدْتِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْكَنَّازِينَ إِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَاتَ وَعَهْدُهُ بَيْنَ أَعْيُنِنَا جَدِيدٌ لَمْ يَتْرُكْ دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا وَلَا فَلْسًا وَلَا بُرًّا وَلَا شَعِيرًا، وَأَمَّا حَكِيمُ بْنُ حِزَامٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا أَصْبَحْتُ ذَا صَبَاحٍ قَطُّ لَمْ أَرَ عِنْدِي طَالِبَ حَاجَةٍ

qāla al-taqiyyu al-naqiyyu alladhī lā kadara fīhi [ walā baghyun ] walā ḥasada alladhī yashnaʾu al-dunyā wayuḥibbu al-ākhirata qālū famā naʿrifu fīnā [ mithla ] dhalika ghayra abī rāfiʿin mawlā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama waraḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu, wa-ammā muḥammadu bnu kaʿbin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu dhukira ʿanhu annahu qāla idhā arāda Allāhu biʿabdin khayran [ jaʿala fīhi thalātha khilālin ] faqqahahu fī al-dīni wa-zahhadahu fī al-dunyā wa-baṣṣarahu ʿuyūba nafsihi, wa-ammā zurāratu bnu awfā raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu amma fī masjidi banī qushayrin faqaraʾa fa-idhā nuqira fī al-nāqūri fadhalika yawmaʾidhin yawmun ʿasīrun fakharra mayyitan, wa-ammā ḥanẓalatu al-kātibu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla kunnā ʿinda rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fadhakkaranā al-jannata wa-al-nāra ḥattā ka-annahā raʾya al-ʿayni faʿudtu ilā ahlī faḍaḥiktu walaqītu al-nāsa faqultu nāfaqa ḥanẓalatu faqāla abū bakrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā laka fa-akhbartuhu faqāla innā lanafʿaluhu ayḍan fadhahaba ḥanẓalatu ilā al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fadhakara lahu dhalika faqāla yā ḥanẓalatu law kuntum fī buyūtikum kamā takūnūna ʿindī laṣāfaḥatkumu al-malāʾikatu ʿalā furushikum aw kamā qāla yā ḥanẓalatu sāʿatan wasāʿatan, wa-ammā al-lajlāju qāla al-shaykhu wakunyatuhu abū kathīrin hākadhā fī kitābi abī dāwuda al-sijistāniyyi ṣāḥibi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla aslamtu maʿa al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama wa-anā abnu khamsīna sanatan wamāta al-lajlāju wahuwa abnu ʿishrīna wa-miʾati sanatin waqāla mā malaʾtu baṭnī min ṭaʿāmin mundhu aslamtu maʿa rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ākulu ḥasbī wa-ashrabu ḥasbī, wa-ammā abū juḥayfata raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu anna amraʾatahu istakhbaʾat thuluthay dirhamin fa-nasiyathumā ḥattā maḍat lahā sanatun thumma innahā dhakarathumā faqāla lahā yā ukhta hudhaylin iʿtaddī biʾsa ḥashwatu al-bayti anti law mitti laʿadidti ʿinda Allāhi mina al-kannāzīna inna nabiyya Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama māta waʿahduhu bayna aʿyuninā jadīdun lam yatruk dīnāran walā dirhaman walā falsan walā burran walā shaʿīran, wa-ammā ḥakīmu bnu ḥizāmin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu qāla mā aṣbaḥtu dhā ṣabāḥin qaṭṭu lam ara ʿindī ṭāliba ḥājatin

—“One that is reverently aware and pure, containing no turbidity, [injustice], or envy; one that detests the world and loves the Hereafter.” They said, “We know no one among us [like] that except Abū Rāfiʿ, the client of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace; may God be pleased with him.” As for Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he said, “When God intends good for a servant, [He places three qualities in him]: understanding in religion, renunciation of the world, and insight into his own faults.” As for Zurārah ibn Awfā—may God be pleased with him, it is related that while leading the prayer in the mosque of Banū Qushayr, he recited, “When the Trumpet is sounded, that day will be a difficult day,” and fell down dead. As for Ḥanẓalah the Scribe—may God be pleased with him, he said, “We were with the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—and he reminded us of Paradise and the Fire until they seemed visible to the eye. I returned to my family, laughed, and met people, and then I said, ‘Ḥanẓalah has become a hypocrite.’ Abū Bakr—may God be pleased with him—asked, ‘What is the matter?’ I told him, and he replied, ‘We too do the same.’ Ḥanẓalah went to the Prophet and told him. The Prophet said, ‘Ḥanẓalah, if you remained in your homes as you are in my presence, the angels would shake hands with you upon your beds’—or words to that effect. ‘Ḥanẓalah, there is an hour for this and an hour for that.’” As for al-Lajlāj—the shaykh said that his kunya was Abū Kathīr; so it appears in the book of Abū Dāwūd al-Sijistānī—the Companion of the Messenger of God, it is related that he said, “I entered Islam with the Prophet when I was fifty years old.” Al-Lajlāj died at the age of one hundred and twenty. He said, “I have not filled my belly with food since I entered Islam with the Messenger of God; I eat what is sufficient for me and drink what is sufficient for me.” As for Abū Juḥayfah—may God be pleased with him, it is related that his wife hid two thirds of a dirham and forgot it for a year. When she remembered it, he said, “Sister of Hudhayl, count it carefully! What a poor member of this household you are. Had you died, you would have been counted among those who hoard wealth before God. The Prophet of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—died, and the memory of his way remains fresh before our eyes: he left neither dinar, dirham, small coin, wheat, nor barley.” As for Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he said, “Never have I awakened to a morning in which I saw no petitioner in need before me—”

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وَلَا مُسْتَعِينًا عَلَى أَمْرٍ إِلَّا عَدَدْتُهُ مِنَ الْمَصَائِبِ الَّتِي أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى الْأَجْرَ عَلَيْهَا، وَأَمَّا أُسَامَةُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ اشْتَرَى فَرَسًا إِلَى شَهْرَيْنِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ ذَلِكَ إِنَّ أُسَامَةَ لَطَوِيلُ الْأَمَلِ، وَأَمَّا بِلَالٌ وَصُهَيْبٌ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فَإِنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّهُمَا أَتَيَا قَبِيلَةً مِنَ الْعَرَبِ فَخَطَبَا إِلَيْهِمْ فَقِيلَ لَهُمَا مَنْ أَنْتُمَا فَقَالَا بِلَالٌ وَصُهَيْبٌ كُنَّا ضَالِّينَ فَهَدَانَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكُنَّا مَمْلُوكِينَ فَأَعْتَقَنَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكُنَّا عَائِلِينَ فَأَغْنَانَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَإِنْ تُزَوِّجُونَا فَنَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَإِنْ تَرُدُّونَا فَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ فَقَالُوا تُزَوَّجُونَ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ فَقَالَ صُهَيْبٌ لِبِلَالٍ هَلَّا ذَكَرْتَ مَشَاهِدَنَا وَسَوَابِقَنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ بِلَالٌ اسْكُتْ فَقَدْ صَدَقْتَ فَأَنْكَحَكَ الصِّدْقُ، وَأَمَّا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ وَمُصْعَبُ بْنُ عُمَيْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فَكَانَا مُتَوَاخِيَيْنِ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، كُنْتُ أَنْظُرُ إِلَى مُصْعَبٍ فَتَدْمَعُ عَيْنِي رِقَّةً عَلَيْهِ وَكُنْتُ رَأَيْتُهُ بِمَكَّةَ فِي الرَّفَاهِيَةِ وَكَانَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ لِمَّةٌ مِنَ الشَّعْرِ قَالَ فَكُنْتُ أَمُرُّ إِلَى بَعْضِ حِيطَانِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَأَعْمَلُ فِي السَّوَانِي <بِالدَّلْوِ> عَلَى مُدٍّ مِنَ التَّمْرِ فَأَحْمِلُهُ إِلَى مُصْعَبِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ وَمَرَّ مُصْعَبٌ يَوْمًا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَّا قِطْعَةَ حَيْسٍ فَأَكَلَ بَعْضَهَا وَحَمَلَ النِّصْفَ الْآخَرَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ، وَرَوَى أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آخَى بَيْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ وَبَيْنَ سَعْدِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا وَكَانَ لِسَعْدٍ امْرَأَتَانِ فَقَالَ سَعْدٌ أُقَاسِمُكَ مَالِي وَأَنْزِلُ عَنْ إِحْدَى امْرَأَتَيَّ حَتَّى تَتَزَوَّجَ بِهَا فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ وَقَالَ دُلُّونِي عَلَى السُّوقِ فَدَخَلَ السُّوقَ وَكَسَبَ حَتَّى جَمَعَ شَيْئًا مِنَ التَّمْرِ وَالسَّمْنِ وَالْأَقِطِ، وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ نَزَلَ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ضَيْفٌ فَلَمْ يَجِدْ عِنْدَ أَهْلِهِ شَيْئًا فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ فَذَهَبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَوَضَعَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ الطَّعَامَ وَقَالَ لِامْرَأَتِهِ أَطْفِئِي السِّرَاجَ وَجَعَلَ يَمُدُّ يَدَهُ كَأَنَّهُ يَأْكُلُ حَتَّى أَكَلَ الضَّيْفُ الطَّعَامَ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَقَدْ عَجِبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ صَنِيعِكُمَا إِلَى ضَيْفِكُمَا وَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ

walā mustaʿīnan ʿalā amrin illā ʿadadtuhu mina al-maṣāʾibi allatī asʾalu Allāha taʿālā al-ajra ʿalayhā, wa-ammā usāmatu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhu annahu ashtarā farasan ilā shahrayni faqāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama lammā balaghahu dhalika inna usāmata laṭawīlu al-amali, wa-ammā bilālun waṣuhaybun raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā fa-innahu ruwiya ʿanhumā annahumā atayā qabīlatan mina al-ʿarabi fakhaṭabā ilayhim faqīla lahumā man antumā faqālā bilālun waṣuhaybun kunnā ḍāllīna fahadānā Allāhu taʿālā wakunnā mamlūkīna fa-aʿtaqanā Allāhu taʿālā wakunnā ʿāʾilīna fa-aghnānā Allāhu taʿālā fa-in tuzawwijūnā fanaḥmadu Allāha wa-in taruddūnā fasubḥāna Allāhi faqālū tuzawwajūna wa-al-ḥamdu li-Allāhi faqāla ṣuhaybun libilālin hallā dhakarta mashāhidanā wasawābiqanā maʿa rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama faqāla bilālun askut faqad ṣadaqta fa-ankaḥaka al-ṣidqu, wa-ammā ʿabdu Allāhi bnu rabīʿata wamuṣʿabu bnu ʿumayrin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā fakānā mutawākhiyayni qāla ʿabdu Allāhi, kuntu anẓuru ilā muṣʿabin fatadmaʿu ʿaynī riqqatan ʿalayhi wakuntu raʾaytuhu bimakkata fī al-rafāhiyati wakāna ʿalā raʾsihi limmatun mina al-shaʿri qāla fakuntu amurru ilā baʿḍi ḥīṭāni al-madīnati fa-aʿmalu fī al-sawānī <bi-al-dalwi> ʿalā muddin mina al-tamri fa-aḥmiluhu ilā muṣʿabi bni ʿumayrin wamarra muṣʿabun yawman ilā rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama falam yajid ʿinda rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama illā qiṭʿata ḥaysin fa-akala baʿḍahā waḥamala al-niṣfa al-ākhara ilā ʿabdi Allāhi bni rabīʿata, warawā anna rasūla Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ākhā bayna ʿabdi al-raḥmāni bni ʿawfin wabayna saʿdi bni al-rabīʿi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhumā wakāna lisaʿdin amraʾatāni faqāla saʿdun uqāsimuka mālī wa-anzilu ʿan iḥdā imraʾatayya ḥattā tatazawwaja bihā falam yafʿal dhalika ʿabdu al-raḥmāni waqāla dullūnī ʿalā al-sūqi fadakhala al-sūqa wakasaba ḥattā jamaʿa shayʾan mina al-tamri wa-al-samni wa-al-aqiṭi, waruwiya annahu nazala birasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama ḍayfun falam yajid ʿinda ahlihi shayʾan fadakhala ʿalayhi rajulun mina al-anṣāri fadhahaba ilā ahlihi wawaḍaʿa bayna yadayhi al-ṭaʿāma waqāla li-imraʾatihi aṭfiʾī al-sirāja wajaʿala yamuddu yadahu ka-annahu yaʾkulu ḥattā akala al-ḍayfu al-ṭaʿāma falammā aṣbaḥa qāla lahu rasūlu Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallama laqad ʿajiba Allāhu taʿālā min ṣanīʿikumā ilā ḍayfikumā wanazalat hadhihi

“—and no one seeking help in some matter, without counting it among the afflictions for which I ask God Most High to reward me.” As for Usāmah—may God be pleased with him, it is related that he bought a horse on two months’ credit. When the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—heard, he said, “Usāmah is indeed long in hope.” As for Bilāl and Ṣuhayb—may God be pleased with them both, it is related that they went to an Arab tribe to seek marriage. They were asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “Bilāl and Ṣuhayb. We were astray, and God Most High guided us; we were enslaved, and God Most High set us free; we were in need, and God Most High enriched us. If you marry your women to us, we shall praise God; and if you refuse us, glory be to God.” The people said, “You shall be married, and praise be to God.” Ṣuhayb asked Bilāl, “Why did you not mention the battles we witnessed and our precedence in the company of the Messenger of God?” Bilāl replied, “Be silent. You spoke truthfully, and your truthfulness has secured your marriage.” As for ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rabīʿah and Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr—may God be pleased with them both, they were brothers by covenant. ʿAbd Allāh said, “I would look upon Muṣʿab and my eyes would fill with tears out of tenderness for him. I had seen him in Mecca living in ease, with a luxuriant lock of hair upon his head. I would go to one of the gardens of Medina and work at the waterwheel, drawing the bucket for a measure of dates, which I would carry to Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr.” One day Muṣʿab went to the Messenger of God and found with him only a piece of ḥays. He ate some of it and carried the other half to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Rabīʿah. It is related that the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—joined ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf and Saʿd ibn al-Rabīʿ—may God be pleased with them both—in brotherhood. Saʿd had two wives, and he said, “I shall divide my wealth with you and relinquish one of my wives so that, after her waiting period, you may marry her.” ʿAbd al-Raḥmān did not accept this and said, “Direct me to the market.” He entered the market and earned until he had gathered some dates, clarified butter, and dried curds. It is also related that a guest came to the Messenger of God, but he found nothing with his household. A man of the Helpers took the guest home, placed food before him, and said to his wife, “Put out the lamp.” He kept extending his hand as though he were eating until the guest had eaten the food. In the morning, the Messenger of God said to him, “God Most High marvelled at what you and your wife did for your guest.” Then this verse was revealed—

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الْآيَةَ وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ [ابْنِ] عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ [قَالَ] أُهْدِيَ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأْسَ شَاةٍ قَالَ إِنَّ أَخِي أَحْوَجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنِّي فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَبْعَثُ الْوَاحِدُ إِلَى الْآخَرِ حَتَّى تَنَاوَلَهُ سَبْعَةُ أَبْيَاتٍ فَرَجَعَ إِلَى الْأَوَّلِ، قَالَ وَنَزَلَتْ فِيهِمْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَمِثْلُ هَذَا كَثِيرٌ فِي الْأَخْبَارِ عَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَمَا مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا وَلَهُ تَخْصِيصٌ فِي مَعَانِي مِنْ هَذَا النَّوْعِ الَّذِي ذَكَرْنَا وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ مَنْدُوبُونَ إِلَى التَّعَلُّقِ بِمِثْلِ هَذِهِ الْأَفْعَالِ وَالتَّخَلُّقِ بِأَخْلَاقِهِمْ فِيمَا أَتَوْا بِهِ مِنْ أَنْوَاعِ الطَّاعَاتِ وَنَطَقُوا بِهِ مِنْ [أَنْوَاعِ] الْحُكَمِ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا الْقَلِيلَ مِنَ الْكَثِيرِ وَالْمُرَادُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وُقُوفُ الْمُسْتَرْشِدِينَ عَلَى الْمَقْصُودِ وَالْمُرَادِ، وَفِي كُلِّ خَبَرٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَخْبَارِ الَّتِي ذَكَرْنَاهَا عَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الصَّحَابَةِ إِشَارَةٌ وَلَطِيفَةٌ تَخْصِيصًا لِأَهْلِهِ وَلَهُ بَيَانٌ وَشَرْحٌ كَشَرْحِ مَنْ تَقَدَّمَ ذِكْرُهُ فِي أَوَّلِ الْبَابِ بَابِ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ، وَلَا يَخْفَى عَلَى الْمُتَأَمِّلِ وَالْمُتَدَبِّرِ بِالنَّظَرِ فِيهِ بَيَانُ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، كِتَابُ آدَابِ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ الْآدَابِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي تَفْسِيرِهِ

al-āyata wayuʾthirūna ʿalā anfusihim walaw kāna bihim khaṣāṣatun, waruwiya ʿani [ibni] ʿumara raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu [qāla] uhdiya lirajulin min aṣḥābi rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama raʾsa shātin qāla inna akhī aḥwaju ilayhi minnī fabaʿatha ilayhi falam yazal yabʿathu al-wāḥidu ilā al-ākhari ḥattā tanāwalahu sabʿatu abyātin farajaʿa ilā al-awwali, qāla wanazalat fīhim hadhihi al-āyatu wayuʾthirūna ʿalā anfusihim walaw kāna bihim khaṣāṣatun, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wamithlu hadhā kathīrun fī al-akhbāri ʿani al-ṣaḥābati wamā minhum aḥadun illā walahu takhṣīṣun fī maʿānī min hadhā al-nawʿi alladhī dhakarnā wa-al-muʾminūna mandūbūna ilā al-taʿalluqi bimithli hadhihi al-afʿāli wa-al-takhalluqi bi-akhlāqihim fīmā ataw bihi min anwāʿi al-ṭāʿāti wanaṭaqū bihi min [anwāʿi] al-ḥukami, waqad dhakarnā al-qalīla mina al-kathīri wa-al-murādu min dhalika wuqūfu al-mustarshidīna ʿalā al-maqṣūdi wa-al-murādi, wafī kulli khabarin min hadhihi al-akhbāri allatī dhakarnāhā ʿan hāʾulāʾi al-ṣaḥābati ishāratun walaṭīfatun takhṣīṣan li-ahlihi walahu bayānun washarḥun kasharḥi man taqaddama dhikruhu fī awwali al-bābi bābi al-aʾimmati al-arbaʿati abī bakrin waʿumara waʿuthmāna waʿaliyyin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhum ajmaʿīna, walā yakhfā ʿalā al-mutaʾammili wa-al-mutadabbiri bi-al-naẓari fīhi bayānu dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, kitābu ādābi al-mutaṣawwifati, bābun fī dhikri al-ādābi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla Allāhu taʿālā yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū qū anfusakum wa-ahlīkum nāran, waruwiya ʿani ibni ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu annahu qāla fī tafsīrihi

—the verse, “They give preference to others over themselves, even though they are in need.” It is related from [Ibn] ʿUmar—may God be pleased with him—that [he said]: A sheep’s head was given to one of the Companions of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace. He said, “My brother is in greater need of it than I am,” and sent it to him. Each recipient kept sending it on to another until it had passed through seven households and returned to the first. He said, “This verse was revealed concerning them: ‘They give preference to others over themselves, even though they are in need.’” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Many reports of this kind are related from the Companions. Every one of them was specially distinguished by qualities of the kind we have mentioned. Believers are encouraged to attach themselves to such deeds and adopt the Companions’ character in the many forms of obedience they practised and the [many forms of] wisdom they expressed. We have mentioned only a little of much so that those seeking guidance may understand the intended meaning. Every report we have related from these Companions contains an allusion and a subtle point intended for those fitted to receive it; each can be explained and expounded, as we did with those mentioned at the beginning of the chapter on the four Imams—Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī—may God be pleased with them all. Anyone who reflects and considers these reports will, God Most High willing, see this clearly. Book on the Etiquette of the Sufis. Chapter on Etiquette. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: God Most High says, “Believers, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire.” It is related from Ibn ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with him—that he said in explaining this verse—

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يَعْنِي أَدِّبُوهُمْ وَعَلِّمُوهُمْ تَقُوهُمْ بِذَلِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا نَحَلَ وَالِدٌ وَلَدًا أَفْضَلَ مِنْ أَدَبٍ حَسَنٍ، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَدَّبَنِي فَأَحْسَنَ أَدَبِي، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَوْضِعُ تَخْصِيصِهِ بِالْأَدَبِ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ بِقَوْلِهِ فَأَحْسَنَ أَدَبِي وَإِلَّا فَجَمِيعُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ كَانُوا مِمَّنْ أَدَّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِيرِينَ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ أَيُّ الْآدَابِ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَأَزْلَفُ لِلْعَبْدِ عِنْدَهُ قَالَ مَعْرِفَةٌ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِهِ وَعَمَلٌ بِطَاعَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى السَّرَّاءِ وَالصَّبْرُ عَلَى الضَّرَّاءِ، وَقِيلَ لِلْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَدْ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسُ تَعَلُّمَ الْآدَابِ فَمَا أَنْفَعَهَا عَاجِلًا وَأَوْصَلَهَا آجِلًا قَالَ التَّفَقُّهُ فِي الدِّينِ فَإِنَّهُ يُصْرَفُ إِلَيْهِ قُلُوبُ الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ وَالزُّهْدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّهُ يُقَرِّبُكَ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالْمَعْرِفَةُ بِمَا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكَ يَحْوِيهَا كَمَالُ الْإِيمَانِ، وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيِّبِ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ مَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يَتَأَدَّبْ بِأَمْرِهِ وَنَهْيِهِ كَانَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ فِي عُزْلَةٍ، وَقَالَ كُلْثُومٌ الْغَسَّانِيُّ الْأَدَبُ أَدَبَانِ أَدَبُ قَوْلٍ وَأَدَبُ فِعْلٍ فَمَنْ رَفَقَ بِنَفْسِهِ فِي أَدَبِهِ بِقَوْلِهِ عَدِمَ ثَوَابَ الْعَمَلِ وَمَنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِأَدَبٍ فَعَلَهُ مَنَحَهُ مَحَبَّةَ الْقُلُوبِ وَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ الْعُيُوبَ وَجَعَلَهُ شَرِيكًا فِي ثَوَابِ الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ، وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ نَحْنُ إِلَى قَلِيلٍ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَحْوَجُ مِنَّا إِلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَيْضًا الْأَدَبُ لِلْعَارِفِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ التَّوْبَةِ لِلْمُسْتَأْنِفِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَالْأَدَبُ سَنَدٌ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَزَيْنٌ لِلْأَغْنِيَاءِ، وَالنَّاسُ فِي الْأَدَبِ مُتَفَاوِتُونَ وَهُمْ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ طَبَقَاتٍ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَهْلِ الدِّينِ وَأَهْلِ الْخُصُوصِيَّةِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ، فَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ

yaʿnī addibūhum waʿallimūhum taqūhum bidhalika mina al-nāri, waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla mā naḥala wālidun waladan afḍala min adabin ḥasanin, waruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla inna Allāha addabanī fa-aḥsana adabī, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu mawḍiʿu takhṣīṣihi bi-al-adabi min jumlati al-anbiyāʾi ʿalayhimu al-salāmu biqawlihi fa-aḥsana adabī wa-illā fajamīʿu al-anbiyāʾi ʿalayhimu al-salāmu kānū mimman addabahumu Allāhu taʿālā, waruwiya ʿan muḥammadi bni sīrīna annahu suʾila ayyu al-ādābi aqrabu ilā Allāhi taʿālā wa-azlafu li-al-ʿabdi ʿindahu qāla maʿrifatun birubūbiyyatihi waʿamalun biṭāʿatihi wa-al-ḥamdu li-Allāhi ʿalā al-sarrāʾi wa-al-ṣabru ʿalā al-ḍarrāʾi, waqīla li-al-ḥasani bni abī al-ḥasani al-baṣriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu qad akthara al-nāsu taʿalluma al-ādābi famā anfaʿahā ʿājilan wa-awṣalahā ājilan qāla al-tafaqquhu fī al-dīni fa-innahu yuṣrafu ilayhi qulūbu al-mutaʿallimīna wa-al-zuhdu fī al-dunyā fa-innahu yuqarribuka min rabbi al-ʿālamīna wa-al-maʿrifatu bimā li-Allāhi ʿalayka yaḥwīhā kamālu al-īmāni, waqāla saʿīdu bnu al-musayyibi raḥmatu Allāhi ʿalayhi man lam yaʿrif mā li-Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayhi fī nafsihi walam yataʾaddab bi-amrihi wanahyihi kāna mina al-adabi fī ʿuzlatin, waqāla kulthūmun al-ghassāniyyu al-adabu adabāni adabu qawlin wa-adabu fiʿlin faman rafaqa binafsihi fī adabihi biqawlihi ʿadima thawāba al-ʿamali waman taqarraba ilā Allāhi taʿālā bi-adabin faʿalahu manaḥahu maḥabbata al-qulūbi waṣarafa ʿanhu al-ʿuyūba wajaʿalahu sharīkan fī thawābi al-mutaʿallimīna, waruwiya ʿani ibni al-mubāraki raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla naḥnu ilā qalīlin mina al-adabi aḥwaju minnā ilā kathīrin mina al-ʿilmi, waqāla ibnu al-mubāraki raḥimahu Allāhu ayḍan al-adabu li-al-ʿārifi bimanzilati al-tawbati li-al-mustaʾnifi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-al-adabu sanadun li-al-fuqarāʾi wazaynun li-al-aghniyāʾi, wa-al-nāsu fī al-adabi mutafāwitūna wahum ʿalā thalāthi ṭabaqātin ahli al-dunyā wa-ahli al-dīni wa-ahli al-khuṣūṣiyyati min ahli al-dīni, fa-ammā ahlu al-dunyā fa-inna akthara ādābihim fī al-faṣāḥati wa-al-balāghati

—“Discipline them and teach them; by doing so you will protect them from the Fire.” It is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “No parent has given a child anything better than good upbringing.” It is also related that he said, “God disciplined me and made my discipline beautiful.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: The point that distinguishes him among all the prophets—peace be upon them—in respect of discipline lies in the words, “and made my discipline beautiful”; otherwise all the prophets were among those whom God Most High disciplined. Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn was asked, “Which forms of etiquette bring a servant nearest to God Most High?” He replied, “Knowledge of His lordship, action in obedience to Him, praise of God in prosperity, and patience in hardship.” Al-Ḥasan ibn Abī al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī—may God have mercy on him—was told, “People have greatly increased their study of etiquette. Which form is most useful now and leads most surely to the final good?” He replied, “Understanding religion, for it directs the learners’ hearts to it; renunciation of the world, for it brings you near the Lord of the worlds; and knowledge of what God is owed by you, all of which the perfection of faith contains.” Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib—may God have mercy on him—said, “Whoever does not know what God Most High is owed by him within himself, and is not disciplined by His commands and prohibitions, remains remote from true etiquette.” Kulthūm al-Ghassānī said, “Etiquette is of two kinds: etiquette in speech and etiquette in action. Whoever merely speaks of disciplining his soul while treating it indulgently loses the reward of action. Whoever draws near to God Most High through etiquette that he puts into practice is granted the love of hearts, has faults turned away from him, and shares in the reward of those who learn from him.” Ibn al-Mubārak—may God have mercy on him—said, “We need a little etiquette more than we need much knowledge.” He also said, “For the gnostic, etiquette is like repentance for a beginner.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Etiquette is a support for the poor and an adornment for the wealthy. People differ in etiquette and fall into three classes: worldly people, religious people, and the elect among religious people. For worldly people, most etiquette consists in eloquence, rhetoric—

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وَحِفْظِ الْعُلُومِ وَأَسْمَارِ الْمُلُوكِ وَأَشْعَارِ الْعَرَبِ وَمَعْرِفَةِ الصَّنَائِعِ، وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الدِّينِ فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَ آدَابِهِمْ فِي رِيَاضَةِ النُّفُوسِ وَتَأْدِيبِ الْجَوَارِحِ وَطَهَارَةِ الْأَسْرَارِ وَحِفْظِ الْحُدُودِ وَتَرْكِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَاجْتِنَابِ الشُّبُهَاتِ وَتَجْرِيدِ الطَّاعَاتِ وَالْمُسَارَعَةِ إِلَى الْخَيْرَاتِ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ قَهَرَ نَفْسَهُ بِالْأَدَبِ فَهُوَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِالْإِخْلَاصِ، وَقَالَ سَهْلٌ أَيْضًا رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ اسْتَعَانُوا بِاللَّهِ عَلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَى أَدَبِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الْآدَابِ التَّوْبَةُ وَمَنْعُ النُّفُوسِ عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ، وَسُئِلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَنْ أَدَبِ النَّفْسِ فَقَالَ أَنْ تُعَرِّفَهَا الْخَيْرَ فَتَحُثَّهَا عَلَيْهِ وَتُعَرِّفَهَا الشَّرَّ فَتَزْجُرَهَا عَنْهُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ الْأَدَبَ كَمَالُ الْأَشْيَاءِ لَا يَصْفُو إِلَّا لِلْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَمَّا أَدَبُ أَهْلِ الْخُصُوصِيَّةِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدِّينِ فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَ آدَابِهِمْ فِي طَهَارَةِ الْقُلُوبِ وَمُرَاعَاةِ الْأَسْرَارِ وَالْوَفَاءِ بِالْعُقُودِ بَعْدَ الْعُهُودِ وَحِفْظِ الْوَقْتِ وَقِلَّةِ الِالْتِفَاتِ إِلَى الْخَوَاطِرِ وَالْعَوَارِضِ وَالْبَوَادِي وَالطَّوَارِقِ وَاسْتِوَاءِ السِّرِّ مَعَ الْإِعْلَانِ وَحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ فِي مَوَاقِفِ الطَّلَبِ وَمَقَامَاتِ الْقُرَبِ وَأَوْقَاتِ الْحُضُورِ وَالْقُرْبَةِ وَالدُّنُوِّ وَالْوَصْلَةِ، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَصْرِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجَلَاجِلِيَّ الْبَصْرِيَّ يَقُولُ التَّوْحِيدُ مُوجِبٌ يُوجِبُ الْإِيمَانَ فَمَنْ لَا إِيمَانَ لَهُ لَا تَوْحِيدَ لَهُ وَالْإِيمَانُ مُوجِبٌ يُوجِبُ الشَّرِيعَةَ فَمَنْ لَا شَرِيعَةَ لَهُ لَا إِيمَانَ لَهُ وَلَا تَوْحِيدَ لَهُ وَالشَّرِيعَةُ مُوجِبٌ يُوجِبُ الْأَدَبَ فَمَنْ لَا أَدَبَ لَهُ لَا شَرِيعَةَ لَهُ وَلَا إِيمَانَ وَلَا تَوْحِيدَ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَا الْأَدَبُ فِي ذَاتِهِ فَقَالَ الْوُقُوفُ مَعَ الْمُسْتَحْسَنَاتِ قِيلَ وَمَا الْوُقُوفُ مَعَ الْمُسْتَحْسَنَاتِ فَقَالَ أَنْ تُعَامِلَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِالْأَدَبِ سِرًّا وَإِعْلَانًا فَإِذَا كُنْتَ كَذَلِكَ كُنْتَ أَدِيبًا وَإِنْ كُنْتَ أَعْجَمِيًّا، ثُمَّ أَنْشَدَ ابْنُ عَطَاءٍ فِي هَذَا الْمَعْنَى، إِذَا نَطَقَتْ جَاءَتْ بِكُلِّ مَلَاحَةٍ * * وَإِنْ سَكَتَتْ جَاءَتْ بِكُلِّ جَمِيلٍ،

waḥifẓi al-ʿulūmi wa-asmāri al-mulūki wa-ashʿāri al-ʿarabi wamaʿrifati al-ṣanāʾiʿi, wa-ammā ahlu al-dīni fa-inna akthara ādābihim fī riyāḍati al-nufūsi wataʾdībi al-jawāriḥi waṭahārati al-asrāri waḥifẓi al-ḥudūdi watarki al-shahawāti wa-ijtinābi al-shubuhāti watajrīdi al-ṭāʿāti wa-al-musāraʿati ilā al-khayrāti, waqad ḥukiya ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla man qahara nafsahu bi-al-adabi fahuwa yaʿbudu Allāha taʿālā bi-al-ikhlāṣi, waqāla sahlun ayḍan raḥimahu Allāhu istaʿānū bi-Allāhi ʿalā amri Allāhi faṣabarū ʿalā adabi Allāhi taʿālā, wayuqālu inna afḍala al-ādābi al-tawbatu wamanʿu al-nufūsi ʿani al-shahawāti, wasuʾila baʿḍuhum ʿan adabi al-nafsi faqāla an tuʿarrifahā al-khayra fataḥuththahā ʿalayhi watuʿarrifahā al-sharra fatazjurahā ʿanhu, wayuqālu inna al-adaba kamālu al-ashyāʾi lā yaṣfū illā li-al-anbiyāʾi wa-al-ṣiddīqīna, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-ammā adabu ahli al-khuṣūṣiyyati min ahli al-dīni fa-inna akthara ādābihim fī ṭahārati al-qulūbi wamurāʿāti al-asrāri wa-al-wafāʾi bi-al-ʿuqūdi baʿda al-ʿuhūdi waḥifẓi al-waqti waqillati al-iltifāti ilā al-khawāṭiri wa-al-ʿawāriḍi wa-al-bawādī wa-al-ṭawāriqi wa-istiwāʾi al-sirri maʿa al-iʿlāni waḥusni al-adabi fī mawāqifi al-ṭalabi wamaqāmāti al-qurabi wa-awqāti al-ḥuḍūri wa-al-qurbati wa-al-dunuwwi wa-al-waṣlati, samiʿtu aḥmada bna muḥammadin al-baṣriyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu samiʿtu al-jalājiliyya al-baṣriyya yaqūlu al-tawḥīdu mūjibun yūjibu al-īmāna faman lā īmāna lahu lā tawḥīda lahu wa-al-īmānu mūjibun yūjibu al-sharīʿata faman lā sharīʿata lahu lā īmāna lahu walā tawḥīda lahu wa-al-sharīʿatu mūjibun yūjibu al-adaba faman lā adaba lahu lā sharīʿata lahu walā īmāna walā tawḥīda, wasuʾila abū al-ʿabbāsu bnu ʿaṭāʾin raḥimahu Allāhu mā al-adabu fī dhātihi faqāla al-wuqūfu maʿa al-mustaḥsanāti qīla wamā al-wuqūfu maʿa al-mustaḥsanāti faqāla an tuʿāmila Allāha taʿālā bi-al-adabi sirran wa-iʿlānan fa-idhā kunta kadhalika kunta adīban wa-in kunta aʿjamiyyan, thumma anshada ibnu ʿaṭāʾin fī hadhā al-maʿnā, idhā naṭaqat jāʾat bikulli malāḥatin * * wa-in sakatat jāʾat bikulli jamīlin,

—the preservation of learning, stories told by night about kings, Arab poetry, and knowledge of crafts. For religious people, most etiquette consists in training the souls, disciplining the limbs, purifying the inward beings, observing the limits, abandoning appetites, avoiding doubtful things, making acts of obedience sincere, and hastening to good works. It is related from Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—that he said, “Whoever subdues his soul through discipline worships God Most High with sincerity.” Sahl also said, “They sought God’s help in carrying out God’s command and patiently observed the discipline imposed by God Most High.” It is said that the highest etiquette is repentance and restraining the souls from their appetites. Someone was asked about disciplining the soul and replied, “Make it recognize the good and urge it toward it; make it recognize evil and restrain it from it.” It is said that etiquette is the perfection of things and becomes pure only for prophets and the utterly truthful. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: As for the elect among religious people, most of their etiquette consists in purity of heart, care for the inward being, fulfilment of commitments after covenants, guarding the moment, paying little heed to thoughts, passing disturbances, first impulses, and sudden visitations, making the inward and outward states agree, and observing fine courtesy in places of seeking, stations of nearness, and times of presence, proximity, drawing near, and union. I heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī—may God have mercy on him—say that he heard al-Jalājilī al-Baṣrī say, “Divine unity necessarily entails faith; whoever has no faith has no divine unity. Faith necessarily entails the Sacred Law; whoever has no Sacred Law has neither faith nor divine unity. The Sacred Law necessarily entails etiquette; whoever has no etiquette has neither Sacred Law, faith, nor divine unity.” Abū al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAṭāʾ—may God have mercy on him—was asked, “What is etiquette in itself?” He replied, “Standing with what is deemed beautiful.” He was asked what that meant and replied, “Deal with God Most High courteously, inwardly and outwardly. If you are like that, you are a person of refined conduct even if you speak no Arabic.” Ibn ʿAṭāʾ then recited on this meaning: “When she speaks, she brings every charm; when she is silent, she brings every beauty.”

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قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَالصُّوفِيَّةُ لَهُمْ آدَابٌ فِي سَفَرِهِمْ وَحَضَرِهِمْ وَآدَابٌ فِي أَوْقَاتِهِمْ وَأَخْلَاقِهِمْ وَآدَابٌ فِي سُكُونِهِمْ وَحَرَكَاتِهِمْ وَهُمْ مُخْتَصُّونَ بِهَا مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ وَمَعْرُوفُونَ بِهَا عِنْدَ أَشْكَالِهِمْ وَعِنْدَ أَبْنَاءِ جِنْسِهِمْ يُعْرَفُ بِذَلِكَ تَفَاضُلُ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَبِهَذِهِ الْآدَابِ تُمَيِّزُ بَيْنَ الصَّادِقِينَ وَالْكَاذِبِينَ وَالْمُدَّعِينَ وَالْمُحَقِّقِينَ، وَقَدْ بَيَّنَّا طَرَفًا مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي كُلِّ بَابٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَبْوَابِ الَّتِي ذَكَرْنَا عَلَى الِاخْتِصَارِ لِيَنْظُرَ النَّاظِرُ فِيهِ وَيَقِفَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، بَابُ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الْوُضُوءِ وَالطَّهَارَاتِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَوَّلُ أَدَبٍ يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي بَابِ الْوُضُوءِ وَالطَّهَارَاتِ طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ وَتَعَلُّمُهُ وَمَعْرِفَةُ الْفَرَائِضِ وَالسُّنَنِ وَمَا يُسْتَحَبُّ وَمَا يُكْرَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَمَا أُمِرَ بِهِ وَمَا نُدِبَ إِلَيْهِ وَمَا رُغِّبَ فِيهِ لِلْفَضِيلَةِ، وَتَفْصِيلُ ذَلِكَ لَا يُوقَفُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا بِالتَّعَلُّمِ وَالسُّؤَالِ وَالْبَحْثِ عَلَيْهِ وَالِاهْتِمَامِ لَهُ حَتَّى يَتَأَتَّى بِهِ عَلَى مُوَافَقَةِ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ بِالِاحْتِيَاطِ وَاتِّبَاعِ الْأَحْسَنِ وَالْأَتَمِّ وَرَفْعِ الْمَلَامَةِ وَتَرْكِ الْإِنْكَارِ بِالْقَلْبِ عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ بِالِاحْتِيَاطِ وَالْأَشَدِّ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِرُخَصِهِ كَمَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِعَزَائِمِهِ، وَسَائِرُ النَّاسِ لَهُمْ أَشْغَالٌ وَأَسْبَابٌ لَا بُدَّ لَهُمْ مِنَ السَّعْيِ فِيهَا وَالِاهْتِمَامِ بِهَا فَإِنْ أَخَذُوا بِالرُّخْصِ وَمَا فِيهِ السَّعَةُ فَهُمْ مَعْذُورُونَ، وَأَمَّا الْمُتَصَوِّفَةُ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ الْأَسْبَابَ وَخَرَجَ عَنِ الِاشْتِغَالِ وَفَرَّغَ نَفْسَهُ لِلْعِبَادَةِ وَالزُّهْدِ فَلَا

qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-al-ṣūfiyyatu lahum ādābun fī safarihim waḥaḍarihim wa-ādābun fī awqātihim wa-akhlāqihim wa-ādābun fī sukūnihim waḥarakātihim wahum mukhtaṣṣūna bihā min ghayrihim wamaʿrūfūna bihā ʿinda ashkālihim waʿinda abnāʾi jinsihim yuʿrafu bidhalika tafāḍulu baʿḍihim ʿalā baʿḍin wabihadhihi al-ādābi tumayyizu bayna al-ṣādiqīna wa-al-kādhibīna wa-al-muddaʿīna wa-al-muḥaqqiqīna, waqad bayyannā ṭarafan min ādābihim fī kulli bābin min hadhihi al-abwābi allatī dhakarnā ʿalā al-ikhtiṣāri liyanẓura al-nāẓiru fīhi wayaqifa ʿalā dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, bābu ādābihim fī al-wuḍūʾi wa-al-ṭahārāti, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-awwalu adabin yuḥtāju ilayhi fī bābi al-wuḍūʾi wa-al-ṭahārāti ṭalabu al-ʿilmi wataʿallumuhu wamaʿrifatu al-farāʾiḍi wa-al-sunani wamā yustaḥabbu wamā yukrahu min dhalika wamā umira bihi wamā nudiba ilayhi wamā rughghiba fīhi li-al-faḍīlati, watafṣīlu dhalika lā yūqafu ʿalayhi illā bi-al-taʿallumi wa-al-suʾāli wa-al-baḥthi ʿalayhi wa-al-ihtimāmi lahu ḥattā yataʾattā bihi ʿalā muwāfaqati al-kitābi wa-al-sunnati bi-al-iḥtiyāṭi wa-ittibāʿi al-aḥsani wa-al-atammi warafʿi al-malāmati watarki al-inkāri bi-al-qalbi ʿalā man lam yaʾkhudh bi-al-iḥtiyāṭi wa-al-ashaddi li-anna Allāha taʿālā yuḥibbu an yuʾkhadha birukhaṣihi kamā yuḥibbu an yuʾkhadha biʿazāʾimihi, wasāʾiru al-nāsi lahum ashghālun wa-asbābun lā budda lahum mina al-saʿyi fīhā wa-al-ihtimāmi bihā fa-in akhadhū bi-al-rukhṣi wamā fīhi al-saʿatu fahum maʿdhūrūna, wa-ammā al-mutaṣawwifatu waman taraka al-asbāba wakharaja ʿani al-ishtighāli wafarragha nafsahu li-al-ʿibādati wa-al-zuhdi falā

The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: The Sufis have forms of etiquette in travel and at home, in their times and character, and in stillness and movement. These distinguish them from others and make them known among their peers and those of their own kind. By them one recognizes how some surpass others, and distinguishes the truthful from liars, and claimants from those who have realized the truth. We have briefly explained a portion of their etiquette in each of the chapters already given so that anyone who studies them may grasp it, God Most High willing. Chapter on Their Etiquette in Ablution and Purification. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: The first discipline required in ablution and purification is to seek and learn the relevant knowledge: the obligatory and customary practices, what is recommended or disliked, what is commanded, encouraged, and commended as a virtue. The details can be learned only by study, questioning, investigation, and careful attention, until one performs them in agreement with the Book and the Sunna, exercising care and following the better and more complete practice. One should not reproach or inwardly condemn anyone who does not take the most cautious and demanding course, for God Most High loves His concessions to be taken just as He loves His strict commands to be carried out. Other people have occupations and necessary means of livelihood that demand effort and attention; if they accept concessions and what gives latitude, they are excused. But the Sufis, and those who have abandoned ordinary means, withdrawn from worldly occupation, and freed themselves for worship and renunciation, have no—

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عُذْرَ لَهُ فِي تَرْكِ التَّوَقِّي وَالتَّنَقِّي وَالِاهْتِمَامِ بِإِسْبَاغِ الْوُضُوءِ وَالتَّمَسُّكِ بِالِاحْتِيَاطِ وَالْأَتَمِّ فِي أَبْوَابِ الطَّهَارَةِ وَالنَّظَافَةِ فَمَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ شُغْلٌ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَبْذُلَ مَجْهُودَهُ عَلَى قَدْرِ اسْتِطَاعَتِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً كَانُوا يُجَدِّدُونَ الْوُضُوءَ لِكُلِّ صَلَاةٍ فَيَقُومُونَ إِلَى الْوُضُوءِ قَبْلَ دُخُولِ وَقْتِ الصَّلَاةِ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرَغُوا مِنْ وُضُوءِهِمْ يَكُونُ قِيَامُهُمْ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ مُتَّصِلًا بِفَرَاغِهِمْ مِنَ الْوُضُوءِ، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَكُونُوا دَهْرَهُمْ عَلَى الطَّهَارَةِ فِي سَفَرِهِمْ وَحَضَرِهِمْ، وَأَصْلُهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يَدْرُونَ مَتَى تَأْتِيهِمُ الْمَنِيَّةُ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ يُرِيدُونَ بِذَلِكَ إِنْ جَاءَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ بَغْتَةً يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الطَّهَارَةِ، سَمِعْتُ الْحُصْرِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ رُبَّمَا انْتَبَهْتُ بِاللَّيْلِ فَلَا يَحْمِلُنِي النَّوْمُ إِلَّا بَعْدَ مَا أَقُومُ وَأُجَدِّدُ الْوُضُوءَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَنَامُ عَلَى الطَّهَارَةِ فَإِذَا انْتَبَهَ وَقَدْ نُقِضَتْ طَهَارَتُهُ جَدَّدَ؛ فَقَدْ أَدَّبَ نَفْسَهُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَحْمِلَهُ النَّوْمُ وَهُوَ عَلَى غَيْرِ طَهَارَةٍ، وَكَانَ شَيْخٌ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ الْأَجِلَّةِ بِهِ وَسْوَسَةٌ فِي الْوُضُوءِ وَكَانَ يُكْثِرُ صَبَّ الْمَاءِ فَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ لَيْلَةً مِنَ اللَّيَالِي أُجَدِّدُ الْوُضُوءَ لِصَلَاةِ الْعِشَاءِ وَكُنْتُ أَصُبُّ الْمَاءَ عَلَى نَفْسِي حَتَّى مَضَى شَطْرٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ فَلَمْ يَطِبْ قَلْبِي وَلَمْ يَذْهَبْ عَنِّي الْوَسْوَسَةُ فَبَكَيْتُ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَبِّ، الْعَفْوَ فَسَمِعْتُ هَاتِفًا يَقُولُ يَا فُلَانُ الْعَفْوُ فِي الْعِلْمِ يَعْنِي فِي اسْتِعْمَالِ الْعِلْمِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ وَهُوَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَجْتَهِدُ فِي أَنْ يَأْخُذَ نَصِيبَهُ مِنْ جَمِيعِ أَعْمَالِ بَنِي آدَمَ فَلَا يُبَالِي أَنْ يَأْخُذَ نَصِيبَهُ بِأَنْ يَزْدَادُوا فِيمَا أُمِرُوا

ʿudhra lahu fī tarki al-tawaqqī wa-al-tanaqqī wa-al-ihtimāmi bi-isbāghi al-wuḍūʾi wa-al-tamassuki bi-al-iḥtiyāṭi wa-al-atammi fī abwābi al-ṭahārati wa-al-naẓāfati faman laysa lahu shughlun ghayru dhalika faʿalayhi an yabdhula majhūdahu ʿalā qadri istiṭāʿatihi fī dhalika liqawli Allāhi taʿālā fa-ittaqū Allāha mā istaṭaʿtum, waqad raʾaytu jamāʿatan kānū yujaddidūna al-wuḍūʾa likulli ṣalātin fayaqūmūna ilā al-wuḍūʾi qabla dukhūli waqti al-ṣalāti ḥattā idhā faraghū min wuḍūʾihim yakūnu qiyāmuhum ilā al-ṣalāti muttaṣilan bifarāghihim mina al-wuḍūʾi, wamin ādābihim fī dhalika ayḍan an yakūnū dahrahum ʿalā al-ṭahārati fī safarihim waḥaḍarihim, wa-aṣluhum fī dhalika innahum lā yadrūna matā taʾtīhimu al-maniyyatu liqawli Allāhi taʿālā fa-idhā jāʾa ajaluhum lā yastaʾkhirūna sāʿatan walā yastaqdimūna yurīdūna bidhalika in jāʾahumu al-mawtu baghtatan yakhrujūna mina al-dunyā ʿalā al-ṭahārati, samiʿtu al-ḥuṣriyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu rubbamā intabahtu bi-al-layli falā yaḥmilunī al-nawmu illā baʿda mā aqūmu wa-ujaddidu al-wuḍūʾa, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wadhalika annahu kāna yanāmu ʿalā al-ṭahārati fa-idhā intabaha waqad nuqiḍat ṭahāratuhu jaddada; faqad addaba nafsahu bidhalika an lā yaḥmilahu al-nawmu wahuwa ʿalā ghayri ṭahāratin, wakāna shaykhun mina al-mashāyikhi al-ajillati bihi waswasatun fī al-wuḍūʾi wakāna yukthiru ṣabba al-māʾi fasamiʿtuhu yaqūlu kuntu laylatan mina al-layālī ujaddidu al-wuḍūʾa liṣalāti al-ʿishāʾi wakuntu aṣubbu al-māʾa ʿalā nafsī ḥattā maḍā shaṭrun mina al-layli falam yaṭib qalbī walam yadhhab ʿannī al-waswasatu fabakaytu faqultu: yā rabbi, al-ʿafwa fasamiʿtu hātifan yaqūlu yā fulānu al-ʿafwu fī al-ʿilmi yaʿnī fī istiʿmāli al-ʿilmi, waqāla abū naṣrin wahuwa abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-rūdhbāriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu, wayuqālu inna al-shayṭāna yajtahidu fī an yaʾkhudha naṣībahu min jamīʿi aʿmāli banī ādama falā yubālī an yaʾkhudha naṣībahu bi-an yazdādū fīmā umirū

—excuse for neglecting caution, scrupulous cleanliness, complete ablution, and the most careful and thorough practice in matters of purification and hygiene. Whoever has no other occupation must exert himself in this according to his ability, for God Most High says, “Be mindful of God as far as you are able.” I have seen a group who renewed their ablution for every prayer. They would rise to make ablution before the prayer time began so that, when they finished, they could stand for prayer immediately. It is also part of their etiquette to remain ritually pure at all times, both travelling and at home. Their basis is that they do not know when death will come, for God Most High says, “When their appointed time comes, they can neither delay it by an hour nor bring it forward.” They wish, if death comes suddenly, to leave this world in a state of purity. I heard al-Ḥuṣrī—may God have mercy on him—say, “Whenever I awake during the night, sleep does not carry me off again until I rise and renew my ablution.” The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: He slept in a state of purity; if he awoke after his purity had been broken, he renewed it. He had trained himself so that sleep would not overtake him while he lacked purity. One venerable shaykh suffered obsessive doubt about ablution and used excessive amounts of water. I heard him say, “One night I was renewing my ablution for the night prayer and kept pouring water over myself until half the night had passed. My heart found no ease and the doubt did not leave me. I wept and said, ‘Lord, grant relief.’ Then I heard a voice call, ‘So-and-so, relief lies in knowledge,’ meaning in putting knowledge into practice.” Abū Naṣr—namely Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rūdhbārī—may God have mercy on him—said, “Satan strives to take his share from every deed of the children of Adam. He does not care whether he gains his share by making them add to what they were commanded—

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بِهِ أَوْ يَنْقِصُوا مِنْهُ، وَذُكِرَ عَنِ ابْنِ الْكُرَيْنِيِّ وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذَ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ أَصَابَتْهُ الْجَنَابَةُ لَيْلَةً مِنَ اللَّيَالِي وَكَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ مُرَقَّعَةٌ ثَخِينَةٌ غَلِيظَةٌ، <فَوُزِنَ فَرْدُ كُمٍّ مِنْ أَكْمَامِهَا، فَإِذَا فِيهِ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ رِطْلًا> قَالَ فَجَاءَ إِلَى الشَّطِّ لَيْلَةً وَكَانَ بَرْدٌ شَدِيدٌ فَحَرَنَتْ نَفْسُهُ عَنِ الدُّخُولِ فِي الْمَاءِ لِشِدَّةِ الْبَرْدِ قَالَ فَطَرَحَ نَفْسَهُ فِي الْمَاءِ مَعَ الْمُرَقَّعَةِ وَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَغُوصُ فِي الْمَاءِ مَعَ مُرَقَّعَتِهِ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ وَقَالَ اعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ لَا أَنْزَعَهَا مِنْ بَدَنِي حَتَّى تَجِفَّ عَلَيَّ قَالَ فَلَمْ تَجِفَّ عَلَيْهِ شَهْرًا كَامِلًا وَأَرَادَ بِذَلِكَ تَأْدِيبًا لِنَفْسِهِ لِأَنَّهَا حَرَنَتْ عِنْدَ الِائْتِمَارِ لِمَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ مِنْ غُسْلِ الْجَنَابَةِ، وَكَانَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَحُثُّ أَصْحَابَهُ عَلَى كَثْرَةِ شُرْبِ الْمَاءِ وَقِلَّةِ صَبِّ الْمَاءِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الْمَاءَ لَهُ حَيَاةٌ وَمَوْتُهُ أَنْ تَصُبَّهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ يَرَى أَنَّ فِي كَثْرَةِ شُرْبِ الْمَاءِ ضَعْفَ النَّفْسِ وَإِمَاتَةِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَكَسْرِ الْقُوَّةِ، وَأَقَامَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو الزَّجَّاجِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِمَكَّةَ سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً وَهُوَ مُجَاوِرٌ بِهَا وَكَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ حَاجَتَهُ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الْحَرَمِ وَهُوَ مِقْدَارُ فَرْسَخٍ وَكَانَ لَا يَتَغَوَّطُ فِي الْحَرَمِ كَمَا بَلَغَنِي ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْبَادِيَةِ لَا يَحْمِلُ مَعَهُ إِلَّا رَكْوَةً مِنَ الْمَاءِ وَرُبَّمَا كَانَ لَا يَشْرَبُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا الْقَلِيلَ وَكَانَ يَحْتَفِظُ بِذَلِكَ لِلْوُضُوءِ وَيُؤْثِرُ وُضُوءَهُ بِالْمَاءِ عَلَى الشُّرْبِ عِنْدَ الْعَطَشِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَرَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً يَمْشُونَ عَلَى شُطُوطِ الْأَنْهَارِ وَلَا يُفَارِقُهُمُ الْمَاءُ فِي رَكْوَتِهِمْ أَوْ فِي كُوزٍ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا كَانَ يَشْتَدُّ بِهِمُ الْبَوْلُ وَلَا يُمْكِنُهُمُ الْجُلُوسُ عَلَى شَطِّ النَّهْرِ وَكَشْفُ الْعَوْرَةِ مِنْ أَجْلِ النَّاسِ فَإِذَا كَانَ مَعَهُمْ رَكْوَةٌ أَوْ كُوزٌ

bihi aw yanqiṣū minhu, wadhukira ʿani ibni al-kurayniyyi wakāna ustādha al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu aṣābathu al-janābatu laylatan mina al-layālī wakānat ʿalayhi muraqqaʿatun thakhīnatun ghalīẓatun, <fawuzina fardu kummin min akmāmihā, fa-idhā fīhi aḥada ʿashara riṭlan> qāla fajāʾa ilā al-shaṭṭi laylatan wakāna bardun shadīdun faḥaranat nafsuhu ʿani al-dukhūli fī al-māʾi lishiddati al-bardi qāla faṭaraḥa nafsahu fī al-māʾi maʿa al-muraqqaʿati walam yazal yaghūṣu fī al-māʾi maʿa muraqqaʿatihi thumma kharaja mina al-māʾi waqāla iʿtaqadtu an lā anzaʿahā min badanī ḥattā tajiffa ʿalayya qāla falam tajiffa ʿalayhi shahran kāmilan wa-arāda bidhalika taʾdīban linafsihi li-annahā ḥaranat ʿinda al-iʾtimāri limā amarahu Allāhu taʿālā bihi min ghusli al-janābati, wakāna sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu yaḥuththu aṣḥābahu ʿalā kathrati shurbi al-māʾi waqillati ṣabbi al-māʾi ʿalā al-arḍi wakāna yaqūlu inna al-māʾa lahu ḥayātun wamawtuhu an taṣubbahu ʿalā al-arḍi wakāna yarā anna fī kathrati shurbi al-māʾi ḍaʿfa al-nafsi wa-imātati al-shahawāti wakasri al-quwwati, wa-aqāma abū ʿamrin al-zajjājiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu bimakkata sinīna kathīratan wahuwa mujāwirun bihā wakāna idhā arāda an yaqḍiya ḥājatahu yakhruju mina al-ḥarami wahuwa miqdāru farsakhin wakāna lā yataghawwaṭu fī al-ḥarami kamā balaghanī thalāthīna sanatan, wakāna ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu idhā dakhala al-bādiyati lā yaḥmilu maʿahu illā rakwatan mina al-māʾi warubbamā kāna lā yashrabu minhā illā al-qalīla wakāna yaḥtafiẓu bidhalika li-al-wuḍūʾi wayuʾthiru wuḍūʾahu bi-al-māʾi ʿalā al-shurbi ʿinda al-ʿaṭashi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā waraʾaytu jamāʿatan yamshūna ʿalā shuṭūṭi al-anhāri walā yufāriquhumu al-māʾu fī rakwatihim aw fī kūzin wadhalika annahu rubbamā kāna yashtaddu bihimu al-bawlu walā yumkinuhumu al-julūsu ʿalā shaṭṭi al-nahri wakashfu al-ʿawrati min ajli al-nāsi fa-idhā kāna maʿahum rakwatun aw kūzun

—or subtract from it.” It is related of Ibn al-Kuraynī, the teacher of al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—that one night he became ritually impure. He was wearing a thick, heavy patched robe; one of its sleeves weighed eleven raṭls. He came to the riverbank on a bitterly cold night, and his soul balked at entering the water because of the severe cold. He threw himself into the water with the robe on and kept submerging himself in it. Then he emerged and said, “I resolved not to remove it from my body until it dried on me.” It did not dry on him for a full month. He intended thereby to discipline his soul because it had balked at obeying God Most High’s command to perform the major ablution. Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—urged his companions to drink plenty of water and pour little of it upon the ground. He would say, “Water has life; its death is to pour it upon the ground.” He believed that drinking much water weakened the soul, deadened appetites, and broke bodily strength. Abū ʿAmr al-Zajjājī—may God have mercy on him—lived beside the sanctuary in Mecca for many years. Whenever he needed to relieve himself, he went a parasang beyond the sanctuary. As I heard it, he did not defecate within the sanctuary for thirty years. When Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—entered the desert, he carried only a small waterskin. He might drink very little from it, preserving it for ablution and preferring ablution with water to drinking when thirsty. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: I have seen a group walk along riverbanks while still carrying water in a small skin or jug. Sometimes the need to urinate pressed upon them, yet they could not sit at the riverbank and expose themselves because people were present. If they had a waterskin or jug—

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عَدَلُوا إِلَى خَلْوَةٍ فَيَكُونُ أَصْوَنَ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَكَانُوا يَكْرَهُونَ كَثْرَةَ الدَّلْكِ عِنْدَ الْبَوْلِ لِأَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا تَسْتَرْخِي الْعُرُوقُ فَلَا تُمْسِكُ الْبَوْلَ وَيَتَوَلَّدُ مِنْهُ التَّقْطِيرُ الْمُفْرِطُ، وَكَذَلِكَ تُكْرَهُ الشِّدَّةُ إِلَّا عِنْدَ عَوَزِ الْمَاءِ وَالِاضْطِرَارِ، وَلُبْسُ السَّرَاوِيلِ أَحَبُّ [إِلَيَّ] مِنَ الْإِزَارِ بَعْدَ الطَّهَارَةِ وَالْإِزَارُ أَخَفُّ لِنَزْعِهِ عِنْدَ التَّهَيُّؤِ، وَيُجْتَنَبُ لُبْسُ جَمِيعِ مَا يُخَرَّزُ بِشَعْرِ الْخِنْزِيرِ قَلَّ أَوْ كَثُرَ رَطْبًا كَانَ أَوْ يَابِسًا، وَلِذَلِكَ اخْتَارُوا لُبْسَ النِّعَالِ وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ الصُّوفِيَّ إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُ وَلَيْسَ مَعَهُ رَكْوَةٌ أَوْ كُوزٌ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ قَدْ عَزَمَ عَلَى تَرْكِ الصَّلَاةِ وَكَشْفِ الْعَوْرَةِ شَاءَ أَوْ أَبَى، وَرَأَيْتُ مَنْ أَقَامَ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ النُّسَّاكِ وَهُمْ مُجْتَمِعُونَ فِي دَارٍ فَمَا رَآهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ الْخَلَاءَ أَوْ خَرَجَ مِنَ الْخَلَاءِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ قَدْ أَدَّبَ نَفْسَهُ وَعَوَّدَهَا الْقِيَامَ إِلَى الْحَاجَةِ فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ إِذَا خَلَا الْمَوْضِعُ حَتَّى لَا يَرَاهُ أَحَدٌ إِذَا دَخَلَ الْخَلَاءَ أَوْ خَرَجَ مِنْهُ، وَرَأَيْتُ أَيْضًا مَنْ كَانَ قَدْ عَوَّدَ نَفْسَهُ وَأَدَّبَهَا حَتَّى كَانَ لَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ رِيحٌ إِلَّا فِي وَقْتِ الْبَرَازِ وَهُوَ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ وَفِي مَوَاضِعِ الْخَلْوَةِ، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَكَّةَ وَحْدَهُ فَيَجِئُ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ فَلَا يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ يَتَيَمَّمَ بِالتُّرَابِ وَكَانَ يَحْفَظُ الْمَاءَ الَّذِي يُحْمَلُ لِشُرْبِهِ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ بِهِ، وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الشُّيُوخِ يَكْرَهُونَ دُخُولَ الْحَمَّامِ إِلَّا فِي أَوْقَاتِ الضَّرُورَةِ فَإِذَا اضْطُرُّوا إِلَى ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوا إِلَّا فِي حَمَّامٍ خَالٍ فَإِذَا دَخَلُوهُ لَمْ يَحُلُّوا إِزَارَهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا وَلَمْ يَتْرُكُوا أَنْ يَمَسَّهُمُ الْقَوَّامُ وَيُعْطُوهُمْ طَمَعَهُمْ

ʿadalū ilā khalwatin fayakūnu aṣwana li-anfusihim, wakānū yakrahūna kathrata al-dalki ʿinda al-bawli li-annahu rubbamā tastarkhī al-ʿurūqu falā tumsiku al-bawla wayatawalladu minhu al-taqṭīru al-mufriṭu, wakadhalika tukrahu al-shiddatu illā ʿinda ʿawazi al-māʾi wa-al-iḍṭirāri, walubsu al-sarāwīli aḥabbu [ilayya] mina al-izāri baʿda al-ṭahārati wa-al-izāru akhaffu linazʿihi ʿinda al-tahayyuʾi, wayujtanabu lubsu jamīʿi mā yukharrazu bishaʿri al-khinzīri qalla aw kathura raṭban kāna aw yābisan, walidhalika ikhtārū lubsa al-niʿāli wayuqālu inna al-ṣūfiyya idhā raʾaytahu walaysa maʿahu rakwatun aw kūzun fa-iʿlam annahu qad ʿazama ʿalā tarki al-ṣalāti wakashfi al-ʿawrati shāʾa aw abā, waraʾaytu man aqāma bayna ẓahrānay jamāʿatin mina al-nussāki wahum mujtamiʿūna fī dārin famā raʾāhu aḥadun minhum annahu dakhala al-khalāʾa aw kharaja mina al-khalāʾi wadhalika annahu kāna qad addaba nafsahu waʿawwadahā al-qiyāma ilā al-ḥājati fī waqtin wāḥidin idhā khalā al-mawḍiʿu ḥattā lā yarāhu aḥadun idhā dakhala al-khalāʾa aw kharaja minhu, waraʾaytu ayḍan man kāna qad ʿawwada nafsahu wa-addabahā ḥattā kāna lā yakhruju minhu rīḥun illā fī waqti al-barāzi wahuwa fī al-bādiyati wafī mawāḍiʿi al-khalwati, wakāna ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yakhruju min makkata waḥdahu fayajiʾu ilā al-kūfati falā yaḥtāju an yatayammama bi-al-turābi wakāna yaḥfaẓu al-māʾa alladhī yuḥmalu lishurbihi ḥattā yatawaḍḍaʾa bihi, wakāna jamāʿatun mina al-shuyūkhi yakrahūna dukhūla al-ḥammāmi illā fī awqāti al-ḍarūrati fa-idhā iḍṭurrū ilā dhalika lam yadkhulū illā fī ḥammāmin khālin fa-idhā dakhalūhu lam yaḥullū izārahum ilā an yakhrujū walam yatrukū an yamassahumu al-qawwāmu wayuʿṭūhum ṭamaʿahum

—they could turn aside to a secluded place, which better preserved their modesty. They disliked excessive rubbing after urination, because it might relax the vessels so that they no longer retained urine and produce excessive dripping. Excessive force is likewise disliked except when water is unavailable and necessity requires it. [For my part,] I prefer trousers to a waist-wrapper after purification, though the waist-wrapper is easier to remove when preparing to relieve oneself. One should avoid every item sewn with pig bristles, whether few or many, wet or dry; for this reason they preferred sandals. It is said, “If you see a Sufi without a waterskin or jug, know that he has resolved to abandon prayer and expose himself, whether he wishes it or not.” I saw a man living among a group of ascetics gathered in one house, yet none of them ever saw him enter or leave the privy. He had trained his soul and accustomed it to relieve itself at a fixed time when the place was empty, so no one saw him enter or leave. I also saw a man who had trained and disciplined himself until wind left him only when he was relieving himself in the desert or another secluded place. Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—would set out alone from Mecca and reach Kufa without needing to perform dry ablution. He preserved the water carried for drinking until he could use it for ablution. A group of shaykhs disliked entering public baths except when necessary. When compelled, they entered only an empty bath; once inside, they did not loosen their waist-wrappers until they left. They did not allow the attendants to touch them, though they would give them the gratuity they hoped for—

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مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَدْنُوا مِنْهُمْ حَتَّى يُوَسِّعُوا عَلَيْهِمِ الْمَاءَ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا جَمَاعَةً دَلَّكُوا بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي الْحَمَّامِ غَيْرُهُمُ اسْتَقْبَلُوا بِوُجُوهِهِمُ الْحَائِطَ حَتَّى لَا تَقَعَ أَعْيُنُهُمْ عَلَى عَوْرَاتِ النَّاسِ، وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ إِذَا دَخَلُوا الْحَمَّامَ لَا يَتْرُكُونَ أَحَدًا يَدْخُلُ مَعَهُمْ إِلَّا بِإِزَارٍ، وَالِاسْتِحْبَابُ نَتْفُ الْإِبْطِ وَحَلْقُ الْعَانَةِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يُحْسِنِ الْحَلْقَ فَلْيَتَنَوَّرْ بِيَدِهِ فِي الْخَلْوَةِ، وَكَانَ أَصْحَابُ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَحْلِقُونَ رُؤُوسَهُمْ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ كَمَا بَلَغَنِي عَنْهُمْ، وَسَمِعْتُ عِيسَى الْقَصَّارَ الدِّينَوَرِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ قَصَّ شَارِبِي بِيَدِهِ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكُنْتُ أَخْدُمُهُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَفَرْقُ الرَّأْسِ اخْتَارَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ لِلسُّنَّةِ وَيُكْرَهُ ذَلِكَ لِلشُّبَّانِ وَيَحْسُنُ بِالْمَشَايِخِ إِنْ أَرَادُوا بِذَلِكَ اسْتِعْمَالَ السُّنَّةِ، وَكَانَ يَقُولُ بَعْضُ الْمَشَايِخِ هَبْ أَنَّ الْفَقْرَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَمَا بَالُ الْوَسَخِ، وَأَحَبُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ إِلَى الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ النَّظَافَةُ وَالطَّهَارَةُ وَغَسْلُ الثَّوْبِ وَالْمُدَاوَمَةُ عَلَى السِّوَاكِ وَالنُّزُولُ عِنْدَ الْمِيَاهِ الْجَارِيَةِ وَالْفَضَاءُ الْوَاسِعُ وَالْمَسَاجِدُ الَّتِي فِي الْأَطْرَافِ وَالْخَلْوَةُ وَالِاغْتِسَالُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمِ جُمُعَةٍ فِي الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ وَالرَّائِحَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ وَأَطْيَبُ الطِّيبِ الْمَاءُ الْجَارِي وَالْمُدَاوَمَةُ عَلَى الِاغْتِسَالِ وَتَجْدِيدِ الْوُضُوءِ وَإِسْبَاغِ الْوُضُوءِ، وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْوَسْوَسَةِ مَا يَسْتَقْصِي الْإِنْسَانُ فِي طَهَارَتِهِ مِنَ التَّبَاعُدِ وَطَلَبِ الْمَاءِ الْجَارِي وَتَرْكِ الْمِيَاهِ الْمُتَغَيِّرَةِ وَالتَّفْتِيشِ عَلَى الْمَوَاضِعِ الطَّاهِرَةِ وَالِاسْتِقْصَاءِ عَلَى دَلْكِ أَعْضَاءِ الظَّاهِرَةِ وَافْتِقَادِ

min ghayri an yadnū minhum ḥattā yuwassiʿū ʿalayhimi al-māʾa, fa-in kānū jamāʿatan dallakū baʿḍuhum baʿḍan fa-in kāna fī al-ḥammāmi ghayruhumu istaqbalū biwujūhihimu al-ḥāʾiṭa ḥattā lā taqaʿa aʿyunuhum ʿalā ʿawrāti al-nāsi, wakāna jamāʿatun mina al-mutaṣawwifati idhā dakhalū al-ḥammāma lā yatrukūna aḥadan yadkhulu maʿahum illā bi-izārin, wa-al-istiḥbābu natfu al-ibṭi waḥalqu al-ʿānati faman lam yuḥsini al-ḥalqa falyatanawwar biyadihi fī al-khalwati, wakāna aṣḥābu sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaḥliqūna ruʾūsahum baʿḍuhum libaʿḍin kamā balaghanī ʿanhum, wasamiʿtu ʿīsā al-qaṣṣāra al-dīnawariyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu awwalu man qaṣṣa shāribī biyadihi al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wakuntu akhdumuhu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wafarqu al-raʾsi ikhtārahu jamāʿatun li-al-sunnati wayukrahu dhalika li-al-shubbāni wayaḥsunu bi-al-mashāyikhi in arādū bidhalika istiʿmāla al-sunnati, wakāna yaqūlu baʿḍu al-mashāyikhi hab anna al-faqra mina Allāhi taʿālā famā bālu al-wasakhi, wa-aḥabbu al-ashyāʾi ilā al-mutaṣawwifati al-naẓāfatu wa-al-ṭahāratu waghaslu al-thawbi wa-al-mudāwamatu ʿalā al-siwāki wa-al-nuzūlu ʿinda al-miyāhi al-jāriyati wa-al-faḍāʾu al-wāsiʿu wa-al-masājidu allatī fī al-aṭrāfi wa-al-khalwatu wa-al-ightisālu fī kulli yawmi jumuʿatin fī al-shitāʾi wa-al-ṣayfi wa-al-rāʾiḥatu al-ṭayyibatu wa-aṭyabu al-ṭībi al-māʾu al-jārī wa-al-mudāwamatu ʿalā al-ightisāli watajdīdi al-wuḍūʾi wa-isbāghi al-wuḍūʾi, walaysa mina al-waswasati mā yastaqṣī al-insānu fī ṭahāratihi mina al-tabāʿudi waṭalabi al-māʾi al-jārī watarki al-miyāhi al-mutaghayyirati wa-al-taftīshi ʿalā al-mawāḍiʿi al-ṭāhirati wa-al-istiqṣāʾi ʿalā dalki aʿḍāʾi al-ẓāhirati wa-iftiqādi

—without letting them approach, so that the attendants would give them ample water. If they were a group, they rubbed one another’s backs; if anyone else was in the bath, they faced the wall so their eyes would not fall upon people’s nakedness. A group of Sufis, when entering a bath, allowed no one to enter with them without a waist-wrapper. It is recommended to pluck the armpit hair and shave the pubic hair. Whoever cannot shave it properly should apply a depilatory himself in private. As I have heard, the companions of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—shaved one another’s heads. I heard ʿĪsā al-Qaṣṣār al-Dīnawarī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say, “The first person to trim my moustache with his own hand was al-Shiblī—may God Most High have mercy on him—while I was serving him.” The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: A group adopted parting the hair as a Sunna. It is disliked for young men but proper for shaykhs when their purpose is to follow the Sunna. One shaykh would say, “Granted that poverty comes from God Most High, but what has filth to do with it?” The things dearest to the Sufis are cleanliness and purity, washing clothes, constantly using the tooth-stick, staying near running water, open spaces, mosques on the outskirts, seclusion, bathing every Friday in winter and summer, and a pleasant scent. The finest perfume is running water. They also value bathing regularly, renewing the ablution, and completing it thoroughly. A person’s painstaking care in purification is not itself obsessive doubt: keeping some distance, seeking running water, avoiding altered water, searching for clean places, thoroughly rubbing the outer limbs, and inspecting—

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أَعْضَاءِ الْبَاطِنَةِ وَمَوَاضِعِ التَّشْنِيجِ وَالِانْضِمَامِ وَإِبْلَاغِ الْمَاءِ الْخَيَاشِيمَ وَإِمْرَارِ الْمَاءِ عَلَى الْأَعْضَاءِ وَجَمِيعِ الْبَشَرِ فِي الْغُسْلِ وَالْوُضُوءِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَلَيْسَ التَّوَقِّي وَالتَّنَقِّي مِنَ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْمَنْهِيِّ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا لِأَنَّ جَمِيعَ ذَلِكَ دَاخِلٌ فِي قَوْلِهِ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ، وَإِنَّمَا الْوَسْوَسَةُ الْمَنْهِيَّةُ عَنْهُ مَا يُخْرِجُكَ عَنْ حَدِّ الْعِلْمِ وَهُوَ أَنْ تَشْغَلَكَ الْفَضَائِلُ عَنِ الْفَرَائِضِ وَأَنْ تُخَالِفَ الْعِلْمَ وَتُبْطِّلَ صَلَاةَ مَنْ يَتَوَضَّأُ بِمُدٍّ وَيَغْتَسِلُ بِصَاعٍ، وَالصَّوَابُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْعَبْدُ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ بِمَا هُوَ أَوْلَى بِالْوَقْتِ إِذَا وَجَدَ الْمَاءَ فَيُسْبِغُ وُضُوءَهُ عَلَى الِاحْتِيَاطِ حَتَّى يَطِيبَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِذَا لَمْ يَجِدِ الْمَاءَ الْوَاسِعَ فَيُحْسِنُ أَنْ يُجَدِّدَ الْوُضُوءَ أَوْ يَتَطَهَّرَ بِقَلِيلٍ مِنَ الْمَاءِ كَمَا رُوِيَ فِي الْخَبَرِ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانُوا يَتَوَضَّوْنَ وُضُوءًا لَا يُلَتُّ مِنْهُ التُّرَابُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَأَيْتُ مَنْ كَانَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ قُرْحَةٌ لَمْ تَنْدَمِلِ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمَاءَ كَانَ يَضُرُّهُ وَكَانَ لَا يَدَعُ تَجْدِيدَ الْوُضُوءِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ، وَرَأَيْتُ مَنْ نَزَلَ الْمَاءُ فِي عَيْنَيْهِ فَحَمَلُوا إِلَيْهِ الْمُدَاوِي وَبَذَلُوا لَهُ دَنَانِيرَ كَثِيرَةً عَلَى أَنْ يُدَاوِيَهُ فَقَالَ الْمُدَاوِي يَحْتَاجُ أَنْ لَا يَمَسَّ الْمَاءَ أَيَّامًا وَيَكُونُ مُسْتَلْقِيًا عَلَى قَفَاهُ فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ وَاخْتَارَ ذَهَابَ بَصَرِهِ عَلَى تَرْكِ الْوُضُوءِ وَالطَّهَارَةِ وَكَانَ هَذَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرَّازِيُّ الْمُقْرِئُ،

aʿḍāʾi al-bāṭinati wamawāḍiʿi al-tashnīji wa-al-inḍimāmi wa-iblāghi al-māʾi al-khayāshīma wa-imrāri al-māʾi ʿalā al-aʿḍāʾi wajamīʿi al-bashari fī al-ghusli wa-al-wuḍūʾi waghayri dhalika, walaysa al-tawaqqī wa-al-tanaqqī mina al-waswāsi al-manhiyyi ʿanhu ayḍan li-anna jamīʿa dhalika dākhilun fī qawlihi fa-ittaqū Allāha mā istaṭaʿtum, wa-innamā al-waswasatu al-manhiyyatu ʿanhu mā yukhrijuka ʿan ḥaddi al-ʿilmi wahuwa an tashghalaka al-faḍāʾilu ʿani al-farāʾiḍi wa-an tukhālifa al-ʿilma watubṭṭila ṣalāta man yatawaḍḍaʾu bimuddin wayaghtasilu biṣāʿin, wa-al-ṣawābu fī dhalika an yakūna al-ʿabdu fī kulli waqtin bimā huwa awlā bi-al-waqti idhā wajada al-māʾa fayusbighu wuḍūʾahu ʿalā al-iḥtiyāṭi ḥattā yaṭība qalbuhu wa-idhā lam yajidi al-māʾa al-wāsiʿa fayuḥsinu an yujaddida al-wuḍūʾa aw yataṭahhara biqalīlin mina al-māʾi kamā ruwiya fī al-khabari anna aṣḥāba rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama kānū yatawaḍḍawna wuḍūʾan lā yulattu minhu al-turābu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu waraʾaytu man kāna ʿalā wajhihi qurḥatun lam tandamili ithnatay ʿashrata sanatan wadhalika anna al-māʾa kāna yaḍurruhu wakāna lā yadaʿu tajdīda al-wuḍūʾi ʿinda kulli ṣalātin, waraʾaytu man nazala al-māʾu fī ʿaynayhi faḥamalū ilayhi al-mudāwī wabadhalū lahu danānīra kathīratan ʿalā an yudāwiyahu faqāla al-mudāwī yaḥtāju an lā yamassa al-māʾa ayyāman wayakūnu mustalqiyan ʿalā qafāhu falam yafʿal dhalika wa-ikhtāra dhahāba baṣarihi ʿalā tarki al-wuḍūʾi wa-al-ṭahārati wakāna hadhā abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-rāziyyu al-muqriʾu,

—the inner parts, contracted folds and closed places, making water reach the nostrils, and passing it over the limbs and every part of the skin in the major and minor ablutions, and similar practices. Caution and scrupulous cleanliness likewise do not belong to the forbidden kind of obsession, because all this falls within God’s words, “Be mindful of God as far as you are able.” Forbidden obsession is only what takes you beyond the bounds of knowledge: allowing supererogatory merits to distract you from obligations, contradicting knowledge, or declaring invalid the prayer of someone who performs ablution with one mudd of water and bathes with one ṣāʿ. The right course is for a servant at every moment to do what that moment most calls for. When ample water is available, he should complete his ablution carefully until his heart is at ease. When ample water is not available, he should properly renew his ablution or purify himself with a small amount, as it is related that the Companions of the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—performed an ablution from which the ground did not become muddy. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: I saw a man with a sore on his face that did not heal for twelve years because water harmed it, yet he never left off renewing ablution for each prayer. I saw another in whose eyes water had descended. They brought him a physician and offered the physician many dinars to treat him. The physician said that the patient would need to avoid water for several days and lie on his back. He refused, choosing the loss of his sight over abandoning ablution and purification. This was Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rāzī the Qurʾan reciter.

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وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ قِيَامٌ فَقَامَ فِي لَيْلَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ نَيِّفًا وَسَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً كُلُّ مَرَّةٍ يُجَدِّدُ وُضُوءَهُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَمَاتَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي جَامِعِ الرَّيِّ فِي وَسَطِ الْمَاءِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ عِلَّةُ الْبَطْنِ فَكَانَ إِذَا قَامَ مَجْلِسًا يَدْخُلُ الْمَاءِ وَيَغْسِلُ نَفْسَهُ فَدَخَلَ مَرَّةً فِي الْمَاءِ لِيَغْسِلَ نَفْسَهُ فَخَرَجَتْ نَفْسُهُ وَهُوَ فِي وَسَطِ الْمَاءِ، فَهَذَا مَا حَضَرَنِي فِي الْوَقْتِ مِنْ آدَابِ أَهْلِ الصَّفْوَةِ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فِي الْوُضُوءِ وَالطَّهَارَةِ، وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَمَّا آدَابُهُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَأَوَّلُ ذَلِكَ تَعَلُّمُ عِلْمِ الصَّلَاةِ وَمَعْرِفَةُ فَرَائِضِهَا وَسُنَنِهَا وَآدَابِهَا وَفَضَائِلِهَا وَنَوَافِلِهَا وَكَثْرَةُ مُسَاءَلَةِ الْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْبَحْثِ عَمَّا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فِي ذَلِكَ مِمَّا لَا يَسَعُهُ الْجَهْلُ بِهِ لِأَنَّ الصَّلَاةَ عِمَادُ الدِّينِ وَقُرَّةُ عَيْنِ الْعَارِفِينَ وَزِينَةُ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَتَاجُ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ وَمَقَامُ الصَّلَاةِ مَقَامُ الْوَصْلَةِ وَالدُّنُوِّ وَالْهَيْبَةِ وَالْخُشُوعِ وَالْخَشْيَةِ وَالتَّعْظِيمِ وَالْوَقَارِ وَالْمُشَاهَدَةِ وَالْمُرَاقَبَةِ وَالْأَسْرَارِ وَالْمُنَاجَاةِ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالْوُقُوفِ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالْإِقْبَالِ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالْإِعْرَاضِ عَمَّا سِوَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَأَمَّا الْعَامَّةُ فَلَهُمْ أَنْ يُقَلِّدُوا عُلَمَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْأَلُوا فُقَهَاءَهُمْ وَيَعْتَمِدُوا عَلَى أَقَاوِيلِهِمْ مِنَ الرُّخَصِ وَالسَّعَاتِ وَالْفَتْوَى وَالتَّأْوِيلَاتِ الَّتِي أَوْسَعَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِلْخَلْقِ، فَأَمَّا الْمُتَصَوِّفَةُ وَأَهْلُ الْخُصُوصِ الَّذِينَ بَايَنُوا النَّاسَ وَانْحَازُوا عَنْ جُمْلَةِ النَّاسِ بِتَرْكِ الْمَكَاسِبِ وَقَطْعِ الْعَلَائِقِ وَانْقَطَعُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَعُرِفُوا

waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni adhama raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna bihi qiyāmun faqāma fī laylatin wāḥidatin nayyifan wasabʿīna marratan kullu marratin yujaddidu wuḍūʾahu wayuṣallī rakʿatayni, wamāta ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu fī jāmiʿi al-rayyi fī wasaṭi al-māʾi wadhalika annahu kāna bihi ʿillatu al-baṭni fakāna idhā qāma majlisan yadkhulu al-māʾi wayaghsilu nafsahu fadakhala marratan fī al-māʾi liyaghsila nafsahu fakharajat nafsuhu wahuwa fī wasaṭi al-māʾi, fahadhā mā ḥaḍaranī fī al-waqti min ādābi ahli al-ṣafwati mina al-ṣūfiyyati fī al-wuḍūʾi wa-al-ṭahārati, wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu, bābun fī dhikri ādābihim fī al-ṣalāti, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-ammā ādābuhum fī al-ṣalāti fa-awwalu dhalika taʿallumu ʿilmi al-ṣalāti wamaʿrifatu farāʾiḍihā wasunanihā wa-ādābihā wafaḍāʾilihā wanawāfilihā wakathratu musāʾalati al-ʿulamāʾi wa-al-baḥthi ʿammā yaḥtāju ilayhi fī dhalika mimmā lā yasaʿuhu al-jahlu bihi li-anna al-ṣalāta ʿimādu al-dīni waqurratu ʿayni al-ʿārifīna wazīnatu al-ṣiddīqīna watāju al-muqarrabīna wamaqāmu al-ṣalāti maqāmu al-waṣlati wa-al-dunuwwi wa-al-haybati wa-al-khushūʿi wa-al-khashyati wa-al-taʿẓīmi wa-al-waqāri wa-al-mushāhadati wa-al-murāqabati wa-al-asrāri wa-al-munājāti maʿa Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-wuqūfi bayna yadayi Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-iqbāli ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā wa-al-iʿrāḍi ʿammā siwā Allāhi taʿālā, fa-ammā al-ʿāmmatu falahum an yuqallidū ʿulamāʾahum wayasʾalū fuqahāʾahum wayaʿtamidū ʿalā aqāwīlihim mina al-rukhaṣi wa-al-saʿāti wa-al-fatwā wa-al-taʾwīlāti allatī awsaʿa Allāhu taʿālā li-al-khalqi, fa-ammā al-mutaṣawwifatu wa-ahlu al-khuṣūṣi alladhīna bāyanū al-nāsa wa-inḥāzū ʿan jumlati al-nāsi bitarki al-makāsibi waqaṭʿi al-ʿalāʾiqi wa-inqaṭaʿū ilā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla waʿurifū

It is related of Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may God have mercy on him—that he suffered diarrhoea and rose more than seventy times in a single night; each time he renewed his ablution and prayed two cycles. Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—died in the congregational mosque of Rayy in the middle of the water. He had an intestinal illness, and whenever he rose from sitting he entered the water and washed himself. One time he entered the water to wash, and his soul departed while he was in its midst. This is what occurs to me now concerning the etiquette of the Sufi elect in ablution and purification. Success is through God. Chapter on Their Etiquette in Prayer. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Their etiquette in prayer begins with learning the knowledge of prayer and knowing its obligations, customary practices, courtesies, merits, and supererogatory acts; frequently questioning scholars; and investigating whatever one must know in this matter. Prayer is the pillar of religion, the delight of the gnostics’ eyes, the adornment of the utterly truthful, and the crown of those brought near. The station of prayer is the station of communion and nearness, awe and humility, reverent fear and veneration, dignity, witnessing, watchfulness, disclosure of secrets, and intimate conversation with God Most High. It is standing before God Most High, turning toward Him, and turning away from everything other than Him. Ordinary people may follow their scholars, ask their jurists, and rely upon their opinions regarding concessions, latitude, legal responses, and interpretations through which God Most High has given creation ease. The Sufis and the elect, however, have separated themselves from people at large by abandoning gainful occupations, severing attachments, devoting themselves to God, mighty and majestic, and becoming known—

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بِاللَّهِ وَنُسِبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ فَلَا يَسَعُهُمُ التَّخَلُّفُ عَنِ اسْتِعْمَالِ الْآدَابِ وَالِاهْتِمَامِ وَالتَّكَلُّفِ لِأَحْكَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَتَجْوِيزِهَا وَأَحْكَامِ فَرَائِضِهَا وَسُنَنِهَا وَفَضَائِلِهَا وَنَوَافِلِهَا وَآدَابِهَا لِأَنَّهُمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ شُغْلٌ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُهِمَّهُمْ أَمْرٌ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ اهْتِمَامِهِمْ بِأَمْرِ الصَّلَاةِ، فَأَوَّلُ أَدَبِهِمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ تَأَهُّبُهُمْ لِلصَّلَاةِ قَبْلَ دُخُولِ وَقْتِ الصَّلَاةِ حَتَّى لَا يَفُوتَهُمُ الْوَقْتُ الْأَوَّلُ الَّذِي هُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ وَلَا يُمْكِنُهُمْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِمَعْرِفَةِ الْوَقْتِ الْأَوَّلِ لِكُلِّ صَلَاةٍ وَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِمَعْرِفَةٍ وَعِلْمٍ مَعَ الْوُقُوفِ عَلَى عِلْمِ الزَّوَالِ وَمِقْدَارِ ظِلِّ الزَّوَالِ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَأَوَانٍ فِي كُلِّ أَقْطَارٍ وَأَنْ يَعْلَمَ عَلَى كَمْ تَزُولُ الشَّمْسُ مِنْ قَدَمٍ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ وَكَمْ يَزْدَادُ وَيَنْقُصُ وَيَعْتَبِرَ ذَلِكَ بِمِقْدَارِ قَامَتِهِ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَهُ مِقْيَاسٌ لِذَلِكَ وَيَعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ فِي أَيِّ مَوْضِعٍ كَانَ بِظِلِّ شَخْصِهِ وَيَعْتَبِرُهُ بِقَدَمِهِ وَكَذَلِكَ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ شَيْءٍ مِنَ النُّجُومِ وَمَنَازِلِ الْقَمَرِ وَطُلُوعِهَا وَغُرُوبِهَا وَنَوْبَةِ طُلُوعِ كُلِّ نَجْمٍ مِنْ مَنَازِلِ الْقَمَرِ حَتَّى إِذَا نَظَرَ بِاللَّيْلِ إِلَى النُّجُومِ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مَا مَضَى مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَمَا بَقِيَ إِلَى الصُّبْحِ، وَيَحْتَاجُ أَيْضًا إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ الْقُطْبِ وَالْكَوَاكِبِ الَّتِي يُسْتَدَلُّ بِهَا عَلَى الْقِبْلَةِ وَلَا يَصِحُّ لَهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالِاجْتِهَادِ وَمَعْرِفَةِ سَمْتِ كُلِّ بَلْدَةٍ حَتَّى أَيْنَ تَقَعُ مِنَ الْكَعْبَةِ وَلَا يَقِفُ عَلَى صِحَّةِ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بَعْدَ افْتِقَادِهِ ذَلِكَ بِمَكَّةَ وَرُجُوعِهِ إِلَى الْبَلْدَةِ الَّتِي قَدْ عُرِفَ أَيْنَ يَقَعُ سَمْتُهَا مِنَ الْكَعْبَةِ وَأَيْنَ كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي وَقْتٍ مَعْلُومٍ مِنْ مُحَاذَاةِ الْقُطْبِ وَالْجَدْيِ وَالْفَرْقَدَيْنِ، وَأَمَّا النُّجُومُ السَّيَّارَاتُ فَيَنْبَغِي أَيْضًا أَنْ يُعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ لِلِاسْتِدْلَالِ وَالِاهْتِدَاءِ بِاللَّيْلِ فَإِنَّهُ رُبَّمَا يَقَعُ فِي الْمَفَاوِزِ وَيَرْكَبُ

bi-Allāhi wanusibū ilā Allāhi falā yasaʿuhumu al-takhallufu ʿani istiʿmāli al-ādābi wa-al-ihtimāmi wa-al-takallufi li-aḥkāmi al-ṣalāti watajwīzihā wa-aḥkāmi farāʾiḍihā wasunanihā wafaḍāʾilihā wanawāfilihā wa-ādābihā li-annahum laysa lahum shughlun ghayru dhalika walā yanbaghī an yuhimmahum amrun aktharu mina ihtimāmihim bi-amri al-ṣalāti, fa-awwalu adabihim min dhalika an yakūna taʾahhubuhum li-al-ṣalāti qabla dukhūli waqti al-ṣalāti ḥattā lā yafūtahumu al-waqtu al-awwalu alladhī huwa al-mukhtāru walā yumkinuhum dhalika illā bimaʿrifati al-waqti al-awwali likulli ṣalātin walā yaqdiru ʿalā dhalika illā bimaʿrifatin waʿilmin maʿa al-wuqūfi ʿalā ʿilmi al-zawāli wamiqdāri ẓilli al-zawāli fī kulli waqtin wa-awānin fī kulli aqṭārin wa-an yaʿlama ʿalā kam tazūlu al-shamsu min qadamin fī kulli waqtin wakam yazdādu wayanquṣu wayaʿtabira dhalika bimiqdāri qāmatihi idhā lam yakun maʿahu miqyāsun lidhalika wayaʿlamu dhalika fī ayyi mawḍiʿin kāna biẓilli shakhṣihi wayaʿtabiruhu biqadamihi wakadhalika yaḥtāju ilā maʿrifati shayʾin mina al-nujūmi wamanāzili al-qamari waṭulūʿihā waghurūbihā wanawbati ṭulūʿi kulli najmin min manāzili al-qamari ḥattā idhā naẓara bi-al-layli ilā al-nujūmi lā yakhfā ʿalayhi mā maḍā mina al-layli wamā baqiya ilā al-ṣubḥi, wayaḥtāju ayḍan ilā maʿrifati al-quṭbi wa-al-kawākibi allatī yustadallu bihā ʿalā al-qiblati walā yaṣiḥḥu lahu dhalika illā bi-al-ijtihādi wamaʿrifati samti kulli baldatin ḥattā ayna taqaʿu mina al-kaʿbati walā yaqifu ʿalā ṣiḥḥati dhalika illā baʿda iftiqādihi dhalika bimakkata warujūʿihi ilā al-baldati allatī qad ʿurifa ayna yaqaʿu samtuhā mina al-kaʿbati wa-ayna kāna dhalika fī waqtin maʿlūmin min muḥādhāti al-quṭbi wa-al-jadyi wa-al-farqadayni, wa-ammā al-nujūmu al-sayyārātu fayanbaghī ayḍan an yuʿlamu dhalika li-al-istidlāli wa-al-ihtidāʾi bi-al-layli fa-innahu rubbamā yaqaʿu fī al-mafāwizi wayarkabu

—through God and associated with Him. They may not fall short in observing the courtesies or in taking care and making the effort required for the rules that validate prayer, its obligations, customary practices, merits, supererogatory acts, and courtesies. They have no other occupation, and no concern should engage them more than prayer. Their first courtesy is to prepare for prayer before its time begins so that they do not miss the earliest and preferred time. This requires knowing the beginning of each prayer time, which in turn requires knowledge: when the sun passes the meridian and the length of the noon shadow at every season, time, and location; at how many foot-lengths the sun crosses the meridian, how that measure increases or decreases, and how to calculate it from one’s height when no measuring instrument is available, using one’s own shadow and foot. One likewise needs some knowledge of the stars, the lunar mansions, their rising and setting, and the turn in which every lunar mansion rises, so that by looking at the stars at night one can tell how much of the night has passed and how much remains before dawn. One also needs to know the celestial pole, al-Jady, and the two Farqad stars used to find the qibla. This cannot be done correctly without effort and knowledge of each town’s bearing relative to the Kaʿba. Its accuracy can be established only by observing it in Mecca and then returning to the town whose bearing from the Kaʿba has been learned, noting at a known time its alignment with the celestial pole, al-Jady, and the two Farqad stars. The wandering planets should likewise be known for finding one’s way by night, for one may be in trackless deserts or travel—

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الْبُحُورِ فَيَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَعْرِفَةِ ذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ عَلَامَةُ الصَّادِقِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ تَابِعٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ إِذَا دَخَلَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ يَحُثُّهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَإِنْ كَانَ نَائِمًا يُنَبِّهُهُ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَكُونُ لَهُ أَوْرَادٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ وَالذِّكْرِ وَتِلَاوَةِ الْقُرْآنِ عَلَى مَمَرِّ أَيَّامِهِ وَتَصِيرُ عَادَتَهُ حَتَّى لَا يَغْلَطَ فِي ذَلِكَ لَيْلَهُ وَنَهَارَهُ حَيْثُ مَا كَانَ، وَأَمَّا آدَابُ الدُّخُولِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ بَعْدَ مَا تَأَهَّبَ إِذَا دَخَلَ أَوَّلَ الْوَقْتِ وَأَرَادَ الدُّخُولَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَتَحْرِيمُهَا بِالتَّكْبِيرَةِ الْمَقْرُونَةِ بِتَكْبِيرَةِ الْإِحْرَامِ مَعَ النِّيَّةِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَسْبِقُ النِّيَّةُ التَّكْبِيرَةَ وَلَا التَّكْبِيرَةُ النِّيَّةُ وَيَكُونَا مَعًا، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ صَفْوَةٌ وَصَفْوَةُ الصَّلَاةِ تَكْبِيرَةُ الْأُولَى وَالْمَعْنَى فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ التَّكْبِيرَةَ الْأُولَى هِيَ مَقْرُونَةٌ بِالنِّيَّةِ الَّتِي لَا تَجُوزُ الصَّلَاةُ إِلَّا بِهَا وَهُوَ عَقْدُكَ بِأَنَّ صَلَاتَكَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِذَا صَحَّ الْعَقْدِ فَمَا دَخَلَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي صَلَاتِكَ مِنَ الْآفَاتِ الْبَاطِنَةِ لَمْ يُفْسِدِ الصَّلَاةَ بَلْ يَنْقُصُ مِنْ فَضَائِلِهَا وَيَبْقَى لِلْمُصَلِّي عَقْدُهَا وَنِيَّتُهَا، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ سَالِمٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ النِّيَّةُ بِاللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ وَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَالْآفَاتُ الَّتِي تَدْخُلُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْعَبْدِ بَعْدَ النِّيَّةِ مِنَ الْعَدُوِّ وَهُوَ نَصِيبُ الْعَدُوِّ وَإِنَّ نَصِيبَ الْعَدُوِّ وَإِنْ كَثُرَ لَا يُوَازَنُ بِالنِّيَّةِ الَّتِي هِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ وَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ قَلَّ، وَسُئِلَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَيْفَ الدُّخُولُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ هُوَ أَنْ تُقْبِلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَإِقْبَالِكَ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَوُقُوفِكَ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَيْسَ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ تُرْجُمَانٌ وَهُوَ مُقْبِلٌ عَلَيْكَ وَأَنْتَ تُنَاجِيهِ وَتَعْلَمُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ مَنْ أَنْتَ وَاقِفٌ فَإِنَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْعَظِيمُ، وَقِيلَ لِبَعْضِ الْعَارِفِينَ كَيْفَ تُكَبِّرُ التَّكْبِيرَةَ الْأُولَى فَقَالَ يَنْبَغِي إِذَا قُلْتَ اللَّهُ

al-buḥūri fayaḥtāju ilā maʿrifati dhalika, wakāna sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu ʿalāmatu al-ṣādiqi an yakūna lahu tābiʿun mina al-jinni idhā dakhala waqtu al-ṣalāti yaḥuththuhu ʿalā dhalika wa-in kāna nāʾiman yunabbihuhu, waminhum man yakūnu lahu awrādun bi-al-layli wa-al-nahāri mina al-ʿibādati wa-al-dhikri watilāwati al-qurʾāni ʿalā mamarri ayyāmihi wataṣīru ʿādatahu ḥattā lā yaghlaṭa fī dhalika laylahu wanahārahu ḥaythu mā kāna, wa-ammā ādābu al-dukhūli fī al-ṣalāti baʿda mā taʾahhaba idhā dakhala awwala al-waqti wa-arāda al-dukhūla fī al-ṣalāti fataḥrīmuhā bi-al-takbīrati al-maqrūnati bitakbīrati al-iḥrāmi maʿa al-niyyati min ḥaythu lā tasbiqu al-niyyatu al-takbīrata walā al-takbīratu al-niyyatu wayakūnā maʿan, waqad ḥukiya ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla likulli shayʾin ṣafwatun waṣafwatu al-ṣalāti takbīratu al-ūlā wa-al-maʿnā fī dhalika anna al-takbīrata al-ūlā hiya maqrūnatun bi-al-niyyati allatī lā tajūzu al-ṣalātu illā bihā wahuwa ʿaqduka bi-anna ṣalātaka li-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fa-idhā ṣaḥḥa al-ʿaqdi famā dakhala baʿda dhalika fī ṣalātika mina al-āfāti al-bāṭinati lam yufsidi al-ṣalāta bal yanquṣu min faḍāʾilihā wayabqā li-al-muṣallī ʿaqduhā waniyyatuhā, samiʿtu ibna sālimin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu al-niyyatu bi-Allāhi wa-li-Allāhi wamina Allāhi wa-al-āfātu allatī tadkhulu fī ṣalāti al-ʿabdi baʿda al-niyyati mina al-ʿaduwwi wahuwa naṣību al-ʿaduwwi wa-inna naṣība al-ʿaduwwi wa-in kathura lā yuwāzanu bi-al-niyyati allatī hiya bi-Allāhi wa-li-Allāhi wamina Allāhi wa-in qalla, wasuʾila abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu kayfa al-dukhūlu fī al-ṣalāti faqāla huwa an tuqbila ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā ka-iqbālika ʿalayhi yawma al-qiyāmati wawuqūfika bayna yadayi Allāhi taʿālā laysa baynaka wabaynahu turjumānun wahuwa muqbilun ʿalayka wa-anta tunājīhi wataʿlamu bayna yaday man anta wāqifun fa-innahu al-maliku al-ʿaẓīmu, waqīla libaʿḍi al-ʿārifīna kayfa tukabbiru al-takbīrata al-ūlā faqāla yanbaghī idhā qulta Allāhu

—the seas and need such knowledge. Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—would say, “A sign of the truthful person is that he has a follower from among the jinn who urges him when prayer time begins and wakes him if he is asleep.” Some have daily and nightly litanies of worship, remembrance, and Qurʾan recitation that continue throughout their days and become habitual, so that wherever they are they never lose count of them by night or day. As for the etiquette of entering prayer: once a person is prepared, the earliest time has begun, and he wishes to enter prayer, its consecration is the opening declaration of God’s greatness joined with the intention, so that neither precedes the other but both coincide. It is related that al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—said, “Everything has its purest part, and the purest part of prayer is the first declaration of God’s greatness.” This means that the first declaration is joined to the intention without which prayer is invalid: your inward resolve that your prayer is for God, mighty and majestic. Once that resolve is sound, any inward defects that enter your prayer afterward do not invalidate it, though they diminish its merits; the worshipper’s initial resolve and intention remain. I heard Ibn Sālim—may God Most High have mercy on him—say, “The intention is through God, for God, and from God. The defects that enter a servant’s prayer after the intention come from the enemy and constitute the enemy’s share. However large that share becomes, it cannot equal the intention, which is through God, for God, and from God, however small it may be.” Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—was asked, “How does one enter prayer?” He replied, “Turn toward God Most High as you will turn toward Him on the Day of Resurrection, standing before Him with no interpreter between you and Him. He faces you while you address Him intimately. Know before whom you stand: the Mighty King.” One gnostic was asked, “How do you pronounce the first declaration of God’s greatness?” He replied, “When you say ‘God—’”

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أَكْبَرُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَصْحُوبُ قَوْلِكَ «اللَّهُ» التَّعْظِيمَ مَعَ الْأَلِفِ وَالْهَيْبَةَ مَعَ اللَّامِ وَالْمُرَاقَبَةَ وَالْقُرْبَ مَعَ الْهَاءِ، وَقَالَ آخَرُ إِذَا كَبَّرْتَ التَّكْبِيرَةَ الْأُولَى فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ نَاظِرٌ إِلَى شَخْصِكَ وَعَالِمٌ بِمَا فِي ضَمِيرِكَ وَمَثِّلْ فِي صَلَاتِكَ الْجَنَّةَ عَنْ يَمِينِكَ وَالنَّارَ عَنْ شِمَالِكَ، وَمِنْ أَدَبِ الصَّلَاةِ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَلَا يَكُونُ فِي قَلْبِهِ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي هُوَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى يَعْرِفَ كَلَامَهُ وَيَأْخُذَ مِنْ كُلِّ آيَةٍ ذَوْقَهَا وَفَهْمَهَا لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ إِلَّا مَا عَقَلَ، وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابٍ لَهُ يَصِفُ أَدَبَ الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَفَعْتَ يَدَيْكَ فِي التَّكْبِيرَ فَلَا يَكُنْ فِي قَلْبِكَ إِلَّا الْكِبْرِيَاءُ وَلَا يَكُنْ عِنْدَكَ فِي وَقْتِ التَّكْبِيرِ شَيْءٌ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى حَتَّى تَنْسَى الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ فِي كِبْرِيَائِهِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَالْمَعْنَى فِيمَا قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا قَالَ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَيَكُونُ فِي قَلْبِهِ شَيْءٌ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ فَلَا يَكُونُ صَادِقًا فِي قَوْلِهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ إِذَا أَخَذَ فِي التِّلَاوَةِ فَالْأَدَبُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ يُشَاهِدَ بِسَمْعِ قَلْبِهِ كَأَنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَوْ كَأَنَّهُ يَقْرَأُ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَفِيهِ الْعِلْمُ الْجَلِيلُ لِأَهْلِ الْفَهْمِ، وَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَالْأَدَبُ فِي رُكُوعِهِ أَنْ يَنْصِبَ وَيَدْنُوَ وَيَتَدَلَّى حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى فِيهِ مَفْصِلٌ إِلَّا وَهُوَ مُنْتَصِبٌ نَحْوَ الْعَرْشِ ثُمَّ يُعَظِّمُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى حَتَّى لَا يَكُونَ فِي قَلْبِهِ شَيْءٌ أَعْظَمَ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَيُصَغِّرُ نَفْسَهُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ أَقَلَّ مِنَ الْهَبَاءِ فَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ ذَلِكَ، وَإِذَا سَجَدَ فَالْأَدَبُ فِي سُجُودِهِ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ فِي قَلْبِهِ عِنْدَ السُّجُودِ شَيْءٌ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِأَنَّ أَقْرَبَ مَا يَكُونُ

akbaru an yakūna maṣḥūbu qawlika «Allāhu» al-taʿẓīma maʿa al-alifi wa-al-haybata maʿa al-lāmi wa-al-murāqabata wa-al-qurba maʿa al-hāʾi, waqāla ākharu idhā kabbarta al-takbīrata al-ūlā fa-iʿlam annahu nāẓirun ilā shakhṣika waʿālimun bimā fī ḍamīrika wamaththil fī ṣalātika al-jannata ʿan yamīnika wa-al-nāra ʿan shimālika, wamin adabi al-ṣalāti inna al-ʿabda idhā dakhala fī al-ṣalāti falā yakūnu fī qalbihi shayʾun ghayru Allāhi alladhī huwa bayna yadayhi ḥattā yaʿrifa kalāmahu wayaʾkhudha min kulli āyatin dhawqahā wafahmahā li-annahu laysa lahu min ṣalātihi illā mā ʿaqala, waqāla abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu fī kitābin lahu yaṣifu adaba al-ṣalāti faqāla idhā rafaʿta yadayka fī al-takbīra falā yakun fī qalbika illā al-kibriyāʾu walā yakun ʿindaka fī waqti al-takbīri shayʾun akbaru mina Allāhi taʿālā ḥattā tansā al-dunyā wa-al-ākhirata fī kibriyāʾihi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu wa-al-maʿnā fīmā qāla abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu anna al-ʿabda idhā qāla Allāhu akbaru wayakūnu fī qalbihi shayʾun ghayra Allāhi falā yakūnu ṣādiqan fī qawlihi Allāhu akbaru thumma innahu idhā akhadha fī al-tilāwati fa-al-adabu fī dhalika an yushāhida bisamʿi qalbihi ka-annahu yasmaʿu mina Allāhi taʿālā aw ka-annahu yaqraʾu ʿalā Allāhi taʿālā, qāla abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu wafīhi al-ʿilmu al-jalīlu li-ahli al-fahmi, wa-idhā rakaʿa fa-al-adabu fī rukūʿihi an yanṣiba wayadnuwa wayatadallā ḥattā lā yabqā fīhi mafṣilun illā wahuwa muntaṣibun naḥwa al-ʿarshi thumma yuʿaẓẓimu Allāha taʿālā ḥattā lā yakūna fī qalbihi shayʾun aʿẓama mina Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wayuṣaghghiru nafsahu ḥattā yakūna aqalla mina al-habāʾi fa-idhā rafaʿa raʾsahu waḥamida Allāha yaʿlamu annahu huwa alladhī yasmaʿu dhalika, wa-idhā sajada fa-al-adabu fī sujūdihi an lā yakūna fī qalbihi ʿinda al-sujūdi shayʾun aqrabu ilayhi mina Allāhi taʿālā li-anna aqraba mā yakūnu

“—is greater,’ let your utterance of ‘God’ be accompanied by veneration with the alif, awe with the lām, and watchfulness and nearness with the hāʾ.” Another said, “When you pronounce the first declaration, know that He sees your person and knows what lies within you. Picture Paradise on your right in your prayer and the Fire on your left.” Part of the etiquette of prayer is that, when the servant enters it, nothing remains in his heart except God, before whom he stands, so that he recognizes His speech and receives from every verse its taste and understanding; a person has from his prayer only what he understands. Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—wrote in a book describing the etiquette of prayer: “When you raise your hands for the declaration of greatness, let nothing be in your heart but divine majesty. At the moment you declare His greatness, let nothing be greater in your sight than God Most High, until His majesty makes you forget this world and the next.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Al-Kharrāz means that if a servant says, “God is greater,” while something other than God is in his heart, he is not truthful in saying it. When he begins recitation, the proper courtesy is to witness with the hearing of his heart as though he heard from God Most High, or as though he were reciting before Him. Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—said, “In this lies sublime knowledge for people of understanding.” When the servant bows, the proper courtesy is to straighten himself, draw near, and hang down until no joint remains without being directed toward the Throne. Then he magnifies God Most High until nothing in his heart is greater than God, mighty and majestic, and makes himself small until he is less than a mote. When he raises his head and praises God, he knows that God is the One who hears it. When he prostrates, the proper courtesy is that nothing in his heart be nearer to him than God Most High, for the nearest a servant is—

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الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ عِنْدَ السُّجُودِ فَيَجِبُ أَنْ يُنَزِّهَهُ عَنِ الْأَضْدَادِ بِلِسَانِهِ وَلَا يَكُونَ فِي قَلْبِهِ أَجَلُّ مِنْهُ وَلَا أَعَزُّ مِنْهُ وَيُتِمَّ صَلَاتَهُ عَلَى هَذَا وَيَكُونُ مَعَهُ مِنَ الْخَشْيَةِ وَالْهَيْبَةِ مَا يَكَادُ أَنْ يَذُوبَ وَلَا يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي صَلَاتِهِ شُغْلٌ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ شُغْلِهِ بِصَلَاتِهِ حَتَّى لَا يَشْتَغِلَ بِشَيْءٍ غَيْرِ الَّذِي هُوَ وَاقِفٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا تَشَهَّدَ وَدَعَا وَسَلَّمَ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ يَعْقِلُ مَا يَقُولُ وَمَا يُخَاطَبُ وَلِمَنْ يُخَاطَبُ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ بِالْعَقْدِ الَّذِي قَدْ دَخَلَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، فَهَذَا مَا وَجَدْتُ فِي كِتَابِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً كَانُوا يَكْرَهُونَ تَطْوِيلَ الصَّلَاةِ وَيُحِبُّونَ التَّخْفِيفَ لِمُبَادَرَةِ الْوَسْوَاسِ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ عَلَى النِّيَّةِ وَالْعَقْدِ الَّذِي دَخَلَ بِهِ فِيهَا، فَصْلٌ آخَرُ فِي آدَابِ الصَّلَاةِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا كَانَ مُتَأَدِّبًا بِأَدَبِ الصَّلَاةِ قَبْلَ دُخُولِ وَقْتِ الصَّلَاةِ فَكَأَنَّهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَيَكُونُ قِيَامُهُ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ مِنْ حَالٍ لَا يُسْتَغْنَى عَنْهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ الْمُرَاقَبَةَ وَمُرَاعَاةَ الْقَلْبِ مِنَ الْخَوَاطِرِ وَالْعَوَارِضِ وَذِكْرِ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ غَيْرَ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ بِحُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ فَكَأَنَّهُمْ قَامُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ فَيَبْقَوْنَ مَعَ النِّيَّةِ وَالْعَقْدِ الَّذِي دَخَلُوا فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَإِذَا خَرَجُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ رَجَعُوا إِلَى حَالِهِمْ مِنْ حُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ وَالْمُرَاعَاةِ وَالْمُرَاقَبَةِ

al-ʿabdu min rabbihi ʿinda al-sujūdi fayajibu an yunazzihahu ʿani al-aḍdādi bilisānihi walā yakūna fī qalbihi ajallu minhu walā aʿazzu minhu wayutimma ṣalātahu ʿalā hadhā wayakūnu maʿahu mina al-khashyati wa-al-haybati mā yakādu an yadhūba walā yakūnu lahu fī ṣalātihi shughlun aktharu min shughlihi biṣalātihi ḥattā lā yashtaghila bishayʾin ghayri alladhī huwa wāqifun bayna yadayhi fī ṣalātihi wakadhalika idhā tashahhada wadaʿā wasallama kullu dhalika yaʿqilu mā yaqūlu wamā yukhāṭabu waliman yukhāṭabu ḥattā yakhruja mina al-ṣalāti bi-al-ʿaqdi alladhī qad dakhala fī al-ṣalāti, fahadhā mā wajadtu fī kitābi abī saʿīdin al-kharrāzi raḥimahu Allāhu waraʾaytu jamāʿatan kānū yakrahūna taṭwīla al-ṣalāti wayuḥibbūna al-takhfīfa limubādarati al-waswāsi ḥattā yakhruja min ṣalātihi ʿalā al-niyyati wa-al-ʿaqdi alladhī dakhala bihi fīhā, faṣlun ākharu fī ādābi al-ṣalāti, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wadhalika anna al-ʿabda idhā kāna mutaʾaddiban bi-adabi al-ṣalāti qabla dukhūli waqti al-ṣalāti fakaʾannahu fī al-ṣalāti wayakūnu qiyāmuhu ilā al-ṣalāti min ḥālin lā yustaghnā ʿanhu fī al-ṣalāti wadhalika anna min ādābihim qabla al-ṣalāti al-murāqabata wamurāʿāta al-qalbi mina al-khawāṭiri wa-al-ʿawāriḍi wadhikri kulli shayʾin ghayra dhikri Allāhi taʿālā fa-idhā qāmū ilā al-ṣalāti biḥuḍūri al-qalbi fakaʾannahum qāmū mina al-ṣalāti ilā al-ṣalāti fayabqawna maʿa al-niyyati wa-al-ʿaqdi alladhī dakhalū fī al-ṣalāti wa-idhā kharajū mina al-ṣalāti rajaʿū ilā ḥālihim min ḥuḍūri al-qalbi wa-al-murāʿāti wa-al-murāqabati

—to his Lord is during prostration. He must therefore declare Him free of opposites with his tongue, while nothing in his heart is more majestic or mighty than He. He completes his prayer in this manner, possessed by such reverent fear and awe that he almost melts. No concern in his prayer should occupy him more than the prayer itself, so that nothing distracts him from the One before whom he stands. Likewise, when he recites the testimony, supplicates, and gives the salutation, he understands what he says, what is being addressed, and whom he addresses. Thus he leaves prayer with the same inward resolve with which he entered it. This is what I found in the book of Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him. I saw a group who disliked lengthening prayer and preferred to keep it concise, forestalling distracting thoughts so that a person might leave prayer still holding the intention and resolve with which he entered. Another Section on the Etiquette of Prayer. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: When a servant observes the etiquette of prayer before its time begins, it is as though he is already at prayer. He rises to prayer from a state indispensable within prayer itself. Their etiquette before prayer includes watchfulness and guarding the heart against thoughts, passing disturbances, and the remembrance of anything other than God Most High. Thus, when they rise to prayer with the heart present, it is as though they move from prayer to prayer. They preserve the intention and resolve with which they entered; when they leave the formal prayer, they return to their state of presence, attentive care, and watchfulness—

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فَكَأَنَّهُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَإِنْ كَانُوا خَارِجِينَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ، فَهَذَا هُوَ أَدَبُ الصَّلَاةِ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْعَبْدُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ مَا دَامَ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلَاةَ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْأَدَبُ الَّذِي يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ الْمُصَلِّي فِي صَلَاتِهِ وَفِي انْتِظَارِ الصَّلَاةِ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ كَمَا وَصَفْتُ لَكَ إِنْ فَهِمْتَ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ مَنْ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ كَانَ يَحْمَرُّ وَيَصْفَرُّ وَجْهُهُ عِنْدَ التَّكْبِيرَةِ الْأُولَى مِنْ هَيْبَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَرَأَيْتُ مَنْ كَانَ لَا يَتَهَيَّأُ لَهُ أَنْ يَحْفَظَ الْعَدَدَ فَكَانَ يُجْلِسُ وَاحِدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ وَيَعُدُّ عَلَيْهِ كَمْ رَكْعَةٍ صَلَّى لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُرَاعِي قَلْبَهُ عَلَى ثَبَاتِ الْعَقْدِ الَّذِي دَخَلَ بِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَكَانَ يَخَافُ الْغَلَطَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَدْرِي كَمْ رَكْعَةٍ صَلَّاهَا فَلِذَلِكَ كَانَ يَسْتَعِينُ بِمَنْ يَعُدُّ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَتَيَقَّنَ كَمْ رَكْعَةٍ صَلَّاهَا، وَذُكِرَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَضْعُفُ حَتَّى لَا يَكَادُ يَقُومُ مِنْ مَوْضِعِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا دَخَلَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ تُرَدُّ إِلَيْهِ قُوَّتُهُ فَيَقُومُ فِي الْمِحْرَابِ مِثْلَ الْوَتَدِ فَإِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى حَالَةِ ضَعْفِهِ وَلَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَقُومَ مِنْ مَوْضِعِهِ، وَرَأَيْتُ مَنْ كَانَ يُسَافِرُ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ عَلَى الْوَحْدَةِ وَلَا يَتْرُكُ وِرْدَهُ مِنَ التَّطَوُّعِ وَصَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ وَالْفَضَائِلِ وَالسُّنَنِ وَالْآدَابِ الَّتِي كَانَ يَسْتَعْمِلُ فِي الْحَضَرِ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ أَحْوَالُ هَذِهِ الطَّائِفَةِ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَكُونَ فِي السَّفَرِ وَالْحَضَرِ وَاحِدَةٌ، وَكَانَ أَخٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِي يَصْطَحَبُ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ فَكَانَتْ عَادَتُهُ أَنَّهُ إِذَا أَكَلَ شَيْئًا يَقُومُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَإِذَا شَرِبَ الْمَاءَ يَقُومُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَإِذَا لَبِسَ ثَوْبًا يَقُومُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ الْخُرُوجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا فَرِحَ أَوِ اغْتَمَّ أَوْ غَضِبَ يَقُومُ وَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ

fakaʾannahum fī al-ṣalāti wa-in kānū khārijīna mina al-ṣalāti, fahadhā huwa adabu al-ṣalāti waqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla al-ʿabdu fī al-ṣalāti mā dāma yantaẓiru al-ṣalāta, fahadhā huwa al-adabu alladhī yaḥtāju ilayhi al-muṣallī fī ṣalātihi wafī intiẓāri al-ṣalāti qabla al-ṣalāti kamā waṣaftu laka in fahimta dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, waqad raʾaytu man idhā qāma ilā al-ṣalāti kāna yaḥmarru wayaṣfarru wajhuhu ʿinda al-takbīrati al-ūlā min haybati Allāhi taʿālā waraʾaytu man kāna lā yatahayyaʾu lahu an yaḥfaẓa al-ʿadada fakāna yujlisu wāḥidan min aṣḥābihi wayaʿuddu ʿalayhi kam rakʿatin ṣallā li-annahu kāna yurāʿī qalbahu ʿalā thabāti al-ʿaqdi alladhī dakhala bihi fī al-ṣalāti fakāna yakhāfu al-ghalaṭa ʿalā nafsihi li-annahu kāna lā yadrī kam rakʿatin ṣallāhā falidhalika kāna yastaʿīnu biman yaʿuddu ʿalayhi ḥattā yatayaqqana kam rakʿatin ṣallāhā, wadhukira ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi annahu kāna yaḍʿufu ḥattā lā yakādu yaqūmu min mawḍiʿihi ḥattā idhā dakhala waqtu al-ṣalāti turaddu ilayhi quwwatuhu fayaqūmu fī al-miḥrābi mithla al-watadi fa-idhā faragha min ṣalātihi yarjiʿu ilā ḥālati ḍaʿfihi walā yaqdiru an yaqūma min mawḍiʿihi, waraʾaytu man kāna yusāfiru fī al-bādiyati ʿalā al-waḥdati walā yatruku wirdahu mina al-taṭawwuʿi waṣalāti al-layli wa-al-faḍāʾili wa-al-sunani wa-al-ādābi allatī kāna yastaʿmilu fī al-ḥaḍari fakāna yaqūlu aḥwālu hadhihi al-ṭāʾifati yanbaghī an takūna fī al-safari wa-al-ḥaḍari wāḥidatun, wakāna akhun min ikhwānī yaṣṭaḥabu fī makānin wāḥidin fakānat ʿādatuhu annahu idhā akala shayʾan yaqūmu wayuṣallī rakʿatayni wa-idhā shariba al-māʾa yaqūmu wayuṣallī rakʿatayni wa-idhā labisa thawban yaqūmu wayuṣallī rakʿatayni wa-idhā dakhala al-masjida yuṣallī rakʿatayni wa-idhā arāda al-khurūja mina al-masjidi yuṣallī rakʿatayni wakadhalika idhā fariḥa awi ightamma aw ghaḍiba yaqūmu wayuṣallī rakʿatayni, wakāna jamāʿatun min

—as though still at prayer although outside it. This is the etiquette of prayer. It is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “A servant remains in prayer for as long as he waits for the prayer.” This is the etiquette the worshipper needs both while praying and while awaiting prayer beforehand, as I have described to you, if you understand it, God Most High willing. I have seen a man whose face turned red and pale when he pronounced the first declaration of greatness, from awe of God Most High. I saw another who could not keep count. He would seat one companion beside him to count how many cycles he had prayed, because he was guarding his heart’s constancy in the resolve with which he entered prayer and feared making a mistake; since he did not know how many cycles he had performed, he sought help from someone who counted for him until he was certain. It is related of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh that he became so weak he could scarcely rise from his place. Yet when prayer time came his strength returned; he stood in the prayer-niche like a stake. Once he finished, he returned to his former weakness and could not rise. I saw a man who travelled alone in the desert yet never abandoned his customary portion of voluntary prayer, night prayer, meritorious acts, customary practices, and courtesies that he observed at home. He would say, “The states of this community should be the same in travel and at home.” A brother of mine used to accompany me in one place. Whenever he ate something, drank water, put on a garment, entered a mosque, or wished to leave it, he would stand and pray two cycles. Likewise, whenever he rejoiced, became distressed, or grew angry, he stood and prayed two cycles. A group of—

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أَصْحَابُنَا يُسَافِرُونَ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جَابَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَحَدَّثُونِي عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا بَلَغَ إِلَى الْمِيلِ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ وَأَرَادَ التَّعَقُّبَ لَا يَجْلِسُ حَتَّى يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُمْ يَكْرَهُونَ الْإِمَامَةَ وَالصَّلَاةَ فِي الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ بِمَكَّةَ وَغَيْرِهَا وَيَكْرَهُونَ التَّطْوِيلَ، وَأَمَّا الْإِمَامَةُ فَلَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ يَحْفَظُ الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَخْتَارُونَ الصَّلَاةَ خَلْفَ مَنْ يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يَقْرَأَ الْحَمْدَ وَسُورَةً أُخْرَى لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ الْإِمَامُ ضَامِنٌ، وَأَمَّا تَرْكُ الصَّلَاةِ فِي الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُرِيدُونَ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يُزَاحِمُوا النَّاسَ وَيُضَيِّقُوا عَلَيْهِمْ لِأَنَّ النَّاسُ يَزْدَحِمُونَ وَيَطْلُبُونَ الصَّفَّ الْأَوَّلَ لِمَا جَاءَ فِي الْخَبَرِ مِنَ الْفَضِيلَةِ فِيهِ يُرِيدُونَ بِذَلِكَ إِيثَارَهُمْ وَإِذَا كَانَ الْمَوْضِعُ خَالِيًا يَغْتَنِمُونَ ذَلِكَ الْفَضْلَ الَّذِي جَاءَ فِي الصَّفِّ الْأَوَّلِ، وَأَمَّا التَّطْوِيلُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَكُلَّمَا طَالَتِ الصَّلَاةُ كَثُرَتِ الْهَفَوَاتُ وَالْوَسْوَاسُ وَالِاشْتِغَالُ بِتَصْحِيحِ الْأَعْمَالِ أَوْلَى مِنَ الِاشْتِغَالِ بِكَثْرَتِهِ وَتَطْوِيلِهِ، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ أَخَفَّ النَّاسِ صَلَاةً فِي تَمَامٍ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عِلْوَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ كَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَا يَتْرُكُ أَوْرَادَهُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى كِبَرِ سِنِّهِ وَضَعْفِهِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ حَالٌ وَصَلْتُ بِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي بِدَايَتِي كَيْفَ يَتَهَيَّأُ لِي أَنْ أَتْرُكَهُ فِي نِهَايَتِي، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ أَيْضًا أَنَّ لِلصَّلَاةِ أَرْبَعَ شُعَبٍ حُضُورُ الْقَلْبِ فِي الْمِحْرَابِ وَشُهُودُ الْعَقْلِ عِنْدَ الْوَهَّابِ وَخُشُوعُ الْقَلْبِ بِلَا ارْتِيَابٍ وَخُضُوعُ الْأَرْكَانِ بِلَا ارْتِقَابٍ لِأَنَّ عِنْدَ حُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ رَفْعُ الْحِجَابِ وَعِنْدَ شُهُودِ الْعَقْلِ

aṣḥābunā yusāfirūna maʿa abī ʿabdi Allāhi bni jābāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā faḥaddathūnī ʿanhu annahu kāna idhā balagha ilā al-mīli fī al-bādiyati wa-arāda al-taʿaqquba lā yajlisu ḥattā yuṣallī rakʿatayni, wamin ādābihim ayḍan annahum yakrahūna al-imāmata wa-al-ṣalāta fī al-ṣaffi al-awwali bimakkata waghayrihā wayakrahūna al-taṭwīla, wa-ammā al-imāmatu falaw anna aḥadahum yaḥfaẓu al-qurʾāna fa-innahum yakhtārūna al-ṣalāta khalfa man yuḥsinu an yaqraʾa al-ḥamda wasūratan ukhrā li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla al-imāmu ḍāminun, wa-ammā tarku al-ṣalāti fī al-ṣaffi al-awwali fa-innahum yurīdūna bidhalika an lā yuzāḥimū al-nāsa wayuḍayyiqū ʿalayhim li-anna al-nāsu yazdaḥimūna wayaṭlubūna al-ṣaffa al-awwala limā jāʾa fī al-khabari mina al-faḍīlati fīhi yurīdūna bidhalika īthārahum wa-idhā kāna al-mawḍiʿu khāliyan yaghtanimūna dhalika al-faḍla alladhī jāʾa fī al-ṣaffi al-awwali, wa-ammā al-taṭwīlu fī al-ṣalāti fakullamā ṭālati al-ṣalātu kathurati al-hafawātu wa-al-waswāsu wa-al-ishtighālu bitaṣḥīḥi al-aʿmāli awlā mina al-ishtighāli bikathratihi wataṭwīlihi, waruwiya ʿan rasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu kāna akhaffa al-nāsi ṣalātan fī tamāmin, samiʿtu ibna ʿilwāna raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu kāna al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu lā yatruku awrādahu mina al-ṣalāti ʿalā kibari sinnihi waḍaʿfihi faqīla lahu fī dhalika faqāla ḥālun waṣaltu bihi ilā Allāhi taʿālā fī bidāyatī kayfa yatahayyaʾu lī an atrukahu fī nihāyatī, wamin ādābihim fī al-ṣalāti ayḍan anna li-al-ṣalāti arbaʿa shuʿabin ḥuḍūru al-qalbi fī al-miḥrābi washuhūdu al-ʿaqli ʿinda al-wahhābi wakhushūʿu al-qalbi bilā irtiyābin wakhuḍūʿu al-arkāni bilā irtiqābin li-anna ʿinda ḥuḍūri al-qalbi rafʿu al-ḥijābi waʿinda shuhūdi al-ʿaqli

—our companions travelled with Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jābān—may God Most High have mercy on him. They told me that when he reached the milestone in the desert and wished to stop for the night, he would not sit until he had prayed two cycles. Among their courtesies is that they dislike leading prayer, taking the first row in Mecca or elsewhere, and prolonging the prayer. Even if one of them memorized the Qurʾan, in matters of leadership they preferred to pray behind someone who could properly recite al-Fātiḥa and another sura, because the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “The prayer leader is responsible.” They avoided the first row so that they would not jostle people or constrict them. People press forward and seek the first row because reports speak of its merit, so the Sufis prefer others over themselves; but when the place is empty, they seize the merit reported for the first row. They avoid prolonging prayer because the longer it becomes, the more slips and distracting thoughts arise. Occupying oneself with making deeds sound is better than multiplying and lengthening them. It is related that the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—performed the briefest prayer of anyone while completing it fully. I heard Ibn ʿIlwān—may God have mercy on him—say: Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—never abandoned his customary prayers despite his advanced age and weakness. When asked, he replied, “This is a state by which I reached God Most High in my beginning; how could I abandon it at my end?” They also say that prayer has four branches: presence of heart in the prayer-niche, witnessing of the mind before the Bestower, humility of heart without doubt, and submission of the limbs without waiting for reward. When the heart is present, the veil is lifted; when the mind witnesses—

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رَفْعُ الْعِتَابِ وَعِنْدَ خُشُوعِ الْقَلْبِ فَتْحُ الْأَبْوَابِ وَعِنْدَ خُضُوعِ الْأَرْكَانِ وُجُودُ الثَّوَابِ، فَمَنْ أَتَى بِالصَّلَاةِ بِلَا حُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ مُصَلٍّ لَاهٍ وَمَنْ أَتَاهَا بِلَا شُهُودِ الْعَقْلِ فَهُوَ مُصَلٍّ سَاهٍ وَمَنْ أَتَاهَا بِلَا خُشُوعِ الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ مُصَلٍّ خَاطِئٌ وَمَنْ أَتَاهَا بِلَا خُضُوعِ الْأَرْكَانِ فَهُوَ مُصَلٍّ جَافٍ وَمَنْ أَتَمَّهَا فَهُوَ مُصَلٍّ وَافٍ، فَهَذَا مَا حَضَرَنِي فِي الْوَقْتِ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ، بَابُ ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الزَّكَوَاتِ وَالصَّدَقَاتِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَمَّا آدَابُهُمْ فِي الزَّكَاةِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى جَدَّهُ لَمْ يَفْرِضْ عَلَيْهِمِ الزَّكَاةَ لِأَنَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ قَدْ زَوَى عَنْهُمْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِ الدُّنْيَا مَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ وَالصَّدَقَةُ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ مُطَرِّفِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الشِّخِّيرِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ نِعْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى [عَلَيَّ] فِيمَا زَوَى عَنِّي مِنَ الدُّنْيَا أَعْظَمُ مِنْ نِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيَّ فِيمَا أَعْطَانِي، وَكَذَلِكَ أَهْلُ التَّصَوُّفِ نِعْمَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِمْ فِيمَا زَوَى عَنْهُمْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا [أَعْظَمُ مِنْ نِعْمَتِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ] فِيمَا أَعْطَاهُمْ <وَلَوْ> أَعْطَاهُمْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا شَيْئًا كَثِيرًا، وَقَدْ قَالَ فِي ذَلِكَ بَعْضُهُمْ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا، وَمَا وَجَبَتْ عَلَيَّ زَكَاةِ مَالٍ * * وَهَلْ تَجِبُ الزَّكَاةُ عَلَى كَرِيمٍ،

rafʿu al-ʿitābi waʿinda khushūʿi al-qalbi fatḥu al-abwābi waʿinda khuḍūʿi al-arkāni wujūdu al-thawābi, faman atā bi-al-ṣalāti bilā ḥuḍūri al-qalbi fahuwa muṣallin lāhin waman atāhā bilā shuhūdi al-ʿaqli fahuwa muṣallin sāhin waman atāhā bilā khushūʿi al-qalbi fahuwa muṣallin khāṭiʾun waman atāhā bilā khuḍūʿi al-arkāni fahuwa muṣallin jāfin waman atammahā fahuwa muṣallin wāfin, fahadhā mā ḥaḍaranī fī al-waqti min ādābihim fī al-ṣalāti wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu, bābu dhikri ādābihim fī al-zakawāti wa-al-ṣadaqāti, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ammā ādābuhum fī al-zakāti fa-inna Allāha taʿālā jaddahu lam yafriḍ ʿalayhimi al-zakāta li-annahu subḥānahu qad zawā ʿanhum min amwāli al-dunyā mā yajibu ʿalayhim fīhi al-zakātu wa-al-ṣadaqatu, waqad ḥukiya ʿan muṭarrifi bni ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-shikhkhīri raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla niʿmatu Allāhi taʿālā [ʿalayya] fīmā zawā ʿannī mina al-dunyā aʿẓamu min niʿmati Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayya fīmā aʿṭānī, wakadhalika ahlu al-taṣawwufi niʿmatu Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayhim fīmā zawā ʿanhum mina al-dunyā [aʿẓamu min niʿmatihi ʿalayhim] fīmā aʿṭāhum <walaw> aʿṭāhum mina al-dunyā shayʾan kathīran, waqad qāla fī dhalika baʿḍuhum wahuwa min ahli al-dunyā, wamā wajabat ʿalayya zakāti mālin * * wahal tajibu al-zakātu ʿalā karīmin,

—reproach is lifted; when the heart is humble, the doors are opened; and when the limbs submit, reward is found. Whoever performs prayer without presence of heart is a heedless worshipper; without witnessing of the mind, a forgetful worshipper; without humility of heart, an erring worshipper; and without submission of the limbs, a coarse worshipper. Whoever completes all of it is a worshipper who fulfils his due. This is what occurs to me now concerning their etiquette in prayer. Success is through God. Chapter on Their Etiquette in Almsgiving and Charitable Gifts. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: As for their etiquette in almsgiving, God—exalted is His majesty—has not made the alms-tax obligatory for them, because in His glory He has withheld from them the worldly wealth on which alms-tax and charity become due. It is related of Muṭarrif ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Shikhkhīr—may God have mercy on him—that he said, “God Most High’s blessing to me in what He has withheld from me of the world is greater than His blessing to me in what He has given me.” Likewise, for the Sufis, God Most High’s blessing in what He has withheld from them of the world is greater than His blessing in whatever He might give them, even were He to give them much worldly wealth. Someone who belonged to the people of the world said boastfully in this connection: “Never has an alms-tax on wealth fallen due from me; does alms-tax ever fall due from a generous man?”

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يَفْتَخِرُ بِذَلِكَ وَيَقُولُ لَمْ تَجِبْ عَلَيَّ زَكَاةٌ قَطُّ يُرِيدُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُتْرَكْ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعَ عِنْدَهُ مَالٌ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَقِيَ الشِّبْلِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَنْهَى عَنِ الذَّهَابِ إِلَيْهِ وَالْوُقُوفِ عَلَيْهِ وَاسْتِمَاعِ كَلَامِهِ فَقَالَ لِلشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَأَرَادَ [بِذَلِكَ] أَنْ يَمْتَحِنَهُ كَمْ فِي خَمْسٍ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ قَالَ شَاةٌ فِي وَاجِبِ الْأَمْرِ وَفِيمَا يَلْزَمُنَا نَحْنُ كُلَّهَا يَعْنِي فِيمَا نَدَّعِيهِ مِنْ مَذْهَبِنَا فَقَالَ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَلَكَ فِي هَذَا إِمَامٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَيْثُ خَرَجَ مِنْ مَالِهِ كُلِّهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا خَلَّفْتَ لِعِيَالِكَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ فَقَامَ وَلَمْ يَنْهَ النَّاسَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ، فَأَمَّا آدَابُ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ فِي الزَّكَاةِ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْهَا وَلَا يَطْلُبُونَهَا وَلَا يَأْخُذُونَهَا وَقَدْ أَبَاحَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ أَخْذَهَا وَإِنْ أَكَلُوا مِنْهَا أَكَلُوا حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا إِلَّا أَنَّهُمْ يُرِيدُونَ بِتَرْكِ ذَلِكَ إِيثَارَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَتَرْكُ الْمُزَاحَمَةِ لِلضُّعَفَاءِ وَأَهْلِ الْحَاجَاتِ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ مَنْصُورٍ صَاحِبَ أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ السُّوسِيَّ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمَا كَانَ إِذَا أَعْطَوْهُ شَيْئًا أَوْ حُمِلَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ وَكَفَّارَةِ الْيَمِينِ وَعَلِمَ أَنَّهَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْجِهَاتِ لَمْ يَأْخُذْهَا وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقْهَا عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَيَقُولُ شَيْئًا لَا أَرْضَاهُ لِنَفْسِي لَا أَرْضَاهُ لِأَصْحَابِي وَإِذَا حُمِلَ إِلَيْهِ وَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ أَخَذَهَا وَأَكَلَ مِنْهَا، وَأَمَّا الْبَاقُونَ فَكَانُوا لَا يَرَوْنَ الِانْبِسَاطَ فِي مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ وَلَا يَمُدُّونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ إِلَى الطَّمَعِ وَإِلَى السُّؤَالِ وَإِلَى مَا يَرَوْنَ فِيهِ الْمِنَّةَ وَإِنْ جَاءَهُمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ فَكَانُوا يَتَعَفَّفُونَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، وَلَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْ بَعْضِ إِخْوَانِنَا مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُنْفِقُ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ فُقَرَاءِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ كَمَا زَعَمُوا أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ وَكَانَ يَحْلِفُ أَنَّهُ مَا أَنْفَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ دِرْهَمًا قَطُّ مِنْ زَكَاتِهِ وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُهُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ الْمُشْتَوْلِيِّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُنْفِقُ عَلَى الصُّوفِيَّةِ مَا يَتَعَجَّبُ مِنْهُ تُجَّارُ مِصْرَ وَيَقُولُونَ مَالُنَا لَا يَفِي بِنَفَقَتِهِ وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُ لَمْ تَجِبْ عَلَيْهِ زَكَاةٌ قَطُّ، وَسَمِعْتُ بَعْضَ الْأَجِلَّةِ مِنْ مَشَايِخِ

yaftakhiru bidhalika wayaqūlu lam tajib ʿalayya zakātun qaṭṭu yurīdu annahu lam yutrak ḥattā yajtamiʿa ʿindahu mālun yajibu ʿalayhi fīhi al-zakātu, wabalaghanī ʿan ibrāhīma bni shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu annahu laqiya al-shibliyya raḥimahu Allāhu wakāna ibrāhīmu yanhā ʿani al-dhahābi ilayhi wa-al-wuqūfi ʿalayhi wa-istimāʿi kalāmihi faqāla li-al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu wa-arāda [bidhalika] an yamtaḥinahu kam fī khamsin mina al-ibili qāla shātun fī wājibi al-amri wafīmā yalzamunā naḥnu kullahā yaʿnī fīmā naddaʿīhi min madhhabinā faqāla lahu ibrāhīmu alaka fī hadhā imāmun qāla naʿam abū bakrin al-ṣiddīqu raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu ḥaythu kharaja min mālihi kullihi faqāla lahu al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama mā khallafta liʿiyālika faqāla Allāhu warasūluhu faqāma walam yanha al-nāsa baʿda dhalika ʿanhu, fa-ammā ādābu jamāʿatin mina al-mutaṣawwifati fī al-zakāti annahum lā yaʾkulūna minhā walā yaṭlubūnahā walā yaʾkhudhūnahā waqad abāḥa Allāhu taʿālā lahum akhdhahā wa-in akalū minhā akalū ḥalālan ṭayyiban illā annahum yurīdūna bitarki dhalika īthāra al-fuqarāʾi watarku al-muzāḥamati li-al-ḍuʿafāʾi wa-ahli al-ḥājāti, wayuqālu inna muḥammada bna manṣūrin ṣāḥiba abī yaʿqūba al-sūsiyya raḥmatu Allāhi ʿalayhimā kāna idhā aʿṭawhu shayʾan aw ḥumila ilayhi shayʾan mina al-zakāti wa-al-ṣadaqati wakaffārati al-yamīni waʿalima annahā min hadhihi al-jihāti lam yaʾkhudhhā walam yufarriqhā ʿalā aṣḥābihi mina al-fuqarāʾi wayaqūlu shayʾan lā arḍāhu linafsī lā arḍāhu li-aṣḥābī wa-idhā ḥumila ilayhi walam yaʿlam annahu mina al-zakāti wa-al-ṣadaqati akhadhahā wa-akala minhā, wa-ammā al-bāqūna fakānū lā yarawna al-inbisāṭa fī mithli dhalika walā yamuddūna aydiyahum ilā al-ṭamaʿi wa-ilā al-suʾāli wa-ilā mā yarawna fīhi al-minnata wa-in jāʾahum min ghayri masʾalatin fakānū yataʿaffafūna ʿan dhalika, walaqad balaghanī ʿan baʿḍi ikhwāninā mina al-ṣūfiyyati annahu kāna yunfiqu ʿalā ikhwānihi mina al-fuqarāʾi fuqarāʾi al-ṣūfiyyati fī kulli sanatin kamā zaʿamū alfa dīnārin wakāna yaḥlifu annahu mā anfaqa ʿalayhim walā dafaʿa ilayhim dirhaman qaṭṭu min zakātihi waqad raʾaytuhu, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿaliyyin al-mushtawliyyi annahu kāna yunfiqu ʿalā al-ṣūfiyyati mā yataʿajjabu minhu tujjāru miṣra wayaqūlūna mālunā lā yafī binafaqatihi wayuqālu innahu lam tajib ʿalayhi zakātun qaṭṭu, wasamiʿtu baʿḍa al-ajillati min mashāyikhi

He boasted of this and said, “Alms-tax has never once become due from me,” meaning he was never left with wealth long enough for it to accumulate to the taxable amount. I heard that Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God have mercy on him—met al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him. Ibrāhīm had forbidden people to visit al-Shiblī, attend him, or listen to him. Wishing to test him, he asked, “What is due on five camels?” Al-Shiblī replied, “One sheep according to the obligatory rule; as for what our path requires of us, all five.” Ibrāhīm asked, “Do you have an authority for this?” He replied, “Yes: Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq—may God be pleased with him. He divested himself of all his property, and the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—asked, ‘What have you left for your dependants?’ He replied, ‘God and His Messenger.’” Ibrāhīm rose and thereafter no longer forbade people to visit him. As for the etiquette of a group of Sufis regarding alms-tax, they neither eat from it, seek it, nor accept it. God Most High has permitted them to take it, and if they eat from it, they eat what is lawful and wholesome; but by abstaining they mean to prefer the poor and avoid competing with the weak and needy. It is said that when Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr, the companion of Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sūsī—may God have mercy on them both—was offered anything, or something was brought to him from alms-tax, charity, or expiation for an oath, and he knew its source, he neither accepted it nor distributed it to his poor companions. He would say, “What I do not approve for myself, I do not approve for my companions.” If something was brought and he did not know that it came from alms-tax or charity, he accepted and ate from it. The others did not allow themselves freedom with such things or extend their hands in desire, request, or toward anything in which they perceived a claim of gratitude. Even if it came without request, they abstained. I heard of one Sufi brother who, they said, spent one thousand dinars each year on his poor Sufi brothers, yet swore that he had never spent or given them a single dirham from his alms-tax; I have seen him. It is related of Abū ʿAlī al-Mushtawlī that he spent so much on the Sufis that Egyptian merchants marvelled and said, “Our wealth could not meet his expenses.” It is said that alms-tax never became obligatory for him. I heard one of the venerable Sufi shaykhs—

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الصُّوفِيَّةِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ [كَانَ] يَكُونُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مَوَدَّةٌ مُؤَكَّدَةٌ وَيَكُونُ لَهُ فِي قَلْبِي مَحَبَّةٌ وَحُرْمَةٌ فَيَذْكُرُنِي عِنْدَ إِخْرَاجِ زَكَاتِهِ وَتَفْرِقَةِ صَدَقَتِهِ فَيُذْهِبُ [ذَلِكَ] جَمِيعَ مَا يَكُونُ لَهُ فِي قَلْبِي مِنَ الْمَوَدَّةِ، وَرَأَيْتُ فِي رُقْعَةِ إِمَامٍ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِينَ كَتَبَهَا إِلَى رَجُلٍ فَقِيرٍ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ وَكَانَ فِيهَا يَا أَخِي قَدْ أَنْفَذْتُ إِلَيْكَ شَيْئًا لَيْسَ مِنَ الزَّكَاةِ وَلَا مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ وَلَا لِأَحَدٍ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْكَ فِيهِ مِنَّةٌ فَأَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تُدْخِلَ عَلَيَّ السُّرُورَ بِقَبُولِهِ، فَأَمَّا مَا جَاءَهُمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ [وَلَا طَمَعٍ] وَلَا اسْتِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ مِنْ أَقْوَامٍ لَا يَعْرِفُونَ الصُّوفِيَّةَ وَلَا يَدَّعُونَ أَحْوَالَهُمْ وَلَا يُدَاخِلُونَهُمْ بِالْمُجَانَسَةِ وَلَا يَعْرِفُونَ أُصُولَهُمْ فَلَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُرَدَّ ذَلِكَ لِلْخَبَرِ الَّذِي قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ مِنْ هَذَا الْمَالِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَلَا اسْتِشْرَافِ نَفْسٍ فَخُذْهُ وَلَا تَرُدَّهُ فَإِنَّكَ هُوَ ذَا تَرُدُّهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِذَا لَمْ يَرُدَّهُ وَأَخَذَهُ فَهُوَ بِالْخِيَارِ إِنْ أَكَلَ مِنْهُ أَكَلَ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَإِنْ دَفَعَهُ إِلَى مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ أَحَقُّ بِذَلِكَ مِنْهُ فَهُوَ جَمِيلٌ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ دَاوُدَ الدِّينَوَرِيَّ الدَّقَّاقَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ كَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْفَرْغَانِيُّ يَكْتُبُ اسْمَهُ فِي جُمْلَةٍ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ الْجِرَايَةَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ مِنَ الْمَسَاكِينِ كَانَ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ الْوَظِيفَةَ وَيَحْمِلُهَا إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ عَجُوزٍ فِي جِوَارِهِ لَمْ يَكْتُبُوا اسْمَهَا فِي جُمْلَةِ مَنْ كَانَ يَأْخُذُ الْوَظِيفَةَ [مِنَ الْجِرَايَةِ] الَّتِي [كَانَتْ] تُفَرَّقُ فِي رَمَضَانَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَخَذَ بِعِزٍّ وَمِنْ أَخَذَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَخَذَ بِذُلٍّ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تَرَكَ بِعِزٍّ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى تُرِكَ بِذُلٍّ فَمَنْ بَنَى أَمْرَهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ هَذَا فِي الْأَخْذِ وَالْإِعْطَاءِ فَهُوَ عَلَى خَطَرٍ عَظِيمٍ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَعْلَمُ الْمُخْطِئَ مِنَ الْمُصِيبِ وَلَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللَّهِ شَيْءٌ، وَتَصْدِيقُ مَنْ يَأْخُذُ لِلَّهِ وَيُعْطِي لِلَّهِ وَيُتْرُكُ لِلَّهِ هُوَ أَنْ يَسْتَوَى عِنْدَهُ الْمَنْعُ وَالْعَطَاءُ وَالشِّدَّةُ وَالنَّعْمَاءُ، وَطَبَقَةٌ أُخْرَى اخْتَارُوا الزَّكَوَاتِ وَالصَّدَقَاتِ عَلَى الْهَدَايَا وَالْهِبَاتِ وَالْإِيثَارِ وَالْمُوَاسَاةِ فَقَالُوا

al-ṣūfiyyati wahuwa yaqūlu [kāna] yakūnu baynī wabayna rajulin mina al-aghniyāʾi mawaddatun muʾakkadatun wayakūnu lahu fī qalbī maḥabbatun waḥurmatun fayadhkurunī ʿinda ikhrāji zakātihi watafriqati ṣadaqatihi fayudhhibu [dhalika] jamīʿa mā yakūnu lahu fī qalbī mina al-mawaddati, waraʾaytu fī ruqʿati imāmin mina al-aʾimmati mina al-maʿrūfīna katabahā ilā rajulin faqīrin mina al-ṣūfiyyati wakāna fīhā yā akhī qad anfadhtu ilayka shayʾan laysa mina al-zakāti walā mina al-ṣadaqati walā li-aḥadin ghayri Allāhi taʿālā ʿalayka fīhi minnatun fa-asʾaluka an tudkhila ʿalayya al-surūra biqabūlihi, fa-ammā mā jāʾahum min ghayri masʾalatin [walā ṭamaʿin] walā istishrāfi nafsin min aqwāmin lā yaʿrifūna al-ṣūfiyyata walā yaddaʿūna aḥwālahum walā yudākhilūnahum bi-al-mujānasati walā yaʿrifūna uṣūlahum falā yanbaghī an yuradda dhalika li-al-khabari alladhī qāla al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama liʿumara bni al-khaṭṭābi raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu mā ātāka Allāhu min hadhā al-māli min ghayri masʾalatin walā istishrāfi nafsin fakhudhhu walā taruddahu fa-innaka huwa dhā tarudduhu ʿalā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla fa-idhā lam yaruddahu wa-akhadhahu fahuwa bi-al-khiyāri in akala minhu akala ḥalālan ṭayyiban wa-in dafaʿahu ilā man yaʿlamu annahu aḥaqqu bidhalika minhu fahuwa jamīlun, samiʿtu abā bakrin muḥammada bna dāwuda al-dīnawariyya al-daqqāqa raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu kāna abū bakrin al-farghāniyyu yaktubu ismahu fī jumlatin man yaʾkhudhu al-jirāyata fī shahri ramaḍāna mina al-masākīni kāna yaʾkhudhu kulla laylatin al-waẓīfata wayaḥmiluhā ilā imraʾatin ʿajūzin fī jiwārihi lam yaktubū ismahā fī jumlati man kāna yaʾkhudhu al-waẓīfata [mina al-jirāyati] allatī [kānat] tufarraqu fī ramaḍāna, waqāla baʿḍuhum man akhadha mina Allāhi taʿālā akhadha biʿizzin wamin akhadha lighayri Allāhi taʿālā akhadha bidhullin waman taraka li-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla taraka biʿizzin waman taraka lighayri Allāhi taʿālā turika bidhullin faman banā amrahu ʿalā ghayri hadhā fī al-akhdhi wa-al-iʿṭāʾi fahuwa ʿalā khaṭarin ʿaẓīmin wa-Allāhu taʿālā yaʿlamu al-mukhṭiʾa mina al-muṣībi walā yakhfā ʿalā Allāhi shayʾun, wataṣdīqu man yaʾkhudhu li-Allāhi wayuʿṭī li-Allāhi wayutruku li-Allāhi huwa an yastawā ʿindahu al-manʿu wa-al-ʿaṭāʾu wa-al-shiddatu wa-al-naʿmāʾu, waṭabaqatun ukhrā ikhtārū al-zakawāti wa-al-ṣadaqāti ʿalā al-hadāyā wa-al-hibāti wa-al-īthāri wa-al-muwāsāti faqālū

—say, “There might be a firm friendship between me and a wealthy man, and I might hold love and respect for him in my heart. Then he would remember me when paying his alms-tax and distributing his charity, and that would remove from my heart all affection for him.” I saw a note written by a well-known Imam to a poor Sufi. It read, “My brother, I have sent you something that comes neither from alms-tax nor charity, and no one but God Most High has any claim of gratitude over you for it. I ask you to bring me joy by accepting it.” As for what comes to them without request, [desire,] or expectation from people who do not know the Sufis, claim their states, associate with them as people of the same kind, or know their principles, it should not be refused. The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—may God be pleased with him: “Whatever God brings you of this wealth without request or expectation, take it and do not return it, for then you would be returning it to God, mighty and majestic.” If a person accepts rather than returning it, he may choose: if he eats from it, he eats what is lawful and wholesome; if he gives it to someone he knows is more entitled to it, that is good. I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd al-Dīnawarī al-Daqqāq—may God have mercy on him—say: Abū Bakr al-Farghānī placed his name among the poor who received a food allowance during Ramadan. Each night he took the allotted portion and carried it to an elderly woman living nearby whose name had not been entered among those receiving the [allowance] distributed in Ramadan. Someone said, “Whoever takes from God Most High takes with dignity; whoever takes for any other than God takes in humiliation. Whoever leaves something for God, mighty and majestic, leaves it with dignity; whoever leaves something for any other than God is left in humiliation. Whoever bases his conduct in taking and giving on anything else is in grave danger. God Most High knows who errs and who is right; nothing is hidden from Him.” The proof of one who takes for God, gives for God, and leaves for God is that withholding and giving, hardship and ease, are equal to him. Another group preferred alms-tax and charity to gifts, grants, self-preference, and mutual aid. They said—

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قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِلْفُقَرَاءِ حَقًّا فِي أَمْوَالِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ فَإِذَا أَخَذْنَا أَخَذْنَا حُقُوقَنَا الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَنَا فَلَا مَعْنَى لِتَرْكِهِ وَقَالُوا لَا نَخْتَارُ عَلَى مَا اخْتَارَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَنَا وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُوا الِامْتِنَاعُ مِنْ أَخْذِ الزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ ضَرْبٌ مِنْ تَعَزُّزِ النُّفُوسِ وَكَرَاهِيَةِ الْفَقْرِ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ فِي مَعْنَى ذَلِكَ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُرْتَعِشِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ فِي مَحْفِلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ مِنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ وَالتُّجَّارِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى رَجُلٍ وَمَعَهُ خُبْزٌ يَتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ عَلَى الْمَسَاكِينِ وَالسُّؤَّالِ وَقَدِ ازْدَحَمُوا عَلَيْهِ قَالَ فَقَامَ الْمُرْتَعِشُ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَصْحَابِهِ وَقَصَدَ هُنَاكَ وَأَخَذَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْخُبْزِ رَغِيفًا وَجَاءَ وَجَلَسَ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ فِعْلِهِ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ خَشِيتُ إِنْ لَمْ أَقِمْ وَآخُذُ مَعَهُمْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْخُبْزِ أَنْ يُمْحَى اسْمِي مِنْ دِيوَانِ الْفُقَرَاءِ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا تَحِلُّ الصَّدَقَةُ لِغَنِيٍّ وَلَا لِذِي مِرَّةٍ سَوِيٍّ، فَالَّذِي كَرِهَ لِلْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ أَخْذَ الزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ [كَرِهَ] لِذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَيْسَ الْغِنَى عَنْ كَثْرَةِ الْعَرْضِ إِنَّمَا الْغِنَى غِنَى النَّفْسِ أَوِ الْقَلْبِ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ وَإِنْ كَانُوا فُقَرَاءَ مِنْ أَعْرَاضِ الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّهُمْ أَغْنَى مِنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ لِأَنَّ غِنَاهُمْ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ فِي مَعْنَى مَا قُلْنَا أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ سَهْلٍ الْأَصْبَهَانِيَّ قَالَ حَرَامٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَدْفَعُ إِلَى أَصْحَابِنَا شَيْئًا مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّهُمْ فُقَرَاءُ لِأَنَّهُمْ أَغْنَى خَلْقِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى يَعْنِي أَنَّ غِنَاهُمْ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَقَالُوا يُحْتَمَلُ أَيْضًا أَنَّ مَعْنَى قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَحِلُّ الصَّدَقَةُ لِغَنِيٍّ وَلَا لِذِي مِرَّةٍ سَوِيٍّ أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ صَدَقَةً بِعَيْنِهَا مَجْعُولَةً لِلزَّمْنَى وَالْمَرْضَى وَمَنْ بِهِ عَاهَةٌ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ لَمْ يُعَلَّقْ عَلَيْهَا شَرْطٌ غَيْرُ الْفَقِيرِ وَالْفَقِيرُ هُوَ الْمُعْدِمُ فِي الْأَصْلِ، ثُمَّ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ أَخْلَاقٌ وَأَحْوَالٌ وَتَفَاضُلٌ وَأَسْرَارٌ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ اشْتِقَاقَ الْفَقْرِ مِنْ فَقَارِ الظَّهْرِ مَأْخُوذٌ وَالْفِقَارُ هُوَ الْعَظَمُ الَّذِي بِهِ قِوَامُ الظَّهْرِ فَإِذَا انْكَسَرَ وَضَعَفَ وَاحْتَاجَ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ مِمَّا يُقِيمُهُ سُمِّيَ فَقِيرًا لِلضَّعْفِ وَالْحَاجَةِ إِلَى مَا يُقِيمُهُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ، وَمَنْ

qad jaʿala Allāhu taʿālā li-al-fuqarāʾi ḥaqqan fī amwāli al-aghniyāʾi fa-idhā akhadhnā akhadhnā ḥuqūqanā allatī jaʿala Allāhu taʿālā lanā falā maʿnā litarkihi waqālū lā nakhtāru ʿalā mā ikhtāra Allāhu taʿālā lanā warasūluhu waqālū al-imtināʿu min akhdhi al-zakāti wa-al-ṣadaqati ḍarbun min taʿazzuzi al-nufūsi wakarāhiyati al-faqri, waqad ḥukiya fī maʿnā dhalika ʿan abī muḥammadin al-murtaʿishi annahu kāna fī maḥfilin min aṣḥābihi mina al-aghniyāʾi wa-al-tujjāri fanaẓara ilā rajulin wamaʿahu khubzun yataṣaddaqu bihi ʿalā al-masākīni wa-al-suʾʾāli waqadi izdaḥamū ʿalayhi qāla faqāma al-murtaʿishu min bayni aṣḥābihi waqaṣada hunāka wa-akhadha min dhalika al-khubzi raghīfan wajāʾa wajalasa fasuʾila ʿan fiʿlihi dhalika faqāla khashītu in lam aqim wa-ākhudhu maʿahum min dhalika al-khubzi an yumḥā ismī min dīwāni al-fuqarāʾi, waqad ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla lā taḥillu al-ṣadaqatu lighaniyyin walā lidhī mirratin sawiyyin, fa-alladhī kariha li-al-mutaṣawwifati akhdha al-zakāti wa-al-ṣadaqati [kariha] lidhalika li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla laysa al-ghinā ʿan kathrati al-ʿarḍi innamā al-ghinā ghinā al-nafsi awi al-qalbi, fa-hāʾulāʾi wa-in kānū fuqarāʾa min aʿrāḍi al-dunyā fa-innahum aghnā mina al-aghniyāʾi li-anna ghināhum bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waqad ḥukiya fī maʿnā mā qulnā anna ʿaliyya bna sahlin al-aṣbahāniyya qāla ḥarāmun ʿalā man yadfaʿu ilā aṣḥābinā shayʾan min ajli annahum fuqarāʾu li-annahum aghnā khalqi Allāhi taʿālā yaʿnī anna ghināhum bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla, waqālū yuḥtamalu ayḍan anna maʿnā qawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lā taḥillu al-ṣadaqatu lighaniyyin walā lidhī mirratin sawiyyin annahā kānat ṣadaqatan biʿaynihā majʿūlatan li-al-zamnā wa-al-marḍā waman bihi ʿāhatun li-anna qawla Allāhi taʿālā innamā al-ṣadaqātu li-al-fuqarāʾi wa-al-masākīni lam yuʿallaq ʿalayhā sharṭun ghayru al-faqīri wa-al-faqīru huwa al-muʿdimu fī al-aṣli, thumma baʿda dhalika lahu akhlāqun wa-aḥwālun watafāḍulun wa-asrārun, wayuqālu inna ishtiqāqa al-faqri min faqāri al-ẓahri maʾkhūdhun wa-al-fiqāru huwa al-ʿaẓamu alladhī bihi qiwāmu al-ẓahri fa-idhā inkasara waḍaʿafa wa-iḥtāja ilā ghayrihi mimmā yuqīmuhu summiya faqīran li-al-ḍaʿfi wa-al-ḥājati ilā mā yuqīmuhu wa-Allāhu aʿlamu, waman

—“God Most High has assigned the poor a right in the wealth of the rich. When we accept it, we accept the rights that God Most High has assigned us, so there is no reason to leave them. We do not choose differently from what God Most High and His Messenger chose for us.” They said, “Refusing to take alms-tax and charity is a form of the soul’s self-exaltation and aversion to poverty.” It is related in this connection that Abū Muḥammad al-Murtaʿish was once in a gathering with wealthy merchants among his companions. He saw a man distributing bread as charity to the poor and beggars, who had crowded around him. Al-Murtaʿish rose from among his companions, went over, took a loaf, returned, and sat down. When asked why, he replied, “I feared that if I did not rise and take some bread with them, my name would be erased from the register of the poor.” It is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Charity is not lawful for a rich person or for one who is sound and strong.” Those who disliked Sufis taking alms-tax and charity did so because the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Wealth does not consist in an abundance of possessions; true wealth is the wealth of the soul,” or “of the heart.” Although these people are poor in worldly goods, they are richer than the wealthy, because their wealth is through God, mighty and majestic. It is related in support of what we have said that ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Iṣbahānī said, “It is forbidden to give our companions anything on account of their being poor, for they are the richest of God Most High’s creation”—meaning that their wealth is through God, mighty and majestic. They also said that the Prophet’s words, “Charity is not lawful for a rich person or for one who is sound and strong,” may concern a particular charitable fund designated for the chronically ill, the sick, and people with infirmities. God Most High’s words, “Alms are only for the poor and the needy,” attach no condition other than poverty. The poor person is originally one who has nothing; thereafter he may possess character, states, degrees of distinction, and inward mysteries. It is said that the word faqr, “poverty,” is derived from the faqār of the back. Fiqār means the bone by which the back is held upright. When it is broken and weakened and needs something else to support it, it is called faqīr because of its weakness and need for what will uphold it. God knows best. Whoever—

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كَرِهَ الصَّدَقَةَ مِنْ جِهَةِ مَا قِيلَ إِنَّهَا مِنْ أَوْسَاخِ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّمَا قِيلَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى مَعْنَى أَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ تَحُطُّ مِنْ أَوْزَارِ النَّاسِ وَخَطَايَاهُمْ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَصَدَّقُونَ بِهَا وَلَوْ كَانَ نَقْصًا لِلْفُقَرَاءِ أَخْذُهُمُ الصَّدَقَاتِ وَالزَّكَوَاتِ أَوْ وَضْعًا مِنْهُمْ مِنْ جِهَةِ أَنَّهَا أَوْسَاخُ النَّاسِ لَلَزِمَ ذَلِكَ أَيْضًا لِلْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا [وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ] وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ، وَمَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ شَيْءٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَقَدْ فَاتَهُ فَضْلُ الصَّدَقَاتِ الَّتِي يَتَصَدَّقُ بِهَا مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ [فَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ صَدَقَاتٍ مِنَ الْأَقْوَالِ] وَالْأَفْعَالِ مِمَّا لَيْسَ فَضْلُهَا بِأَقَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَهُوَ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مُدَارَاةُ النَّاسِ صَدَقَةٌ [وَمُعَاوَنَتُكَ لِأَخِيكَ صَدَقَةٌ]، وَمِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ أَنْ تَلْقَى أَخَاكَ بِوَجْهٍ طَلْقٍ وَأَنْ تُفْرِغَ مِنْ إِنَائِكَ فِي إِنَاءِ أَخِيكَ صَدَقَةً، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنْ بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَرْثِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ يَا أَصْحَابَ الْحَدِيثِ أَدُّوا زَكَاةَ الْحَدِيثِ قِيلَ وَمَا زَكَاةُ الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ اعْمَلُوا مِنْ كُلِّ مِائَتَيْ [حَدِيثٍ] بِخَمْسَةِ أَحَادِيثَ يَعْنِي مِنْ كُلِّ مِائَتَيْ حَدِيثٍ تَكْتُبُونَهَا وَتَحْفَظُونَهَا، وَمَنْ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ الزَّكَاةُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْيَاءَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ مُؤَدِّيًا لِلزَّكَاةِ أَوَّلُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَخْذُ الْمَالِ مِنْ حَلَالٍ وَالثَّانِي لَا يَكُونُ جَمْعُهُ لِلِافْتِخَارِ وَالتَّكَثُّرِ وَالتَّرَفُّعِ عَلَى مَنْ يَكُونُ دُونَهُ فِي الْمَالِ وَالثَّالِثُ أَنْ يَبْدَأَ بِحُسْنِ الْخُلُقِ وَالسَّخَاوَةِ مَعَ الْأَهْلِ وَالْعِيَالِ وَالرَّابِعُ مُجَانَبَةُ الْمَنِّ وَالْأَذَى إِلَى مَنْ يَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ الزَّكَاةَ، وَالزَّكَاةُ حَقُّ الْفُقَرَاءِ قَدْ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي مَالِ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ فَمَنْ دَفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِمْ فَكَأَنَّهُ قَدْ رَدَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مَالَهُمْ وَقَدْ جَمَعَ بِذَلِكَ رِضَا اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالْخَلَاصَ مِنْ مُنَاقَشَةِ الْحِسَابِ وَالنَّجَاةَ مِنْ أَلِيمِ الْعَذَابِ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ الصَّوْمِ وَآدَابِهِمْ فِيهِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الصَّوْمُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ مَا مَعْنَى تَخْصِيصِ الصَّوْمِ

kariha al-ṣadaqata min jihati mā qīla innahā min awsākhi al-nāsi fa-innamā qīla dhalika ʿalā maʿnā anna al-ṣadaqata taḥuṭṭu min awzāri al-nāsi wakhaṭāyāhum li-alladhīna yataṣaddaqūna bihā walaw kāna naqṣan li-al-fuqarāʾi akhdhuhumu al-ṣadaqāti wa-al-zakawāti aw waḍʿan minhum min jihati annahā awsākhu al-nāsi li-al-zima dhalika ayḍan li-al-ʿāmilīna ʿalayhā [wa-al-muʾallafati qulūbuhum] wa-al-ghārimīna wafī sabīli Allāhi wa-ibni al-sabīli, waman laysa lahu shayʾun fī al-dunyā waqad fātahu faḍlu al-ṣadaqāti allatī yataṣaddaqu bihā mina al-amwāli [faqad jaʿala Allāhu lahu ṣadaqātin mina al-aqwāli] wa-al-afʿāli mimmā laysa faḍluhā bi-aqalla min dhalika wahuwa mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla mudārātu al-nāsi ṣadaqatun [wamuʿāwanatuka li-akhīka ṣadaqatun], wamina al-ṣadaqati an talqā akhāka biwajhin ṭalqin wa-an tufrigha min ināʾika fī ināʾi akhīka ṣadaqatan, waqad ḥukiya ʿan bishri bni al-ḥarthi annahu kāna yaqūlu yā aṣḥāba al-ḥadīthi addū zakāta al-ḥadīthi qīla wamā zakātu al-ḥadīthi qāla iʿmalū min kulli miāʾatay [ḥadīthin] bikhamsati aḥādītha yaʿnī min kulli miāʾatay ḥadīthin taktubūnahā wataḥfaẓūnahā, waman wajaba ʿalayhi al-zakātu yaḥtāju ilā arbaʿati ashyāʾa ḥattā yakūna muʾaddiyan li-al-zakāti awwaluhu an yakūna akhdhu al-māli min ḥalālin wa-al-thānī lā yakūnu jamʿuhu li-al-iftikhāri wa-al-takaththuri wa-al-taraffuʿi ʿalā man yakūnu dūnahu fī al-māli wa-al-thālithu an yabdaʾa biḥusni al-khuluqi wa-al-sakhāwati maʿa al-ahli wa-al-ʿiyāli wa-al-rābiʿu mujānabatu al-manni wa-al-adhā ilā man yadfaʿu ilayhi al-zakāta, wa-al-zakātu ḥaqqu al-fuqarāʾi qad jaʿalahu Allāhu ʿazza wajalla fī māli al-aghniyāʾi faman dafaʿahā ilayhim fakaʾannahu qad radda ilayhim mālahum waqad jamaʿa bidhalika riḍā Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wa-al-khalāṣa min munāqashati al-ḥisābi wa-al-najāta min alīmi al-ʿadhābi, bābun fī dhikri al-ṣawmi wa-ādābihim fīhi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla yaqūlu Allāhu tabāraka wataʿālā al-ṣawmu lī wa-anā ajzī bihi fa-in qāla qāʾilun mā maʿnā takhṣīṣi al-ṣawmi

—disliked taking charity because it was said to be part of people’s impurities. This expression means only that charity removes the burdens and sins of those who give it. If the poor were diminished or demeaned by accepting alms and zakat because these are called people’s impurities, the same would necessarily apply to the collectors of zakat, [those whose hearts are to be reconciled], debtors, those in God’s cause, and stranded travellers. A person who owns nothing in this world and therefore misses the merit of giving material charity has [been given by God other charities consisting of words] and deeds whose merit is no less. It is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Graciously accommodating people is charity, [and helping your brother is charity].” Charity also includes meeting your brother with a cheerful face and pouring water from your vessel into your brother’s vessel. It is related of Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith that he used to say, “Students of hadith, pay the zakat due on hadith.” Asked what that zakat was, he replied, “Put five reports out of every two hundred [reports] into practice”—that is, out of every two hundred reports you write down and memorize. A person upon whom zakat is incumbent needs four things in order to discharge it properly. First, the wealth must have been acquired lawfully. Second, it must not have been amassed for pride, multiplication of possessions, or elevation above those with less wealth. Third, one must begin by showing good character and generosity toward one’s household and dependants. Fourth, one must refrain from reminding or hurting the person to whom one pays zakat. Zakat is the poor people’s right, which God—mighty and majestic—has placed within the wealth of the rich. Whoever gives it to them has, as it were, returned their own property to them, thereby gaining God’s good pleasure, deliverance from a searching reckoning, and escape from a painful punishment. Chapter on Fasting and Their Etiquette in It. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: It is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said that God—blessed and exalted—is saying, “Fasting is Mine, and I reward it.” If someone asks what it means to single out fasting—

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مِنْ بَيْنِ سَائِرِ الْعِبَادَاتِ وَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا أَنَّ جَمِيعَ الْأَعْمَالِ لَهُ وَهُوَ يَجْزِي بِهَا فَمَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ الصَّوْمُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُ مَعْنَيَانِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ لِلصَّوْمِ تَخْصِيصًا مِنْ بَيْنِ سَائِرِ الْعِبَادَاتِ الْمُفْتَرَضَاتِ لِأَنَّ جَمِيعَ الْمُفْتَرَضَاتِ حَرَكَاتُ جَوَارِحٍ يَتَهَيَّأُ لِلْخَلْقِ أَنْ يَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهَا إِلَّا الصَّوْمَ [فَإِنَّهُ عِبَادَةٌ بِغَيْرِ حَرَكَةِ الْجَوَارِحِ فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ تَعَالَى الصَّوْمُ] لِي، وَالْمَعْنَى الْآخَرُ فِي قَوْلِهِ لِي بِمَعْنَى أَنَّ الصَّمَدِيَّةَ لِي لِأَنَّ الصَّمَدَ هُوَ الَّذِي لَا جَوْفَ لَهُ وَلَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى الطَّعَامِ وَالشَّرَابِ [فَمَنْ تَخَلَّقَ بِأَخْلَاقِي أَجْزِيهِ مَا لَا يَخْطِرُ عَلَى قَلْبِ بَشَرٍ]، وَأَمَّا مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَعَدَ عَلَى [جَمِيعِ] فِعْلِ الْحَسَنَاتِ الثَّوَابَ الْمَعْدُودَ مِنَ الْوَاحِدَةِ إِلَى عَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا [مِنَ الْعَشَرَةِ] إِلَى السَّبْعِمِائَةِ إِلَّا الصَّائِمِينَ وَ [الصَّائِمُونَ] هُمُ الصَّابِرُونَ [وَقَدْ] قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ، فَخَرَجَ الصَّوْمُ مِنَ الْحَسَنَاتِ الْمَعْدُودَةِ وَثَوَابِهَا لِأَنَّ الصَّوْمَ هُوَ صَبْرُ النَّفْسِ عَنْ مَأْلُوفَاتِهَا وَإِمْسَاكُ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنْ جَمِيعِ شَهَوَاتِهَا وَالصَّائِمُونَ هُمُ الصَّابِرُونَ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ فِي مَعْنَى ذَلِكَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا صُمْتَ فَلْيَصُمْ سَمْعُكَ وَبَصَرُكَ وَلِسَانُكَ وَيَدُكَ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا صَامَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلَا يَرْفُثْ وَلَا يَفْسُقْ فَإِنْ شَتَمَهُ إِنْسَانٌ فَلْيَقُلْ إِنِّي صَائِمٌ، وَصِحَّةُ الصَّوْمِ وَحُسْنُ أَدَبِ الصَّائِمِ فِي صَوْمِهِ صِحَّةُ مَقَاصِدِهِ وَمُبَايَنَةُ شَهَوَاتِهِ وَحِفْظُ جَوَارِحِهِ وَصَفَاءِ مَطْعَمِهِ وَرِعَايَةُ قَلْبِهِ وَدَوَامُ ذِكْرِهِ وَقِلَّةُ اهْتِمَامِهِ بِالْمَضْمُونِ مِنْ رِزْقِهِ وَقِلَّةِ مُلَاحَظَتِهِ لِصَوْمِهِ وَوَجْلِهِ مِنْ تَقْصِيرِهِ وَالِاسْتِعَانَةِ بِاللَّهِ [تَعَالَى] عَلَى تَأْدِيَتِهِ فَذَلِكَ أَدَبُ الصَّائِمِ فِي صَوْمِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ التُّسْتَرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ فِي [كُلِّ] خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا مَرَّةً فَإِذَا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ فِيهَا إِلَّا أَكْلَةً وَاحِدَةً، فَسَأَلْتُ بَعْضَ الْمَشَايِخِ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ كَانَ يُفْطِرُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ الْقَرَاحِ

min bayni sāʾiri al-ʿibādāti waqad ʿalimnā anna jamīʿa al-aʿmāli lahu wahuwa yajzī bihā famā maʿnā qawlihi al-ṣawmu lī wa-anā ajzī bihi fayuqālu lahu maʿnayāni aḥaduhumā anna li-al-ṣawmi takhṣīṣan min bayni sāʾiri al-ʿibādāti al-muftaraḍāti li-anna jamīʿa al-muftaraḍāti ḥarakātu jawāriḥin yatahayyaʾu li-al-khalqi an yanẓurū ilayhā illā al-ṣawma [fa-innahu ʿibādatun bighayri ḥarakati al-jawāriḥi famin ajli dhalika qāla taʿālā al-ṣawmu] lī, wa-al-maʿnā al-ākharu fī qawlihi lī bimaʿnā anna al-ṣamadiyyata lī li-anna al-ṣamada huwa alladhī lā jawfa lahu walā yaḥtāju ilā al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-sharābi [faman takhallaqa bi-akhlāqī ajzīhi mā lā yakhṭiru ʿalā qalbi basharin], wa-ammā maʿnā qawlihi wa-anā ajzī bihi fa-inna Allāha taʿālā waʿada ʿalā [jamīʿi] fiʿli al-ḥasanāti al-thawāba al-maʿdūda mina al-wāḥidati ilā ʿashri amthālihā [mina al-ʿasharati] ilā al-sabʿimiāʾati illā al-ṣāʾimīna wa [al-ṣāʾimūna] humu al-ṣābirūna [waqad] qāla Allāhu ʿazza wajalla innamā yuwaffā al-ṣābirūna ajrahum bighayri ḥisābin, fakharaja al-ṣawmu mina al-ḥasanāti al-maʿdūdati wathawābihā li-anna al-ṣawma huwa ṣabru al-nafsi ʿan maʾlūfātihā wa-imsāku al-jawāriḥi ʿan jamīʿi shahawātihā wa-al-ṣāʾimūna humu al-ṣābirūna, waqad ruwiya fī maʿnā dhalika ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla idhā ṣumta falyaṣum samʿuka wabaṣaruka walisānuka wayaduka, waqad ruwiya ʿanhu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla idhā ṣāma aḥadukum falā yarfuth walā yafsuq fa-in shatamahu insānun falyaqul innī ṣāʾimun, waṣiḥḥatu al-ṣawmi waḥusnu adabi al-ṣāʾimi fī ṣawmihi ṣiḥḥatu maqāṣidihi wamubāyanatu shahawātihi waḥifẓu jawāriḥihi waṣafāʾi maṭʿamihi wariʿāyatu qalbihi wadawāmu dhikrihi waqillatu ihtimāmihi bi-al-maḍmūni min rizqihi waqillati mulāḥaẓatihi liṣawmihi wawajlihi min taqṣīrihi wa-al-istiʿānati bi-Allāhi [taʿālā] ʿalā taʾdiyatihi fadhalika adabu al-ṣāʾimi fī ṣawmihi, waḥukiya ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi al-tustariyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaʾkulu fī [kulli] khamsata ʿashara yawman marratan fa-idhā dakhala ramaḍānu lam yaʾkul fīhā illā aklatan wāḥidatan, fasaʾaltu baʿḍa al-mashāyikhi ʿan dhalika faqāla kāna yufṭiru ʿalā al-māʾi al-qarāḥi

—from all other acts of worship, when we know that every deed belongs to Him and He rewards it, and asks what is meant by “Fasting is Mine, and I reward it,” two answers may be given. The first is that fasting has a distinction among the obligatory acts of worship: all the other obligations involve movements of the limbs that other people can observe, whereas fasting [is worship without movement of the limbs. For this reason God Most High said, “Fasting] is Mine.” The second concerns the word “Mine”: self-sufficiency belongs to Me, for al-Ṣamad is the One who has no cavity and needs neither food nor drink. [Whoever conforms himself to My qualities, I shall reward with what no human heart has imagined.] As for “I reward it,” God Most High has promised a measured reward for [every] good deed, from one good deed to ten like it and [from ten] to seven hundred, except for those who fast. [Those who fast] are the patient, and God—mighty and majestic—has said, [“Indeed,] the patient will be paid their reward without measure.” Fasting thus falls outside the numbered good deeds and their measured rewards, because fasting is the soul’s patient abstention from what is familiar to it and the limbs’ restraint from all their appetites; those who fast are therefore the patient. In this connection it is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “When you fast, let your hearing, sight, tongue, and hand fast as well.” It is also related that he—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “When one of you fasts, let him neither speak obscenely nor act wickedly. If someone insults him, let him say: ‘I am fasting.’” The soundness of a fast and the fasting person’s good conduct consist in sound intentions, separation from appetites, guarding the limbs, purity of food, care for the heart, constant remembrance, little concern for the provision guaranteed to him, little regard for his own fasting, fear of falling short, and seeking God’s [Most High] help in completing it. Such is the fasting person’s etiquette in the fast. It is related of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Tustarī—may God have mercy on him—that he ate once every [fifteen] days. When Ramadan arrived, he ate only one meal during the month. I asked one of the shaykhs about this, and he said that Sahl broke his fast every night with plain water—

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وَحْدَهُ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ الْبُسْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ رَمَضَانُ دَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ وَسَدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْبَابَ وَيَقُولُ لِامْرَأَتِهِ: اطْرَحِي كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ رَغِيفًا مِنْ كُوَّةٍ [فِي] الْبَيْتِ وَلَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ رَمَضَانُ فَتَدْخُلَ امْرَأَتُهُ الْبَيْتَ فَإِذَا الثَّلَاثُونَ رَغِيفًا مَوْضُوعَةٌ فِي نَاحِيَةِ الْبَيْتِ، وَأَمَّا صَوْمُ التَّطَوُّعِ فَإِنَّ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ كَانُوا يَصُومُونَ فِي السَّفَرِ وَالْحَضَرِ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ إِلَى أَنْ لَحِقُوا بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَكَانَ أَدَبُهُمْ فِي صَوْمِهِمْ مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الصَّوْمُ جُنَّةٌ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ جُنَّةٌ مِنْ أَيِّ شَيْءٍ فَقَالُوا مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّ الصَّوْمَ جُنَّةٌ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ النَّارِ لِأَنَّ الصَّوْمَ [لِلصَّائِمِ] فِي الدُّنْيَا جُنَّةٌ مِنْ سِهَامِ الْأَعْدَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَهُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ وَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ وَالنَّفْسُ وَالْهَوَى [وَالدُّنْيَا] وَالشَّهَوَاتُ، وَمَنِ اخْتَارَ الْمُدَاوَمَةَ عَلَى الصِّيَامِ اخْتَارَ ذَلِكَ لِلِاحْتِرَازِ بِالْجَنَّةِ مِنْ مَكَايِدِ الْأَعْدَاءِ لِكَيْلَا يَجِدُوا فُرْصَةً فَيَظْفَرُوا بِهِ [وَيَطْرَحُوهُ فِي النَّارِ]، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُنَيْدٍ قَاضِيَ الدِّينَوَرِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رُوَيْمًا يَقُولُ اجْتَزْتُ فِي الْهَاجِرَةِ بِبَعْضِ سِكَكِ بَغْدَادَ فَعَطِشْتُ فَتَقَدَّمْتُ إِلَى بَابِ دَارٍ فَاسْتَسْقَيْتُ فَإِذَا بِجَارِيَةٍ وَقَدْ [فَتَحَتْ بَابَ الدَّارِ وَ] خَرَجَتْ وَمَعَهَا كُوزٌ جَدِيدٌ مَلْآنٌ مِنَ الْمَاءِ الْمُبَرَّدِ فَلَمَّا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَتَنَاوَلَ مِنْ يَدِهَا قَالَتْ [لِي وَيْحَكَ] صُوفِيٌّ يَشْرَبُ بِالنَّهَارِ وَضَرَبَتْ بِالْكُوزِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَانْصَرَفَتْ قَالَ رُوَيْمٌ فَلَقَدِ اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْهَا وَنَذَرْتُ أَنْ لَا أُفْطِرَ أَبَدًا، [قَالَ صَاحِبُ الْكِتَابِ] وَجَمَاعَةٌ أُخْرَى كَانُوا يَخْتَارُونَ صَوْمَ دَاوُد عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لِمَا رُوِيَ فِي ذَلِكَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ صِيَامُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا، وَقَدْ قَالُوا فِي مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ لِأَنَّهُ أَشَدُّ الصِّيَامِ وَزَعَمُوا أَنَّ هَذَا الصَّوْمَ أَشَدُّ عَلَى النَّفْسِ مِنْ صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ [لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ إِذَا أَلْفَتِ الصَّوْمَ مَعَ الدَّوَامِ وَتَعَوَّدَتِ اشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهَا الْإِفْطَارُ وَإِذَا أَلْفَتِ الْإِفْطَارَ وَتَعَوَّدَتِ اشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهَا الصَّوْمُ] وَهَذَا الصَّوْمُ صَوْمُ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارُ يَوْمٍ لَا تَتَعَوَّدُ فِيهِ النَّفْسُ

waḥdahu kulla laylatin, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿubaydin al-busriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna idhā dakhala ramaḍānu dakhala al-bayta wasadda ʿalayhi al-bāba wayaqūlu li-imraʾatihi: iṭraḥī kulla laylatin raghīfan min kuwwatin [fī] al-bayti walā yakhruju minhu ḥattā yakhruja ramaḍānu fatadkhula imraʾatuhu al-bayta fa-idhā al-thalāthūna raghīfan mawḍūʿatun fī nāḥiyati al-bayti, wa-ammā ṣawmu al-taṭawwuʿi fa-inna jamāʿatan mina al-mashāyikhi kānū yaṣūmūna fī al-safari wa-al-ḥaḍari ʿalā al-dawāmi ilā an laḥiqū bi-Allāhi ʿazza wajalla wakāna adabuhum fī ṣawmihim mā ruwiya ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla al-ṣawmu junnatun walam yaqul junnatun min ayyi shayʾin faqālū maʿnāhu anna al-ṣawma junnatun fī al-ākhirati mina al-nāri li-anna al-ṣawma [li-al-ṣāʾimi] fī al-dunyā junnatun min sihāmi al-aʿdāʾi alladhīna yadʿūnahum ilā al-nāri wahumu al-shayṭānu wa-al-nafsu wa-al-hawā [wa-al-dunyā] wa-al-shahawātu, wamani ikhtāra al-mudāwamata ʿalā al-ṣiyāmi ikhtāra dhalika li-al-iḥtirāzi bi-al-jannati min makāyidi al-aʿdāʾi likaylā yajidū furṣatan fayaẓfarū bihi [wayaṭraḥūhu fī al-nāri], samiʿtu aḥmada bna muḥammadi bni sunaydin qāḍiya al-dīnawari yaqūlu samiʿtu ruwayman yaqūlu ijtaztu fī al-hājirati bibaʿḍi sikaki baghdāda faʿaṭishtu fataqaddamtu ilā bābi dārin fa-istasqaytu fa-idhā bijāriyatin waqad [fataḥat bāba al-dāri wa] kharajat wamaʿahā kūzun jadīdun malʾānun mina al-māʾi al-mubarradi falammā aradtu an atanāwala min yadihā qālat [lī wayḥaka] ṣūfiyyun yashrabu bi-al-nahāri waḍarabat bi-al-kūzi ʿalā al-arḍi wa-inṣarafat qāla ruwaymun falaqadi istaḥyaytu minhā wanadhartu an lā ufṭira abadan, [qāla ṣāḥibu al-kitābi] wajamāʿatun ukhrā kānū yakhtārūna ṣawma dāwud ʿalayhi al-salāmu limā ruwiya fī dhalika ʿani al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla afḍalu al-ṣiyāmi ṣiyāmu akhī dāwuda ʿalayhi al-salāmu kāna yaṣūmu yawman wayufṭiru yawman, waqad qālū fī maʿnā qawlihi afḍalu al-ṣiyāmi li-annahu ashaddu al-ṣiyāmi wazaʿamū anna hadhā al-ṣawma ashaddu ʿalā al-nafsi min ṣawmi al-dahri [li-anna al-nafsa idhā alfati al-ṣawma maʿa al-dawāmi wataʿawwadati ishtadda ʿalayhā al-ifṭāru wa-idhā alfati al-ifṭāra wataʿawwadati ishtadda ʿalayhā al-ṣawmu] wahadhā al-ṣawmu ṣawmu yawmin wa-ifṭāru yawmin lā tataʿawwadu fīhi al-nafsu

—alone. It is related of Abū ʿUbayd al-Busrī—may God have mercy on him—that when Ramadan began he entered his room, closed the door, and told his wife, “Every night, drop a loaf through an opening [in] the room.” He did not emerge until Ramadan had ended. When his wife entered, all thirty loaves were lying in a corner of the room. As for voluntary fasting, a group of shaykhs fasted continually, both travelling and at home, until they met God—mighty and majestic. Their discipline in fasting rested on the reported saying of the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—“Fasting is a shield.” He did not specify what it shields one from. They said that fasting is a shield from the Fire in the hereafter because in this world it is [for the fasting person] a shield against the arrows of the enemies who summon people to the Fire: Satan, the lower soul, caprice, [the world], and the appetites. Whoever chose to fast continually did so to take shelter behind that shield from the enemies’ stratagems, lest they find an opening, overcome him, [and cast him into the Fire]. I heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Sunayd, the judge of Dīnawar, say that he heard Rūyim say: “At midday I was passing through one of the streets of Baghdad. I became thirsty, approached the door of a house, and asked for water. A young woman [opened the door of the house and] came out carrying a new jug full of chilled water. When I reached to take it from her hand, she said, [‘Shame on you!’] ‘A Sufi drinking during the day?’ She dashed the jug to the ground and went away. I was deeply ashamed before her and vowed never again to break a fast.” [The author says:] Another group chose the fast of David—peace be upon him—because it is related that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “The finest fasting is the fasting of my brother David—peace be upon him: he fasted one day and broke his fast the next.” They explained “the finest fasting” to mean the most demanding fasting. They maintained that this pattern is harder for the soul than fasting every day, [because when the soul becomes accustomed to constant fasting, breaking the fast becomes hard for it; and when it becomes accustomed to breaking the fast, fasting becomes hard for it]. In the pattern of fasting one day and breaking the next, the soul becomes accustomed—

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الْإِفْطَارَ وَلَا الصَّوْمَ فَلِذَلِكَ قَالَ مَنْ قَالَ إِنَّهُ أَشَدُّ الصِّيَامِ، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ فِي [مَعْنَى] ذَلِكَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِذَا شَبِعْتُمْ فَاطْلُبُوا الْجُوعَ مِمَّنْ أَبْلَاكُمْ بِالشُّبَعِ وَإِذَا جُعْتُمْ فَاطْلُبُوا الشِّبَعَ مِمَّنْ أَبْلَاكُمْ بِالْجُوعِ وَإِلَّا تَمَادَيْتُمْ وَطَغَيْتُمْ، وَكَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ جَابَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَدْ صَامَ نَيِّفًا وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً لَا يُفْطِرُ فِي السَّفَرِ وَلَا فِي الْحَضَرِ وَجَهَدَ بِهِ أَصْحَابُهُ يَوْمًا أَنْ يُفْطِرَ فَأَفْطَرَ فَاعْتَلَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَيَّامًا [مِنَ الْأَيَّامِ] حَتَّى كَادَ أَنْ يَفُوتَهُ الْفَرْضُ، وَمَنْ كَرِهَ الْمُدَاوَمَةَ عَلَى الصِّيَامِ كَرِهَ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ مُعْتَادَةٌ فَإِذَا أَلِفَتْ شَيْئًا وَاعْتَادَتْهُ يَكُونُ قِيَامُهَا فِيهِ بِحُظُوظِهَا لَا بِحُقُوقِهَا فَالْأَدَبُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَا يَجْمَعَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ مَأْلُوفَاتِهَا وَإِنْ كَانَتْ عِبَادَةً أَوْ طَاعَةً لِأَنَّ النَّفْسَ مَائِلَةٌ إِلَى الْحُظُوظِ عَاجِزَةٌ عَنِ الْحُقُوقِ مَجْبُولَةٌ عَلَى الْمُنَافَرَةِ مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ فَإِذَا أَلِفَتْ بَابًا مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْعِبَادَاتِ اتَّهَمَهَا أَهْلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِهَا وَأَهْلُ الْخِبْرَةِ وَالْبَصِيرَةِ بِهَا وَبِمَكَايِدِهَا وَخَدَعِهَا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ بِصُحْبَتِي رَجُلٌ كَثِيرُ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ فَعَجِبْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ نَظَرْتُ فِي مَأْكُولِهِ فَكَانَ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ غَيْرِ طَيِّبٍ قَالَ فَأَمَرْتُهُ بِالْخُرُوجِ مِنْ مِلْكِهِ وَأَخْرَجْتُهُ مَعِي فِي سَفَرٍ فَكُنْتُ أُطْعِمُهُ الْحَلَالَ مِنْ مَوْضِعٍ أَعْرِفُهُ وَأَرْضَاهُ قَالَ فَلَمَّا صَحِبَنِي مُدَّةً كُنْتُ أَحْتَاجُ أَنْ أَضْرِبَهُ بِالدِّرَّةِ حَتَّى يَقُومَ فَيُؤَدِّيَ الْفَرْضَ، فَأَمَّا الصُّوفِيَّةُ وَالْفُقَرَاءُ الْمُجَرَّدُونَ الَّذِينَ قَطَعُوا الْعَلَائِقَ وَتَرَكُوا الْمَعْلُومَاتِ وَقَنَعُوا بِمَا قَسَمَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ مِنْ الْأَرْزَاقِ وَلَا يَدْرُونَ أَيِّ وَقْتٍ يَسُوقُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِمْ أَرْزَاقَهُمْ مِنَ الْغَيْبِ وَعَلَى يَدِ مَنْ يَبْعَثُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ فَأَوْقَاتُ هَؤُلَاءِ أَتَمُّ مِنْ أَوْقَاتِ الصَّائِمِ الَّذِي يَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَعْلُومٍ وَمَعْهُودٍ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ الْمُسْتَعَدِّ لِإِفْطَارِهِ فَإِنْ صَامُوا فَلَا يَلْحَقُهُمْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الصَّائِمِينَ فِي الْفَضْلِ، وَلِهَؤُلَاءِ الْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ [قَدْ] ذَكَرْتُهُمْ أَيْضًا آدَابٌ فِي صَوْمِهِمْ إِنْ صَامُوا فَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَنْ لَا يَصُومَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ بَيْنِ الْجَمَاعَةِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ أَصْحَابِهِ لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا

al-ifṭāra walā al-ṣawma falidhalika qāla man qāla innahu ashaddu al-ṣiyāmi, waqad ḥukiya fī [maʿnā] dhalika ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaqūlu idhā shabiʿtum fa-iṭlubū al-jūʿa mimman ablākum bi-al-shubaʿi wa-idhā juʿtum fa-iṭlubū al-shibaʿa mimman ablākum bi-al-jūʿi wa-illā tamādaytum waṭaghaytum, wakāna abū ʿabdi Allāhi aḥmadu bnu jābāna raḥimahu Allāhu qad ṣāma nayyifan wakhamsīna sanatan lā yufṭiru fī al-safari walā fī al-ḥaḍari wajahada bihi aṣḥābuhu yawman an yufṭira fa-afṭara fa-iʿtalla min dhalika ayyāman [mina al-ayyāmi] ḥattā kāda an yafūtahu al-farḍu, waman kariha al-mudāwamata ʿalā al-ṣiyāmi kariha dhalika li-anna al-nafsa muʿtādatun fa-idhā alifat shayʾan wa-iʿtādathu yakūnu qiyāmuhā fīhi biḥuẓūẓihā lā biḥuqūqihā fa-al-adabu fī dhalika an lā yajmaʿa baynahā wabayna maʾlūfātihā wa-in kānat ʿibādatan aw ṭāʿatan li-anna al-nafsa māʾilatun ilā al-ḥuẓūẓi ʿājizatun ʿani al-ḥuqūqi majbūlatun ʿalā al-munāfarati mina al-ṭāʿāti fa-idhā alifat bāban min abwābi al-ʿibādāti ittahamahā ahlu al-maʿrifati bihā wa-ahlu al-khibrati wa-al-baṣīrati bihā wabimakāyidihā wakhadaʿihā, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni adhama raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla kāna biṣuḥbatī rajulun kathīru al-ṣawmi wa-al-ṣalāti faʿajibtu min dhalika thumma naẓartu fī maʾkūlihi fakāna min mawḍiʿin ghayri ṭayyibin qāla fa-amartuhu bi-al-khurūji min milkihi wa-akhrajtuhu maʿī fī safarin fakuntu uṭʿimuhu al-ḥalāla min mawḍiʿin aʿrifuhu wa-arḍāhu qāla falammā ṣaḥibanī muddatan kuntu aḥtāju an aḍribahu bi-al-dirrati ḥattā yaqūma fayuʾaddiya al-farḍa, fa-ammā al-ṣūfiyyatu wa-al-fuqarāʾu al-mujarradūna alladhīna qaṭaʿū al-ʿalāʾiqa watarakū al-maʿlūmāti waqanaʿū bimā qasama Allāhu taʿālā lahum min al-arzāqi walā yadrūna ayyi waqtin yasūqu Allāhu taʿālā ilayhim arzāqahum mina al-ghaybi waʿalā yadi man yabʿathu Allāhu taʿālā lahum dhalika fa-awqātu hāʾulāʾi atammu min awqāti al-ṣāʾimi alladhī yarjiʿu ilā maʿlūmin wamaʿhūdin mina al-ṭaʿāmi al-mustaʿaddi li-ifṭārihi fa-in ṣāmū falā yalḥaquhum aḥadun mina al-ṣāʾimīna fī al-faḍli, walihaʾulāʾi al-fuqarāʾi alladhīna [qad] dhakartuhum ayḍan ādābun fī ṣawmihim in ṣāmū famin ādābihim an lā yaṣūma wāḥidun min bayni al-jamāʿati illā bi-idhni aṣḥābihi li-annahu idhā

—to neither breaking the fast nor fasting; for that reason it has been called the most demanding form of fasting. In this connection it is related of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—that he used to say, “When you are full, ask hunger from the One who tested you with fullness; and when you are hungry, ask fullness from the One who tested you with hunger. Otherwise you will persist and transgress.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Jābān—may God have mercy on him—fasted for more than fifty years, never breaking his fast while travelling or at home. One day his companions pressed him so insistently that he broke it, whereupon he became ill for several days [among those days] and nearly missed an obligatory prayer. Those who disliked continual fasting did so because the soul is a creature of habit: once it becomes familiar with something and accustomed to it, it performs it for its own gratification rather than to fulfil what is due. Proper discipline therefore requires that the soul not be left together with its familiar habits, even when the habit is an act of worship or obedience. The soul inclines toward its own portions, is incapable of fulfilling what is due, and is naturally disposed to recoil from obedience. If it becomes familiar with one branch of worship, people who know the soul—those experienced and perceptive concerning it, its plots, and its deceptions—view it with suspicion. It is related that Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may God have mercy on him—said: “A man much given to fasting and prayer accompanied me, and I admired him. Then I examined the source of his food and found that it came from an unsound source. I ordered him to leave his property and took him travelling with me. I fed him lawful food from a source that I knew and approved. After he had accompanied me for some time, I had to strike him with a switch to make him rise and perform the obligatory prayer.” As for the Sufis and the wholly detached poor—those who have severed attachments, abandoned assured provisions, and contented themselves with whatever sustenance God Most High apportions them—they do not know when God will send them their provision from the unseen or by whose hand He will send it. Their spiritual moments are therefore more complete than those of a fasting person who can return to a known and familiar supply of food prepared for his evening meal. If such poor people fast, no other fasting person reaches their merit. These poor whom I have mentioned also have disciplines for their fasts. One is that no single member of a group should fast without his companions’ permission, because if he—

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صَامَ شَغَلَ قُلُوبَ أَصْحَابِهِ بِإِفْطَارِهِ وَهُمْ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَعْلُومٍ وَإِنْ صَامَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْ دُونِ الْجَمَاعَةِ بِرِضَا أَصْحَابِهِ وَحَضَرَ لِلْمُفْطِرِينَ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ فَلَيْسَ يَلْزَمُهُمْ أَنْ يَنْتَظِرُوا وَقْتَ إِفْطَارِ الصَّائِمِ لِأَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا يَكُونُ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ مَنْ يَكُونُ بِهِ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى الطَّعَامِ وَرُبَّمَا <يُفْتَحُ بِهِ> فِي وَقْتِ إِفْطَارِ الصَّائِمِ مِنْهُمْ شَيْءٌ آخَرُ <بِبَرَكَةِ صَوْمِهِ> إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ ضَعِيفًا فَيَنْتَظِرُونَ وَقْتَ إِفْطَارِهِ لِضَعْفِهِ أَوْ يَكُونَ شَيْخًا فَلِحُرْمَتِهِ وَلَيْسَ لِلصَّائِمِ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَأْخُذَ نَصِيبًا لِنَفْسِهِ وَيَدَّخِرَهُ لِوَقْتِ إِفْطَارِهِ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ ضَعْفٌ فِي حَالِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ ضَعِيفًا فَيَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ لِضَعْفِهِ، وَإِذَا كَانُوا جَمَاعَةً عَادَتُهُمْ الصَّوْمِ وَفِيهِمْ جَمَاعَةٌ عَادَتُهُمُ الْإِفْطَارُ فَلَيْسَ لِلصَّوَّامِ أَنْ يَدْعُوا هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُفْطِرِينَ إِلَى أَحْوَالِهِمْ إِلَّا إِنْ أَحَبُّوا هَؤُلَاءِ مُسَاعَدَتَهُمْ عَلَى الصَّوْمِ وَمُسَاعَدَةُ الصَّائِمِ لِلْمُفْطِرِ عَلَى الْإِفْطَارِ أَحْسَنُ مِنْ مُسَاعَدَةِ الْمُفْطِرِ لِلصَّائِمِ بِالصَّوْمِ إِلَى أَنْ تَقَعَ الصُّحْبَةُ فَإِذَا وَقَعَتِ الصُّحْبَةُ فَمُسَاعَدَةُ الْمُفْطِرِ لِلصَّائِمِ بِالصِّيَامِ مَعَهُمْ أَحْسَنُ، حُكِيَ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ عَلَى الدَّوَامِ فَإِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ إِخْوَانُهُ أَفْطَرَ مَعَهُمْ وَيَقُولُ لَيْسَ فَضْلُ الْمُسَاعَدَةِ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ بِأَقَلَّ مِنْ فَضْلِ الصَّوْمِ لِلصَّائِمِ [إِذَا كَانَ مُتَطَوِّعًا] أَوْ كَلَامًا نَحْوَ هَذَا، وَيُقَالُ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الصُّوفِيَّ يَصُومُ صَوْمَ التَّطَوُّعِ فَاتَّهَمَهُ فَإِنَّهُ قَدِ اجْتَمَعَ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، وَإِنْ كَانُوا جَمَاعَةً مُتَرَافِقِينَ مُتَوَاخِينَ أَشْكَالًا وَبَيْنَهُمْ مُرِيدٌ يَحُثُّونَهُ عَلَى الصِّيَامِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُسَاعِدْهُمْ اهْتَمُّوا لِإِفْطَارِهِ وَيَتَكَلَّفُوا لَهُ رِفْقًا وَلَا يَحْمِلُونَ حَالَهُ عَلَى أَحْوَالِهِمْ وَإِنْ كَانُوا جَمَاعَةً وَمَعَهُمْ شَيْخٌ يَصُومُونَ بِصَوْمِهِ وَيُفْطِرُونَ بِإِفْطَارِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُمُ الشَّيْخُ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُخَالِفُونَ أَمْرَهُ لِأَنَّ الشَّيْخَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَصْلُحُ لَهُمْ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمَشَايِخِ الْأَجِلَّةِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ صُمْتُ كَذَا وَكَذَا سُنَّةٍ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ شَابًّا كَانَ يَصْحَبُهُ فَكَانَ يَصُومُ حَتَّى يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الشَّابُّ فَيَتَأَدَّبُ بِهِ وَيَصُومُ بِصِيَامِهِ، وَرَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ الْمَكِّيَّ بِالْبَصْرَةِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَكَانَ يَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَلَا يَأْكُلُ الْخُبْزَ إِلَّا كُلَّ لَيْلَةِ جُمُعَةٍ وَكَانَ قُوتُهُ كَمَا

ṣāma shaghala qulūba aṣḥābihi bi-ifṭārihi wahum ʿalā ghayri maʿlūmin wa-in ṣāma wāḥidun min dūni al-jamāʿati biriḍā aṣḥābihi waḥaḍara li-al-mufṭirīna shayʾun mina al-ṭaʿāmi falaysa yalzamuhum an yantaẓirū waqta ifṭāri al-ṣāʾimi li-annahu rubbamā yakūnu fī al-jamāʿati man yakūnu bihi ḥājatun ilā al-ṭaʿāmi warubbamā <yuftaḥu bihi> fī waqti ifṭāri al-ṣāʾimi minhum shayʾun ākharu <bibarakati ṣawmihi> illā an yakūna ḍaʿīfan fayantaẓirūna waqta ifṭārihi liḍaʿfihi aw yakūna shaykhan faliḥurmatihi walaysa li-al-ṣāʾimi ayḍan an yaʾkhudha naṣīban linafsihi wayaddakhirahu liwaqti ifṭārihi li-anna dhalika ḍaʿfun fī ḥālihi illā an yakūna ḍaʿīfan fayafʿala dhalika liḍaʿfihi, wa-idhā kānū jamāʿatan ʿādatuhum al-ṣawmi wafīhim jamāʿatun ʿādatuhumu al-ifṭāru falaysa li-al-ṣawwāmi an yadʿū hāʾulāʾi al-mufṭirīna ilā aḥwālihim illā in aḥabbū hāʾulāʾi musāʿadatahum ʿalā al-ṣawmi wamusāʿadatu al-ṣāʾimi li-al-mufṭiri ʿalā al-ifṭāri aḥsanu min musāʿadati al-mufṭiri li-al-ṣāʾimi bi-al-ṣawmi ilā an taqaʿa al-ṣuḥbatu fa-idhā waqaʿati al-ṣuḥbatu famusāʿadatu al-mufṭiri li-al-ṣāʾimi bi-al-ṣiyāmi maʿahum aḥsanu, ḥukiya ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaṣūmu ʿalā al-dawāmi fa-idhā dakhala ʿalayhi ikhwānuhu afṭara maʿahum wayaqūlu laysa faḍlu al-musāʿadati maʿa al-ikhwāni bi-aqalla min faḍli al-ṣawmi li-al-ṣāʾimi [idhā kāna mutaṭawwiʿan] aw kalāman naḥwa hadhā, wayuqālu idhā raʾayta al-ṣūfiyya yaṣūmu ṣawma al-taṭawwuʿi fa-ittahamahu fa-innahu qadi ijtamaʿa maʿahu shayʾun mina al-dunyā, wa-in kānū jamāʿatan mutarāfiqīna mutawākhīna ashkālan wabaynahum murīdun yaḥuththūnahu ʿalā al-ṣiyāmi fa-in lam yusāʿidhum ihtammū li-ifṭārihi wayatakallafū lahu rifqan walā yaḥmilūna ḥālahu ʿalā aḥwālihim wa-in kānū jamāʿatan wamaʿahum shaykhun yaṣūmūna biṣawmihi wayufṭirūna bi-ifṭārihi illā an yaʾmurahumu al-shaykhu bighayri dhalika fa-innahum lā yukhālifūna amrahu li-anna al-shaykha yaʿlamu mā yaṣluḥu lahum, waḥukiya ʿan baʿḍi al-mashāyikhi al-ajillati annahu qāla ṣumtu kadhā wakadhā sunnatin lighayri Allāhi wadhalika anna shābban kāna yaṣḥabuhu fakāna yaṣūmu ḥattā yanẓura ilayhi dhalika al-shābbu fayataʾaddabu bihi wayaṣūmu biṣiyāmihi, waraʾaytu abā al-ḥasani al-makkiyya bi-al-baṣrati raḥimahu Allāhu fakāna yaṣūmu al-dahra walā yaʾkulu al-khubza illā kulla laylati jumuʿatin wakāna qūtuhu kamā

—fasts, he occupies his companions’ hearts with concern for his evening meal while they have no assured provision. If one member fasts apart from the group with his companions’ consent and some food comes to those who are not fasting, they are not obliged to wait until the fasting member’s evening meal. Someone in the group may urgently need the food, and at the time when the fasting member breaks his fast some other provision may be opened to them through the blessing of his fasting. The exception is when the fasting member is weak, in which case they wait because of his weakness, or when he is an elder, in which case they wait out of respect. Nor may the fasting person take a portion for himself and store it for the time when he breaks his fast, since that indicates weakness in his state, unless he is physically weak and does so for that reason. If some members of a group habitually fast while others habitually do not, the habitual fasters must not summon the others to their own states unless the others wish to join them in fasting. For a fasting person to join one who is not fasting in eating is better than for the latter to join the former in fasting—until companionship has been firmly established. Once it has been established, it is better for the non-fasting person to join the fasting companions in their fast. It is related that al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—fasted continually, but when his brothers visited he ate with them, saying, “The merit of sharing with one’s brothers is no less than the merit of fasting for a [voluntary] faster,” or words to that effect. It is said, “If you see a Sufi observing a voluntary fast, suspect him, for some worldly possession has gathered around him.” If a mutually supportive group of like-minded brothers has a novice among them, they should encourage him to fast. If he cannot join them, they should attend to his meal and make the effort to provide him with sustenance; they should not impose their states upon his. If a group has a shaykh, they fast when he fasts and eat when he eats, unless the shaykh instructs them otherwise. They do not disobey his command, because he knows what benefits them. It is related that one of the venerable shaykhs said, “For so many years I fasted for someone other than God.” He meant that a young man accompanied him, and he fasted so that the youth would see him, learn discipline from him, and follow his fast. I saw Abū al-Ḥasan al-Makkī in Basra—may God have mercy on him. He fasted every day and ate bread only on Friday night. His monthly sustenance, as—

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قِيلَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ أَرْبَعَةُ دَوَانِيقَ يَعْمَلُ بِيَدِهِ يَفْتُلُ حِبَالَ اللِّيفِ وَيَبِيعُهَا وَكَانَ قَدْ هَجَرَهُ ابْنُ سَالِمٍ وَكَانَ يَقُولُ لَا أُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُفْطِرَ وَيَأْكُلَ [الْخُبْزَ] لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ قَدِ اشْتُهِرَ بِتَرْكِ الْأَكْلِ، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ بَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ وَاسِطَ أَنَّهُ صَامَ سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً فَكَانَ يُفْطِرُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ قَبْلَ غُرُوبِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَّا فِي رَمَضَانَ وَقَوْمٌ أَنْكَرُوا [عَلَيْهِ] هَذَا لِمُخَالَفَتِهِ الْعِلْمَ وَإِنْ كَانَ الصَّوْمُ تَطَوُّعًا وَقَوْمٌ كَانُوا يَسْتَحْسِنُونَ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ صَاحِبَهُ كَانَ يُرِيدُ بِذَلِكَ أَنْ يُؤَدِّبَ نَفْسَهُ بِالْجُوعِ وَلَا يَتَمَتَّعَ بِرُؤْيَةِ الصَّوْمِ وَرُؤْيَةِ الثَّوَابِ الَّذِي قَدْ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِلصَّائِمِينَ وَلَا يَسْكُنُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ وَعِنْدِي أَنَّ الَّذِي أَنْكَرَ فَقَدْ أَصَابَ لِأَنَّهُ اعْتَقَدَ الصَّوْمَ فَقَدْ لَزِمَهُ الْوَفَاءُ بِهِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْتَقِدِ الصَّوْمَ فَسَبِيلُهُ سَبِيلُ الْمُتَقَلِّلِينَ فَلَا يُقَالُ لَهُ صَائِمٌ وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ، وَحَكَى عَنِ الشِّبْلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ تُحْسِنُ [أَنْ] تَصُومَ الْأَبَدَ قَالَ فَكَيْفَ الْأَبَدُ قَالَ تَجْعَلُ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ عُمُرِكَ يَوْمًا وَتَصُومُهُ، فَهَذَا مَا حَضَرَنِي فِي الْوَقْتِ مِنْ آدَابِ صَوْمِ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ [وَاللَّهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ لِلصَّوَابِ]، بَابُ ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الْحَجِّ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَأَوَّلُ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الْحَجِّ الِاهْتِمَامُ لِحَجَّةِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَالتَّوَجُّهُ إِلَيْهِ بِأَيِّ وَجْهٍ يَجِدُ إِلَيْهِ السَّبِيلَ وَالِاسْتِطَاعَةَ وَيَبْذُلَ فِي ذَلِكَ مُهْجَتَهُ وَلَا يَرْكَنُ إِلَى سَعَةِ الْعِلْمِ وَطَلَبِ الرُّخْصَةِ فِي الْجُلُوسِ عَنْ حَجَّةِ الْإِسْلَامِ بِإِعْدَامِ الزَّادِ وَالرَّاحِلَةِ إِلَّا أَنْ يُقْعِدَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَرْضٌ لَازِمٌ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا وَقَالَ وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَيُقَالُ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ فَبَدَأَ بِذِكْرِ الرِّجَالِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ، وَرَوَى عَنْ

qīla fī kulli shahrin arbaʿatu dawānīqa yaʿmalu biyadihi yaftulu ḥibāla al-līfi wayabīʿuhā wakāna qad hajarahu ibnu sālimin wakāna yaqūlu lā usallimu ʿalayhi illā an yufṭira wayaʾkula [al-khubza] li-annahu kāna qadi ishtuhira bitarki al-akli, wabalaghanī ʿan baʿḍihim min ahli wāsiṭa annahu ṣāma sinīna kathīratan fakāna yufṭiru kulla yawmin qabla ghurūbi al-shamsi illā fī ramaḍāna waqawmun ankarū [ʿalayhi] hadhā limukhālafatihi al-ʿilma wa-in kāna al-ṣawmu taṭawwuʿan waqawmun kānū yastaḥsinūna dhalika li-anna ṣāḥibahu kāna yurīdu bidhalika an yuʾaddiba nafsahu bi-al-jūʿi walā yatamattaʿa biruʾyati al-ṣawmi waruʾyati al-thawābi alladhī qad waʿada Allāhu taʿālā li-al-ṣāʾimīna walā yaskunu ilā dhalika waʿindī anna alladhī ankara faqad aṣāba li-annahu iʿtaqada al-ṣawma faqad lazimahu al-wafāʾu bihi wa-in lam yaʿtaqidi al-ṣawma fasabīluhu sabīlu al-mutaqallilīna falā yuqālu lahu ṣāʾimun wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu, waḥakā ʿani al-shibliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla lirajulin tuḥsinu [an] taṣūma al-abada qāla fakayfa al-abadu qāla tajʿalu mā baqiya min ʿumurika yawman wataṣūmuhu, fahadhā mā ḥaḍaranī fī al-waqti min ādābi ṣawmi al-mutaṣawwifati [wa-Allāhu al-muwaffiqu li-al-ṣawābi], bābu dhikri ādābihim fī al-ḥajji, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu fa-awwalu ādābihim fī al-ḥajji al-ihtimāmu liḥajjati al-islāmi wa-al-tawajjuhu ilayhi bi-ayyi wajhin yajidu ilayhi al-sabīla wa-al-istiṭāʿata wayabdhula fī dhalika muhjatahu walā yarkanu ilā saʿati al-ʿilmi waṭalabi al-rukhṣati fī al-julūsi ʿan ḥajjati al-islāmi bi-iʿdāmi al-zādi wa-al-rāḥilati illā an yuqʿidahu ʿan dhalika farḍun lāzimun li-anna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yaqūlu wa-li-Allāhi ʿalā al-nāsi ḥijju al-bayti mani istaṭāʿa ilayhi sabīlan waqāla wa-adhdhin fī al-nāsi bi-al-ḥajji yaʾtūka rijālan wayuqālu fī al-tafsīri rijālan waʿalā kulli ḍāmirin yaʾtīna min kulli fajjin ʿamīqin fabadaʾa bidhikri al-rijāli alladhīna yamshūna, warawā ʿan

—was said, amounted to four dāniqs. He earned it with his hands by twisting and selling palm-fibre rope. Ibn Sālim had shunned him and used to say, “I will not greet him until he breaks his fast and eats [bread],” because he had become known for abstaining from food. I heard of a man from Wāsiṭ who fasted for many years but broke his fast each day before sunset, except in Ramadan. Some people condemned [him] because this contravened religious knowledge, even though the fast was voluntary. Others approved, saying that he intended to discipline his soul through hunger without enjoying the sight of himself as a fasting man or dwelling upon the reward God Most High has promised those who fast. In my view, the person who condemned him was right: once the man formed the intention to fast, he was obliged to fulfil it. If he did not form that intention, then his way was simply that of those who eat little, and he should not be called a fasting man. Success is through God. It is related that al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—asked a man, “Do you know how to fast forever?” The man asked, “How can one fast forever?” Al-Shiblī replied, “Make the remainder of your life a single day, and fast it.” This is what occurs to me at present concerning the fasting disciplines of the Sufis. [God is the One who grants success in what is right.] Chapter on Their Etiquette in Pilgrimage. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Their first discipline in pilgrimage is to concern themselves with the pilgrimage of Islam and set out toward it by whatever means give them a way and the ability to reach it. They expend their very lives in this and do not rely on the latitude of legal learning or seek permission to remain behind from the pilgrimage of Islam because they lack provisions and a mount—unless an inescapable duty prevents them. God—mighty and majestic—says, “Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by everyone able to make the journey,” and, “Proclaim the pilgrimage to humankind: they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every distant path.” The commentary explains “on foot and on every lean camel”; God began by mentioning those who walk. It is related—

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النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَحُجَّ حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ مَاتَ إِنْ شَاءَ يَهُودِيًّا أَوْ نَصْرَانِيًّا، فَمِنْ أَجْلِ ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَسْقُطْ عَنْهُمْ مُطَالَبَةُ الْحَجِّ وَإِنْ عَدِمُوا الزَّادَ وَالرَّاحِلَةَ لِأَنَّ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَنْ يَتَمَسَّكُوا بِالْأَحْوَطِ فِي الْفَرَائِضِ وَيَأْخُذُوا بِالْأَتَمِّ مِنْ عِلْمِ الشَّرِيعَةِ لِأَنَّ التَّعَلُّقَ بِالرُّخْصِ سَبِيلُ الْعَامَّةِ وَالْأَخْذُ بِالسُّعَّةِ وَالتَّأْوِيلَاتِ حَالُ الضُّعَفَاءِ وَذَلِكَ رَحْمَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَهُمْ، فَأَمَّا الْعَامَّةُ فَقَصْدُهُمْ إِلَى الْحَجِّ وَشَرْطُ الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُهُ الْفُقَهَاءُ، وَالْعُلَمَاءُ وَالْخَاصَّةُ وَالْعَامَّةُ فِي ذَلِكَ سَوَاءٌ وَهُوَ عِلْمُ الْمَنَاسِكِ: فَرَائِضُهُ وَسُنَنُهُ وَأَحْكَامُهُ وَحُدُودُهُ، وَإِنَّمَا قَصَدْنَا أَنْ نَذْكُرَ آدَابَ مَنْ لَيْسَ سَبِيلُهُمْ فِي الْحَجِّ سَبِيلَ الْعَامَّةِ وَهُمْ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَصْنَافٍ، فَصِنْفٌ مِنْهُمْ إِذَا حَجُّوا حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ جَلَسُوا وَاشْتَغَلُوا بِحِفْظِ أَوْقَاتِهِمْ وَمُرَاعَاةِ أَحْوَالِهِمْ فَطَلَبُوا السَّلَامَةَ وَلَمْ يَتَعَرَّضُوا لِلْبَلَاءِ مِمَّا يَلْحَقُهُمْ مِنَ الْمَشَقَّةِ فِي ذَلِكَ وَلِصُعُوبَةِ أَدَاءِ فَرْضِ الْحَجِّ وَقَضَاءِ مَنَاسِكِهَا وَحِفْظِ حُدُودِهَا، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ سَالِمٍ يَقُولُ لَمْ يَحُجَّ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ حَجَّ وَلَهُ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً وَكَانَ زَادُهُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْكَبِدِ الْمَشْوِيِّ الْمَدْقُوقِ فَكَانَ يَسْتَفُّ مِنْهُ إِذَا جَاعَ قَلِيلًا، وَكَذَلِكَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَحُجَّ إِلَّا حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَكَذَلِكَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَجَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ الْأَجِلَّةِ رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَحُجُّوا إِلَّا حَجَّةَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَحُجَّتُهُمْ فِي اخْتِيَارِهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَحُجَّ إِلَّا حَجَّةً وَاحِدَةً، وَطَبَقَةٌ أُخْرَى مِنْ مَشَايِخِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمَّا قَطَعُوا الْعَلَائِقَ وَفَارَقُوا الْأَوْطَانَ وَهَجَرُوا الْإِخْوَانَ قَصَدُوا بَيْتَ اللَّهِ الْحَرَامَ وَزِيَارَةَ قَبْرِ رَسُولِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَقَطَعُوا الْبَوَادِيَ وَالْبَرَارِيَ وَالْقِفَارَ بِغَيْرِ حَمْلِ نَفَقَةٍ وَلَا زَادٍ وَلَا سَلَكُوا عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ وَلَا تَعَلَّقُوا بِمُصَاحَبَةِ الرَّفِيقِ وَلَا عَدُّوا الْأَمْيَالَ وَلَا الْبُرُدَ وَلَا طَلَبُوا الْمَنَازِلَ وَلَا الْمَنَاهِلِ وَلَا تَعَرَّجُوا عَلَى سَبَبٍ وَلَا الْتَجَؤُوا إِلَى طَلَبٍ وَلَا انْقَضَى مِنَ الْحَجِّ وَطَرُهُمْ وَلَا انْقَطَعَ عَنْ تِلْكَ الْمَشَاهِدِ أَثَرُهُمْ وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقُولُ

al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama annahu qāla man māta walam yaḥujja ḥajjata al-islāmi māta in shāʾa yahūdiyyan aw naṣrāniyyan, famin ajli dhalika lam yasquṭ ʿanhum muṭālabatu al-ḥajji wa-in ʿadimū al-zāda wa-al-rāḥilata li-anna min ādābihim an yatamassakū bi-al-aḥwaṭi fī al-farāʾiḍi wayaʾkhudhū bi-al-atammi min ʿilmi al-sharīʿati li-anna al-taʿalluqa bi-al-rukhṣi sabīlu al-ʿāmmati wa-al-akhdhu bi-al-suʿʿati wa-al-taʾwīlāti ḥālu al-ḍuʿafāʾi wadhalika raḥmatun mina Allāhi taʿālā lahum, fa-ammā al-ʿāmmatu faqaṣduhum ilā al-ḥajji washarṭu al-ʿilmi alladhī yaʿlamuhu al-fuqahāʾu, wa-al-ʿulamāʾu wa-al-khāṣṣatu wa-al-ʿāmmatu fī dhalika sawāʾun wahuwa ʿilmu al-manāsiki: farāʾiḍuhu wasunanuhu wa-aḥkāmuhu waḥudūduhu, wa-innamā qaṣadnā an nadhkura ādāba man laysa sabīluhum fī al-ḥajji sabīla al-ʿāmmati wahum ʿalā thalāthati aṣnāfin, faṣinfun minhum idhā ḥajjū ḥajjata al-islāmi jalasū wa-ishtaghalū biḥifẓi awqātihim wamurāʿāti aḥwālihim faṭalabū al-salāmata walam yataʿarraḍū li-al-balāʾi mimmā yalḥaquhum mina al-mashaqqati fī dhalika waliṣuʿūbati adāʾi farḍi al-ḥajji waqaḍāʾi manāsikihā waḥifẓi ḥudūdihā, samiʿtu ibna sālimin yaqūlu lam yaḥujja sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi illā ḥajjata al-islāmi ḥajja walahu sitta ʿashrata sanatan wakāna zāduhu shayʾan mina al-kabidi al-mashwiyyi al-madqūqi fakāna yastaffu minhu idhā jāʿa qalīlan, wakadhalika abū yazīda al-bisṭāmiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu lam yaḥujja illā ḥajjata al-islāmi wakadhalika al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu wajamāʿatun mina al-mashāyikhi al-ajillati raḥimahumu Allāhu lam yaḥujjū illā ḥajjata al-islāmi waḥujjatuhum fī ikhtiyārihim fī dhalika anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama lam yaḥujja illā ḥajjatan wāḥidatan, waṭabaqatun ukhrā min mashāyikhi al-ṣūfiyyati fa-innahum lammā qaṭaʿū al-ʿalāʾiqa wafāraqū al-awṭāna wahajarū al-ikhwāna qaṣadū bayta Allāhi al-ḥarāma waziyārata qabri rasūlihi ʿalayhi al-salāmu faqaṭaʿū al-bawādiya wa-al-barāriya wa-al-qifāra bighayri ḥamli nafaqatin walā zādin walā salakū ʿalā al-ṭarīqi walā taʿallaqū bimuṣāḥabati al-rafīqi walā ʿaddū al-amyāla walā al-buruda walā ṭalabū al-manāzila walā al-manāhili walā taʿarrajū ʿalā sababin walā al-tajaʾū ilā ṭalabin walā inqaḍā mina al-ḥajji waṭaruhum walā inqaṭaʿa ʿan tilka al-mashāhidi atharuhum wadhalika li-anna Allāha ʿazza wajalla yaqūlu

—that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Whoever dies without performing the pilgrimage of Islam may die, if he wishes, as a Jew or as a Christian.” For that reason the demand to perform pilgrimage did not fall from them even when they lacked provisions and a mount. Their discipline was to hold to the most cautious course in obligations and adopt the most complete application of Sacred Law. Reliance on concessions is the path of ordinary people, and recourse to latitude and interpretive allowances is the condition of the weak; that is a mercy from God Most High to them. Ordinary pilgrims set out with the requisite knowledge taught by jurists. Scholars, the elect, and ordinary people are alike in this: it is knowledge of the pilgrimage rites, their obligations, customary practices, rulings, and limits. Our purpose is only to mention the etiquette of people whose manner of pilgrimage differs from that of ordinary people. They fall into three groups. The first performed the pilgrimage of Islam and then remained at home, devoting themselves to preserving their moments and watching over their spiritual states. They sought safety and did not expose themselves to the trial and hardship that would attend another journey, given the difficulty of carrying out the pilgrimage obligation, completing its rites, and preserving its limits. I heard Ibn Sālim say, “Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh performed only the pilgrimage of Islam. He made it when he was sixteen years old. His provisions were a small quantity of grilled, pounded liver, from which he would sip a little whenever he became hungry.” Likewise Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī—may God have mercy on him—performed only the pilgrimage of Islam, as did al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—and a group of venerable shaykhs—may God have mercy on them. Their argument for this choice was that the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—performed only one pilgrimage. A second group of Sufi shaykhs severed their attachments, left their homelands, abandoned their brothers, and set out for God’s Sacred House and the grave of His Messenger—peace be upon him. They crossed deserts, wastes, and barren tracts without carrying money or provisions; they did not follow the road, attach themselves to a travelling companion, count miles or postal stages, seek stopping places or waterholes, turn aside to any means, or take refuge in asking. Their longing for pilgrimage was never exhausted, nor did their traces disappear from those sacred sites. That is because God—mighty and majestic—says—

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وَقَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يَعْنِي لَا يَقْضُونَ مِنْهُ وَطَرًا، وَلَا يُمْكِنُ ذِكْرُ آدَابِ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي مَعَانِيهِمْ إِلَّا بِحِكَايَاتٍ بَلَغَنَنَا عَنْهُمْ يَدُلُّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى آدَابِهِمْ وَصِحَّةِ مَقَاصِدِهِمْ وَعُلُوِّ مَرَاتِبِهِمْ وَأَحْوَالِهِمْ وَصِفَاتِهِمْ، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْوَجِيهِيِّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ بَعْضَ الْمَشَايِخِ يَقُولُ حَجَّ حَسَنٌ الْقَزَّازُ الدِّينَوَرِيُّ رَحِمَ اللَّهُ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ حَجَّةً حَافِيًا مَكْشُوفَ الرَّأْسِ فَكَانَ إِذَا دَخَلَ فِي رِجْلِهِ شَوْكٌ يَمْسَحُ رِجْلَهُ بِالْأَرْضِ وَيَمْشَى وَلَا يُطَأطِئُ رَأْسَهُ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ صِحَّةِ تَوَكُّلِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي تُرَابٍ النَّخْشَبِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْكُلُ أَكْلَةً بِالْبَصْرَةِ وَأَكْلَةً بِنَبَاجٍ وَأَكْلَةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ يَدْخُلُ مَكَّةَ وَعَلَى بَطْنِهِ عُكْنٌ مِنَ السَّمْنِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَغْرِبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَدْخُلُ الْبَادِيَةَ وَعَلَيْهِ إِزَارٌ وَرِدَاءٌ أَبْيَضُ وَفِي رِجْلِهِ نَعْلٌ طَاقٌ كَأَنَّهُ يَمْشَى فِي السُّوقِ فَإِذَا دَخَلَ مَكَّةَ وَفَرَغَ مِنَ الْحَجِّ أَحْرَمَ مِنْ تَحْتِ الْمِيزَابِ وَيَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَكَّةَ وَهُوَ مُحْرِمٌ وَيُقِيمُ عَلَى إِحْرَامِهِ إِلَى أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، وَسَمِعْتُ جَعْفَرَ الْخُلْدِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ سَلَكْتُ الْبَادِيَةَ وَعَلَيَّ قَمِيصٌ أَبْيَضُ وَبِيَدِي كُوزٌ وَرَأَيْتُ فِي الْبُطَانِيَّةِ الَّتِي فِي وَسَطَ الرَّمْلِ دَكَاكِينَ وَتُجَّارًا [كَانَتْ] تَرِدُ عَلَيْهِمِ الْقَوَافِلُ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَعْرِفُ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ طَرِيقًا غَيْرَ الطَّرِيقِ الَّذِي يَسْلُكُهُ النَّاسُ وَالْقَوَافِلُ طَرِيقَانِ [مِنْهَا] يَنْبُتُ فِيهِمَا الذَّهَبُ وَالْفِضَّةُ، وَحَكَى جَعْفَرٌ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ فِي مَوْضِعٍ مِنْهَا جَالِسًا مُسْتَجْمِعَ الْهَمِّ وَقَدْ مَضَتْ عَلَيَّ أَوْقَاتٍ لَمْ أَتَنَاوَلْ فِيهَا الطَّعَامَ فَبَيْنَا أَنَا كَذَلِكَ إِذَا [أَنَا] بِالْخَضِرِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مَارًّا فِي الْهَوَاءِ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُ طَأطَأْتُ رَأْسِي وَغَمَّضْتُ بَصَرِي وَلَمْ أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَآنِي جَاءَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَى جَنْبِي فَرَفَعْتُ رَأْسِي فَقَالَ لِي يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَوْ أَعْرَبَنِي الطَّرْفُ

waqawluhu al-ḥaqqu wa-idh jaʿalnā al-bayta mathābatan li-al-nāsi wa-amnan qāla ibnu ʿabbāsin raḍiya Allāhu ʿanhu yaʿnī lā yaqḍūna minhu waṭaran, walā yumkinu dhikru ādābi hāʾulāʾi fī maʿānīhim illā biḥikāyātin balaghananā ʿanhum yadullu dhalika ʿalā ādābihim waṣiḥḥati maqāṣidihim waʿuluwwi marātibihim wa-aḥwālihim waṣifātihim, samiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaliyyin al-wajīhiyyi yaqūlu samiʿtu baʿḍa al-mashāyikhi yaqūlu ḥajja ḥasanun al-qazzāzu al-dīnawariyyu raḥima Allāhu ithnatay ʿashrata ḥajjatan ḥāfiyan makshūfa al-raʾsi fakāna idhā dakhala fī rijlihi shawkun yamsaḥu rijlahu bi-al-arḍi wayamshā walā yuṭaʾṭiʾu raʾsahu ilā al-arḍi min ṣiḥḥati tawakkulihi, waḥukiya ʿan abī turābin al-nakhshabiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaʾkulu aklatan bi-al-baṣrati wa-aklatan binabājin wa-aklatan bi-al-madīnati wakāna yadkhulu makkata waʿalā baṭnihi ʿuknun mina al-samni, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni shaybāna annahu qāla kāna abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-maghribiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu yadkhulu al-bādiyata waʿalayhi izārun waridāʾun abyaḍu wafī rijlihi naʿlun ṭāqun ka-annahu yamshā fī al-sūqi fa-idhā dakhala makkata wafaragha mina al-ḥajji aḥrama min taḥti al-mīzābi wayakhruju min makkata wahuwa muḥrimun wayuqīmu ʿalā iḥrāmihi ilā an yarjiʿa ilā makkata, wasamiʿtu jaʿfara al-khuldiyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu salaktu al-bādiyata waʿalayya qamīṣun abyaḍu wabiyadī kūzun waraʾaytu fī al-buṭāniyyati allatī fī wasaṭa al-ramli dakākīna watujjāran [kānat] taridu ʿalayhimi al-qawāfilu mina al-baṣrati, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla aʿrifu fī al-bādiyati tisʿata ʿashara ṭarīqan ghayra al-ṭarīqi alladhī yaslukuhu al-nāsu wa-al-qawāfilu ṭarīqāni [minhā] yanbutu fīhimā al-dhahabu wa-al-fiḍḍatu, waḥakā jaʿfarun ʿan ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahumā Allāhu annahu qāla kuntu fī al-bādiyati fī mawḍiʿin minhā jālisan mustajmiʿa al-hammi waqad maḍat ʿalayya awqātin lam atanāwal fīhā al-ṭaʿāma fabaynā anā kadhalika idhā [anā] bi-al-khaḍiri ʿalayhi al-salāmu mārran fī al-hawāʾi falammā raʾaytuhu ṭaʾṭaʾtu raʾsī waghammaḍtu baṣarī walam anẓur ilayhi falammā raʾānī jāʾa fajalasa ilā janbī farafaʿtu raʾsī faqāla lī yā ibrāhīmu law aʿrabanī al-ṭarfu

—and His word is true, “When We made the House a place of return for people and a sanctuary.” Ibn ʿAbbās—may God be pleased with him—said that this means they never satisfy their longing for it. The inward disciplines of such people can be described only through reports that have reached us about them; those reports indicate their etiquette, the soundness of their aims, and the height of their ranks, states, and qualities. I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Wajīhī say that he heard one of the shaykhs say: “Ḥasan al-Qazzāz al-Dīnawarī—may God have mercy on him—made twelve pilgrimages barefoot and bareheaded. When a thorn entered his foot, he rubbed the foot against the ground and kept walking; because of the soundness of his trust, he would not lower his head toward the ground.” It is related of Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī—may God have mercy on him—that he ate one meal in Basra, one at al-Nabāj, and one in Medina, yet entered Mecca with folds of fat on his belly. It is related that Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān said: “Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Maghribī—may God have mercy on him—would enter the desert wearing a white waist-wrapper and mantle, with a single-soled sandal on his foot, as though he were walking through the market. When he entered Mecca and completed the pilgrimage, he entered consecration beneath the waterspout of the Kaʿba, left Mecca while consecrated, and remained in consecration until he returned to Mecca.” I heard Jaʿfar al-Khuldī—may God have mercy on him—say: “I crossed the desert wearing a white shirt and carrying a jug. At al-Buṭāniyya, in the middle of the sands, I saw shops and merchants to whom caravans [used to] come from Basra.” It is related that Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—said, “I know nineteen desert routes besides the one used by people and caravans. On two [of them], gold and silver grow.” Jaʿfar also related from Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on them both—that he said: “I was sitting at a place in the desert, my attention fully gathered, after going for some time without food. Suddenly [there] was al-Khiḍr—peace be upon him—passing through the air. When I saw him, I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and did not look at him. When he saw me, he came and sat beside me. I raised my head, and he said, ‘Ibrāhīm, had your glance disclosed any desire for me—’”

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مَا جِئْتُ إِلَيْكَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ قَالَ خَرَجْتُ فِي بَعْضِ السِّنِينَ مِنْ مَكَّةَ وَاعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ لَا أَتَنَاوَلَ شَيْئًا إِلَى أَنْ أَدْخُلَ الْقَادِسِيَّةَ فَلَمَّا وَافَيْتُ الرَّبَذَةَ وَخَرَجْتُ مِنْهَا فَإِذَا أَنَا بِأَعْرَابِيٍّ [يَصِيحُ] مِنْ وَرَائِي فَلَمْ أَعْطِفْ عَلَيْهِ فَلَحَقَنِي وَإِذَا بِيَدِهِ سَيْفٌ مَسْلُولٌ وَبِيَدِهِ الْآخَرُ قَعْبٌ فِيهِ لَبَنٌ فَقَالَ لِيَ اشْرَبْ هَذَا وَإِلَّا ضَرَبْتُ رَقَبَتَكَ قَالَ فَبَقِيتُ [مُتَحَيِّرًا] فَتَنَاوَلْتُ مِنْهُ وَشَرِبْتُ وَانْصَرَفَ عَنِّي وَمَا رَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا آخَرَ حَتَّى دَخَلْتُ الْقَادِسِيَّةَ، وَحِكَايَاتُ هَؤُلَاءِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يَتَهَيَّأَ ذِكْرُهَا [هَا هُنَا] وَفِيمَا ذَكَرْنَا كِفَايَةٌ لِمَنْ عَلِمَ الْمُرَادَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَ [أَمَّا] الطَّبَقَةُ الثَّالِثَةُ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُمُ اخْتَارُوا الْمُقَامَ بِمَكَّةَ وَالْمُجَاوَرَةَ بِهَا وَحَبَسُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ هُنَاكَ لِمَا خَصَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِهِ تِلْكَ الْبِقَاعَ وَالْمَشَاهِدَ مِنَ الْفَضِيلَةِ وَالشَّرَفِ وَلِمَا وَجَدُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ مِنَ التَّنَافُرِ وَالْعَجْزِ عَنْ الْمُقَامِ بِهَا لِأَنَّهَا وَادٍ غَيْرُ ذِي زَرْعٍ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ وَهُوَ الْحِجَازُ يَحْجِزُ عَنِ الشَّهَوَاتِ وَاللَّذَّاتِ وَلَا سِيَّمَا لِمَنْ كَانَ قُوتُهُ فِي الْغَيْبِ وَرِزْقُهُ مَقْسُومٌ وَرِفْقُهُ مَعْدُومٌ وَالنَّفْسُ مَجْبُولَةٌ عَلَى الِاضْطِرَابِ عِنْدَ عَدَمِ الْوَفَاءِ بِهَا وَالْعَبْدُ مُطَالَبٌ بِالسُّكُونِ تَحْتَ الْأَحْكَامِ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ تَتَبَيَّنُ مَقَامَاتِ الرِّجَالِ، وَلَهُمْ فِي الْمُجَاوَرَةِ آدَابٌ يُذْكَرُ بَعْضُهَا فِي حِكَايَاتِهِمْ فِيمَا بَلَغَنِي، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ دَاوُد [الدِّينَوَرِيَّ] الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ أَقَامَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْجَلَّاءِ بِمَكَّةَ ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ سَنَةً لَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْ طَعَامٍ يُحْمَلُ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ مِصْرَ لِأَنَّ مِصْرَ <صَوَافِيَ> كَانَ الْمُتَقَدِّمُونَ يَتَوَرَّعُونَ عَنْ أَكْلِ طَعَامِهَا

mā jiʾtu ilayka, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma raḥimahu Allāhu ayḍan annahu qāla kharajtu fī baʿḍi al-sinīna min makkata wa-iʿtaqadtu an lā atanāwala shayʾan ilā an adkhula al-qādisiyyata falammā wāfaytu al-rabadhata wakharajtu minhā fa-idhā anā bi-aʿrābiyyin [yaṣīḥu] min warāʾī falam aʿṭif ʿalayhi falaḥaqanī wa-idhā biyadihi sayfun maslūlun wabiyadihi al-ākharu qaʿbun fīhi labanun faqāla liya ishrab hadhā wa-illā ḍarabtu raqabataka qāla fabaqītu [mutaḥayyiran] fatanāwaltu minhu washaribtu wa-inṣarafa ʿannī wamā raʾaytu shayʾan ākhara ḥattā dakhaltu al-qādisiyyata, waḥikāyātu hāʾulāʾi aktharu min an yatahayyaʾa dhikruhā [hā hunā] wafīmā dhakarnā kifāyatun liman ʿalima al-murāda min dhalika in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, wa [ammā] al-ṭabaqatu al-thālithatu mina al-mashāyikhi al-ṣūfiyyati fa-innahumu ikhtārū al-muqāma bimakkata wa-al-mujāwarata bihā waḥabasū anfusahum hunāka limā khaṣṣa Allāhu taʿālā bihi tilka al-biqāʿa wa-al-mashāhida mina al-faḍīlati wa-al-sharafi walimā wajadū fī anfusihim mina al-tanāfuri wa-al-ʿajzi ʿan al-muqāmi bihā li-annahā wādin ghayru dhī zarʿin kamā qāla Allāhu jalla waʿazza wahuwa al-ḥijāzu yaḥjizu ʿani al-shahawāti wa-al-ladhdhāti walā siyyamā liman kāna qūtuhu fī al-ghaybi warizquhu maqsūmun warifquhu maʿdūmun wa-al-nafsu majbūlatun ʿalā al-iḍṭirābi ʿinda ʿadami al-wafāʾi bihā wa-al-ʿabdu muṭālabun bi-al-sukūni taḥta al-aḥkāmi faʿinda dhalika tatabayyanu maqāmāti al-rijāli, walahum fī al-mujāwarati ādābun yudhkaru baʿḍuhā fī ḥikāyātihim fīmā balaghanī, samiʿtu abā bakrin muḥammada bna dāwud [al-dīnawariyya] al-daqqiyya yaqūlu aqāma abū ʿabdi Allāhi bnu al-jallāʾi bimakkata thamāniyata ʿashara sanatan lam yaʾkul min ṭaʿāmin yuḥmalu ilayhā min miṣra li-anna miṣra <ṣawāfiya> kāna al-mutaqaddimūna yatawarraʿūna ʿan akli ṭaʿāmihā

—“I would not have come to you.” It is also related that Ibrāhīm—may God have mercy on him—said: “One year I left Mecca resolved to take nothing until I entered al-Qādisiyya. When I reached al-Rabadha and passed beyond it, [a Bedouin] called from behind me. I did not turn toward him, so he caught up with me. In one hand he held a drawn sword, and in the other a wooden bowl of milk. He said, ‘Drink this, or I shall cut off your head.’ I remained [bewildered], then took the bowl, drank, and he left me. I saw nothing else until I entered al-Qādisiyya.” The reports of these people are too many to recount [here]; what we have mentioned is enough for anyone who understands the point, God Most High willing. The third group of Sufi shaykhs chose to reside in Mecca and live beside the sanctuary. They confined themselves there because of the distinction and honour God Most High gave those places and sacred sites, and because they found in themselves aversion and inability to remain there. Mecca is, as God—majestic and mighty—says, “a valley without cultivation.” It is the Ḥijāz, which bars one from appetites and pleasures, especially one whose nourishment lies in the unseen, whose provision is apportioned, and whose material means are absent. The soul is naturally agitated when its needs are not met, while the servant is required to remain still beneath the divine rulings. At that point the stations of true men become clear. They have disciplines for living beside the sanctuary, some of which are mentioned in the reports that have reached me. I heard Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Dāwūd [al-Dīnawarī] al-Daqqī say: “Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jallāʾ lived in Mecca for eighteen years and ate no food brought there from Egypt, because Egypt’s lands were crown estates from whose produce the early masters scrupulously abstained.”

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وَمَا يَحْمِلُ مِنْهَا وَكَانَ لَا يَشْرَبُ إِلَّا مَاءَ زَمْزَمَ يُسْتَقَى بِرَكْوَتِهِ وَحَبْلِهِ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّ الدَّلْوَ وَالْحَبَلَ الْمُعَلَّقَ عَلَى زَمْزَمَ يَكُونُ مِنْ أَمْوَالِ السَّلَاطِينِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ خَتَمَ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ خَتْمَةٍ فِي الطَّوَافِ، وَأَقَامَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو الزَّجَّاجِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِمَكَّةَ عَلَى مَا بَلَغَنِي ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْضِيَ حَاجَتَهُ خَرَجَ عَنِ الْحَرَمِ وَيَعْتَمِرُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ ثَلَاثَ عُمَرٍ وَيَأْكُلُ فِي كُلِّ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ أَكْلَةً وَمَاتَ عَنْ نَيِّفٍ وَسَبْعِينَ وَقْفَةً، وَسَمِعْتُ الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ أَقَمْتُ بِمَكَّةَ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ وَكُنْتُ اعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ لَا أُصَلِّيَ صَلَاتَيْنِ فِي مَوْضِعٍ وَاحِدٍ فَكَانَ يَمُرُّ بِيَ مِنَ الْجُوعِ مَا إِذَا رَأَيْتُ جِنَازَةً أَقُولُ لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ مَكَانَ هَذَا الْمَيِّتِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقَعُ فِي قَلْبِي فِي الْوَقْتِ يَا هَذَا أَلَيْسَتْ هَذِهِ الْفَاقَةُ الَّتِي بِكَ لَا يَعْلَمُ بِهَا أَحَدٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ فَكُنْتُ أَشْتَغِلُ بِذَلِكَ وَيَذْهَبُ عَنِّي مَا أَجِدُ مِنَ الْجُوعِ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَصْبِرَ بِمَكَّةَ عَلَى الْجُوعِ يَوْمًا وَلَيْلَةً فَهُوَ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَصْبِرَ فِي سَائِرِ الدُّنْيَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَكَانُوا يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الْمُقَامَ بِمَكَّةَ يُغَيِّرُ الْأَخْلَاقَ وَيَكْشِفُ الْأَسْرَارَ وَلَا يَصْبِرُ عَلَى الْمُقَامِ بِهَا عَلَى الصِّحَّةِ إِلَّا الرِّجَالُ، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ الطَّرَسُوسِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنَ شَيْبَانَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ أَقَامَ هَا هُنَا بِمَكَّةَ فَتًى مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ سِنِينَ فَكُنَّا نَتَعَجَّبُ مِنْ حُسْنِ جِلْسَتِهِ وَكَثْرَةِ طَوَافِهِ وَعُمْرَتِهِ وَصِيَانَةِ فَقْرِهِ قَالَ فَجَعَلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي أَنْ أَحْمِلَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ حَتَّى أُدَاخِلَهُ بِذَلِكَ قَالَ فَحَمَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ دَرَاهِمَ كَثِيرَةً وَصَبَبْتُ عَلَى طَرَفِ خِرْقَتِهِ قَالَ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيَّ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ الْخِرْقَةَ وَصَبَّ الدَّرَاهِمَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ وَخَرَجَ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ قَطُّ أَعَزَّ مِنْهُ حِينَ صَبَّهَا وَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا وَلَا أَذَلَّ مِنِّي حِينَ جَلَسْتُ أَجْمَعُهَا وَأَلْتَقِطُهَا مِنْ بَيْنِ الْحَصَا، فَأَمَّا الطَّبَقَةُ الَّذِينَ سَافَرُوا إِلَيْهَا وَأَلَفُوا مَا يَلْحَقُهُمْ مِنَ الْبَلَاءِ فِي الْقَصْدِ إِلَيْهَا فَلِمَعْنَيَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لَا تُشَدُّ الرِّحَالُ إِلَّا إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَسَاجِدَ مَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَسْجِدِي هَذَا وَمَسْجِدِ إِيلِيَاءَ، وَالْمَعْنَى الْآخَرُ هُوَ أَنَّ النَّفْسَ تَدَّعِي

wamā yaḥmilu minhā wakāna lā yashrabu illā māʾa zamzama yustaqā birakwatihi waḥablihi min ajli anna al-dalwa wa-al-ḥabala al-muʿallaqa ʿalā zamzama yakūnu min amwāli al-salāṭīni, waḥukiya ʿan abī bakrin al-kattāniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu khatama ithnay ʿashara alfa khatmatin fī al-ṭawāfi, wa-aqāma abū ʿamrin al-zajjājiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu bimakkata ʿalā mā balaghanī thalāthīna sanatan fa-idhā arāda an yaqḍiya ḥājatahu kharaja ʿani al-ḥarami wayaʿtamiru fī kulli yawmin thalātha ʿumarin wayaʾkulu fī kulli thalāthati ayyāmin aklatan wamāta ʿan nayyifin wasabʿīna waqfatan, wasamiʿtu al-daqqiyya yaqūlu aqamtu bimakkata tisʿa sinīna wakuntu iʿtaqadtu an lā uṣalliya ṣalātayni fī mawḍiʿin wāḥidin fakāna yamurru biya mina al-jūʿi mā idhā raʾaytu jināzatan aqūlu laytanī kuntu makāna hadhā al-mayyiti qāla wakāna yaqaʿu fī qalbī fī al-waqti yā hadhā alaysat hadhihi al-fāqatu allatī bika lā yaʿlamu bihā aḥadun ghayru Allāhi fakuntu ashtaghilu bidhalika wayadhhabu ʿannī mā ajidu mina al-jūʿi, wayuqālu inna kulla man yaqdiru an yaṣbira bimakkata ʿalā al-jūʿi yawman walaylatan fahuwa yaqdiru an yaṣbira fī sāʾiri al-dunyā thalāthata ayyāmin, wakānū yaqūlūna inna al-muqāma bimakkata yughayyiru al-akhlāqa wayakshifu al-asrāra walā yaṣbiru ʿalā al-muqāmi bihā ʿalā al-ṣiḥḥati illā al-rijālu, samiʿtu aḥmada al-ṭarasūsiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu ibrāhīma bna shaybāna yaqūlu samiʿtu ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣa raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu aqāma hā hunā bimakkata fatanā mina al-fuqarāʾi sinīna fakunnā nataʿajjabu min ḥusni jilsatihi wakathrati ṭawāfihi waʿumratihi waṣiyānati faqrihi qāla fajaʿaltu fī nafsī an aḥmila ilayhi shayʾan mina al-darāhimi ḥattā udākhilahu bidhalika qāla faḥamaltu ilayhi darāhima kathīratan waṣababtu ʿalā ṭarafi khirqatihi qāla fanaẓara ilayya thumma akhadha al-khirqata waṣabba al-darāhima ʿalā al-arḍi wakharaja mina al-masjidi famā raʾaytu qaṭṭu aʿazza minhu ḥīna ṣabbahā wa-aʿraḍa ʿanhā walā adhalla minnī ḥīna jalastu ajmaʿuhā wa-altaqiṭuhā min bayni al-ḥaṣā, fa-ammā al-ṭabaqatu alladhīna sāfarū ilayhā wa-alafū mā yalḥaquhum mina al-balāʾi fī al-qaṣdi ilayhā falimaʿnayayni aḥaduhumā anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama qāla lā tushaddu al-riḥālu illā ilā thalāthati masājida masjidi al-ḥarāmi wamasjidī hadhā wamasjidi īliyāʾa, wa-al-maʿnā al-ākharu huwa anna al-nafsa taddaʿī

He also refrained from anything transported from Egypt and drank only Zamzam water drawn with his own waterskin and rope, because the bucket and rope suspended at Zamzam were funded from the sultans’ wealth. It is related of Abū Bakr al-Kattānī—may God have mercy on him—that he completed twelve thousand recitations of the Qurʾan while circumambulating. Abū ʿAmr al-Zajjājī—may God have mercy on him—lived in Mecca, as I heard, for thirty years. Whenever he needed to relieve himself, he went outside the sanctuary. He performed three ʿumras every day, ate one meal every three days, and died after making more than seventy standings at ʿArafāt. I heard al-Daqqī say: “I remained in Mecca for nine years, having resolved never to perform two prayers in the same place. Hunger would affect me so severely that, on seeing a funeral, I would say, ‘If only I were in the place of this dead person.’ Then a thought would occur to my heart: ‘My friend, is this not a need of yours known to no one but God?’ I would occupy myself with that thought, and the hunger I felt would leave me.” It is said that anyone able to endure hunger in Mecca for a day and a night can endure it for three days anywhere else. They used to say, “Residence in Mecca changes character and discloses secrets. None but true men can remain there in soundness.” I heard Aḥmad al-Ṭarsūsī say that he heard Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān say that he heard Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—say: “A young poor man stayed here in Mecca for years. We marvelled at the beauty of his composure, the abundance of his circumambulations and ʿumras, and the dignity with which he guarded his poverty. I resolved to take him some coins so that I might enter into friendship with him through them. I brought him many dirhams and poured them onto the edge of his cloth. He looked at me, lifted the cloth, tipped the coins onto the ground, and left the mosque. Never had I seen anyone more dignified than he when he poured them out and turned away, nor anyone more abased than I when I sat collecting them from among the pebbles.” Those who travelled to Mecca and grew accustomed to the trials that befell them on the way did so for two reasons. First, the Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—said, “Mounts are not to be saddled for a journey except to three mosques: the Sacred Mosque, this mosque of mine, and the mosque of Aelia.” The second reason is that the soul makes claims—

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أَحْوَالًا فِي الْوَطَنِ وَفِي وَسَطِ الْمَعَارِفِ وَالْمَأْلُوفَاتِ مِنَ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالرِّضَا وَالسُّكُونِ وَالتَّسْلِيمِ وَالتَّفْوِيضِ فَإِذَا فَارَقَتِ الْوَطَنَ وَالْمَعَارِفَ تَتَغَيَّرُ أَخْلَاقُهَا وَيَبْطُلُ دَعْوَاهَا، وَيُقَالُ سُمِّيَ السَّفَرُ سَفَرًا لِأَنَّهُ يُسْفِرُ عَنْ أَخْلَاقِ الرِّجَالِ، فَإِذَا عَرَفُوهَا وَعَلِمُوا عَجْزَهَا وَضَعْفَهَا وَشَرَهَهَا وَعَايَنُوا الْمُكَمَّنَاتِ الَّتِي فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ عَمِلُوا فِي تَبْدِيلِ هَذِهِ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَمُخَالَفَتِهَا وَلَمْ يَغْتَرُّوا بِدَعَاوِيهَا وَلَمْ يَأْمَنُوا خَدَعَهَا وَشَرَهَهَا، وَبَلَغَنِي أَنَّ جَمَاعَةً أَقَامُوا بِمَكَّةَ فَكَانُوا إِذَا قَامَ أَحَدُهُمْ إِلَى الطَّوَافِ بِالنَّهَارِ يَعِيبُونَ عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ وَيَقُولُونَ: <هُوَ ذَا تَمُرُّ وَتَسْتَعْطِي> وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ رُبَّمَا يَتَّفِقُ فِي الطَّوَافِ مَنْ يَكُونُ يَرْفِقُ الْفُقَرَاءَ وَيُعْطِيهِمْ شَيْئًا فَكَانُوا يَنْتَقِدُونَ بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضِ هَذِهِ الْأَحْوَالِ، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا اعْتَقَدُوا أَنْ يَحُجُّوا أَنْ يُوَفُّوا بِعُهُودِهِمْ وَإِنْ أَحْرَمُوا مِنْ دُونِ الْمِيقَاتِ فِي غَيْرِ أَشْهُرِ الْحَجِّ أَنْ يُوَفُّوا بِذَلِكَ وَإِنْ تَلِفَتْ فِي ذَلِكَ نُفُوسَهُمْ، وَإِذَا قَصَدُوا نَحْوَ الْكَعْبَةِ لَمْ يَعْدِلُوا عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ بَعْدَ مَا تَوَجَّهُوا إِلَيْهَا وَلَا يَقْطَعُهُمْ عَنِ التَّوَجُّهِ إِلَيْهَا قِلَّةُ النَّفَقَةِ وَلَا شِدَّةُ الْحَرِّ وَالْبَرْدِ، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ دَلْوَيْهِ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ قَدْ أَوْجَبْتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي الرُّجُوعَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ مِنَ الشَّامِ وَكَانَ الْبَرْدُ شَدِيدًا فَتَأَوَّلْتُ نَفْسِي فَسَأَلْتُ أَبَا عِمْرَانَ الطَّبْرْسْتَانِيَّ عَنِ الرُّخْصَةِ فِي ذَلِكَ وَاسْتِعْمَالِ الْعِلْمِ فَقَالَ لِي إِذَا خِفْتَ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِهِ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَوَقَفْتُ عَلَى إِشَارَتِهِ فَخَرَجْتُ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ إِلَّا كُلَّ خَيْرٍ وَحَجَجْتُ، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا دَخَلُوا الْبَادِيَةَ أَنْ يُتِمُّوا الْفَرَائِضَ وَلَا يَقْصُرُونَ الصَّلَاةَ [وَلَا يَتَيَمَّمُونَ] وَلَا يَتْرُكُونَ شَيْئًا مِمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ فِي أَوْطَانِهِمْ مَا أَطَاقُوا ذَلِكَ وَإِنْ أَبَاحَ لَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ تَرْكَ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ السَّفَرَ وَالْحَضَرَ عِنْدَهُمْ سَوَاءٌ وَلَيْسَ لِأَسْفَارِهِمْ مُدَّةٌ مَعْلُومَةٌ وَلَا يَمْشُونَ بِالْأَمْيَالِ وَالْبُرُدِ وَالْمَنَازِلِ فَإِذَا أَقَامَهُمُ الْحَقُّ قَامُوا وَإِذَا سَارَ بِهِمْ سَارُوا وَإِذَا نَزَلَ بِهِمْ نَزَلُوا فَإِذَا بَلَغُوا الْمِيقَاتَ غَسَلُوا أَبْدَانَهُمْ بِالْمَاءِ وَغَسَلُوا قُلُوبَهُمْ بِالتَّوْبَةِ وَإِذَا نَزَعُوا

aḥwālan fī al-waṭani wafī wasaṭi al-maʿārifi wa-al-maʾlūfāti mina al-tawakkuli wa-al-riḍā wa-al-sukūni wa-al-taslīmi wa-al-tafwīḍi fa-idhā fāraqati al-waṭana wa-al-maʿārifa tataghayyaru akhlāquhā wayabṭulu daʿwāhā, wayuqālu summiya al-safaru safaran li-annahu yusfiru ʿan akhlāqi al-rijāli, fa-idhā ʿarafūhā waʿalimū ʿajzahā waḍaʿfahā washarahahā waʿāyanū al-mukammanāti allatī fī anfusihim ʿamilū fī tabdīli hadhihi al-akhlāqi wamukhālafatihā walam yaghtarrū bidaʿāwīhā walam yaʾmanū khadaʿahā washarahahā, wabalaghanī anna jamāʿatan aqāmū bimakkata fakānū idhā qāma aḥaduhum ilā al-ṭawāfi bi-al-nahāri yaʿībūna ʿalayhi dhalika wayaqūlūna: <huwa dhā tamurru watastaʿṭī> wadhalika annahu rubbamā yattafiqu fī al-ṭawāfi man yakūnu yarfiqu al-fuqarāʾa wayuʿṭīhim shayʾan fakānū yantaqidūna baʿḍahum ʿalā baʿḍi hadhihi al-aḥwāli, wamin ādābihim ayḍan annahum idhā iʿtaqadū an yaḥujjū an yuwaffū biʿuhūdihim wa-in aḥramū min dūni al-mīqāti fī ghayri ashhuri al-ḥajji an yuwaffū bidhalika wa-in talifat fī dhalika nufūsahum, wa-idhā qaṣadū naḥwa al-kaʿbati lam yaʿdilū ʿani al-ṭarīqi baʿda mā tawajjahū ilayhā walā yaqṭaʿuhum ʿani al-tawajjuhi ilayhā qillatu al-nafaqati walā shiddatu al-ḥarri wa-al-bardi, samiʿtu aḥmada bna dalwayhi yaqūlu kuntu qad awjabtu ʿalā nafsī al-rujūʿa ilā makkata mina al-shāmi wakāna al-bardu shadīdan fataʾawwaltu nafsī fasaʾaltu abā ʿimrāna al-ṭabrstāniyya ʿani al-rukhṣati fī dhalika wa-istiʿmāli al-ʿilmi faqāla lī idhā khifta ʿalayhi fa-alqihi fī al-baḥri fawaqaftu ʿalā ishāratihi fakharajtu famā raʾaytu illā kulla khayrin waḥajajtu, wamin ādābihim ayḍan annahum idhā dakhalū al-bādiyata an yutimmū al-farāʾiḍa walā yaqṣurūna al-ṣalāta [walā yatayammamūna] walā yatrukūna shayʾan mimmā kānū yaʿmalūna fī awṭānihim mā aṭāqū dhalika wa-in abāḥa lahumu al-ʿilmu tarka dhalika li-anna al-safara wa-al-ḥaḍara ʿindahum sawāʾun walaysa li-asfārihim muddatun maʿlūmatun walā yamshūna bi-al-amyāli wa-al-burudi wa-al-manāzili fa-idhā aqāmahumu al-ḥaqqu qāmū wa-idhā sāra bihim sārū wa-idhā nazala bihim nazalū fa-idhā balaghū al-mīqāta ghasalū abdānahum bi-al-māʾi waghasalū qulūbahum bi-al-tawbati wa-idhā nazaʿū

—to states of trust, contentment, stillness, surrender, and delegation while at home among acquaintances and familiar things. Once it leaves home and acquaintances, its character changes and its claim collapses. Travel is said to be called safar because it uncovers the character of men. When travellers recognize the soul, learn its incapacity, weakness, and greed, and directly see what lay concealed within themselves, they work to change and oppose those qualities. They are no longer deceived by the soul’s claims or secure against its trickery and greed. I was told of a group who lived in Mecca and criticized any member who rose to circumambulate during the day. They would say, “There you go, walking about and soliciting gifts!” Someone who assisted the poor and gave them something might happen to be circumambulating then, so the companions scrutinized one another regarding such motives. Another of their disciplines is that when they resolve to make pilgrimage, they fulfil their covenants. If they enter consecration before the appointed station and outside the pilgrimage months, they fulfil that commitment even should their lives be lost in doing so. Once they set out toward the Kaʿba, they do not turn from the road after facing it, nor do lack of money or severe heat and cold cut them off from their destination. I heard Aḥmad ibn Dalawayh say: “I had obliged myself to return to Mecca from Syria, but the cold was severe. I interpreted my situation leniently and asked Abū ʿImrān al-Ṭabaristānī whether I might take a concession and apply the legal allowance. He told me, ‘If you fear for it, cast it into the sea.’ I stood by his direction, set out, saw nothing but good, and performed the pilgrimage.” Another of their disciplines when they enter the desert is to perform the obligations in full: they do not shorten the prayer [or use dry ablution], and they abandon nothing they practised at home so far as they are able, even though religious knowledge permits them to leave it. Travel and residence are alike for them. Their journeys have no fixed duration, and they do not measure their progress by miles, postal stages, or stopping places. When the Real makes them stay, they stay; when He carries them forward, they go; and when He makes them halt, they halt. On reaching the appointed station, they wash their bodies with water and their hearts with repentance. When they remove—

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ثِيَابَهُمْ لِلْإِحْرَامِ وَتَجَرَّدُوا وَحَلُّوا الْعَقْدَ [وَاتَّزَرُوا] وَارْتَدُّوا فَكَذَلِكَ نَزَعُوا عَنْ أَسْرَارِهِمُ الْغِلَّ وَالْحَسَدَ وَحَلُّوا عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ عِقَدَ الْهَوَى وَمَحَبَّةَ الدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ يَعُودُوا إِلَى مَا خَرَجُوا مِنْهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا قَالُوا لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ أَنْ لَا يُجِيبُوا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ دَوَاعِيَ النَّفْسِ وَالشَّيْطَانِ وَالْهَوَى بَعْدَ مَا أَجَابُوا الْحَقَّ بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ وَأَقَرُّوا أَنَّهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ فِي مُلْكِهِ فَإِذَا نَظَرُوا إِلَى الْبَيْتِ بِأَعْيُنِ رُؤُسِهِمْ نَظَرُوا بِأَعْيُنِ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَى مَنْ دَعَاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ فَإِذَا طَافُوا حَوْلَ الْبَيْتِ بِأَبْدَانِهِمْ فَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَنْ يَذْكُرُوا قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَتَرَى الْمَلَائِكَةَ حَافِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ فَكَأَنَّهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى طَوَافِهِمْ فَإِذَا صَلَّوْا خَلْفَ الْمَقَامِ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مَقَامُ عَبْدٍ قَدْ وَفَّى لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى بِعَهْدِهِ فَنَدَبَ اللَّهُ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَالْآخِرِينَ إِلَى مُتَابَعَةِ قِدَمِهِ وَاتِّخَاذِ صَلَاتِهِمْ خَلْفَ مَقَامَهُ فَإِذَا اسْتَلَمُوا الْحَجَرَ وَقَبِّلُوهُ عَلِمُوا أَنَّهُمْ هُوَ ذَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِأَيْمَانِهِمْ فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ لَا يَمُدُّوا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَيْمَانَهُمْ إِلَى مُرَادٍ وَشَهْوَةٍ فَإِذَا جَاءُوا إِلَى الصَّفَا فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ لَا يُعْتَرَضَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ كَدُورَةٌ لِصَفَاءِ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَإِذَا هَرَوَلُوا بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ وَأَسْرَعُوا فِي مَشْيِهِمْ فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ يُسْرِعُوا بِالْفِرَارِ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِمْ وَيَهْرُبُوا مِنْ مُتَابَعَةِ نُفُوسِهِمْ وَهَوَاهُمْ وَشَيْطَانِهِمْ وَإِذَا وَافَوْا إِلَى مِنًى فَمِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَتَأَهَّبُوا لِلِّقَاءِ فَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَصِلُوا إِلَى مَنَاهُمْ فَإِذَا وَافَوْا إِلَى عَرَفَاتٍ فَأَدَبُهُمْ أَنْ يَتَعَرَّفُوا إِلَى مَعْرُوفِهِمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا نَشْرَهُمْ وَحَشْرَهُمْ وَبَعْثَهُمْ مِنْ قُبُورِهِمْ فَإِذَا وَقَفُوا فَأَدَبُ الْوُقُوفِ أَنْ يَكُونَ وُقُوفُهُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ سَيِّدِهِمْ فَإِذَا وَقَفُوا لَا يَعْرِضُوا عَنْهُ بَعْدَ وُقُوفِهِمْ فَإِذَا دَفَعُوا مَعَ الْإِمَامِ إِلَى الْمُزْدَلِفَةِ فَأَدَبُهُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعَظَمَةُ وَالْإِجْلَالُ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِذَا دَفَعُوا مَعَ إِمَامِهِمْ جَعَلُوا الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ فَإِذَا كَسَرُوا الْحِجَارَةَ لِلرَّمْيِ كَسَرُوا مَعَ الْحِجَارَةِ إِرَادَاتِ بَوَاطِنِهِمْ وَشَهَوَاتِ أَسْرَارِهِمْ وَمُكَمِّنَاتِ

thiyābahum li-al-iḥrāmi watajarradū waḥallū al-ʿaqda [wa-ittazarū] wa-irtaddū fakadhalika nazaʿū ʿan asrārihimu al-ghilla wa-al-ḥasada waḥallū ʿan qulūbihim ʿiqada al-hawā wamaḥabbata al-dunyā walam yaʿūdū ilā mā kharajū minhu min dhalika, wamin ādābihim ayḍan annahum idhā qālū labbayka Allāha labbayka labbayka lā sharīka laka an lā yujībū baʿda dhalika dawāʿiya al-nafsi wa-al-shayṭāni wa-al-hawā baʿda mā ajābū al-ḥaqqa bi-al-talbiyati wa-aqarrū annahu lā sharīka lahu fī mulkihi fa-idhā naẓarū ilā al-bayti bi-aʿyuni ruʾusihim naẓarū bi-aʿyuni qulūbihim ilā man daʿāhum ilā al-bayti fa-idhā ṭāfū ḥawla al-bayti bi-abdānihim famin ādābihim an yadhkurū qawla Allāhi ʿazza wajalla watarā al-malāʾikata ḥāffīna min ḥawli al-ʿarshi fakaʾannahum yanẓurūna ilā ṭawāfihim fa-idhā ṣallaw khalfa al-maqāmi yaʿlamūna annahu maqāmu ʿabdin qad waffā li-Allāhi taʿālā biʿahdihi fanadaba Allāhu al-awwalīna wa-al-ākhirīna ilā mutābaʿati qidamihi wa-ittikhādhi ṣalātihim khalfa maqāmahu fa-idhā istalamū al-ḥajara waqabbilūhu ʿalimū annahum huwa dhā yubāyiʿūna Allāha taʿālā bi-aymānihim famina al-adabi an lā yamuddū baʿda dhalika aymānahum ilā murādin washahwatin fa-idhā jāʾū ilā al-ṣafā famina al-adabi an lā yuʿtaraḍa baʿda dhalika kadūratun liṣafāʾi qulūbihim fa-idhā harawalū bayna al-ṣafā wa-al-marwati wa-asraʿū fī mashyihim famina al-adabi an yusriʿū bi-al-firāri min ʿaduwwihim wayahrubū min mutābaʿati nufūsihim wahawāhum washayṭānihim wa-idhā wāfaw ilā minanā famin ādābihim fī dhalika an yataʾahhabū li-al-qāʾi falaʿallahum yaṣilū ilā manāhum fa-idhā wāfaw ilā ʿarafātin fa-adabuhum an yataʿarrafū ilā maʿrūfihim wayadhkurū nashrahum waḥashrahum wabaʿthahum min qubūrihim fa-idhā waqafū fa-adabu al-wuqūfi an yakūna wuqūfuhum bayna yaday sayyidihim fa-idhā waqafū lā yaʿriḍū ʿanhu baʿda wuqūfihim fa-idhā dafaʿū maʿa al-imāmi ilā al-muzdalifati fa-adabuhum an yakūna fī qulūbihimu al-ʿaẓamatu wa-al-ijlālu li-Allāhi taʿālā fa-idhā dafaʿū maʿa imāmihim jaʿalū al-dunyā wa-al-ākhirata warāʾa ẓuhūrihim fa-idhā kasarū al-ḥijārata li-al-ramyi kasarū maʿa al-ḥijārati irādāti bawāṭinihim washahawāti asrārihim wamukammināti

—their clothes for consecration, strip themselves, untie their knots, [wrap themselves in waist-cloths], and put on their mantles, they likewise strip rancour and envy from their inward beings and untie from their hearts the knots of caprice and love of this world, never returning to what they have left. Another discipline is that after saying, “At Your service, O God, at Your service; at Your service, You have no partner,” they no longer answer the summons of the lower soul, Satan, or caprice, for they have answered the Real with the talbiya and acknowledged that He has no partner in His dominion. When they look at the House with the eyes of their heads, they look with the eyes of their hearts toward the One who invited them to it. When they circle the House with their bodies, their discipline is to remember God’s words—mighty and majestic—“You will see the angels encircling the Throne,” as though they were beholding their own circling. When they pray behind the Station, they know that it is the station of a servant who fulfilled his covenant with God Most High; God therefore summoned the first and the last to follow in his footsteps and take their place of prayer behind his station. When they touch and kiss the Stone, they know that there they are pledging allegiance to God Most High with their right hands; proper conduct then requires them never again to extend their hands toward an object of desire or appetite. When they reach al-Ṣafā, proper conduct requires that no turbidity thereafter disturb the purity of their hearts. When they hasten between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwa and quicken their pace, proper conduct requires them to flee swiftly from their enemy and escape following their souls, caprices, and devils. When they arrive at Minā, their discipline is to prepare for the encounter, in the hope of reaching their deepest wishes. When they reach ʿArafāt, their discipline is to seek recognition from the One they know and remember their being raised, gathered, and sent out from their graves. When they stand, the discipline of the standing is that it be before their Master; once they have stood before Him, they do not turn away. When they move with the Imam toward Muzdalifa, their discipline is to carry majesty and reverence for God Most High in their hearts. As they move with their Imam, they put this world and the next behind their backs. When they break stones for the stoning, they break with them the inward wills, secret appetites, and hidden recesses—

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أَهْوَائِهِمْ فَإِذَا ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عِنْدَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ فَالْأَدَبُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَصْحُوبُهُمْ تَعْظِيمَ مَشَاعِرِهِمْ وَتَشْرِيفَ مَشَاهِدِهِمْ وَإِعْظَامَ حُرُمَاتِهَا فَإِذَا رَمَوُا الْجَمْرَ رَمَوْا بِحُسْنِ الْأَدَبِ بِمُلَاحَظَةِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَمُشَاهَدَةِ أَفْعَالِهِمْ فَإِذَا حَلَقُوا رُؤُوسَهُمْ فَأَدَبَهُمْ أَنْ يَحْلِقُوا عَنْ بَوَاطِنِهِمْ حُبَّ الثَّنَاءِ وَالْمَحْمَدَةِ مَعَ حَلْقِ رُؤُوسِهِمْ فَإِذَا ذَبَحُوا فَأَدَبُهُمْ فِي الذَّبْحِ أَنْ يَبْدَءُوا بِذَبْحِ نُفُوسِهِمْ فِي نُفُوسِهِمْ قَبْلَ ذَبْحِ ذَبِيحَتِهِمْ فَإِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَى طَوَافِ الزِّيَارَةِ وَتَعَلَّقُوا بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ لَا يَتَعَلَّقُوا بِغَيْرِهِ وَلَا يَلُوذُوا بِأَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ بَعْدَ اللَّيَاذَةِ وَالتَّعَلُّقِ بِهِ فَإِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَى مِنًى وَأَقَامُوا بِهَا أَيَّامَ التَّشْرِيقِ وَحَلَّ لَهُمْ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ فَمِنَ الْأَدَبِ أَنْ لَا يُحَلِّلُوا مَا حُرَّمُوا عَلَى نُفُوسِهِمْ مِنْ مُخَالَفَةِ سَيِّدِهِمْ وَمُتَابَعَةِ حُظُوظِهِمْ وَلَا يُكَدِّرُوا مَا صَفَا مِنْ أَوْقَاتِهِمْ وَلَا يَتَّكِلُوا إِلَّا عَلَى سَعَةِ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بَعْدَ قَضَاءِ مَنَاسِكِهِ لِأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَتَيَقَّنُوا بِقَبُولِ حُجَّتِهِمْ وَيَسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّهِ عَلَى أُمُورِهِمْ وَيَسْتَغِيثُوا بِاللَّهِ بِأَسْرَارِهِمْ وَعَلَانِيَتِهِمْ فَإِنَّهُ قَادِرٌ عَلَى كَشْفِ ضُرِّهِمْ وَخَلَاصِهِمْ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ شَيْخًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ فِي الْبَادِيَةِ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يُشِيرُ إِلَى التَّوَكُّلِ عَرَّجَ عَلَى سَبَبٍ بَعْدَ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا فَنَهَاهُ شَيْخٌ آخَرُ فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ فَهَجَرُوهُ وَلَمْ يَعْدُّوهُ مِنْهُمْ، وَسَمِعْتُ الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ دَخَلْتُ مِصْرَ فَقَصَدْتُ الزُّقَّاقَ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِي مِنْ أَيْنَ أَقْبَلْتَ فَقُلْتُ مِنَ الْحِجَازِ فَقَالَ لِي خُذْ حِكَايَةً فِي الْحِجَازِ تَهْتَ فِي تِيهِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا لَمْ آكُلْ وَلَمْ أَشْرَبْ فَرَأَيْتُ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ خَيَالًا فَطَمِعَتْ نَفْسِي فَلَمَّا دَنَوْتُ فَإِذَا أَنَا بِعَسْكَرٍ مَعَ أَمِيرٍ لَهُمْ مَارِّينَ إِلَى قَلْزَمَ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ [أَنَّهُمْ] مِنَ الْجُنْدِ أَيِسَتْ نَفْسِي مِنْهُمْ فَعَرَضُوا عَلَيَّ الطَّعَامَ فَلَمْ آكُلْ وَالْمَاءِ فَلَمْ أَشْرَبْ فَقَالَ لِي أَمِيرُهُمْ أَنْتَ فِي حَالٍ تَحِلُّ لَكَ الْمَيْتَةُ فَلَمْ تَمْتَنِعْ مِنْ طَعَامِنَا فَقُلْتُ نَحْنُ إِذَا كُنَّا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِشَرْطِ الْعِلْمِ لَا نَرْضَى لِأَنْفُسِنَا أَنْ نَنْبَسِطَ إِلَيْكُمْ فَكَيْفَ نَنْبَسِطُ

ahwāʾihim fa-idhā dhakarū Allāha taʿālā ʿinda al-mashʿari al-ḥarāmi fa-al-adabu ʿinda dhalika an yakūna maṣḥūbuhum taʿẓīma mashāʿirihim watashrīfa mashāhidihim wa-iʿẓāma ḥurumātihā fa-idhā ramawu al-jamra ramaw biḥusni al-adabi bimulāḥaẓati aʿmālihim wamushāhadati afʿālihim fa-idhā ḥalaqū ruʾūsahum fa-adabahum an yaḥliqū ʿan bawāṭinihim ḥubba al-thanāʾi wa-al-maḥmadati maʿa ḥalqi ruʾūsihim fa-idhā dhabaḥū fa-adabuhum fī al-dhabḥi an yabdaʾū bidhabḥi nufūsihim fī nufūsihim qabla dhabḥi dhabīḥatihim fa-idhā rajaʿū ilā ṭawāfi al-ziyārati wataʿallaqū bi-astāri al-kaʿbati famina al-adabi an lā yataʿallaqū bighayrihi walā yalūdhū bi-aḥadin min khalqihi baʿda al-layādhati wa-al-taʿalluqi bihi fa-idhā rajaʿū ilā minanā wa-aqāmū bihā ayyāma al-tashrīqi waḥalla lahum kullu shayʾin famina al-adabi an lā yuḥallilū mā ḥurramū ʿalā nufūsihim min mukhālafati sayyidihim wamutābaʿati ḥuẓūẓihim walā yukaddirū mā ṣafā min awqātihim walā yattakilū illā ʿalā saʿati raḥmati Allāhi taʿālā baʿda qaḍāʾi manāsikihi li-annahum lam yatayaqqanū biqabūli ḥujjatihim wayastaʿīnū bi-Allāhi ʿalā umūrihim wayastaghīthū bi-Allāhi bi-asrārihim waʿalāniyatihim fa-innahu qādirun ʿalā kashfi ḍurrihim wakhalāṣihim, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla raʾaytu shaykhan min ahli al-maʿrifati fī al-bādiyati mimman kāna yushīru ilā al-tawakkuli ʿarraja ʿalā sababin baʿda sabʿata ʿashara yawman fanahāhu shaykhun ākharu falam yaqbal fahajarūhu walam yaʿddūhu minhum, wasamiʿtu al-daqqiyya yaqūlu dakhaltu miṣra faqaṣadtu al-zuqqāqa fasallamtu ʿalayhi faqāla lī min ayna aqbalta faqultu mina al-ḥijāzi faqāla lī khudh ḥikāyatan fī al-ḥijāzi tahta fī tīhi banī isrāʾīla sabʿata ʿashara yawman lam ākul walam ashrab faraʾaytu min baʿīdin khayālan faṭamiʿat nafsī falammā danawtu fa-idhā anā biʿaskarin maʿa amīrin lahum mārrīna ilā qalzama falammā raʾaytu [annahum] mina al-jundi ayisat nafsī minhum faʿaraḍū ʿalayya al-ṭaʿāma falam ākul wa-al-māʾi falam ashrab faqāla lī amīruhum anta fī ḥālin taḥillu laka al-maytatu falam tamtaniʿ min ṭaʿāminā faqultu naḥnu idhā kunnā bayna al-nāsi bisharṭi al-ʿilmi lā narḍā li-anfusinā an nanbasiṭa ilaykum fakayfa nanbasiṭu

—of their caprices. When they remember God Most High at the Sacred Waymark, their remembrance must be accompanied by magnifying His rites, honouring His sacred sites, and venerating their sanctities. When they cast the pebbles, they do so with good conduct, attending to their deeds and witnessing their own actions. When they shave their heads, their discipline is to shave from within themselves love of praise and commendation along with the hair of their heads. When they sacrifice, their discipline is first to sacrifice their lower souls within themselves before slaughtering their animals. When they return for the visitation circumambulation and cling to the curtains of the Kaʿba, proper conduct requires them not to cling to anyone but Him or seek refuge in any creature after seeking refuge in and clinging to Him. When they return to Minā, remain there through the days of tashrīq, and everything becomes lawful to them, proper conduct requires them not to declare lawful what they had forbidden their souls—disobeying their Master and pursuing their own portions. They must not cloud the moments that have become clear, and after completing the rites they rely only upon the breadth of God Most High’s mercy, for they have no certainty that their pilgrimage has been accepted. They seek God’s help in their affairs and call inwardly and openly for His rescue, for He is able to remove their harm and deliver them. It is related that Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—said: “In the desert I saw a shaykh among the people of knowledge who used to advocate trust in God. After seventeen days he turned aside to a means. Another shaykh forbade him, but he did not listen, so they shunned him and no longer counted him among them.” I heard al-Daqqī say: “I entered Egypt and went to al-Zuqāq. After I greeted him, he asked, ‘Where have you come from?’ I replied, ‘From the Ḥijāz.’ He said, ‘Then take a story about the Ḥijāz. I wandered in the wilderness of the Children of Israel for seventeen days without eating or drinking. From a distance I saw a shape, and my soul became hopeful. When I drew near, I found an army under its commander travelling toward al-Qulzum. When I saw [that] they were soldiers, my soul despaired of them. They offered me food, but I did not eat, and water, but I did not drink. Their commander said, “You are in a condition in which carrion is lawful for you, yet you refuse our food!” I replied, “When we are among people and governed by the condition of Sacred Law, we are unwilling to make free with you; how could we make free—’”

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إِلَيْكُمْ فِي [مِثْلِ] هَذَا الْوَقْتِ وَالْوَقْتُ كُلُّهُ حَقِيقَةً أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَحَكَى أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ عَيْنِهِ وَكَانَتْ إِحْدَى عَيْنَيْهِ قَدْ ذَهَبَتْ فَقَالَ كُنْتُ تَهِتُّ فِي التِّيهِ كَذَا وَكَذَا يَوْمًا فَكَانَ عَلَيَّ مَسْحٍ فَهَاجَتْ عَيْنِي فَكُنْتُ أَمْسَحُهَا بِالْمِسْحِ فَسَالَتْ، وَهُوَ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ فِي هَذِهِ السَّفْرَةِ الَّتِي حَكَاهَا <مَعَ> أَمِيرِ الْجُنْدِ، وَهَاتَانِ الْحِكَايَتَانِ وَحِكَايَةُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ وَحِكَايَةُ الدَّقِّيِّ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقِ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ [آدَابِ] الْفُقَرَاءِ بَعْضِهِمْ مَعَ بَعْضٍ وَأَحْكَامِهِمْ فِي الْحَضَرِ وَالسَّفَرِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى [قَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ] الْفَقْرُ بَحْرُ الْبَلَاءِ وَبَلَاؤُهُ كُلُّهُ عِزٌّ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِلْمُ الْفَقِيرِ إِذَا قَوَى ضَعُفَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ وَإِذَا ضَعُفَ قَوِيَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ وَحُكْمُ الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ فَوْقَ مَحَبَّتِهِ، سَمِعْتُ الدَّقِّيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِدِمَشْقَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِمِصْرَ يَقُولُ مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً أَصْحَبُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَأَعَاشِرِهُمْ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ قَطُّ رِفْقًا لِأَصْحَابِنَا إِلَّا لِبَعْضِهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ أَوْ مِمَّنْ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَصْحَبْهُ التَّقِيَّةُ وَالْوَرَعُ فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ أَكَلَ الْحَرَامَ <الْمَحْضَ>، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْجَلَّاءِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَنْ لَمْ يَصْحَبْهُ الْوَرَعُ فِي فَقْرِهِ أَكَلَ الْحَرَامَ <الْمَحْضَ> وَهُوَ لَا يُدْرَى، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ أَدَبُ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ [فِي فَقْرِهِ] ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ لَا يَسْأَلُ إِذَا احْتَاجَ وَلَا يَرُدُّ إِذَا أُعْطِيَ وَلَا يَحْبِسُ لِوَقْتٍ ثَانٍ إِذَا أَخَذَ، وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ أَدَبُ الْفَقِيرِ [الصَّادِقِ] فِي فَقْرِهِ

ilaykum fī [mithli] hadhā al-waqti wa-al-waqtu kulluhu ḥaqīqatan aw kamā qāla, waḥakā annahu suʾila ʿan ʿaynihi wakānat iḥdā ʿaynayhi qad dhahabat faqāla kuntu tahittu fī al-tīhi kadhā wakadhā yawman fakāna ʿalayya masḥin fahājat ʿaynī fakuntu amsaḥuhā bi-al-misḥi fasālat, wahuwa in shāʾa Allāhu fī hadhihi al-safrati allatī ḥakāhā <maʿa> amīri al-jundi, wahātāni al-ḥikāyatāni waḥikāyatu ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi waḥikāyatu al-daqqiyyi ʿan abī bakrin al-zaqqāqi, bābun fī dhikri [ādābi] al-fuqarāʾi baʿḍihim maʿa baʿḍin wa-aḥkāmihim fī al-ḥaḍari wa-al-safari, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā [qāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu] al-faqru baḥru al-balāʾi wabalāʾuhu kulluhu ʿizzun, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿilmu al-faqīri idhā qawā ḍaʿufat maḥabbatuhu wa-idhā ḍaʿufa qawiyat maḥabbatuhu waḥukmu al-faqīri an yakūna fawqa maḥabbatihi, samiʿtu al-daqqiyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā bidimashqa qāla samiʿtu abā bakrin al-zaqqāqa raḥimahu Allāhu bimiṣra yaqūlu mundhu arbaʿīna sanatan aṣḥabu hāʾulāʾi al-fuqarāʾi wa-aʿāshirihum famā raʾaytu qaṭṭu rifqan li-aṣḥābinā illā libaʿḍihim min baʿḍin aw mimman yuḥibbuhum waman lam yaṣḥabhu al-taqiyyatu wa-al-waraʿu fī hadhā al-amri akala al-ḥarāma <al-maḥḍa>, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-jallāʾi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla man lam yaṣḥabhu al-waraʿu fī faqrihi akala al-ḥarāma <al-maḥḍa> wahuwa lā yudrā, waḥukiya ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla adabu al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi [fī faqrihi] thalāthatu ashyāʾa lā yasʾalu idhā iḥtāja walā yaruddu idhā uʿṭiya walā yaḥbisu liwaqtin thānin idhā akhadha, waqāla ghayruhu adabu al-faqīri [al-ṣādiqi] fī faqrihi

—“with you at [such] a time as this, when the whole moment is spiritual reality?”’—or words to that effect.” He was asked about his eye, one of which had been lost. He replied, “I wandered in the wilderness for so many days wearing a coarse woollen cloth. My eye became inflamed, and I kept wiping it with the cloth until it ran.” This was, God willing, during the same journey he related involving the army commander. [The source’s transition then names these two reports, the report of Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ, and al-Daqqī’s report from Abū Bakr al-Zuqāq.] Chapter on [the Etiquette of] the Poor toward One Another and Their Rules at Home and While Travelling. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: [Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—said,] “Poverty is a sea of trials, yet all its trial is honour.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—also said, “When the poor man’s knowledge grows strong, his love grows weak; when his knowledge grows weak, his love grows strong. The governing rule for the poor man must stand above his love.” I heard al-Daqqī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say in Damascus that he heard Abū Bakr al-Zuqāq—may God have mercy on him—say in Egypt: “For forty years I have accompanied and lived among these poor. I have never seen material assistance reach our companions except from one another or from someone who loves them. Whoever is not accompanied in this affair by guarded piety and scrupulousness will consume what is purely unlawful.” It is related that Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jallāʾ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Whoever is not accompanied by scrupulousness in his poverty will consume what is purely unlawful without knowing it.” It is related that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “The true poor man’s conduct [in his poverty] consists of three things: he does not ask when he is in need, does not refuse when something is given to him, and does not store what he takes for a later time.” Someone else said, “The [true] poor man’s conduct in his poverty—”

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ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا يَسْأَلُ وَلَا يُعَارِضُ وَإِنْ عُورِضَ سَكَتَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْفَقِيرُ يَلْزَمُهُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْيَاءَ حِفْظُ سِرِّهِ وَأَدَاءُ فَرْضِهِ وَصِيَانَةُ فَقْرِهِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يَقْدِرُ الْفَقِيرُ أَنْ يَعْلَمَهُ إِلَّا صَبْرَهُ عَلَى وَقْتِهِ إِلَى انْقِضَاءِ مُدَّتِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ خَصْلَةً مِنْ خِصَالِ الْفُقَرَاءِ يَعْنِي الصُّوفِيَّةَ فِي حَضَرِهِمْ وَسَفَرِهِمْ أَوَّلُهَا أَنْ يَكُونُوا بِمَا وَعَدَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُطْمَئِنِّينَ وَالثَّانِيَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْخَلْقِ آيِسِينَ وَالثَّالِثَةُ أَنْ يَنْصِبُوا الْعَدَاوَةَ مَعَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَالرَّابِعَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ مُسْتَمِعِينَ وَالْخَامِسَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْخَلْقِ مُشْفِقِينَ وَالسَّادِسَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا لِأَذَى الْخَلْقِ مُحْتَمِلِينَ وَالسَّابِعَةُ أَنْ لَا يَدَعُوا النَّصِيحَةَ لِجَمِيعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالثَّامِنَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا فِي مَوَاطِنِ الْحَقِّ مُتَوَاضِعِينَ وَالتَّاسِعَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا بِمَعْرِفَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مُشْتَغِلِينَ وَالْعَاشِرَةُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا الدَّهْرَ عَلَى الطَّهَارَةِ وَالْحَادِيَ عَشَرَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْفَقْرُ رَأْسَ مَالِهِمْ وَالثَّانِي عَشَرَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا رَاضِينَ فِيمَا قَلَّ أَوْ كَثُرَ وَفِيمَا أَحَبُّوا أَوْ كَرِهُوا عَنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى شَيْئًا وَاحِدًا [رَاضِينَ عَنْهُ] شَاكِرِينَ لَهُ وَاثِقِينَ بِهِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ مَنْ طَلَبَ الْفَقْرِ لِثَوَابِ الْفَقْرِ مَاتَ فَقِيرًا، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ الْفَقِيرُ إِذَا كَثُرَ عَقْلُهُ ذَهَبَتْ طَيِّبَتُهُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ آدَابِ الْفُقَرَاءِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ أَنْ لَا يَقُولُوا فِيمَا يَسُوقُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُؤَالٍ وَلَا طَمَعٍ هَذَا لِي وَهَذَا لَكَ وَلَا يُجْرَى فِي حَدِيثِهِمْ كُنْتُ لَكَ وَلَمْ تَكُنْ لِي وَأفْعَلْ كَذَا عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونَ كَذَا وَلَا اَفْعَلُ كَذَا لَعَلَّ يَكُونُ كَذَا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنَّا لَا نُصَحِّبُ مَنْ يَقُولُ نَعْلِي وَرَكْوَتِي، وَقَالَ أَبُو [عَبْدِ اللَّهِ] أَحْمَدُ الْقَلَانِسِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ [وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذَ الْجُنَيْدِ] دَخَلْتُ عَلَى قَوْمٍ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ بِالْبَصْرَةِ فَأَكْرَمُونِي وَبَجَّلُونِي فَقُلْتُ لِبَعْضِهِمْ [مَرَّةً] أَيْنَ إِزَارِي فَسَقَطْتُ عَنْ أَعْيُنِهِمْ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمُوَلَّدِ الرُّقِّيُّ دَخَلْتُ

thalāthatun lā yasʾalu walā yuʿāriḍu wa-in ʿūriḍa sakata, waḥukiya ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla al-faqīru yalzamuhu thalāthatu ashyāʾa ḥifẓu sirrihi wa-adāʾu farḍihi waṣiyānatu faqrihi, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kullu shayʾin yaqdiru al-faqīru an yaʿlamahu illā ṣabrahu ʿalā waqtihi ilā inqiḍāʾi muddatihi, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla ithnā ʿashara khaṣlatan min khiṣāli al-fuqarāʾi yaʿnī al-ṣūfiyyata fī ḥaḍarihim wasafarihim awwaluhā an yakūnū bimā waʿadahumu Allāhu taʿālā muṭmaʾinnīna wa-al-thāniyatu an yakūnū mina al-khalqi āyisīna wa-al-thālithatu an yanṣibū al-ʿadāwata maʿa al-shayāṭīni wa-al-rābiʿatu an yakūnū li-amri Allāhi mustamiʿīna wa-al-khāmisatu an yakūnū ʿalā jamīʿi al-khalqi mushfiqīna wa-al-sādisatu an yakūnū li-adhā al-khalqi muḥtamilīna wa-al-sābiʿatu an lā yadaʿū al-naṣīḥata lijamīʿi al-muslimīna wa-al-thāminatu an yakūnū fī mawāṭini al-ḥaqqi mutawāḍiʿīna wa-al-tāsiʿatu an yakūnū bimaʿrifati Allāhi taʿālā mushtaghilīna wa-al-ʿāshiratu an yakūnū al-dahra ʿalā al-ṭahārati wa-al-ḥādiya ʿashara an yakūna al-faqru raʾsa mālihim wa-al-thānī ʿashara an yakūnū rāḍīna fīmā qalla aw kathura wafīmā aḥabbū aw karihū ʿani Allāhi taʿālā shayʾan wāḥidan [rāḍīna ʿanhu] shākirīna lahu wāthiqīna bihi, waqāla baʿḍuhum man ṭalaba al-faqri lithawābi al-faqri māta faqīran, waqāla baʿḍu al-mutaṣawwifati al-faqīru idhā kathura ʿaqluhu dhahabat ṭayyibatuhu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu min ādābi al-fuqarāʾi al-ṣūfiyyati an lā yaqūlū fīmā yasūqu Allāhu ilayhim min ghayri suʾālin walā ṭamaʿin hadhā lī wahadhā laka walā yujrā fī ḥadīthihim kuntu laka walam takun lī wa-fʿal kadhā ʿasā an yakūna kadhā walā iafʿalu kadhā laʿalla yakūnu kadhā, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla kunnā lā nuṣaḥḥibu man yaqūlu naʿlī warakwatī, waqāla abū [ʿabdi Allāhi] aḥmadu al-qalānisiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu [wakāna ustādha al-junaydi] dakhaltu ʿalā qawmin mina al-fuqarāʾi bi-al-baṣrati fa-akramūnī wabajjalūnī faqultu libaʿḍihim [marratan] ayna izārī fasaqaṭtu ʿan aʿyunihim, waqāla ibrāhīmu bnu al-muwalladi al-ruqqiyyu dakhaltu

—“consists of three things: he does not ask, he does not object, and if someone objects to him he remains silent.” It is related that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Three things are binding upon the poor man: guarding his secret, performing his obligation, and protecting the dignity of his poverty.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “The poor man can know everything except whether he will patiently endure his present moment until its term has passed.” It is related that Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: “Twelve qualities belong to the poor—that is, the Sufis—at home and while travelling. First, they are tranquil in what God Most High has promised them. Second, they despair of receiving anything from created beings. Third, they set themselves in enmity against the devils. Fourth, they listen for God’s command. Fifth, they show compassion to all creatures. Sixth, they patiently bear the harm creatures cause. Seventh, they never withhold sincere counsel from any Muslim. Eighth, they are humble wherever the truth is at stake. Ninth, they occupy themselves with knowledge of God Most High. Tenth, they remain ritually pure at all times. Eleventh, poverty is their capital. Twelfth, they are content whether little or much comes, and whether what comes from God Most High is pleasing or displeasing: they regard it all as one, [content with Him], grateful to Him, and confident in Him.” Someone said, “Whoever seeks poverty for the reward of poverty dies poor.” One of the Sufis said, “When the poor man’s calculating reason increases, his sweetness departs.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Among the disciplines of the Sufi poor is that, concerning anything God sends them without asking or coveting, they do not say, “This is mine and that is yours.” Nor does their speech include, “I was there for you, but you were not there for me,” “I shall do such-and-such so that perhaps such-and-such will happen,” or “I shall not do such-and-such lest such-and-such happen.” It is related that Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “We did not accompany anyone who said, ‘My sandals’ or ‘my waterskin.’” Abū [ʿAbd Allāh] Aḥmad al-Qalānisī—may God have mercy on him—[who was al-Junayd’s teacher] said: “I entered among a group of poor men in Basra, and they honoured and respected me. Once I said to one of them, ‘Where is my waist-wrapper?’ and I fell from their esteem.” Ibrāhīm ibn al-Muwallad al-Raqqī said: “I entered—”

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طَرَسُوسَ فَقِيلَ لِي إِنَّ هَاهُنَا جَمَاعَةً مِنْ إِخْوَانِكَ وَهُمْ مُجْتَمِعُونَ فِي دَارٍ فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَرَأَيْتُ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ كُلُّهُمْ عَلَى قَلْبٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَقِيلَ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَحْمَدَ الْقَلَانِسِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْءٍ بَنَيْتَ أَصْلَ مَذْهَبِكَ فَقَالَ عَلَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ لَا نُطَالِبُ أَحَدًا [مِنَ النَّاسِ] بِوَاجِبِ حَقِّنَا وَنُطَالِبُ أَنْفُسَنَا بِحُقُوقِ النَّاسِ وَنُلْزِمُ أَنْفُسَنَا التَّقْصِيرَ فِي جَمِيعِ مَا نَأْتِي بِهِ، وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ بَنَيْنَا أَصْلَ مَذْهَبِنَا عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ: مُتَابَعَةِ الْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ وَمُعَانَقَةِ الْفَقْرِ وَالشَّفَقَةِ عَلَى الْخَلْقِ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْفَقِيرَ قَدِ انْحَطَّ مِنَ الْحَقِيقَةِ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ قَدْ فَسَخَ عَزْمَهُ وَحَلَّ عَقْدَهُ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ آدَابِ الْفُقَرَاءِ يَعْنِي الصُّوفِيَّةَ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ سَبَبٌ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِ مَتَى احْتَاجَ أَوْ يَدَانِ يَعْمَلُ بِهِمَا إِذَا أَرَادَ أَوْ لِسَانٌ يَطْلُبُ بِهِ إِذَا جَاعَ أَوْ هِمَّةٌ يَطْرُقُ بِهَا عِنْدَ الشَّدَائِدِ إِلَى النَّاسِ فَهَذِهِ لِهَؤُلَاءِ أَسْبَابٌ وَذَخِيرَةٌ لِشَدَائِدِهِمْ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا لَقِيتَ الْفَقِيرَ فَالْقَهُ بِالرِّفْقِ وَلَا تَلْقَهُ بِالْعِلْمِ فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ يُؤْنِسُهُ وَالْعِلْمَ يُوحِشُهُ، بَابُ ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي الصُّحْبَةِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ [أَبُو نَصْرٍ] رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ حَكَى عَنْ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ كُنَّا لَا نُصَحِّبُ مَنْ يَقُولُ نَعْلِي [وَرُكْوَتِي]، وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِسَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَصْحَبَكَ فَقَالَ لَهُ سَهْلٌ إِذَا مَاتَ أَحَدُنَا فَمَنْ يَصْحَبُ الْآخَرَ فَلْيَصْحَبْهُ الْآنَ، وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ لِذِي النُّونِ الْمِصْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَنْ أَصْحَبُ فَقَالَ مَنْ إِذَا مَرِضْتَ عَادَكَ وَإِذَا أَذْنَبْتَ تَابَ عَلَيْكَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ كُلُّ صَاحِبٍ تَقُولُ

ṭarasūsa faqīla lī inna hāhunā jamāʿatan min ikhwānika wahum mujtamiʿūna fī dārin fadakhaltu ʿalayhim faraʾaytu sabʿata ʿashara mina al-fuqarāʾi kulluhum ʿalā qalbin wāḥidin, waqīla li-abī ʿabdi Allāhi aḥmada al-qalānisiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu ʿalā ayyi shayʾin banayta aṣla madhhabika faqāla ʿalā thalāthi khiṣālin lā nuṭālibu aḥadan [mina al-nāsi] biwājibi ḥaqqinā wanuṭālibu anfusanā biḥuqūqi al-nāsi wanulzimu anfusanā al-taqṣīra fī jamīʿi mā naʾtī bihi, waqāla ghayruhu banaynā aṣla madhhabinā ʿalā thalāthin: mutābaʿati al-amri wa-al-nahyi wamuʿānaqati al-faqri wa-al-shafaqati ʿalā al-khalqi, waqāla baʿḍuhum idhā raʾayta al-faqīra qadi inḥaṭṭa mina al-ḥaqīqati ilā al-ʿilmi fa-iʿlam annahu qad fasakha ʿazmahu waḥalla ʿaqdahu, waqāla ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu laysa min ādābi al-fuqarāʾi yaʿnī al-ṣūfiyyata an yakūna lahu sababun yarjiʿu ilayhi matā iḥtāja aw yadāni yaʿmalu bihimā idhā arāda aw lisānun yaṭlubu bihi idhā jāʿa aw himmatun yaṭruqu bihā ʿinda al-shadāʾidi ilā al-nāsi fahadhihi lihaʾulāʾi asbābun wadhakhīratun lishadāʾidihim, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā laqīta al-faqīra fa-al-qahu bi-al-rifqi walā talqahu bi-al-ʿilmi fa-inna al-rifqa yuʾnisuhu wa-al-ʿilma yūḥishuhu, bābu dhikri ādābihim fī al-ṣuḥbati, qāla al-shaykhu [abū naṣrin] raḥimahu Allāhu ḥakā ʿan jamāʿatin mina al-mashāyikhi ʿan ibrāhīma bni shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yaqūlu kunnā lā nuṣaḥḥibu man yaqūlu naʿlī [warukwatī], waqāla rajulun lisahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu innī urīdu an aṣḥabaka faqāla lahu sahlun idhā māta aḥadunā faman yaṣḥabu al-ākhara falyaṣḥabhu al-āna, waqāla rajulun lidhī al-nūni al-miṣriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā man aṣḥabu faqāla man idhā mariḍta ʿādaka wa-idhā adhnabta tāba ʿalayka, waqāla baʿḍuhum kullu ṣāḥibin taqūlu

—“Tarsus and was told, ‘A group of your brothers are gathered here in a house.’ I entered and saw seventeen poor men, all of one heart.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad al-Qalānisī—may God have mercy on him—was asked, “Upon what did you build the foundation of your way?” He replied, “Upon three qualities: we demand from no one [among people] the right owed to us; we demand of ourselves the rights owed to people; and we charge ourselves with deficiency in everything we do.” Someone else said, “We built the foundation of our way upon three things: following the command and prohibition, embracing poverty, and showing compassion to creation.” Someone said, “If you see a poor man descend from realized truth to mere learning, know that he has broken his resolve and untied his knot.” Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—said, “It is not part of the etiquette of the poor—that is, the Sufis—for a person to have a resource to which he can return whenever he is in need, two hands with which he can work whenever he wishes, a tongue with which he can ask when he is hungry, or an aspiration he can direct toward people in times of hardship. Such things are means for those people and reserves against their hardships.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “When you meet a poor man, meet him with gentleness, not with learning; gentleness makes him feel at ease, while learning estranges him.” Chapter on Their Etiquette in Companionship. The shaykh [Abū Naṣr]—may God have mercy on him—related through a group of shaykhs from Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he used to say, “We did not accompany anyone who said, ‘My sandals [and my waterskin].’” A man said to Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—“I wish to accompany you.” Sahl replied, “When one of us dies, who will accompany the other? Let him choose that Companion now.” A man asked Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—“Whom should I accompany?” He replied, “One who visits you when you are ill and receives you again when you have sinned.” Someone said, “Any companion to whom you say—”

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قُمْ بِنَا يَقُولُ إِلَى أَيْنَ فَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ بِصَاحِبٍ، وَعَنْ ذِي النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا تَصْحَبْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا بِالْمُوَافَقَةِ وَلَا مَعَ الْخَلْقِ إِلَّا بِالْمُنَاصَحَةِ وَلَا مَعَ النَّفْسِ إِلَّا بِالْمُخَالَفَةِ وَلَا مَعَ الشَّيْطَانِ إِلَّا بِالْعَدَاوَةِ [وَالْمُحَارَبَةِ]، وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ الزَّجَّاجِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهِ مَثَلُ الْمُصْطَحِبَيْنِ مَثْلُ النُّورَيْنِ إِذَا اجْتَمَعَا أَبْصَرَا بِاجْتِمَاعِهِمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُونَا يُبْصِرَانِهِ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ، وَالْخِلَافُ أَصْلُ كُلِّ فُرْقَةٍ وَهِيَ لَطِيفَةُ الشَّيْطَانِ فِي افْتِرَاقِ الْمُتَحَابِّينَ فِي اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ صَحِبْتُ الصُّوفِيَّةَ خَمْسِينَ سَنَةً مَا وَقَعَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُمْ خِلَافٌ فَقِيلَ لَهُ وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ قَالَ لِأَنِّي كُنْتُ مَعَهُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِي، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَأَنْ يَصْحَبَنِي رَجُلٌ فَاسِقٌ حَسَنُ الْخُلُقِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَنْ يَصْحَبَنِي قَارِئٌ سَيِّئُ الْخُلُقِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ رَأَيْتُ مَعَ أَبِي حَفْصٍ النَّيْسَابُورِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِنْسَانًا أَصْلَعَ كَثِيرُ الصَّمْتِ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ فَقُلْتُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ مَنْ هَذَا فَقِيلَ لِي هَذَا إِنْسَانٌ يَصْحَبُ أَبَا حَفْصٍ وَيَخْدُمُنَا وَقَدْ أَنْفَقَ عَلَيْهِ مِائَةَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ وَاسْتَدَانَ مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ أُخْرَى أَنْفَقَهَا عَلَيْهِ مَا يُسَوِّغُهُ أَبُو حَفْصٍ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بِكَلِمَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، وَقَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ الْبِسْطَامِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى صَحِبْتُ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ السِّنْدِى فَكُنْتُ أُلَقِّنُهُ مَا يُقِيمُ بِهِ فَرْضَهُ وَكَانَ يُعَلِّمُنِي التَّوْحِيدَ وَالْحَقَائِقَ صَرْفًا، وَقَالَ أَبُو عَثْمَنٍ صَحِبْتُ أَبَا حَفْصٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَأَنَا غُلَامٌ حَدَثٌ فَطَرَدَنِي وَقَالَ لَا تَجْلِسْ عِنْدِيَّ فَلَمْ أَجْعَلْ مُكَافَأَتِي لَهُ عَلَى كَلَامِهِ أَنْ أُوَلِّيَ ظَهْرِيَ إِلَيْهِ فَانْصَرَفْتُ أَمْشِي إِلَى خَلْفٍ وَوَجْهِي مُقَابِلٌ لَهُ حَتَّى غِبْتُ عَنْهُ وَاعْتَقَدْتُ أَنْ أَحْفِرَ لِنَفْسِي بِئْرًا عَلَى بَابِهِ وَأَنْزِلَ وَأَقْعُدَ فِيهِ وَلَا أَخْرُجَ مِنْهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ مِنِّي قَرَّبَنِي وَقَبَّلَنِي وَصَيَّرَنِي مِنْ خَوَاصِّ أَصْحَابِهِ إِلَى أَنْ مَاتَ، وَسَمِعْتُ ابْنَ سَالِمٍ يَقُولُ صَحِبْتُ سَهْلَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَوْمًا قَدْ خَدَمْتُكَ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً وَلَمْ تَرَنِي يَوْمًا وَاحِدًا مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَقْصِدُونَكَ يَعْنِي الْبُدَلَاءَ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءَ فَقَالَ [لِي] أَلَسْتَ هُوَ

qum binā yaqūlu ilā ayna falaysa dhāka biṣāḥibin, waʿan dhī al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla lā taṣḥab maʿa Allāhi illā bi-al-muwāfaqati walā maʿa al-khalqi illā bi-al-munāṣaḥati walā maʿa al-nafsi illā bi-al-mukhālafati walā maʿa al-shayṭāni illā bi-al-ʿadāwati [wa-al-muḥārabati], waqāla aḥmadu bnu yūsufa al-zajjājiyyu raḥimahu Allāhi mathalu al-muṣṭaḥibayni mathlu al-nūrayni idhā ijtamaʿā abṣarā bi-ijtimāʿihimā mā lam yakūnā yubṣirānihi qabla dhalika, wa-al-khilāfu aṣlu kulli furqatin wahiya laṭīfatu al-shayṭāni fī iftirāqi al-mutaḥābbīna fī Allāhi taʿālā, waqāla abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu ṣaḥibtu al-ṣūfiyyata khamsīna sanatan mā waqaʿa baynī wabaynahum khilāfun faqīla lahu wakayfa dhāka qāla li-annī kuntu maʿahum ʿalā nafsī, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā li-an yaṣḥabanī rajulun fāsiqun ḥasanu al-khuluqi aḥabbu ilayya min an yaṣḥabanī qāriʾun sayyiʾu al-khuluqi, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu raʾaytu maʿa abī ḥafṣin al-naysābūriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā insānan aṣlaʿa kathīru al-ṣamti lā yatakallamu faqultu li-aṣḥābihi man hadhā faqīla lī hadhā insānun yaṣḥabu abā ḥafṣin wayakhdumunā waqad anfaqa ʿalayhi miāʾata alfi dirhamin kānat lahu wa-istadāna miāʾata alfin ukhrā anfaqahā ʿalayhi mā yusawwighuhu abū ḥafṣin an yatakallama bikalimatin wāḥidatin, waqāla abū yazīda al-bisṭāmiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ṣaḥibtu abā ʿaliyyin al-sindī fakuntu ulaqqinuhu mā yuqīmu bihi farḍahu wakāna yuʿallimunī al-tawḥīda wa-al-ḥaqāʾiqa ṣarfan, waqāla abū ʿathmanin ṣaḥibtu abā ḥafṣin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wa-anā ghulāmun ḥadathun faṭaradanī waqāla lā tajlis ʿindiyya falam ajʿal mukāfaʾatī lahu ʿalā kalāmihi an uwalliya ẓahriya ilayhi fa-inṣaraftu amshī ilā khalfin wawajhī muqābilun lahu ḥattā ghibtu ʿanhu wa-iʿtaqadtu an aḥfira linafsī biʾran ʿalā bābihi wa-anzila wa-aqʿuda fīhi walā akhruja minhu illā bi-idhnihi falammā raʾā dhalika minnī qarrabanī waqabbalanī waṣayyaranī min khawāṣṣi aṣḥābihi ilā an māta, wasamiʿtu ibna sālimin yaqūlu ṣaḥibtu sahla bna ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu sittīna sanatan qāla faqultu lahu yawman qad khadamtuka sittīna sanatan walam taranī yawman wāḥidan min hāʾulāʾi alladhīna yaqṣidūnaka yaʿnī al-budalāʾa wa-al-awliyāʾa faqāla [lī] alasta huwa

—“‘Come with us,’ and who replies, ‘Where to?’ is no companion.” Dhū al-Nūn—may God have mercy on him—is also reported to have said, “Accompany God only through conformity, created beings only through sincere counsel, the lower soul only through opposition, and Satan only through enmity [and warfare].” Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf al-Zajjājī—may God have mercy on him—said, “Two companions are like two lights: when joined, by their union they see what neither could see before.” Disagreement is the root of every separation and is Satan’s subtle device for parting those who love one another in God Most High. Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—said, “I accompanied the Sufis for fifty years without any disagreement arising between us.” Asked how this was possible, he replied, “Because I always sided with them against myself.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “I would rather be accompanied by an immoral man of good character than by a Qurʾan-reciter of bad character.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—said: “With Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—I saw a bald man who kept very silent and did not speak. I asked Abū Ḥafṣ’s companions who he was. They said, ‘This man accompanies Abū Ḥafṣ and serves us. He spent on him one hundred thousand dirhams that he owned, then borrowed another hundred thousand and spent that too; yet Abū Ḥafṣ does not permit him to utter a single word.’” Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “I accompanied Abū ʿAlī al-Sindī. I taught him what he needed to perform his religious obligations, while he taught me pure divine unity and spiritual realities.” Abū ʿUthmān said: “I accompanied Abū Ḥafṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—when I was a young boy. He drove me away and said, ‘Do not sit with me.’ I would not repay his words by turning my back on him, so I withdrew walking backward, my face still toward him, until I disappeared from his sight. I resolved to dig a pit for myself at his door, descend into it, and remain there, never emerging without his permission. When he saw this in me, he drew me close, accepted me, and made me one of his special companions until he died.” I heard Ibn Sālim say: “I accompanied Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—for sixty years. One day I said, ‘I have served you for sixty years, yet you have never shown me even one of those who seek you out’—meaning the substitutes and saints. He replied [to me], ‘Are you not the one—’”

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الَّذِي تُدْخِلُهُمْ عَلَيَّ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ أَمَا رَأَيْتَ صَاحِبَ الْفُوطَةِ وَالسِّوَاكِ الَّذِي كَانَ يُكَلِّمُكَ بِالْأَمْسِ كَانَ مِنْهُمْ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كُنَّا نُصَحِّبُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمَغْرِبِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَنَحْنُ شَبَابٌ وَيُسَافِرُ بِنَا فِي الْبَرَارِي وَالْفَلَوَاتِ وَكَانَ مَعَهُ شَيْخٌ اسْمُهُ حَسَنٌ وَ [كَانَ] قَدْ صَحِبَهُ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً فَكَانَ إِذَا جَرَى مِنْ أَحَدِنَا خَطَأٌ وَتَغَيَّرَ عَلَيْهِ الشَّيْخُ نَتَشَفَّعُ إِلَيْهِ بِهَذَا الشَّيْخِ [الَّذِي يُسَمَّى حَسَنًا] حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ [لَنَا] إِلَى مَا كَانَ، وَذُكِرَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ لِبَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ يَوْمًا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِمَّنْ يَخَافُ السِّبَاعَ فَلَا تَصْحَبُنِي، وَقَالَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ [الرَّازِيّ] قُلْتُ لِذِي النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَنْ أَصْحَبُ فَقَالَ مَنْ لَا تَكْتِمُهُ شَيْئًا يَعْلَمُهُ اللَّهُ مِنْكَ، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا صَحِبَهُ إِنْسَانٌ يُشَارِطُهُ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْخِدْمَةُ وَالْأَذَانُ لَهُ وَأَنْ تَكُونَ يَدُهُ فِي جَمِيعِ مَا يَفْتَحُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا كَيَدِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ أَنَا لَا أَقْدِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ أَعْجَبَنِي صِدْقُكَ، وَكَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى رُبَّمَا يَنْطُرُ الْبَسَاتِينَ وَيَعْمَلُ فِي الْحَصَادِ وَيُنْفِقُ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ صَحِبَنِي رَجُلٌ وَكَانَ عَلَى قَلْبِي ثَقِيلًا فَوَهَبْتُ لَهُ يَوْمًا شَيْئًا كِسَاءً أَوْ ثَوْبًا عَلَى أَنْ يَزُولَ مَا فِي قَلْبِي فَلَمْ يَزَلْ فَأَخَذْتُ بِهِ يَوْمًا إِلَى الْبَيْتِ أَوْ إِلَى مَكَانٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ ضَعْ رِجْلَكَ عَلَى خَدِّي فَأَبَى فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَفَعَلَ فَزَالَ مَا كُنْتُ أَجِدُهُ فِي قَلْبِي عَلَيْهِ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، قَالَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ حَكَى لِي هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ الدَّقِّيُّ وَقَالَ قَصَدْتُ مِنَ الشَّامِ إِلَى الْحِجَازِ حَتَّى سَأَلْتُ [أَبَا بَكْرٍ] الْكَتَّانِيُّ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةِ، قَالَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرِّبَاطِى رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى صَحِبْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ الْمَرْوَزِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَكَانَ يَدْخُلُ الْبَادِيَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَصْحَبَهُ بِلَا زَادٍ فَلَمَّا صَحِبْتُهُ قَالَ لِي أَيُّهُمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ تَكُونُ أَنْتَ الْأَمِيرُ أَوْ أَنَا فَقُلْتُ لَا بَلْ أَنْتَ الْأَمِيرُ فَقَالَ وَعَلَيْكَ الطَّاعَةُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَأَخَذَ مِخْلَاةً وَوَضَعَ فِيهَا الزَّادَ وَجَعَلَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ فَإِذَا قُلْتُ

alladhī tudkhiluhum ʿalayya kulla yawmin amā raʾayta ṣāḥiba al-fūṭati wa-al-siwāki alladhī kāna yukallimuka bi-al-amsi kāna minhum, waqāla ibrāhīmu bnu shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kunnā nuṣaḥḥibu abā ʿabdi Allāhi al-maghribiyya raḥimahu Allāhu wanaḥnu shabābun wayusāfiru binā fī al-barārī wa-al-falawāti wakāna maʿahu shaykhun ismuhu ḥasanun wa [kāna] qad ṣaḥibahu sabʿīna sanatan fakāna idhā jarā min aḥadinā khaṭaʾun wataghayyara ʿalayhi al-shaykhu natashaffaʿu ilayhi bihadhā al-shaykhi [alladhī yusammā ḥasanan] ḥattā yarjiʿa [lanā] ilā mā kāna, wadhukira ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yaqūlu libaʿḍi aṣḥābihi yawman in kunta mimman yakhāfu al-sibāʿa falā taṣḥabunī, waqāla yūsufu bnu al-ḥusayni [al-rāziyy] qultu lidhī al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā man aṣḥabu faqāla man lā taktimuhu shayʾan yaʿlamuhu Allāhu minka, wakāna ibrāhīmu bnu adhama raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā ṣaḥibahu insānun yushāriṭuhu ʿalā thalāthati ashyāʾa an yakūna al-khidmatu wa-al-adhānu lahu wa-an takūna yaduhu fī jamīʿi mā yaftaḥu Allāhu ʿalayhimā mina al-dunyā kayadihi faqāla lahu rajulun min aṣḥābihi anā lā aqdiru ʿalā dhalika faqāla aʿjabanī ṣidquka, wakāna ibrāhīmu bnu adhama raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā rubbamā yanṭuru al-basātīna wayaʿmalu fī al-ḥaṣādi wayunfiqu ʿalā aṣḥābihi, waqāla abū bakrin al-kattāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ṣaḥibanī rajulun wakāna ʿalā qalbī thaqīlan fawahabtu lahu yawman shayʾan kisāʾan aw thawban ʿalā an yazūla mā fī qalbī falam yazal fa-akhadhtu bihi yawman ilā al-bayti aw ilā makānin faqultu lahu ḍaʿ rijlaka ʿalā khaddī fa-abā faqultu lahu lā budda min dhalika fafaʿala fazāla mā kuntu ajiduhu fī qalbī ʿalayhi aw kamā qāla, qāla abū naṣrin ḥakā lī hadhihi al-ḥikāyata al-daqqiyyu waqāla qaṣadtu mina al-shāmi ilā al-ḥijāzi ḥattā saʾaltu [abā bakrin] al-kattāniyyu ʿan hadhihi al-ḥikāyati, qāla abū ʿaliyyin al-ribāṭī raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ṣaḥibtu ʿabda Allāhi al-marwaziyya raḥimahu Allāhu wakāna yadkhulu al-bādiyata qabla an aṣḥabahu bilā zādin falammā ṣaḥibtuhu qāla lī ayyuhumā aḥabbu ilayka takūnu anta al-amīru aw anā faqultu lā bal anta al-amīru faqāla waʿalayka al-ṭāʿatu faqultu naʿam fa-akhadha mikhlātan wawaḍaʿa fīhā al-zāda wajaʿala ʿalā ẓahrihi fa-idhā qultu

—“who brings them in to me every day? Did you not see the man with the waist-cloth and tooth-stick who spoke with you yesterday? He was one of them.” Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: “When we were young, we accompanied Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Maghribī—may God have mercy on him—and he took us through deserts and wastes. With him was an elderly man named Ḥasan who had accompanied him for seventy years. If one of us made a mistake and the shaykh became displeased with him, we asked this elder [named Ḥasan] to intercede until the shaykh returned [toward us] to his former disposition.” It is related that Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—once said to one of his companions, “If you are someone who fears wild beasts, do not accompany me.” Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥusayn [al-Rāzī] said: “I asked Dhū al-Nūn—may God Most High have mercy on him—‘Whom should I accompany?’ He replied, ‘Someone from whom you conceal nothing that God knows about you.’” When a person accompanied Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may God Most High have mercy on him—Ibrāhīm imposed three conditions: that service and the call to prayer should be his responsibilities, and that his companion should have the same access as he did to everything of this world God opened to them. One companion said, “I cannot do that.” Ibrāhīm replied, “I admire your honesty.” Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may God Most High have mercy on him—would sometimes guard orchards, work in the harvest, and spend his earnings on his companions. Abū Bakr al-Kattānī—may God have mercy on him—said: “A man accompanied me, but he weighed heavily on my heart. One day I gave him something—a cloak or a garment—hoping the feeling in my heart would leave, but it did not. Another day I took him to the House, or to some other place, and told him, ‘Put your foot on my cheek.’ He refused, but I insisted. He did it, and the feeling I had against him left my heart”—or words to that effect. Abū Naṣr said: “Al-Daqqī related this report to me and said, ‘I travelled from Syria to the Ḥijāz expressly to ask [Abū Bakr] al-Kattānī about it.’” Abū ʿAlī al-Ribāṭī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: “I accompanied ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwazī—may God have mercy on him. Before I accompanied him, he entered the desert without provisions. When I joined him, he asked, ‘Which do you prefer: that you be the leader or I?’ I replied, ‘No, you be the leader.’ He said, ‘Then you owe obedience,’ and I agreed. He took a food-bag, placed the provisions in it, and put it on his back. Whenever I said—”

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لَهُ أَعْطِنِي حَتَّى أَحْمِلَهُ يَقُولُ أَلَسْتُ أَنَا الْأَمِيرَ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالطَّاعَةِ قَالَ فَأَخَذَنَا الْمَطَرُ لَيْلَةً فَوَقَفَ عَلَى رَأْسِي [لَيْلَهُ] إِلَى الصَّبَاحِ وَعَلَيْهِ كِسَاءٌ وَأَنَا جَالِسٌ يَمْنَعُ عَنِّي الْمَطَرَ فَكُنْتُ أَقُولُ مَعَ نَفْسِي لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ وَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَهُ أَنْتَ الْأَمِيرُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي إِذَا صَحِبَكَ إِنْسَانٌ فَاصْحَبْهُ كَمَا رَأَيْتَنِي صَحَبْتُكَ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَقَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى اجْتَنِبْ صُحْبَةَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَصْنَافٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ الْجَبَابِرَةِ الْغَافِلِينَ وَالْقُرَّاءِ الْمُدَاهِنِينَ وَالْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ الْجَاهِلِينَ، فَهَذِهِ صُحْبَةُ بَعْضِهِمْ مَعَ بَعْضٍ تَكُونُ عَلَى هَذَا الْمَعْنَى الَّذِي ذَكَرْتُ فِي الْحِكَايَاتِ وَفِي الْقَلِيلِ كِفَايَةٌ لِلْعَاقِلِ وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقُ، بَابُ ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ عِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْوَجِيهِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ الْجُلُوسُ لِلْمُذَاكَرَةِ غَلْقُ بَابِ الْفَائِدَةِ وَالْجُلُوسُ لِلْمُنَاصَحَةِ فَتْحُ بَابِ الْفَائِدَةِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَنْ لَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِسُكُوتِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ لَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِكَلَامِهِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَانُوا يَكْرَهُونَ أَنْ يَتَجَاوَزَ اللِّسَانُ مُعْتَقَدَ الْقَلْبِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْجُرَيْرِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ الْإِنْصَافُ وَالْأَدَبُ أَنْ لَا يَتَكَلَّمَ الرَّفِيعُ فِي هَذَا الْعِلْمِ حَتَّى يَسْأَلَ، وَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ بْنُ الْفَرَجِيِّ صَاحِبُ أَبِي تُرَابٍ النَّخْشَبِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَكَثْتُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً لَا أَسْأَلُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ إِلَّا كَانَتْ مُنَازَلَتِي فِيهَا قَبْلَ قَوْلِي، وَقَالَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا يَصِحُّ الْكَلَامُ إِلَّا لِرَجُلٍ إِذَا صَمَتَ خَافَ الْعُقُوبَةَ بِسُكُوتِهِ، وَقَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ يَحْيَى الْجَلَّاءِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ فِي التَّوَكُّلِ وَعِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ وَدَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ وَأَخْرَجَ إِلَيْهِمْ صُرَّةً فِيهَا أَرْبَعُ دَوَانِيقَ وَقَالَ اشْتَرُوا بِهَا شَيْئًا ثُمَّ أَجَابَ الرَّجُلُ عَنْ سُؤَالِهِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي

lahu aʿṭinī ḥattā aḥmilahu yaqūlu alastu anā al-amīra faʿalayka bi-al-ṭāʿati qāla fa-akhadhanā al-maṭaru laylatan fawaqafa ʿalā raʾsī [laylahu] ilā al-ṣabāḥi waʿalayhi kisāʾun wa-anā jālisun yamnaʿu ʿannī al-maṭara fakuntu aqūlu maʿa nafsī laytanī mittu walam aqul lahu anta al-amīru thumma qāla lī idhā ṣaḥibaka insānun fa-iṣḥabhu kamā raʾaytanī ṣaḥabtuka aw kamā qāla, waqāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ijtanib ṣuḥbata thalāthati aṣnāfin mina al-nāsi al-jabābirati al-ghāfilīna wa-al-qurrāʾi al-mudāhinīna wa-al-mutaṣawwifati al-jāhilīna, fahadhihi ṣuḥbatu baʿḍihim maʿa baʿḍin takūnu ʿalā hadhā al-maʿnā alladhī dhakartu fī al-ḥikāyāti wafī al-qalīli kifāyatun li-al-ʿāqili wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqu, bābu dhikri ādābihim ʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu samiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaliyyin al-wajīhiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu abā muḥammadin al-jurayriyya raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu al-julūsu li-al-mudhākarati ghalqu bābi al-fāʾidati wa-al-julūsu li-al-munāṣaḥati fatḥu bābi al-fāʾidati, waqāla abū yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu man lam yantafiʿ bisukūti al-mutakallimi lam yantafiʿ bikalāmihi, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu kānū yakrahūna an yatajāwaza al-lisānu muʿtaqada al-qalbi, waḥukiya ʿan abī muḥammadin al-jurayriyyi annahu qāla al-inṣāfu wa-al-adabu an lā yatakallama al-rafīʿu fī hadhā al-ʿilmi ḥattā yasʾala, waqāla abū jaʿfarin bnu al-farajiyyi ṣāḥibu abī turābin al-nakhshabiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu makathtu ʿishrīna sanatan lā asʾalu ʿan masʾalatin illā kānat munāzalatī fīhā qabla qawlī, waqāla abū ḥafṣin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā lā yaṣiḥḥu al-kalāmu illā lirajulin idhā ṣamata khāfa al-ʿuqūbata bisukūtihi, waqāla jāʾa rajulun ilā abī ʿabdi Allāhi aḥmada bni yaḥyā al-jallāʾi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wasaʾalahu ʿan masʾalatin fī al-tawakkuli waʿindahu jamāʿatun falam yujibhu wadakhala al-bayta wa-akhraja ilayhim ṣurratan fīhā arbaʿu dawānīqa waqāla ishtarū bihā shayʾan thumma ajāba al-rajulu ʿan suʾālihi faqīla lahu fī

—“‘Give it to me so that I may carry it,’ he replied, ‘Am I not the leader? Your duty is to obey.’ One night rain overtook us. He stood over my head [all night] until morning, wearing a cloak while I sat beneath him, shielding me from the rain. I kept saying to myself, ‘If only I had died without telling him, “You are the leader.”’ Later he told me, ‘When someone accompanies you, accompany him as you saw me accompany you’”—or words to that effect. Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Avoid the companionship of three kinds of people: heedless tyrants, compromising Qurʾan-reciters, and ignorant would-be Sufis.” Such was the companionship of these people with one another, according to the meaning illustrated by the reports I have mentioned. A little is enough for a person of understanding. Success is through God. Chapter on Their Etiquette When Discussing Knowledge. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Wajīhī say that he heard Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī—may God have mercy on him—say, “Sitting together for competitive discussion closes the gate of benefit; sitting together for sincere counsel opens it.” Abū Yazīd—may God have mercy on him—said, “Whoever gains no benefit from a speaker’s silence will gain no benefit from his speech.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—said, “They disliked the tongue going beyond the heart’s conviction.” It is related that Abū Muḥammad al-Jurayrī said, “Fairness and courtesy require that a person of high standing in this knowledge not speak until he is asked.” Abū Jaʿfar ibn al-Farajī, a companion of Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī—may God have mercy on him—said, “For twenty years I asked about no question until I had personally undergone its spiritual reality before speaking about it.” Abū Ḥafṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Speech is sound only from a man who, if he remains silent, fears punishment for his silence.” A man came to Abū ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā al-Jallāʾ—may God Most High have mercy on him—and asked him a question about trust in God while a group was present. He did not answer, but entered his house and brought out a purse containing four dāniqs. He said, “Buy something with these.” Only then did he answer the man’s question. When asked why—

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ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ فِي التَّوَكُّلِ وَعِنْدِي أَرْبَعَةُ دَوَانِيقَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُصَرِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِابْنِ يَزْدَانِيَارَ عِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ مَا أَرَى مَعَ الْخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمْ إِلَّا خَبَرًا عَنِ الْغَيْبِ فَيُمْكِنُكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ ذَلِكَ الْغَيْبَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لِي أَعِدْ مَا قُلْتَ قُلْتُ لَا أَفْعَلُ، وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا يَحْسُنُ هَذَا الْعِلْمُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ يُعَبِّرُ عَنْ وَجْدِهِ وَيَنْطِقُ بِهِ عَنْ فِعْلِهِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الصَّيْدَلَانِيُّ سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَسْأَلَةً وَكَانَ يُشِيرُ فِي سُؤَالِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ نَحْنُ نَبْلُغُ مَكَانَكَ وَمُوَافَقَتَكَ فِيمَا تُرِيدُ بِلَا هَذِهِ الْإِشَارَةِ فَإِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ إِشَارَةً إِلَى اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَهُ أَبْعَدُهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ عِلْمًا [تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ] أَشْرَفُ مِنْ عِلْمِنَا هَذَا لَسَعَيْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَإِلَى أَهْلِهِ حَتَّى أَسْمَعَ مِنْهُمْ ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ وَقْتًا أَشْرَفَ مِنْ وَقْتِنَا هَذَا مَعَ أَصْحَابِنَا وَمَشَايِخِنَا وَمَسَائِلِنَا وَمُجَارَاتِنَا هَذَا الْعِلْمَ لَنَهَضْتُ إِلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَا عِنْدِي عِصَابَةٌ وَلَا قَوْمٌ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ أَشْرَفَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْعِصَابَةِ وَلَا أَشْرَفَ مِنْ عِلْمِهِمْ وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ مَا جَالَسْتُهُمْ وَلَكِنَّهُمْ كَذَا عِنْدِي [وَ] بِهَذِهِ الصُّورَةِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِلْمُنَا هَذَا إِشَارَةٌ فَإِذَا صَارَ عِبَارَةً [صَارَ] خَفِيًّا، وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ذُكِرَ لِي أَبُو حَاتِمٍ الْعَطَّارُ وَفَضْلُهُ وَكَانَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ فَرَحَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مِصْرَ حَتَّى وَافَيْتُ الْبَصْرَةَ فَدَخَلْتُ جَامِعَ الْبَصْرَةِ فَإِذَا بِهِ جَالِسًا وَحَوْلَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ وَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَلَيْهِمْ فَأَوَّلُ شَيْءٍ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْهُ يَقُولُ بَعْدَ مَا نَظَرَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِنَّمَا جَلَسْتُ لِوَاحِدٍ وَأَيْنَ ذَلِكَ الْوَاحِدُ وَمَنْ لِي بِذَلِكَ الْوَاحِدِ ثُمَّ أَشَارَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ أَنْتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَظْهَرَهُمْ إِلَى [مَا] أَهَّلَهُمْ وَأَعَانَهُمْ عَلَى مَا أَلْزَمَهُمْ وَغَيَّبَهُمْ عَمَّا أَحْضَرَهُمْ فَهُمْ بِهِ لَهُ عَامِلُونَ وَمِنْهُ إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، وَحَكَى عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ

dhalika faqāla istaḥyaytu mina Allāhi taʿālā an atakallama fī al-tawakkuli waʿindī arbaʿatu dawānīqa, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿabdi Allāhi al-ḥuṣariyyi annahu qāla qultu li-ibni yazdāniyāra ʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi mā arā maʿa al-khalqi kullihim illā khabaran ʿani al-ghaybi fayumkinuka an takūna dhalika al-ghayba qāla faqāla lī aʿid mā qulta qultu lā afʿalu, waqāla ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā lā yaḥsunu hadhā al-ʿilmu illā liman yuʿabbiru ʿan wajdihi wayanṭiqu bihi ʿan fiʿlihi, waqāla abū jaʿfarin al-ṣaydalāniyyu saʾala rajulun abā saʿīdin al-kharrāza raḥimahu Allāhu masʾalatan wakāna yushīru fī suʾālihi faqāla lahu abū saʿīdin naḥnu nablughu makānaka wamuwāfaqataka fīmā turīdu bilā hadhihi al-ishārati fa-inna akthara al-nāsi ishāratan ilā Allāhi subḥānahu abʿaduhum mina Allāhi taʿālā, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā law ʿalimtu anna ʿilman [taḥta adīmi al-samāʾi] ashrafu min ʿilminā hadhā lasaʿaytu ilayhi wa-ilā ahlihi ḥattā asmaʿa minhum dhalika walaw ʿalimtu anna waqtan ashrafa min waqtinā hadhā maʿa aṣḥābinā wamashāyikhinā wamasāʾilinā wamujārātinā hadhā al-ʿilma lanahaḍtu ilayhi, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu mā ʿindī ʿiṣābatun walā qawmun ijtamaʿū ʿalā ʿilmin mina al-ʿulūmi ashrafa min hadhihi al-ʿiṣābati walā ashrafa min ʿilmihim walawlā dhalika mā jālastuhum walakinnahum kadhā ʿindī [wa] bihadhihi al-ṣūrati, waqāla abū ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿilmunā hadhā ishāratun fa-idhā ṣāra ʿibāratan [ṣāra] khafiyyan, waqāla abū saʿīdin al-kharrāzu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā dhukira lī abū ḥātimin al-ʿaṭṭāru wafaḍluhu wakāna bi-al-baṣrati faraḥaltu ilayhi min miṣra ḥattā wāfaytu al-baṣrata fadakhaltu jāmiʿa al-baṣrati fa-idhā bihi jālisan waḥawlahu jamāʿatun min aṣḥābihi wahuwa yatakallamu ʿalayhim fa-awwalu shayʾin samiʿtuhu minhu yaqūlu baʿda mā naẓara ilayya annahu qāla innamā jalastu liwāḥidin wa-ayna dhalika al-wāḥidu waman lī bidhalika al-wāḥidi thumma ashāra ilayya annahu anta thumma qāla aẓharahum ilā [mā] ahhalahum wa-aʿānahum ʿalā mā alzamahum waghayyabahum ʿammā aḥḍarahum fahum bihi lahu ʿāmilūna waminhu ilayhi rājiʿūna, waḥakā ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu

—he had done this, he replied, “I was ashamed before God Most High to speak about trust in Him while I possessed four dāniqs.” It is related that Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥuṣrī said: “While discussing this knowledge, I told Ibn Yazdānyār, ‘In all created beings I see only a report about the unseen. Can you yourself be that unseen?’ He told me, ‘Repeat what you said.’ I replied, ‘I will not.’” Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “This knowledge becomes fitting only in one who expresses his own direct experience and speaks about it from his own practice.” Abū Jaʿfar al-Ṣaydalānī said: “A man asked Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—a question while making elaborate allusions in the asking. Abū Saʿīd told him, ‘We can reach your station and agree with what you intend without this allusion. Those who make the most allusions toward God—glory be to Him—are the farthest from God Most High.’” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Had I known that any knowledge [under the canopy of heaven] was nobler than this knowledge of ours, I would have hastened to it and its people until I heard it from them. Had I known of any moment nobler than this moment of ours with our companions and shaykhs, our questions, and our discussion of this knowledge, I would have risen and gone to it.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—also said, “In my estimation, no band and no people gathered around any field of knowledge are nobler than this band, nor is any knowledge nobler than theirs. Otherwise I would not sit with them. That is how I regard them, and that is the form they hold for me.” Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “This knowledge of ours is allusion; when it becomes explicit expression, it becomes hidden.” Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: “Abū Ḥātim al-ʿAṭṭār and his merit were mentioned to me. He was in Basra, so I travelled to him from Egypt. When I reached Basra and entered its congregational mosque, I found him sitting among a group of his companions and speaking to them. The first thing I heard him say, after he looked at me, was, ‘I have sat here only for one person. Where is that one? Who will bring me that one?’ Then he pointed to me and said, ‘You are he.’ He continued, ‘He brought them forth toward that for which He had fitted them, helped them carry what He imposed upon them, and absented them from what He had brought them into. Thus through Him they act for Him, and from Him they return to Him.’” It is related of al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—

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اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ [لَوْ كَانَ عِلْمُنَا هَذَا مَطْرُوحًا عَلَى مَزْبَلَةٍ لَمْ يَأْخُذْ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُ إِلَّا حَظَّهُ عَلَى مِقْدَارِهِ، وَفِيمَا حَكَى عَنِ الشِّبْلِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ] لِأَهْلِ مَجْلِسِهِ يَوْمًا أَنْتُمْ عَيْنُ الْقِلَادَةِ يُنْصَبُ لَكُمْ مَنَابِرُ مِنْ نُورٍ تَغْبِطُكُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْءٍ تَغْبِطُهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ قَالَ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِهَذَا الْعِلْمِ، سَمِعْتُ جَعْفَرَ الْخُلْدِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ قَالَ لِي سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ جَمَاعَةً يَجْلِسُونَ حَوْلَكَ فِي الْجَامِعِ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ هُمْ إِخْوَانِي نَتَذَاكَرُ الْعِلْمَ وَنَسْتَفِيدُ بَعْضُنَا مِنْ بَعْضٍ فَقَالَ هَيْهَاتَ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ صِرْتَ مَنَاخًا لِلْبَطَّالِينَ، وَعَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ سَرِيٌّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُفِيدُنِي شَيْئًا سَأَلَنِي [مَسْأَلَةً] فَقَالَ لِي يَوْمًا مَا الشُّكْرُ [يَا غُلَامُ] فَقُلْتُ أَنْ لَا تَعْصَى اللَّهَ بِنِعْمَةٍ أَنْعَمَ [اللَّهُ] بِهَا عَلَيْكَ فَاسْتَحْسَنَ ذَلِكَ مِنِّي وَكَانَ يَسْتَعِيدُهُ مِنِّي وَيَقُولُ كَيْفَ قُلْتُ فِي الشُّكْرِ أَعِدْهَا عَلَيَّ [فَأُعِيدُهَا عَلَيْهِ]، قَالَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ وَوَجَدْتُ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ بِخَطِّ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيِّ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ، وَذَكَرَ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُسْأَلُ عَنْ مَسَائِلَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَلَا يَتَكَلَّمُ فِيهَا فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ مُدَّةٍ تَكَلَّمَ فِيهَا وَأَحْسَنَ الْكَلَامِ فَسُئِلَ عَنِ امْتِنَاعِهِ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ كَانَ ذُو النُّونِ فِي الْأَحْيَاءِ، مَا أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَتَكَلَّمَ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَهُوَ فِي الْأَحْيَاءِ إِجْلَالًا لَهُ [وَحُرْمَةً]، وَقَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَوْ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ بِمَكَّةَ رَجُلًا يُفِيدُنِي فِي هَذَا الْعِلْمِ كَلِمَةً يَعْنِي فِي عِلْمِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ لَحَضَرَنِي فِيهِ أَنْ أَمْشِيَ عَلَى رِجْلَيَّ وَلَوْ أَلْفَ فَرْسَخٍ حَتَّى أَسْمَعَهَا مِنْهُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقُ سَمِعْتُ مِنَ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَلِمَةً فِي الْفَنَاءِ مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً هَيَّجَتْنِي وَأَنَا بَعْدُ فِي غِمَارِهَا، سَمِعْتُ الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الزَّقَّاقَ يَقُولُ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ، سَمِعْتُ الدَّقِّيَّ يَقُولُ قِيلَ لَأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْجَلَّاءِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِمَ سُمِّيَ أَبُوكَ الْجَلَّاءَ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ بِجَلَّاءٍ يَجْلُو الْحَدِيدَ وَلَكِنْ

Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla [law kāna ʿilmunā hadhā maṭrūḥan ʿalā mazbalatin lam yaʾkhudh kullu wāḥidin minhu illā ḥaẓẓahu ʿalā miqdārihi, wafīmā ḥakā ʿani al-shibliyyi annahu qāla] li-ahli majlisihi yawman antum ʿaynu al-qilādati yunṣabu lakum manābiru min nūrin taghbiṭukumu al-malāʾikatu faqāla rajulun ʿalā ayyi shayʾin taghbiṭuhumu al-malāʾikatu qāla yataḥaddathūna bihadhā al-ʿilmi, samiʿtu jaʿfara al-khuldiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-junayda raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu qāla lī sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā balaghanī anna jamāʿatan yajlisūna ḥawlaka fī al-jāmiʿi qultu naʿam hum ikhwānī natadhākaru al-ʿilma wanastafīdu baʿḍunā min baʿḍin faqāla hayhāta yā abā al-qāsimi ṣirta manākhan li-al-baṭṭālīna, waʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla kāna sariyyun raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā arāda an yufīdunī shayʾan saʾalanī [masʾalatan] faqāla lī yawman mā al-shukru [yā ghulāmu] faqultu an lā taʿṣā Allāha biniʿmatin anʿama [Allāhu] bihā ʿalayka fa-istaḥsana dhalika minnī wakāna yastaʿīduhu minnī wayaqūlu kayfa qultu fī al-shukri aʿidhā ʿalayya [fa-uʿīduhā ʿalayhi], qāla abū naṣrin wawajadtu hadhihi al-ḥikāyata bikhaṭṭi abī ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyyi ʿani al-junaydi, wadhakara ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yusʾalu ʿan masāʾila mina al-ʿilmi falā yatakallamu fīhā falammā kāna baʿda muddatin takallama fīhā wa-aḥsana al-kalāmi fasuʾila ʿani imtināʿihi qabla dhalika faqāla kāna dhū al-nūni fī al-aḥyāʾi, mā aḥbabtu an atakallama fī al-ʿilmi wahuwa fī al-aḥyāʾi ijlālan lahu [waḥurmatan], waqāla abū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā law aʿlamu anna bimakkata rajulan yufīdunī fī hadhā al-ʿilmi kalimatan yaʿnī fī ʿilmi al-maʿrifati laḥaḍaranī fīhi an amshiya ʿalā rijlayya walaw alfa farsakhin ḥattā asmaʿahā minhu, waqāla abū bakrin al-zaqqāqu samiʿtu mina al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kalimatan fī al-fanāʾi mundhu arbaʿīna sanatan hayyajatnī wa-anā baʿdu fī ghimārihā, samiʿtu al-daqqiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-zaqqāqa yaqūlu hadhihi al-ḥikāyata, samiʿtu al-daqqiyya yaqūlu qīla li-abī ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-jallāʾi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā lima summiya abūka al-jallāʾa faqāla mā kāna bijallāʾin yajlū al-ḥadīda walakin

—God Most High—that he said: [“If this knowledge of ours were cast upon a rubbish heap, each person would take from it only the share proportionate to him.” In a report related from al-Shiblī, he said] one day to the people in his gathering, “You are the central jewel of the necklace. Pulpits of light will be erected for you, and the angels will envy you.” A man asked, “For what will the angels envy them?” He replied, “They converse about this knowledge.” I heard Jaʿfar al-Khuldī say: I heard al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—say: Sarī al-Saqaṭī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said to me, “I have heard that a group sits around you in the congregational mosque.” I replied, “Yes. They are my brothers: we discuss knowledge together and benefit from one another.” He said, “Far from it, Abū al-Qāsim! You have become a resting place for idlers.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—also said: Whenever Sarī—may God Most High have mercy on him—wished to teach me something, he put [a question] to me. One day he asked, “What is gratitude, [young man]?” I replied, “That you do not disobey God by means of blessings with which [God] has blessed you.” He approved my reply and used to ask me to repeat it, saying, “How did you define gratitude? Repeat it to me.” [So I would repeat it to him.] Abū Naṣr said: I found this account, from al-Junayd, in Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī’s handwriting. It is related of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he was asked questions concerning this knowledge but would not speak about them. Some time later he spoke about them with great skill. When asked why he had previously refrained, he replied, “While Dhū al-Nūn was among the living, I did not wish to speak about this knowledge while he was alive, out of reverence [and respect] for him.” Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “If I knew that in Mecca there was a man who could teach me one word of this knowledge—meaning the knowledge of direct recognition—I would feel bound to walk to him on my own feet, even if it were a thousand parasangs, so that I might hear it from him.” Abū Bakr al-Zaqqāq said, “Forty years ago I heard from al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—a statement about annihilation. It stirred me, and I am still immersed in its depths.” I heard al-Daqqī say that he heard al-Zaqqāq relate this account. I heard al-Daqqī say: Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jallāʾ—may God Most High have mercy on him—was asked, “Why was your father called al-Jallāʾ, ‘the polisher’?” He replied, “He was no polisher who polished iron; rather—

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كَانَ إِذَا تَكَلَّمَ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ جَلَاهَا مِنْ صَدَإِ الذُّنُوبِ، وَكَانَ الْحَارِثُ الْمُحَاسِبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ أَعَزُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ فِي دَارِ الدُّنْيَا عَالِمٌ يَعْمَلُ بِعِلْمِهِ وَعَارِفٌ يَنْطِقُ عَنْ حَقِيقَتِهِ، وَسَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَلْوَانَ يَقُولُ كَانَ السَّائِلُ إِذَا وَقَفَ عَلَى الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ حَالِهِ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ الْجُنَيْدُ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ فَإِذَا كَرَّرَ عَلَيْهِ السُّؤَالُ يَقُولُ حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الزَّجَّاجِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا جَالَسْتَ شَيْخًا وَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي عِلْمٍ مِنَ الْعُلُومِ وَاشْتَدَّ بِكَ الْبَوْلُ فَلَوْ بُلْتَ [فِي] مَكَانِكَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَقُومَ مِنْ مَوْضِعِكَ لِأَنَّ الْبَوْلَ يُغْسَلُ بِالْمَاءِ وَمَا يَفُوتُكَ مِنْ فَائِدَتِكَ فِي كَلَامِهِ عِنْدَ قِيَامِكَ لَا تُدْرِكُهُ أَبَدًا، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قُلْتُ لِابْنِ الْكُرَيْنِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ الرَّجُلُ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الْعِلْمِ الَّذِي لَا يَبْلُغُ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ عِلْمَهُ فَأَيُّهُمَا أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ إِذَا كَانَ هَذَا وَصْفُهُ أَنْ يَسْكُتَ أَوْ يَتَكَلَّمَ فَأَطْرَقَ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ [لِي] إِنْ كُنْتَ هُوَ فَتَكَلَّمْ، وَكَانَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ مَا ظَنُّك بِعِلْمٍ عِلْمُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِيهِ تُهْمَةٌ، وَقَالَ سَرِيٌّ السَّقَطِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَنْ تَزَيَّنَ بِعِلْمِهِ كَانَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُ سَيِّئَاتٍ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ حِكَايَةٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَاتِ شَرْحٌ وَاسْتِنْبَاطٌ وَبَيَانٌ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الْفَهْمِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، بَابُ مَا ذُكِرَ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي وَقْتِ الطَّعَامِ وَالِاجْتِمَاعَاتِ وَالضِّيَافَاتِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَكَى عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ تَنْزِلُ الرَّحْمَةُ [مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ ذِكْرُهُ] عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ يَعْنِي الصُّوفِيَّةَ فِي ثَلَاثَةٍ

kāna idhā takallama ʿalā al-qulūbi jalāhā min ṣadaʾi al-dhunūbi, wakāna al-ḥārithu al-muḥāsibiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu aʿazzu al-ashyāʾi fī dāri al-dunyā ʿālimun yaʿmalu biʿilmihi waʿārifun yanṭiqu ʿan ḥaqīqatihi, wasamiʿtu ibna ʿalwāna yaqūlu kāna al-sāʾilu idhā waqafa ʿalā al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wasaʾalahu ʿani al-masʾalati falam yakun min ḥālihi dhalika yaqūlu al-junaydu lā ḥawla walā quwwata illā bi-Allāhi fa-idhā karrara ʿalayhi al-suʾālu yaqūlu ḥasbunā Allāhu waniʿma al-wakīlu, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿamrin al-zajjājiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla idhā jālasta shaykhan wahuwa yatakallamu fī ʿilmin mina al-ʿulūmi wa-ishtadda bika al-bawlu falaw bulta [fī] makānika khayrun laka min an taqūma min mawḍiʿika li-anna al-bawla yughsalu bi-al-māʾi wamā yafūtuka min fāʾidatika fī kalāmihi ʿinda qiyāmika lā tudrikuhu abadan, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qultu li-ibni al-kurayniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu al-rajulu yatakallamu fī al-ʿilmi alladhī lā yablughu istiʿmāluhu ʿilmahu fa-ayyuhumā aḥabbu ilayka idhā kāna hadhā waṣfuhu an yaskuta aw yatakallama fa-aṭraqa thumma rafaʿa raʾsahu faqāla [lī] in kunta huwa fatakallam, wakāna al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu yaqūlu mā ẓannuk biʿilmin ʿilmu al-ʿulamāʾi fīhi tuhmatun, waqāla sariyyun al-saqaṭiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā man tazayyana biʿilmihi kānat ḥasanātuhu sayyiʾātin, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu likulli ḥikāyatin min hadhihi al-ḥikāyāti sharḥun wa-istinbāṭun wabayānun lā yakhfā ʿalā ahli al-fahmi in shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, bābu mā dhukira min ādābihim fī waqti al-ṭaʿāmi wa-al-ijtimāʿāti wa-al-ḍiyāfāti, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ḥakā ʿan abī al-qāsimi al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla tanzilu al-raḥmatu [mina Allāhi ʿazza dhikruhu] ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi yaʿnī al-ṣūfiyyata fī thalāthatin

—when he spoke to hearts, he polished them clean of the rust of sins.” Al-Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī—may God have mercy on him—used to say, “The rarest things in this lower world are a scholar who acts upon his knowledge and a gnostic who speaks from his realized truth.” I heard Ibn ʿAlwān say: When a questioner stood before al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—and asked him about a matter that did not arise from the questioner’s own state, al-Junayd would say, “There is no power and no strength except through God.” If the man repeated his question, he would say, “God is sufficient for us, and He is the finest disposer of affairs.” It is related from Abū ʿAmr al-Zajjājī—may God have mercy on him—that he said, “If you are sitting with a shaykh while he speaks about one of the branches of knowledge and the need to urinate becomes urgent, it would be better for you to urinate [where you are] than to rise from your place. Urine can be washed away with water, whereas the benefit from his words that you miss when you rise can never be recovered.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: I asked Ibn al-Kuraynī—may God have mercy on him—about a man who speaks of a knowledge but whose practice does not attain the level of his knowledge: “Given this description, would you prefer him to remain silent or to speak?” He lowered his head, then raised it and said [to me], “If you are that man, then speak.” Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—used to say, “What do you think of a knowledge in which even the knowledge of the scholars is open to suspicion?” Sarī al-Saqaṭī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Whoever adorns himself with his knowledge finds that his good deeds become evil deeds.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Each of these accounts admits of explanation, inference, and clarification that will not be hidden from people of understanding, God Most High willing. Chapter on What Is Related of Their Etiquette at Mealtimes, Gatherings, and Occasions of Hospitality. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: It is related from Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—that he said, “Mercy [from God, mighty is His remembrance,] descends upon the poor—that is, the Sufis—in three—

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مَوَاطِنَ: عِنْدَ أَكْلِهِمُ الطَّعَامَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَأْكُلُونَ إِلَّا عَنْ فَاقَةٍ وَعِنْدَ مُجَارَاةِ الْعِلْمِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا فِي أَحْوَالِ الصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالْأَوْلِيَاءِ وَعِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ إِلَّا مِنْ حَقٍّ وَلَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا بِوَجْدٍ، وَقَالَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَسْرُوقٍ الطُّوسِيُّ قَالَ لِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ الطُّوسِيُّ وَقَدْ نَزَلَ عَلَيْنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أَقِمْ عِنْدَنَا ثَلَاثًا فَإِنْ زِدْتَ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةٍ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ مِنْكَ عَلَيْنَا، وَذُكِرَ عَنْ سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ آهٍ عَلَى لُقْمَةٍ لَيْسَ لِلَّهِ عَلَيَّ فِيهَا تَبِعَةٌ وَلَا لِمَخْلُوقٍ عَلَيَّ فِيهَا مِنَّةٌ، وَقَالَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ النُّورَبَاذِيُّ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَقِيرٌ فَقَدِّمُوا إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا يَأْكُلُ وَإِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْفُقَهَاءُ فَسَلُوهُمْ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَإِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقُرَّاءُ فَدُلُّوهُمْ عَلَى الْمِحْرَابِ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيُّ قَالَ أَبُو حَمْزَةَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى سَرِيٍّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فَجَاءَنِي بِفَتِيتٍ فَأَخَذَ يَجْعَلُ نِصْفَهُ فِي قَدَحٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ أَيْشٍ هُوَ ذَا تَعْمَلُ أَنَا أَشْرَبُ هَذَا كُلَّهُ فِي مَرَّةٍ فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ هَذَا أَفْضَلُ لَكَ مِنْ حُجَّةٍ، وَكَانَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِذَا رَأَى الْفُقَرَاءَ مُجْتَمِعِينَ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ يَسْتَشْهِدُ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ ﴿وَهُوَ عَلَى جَمْعِهِمْ إِذَا يَشَاءُ قَدِيرٌ﴾ وَكَانَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ يَقُولُ إِذَا اجْتَمَعَ الْفُقَرَاءُ فِي مَكَانٍ وَاحِدٍ يَكُونُ أَرْفَقَ بِهِمْ وَيَفْتَحُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَسْتَشْهِدُ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ ﴿قُلْ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا <رَبُّنَا> ثُمَّ يَفْتَحُ بَيْنَنَا﴾ الْآيَةَ، وَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ هَذَا الْأَكْلُ بَعْدَ الْأَكْلِ الَّذِي تَرَوْنَ أَصْحَابَنَا يُقَالُ لَهُ الْجُوعُ الْمُفْرِطُ، وَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ الْفَقِيرَ يَأْكُلُ كَثِيرًا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يَخْلُو مِنْ إِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ إِمَّا لِوَقْتٍ قَدْ مَضَى [عَلَيْهِ] أَوْ لِوَقْتٍ [يُرِيدُ أَنْ] يَسْتَقْبِلَهُ أَوْ لِوَقْتٍ هُوَ فِيهِ، وَقَالَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَوْ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا لُقْمَةٌ فِي فَمِ طِفْلٍ لَرَحِمْتُ ذَلِكَ الطِّفْلَ، وَقَالَ أَيْضًا لَوْ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا

mawāṭina: ʿinda aklihimu al-ṭaʿāma fa-innahum lā yaʾkulūna illā ʿan fāqatin waʿinda mujārāti al-ʿilmi fa-innahum lā yatakallamūna illā fī aḥwāli al-ṣiddīqīna wa-al-awliyāʾi waʿinda al-samāʿi fa-innahum lā yasmaʿūna illā min ḥaqqin walā yaqūmūna illā biwajdin, waqāla abū al-ʿabbāsi aḥmadu bnu muḥammadi bni masrūqin al-ṭūsiyyu qāla lī muḥammadu bnu manṣūrin al-ṭūsiyyu waqad nazala ʿalaynā abū al-ʿabbāsi aqim ʿindanā thalāthan fa-in zidta ʿalā thalāthatin fahuwa ṣadaqatun minka ʿalaynā, wadhukira ʿan sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaqūlu āhin ʿalā luqmatin laysa li-Allāhi ʿalayya fīhā tabiʿatun walā limakhlūqin ʿalayya fīhā minnatun, waqāla abū ʿaliyyin al-nūrabādhiyyu idhā dakhala ʿalaykum faqīrun faqaddimū ilayhi shayʾan yaʾkulu wa-idhā dakhala ʿalaykumu al-fuqahāʾu fasalūhum ʿan masʾalatin wa-idhā dakhala ʿalaykumu al-qurrāʾu fadullūhum ʿalā al-miḥrābi, qāla abū bakrin al-kattāniyyu qāla abū ḥamzata dakhaltu ʿalā sariyyin raḥimahu Allāhu fajāʾanī bifatītin fa-akhadha yajʿalu niṣfahu fī qadaḥin faqultu lahu ayshin huwa dhā taʿmalu anā ashrabu hadhā kullahu fī marratin faḍaḥika waqāla hadhā afḍalu laka min ḥujjatin, wakāna abū ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu idhā raʾā al-fuqarāʾa mujtamiʿīna fī makānin wāḥidin yastashhidu bihadhihi al-āyati ﴿wahuwa ʿalā jamʿihim idhā yashāʾu qadīrun﴾ wakāna abū ʿaliyyin yaqūlu idhā ijtamaʿa al-fuqarāʾu fī makānin wāḥidin yakūnu arfaqa bihim wayaftaḥu ʿalayhim wayastashhidu bihadhihi al-āyati ﴿qul yajmaʿu baynanā <rabbunā> thumma yaftaḥu baynanā﴾ al-āyata, waqāla jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu hadhā al-aklu baʿda al-akli alladhī tarawna aṣḥābanā yuqālu lahu al-jūʿu al-mufriṭu, waqāla jaʿfarun raḥimahu Allāhu idhā raʾayta al-faqīra yaʾkulu kathīran fa-iʿlam annahu lā yakhlū min iḥdā thalāthin immā liwaqtin qad maḍā [ʿalayhi] aw liwaqtin [yurīdu an] yastaqbilahu aw liwaqtin huwa fīhi, waqāla al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā law anna al-dunyā luqmatun fī fami ṭiflin laraḥimtu dhalika al-ṭifla, waqāla ayḍan law anna al-dunyā

—situations: when they eat, for they eat only from need; when they discuss knowledge, for they speak only of the states of the utterly truthful and the friends of God; and during audition, for they hear only from the Real and rise only through ecstasy.” Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Masrūq al-Ṭūsī said: Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Ṭūsī said to me, when Abū al-ʿAbbās had alighted as our guest, “Stay with us for three days. If you remain beyond three, that will be charity from you to us.” It is related of Sarī al-Saqaṭī—may God have mercy on him—that he used to say, “Ah, for a morsel in which I owe no liability to God and no debt of gratitude to any creature!” Abū ʿAlī al-Nūrābādhī said, “When a poor man enters, set before him something to eat. When jurists enter, ask them about a legal question. When Qurʾan reciters enter, direct them to the prayer niche.” Abū Bakr al-Kattānī said that Abū Ḥamza related: “I entered upon Sarī—may God have mercy on him—and he brought me crumbled bread. He began putting half of it into a cup. I asked, ‘What are you doing? I drink all of this at once.’ He laughed and said, ‘That is better for you than a pilgrimage.’” Whenever Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī—may God have mercy on him—saw the poor gathered in one place, he cited the verse, “He is surely able to gather them whenever He wills.” Abū ʿAlī used to say, “When the poor gather in one place, it is gentler for them and an opening is granted to them,” and he cited the verse, “Say: Our Lord will gather us together, then He will decide between us”—to the end of the verse. Jaʿfar al-Khuldī—may God have mercy on him—said, “This eating after eating that you see among our companions is called extreme hunger.” Jaʿfar—may God have mercy on him—also said, “When you see a poor man eating a great deal, know that it is due to one of three times: a time that has passed [over him], a time [that he means] to face, or the time in which he now is.” Al-Shiblī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “If the whole world were a morsel in a child’s mouth, I would feel pity for that child.” He also said, “If the world—

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بِمَا فِيهَا لُقْمَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ أَكَلْتُهَا وَأَدَعُ الْخَلْقَ بِلَا وَاسِطَةٍ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ آكُلُ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةٍ مَعَ الْإِخْوَانِ بِالِانْبِسَاطِ وَمَعَ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا بِالْأَدَبِ وَمَعَ الْفُقَرَاءِ بِالْإِيثَارِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لَيْسَ هَذَا مِنْ آدَابِ الْفُقَرَاءِ لِأَنَّ مِنْ آدَابِ الْفُقَرَاءِ الصُّوفِيَّةَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونُوا عِنْدَ أَكْلِ الطَّعَامِ مُغْتَمِّينَ وَلَا مُسْتَوْحِشِينَ وَلَا مُتَكَلِّفِينَ وَلَا يَخْتَارُونَ الْكَثِيرَ الرَّدِيءَ عَلَى الْقَلِيلِ النَّظِيفِ الْجَيِّدِ وَلَا يَكُونُ لِأَكْلِهِمْ وَقْتٌ مَعْلُومٌ وَإِذَا حَضَرَ الطَّعَامُ فَلَا يُلَقِّمُونَ بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضًا وَإِنْ لَقَّمُوهُمْ فَلَا يَرُدُّونَ وَيَكْرَهُونَ الطَّعَامَ الْكَثِيرَ الْجَافِيَ وَكُلَّمَا كَانُوا أَشَدَّ جُوعًا كَانَ أَدَبُهُمْ فِي الْأَكْلِ أَحْسَنَ، سَمِعْتُ شَيْخًا مِنَ الْأَجِلَّةِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ جُعْتُ عَشَرَةَ أَيَّامٍ لَمْ آكُلْ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ قَدِّمَ إِلَيَّ الطَّعَامُ فَكُنْتُ آكُلُ بِإِصْبَعَيْنِ فَقَالَ لِي صَاحِبُ الطَّعَامِ اسْتَعْمِلِ السُّنَّةَ [وَ] كُلْ بِثَلَاثَةِ أَصَابِعَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ مُنْذُ ثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً مَا أَكَلْتُ شَيْئًا بِشَهْوَتِي، وَكَانَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيُّ الدِّينَوَرِيُّ بِبَغْدَادَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَأْكُلُ شَيْئًا يَكُونُ سَبَبَ إِظْهَارِهِ السُّؤَالُ وَالْمُعَارَضَةَ، وَعَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ مِنَ النَّذَالَةِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الرَّجُلُ بِدَيْنِهِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو تُرَابٌ عُرِضَ عَلَيَّ طَعَامٌ فَامْتَنَعَتْ <نَفْسِي> مِنْ أَكْلِهِ فَعُوقِبَتْ بِالْجُوعِ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا فَعَلِمْتُ أَنِّي عُوقِبْتُ فَاسْتَغَثْتُ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَتُبْتُ، وَكَانَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ بِصَفَاءِ الْمَطْعَمِ وَالْمَلْبَسِ وَالْمَسْكَنِ يَصْلُحُ الْأَمْرُ كُلُّهُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ سَرِيٍّ السَّقَطِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ أَكْلُهُمْ أَكْلُ الْمَرْضَى وَنَوْمُهُمْ نَوْمُ الْغَرْقَى، وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُصَرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَكَثْتُ سِنِينَ لَا يَصْلُحُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ لَا أَشْتَهِي وَلَا يَصْلُحُ لِي أَنْ آكُلَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ فَتْحٍ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى بِشْرٍ الْحَافِي رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَجَاءَهُ زَائِرًا مِنَ الْمَوْصِلِ فَأَخْرَجَ بِشْرٌ دِرْهَمًا وَأَعْطَاهُ لِأَحْمَدَ الْجَلَّاءِ وَكَانَ يَخْدُمُهُ فَقَالَ مُرَّ إِلَى السُّوقِ اشْتَرِ طَعَامًا جَيِّدًا وَأُدْمًا طَيِّبًا قَالَ فَخَرَجْتُ فَاشْتَرَيْتُ خُبْزًا نَظِيفًا وَقُلْتُ لَمْ يَقُلِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

bimā fīhā luqmatun wāḥidatun akaltuhā wa-adaʿu al-khalqa bilā wāsiṭatin maʿa Allāhi taʿālā, waqāla baʿḍuhum ākulu al-ṭaʿāma ʿalā thalāthatin maʿa al-ikhwāni bi-al-inbisāṭi wamaʿa abnāʾi al-dunyā bi-al-adabi wamaʿa al-fuqarāʾi bi-al-īthāri, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu laysa hadhā min ādābi al-fuqarāʾi li-anna min ādābi al-fuqarāʾi al-ṣūfiyyata an lā yakūnū ʿinda akli al-ṭaʿāmi mughtammīna walā mustawḥishīna walā mutakallifīna walā yakhtārūna al-kathīra al-radīʾa ʿalā al-qalīli al-naẓīfi al-jayyidi walā yakūnu li-aklihim waqtun maʿlūmun wa-idhā ḥaḍara al-ṭaʿāmu falā yulaqqimūna baʿḍahum baʿḍan wa-in laqqamūhum falā yaruddūna wayakrahūna al-ṭaʿāma al-kathīra al-jāfiya wakullamā kānū ashadda jūʿan kāna adabuhum fī al-akli aḥsana, samiʿtu shaykhan mina al-ajillati raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu juʿtu ʿasharata ayyāmin lam ākul shayʾan thumma qaddima ilayya al-ṭaʿāmu fakuntu ākulu bi-iṣbaʿayni faqāla lī ṣāḥibu al-ṭaʿāmi istaʿmili al-sunnata [wa] kul bithalāthati aṣābiʿa, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla mundhu thamānīna sanatan mā akaltu shayʾan bishahwatī, wakāna abū bakrin al-kattāniyyu al-dīnawariyyu bibaghdāda walam yakun yaʾkulu shayʾan yakūnu sababa iẓhārihi al-suʾālu wa-al-muʿāraḍata, waʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla mina al-nadhālati an yaʾkula al-rajulu bidaynihi, waqāla abū turābun ʿuriḍa ʿalayya ṭaʿāmun fa-imtanaʿat <nafsī> min aklihi faʿūqibat bi-al-jūʿi arbaʿata ʿashara yawman faʿalimtu annī ʿūqibtu fa-istaghathtu ilā Allāhi taʿālā watubtu, wakāna al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu biṣafāʾi al-maṭʿami wa-al-malbasi wa-al-maskani yaṣluḥu al-amru kulluhu, waḥukiya ʿan sariyyin al-saqaṭiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu kāna yaqūlu akluhum aklu al-marḍā wanawmuhum nawmu al-gharqā, waqāla abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-ḥuṣariyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā makathtu sinīna lā yaṣluḥu lī an aqūla lā ashtahī walā yaṣluḥu lī an ākula, waḥukiya ʿan fatḥin al-mawṣiliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu dakhala ʿalā bishrin al-ḥāfī raḥimahu Allāhu wajāʾahu zāʾiran mina al-mawṣili fa-akhraja bishrun dirhaman wa-aʿṭāhu li-aḥmada al-jallāʾi wakāna yakhdumuhu faqāla murra ilā al-sūqi ishtari ṭaʿāman jayyidan wa-udman ṭayyiban qāla fakharajtu fa-ishtaraytu khubzan naẓīfan waqultu lam yaquli al-nabiyyu ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama

—and everything in it were a single morsel, I would eat it and leave created beings directly with God Most High, without an intermediary.” One of them said, “I eat in three ways: with brothers, in ease and familiarity; with worldly people, with decorum; and with the poor, with preference for others.” The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: This does not exhaust the etiquette of the poor, for among the disciplines of the Sufi poor are that, while eating, they should be neither distressed, estranged, nor affected; that they should not choose a large quantity of inferior food over a small quantity of clean, wholesome food; and that they should have no fixed time for eating. When food is served, they do not feed morsels to one another, but if someone feeds them a morsel, they do not refuse it. They dislike abundant, coarse food. The more intense their hunger, the finer their conduct while eating. I heard one of the venerable shaykhs—may God Most High have mercy on him—say, “I went hungry for ten days and ate nothing. Then food was set before me, and I began eating with two fingers. The host said, ‘Follow the Sunna [and] eat with three fingers.’” It is related from Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “For eighty years I have eaten nothing out of appetite.” Abū Bakr al-Kattānī al-Dīnawarī was in Baghdad and would eat nothing whose appearance had been occasioned by begging or indirect solicitation. Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “It is base for a man to eat by means of his religion.” Abū Turāb said, “Food was offered to me, but my soul refused to eat it. It was punished with hunger for fourteen days. I realized that I had been punished, sought God Most High’s help, and repented.” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—used to say, “When food, clothing, and dwelling are pure, the whole affair is set right.” It is related of Sarī al-Saqaṭī—may God have mercy on him—that he used to say, “Their eating is the eating of the sick, and their sleep is the sleep of the drowning.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥuṣrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “For years it was not proper for me to say, ‘I have no desire,’ nor was it proper for me to eat.” It is related that Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī—may God Most High have mercy on him—came from Mosul to visit Bishr al-Ḥāfī—may God have mercy on him. Bishr took out a dirham and gave it to Aḥmad al-Jallāʾ, who served him, saying, “Go to the market and buy good food and a pleasant condiment.” Aḥmad related: I went out and bought clean bread. I thought, “The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—did not say of any food—

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لِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الطَّعَامِ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَزِدْنَا مِنْهُ إِلَّا اللَّبَنَ فَاشْتَرَيْتُ اللَّبَنَ وَاشْتَرَيْتُ تَمْرًا جَيِّدًا وَجِئْتُ وَقَدِّمْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَأَكَلَ مَا أَكَلَ وَأَخَذَ الْبَاقِيَ وَخَرَجَ فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قَالَ بِشْرٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ عِنْدَهُ هَذَا فَتْحُ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ جَاءَنِي يَزُورُنِي تَدْرُونَ لِمَ لَمْ يَقُلْ لِي كُلْ قَالَ لِأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ لِلضَّيْفِ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِصَاحِبِ الدَّارِ كُلْ تَدْرُونَ لِمَ قُلْتُ: اشْتَرِ طَعَامًا طَيِّبًا لِأَنَّ الطَّعَامَ الطَّيِّبَ يَسْتَخْرِجُ خَالِصَ الشُّكْرِ تَدْرُونَ لِمَ حَمَلَ مَا بَقِيَ لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا صَحَّ التَّوَكُّلُ لَمْ يَضُرَّ الْحَمْلُ، وَقِيلَ لِمَعْرُوفٍ الْكَرْخِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَكُلُّ مَنْ دَعَاكَ تَمُرُّ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا ضَيْفٌ، أَنْزِلُ حَيْثُ أَنْزِلُونِي، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ اجْتَمَعَ سَنَةً مِنَ السِّنِينَ هَا هُنَا يَعْنِي بِمَكَّةَ مِقْدَارُ ثَلَاثِمِائَةِ نَفْسٍ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَشَايِخِ فَكَانُوا كُلُّهُمْ فِي مَوْضِعٍ وَاحِدٍ وَكَانَ لَا يَجْرِي فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ <إِلَّا> الْعِلْمُ وَالْمُذَاكَرَةُ وَتَكُونُ أَخْلَاقٌ بَيْنَهُمْ وَمَكَارِمُ وَإِيثَارٌ بَعْضُهُمْ مَعَ بَعْضٍ، وَكَانَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ إِذَا أَرَدْتَ حَاجَةً مِنْ حَوَائِجِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ فَلَا تَأْكُلْ حَتَّى تَقْضِيَهَا فَإِنَّ الْأَكْلَ يُمِيتُ الْقَلْبَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ رُوَيْمٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً لَمْ يَخْطُرْ بِقَلْبِي ذِكْرُ الطَّعَامِ حَتَّى يَحْضُرَ، وَسَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَطَاءٍ، أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ يَقُولُ كَانَ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى اشْتَرَى أَحْمَالًا مِنَ السُّكَّرِ الْأَبْيَضِ وَدَعَا جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْحَلَاوِيِّينَ فَاتَّخَذُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ السُّكَّرِ جِدَارًا عَلَيْهِ شُرُفَاتٌ وَفِي الْجِدَارِ مَحَارِيبُ عَلَى أَعْمِدَةٍ مَنْقُوشَةٍ كُلُّهَا مِنَ السُّكَّرِ ثُمَّ دَعَا الصُّوفِيَّةَ حَتَّى هَدَمُوهَا وَكَسَرُوهَا وَانْتَهَبُوهَا، وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ اتَّخَذَ رَجُلٌ ضِيَافَةً فَأَوْقَدَ أَلْفَ سِرَاجٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ قَدْ أَسْرَفْتَ فَقَالَ لَهُ ادْخُلِ الدَّارَ فَكُلُّ سِرَاجٍ أَوْقَدْتَهُ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَأَطْفِئْهُ فَدَخَلَ الدَّارَ لِيُطْفِيَهَا فَمَا قَدَرَ أَنْ يُطْفِئَ مِنْهَا سِرَاجًا وَاحِدًا وَانْقَطَعَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُصَرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ السُّلَمِيَّ يَقُولُ كُنْتُ بِمَكَّةَ وَكَانَ لِي ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ لَمْ آكُلْ

lishayʾin mina al-ṭaʿāmi Allāhumma bārik lanā fīhi wazidnā minhu illā al-labana fa-ishtaraytu al-labana wa-ishtaraytu tamran jayyidan wajiʾtu waqaddimtu ilayhi fa-akala mā akala wa-akhadha al-bāqiya wakharaja falammā kharaja qāla bishrun liman kāna ʿindahu hadhā fatḥu al-mawṣiliyyi jāʾanī yazūrunī tadrūna lima lam yaqul lī kul qāla li-annahu laysa li-al-ḍayfi an yaqūla liṣāḥibi al-dāri kul tadrūna lima qultu: ishtari ṭaʿāman ṭayyiban li-anna al-ṭaʿāma al-ṭayyiba yastakhriju khāliṣa al-shukri tadrūna lima ḥamala mā baqiya li-annahu idhā ṣaḥḥa al-tawakkulu lam yaḍurra al-ḥamlu, waqīla limaʿrūfin al-karkhiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā akullu man daʿāka tamurru ilayhi faqāla innamā anā ḍayfun, anzilu ḥaythu anzilūnī, waḥukiya ʿan abī bakrin al-kattāniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla ijtamaʿa sanatan mina al-sinīna hā hunā yaʿnī bimakkata miqdāru thalāthimiʾati nafsin mina al-fuqarāʾi wa-al-mashāyikhi fakānū kulluhum fī mawḍiʿin wāḥidin wakāna lā yajrī fīmā baynahum <illā> al-ʿilmu wa-al-mudhākaratu watakūnu akhlāqun baynahum wamakārimu wa-īthārun baʿḍuhum maʿa baʿḍin, wakāna abū sulaymāna al-dārāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu idhā aradta ḥājatan min ḥawāʾiji al-dunyā wa-al-ākhirati falā taʾkul ḥattā taqḍiyahā fa-inna al-akla yumītu al-qalba, waḥukiya ʿan ruwaymin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan lam yakhṭur biqalbī dhikru al-ṭaʿāmi ḥattā yaḥḍura, wasamiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaṭāʾin, abā ʿabdi Allāhi al-rūdhbāriyya yaqūlu kāna abū ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ishtarā aḥmālan mina al-sukkari al-abyaḍi wadaʿā jamāʿatan mina al-ḥalāwiyyīna fa-ittakhadhū min dhalika al-sukkari jidāran ʿalayhi shurufātun wafī al-jidāri maḥārību ʿalā aʿmidatin manqūshatin kulluhā mina al-sukkari thumma daʿā al-ṣūfiyyata ḥattā hadamūhā wakasarūhā wa-intahabūhā, wasamiʿtu abā ʿabdi Allāhi al-rūdhbāriyya annahu kāna yaqūlu ittakhadha rajulun ḍiyāfatan fa-awqada alfa sirājin faqāla lahu rajulun qad asrafta faqāla lahu idkhuli al-dāra fakullu sirājin awqadtahu lighayri Allāhi taʿālā fa-aṭfiʾhu fadakhala al-dāra liyuṭfiyahā famā qadara an yuṭfiʾa minhā sirājan wāḥidan wa-inqaṭaʿa, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿabdi Allāhi al-ḥuṣariyyi raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla samiʿtu aḥmada bna muḥammadin al-sulamiyya yaqūlu kuntu bimakkata wakāna lī thalāthatu ayyāmin lam ākul

—‘O God, bless it for us and give us more of it,’ except milk.” So I bought milk and fine dates, returned, and set them before Fatḥ. He ate what he ate, took the remainder, and left. After he had gone, Bishr said to those with him, “This was Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī, who came to visit me. Do you know why he did not tell me, ‘Eat’?” He answered, “Because it is not for the guest to tell the master of the house to eat. Do you know why I said, ‘Buy pleasant food’?” He answered, “Because pleasant food draws forth pure gratitude. Do you know why he carried away what remained? Because when trust in God is sound, carrying provisions does no harm.” Maʿrūf al-Karkhī—may God Most High have mercy on him—was asked, “Do you go to everyone who invites you?” He replied, “I am only a guest; I alight wherever they cause me to alight.” It is related from Abū Bakr al-Kattānī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “One year about three hundred of the poor and the shaykhs gathered here”—meaning in Mecca—“all in one place. Knowledge and mutual discussion circulated among them, and noble character, generosity, and mutual self-preference prevailed between them.” Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī—may God Most High have mercy on him—used to say, “If you wish to accomplish some need of this world or the next, do not eat until you have completed it, for eating deadens the heart.” It is related from Rūyim—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “For twenty years the thought of food has not crossed my heart until food was present.” I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAṭāʾ say that Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rūdhbārī related: Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī—may God Most High have mercy on him—bought loads of white sugar and summoned a group of confectioners. From the sugar they made a wall with battlements; in the wall were prayer niches supported on decorated columns, all made of sugar. He then invited the Sufis, who demolished it, broke it apart, and carried it off. I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rūdhbārī say: A man prepared a feast and lit a thousand lamps. Another man told him, “You have been extravagant.” He replied, “Enter the house and extinguish every lamp that I lit for anyone other than God Most High.” The man entered to put them out but could not extinguish a single lamp, and his objection came to an end. It is related from Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥuṣrī—may God have mercy on him—that he said: I heard Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Sulamī say, “I was in Mecca and had gone three days without eating—

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شَيْئًا فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنْ أَجْمَعَ النُّسَّاكَ وَمَنْ بِالْحَرَمِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَأَهْلِ الْفَضْلِ قَالَ فَاكْتَرَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ مَضْرِبًا وَأَقْبَلَتِ الْفُتُوحُ مِنْ كُلِّ جَانِبٍ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا وَهُوَ فِي طُولِ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ لَمْ يَأْكُلْ شَيْئًا، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي وَقْتِ السَّمَاعِ وَالْوُجُودِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ حَكَى عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ السَّمَاعُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَشْيَاءَ وَإِلَّا فَتَرْكُهُ أَوْلَى: الْإِخْوَانُ، وَالزَّمَانُ، وَالْمَكَانُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ الْمُحَاسِبِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ ثَلَاثٌ إِذَا وُجِدَتْ فَتَمَتَّعْ بِهِنَّ وَقَدْ فَقَدْنَاهُنَّ حُسْنُ الْقَوْلِ مَعَ الدِّيَانَةِ، وَحُسْنُ الْوَجْهِ مَعَ الصِّيَانَةِ وَحُسْنُ الْإِخَاءِ مَعَ الْوَفَاءِ، وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُقَاتِلٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى [لَمَّا] دَخَلَ ذُو النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بَغْدَادَ اجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ وَمَعَهُمْ قَوَّالٌ يَقُولُ فَاسْتَأْذَنُوهُ بِأَنْ يَقُولَ شَيْئًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَأَذِنَ لَهُمْ فَابْتَدَأَ يَقُولُ، صَغِيرُ هَوَاكَ، عَذَّبَنِي * * فَكَيْفَ بِهِ إِذَا احْتَنَكَا وَأَنْتَ جَمَعْتَ مِنْ قَلْبِي * * هَوًى قَدْ كَانَ مُشْتَرَكَا أَمَا تَرْثِي لِمُكْتَئِبٍ * * إِذَا ضَحِكَ الْخَلِيُّ بَكَى، فَقَامَ ذُو النُّونِ وَسَقَطَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ وَالدَّمُ يَقْطُرُ مِنْ جَبِينِهِ وَلَا يَسْقُطُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ يَعْنِي يَتَوَاجَدُ فَقَالَ لَهُ ذُو النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الَّذِي يَرَاكَ حِينَ تَقُومُ فَجَلَسَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ، قَالَ وَسُئِلَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْمَارِسْتَانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْحَرَكَةِ عِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ وَتَخْرِيقِ الثِّيَابِ فَقَالَ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَصَّ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَمَزَّقَ وَاحِدٌ قَمِيصَهُ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قُلْ لَهُ مَزِّقْ لِي قَلْبَكَ وَلَا تُمَزِّقْ ثِيَابَكَ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَيُذْكَرُ فِي بَابِ وَصْفِ السَّمَاعِ وَبَيَانِ الْوَجْدِ تَمَامَ هَذَا الْبَابِ إِنْ

shayʾan fawaqaʿa fī nafsī an ajmaʿa al-nussāka waman bi-al-ḥarami mina al-fuqarāʾi wa-ahli al-faḍli qāla fa-iktaraytu aḥada ʿashara maḍriban wa-aqbalati al-futūḥu min kulli jānibin falam yazal ʿalā dhalika aḥada ʿashara yawman wahuwa fī ṭūli tilka al-ayyāmi lam yaʾkul shayʾan, bābun fī dhikri ādābihim fī waqti al-samāʿi wa-al-wujūdi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu ḥakā ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yaqūlu al-samāʿu yaḥtāju ilā thalāthati ashyāʾa wa-illā fatarkuhu awlā: al-ikhwānu, wa-al-zamānu, wa-al-makānu, waḥukiya ʿani al-ḥārithi al-muḥāsibiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yaqūlu thalāthun idhā wujidat fatamattaʿ bihinna waqad faqadnāhunna ḥusnu al-qawli maʿa al-diyānati, waḥusnu al-wajhi maʿa al-ṣiyānati waḥusnu al-ikhāʾi maʿa al-wafāʾi, waqāla aḥmadu bnu muqātilin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā [lammā] dakhala dhū al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā baghdāda ijtamaʿa ilayhi jamāʿatun mina al-ṣūfiyyati wamaʿahum qawwālun yaqūlu fa-istaʾdhanūhu bi-an yaqūla shayʾan bayna yadayhi fa-adhina lahum fa-ibtadaʾa yaqūlu, ṣaghīru hawāka, ʿadhdhabanī * * fakayfa bihi idhā iḥtanakā wa-anta jamaʿta min qalbī * * hawan qad kāna mushtarakā amā tarthī limuktaʾibin * * idhā ḍaḥika al-khaliyyu bakā, faqāma dhū al-nūni wasaqaṭa ʿalā wajhihi wa-al-damu yaqṭuru min jabīnihi walā yasquṭu ʿalā al-arḍi qāla thumma qāma rajulun mina al-qawmi yaʿnī yatawājadu faqāla lahu dhū al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā alladhī yarāka ḥīna taqūmu fajalasa dhalika al-rajulu, qāla wasuʾila ibrāhīmu al-māristāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-ḥarakati ʿinda al-samāʿi watakhrīqi al-thiyābi faqāla balaghanī anna mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu qaṣṣa fī banī isrāʾīla famazzaqa wāḥidun qamīṣahu fa-awḥā Allāhu taʿālā ilā mūsā ʿalayhi al-salāmu qul lahu mazziq lī qalbaka walā tumazziq thiyābaka, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wayudhkaru fī bābi waṣfi al-samāʿi wabayāni al-wajdi tamāma hadhā al-bābi in

—anything. It occurred to me to gather the ascetics, the poor in the Sanctuary, and the people of merit. I rented eleven pavilions, and gifts of provision began coming from every direction. This continued for eleven days, throughout which I myself ate nothing.” Chapter on Their Etiquette during Audition and Ecstasy. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: It is related from al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he used to say, “Audition requires three things; otherwise leaving it is better: brothers, the proper time, and the proper place.” It is related from al-Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he used to say, “If you find three things, enjoy them, for we have lost them: fine speech joined with religion, a beautiful face joined with chastity, and beautiful brotherhood joined with loyalty.” Aḥmad ibn Muqātil—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: [When] Dhū al-Nūn—may God Most High have mercy on him—entered Baghdad, a group of Sufis gathered around him, accompanied by a singer. They asked his permission for the singer to perform something before him, and he gave them permission. The singer began: “Your love, while young, tormented me; / what then when it has grown mature? / You have gathered in my heart / a love once shared among others. / Have you no pity for one made sorrowful, / who weeps when the carefree laugh?” Dhū al-Nūn rose and fell upon his face. Blood dripped from his brow but did not fall upon the ground. Then a man from the group rose as though overcome by ecstasy. Dhū al-Nūn—may God Most High have mercy on him—said to him, “He who sees you when you rise.” The man sat down. Ibrāhīm al-Māristānī—may God have mercy on him—was asked about movement during audition and tearing one’s clothes. He replied, “I have heard that Moses—peace be upon him—preached to the Children of Israel, and one man tore his shirt. God Most High revealed to Moses—peace be upon him—‘Tell him: Tear your heart for Me; do not tear your clothes.’” The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: The completion of this chapter will be given in the chapter describing audition and explaining ecstasy, God—

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شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَقَدْ حُكِيَ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا يَضُرُّ نُقْصَانُ الْوَجْدِ مَعَ فَضْلِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّمَا يَضُرُّ فَضْلُ الْوَجْدِ مَعَ نُقْصَانِ الْعِلْمِ، وَالْمَعْنَى فِي ذَلِكَ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ فَضْلَ الْعِلْمِ يُوجِبُ ضَبْطَ الْجَوَارِحِ عَنِ الْحَرَكَاتِ عِنْدَ السَّمَاعِ عَلَى قَدْرِ طَاقَةِ الْمُسْتَمِعِ حَتَّى يَقْبِضَ عَلَى جَوَارِحِهِ بَعْدَ جَهْدِهِ وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ اسْتِدْعَاءُ الْحَالِ وَالتَّكَلُّفُ لِلْقِيَامِ، وَالْفُقَرَاءُ الْمُجَرَّدُونَ يَلِيقُ بِهِمُ الْقِيَامُ وَالْمُطَايَبَةُ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَذَاهُبٍ وَلَا تَسَاكُنٍ إِلَى ذَلِكَ وَتَرْكُهُ أَوْلَى بِهِمْ وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْأَدَبِ الْمُدَاخَلَةُ وَالْمُزَاحَمَةُ فِي السَّمَاعِ مَعَ أَهْلِ السَّمَاعِ وَالسُّكُونُ مَعَ حُضُورِ الْقَلْبِ وَالْوُقُوفِ عَلَى مَرَامَى الْمُسْتَمِعِينَ وَمَعَانِيهِمْ أَوْلَى مِنَ الْمُدَاخَلَةِ مَعَهُمْ بِالتَّكَلُّفِ وَرُبَّمَا يَصِيرُ التَّكَلُّفُ عَادَةً فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ أَغْلَظَهَا عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ وَأَظْلَمَهَا لِلْوَقْتِ وَكُلُّ قَلْبٍ مُلَوَّثٍ بِحُبِّ الدُّنْيَا فَسَمَاعُهُ لَهْوٌ وَإِنْ تَلِفَتْ نَفْسُهُ فِيهِ وَذَهَبَ رُوحُهُ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي اللِّبَاسِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ حَكَى عَنْ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ لَبِسَ قَمِيصًا أَبْيَضَ يَعْنِي غَسِيلًا فَقَالَ لَهُ أَحْمَدُ لَوْ لَبِسْتَ قَمِيصًا أَجْوَدَ مِنْ هَذَا أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا أَحْمَدُ لَيْتَ قَلْبِي فِي الْقُلُوبِ مِثْلَ قَمِيصِي فِي الثِّيَابِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ يَلْبَسُ أَحَدُكُمْ عَبَاءَةً بِثَلَاثَةِ دَرَاهِمَ وَشَهْوَتُهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ فِي خَمْسَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَمَا يَسْتَحِي أَنْ تُجَاوِزَ شَهْوَتُهُ لِبَاسَهُ، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي قَصْرِ الثَّوْبِ ثَلَاثُ خِصَالٍ مَحْمُودَةٌ اسْتِعْمَالُ السُّنَّةِ وَالنَّظَافَةُ وَزِيَادَةُ خَرْقِهِ، قَالَ وَدَخَلَ جَمَاعَةٌ عَلَى بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَرْثِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَعَلَيْهِمُ الْمُرَقَّعَاتُ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ بِشْرٌ يَا قَوْمِ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُظْهِرُوا هَذَا الزِّيَّ فَإِنَّكُمْ تُعْرِفُونَ بِهِ وَتُكْرَمُونَ لَهُ فَسَكَتُوا كُلُّهُمْ فَقَامَ شَابٌّ مِنْ بَيْنِهِمْ فَقَالَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي جَعَلَنَا مِمَّنْ يُعْرَفُ بِهِ وَيُكْرَمُ لَهُ وَاللَّهِ لَنُظْهِرَنَّ هَذَا الزِّيَّ حَتَّى

shāʾa Allāhu taʿālā, waqad ḥukiya ʿani al-junaydi annahu qāla lā yaḍurru nuqṣānu al-wajdi maʿa faḍli al-ʿilmi wa-innamā yaḍurru faḍlu al-wajdi maʿa nuqṣāni al-ʿilmi, wa-al-maʿnā fī dhalika wa-Allāhu aʿlamu anna faḍla al-ʿilmi yūjibu ḍabṭa al-jawāriḥi ʿani al-ḥarakāti ʿinda al-samāʿi ʿalā qadri ṭāqati al-mustamiʿi ḥattā yaqbiḍa ʿalā jawāriḥihi baʿda jahdihi walaysa mina al-adabi istidʿāʾu al-ḥāli wa-al-takallufu li-al-qiyāmi, wa-al-fuqarāʾu al-mujarradūna yalīqu bihimu al-qiyāmu wa-al-muṭāyabatu min ghayri tadhāhubin walā tasākunin ilā dhalika watarkuhu awlā bihim walaysa mina al-adabi al-mudākhalatu wa-al-muzāḥamatu fī al-samāʿi maʿa ahli al-samāʿi wa-al-sukūnu maʿa ḥuḍūri al-qalbi wa-al-wuqūfi ʿalā marāmā al-mustamiʿīna wamaʿānīhim awlā mina al-mudākhalati maʿahum bi-al-takallufi warubbamā yaṣīru al-takallufu ʿādatan fayakūnu dhalika aghlaẓahā ʿalā al-qulūbi wa-aẓlamahā li-al-waqti wakullu qalbin mulawwathin biḥubbi al-dunyā fasamāʿuhu lahwun wa-in talifat nafsuhu fīhi wadhahaba rūḥuhu, bābun fī dhikri ādābihim fī al-libāsi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu ḥakā ʿan abī sulaymāna al-dārāniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu labisa qamīṣan abyaḍa yaʿnī ghasīlan faqāla lahu aḥmadu law labista qamīṣan ajwada min hadhā aw kamā qāla faqāla lahu yā aḥmadu layta qalbī fī al-qulūbi mithla qamīṣī fī al-thiyābi, waḥukiya ʿan abī sulaymāna al-dārāniyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla yalbasu aḥadukum ʿabāʾatan bithalāthati darāhima washahwatuhu fī qalbihi fī khamsati darāhima famā yastaḥī an tujāwiza shahwatuhu libāsahu, wabalaghanī ʿanhu annahu kāna yaqūlu fī qaṣri al-thawbi thalāthu khiṣālin maḥmūdatun istiʿmālu al-sunnati wa-al-naẓāfatu waziyādatu kharqihi, qāla wadakhala jamāʿatun ʿalā bishri bni al-ḥarthi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā waʿalayhimu al-muraqqaʿātu faqāla lahum bishrun yā qawmi ittaqū Allāha walā tuẓhirū hadhā al-ziyya fa-innakum tuʿrifūna bihi watukramūna lahu fasakatū kulluhum faqāma shābbun min baynihim faqāla al-ḥamdu li-Allāhi alladhī jaʿalanā mimman yuʿrafu bihi wayukramu lahu wa-Allāhi lanuẓhiranna hadhā al-ziyya ḥattā

—Most High willing. It is also related from al-Junayd that he said, “A deficiency of ecstasy does no harm when knowledge is abundant; what causes harm is abundant ecstasy with deficient knowledge.” Its meaning—and God knows best—is that abundant knowledge requires the auditor to restrain his limbs from movement during audition as far as he is able, until, after exerting himself, he gains mastery over them. It is not proper conduct to summon a spiritual state or to affect standing up. It may be fitting for the wholly detached poor to rise and join pleasantly, without display or settling into it; yet refraining is better for them. Nor is it proper conduct to intrude upon and jostle the people of audition. Stillness, together with presence of heart and attention to the auditors’ aims and meanings, is better than joining them by affected effort. Affectation may become a habit, and this makes it still more burdensome upon hearts and more darkening to the spiritual moment. Every heart stained by love of the world finds its audition mere diversion, even if its soul perishes in it and its spirit departs. Chapter on Their Etiquette in Clothing. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: It is related from Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he put on a white shirt—meaning a washed one. Aḥmad said to him, “If only you would wear a shirt finer than this,” or words to that effect. He replied, “Aḥmad, would that my heart among hearts were like my shirt among garments.” It is also related from Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “One of you wears a cloak worth three dirhams while the desire in his heart is for five dirhams. Is he not ashamed that his desire exceeds his clothing?” I have heard that he also used to say, “A shortened garment has three praiseworthy qualities: following the Sunna, cleanliness, and greater durability of its fabric.” A group wearing patched robes entered upon Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith—may God Most High have mercy on him. Bishr said to them, “People, be mindful of God and do not display this garb, for it makes you known and causes you to be honoured.” They all fell silent, but a young man among them stood and said, “Praise be to God, who has made us people known by it and honoured because of it. By God, we shall display this garb until—

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يَكُونُ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ بِشْرٌ أَحْسَنْتَ يَا غُلَامُ مِثْلُكَ مَنْ يَلْبَسُ الْمُرَقَّعَةَ، وَسَمِعْتُ الْوَجِيهِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الْجُرَيْرِيَّ يَقُولُ كَانَ فِي جَامِعِ بَغْدَادَ فَقِيرٌ لَا تَكَادُ تَجِدُهُ إِلَّا فِي ثَوْبٍ وَاحِدٍ فِي الشِّتَاءِ وَالصَّيْفِ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ قَدْ كُنْتُ وَلِعْتُ بِكَثْرَةِ لُبْسِ الثِّيَابِ فَرَأَيْتُ لَيْلَةً فِيمَا يَرَى النَّائِمُ كَأَنِّي دَخَلْتُ الْجَنَّةَ فَرَأَيْتُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَجْلِسَ مَعَهُمْ فَإِذَا بِجَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَخَذُوا بِيَدِي وَأَقَامُونِي وَقَالُوا لِي هَؤُلَاءِ أَصْحَابُ ثَوْبٍ وَاحِدٍ وَأَنْتَ فَلَكَ قَمِيصَانِ فَلَا تَجْلِسْ مَعَهُمْ فَانْتَبَهْتُ فَنَذَرْتُ أَنْ لَا أَلْبَسَ إِلَّا ثَوْبًا وَاحِدًا إِلَى أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَقَالَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ الْحَدَّادُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ ضَوْءَ الْفَقِيرِ فِي ثَوْبِهِ فَلَا تَرْجُ خَيْرَهُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُعَاذٍ الرَّازِيِّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَلْبَسُ الصُّوفَ وَالْخُلْقَانَ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ أَمْرِهِ ثُمَّ كَانَ فِي آخِرِ عُمْرِهِ يَلْبَسُ الْخَزَّ وَاللَّيِّنَ فَقِيلَ ذَلِكَ لِأَبِي يَزِيدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ مِسْكِينٌ يَحْيَى لَمْ يَصْبِرْ عَلَى الدُّونِ فَكَيْفَ يَصْبِرُ عَلَى الْبَخْتِ، وَسَمِعْتُ طَيْفُورَ يَقُولُ مَاتَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ إِلَّا قَمِيصَهُ الَّذِي مَاتَ فِيهِ وَكَانَتْ عَارِيَّةً عَلَيْهِ فَرَدُّوهُ إِلَى صَاحِبِهَا، وَمَاتَ ابْنُ الْكُرَيْنِيُّ وَكَانَ أُسْتَاذَ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَعَلَيْهِ مُرَقَّعَتُهُ فَكَانَ فَرْدُ كُمِّهَا وَتَخَارِيزُهُ عِنْدَ جَعْفَرٍ الْخُلْدِيِّ فِيهِ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ رِطْلًا كَمَا بَلَغَنِي، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَبَا حَفْصٍ النَّيْسَابُورِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ كَانَ يَلْبَسُ قَمِيصًا خَزًّا وَثِيَابًا فَاخِرَةً وَكَانَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فُرِشَ فِيهِ الرَّمَلُ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَآدَابُ الْفُقَرَاءِ فِي اللِّبَاسِ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مَعَ الْوَقْتِ إِذَا وَجَدُوا الصُّوفَ أَوِ اللُّبْدَ أَوِ الْمُرَقَّعَةَ لَبِسُوا وَإِذَا وَجَدُوا غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ لَبِسُوا وَالْفَقِيرُ الصَّادِقُ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ لَبِسَ يَحْسُنُ عَلَيْهِ وَيَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ فِي جَمِيعِ مَا يَلْبَسُهُ الْجَلَالَةُ وَالْمَهَابَةَ وَلَا يَتَكَلَّفُ وَلَا يَخْتَارُ وَإِذَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ فَضْلٌ يُوَاسِي مَنْ لَيْسَ مَعَهُ وَيُؤْثِرُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ إِخْوَانَهُ بِإِسْقَاطِ رُؤْيَةِ الْإِيثَارِ وَيَكُونُ الْخُلْقَانُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْجَدِيدِ وَيَتَبَرَّمُ بِالثِّيَابِ الْكَثِيرَةِ الْجَيِّدَةِ وَيَضُنُّ بِالْخُرَيْقَاتِ الْخُلُقِ الْقَلِيلَةِ

yakūnu al-dīnu kulluhu li-Allāhi faqāla lahu bishrun aḥsanta yā ghulāmu mithluka man yalbasu al-muraqqaʿata, wasamiʿtu al-wajīhiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-jurayriyya yaqūlu kāna fī jāmiʿi baghdāda faqīrun lā takādu tajiduhu illā fī thawbin wāḥidin fī al-shitāʾi wa-al-ṣayfi fasuʾila ʿan dhalika faqāla qad kuntu waliʿtu bikathrati lubsi al-thiyābi faraʾaytu laylatan fīmā yarā al-nāʾimu ka-annī dakhaltu al-jannata faraʾaytu jamāʿatan min aṣḥābinā mina al-fuqarāʾi ʿalā māʾidatin fa-aradtu an ajlisa maʿahum fa-idhā bijamāʿatin mina al-malāʾikati akhadhū biyadī wa-aqāmūnī waqālū lī hāʾulāʾi aṣḥābu thawbin wāḥidin wa-anta falaka qamīṣāni falā tajlis maʿahum fa-intabahtu fanadhartu an lā albasa illā thawban wāḥidan ilā an alqā Allāha ʿazza wajalla, waqāla abū ḥafṣin al-ḥaddādu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā raʾayta ḍawʾa al-faqīri fī thawbihi falā tarju khayrahu, waḥukiya ʿan yaḥyā bni muʿādhin al-rāziyyi annahu kāna yalbasu al-ṣūfa wa-al-khulqāna fī ibtidāʾi amrihi thumma kāna fī ākhiri ʿumrihi yalbasu al-khazza wa-al-layyina faqīla dhalika li-abī yazīda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā faqāla miskīnun yaḥyā lam yaṣbir ʿalā al-dūni fakayfa yaṣbiru ʿalā al-bakhti, wasamiʿtu ṭayfūra yaqūlu māta abū yazīda walam yatruk illā qamīṣahu alladhī māta fīhi wakānat ʿāriyyatan ʿalayhi faraddūhu ilā ṣāḥibihā, wamāta ibnu al-kurayniyyu wakāna ustādha al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu waʿalayhi muraqqaʿatuhu fakāna fardu kummihā watakhārīzuhu ʿinda jaʿfarin al-khuldiyyi fīhi thalāthata ʿashara riṭlan kamā balaghanī, wayuqālu inna abā ḥafṣin al-naysābūriyya raḥimahu Allāhu kāna yalbasu qamīṣan khazzan wathiyāban fākhiratan wakāna lahu baytun furisha fīhi al-ramalu, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wa-ādābu al-fuqarāʾi fī al-libāsi an yakūnū maʿa al-waqti idhā wajadū al-ṣūfa awi al-lubda awi al-muraqqaʿata labisū wa-idhā wajadū ghayra dhalika labisū wa-al-faqīru al-ṣādiqu ayya shayʾin labisa yaḥsunu ʿalayhi wayakūnu ʿalayhi fī jamīʿi mā yalbasuhu al-jalālatu wa-al-mahābata walā yatakallafu walā yakhtāru wa-idhā kāna ʿalayhi faḍlun yuwāsī man laysa maʿahu wayuʾthiru ʿalā nafsihi ikhwānahu bi-isqāṭi ruʾyati al-īthāri wayakūnu al-khulqānu aḥabba ilayhi mina al-jadīdi wayatabarramu bi-al-thiyābi al-kathīrati al-jayyidati wayaḍunnu bi-al-khurayqāti al-khuluqi al-qalīlati

—religion belongs wholly to God.” Bishr said to him, “Well said, young man. Someone like you may wear the patched robe.” I heard al-Wajīhī say: I heard al-Jurayrī say: There was a poor man in the congregational mosque of Baghdad whom one scarcely ever found in more than a single garment, winter or summer. When he was asked about it, he replied, “I used to be passionately fond of wearing many garments. One night I dreamed that I had entered Paradise and saw a group of our poor companions at a table. I wished to sit with them, but a group of angels took me by the hand, made me stand, and said, ‘These are people of one garment, whereas you have two shirts; do not sit with them.’ I awoke and vowed to wear only one garment until I meet God, mighty and majestic.” Abū Ḥafṣ al-Ḥaddād—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “If you see the poor man’s radiance in his garment, expect no good from him.” It is related of Yaḥyā ibn Muʿādh al-Rāzī that at the beginning of his way he wore wool and worn garments, but toward the end of his life he wore silk and soft clothing. This was mentioned to Abū Yazīd—may God Most High have mercy on him—and he said, “Poor Yaḥyā! He could not patiently bear what was inferior; how will he patiently bear good fortune?” I heard Ṭayfūr say, “Abū Yazīd died leaving only the shirt in which he died. It had been lent to him, so they returned it to its owner.” Ibn al-Kuraynī, al-Junayd’s teacher—may God have mercy on him—died wearing his patched robe. As I was told, a single sleeve of it, together with its stitched patches, weighed thirteen raṭls when it was with Jaʿfar al-Khuldī. It is said that Abū Ḥafṣ al-Naysābūrī—may God have mercy on him—wore a silk shirt and fine clothing, while the floor of his house was spread with sand. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: The etiquette of the poor in clothing is to remain with what the moment brings. If they find wool, felt, or a patched robe, they wear it; if they find something else, they wear that. Whatever a truthful poor man wears becomes him, and every garment he wears bears dignity and awe. He neither affects nor chooses. If he has something beyond his need, he shares it with one who has nothing and gives his brothers preference over himself while relinquishing any awareness of having done so. Worn garments are dearer to him than new ones. Many fine clothes vex him, whereas he carefully preserves his few worn scraps—

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وَيَتَكَلَّفُ لِلنَّظَافَةِ وَالطَّهَارَةِ وَإِنْ أَخَذْتُ فِي ذِكْرِ مَا يَجِبُ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ يَطُولُ وَفِيمَا ذَكَرْتُهُ كِفَايَةٌ، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي أَسْفَارِهِمْ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَكَى عَنْ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ جَاءَ إِلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ وَكَانَ عَزْمُهُ أَنْ يُسَافِرَ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا عَلِيٍّ، تَقُولُ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ يَا فَتَى كَانُوا لَا يَجْتَمِعُونَ عَنْ مَوْعِدٍ وَلَا يَفْتَرِقُونَ عَنْ مَشُورَةٍ، قِيلَ وَسُئِلَ رُوَيْمٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ أَدَبِ الْمُسَافِرِ فِي سَفَرِهِ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُسَافِرَ فَقَالَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ هَمُّهُ قَدَمَهُ وَحَيْثُمَا وَقَفَ قَلْبُهُ يَكُونُ مَنْزِلُهُ، سَمِعْتُ هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةَ عَنْ عِيسَى الْقَصَّارِ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ رُوَيْمًا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنَّا نُسَافِرُ مُنْذُ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيُّ رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمَا لَا نَخْتَلِطُ بِأَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا نُعَاشِرُ أَحَدًا فَإِذَا قَدِمْنَا [إِلَى] الْبَلَدِ إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ شَيْخٌ سَلَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَالَسْنَاهُ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ فَإِذَا جَاءَ اللَّيْلُ رَجَعْنَا إِلَى مَسْجِدٍ فَيَتَقَدَّمُ الْكَتَّانِيُّ فَيُصَلِّي مِنْ أَوَّلِ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى أَنْ يُصْبِحَ وَيَخْتِمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَيَجْلِسُ الزُّقَّاقُ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ وَأَنَا مُتَفَكِّرٌ إِلَى أَنْ نُصْبِحَ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي كُلُّنَا صَلَاةَ الْغَدَاةِ بِوُضُوءِ الْعَتَمَةِ فَإِذَا وَقَعَ مَعَنَا إِنْسَانٌ يَنَامُ كُنَّا نَرَى أَنَّهُ أَفْضَلُنَا، وَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ الْمُزَيِّنُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حُكْمُ الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ فِي مَنْزِلٍ وَلَا يَمُوتُ إِلَّا بَيْنَ مَنْزِلَيْنِ، وَفِيمَا حَكَى عَنِ الْمُزَيِّنِ الْكَبِيرِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ كُنْتُ يَوْمًا مَعَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي بَعْضِ أَسْفَارِهِ فَإِذَا عَقْرَبٌ تَسْعَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ فَقُمْتُ لِأَقْتُلَهَا فَمَنَعَنِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَقَالَ لِي دَعْهَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُفْتَقِرٌ إِلَيْنَا وَلَسْنَا مُفْتَقِرِينَ إِلَى شَيْءٍ، وَكَانَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا نَظَرَ إِلَى مَنْ يُسَافِرُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ وَيَرَى تَقَطُّعَهُمْ فِي أَسْفَارِهِمْ يَقُولُ وَيْلَكُمْ أَبِدُّوا مِمَّا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ

wayatakallafu li-al-naẓāfati wa-al-ṭahārati wa-in akhadhtu fī dhikri mā yajibu fī hadhā al-bābi yaṭūlu wafīmā dhakartuhu kifāyatun, bābun fī dhikri ādābihim fī asfārihim, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ḥakā ʿan abī ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu jāʾa ilayhi rajulun wakāna ʿazmuhu an yusāfira faqāla yā abā ʿaliyyin, taqūlu shayʾan faqāla yā fatā kānū lā yajtamiʿūna ʿan mawʿidin walā yaftariqūna ʿan mashūratin, qīla wasuʾila ruwaymun raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ʿan adabi al-musāfiri fī safarihi idhā arāda an yusāfira faqāla lā yujāwizu hammuhu qadamahu waḥaythumā waqafa qalbuhu yakūnu manziluhu, samiʿtu hadhihi al-ḥikāyata ʿan ʿīsā al-qaṣṣāri al-dīnawariyyi qāla saʾaltu ruwayman, waḥukiya ʿan muḥammadi bni ismāʿīla annahu qāla kunnā nusāfiru mundhu ʿishrīna sanatan anā wa-abū bakrin al-zaqqāqu wa-abū bakrin al-kattāniyyu raḥmatu Allāhi ʿalayhimā lā nakhtaliṭu bi-aḥadin mina al-nāsi walā nuʿāshiru aḥadan fa-idhā qadimnā [ilā] al-baladi in kāna fīhi shaykhun sallamnā ʿalayhi wajālasnāhu ilā al-layli fa-idhā jāʾa al-laylu rajaʿnā ilā masjidin fayataqaddamu al-kattāniyyu fayuṣallī min awwali al-layli ilā an yuṣbiḥa wayakhtima al-qurʾāna wayajlisu al-zuqqāqu mustaqbila al-qiblati wa-anā mutafakkirun ilā an nuṣbiḥa thumma yuṣallī kullunā ṣalāta al-ghadāti biwuḍūʾi al-ʿatamati fa-idhā waqaʿa maʿanā insānun yanāmu kunnā narā annahu afḍalunā, waqāla abū al-ḥasani al-muzayyinu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ḥukmu al-faqīri an yakūna kulla yawmin fī manzilin walā yamūtu illā bayna manzilayni, wafīmā ḥakā ʿani al-muzayyini al-kabīri raḥimahu Allāhu annahu qāla kuntu yawman maʿa ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahu Allāhu fī baʿḍi asfārihi fa-idhā ʿaqrabun tasʿā ʿalā fakhidhihi faqumtu li-aqtulahā famanaʿanī min dhalika waqāla lī daʿhā kullu shayʾin muftaqirun ilaynā walasnā muftaqirīna ilā shayʾin, wakāna al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā naẓara ilā man yusāfiru min aṣḥābihi wayarā taqaṭṭuʿahum fī asfārihim yaqūlu waylakum abiddū mimmā laysa minhu

—and takes pains over cleanliness and purity. Were I to begin mentioning all that is required in this chapter, the discussion would grow long; what I have mentioned is sufficient. Chapter on Their Etiquette in Travel. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: It is related from Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that a man came to him intending to travel and said, “Abū ʿAlī, say something to me.” He replied, “Young man, they did not come together by appointment, nor did they part after consultation.” Rūyim—may God Most High have mercy on him—was asked about the traveller’s discipline when he intends to travel. He replied, “Let his concern not pass beyond his foot; wherever his heart comes to rest, there is his lodging.” I heard this account from ʿĪsā al-Qaṣṣār al-Dīnawarī, who said, “I asked Rūyim.” It is related from Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl that he said: For twenty years Abū Bakr al-Zaqqāq, Abū Bakr al-Kattānī—God’s mercy be upon them—and I travelled together, neither mingling nor keeping company with anyone else. Whenever we entered [a] town, if there was a shaykh there, we greeted him and sat with him until night. At night we returned to a mosque. Al-Kattānī would go forward and pray from the beginning of the night until dawn, completing the Qurʾan; al-Zaqqāq would sit facing the direction of prayer; and I would remain in reflection until morning. Then all of us performed the dawn prayer with the ablution of the night prayer. If a man who slept happened to join us, we considered him the finest among us. Abū al-Ḥasan al-Muzayyin—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “The rule for the poor man is to be in a different lodging every day and to die only between two lodgings.” In an account from al-Muzayyin the Elder—may God have mercy on him—he said: I was travelling one day with Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God have mercy on him—when a scorpion began moving across his thigh. I rose to kill it, but he stopped me and said, “Leave it. Everything is in need of us, while we are in need of nothing.” When al-Shiblī—may God Most High have mercy on him—looked at companions of his who were travelling and saw the hardships they endured on their journeys, he would say, “Woe to you! Flee from that from which there is—

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بُدٌّ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّصِيبِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ سَافَرْتُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً مَا خِطْتُ قَطُّ خِرْقَةً عَلَى مُرَقَّعَتِي وَلَا عَدَلْتُ إِلَى مَوْضِعٍ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ فِيهِ رِفْقًا وَلَا تَرَكْتُ أَحَدًا يَحْمِلُ مَعِي شَيْئًا، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَيْسَ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَنْ يُسَافِرُوا لِلدَّوَرَانِ وَالنَّظَرِ إِلَى الْبُلْدَانِ وَطَلَبِ الْأَرْزَاقِ وَلَكِنْ يُسَافِرُونَ إِلَى الْحَجِّ وَالْجِهَادِ وَلِلِقَاءِ الشُّيُوخِ وَصِلَةِ الرَّحِمِ وَرَدِّ الْمَظَالِمِ وَطَلَبِ الْعِلْمِ وَلِلِقَاءِ مَنْ يُفِيدُونَ مِنْهُمْ شَيْئًا فِي عُلُومِ أَحْوَالِهِمْ أَوْ إِلَى مَكَانٍ لَهُ فَضْلٌ وَشَرَفٌ وَلَا يَتْرُكُونَ فِي أَسْفَارِهِمْ شَيْئًا مِنْ أَخْلَاقِهِمْ وَأَوْرَادِهِمُ الَّتِي كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَهَا فِي الْحَضَرِ وَلَا يَغْتَنِمُونَ قَصْرَ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِفْطَارَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَإِذَا كَانُوا جَمَاعَةً يَمْشُونَ يَمْشِي أَضْعَفُهُمْ وَيَخْدُمُهُمُ الْأَشْفَقُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَإِذَا جَلَسَ وَاحِدٌ لِقَضَاءِ حَاجَةٍ وَقَفُوا لِفَرَاغِهِ وَإِنْ يَتَخَلَّفْ وَاحِدٌ انْتَظَرُوهُ وَإِنْ عَجَزَ أَحَدُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَشْيِ أَوِ اعْتَلَّ أَقَامُوا عَلَيْهِ وَإِذَا دَخَلَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةِ لَمْ يَبْرَحُوا مِنْ مَوْضِعِهِمْ حَتَّى يُصَلُّوا إِلَّا أَنْ <لَا> يَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ مَاءٌ وَلَا بِقُرْبٍ مِنْهُمُ الْمَاءُ وَهَذَا حَالُ الضُّعَفَاءِ، وَأَمَّا حَالُ الْأَقْوِيَاءِ فَكَمَا قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْخَوَّاصُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَا هَابَنِي شَيْءٌ قَطُّ إِلَّا رَكِبْتُهُ وَكَمَا سُئِلَ أَبُو عِمْرَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْجَزَعِ وَالْعَجْزِ الَّذِي يَلْحَقُ الْمُسَافِرَ فِي سَفَرِهِ فَقَالَ إِذَا خِفْتَ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِهِ فِي الْيَمِّ يَعْنِي لَا تُبَالِ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ لَحِقَكَ بَعْدَ مَا تَكُونُ مُتَوَجِّهًا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَهُوَ أَبُو عِمْرَانَ الطَّبَرْسُتَانِيُّ، وَقَالَ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ السُّوسِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَحْتَاجُ الْمُسَافِرُ فِي سَفَرِهِ إِلَى أَرْبَعَةِ أَشْيَاءَ وَإِلَّا فَلَا يُسَافِرُ عِلْمٌ يَسُوسُهُ وَوَرَعٌ يَحْجِزُهُ وَوَجْدٌ يَحْمِلُهُ وَخُلُقٌ يَصُونُهُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْكَتَّانِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ إِذَا سَافَرَ الْفَقِيرُ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ ثُمَّ رَجَعَ إِلَيْهِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى هَجَرُوهُ وَتَآمَرُوا بِهِجْرَانِهِ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَ السَّفَرُ سَفَرًا لِأَنَّهُ يُسْفِرُ عَنْ أَخْلَاقِ الرِّجَالِ، فَهَذَا مَا حَضَرَنِي مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ فِي أَسْفَارِهِمْ وَبِاللَّهِ التَّوْفِيقِ،

buddun, waḥukiya ʿan abī ʿabdi Allāhi al-naṣībiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla sāfartu thalāthīna sanatan mā khiṭtu qaṭṭu khirqatan ʿalā muraqqaʿatī walā ʿadaltu ilā mawḍiʿin ʿalimtu anna fīhi rifqan walā taraktu aḥadan yaḥmilu maʿī shayʾan, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā laysa min ādābihim an yusāfirū li-al-dawarāni wa-al-naẓari ilā al-buldāni waṭalabi al-arzāqi walakin yusāfirūna ilā al-ḥajji wa-al-jihādi waliliqāʾi al-shuyūkhi waṣilati al-raḥimi waraddi al-maẓālimi waṭalabi al-ʿilmi waliliqāʾi man yufīdūna minhum shayʾan fī ʿulūmi aḥwālihim aw ilā makānin lahu faḍlun washarafun walā yatrukūna fī asfārihim shayʾan min akhlāqihim wa-awrādihimu allatī kānū yaʿmalūnahā fī al-ḥaḍari walā yaghtanimūna qaṣra al-ṣalāti wa-ifṭāra shahri ramaḍāna wa-idhā kānū jamāʿatan yamshūna yamshī aḍʿafuhum wayakhdumuhumu al-ashfaqu ʿalayhim wa-idhā jalasa wāḥidun liqaḍāʾi ḥājatin waqafū lifarāghihi wa-in yatakhallaf wāḥidun intaẓarūhu wa-in ʿajaza aḥaduhum ʿani al-mashyi awi iʿtalla aqāmū ʿalayhi wa-idhā dakhala waqtu al-ṣalāti lam yabraḥū min mawḍiʿihim ḥattā yuṣallū illā an <lā> yakūna maʿahum māʾun walā biqurbin minhumu al-māʾu wahadhā ḥālu al-ḍuʿafāʾi, wa-ammā ḥālu al-aqwiyāʾi fakamā qāla ibrāhīmu al-khawwāṣu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā mā hābanī shayʾun qaṭṭu illā rakibtuhu wakamā suʾila abū ʿimrāna raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-jazaʿi wa-al-ʿajzi alladhī yalḥaqu al-musāfira fī safarihi faqāla idhā khifta ʿalayhi fa-alqihi fī al-yammi yaʿnī lā tubāli ayya shayʾin laḥiqaka baʿda mā takūnu mutawajjihan ilā Allāhi taʿālā wahuwa abū ʿimrāna al-ṭabarsutāniyyu, waqāla abū yaʿqūba al-sūsiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaḥtāju al-musāfiru fī safarihi ilā arbaʿati ashyāʾa wa-illā falā yusāfiru ʿilmun yasūsuhu wawaraʿun yaḥjizuhu wawajdun yaḥmiluhu wakhuluqun yaṣūnuhu, waqāla abū bakrin al-kattāniyyu raḥimahu Allāhu idhā sāfara al-faqīru ilā al-yamani thumma rajaʿa ilayhi marratan ukhrā hajarūhu wataʾāmarū bihijrānihi, wayuqālu innamā summiya al-safaru safaran li-annahu yusfiru ʿan akhlāqi al-rijāli, fahadhā mā ḥaḍaranī min ādābihim fī asfārihim wa-bi-Allāhi al-tawfīqi,

—no escape.” It is related from Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Naṣībī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “I travelled for thirty years. I never stitched a patch onto my patched robe, never turned aside to a place where I knew there was ease, and never let anyone carry anything with me.” The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: It is not part of their etiquette to travel merely to wander, see different lands, or seek provisions. Rather, they travel to perform the pilgrimage, engage in jihad, meet shaykhs, maintain kinship, redress wrongs, seek knowledge, meet people who can teach them something about the sciences of their spiritual states, or visit a place of merit and honour. On their journeys they omit none of the character traits or devotional routines they maintained at home, and they do not seize upon the concessions of shortening prayer or breaking the Ramadan fast. When travelling as a group, they walk at the pace of the weakest among them, and the most compassionate serves the others. If one of them sits down to relieve himself, they stop until he has finished. If anyone falls behind, they wait for him. If one of them can no longer walk or becomes ill, they stay with him. When the time of prayer enters, they do not leave their place until they have prayed, unless they have no water with them and none is nearby. This is the state of the weak. As for the strong, it is as Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: “Nothing has ever overawed me without my mounting it.” Abū ʿImrān—may God have mercy on him—was asked about the panic and helplessness that may overtake a traveller during his journey. He replied, “If you fear for it, cast it into the sea”—meaning: do not care what befalls you once you have turned toward God Most High. This was Abū ʿImrān al-Ṭabaristānī. Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sūsī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “A traveller needs four things on his journey; otherwise he should not travel: knowledge to govern him, scrupulousness to restrain him, ecstasy to carry him, and character to preserve him.” Abū Bakr al-Kattānī—may God have mercy on him—said, “If a poor man travels to Yemen and then returns there a second time, his companions abandon him and agree to shun him.” It is said that travel, safar, is so called because it unveils, yusfiru ʿan, men’s character. This is what occurs to me concerning their etiquette in travel. Success is through God.

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بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ فِي بَذْلِ الْجَاهِ وَالسُّؤَالِ وَالْحَرَكَةِ مِنْ أَجْلِ الْأَصْحَابِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى سَمِعْتُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الشَّيْخِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الصُّبَيْحِيِّ يَقُولُونَ لَا يَصِحُّ الْفَقْرُ لِلْفَقِيرِ حَتَّى يَخْرُجَ مِنَ الْأَمْلَاكِ فَإِذَا خَرَجَ مِنَ الْأَمْلَاكِ يَتَوَلَّدُ لَهُ جَاهٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَبْذُلَ جَاهَهُ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى لَهُ جَاهٌ فَإِذَا بَذَلَ جَاهَهُ بَقِيَ عَلَيْهِ قُوَّةُ نَفْسِهِ فَيَبْذُلُ ذَلِكَ يَعْنِي نَفْسَهُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ بِالْخِدْمَةِ لَهُمْ وَالْحَرَكَةِ فِي أَسْبَابِهِمْ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ يَصِحُّ لَهُ الْفَقْرُ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ يَقُولُ دَخَلَ الْمُظَفَّرُ الْقِرْمِيسِينِيُّ الرَّمْلَةَ وَمَعَهُ السَّيِّدُ وَكَانَ لَهُمَا جَاهٌ عَظِيمٌ عِنْدَ أَغْنِيَاءِ الْبَلَدِ فَمَا زَالَا يَبْذُلَانِ جَاهَهُمَا وَيُنْفِقَانِ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ حَتَّى لَمْ يَبْقَ لَهُمَا جَاهٌ عِنْدَ أَحَدٍ وَكَانَ لَا يُعْطِيهِمَا أَحَدٌ شَيْئًا بِسُؤَالٍ وَلَا بِدَيْنٍ وَلَا بِرَهْنٍ فَعِنْدَ ذَلِكَ كَانَ يَطِيبُ وَقْتُهُمَا، وَقِيلَ لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ أَيْشْ حَالُ مُظَفَّرٍ الْقِرْمِيسِينِيِّ؟ الْخِرْقَتَانِ، وَالسُّؤَالُ، وَالْخِدْمَةُ لِأَصْحَابِهِ. فَقَالَ قَدْ رَفَعَ قَدَمًا فِي الْفُتْوَّةِ لِلَّهِ فَلَا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَأَخَّرَ عَنْ قَدَمٍ رَفَعَهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَكَانَ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيَّةِ بِبَغْدَادَ لَا يَكَادُ يَأْكُلُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِذُلِّ السُّؤَالِ فَسُئِلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اخْتَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِشِدَّةِ كَرَاهِيَةِ نَفْسِي ذَلِكَ، وَدَخَلَ شَيْخٌ مِنْ أَجِلَّةِ الشُّيُوخِ بَلَدًا فَرَأَى فِيهَا مُرِيدًا قَدْ أَجَابَتْهُ نَفْسُهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ وَالْعِبَادَاتِ وَالْفَقْرِ وَالتَّقَلُّلِ وَكَانَ قَدْ تَوَلَّدَ لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَبُولٌ عِنْدَ الْعَامَّةِ فَقَالَ لَهُ هَذَا الشَّيْخُ لَا يَصِحُّ لَكَ جَمِيعُ مَا أَنْتَ فِيهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَكَدَّى الْكِسَرَ مِنَ الْأَبْوَابِ وَلَا تَأْكُلَ شَيْئًا غَيْرَهَا فَصَعُبَ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْمُرِيدِ وَعَجَزَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا كَبِرَ سِنُّهُ اضْطُرَّ إِلَى السُّؤَالِ وَالْحَاجَةِ فَكَانَ يَرَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عُقُوبَةٌ لِمُخَالَفَتِهِ لِذَلِكَ الشَّيْخِ فِي أَيَّامِ إِرَادَتِهِ، قَالَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى كَانَ هَذَا الشَّيْخُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُقْرِئِ وَالشَّيْخُ الَّذِي أَمَرَهُ بِالسُّؤَالِ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ السِّجْزِيُّ

bābun fī dhikri ādābihim fī badhli al-jāhi wa-al-suʾāli wa-al-ḥarakati min ajli al-aṣḥābi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā samiʿtu jamāʿatan min aṣḥābi al-shaykhi abī ʿabdi Allāhi al-ṣubayḥiyyi yaqūlūna lā yaṣiḥḥu al-faqru li-al-faqīri ḥattā yakhruja mina al-amlāki fa-idhā kharaja mina al-amlāki yatawalladu lahu jāhun min dhalika fayanbaghī an yabdhula jāhahu ḥattā lā yabqā lahu jāhun fa-idhā badhala jāhahu baqiya ʿalayhi quwwatu nafsihi fayabdhulu dhalika yaʿnī nafsahu li-aṣḥābihi bi-al-khidmati lahum wa-al-ḥarakati fī asbābihim faʿinda dhalika yaṣiḥḥu lahu al-faqru, samiʿtu abā ʿabdi Allāhi al-rūdhbāriyya yaqūlu dakhala al-muẓaffaru al-qirmīsīniyyu al-ramlata wamaʿahu al-sayyidu wakāna lahumā jāhun ʿaẓīmun ʿinda aghniyāʾi al-baladi famā zālā yabdhulāni jāhahumā wayunfiqāni ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi ḥattā lam yabqa lahumā jāhun ʿinda aḥadin wakāna lā yuʿṭīhimā aḥadun shayʾan bisuʾālin walā bidaynin walā birahnin faʿinda dhalika kāna yaṭību waqtuhumā, waqīla li-ibrāhīma bni shaybāna raḥimahu Allāhu aysh ḥālu muẓaffarin al-qirmīsīniyyi? al-khirqatāni, wa-al-suʾālu, wa-al-khidmatu li-aṣḥābihi. faqāla qad rafaʿa qadaman fī al-futwwati li-Allāhi falā yurīdu an yataʾakhkhara ʿan qadamin rafaʿahā li-Allāhi taʿālā, wakāna baʿḍu al-ṣūfiyyati bibaghdāda lā yakādu yaʾkulu shayʾan illā bidhulli al-suʾāli fasuʾila ʿan dhalika faqāla ikhtartu dhalika lishiddati karāhiyati nafsī dhalika, wadakhala shaykhun min ajillati al-shuyūkhi baladan faraʾā fīhā murīdan qad ajābathu nafsuhu likulli shayʾin mina al-ṭāʿāti wa-al-ʿibādāti wa-al-faqri wa-al-taqalluli wakāna qad tawallada lahu min dhalika qabūlun ʿinda al-ʿāmmati faqāla lahu hadhā al-shaykhu lā yaṣiḥḥu laka jamīʿu mā anta fīhi illā an yatakaddā al-kisara mina al-abwābi walā taʾkula shayʾan ghayrahā faṣaʿuba dhalika ʿalā al-murīdi waʿajaza ʿan dhalika falammā kabira sinnuhu iḍṭurra ilā al-suʾāli wa-al-ḥājati fakāna yarā anna dhalika ʿuqūbatun limukhālafatihi lidhalika al-shaykhi fī ayyāmi irādatihi, qāla abū naṣrin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kāna hadhā al-shaykhu abū ʿabdi Allāhi bnu al-muqriʾi wa-al-shaykhu alladhī amarahu bi-al-suʾāli abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-sijziyyu

Chapter on Their Etiquette in Expending Social Standing, Begging, and Acting on Behalf of Companions. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: I heard a group of the companions of the shaykh Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ṣubayḥī say, “Poverty is not sound in a poor man until he has divested himself of every possession. Once he has divested himself of possessions, a measure of social standing is generated for him by this; he must then expend that standing until none remains. Once he has expended his standing, only the strength of his own person remains; he must expend that too—meaning that he must devote himself to serving his companions and acting on behalf of their needs. At that point poverty becomes sound in him.” I heard Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Rūdhbārī say: Al-Muẓaffar al-Qirmīsīnī entered Ramla accompanied by al-Sayyid. Both enjoyed great standing among the town’s wealthy people. They continued to expend their influence and spend on the poor until no standing remained for either of them with anyone. No one would then give them anything, whether they asked, sought a loan, or offered a pledge. Only then did their spiritual moment become pleasant. Ibrāhīm ibn Shaybān—may God have mercy on him—was asked, “What is al-Muẓaffar al-Qirmīsīnī’s state?” He replied, “Two rags, begging, and service to his companions. He has raised a foot in chivalry for God and does not wish to retreat from a step he has taken for God Most High.” One of the Sufis in Baghdad scarcely ate anything except through the humiliation of begging. When asked about this, he replied, “I chose it because my soul hates it so intensely.” A venerable shaykh entered a town and saw there a novice whose soul had responded to every form of obedience, worship, poverty, and self-denial. As a result, he had gained popular acceptance. The shaykh told him, “Nothing in your present condition will become sound until you beg broken pieces of bread from people’s doors and eat nothing else.” This was hard for the novice and he proved unable to do it. When he grew old, necessity forced him to beg and depend on others. He regarded this as punishment for having opposed that shaykh during the days of his discipleship. Abū Naṣr—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: This novice was Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Muqriʾ, and the shaykh who ordered him to beg was Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Sijzī—

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رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، وَبَلَغَنِي عَنْ شَيْخٍ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ وَيَطْلُبُ لِإِفْطَارِهِ كِسَرًا مِنَ الْأَبْوَابِ وَلَا يَأْكُلُ غَيْرَهَا شَيْئًا إِلَى وَقْتِ إِفْطَارِهِ مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَفَطِنَ بِهِ رَجُلٌ فَوَضَعَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ طَعَامًا فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ مِنْهُ وَفَارَقَ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعَ الَّذِي عُرِفَ بِهِ وَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ مِمْشَاذَ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ رُبَّمَا يَقْدِمُ عَلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ إِخْوَانِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَكَانَ يَدْخُلُ السُّوقَ وَيَجْمَعُ فِي حِجْرِهِ كِسَرًا مِنَ الدَّكَاكِينِ وَيَحْمِلُ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ بَنَانٍ الْحَمَّالِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ مَا عَلِمْتُ قَطُّ بِأَنِّي صُفْعَانٌ إِلَّا مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً رَأَيْتُ فَقِيرًا يَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَيَخْرُجُ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ إِلَى السُّوقِ وَيَأْخُذُ مِنْ كُلِّ دُكَّانٍ لُقْمَةً فَإِذَا سَدَّ رَمَقَهُ رَجَعَ إِلَى مَوْضِعِهِ فَأَخَذْتُهُ مَعِي لَيْلَةً وَكُنْتُ آخُذُ مِنَ النَّاسِ الْخُبْزَ الْكَثِيرَ وَاللَّحْمَ وَالْحَلْوَاءَ وَالْفَوَاكِهَ وَأَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى اجْتَمَعَ مَعَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ كَثِيرٌ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْصَرِفَ قَالَ لِي يَا شَيْخُ أَنْتَ صَاحِبُ شُرْطَةٍ فَقُلْتُ لَا أَنَا بُنَانُ الْحَمَّالُ فَرَمَى جَمِيعَ مَا كَانَ مَعَهُ فِي وَجْهِي وَقَالَ لِي يَا صُفْعَانُ هَذَا الَّذِي تَفْعَلُهُ أَنْتَ إِنَّمَا يَفْعَلُهُ عِنْدَنَا صَاحِبُ الشُّرْطَةِ لَا الْمَشَايِخُ كُلُّ مَنْ تَقُولُ لَهُ هَاتِ فَيُعْطِيك مَا تُرِيدُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْمُرِيدِينَ <أَنَّهُ> طَلَبَ شَيْئًا لِأَصْحَابِهِ وَأَكَلَ مَعَهُمْ فَأَنْكَرَ عَلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمَشَايِخِ أَكْلَهُ مَعَهُمْ وَقَالُوا خَدَعَتْكَ نَفْسُكَ وَطَلَبْتَ لِنَفْسِكَ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ طَلَبْتَ لِأَصْحَابِكَ وَبَذَلْتَ جَاهَكَ لَهُمْ لَمْ تَأْكُلْ مَعَهُمْ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَحُكْمُ مَنْ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ ذَلِكَ إِذَا صَارَتْ عَادَتَهُ وَسَكَنَتْ إِلَى ذَلِكَ نَفْسُهُ وَمَنْ سَأَلَ لِلضَّرُورَةِ وَلَمْ يَأْخُذْ إِلَّا مَا لَا بُدَّ لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَإِنْ أَعْطَوْهُ الْكَثِيرَ فَيَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ حَاجَتَهُ وَيُخْرِجُ الْبَاقِيَ، وَالْأَكْلُ بِالسُّؤَالِ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْأَكْلِ بِالتَّقْوَى وَالْفَقِيرُ إِذَا اضْطُرَّ إِلَى السُّؤَالِ فَكَفَّارَتُهُ صِدْقُهُ، وَمَرَّ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْمَشَايِخِ أَيَّامٌ وَلَمْ يَأْكُلْ شَيْئًا وَكَانَ فِي بَلَدِ غُرْبَةٍ حَتَّى كَادَ يَتْلَفُ وَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ مَنَعَنِي عَنِ السُّؤَالِ قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَوْ صَدَقَ السَّائِلُ مَا أَفْلَحَ مَنْ رَدَّهُ وَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ يَرُدَّنِي مُسْلِمٌ فَلَا يُفْلِحُ لِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ،

raḥimahu Allāhu, wabalaghanī ʿan shaykhin mina al-aʾimmati annahu kāna yaṣūmu wayaṭlubu li-ifṭārihi kisaran mina al-abwābi walā yaʾkulu ghayrahā shayʾan ilā waqti ifṭārihi mina al-laylati al-thāniyati fafaṭina bihi rajulun fawaḍaʿa bayna yadayhi ṭaʿāman falam yaʾkul minhu wafāraqa dhalika al-mawḍiʿa alladhī ʿurifa bihi walam yarjiʿ ilayhi baʿda dhalika, waḥukiya ʿan mimshādha al-dīnawariyyi annahu kāna rubbamā yaqdimu ʿalayhi jamāʿatun min ikhwānihi mina al-fuqarāʾi fakāna yadkhulu al-sūqa wayajmaʿu fī ḥijrihi kisaran mina al-dakākīni wayaḥmilu ilayhim, waḥukiya ʿan banānin al-ḥammāli annahu qāla mā ʿalimtu qaṭṭu bi-annī ṣufʿānun illā marratan wāḥidatan raʾaytu faqīran yaṣūmu al-nahāra wayakhruju baʿda al-maghribi ilā al-sūqi wayaʾkhudhu min kulli dukkānin luqmatan fa-idhā sadda ramaqahu rajaʿa ilā mawḍiʿihi fa-akhadhtuhu maʿī laylatan wakuntu ākhudhu mina al-nāsi al-khubza al-kathīra wa-al-laḥma wa-al-ḥalwāʾa wa-al-fawākiha wa-adfaʿu ilayhi ḥattā ijtamaʿa maʿahu min dhalika shayʾun kathīrun falammā arāda an yanṣarifa qāla lī yā shaykhu anta ṣāḥibu shurṭatin faqultu lā anā bunānu al-ḥammālu faramā jamīʿa mā kāna maʿahu fī wajhī waqāla lī yā ṣufʿānu hadhā alladhī tafʿaluhu anta innamā yafʿaluhu ʿindanā ṣāḥibu al-shurṭati lā al-mashāyikhu kullu man taqūlu lahu hāti fayuʿṭīk mā turīdu, waḥukiya ʿan baʿḍi al-murīdīna <annahu> ṭalaba shayʾan li-aṣḥābihi wa-akala maʿahum fa-ankara ʿalayhi jamāʿatun mina al-mashāyikhi aklahu maʿahum waqālū khadaʿatka nafsuka waṭalabta linafsika walaw kunta ṭalabta li-aṣḥābika wabadhalta jāhaka lahum lam taʾkul maʿahum, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā waḥukmu man yafʿalu dhalika an yatruka dhalika idhā ṣārat ʿādatahu wasakanat ilā dhalika nafsuhu waman saʾala li-al-ḍarūrati walam yaʾkhudh illā mā lā budda lahu min dhalika fa-in aʿṭawhu al-kathīra fayaʾkhudhu minhu ḥājatahu wayukhriju al-bāqiya, wa-al-aklu bi-al-suʾāli ajmalu mina al-akli bi-al-taqwā wa-al-faqīru idhā iḍṭurra ilā al-suʾāli fakaffāratuhu ṣidquhu, wamarra ʿalā baʿḍi al-mashāyikhi ayyāmun walam yaʾkul shayʾan wakāna fī baladi ghurbatin ḥattā kāda yatlafu walam yasʾal faqīla lahu fī dhalika faqāla manaʿanī ʿani al-suʾāli qawlu al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama law ṣadaqa al-sāʾilu mā aflaḥa man raddahu wakarihtu an yaruddanī muslimun falā yufliḥu liqawli al-nabiyyi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama,

—may God have mercy on him. I heard of one of the leading shaykhs that he used to fast and seek broken pieces of bread from people’s doors for his evening meal. He ate nothing else until the time for breaking his fast on the following night. A man recognized what he was doing and placed food before him, but he ate none of it. He left the place where he had become known and never returned. It is related of Mimshādh al-Dīnawarī that, when a group of his poor brothers came to him, he would sometimes enter the market, gather broken pieces of bread from the shops in the fold of his garment, and carry them back to his guests. Banān al-Ḥammāl said, “I never knew that I was a buffoon except on one occasion. I saw a poor man who fasted by day and, after sunset, went to the market and took one morsel from each shop. Once he had barely sustained himself, he returned to his place. One night I took him with me. I obtained from people large quantities of bread, meat, sweets, and fruit and kept handing them to him until he had accumulated a great deal. When he was ready to leave, he asked me, ‘Shaykh, are you the chief of police?’ I replied, ‘No, I am Banān al-Ḥammāl.’ He threw everything he had into my face and said, ‘You buffoon! What you are doing is done among us by the chief of police, not by shaykhs: everyone you tell to hand something over gives you whatever you want.’” It is related that one novice sought something for his companions and then ate with them. A group of shaykhs reproached him for eating with them and said, “Your soul deceived you, and you really sought it for yourself. Had you sought it for your companions and spent your standing on their behalf, you would not have eaten with them.” The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: Anyone who acts in this way must leave it once it has become his habit and his soul has grown comfortable with it. Whoever begs from necessity and takes only what he cannot do without should take his need if people give him much and distribute the remainder. Eating through begging is more becoming than eating through [one’s reputation for] piety. When the poor man is compelled to beg, his expiation lies in his truthfulness. Several days passed over one of the shaykhs without his eating anything. He was in a foreign town and nearly perished, yet he did not beg. When questioned, he replied, “What kept me from begging was the Prophet’s saying—may God bless him and grant him peace—‘If the beggar spoke truthfully, the one who turned him away would not prosper.’ I disliked the thought that a Muslim might turn me away and, because of the Prophet’s words—may God bless him and grant him peace—fail to prosper.”

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بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِهِمْ إِذَا فُتِحَ عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ النَّهْرَجُورِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى سَمِعْتُ أَبَا يَعْقُوبَ السُّوسِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ جَاءَنَا فَقِيرٌ وَنَحْنُ بِأَرَّجَانَ وَسَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَوْمَئِذٍ بِهَا فَقَالَ إِنَّكُمْ أَهْلُ الْعِنَايَةِ فَقَدْ نَزَلَتْ بِي مِحْنَةٌ قَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ فِي دِيوَانِ الْمِحَنِ وَقَعْتَ مُنْذُ تَعَرَّضْتُ لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ فَمَا هِيَ قَالَ فُتِحَ لِي شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَاسْتَأْثَرْتُ بِهَا فِي غَيْرِ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ فَفَقَدْتُ إِيمَانِي وَحَالِي فَقَالَ سَهْلٌ لِأَبِي يَعْقُوبَ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَيْشٍ تَقُولُ فِي هَذَا قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مِحْنَتُهُ بِحَالِهِ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ مِحْنَتِهِ بِإِيمَانِهِ فَقَالَ سَهْلٌ مِثْلُكَ يَقُولُ هَذَا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ خَيْرٍ النَّسَّاجِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ دَخَلْتُ بَعْضَ الْمَسَاجِدِ وَإِذَا فِيهِ فَقِيرٌ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَكُنْتُ أَعْرِفُهُ فَلَمَّا رَآنِي تَعَلَّقَ بِي وَبَكَى وَقَالَ لِي أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ تَعَطَّفْ عَلَيَّ فَإِنَّ مِحْنَتِي عَظِيمَةٌ فَقُلْتُ يَا هَذَا وَمَا مَحْنَتُكَ قَالَ لِي فَقَدْتُ الْبَلَاءَ وَقُرِنْتُ بِالْعَافِيَةِ وَأَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذِهِ مِحْنَةٌ عَظِيمَةٌ قَالَ وَكَانَ قَدْ فُتِحَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَالَ أَبُو تُرَابٍ النَّخْشَبِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا تَوَافَرَتِ النِّعَمُ عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ فَلْيَبْكِ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ فَإِنَّهُ سَلَكَ بِهِ غَيْرَ طَرِيقِ الصَّالِحِينَ، وَسَمَعْتُ الْوَجِيهِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ حُمِلَ إِلَى بَنَانِ الْحَمَّالِ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ وَصَبُّوهَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَقَالَ لِلَّذِي صَبَّهَا ارْجِعْ وَخُذْهُ وَاللَّهِ لَوْلَا مَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ كِتَابَةِ اسْمِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَبُلْتُ عَلَيْهَا هُوَ ذَا يُغَرِّرُ بِي بِبَرِيقِهِ، قَالَ وَفُتِحَ لِابْنِ بَنَانٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَرْبَعِمِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ وَهُوَ نَائِمٌ فَوَضَعُوهَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ فَرَأَى فِي الْمَنَامِ كَأَنَّ قَائِلًا يَقُولُ مَنْ أَخَذَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَوْقَ مَا يَكْفِيهِ أَعْمَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَلْبَهُ فَانْتَبَهَ فَأَخَذَ مِنْهَا دَانِقَيْنِ وَتَرَكَ الْبَاقِيَ، وَسَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عَلْوَانَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ حُمِلَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحُسَيْنِ النُّورِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ ثَلَاثِمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ قَدْ بَاعُوا عَقَارًا لَهُ فَجَلَسَ عَلَى قَنْطَرَةِ الصَّرَاةِ وَهُوَ يَحْذِفُ بِوَاحِدٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهَا إِلَى

bābun fī dhikri ādābihim idhā futiḥa ʿalayhim shayʾun mina al-dunyā, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla abū yaʿqūba al-nahrajūriyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā samiʿtu abā yaʿqūba al-sūsiyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu jāʾanā faqīrun wanaḥnu bi-arrajāna wasahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yawmaʾidhin bihā faqāla innakum ahlu al-ʿināyati faqad nazalat bī miḥnatun qāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu fī dīwāni al-miḥani waqaʿta mundhu taʿarraḍtu lihadhā al-amri famā hiya qāla futiḥa lī shayʾun mina al-dunyā fa-istaʾthartu bihā fī ghayri dhī maḥramin fafaqadtu īmānī waḥālī faqāla sahlun li-abī yaʿqūba raḥimahumā Allāhu taʿālā ayshin taqūlu fī hadhā qāla faqultu miḥnatuhu biḥālihi aʿẓamu min miḥnatihi bi-īmānihi faqāla sahlun mithluka yaqūlu hadhā, waḥukiya ʿan khayrin al-nassāji raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla dakhaltu baʿḍa al-masājidi wa-idhā fīhi faqīrun mina al-fuqarāʾi wakuntu aʿrifuhu falammā raʾānī taʿallaqa bī wabakā waqāla lī ayyuhā al-shaykhu taʿaṭṭaf ʿalayya fa-inna miḥnatī ʿaẓīmatun faqultu yā hadhā wamā maḥnatuka qāla lī faqadtu al-balāʾa waqurintu bi-al-ʿāfiyati wa-anta taʿlamu anna hadhihi miḥnatun ʿaẓīmatun qāla wakāna qad futiḥa ʿalayhi shayʾun mina al-dunyā, waqāla abū turābin al-nakhshabiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā tawāfarati al-niʿamu ʿalā aḥadikum falyabki ʿalā nafsihi fa-innahu salaka bihi ghayra ṭarīqi al-ṣāliḥīna, wasamaʿtu al-wajīhiyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu ḥumila ilā banāni al-ḥammāli alfa dīnārin waṣabbūhā bayna yadayhi faqāla li-alladhī ṣabbahā irjiʿ wakhudhhu wa-Allāhi lawlā mā ʿalayhi min kitābati ismi Allāhi taʿālā labultu ʿalayhā huwa dhā yugharriru bī bibarīqihi, qāla wafutiḥa li-ibni banānin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā arbaʿimiʾati dirhamin wahuwa nāʾimun fawaḍaʿūhā ʿinda raʾsihi faraʾā fī al-manāmi ka-anna qāʾilan yaqūlu man akhadha mina al-dunyā fawqa mā yakfīhi aʿmā Allāhu taʿālā qalbahu fa-intabaha fa-akhadha minhā dāniqayni wataraka al-bāqiya, wasamiʿtu ibna ʿalwāna raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu ḥumila ilā abī al-ḥusayni al-nūriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu thalāthimiʾati dīnārin qad bāʿū ʿaqāran lahu fajalasa ʿalā qanṭarati al-ṣarāti wahuwa yaḥdhifu biwāḥidin wāḥidin minhā ilā

Chapter on Their Etiquette When Something of the World Is Opened to Them. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: Abū Yaʿqūb al-Nahrajūrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: I heard Abū Yaʿqūb al-Sūsī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say: A poor man came to us while we were in Arrajān, where Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—was then staying. The man said, “You are people of divine solicitude, and an ordeal has befallen me.” Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—said, “You have entered the register of ordeals from the moment you exposed yourself to this path. What is it?” He replied, “Something of the world was opened to me, and I appropriated it in an improper way; then I lost my faith and my spiritual state.” Sahl asked Abū Yaʿqūb—may God Most High have mercy on them both—“What do you say about this?” He related: I replied, “His ordeal in his spiritual state is greater than his ordeal in his faith.” Sahl said, “Someone like you says this?” It is related from Khayr al-Nassāj—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said: I entered a mosque and found there a poor man whom I knew. When he saw me, he clung to me, wept, and said, “Shaykh, show me compassion, for my ordeal is immense.” I asked, “What is your ordeal?” He replied, “I have lost affliction and have been paired with well-being, and you know that this is an immense ordeal.” Something of the world had been opened to him. Abū Turāb al-Nakhshabī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “When blessings pour abundantly upon one of you, let him weep for himself, for he has been taken along a path other than that of the righteous.” I heard al-Wajīhī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say: A thousand dinars were carried to Banān al-Ḥammāl and poured out before him. He told the man who had poured them, “Go back and take them. By God, were the name of God Most High not inscribed upon them, I would urinate on them. There it is, trying to deceive me with its glitter.” He also said: Four hundred dirhams were brought to Ibn Banān—may God Most High have mercy on him—while he was asleep and placed beside his head. In a dream he saw someone saying, “God Most High blinds the heart of whoever takes from this world more than suffices him.” He awoke, took two dāniqs, and left the rest. I heard Ibn ʿAlwān—may God Most High have mercy on him—say: Three hundred dinars—the proceeds from the sale of some property belonging to him—were carried to Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Nūrī—may God have mercy on him. He sat on the bridge over the Ṣarāt canal and tossed them, one by one, into—

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الْمَاءِ وَيَقُولُ سَيِّدِي تُرِيدُ أَنْ تَخْدَعَنِي عَنْكَ بِهَذَا، وَحَكَى جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ كَانَ ابْنُ زِيرِي مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكَانَ قَدْ فُتِحَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا فَانْقَطَعَ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ فَاسْتَقْبَلَنَا يَوْمًا وَفِي كُمِّهِ مِنْدِيلٌ فِيهِ دَرَاهِمُ كَثِيرَةٌ فَلَمَّا رَآنَا مِنْ بَعِيدٍ قَالَ يَا أَصْحَابَنَا إِذَا كُنْتُمْ أَنْتُمْ مُتَعَزِّزِينَ بِالْفَقْرِ وَنَحْنُ مُتَعَزِّزُونَ بِالْغِنَى فَمَتَى نَلْتَقَى قَالَ ثُمَّ رَمَى إِلَيْنَا بِجَمِيعِ مَا كَانَ فِي كُمِّهِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ بْنُ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ كَانَ فَتًى يَصْحَبُ أَبَا أَحْمَدَ الْقَلَانِسِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ غَابَ عَنْهُ مُدَّةً ثُمَّ رَجَعَ مِنْ سَفَرِهِ وَقَدْ فُتِحَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَاجْتَمَعَ عِنْدَهُ مَالٌ فَقُلْنَا لِأَبِي أَحْمَدَ تَأْذَنُ لَنَا أَنْ نَزُورَهُ فَقَالَ لَا فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَصْحَبُنَا عَلَى الْفَقْرِ وَلَوْ بَقِيَ عَلَى حَالِهِ كَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَنَا أَنْ نَزُورَهُ فَإِذَا رَجَعَ مِنْ سَفَرِهِ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْحَالَةِ فَيَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَزُورَنَا، وَحَكَى أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُصَرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ مَكَثَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ الْحَدَّادُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ بِالرَّمْلَةِ وَعَلَيْهِ خِرْقَتَانِ وَفِي وَسَطِهِ أَلْفُ دِينَارٍ وَهُوَ يَمْكُثُ الْيَوْمَيْنِ وَالثَّلَاثَةَ وَالْأَرْبَعَةَ وَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَهُوَ يُوَاسِي الْفُقَرَاءَ مِنْهَا إِلَى أَنْ فَنِيَ عَنْ آخِرِهَا، وَقَالَ الْحُصَرِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى خَرَجْتُ مَعَ الشِّبْلِيِّ فِي أَيَّامِ الْقَحْطِ نَطْلُبُ شَيْئًا لِصِبْيَانِهِ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى إِنْسَانٍ فَأَعْطَاهُ دَرَاهِمَ كَثِيرَةً قَالَ فَخَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ <وَكُمُّهُ مَلْآنُ مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ> فَكُلَّمَا لَقِينَا إِنْسَانًا مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ أَعْطَاهُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى لَمْ يَبْقَ إِلَّا الْقَلِيلُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ يَا سَيِّدِي الصِّبْيَانُ فِي الْبَيْتِ جِيَاعٌ فَقَالَ لِي أَيَّ شَيْءٍ أَعْمَلُ فَبَعْدَ الْجُهْدِ اشْتَرَيْتُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْكَسْبِ وَالْجَزَرِ بِمَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ وَحَمَلَتُهُ إِلَى صِبْيَانِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الدَّرَّاجِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ خَرَجَ أُسْتَاذِي يَوْمًا يَتَطَهَّرُ فَأَخَذْتُ كِنْفَهُ فَفَتَّشْتُهُ فَوَجَدْتُ فِيهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْفِضَّةِ مِقْدَارَ أَرْبَعَةِ دَرَاهِمَ فَتَحَيَّرْتُ فِي أَمْرِهِ وَكَانَ لَنَا أَوْقَاتٌ لَمْ نَأْكُلْ شَيْئًا فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ قُلْتُ لَهُ كَانَ فِي كِنْفِكَ كَذَا وَنَحْنُ جِيَاعٌ قَالَ هَاهْ أَخَذْتَهُ؟ رُدَّهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ خُذْهُ وَاشْتَرِ بِهِ شَيْئًا فَقُلْتُ بِحَقِّ مَعْبُودِكَ مَا أَمْرُ هَذِهِ الْفِضَّةِ فَقَالَ لَمْ يَرْزُقْنِي اللَّهُ تَعَالَى شَيْئًا مِنْ

al-māʾi wayaqūlu sayyidī turīdu an takhdaʿanī ʿanka bihadhā, waḥakā jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla kāna ibnu zīrī min aṣḥābi al-junaydi raḥimahumā Allāhu taʿālā wakāna qad futiḥa ʿalayhi shayʾun mina al-dunyā fa-inqaṭaʿa mina al-fuqarāʾi fa-istaqbalanā yawman wafī kummihi mindīlun fīhi darāhimu kathīratun falammā raʾānā min baʿīdin qāla yā aṣḥābanā idhā kuntum antum mutaʿazzizīna bi-al-faqri wanaḥnu mutaʿazzizūna bi-al-ghinā famatā naltaqā qāla thumma ramā ilaynā bijamīʿi mā kāna fī kummihi, waqāla abū saʿīdin bnu al-aʿrābiyyi kāna fatanā yaṣḥabu abā aḥmada al-qalānisiyya raḥimahu Allāhu thumma ghāba ʿanhu muddatan thumma rajaʿa min safarihi waqad futiḥa ʿalayhi shayʾun mina al-dunyā wa-ijtamaʿa ʿindahu mālun faqulnā li-abī aḥmada taʾdhanu lanā an nazūrahu faqāla lā fa-innahu kāna yaṣḥabunā ʿalā al-faqri walaw baqiya ʿalā ḥālihi kāna yanbaghī lanā an nazūrahu fa-idhā rajaʿa min safarihi ʿalā hadhihi al-ḥālati fayajibu ʿalayhi an yazūranā, waḥakā abū ʿabdi Allāhi al-ḥuṣariyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla makatha abū ḥafṣin al-ḥaddādu raḥimahu Allāhu bi-al-ramlati waʿalayhi khirqatāni wafī wasaṭihi alfu dīnārin wahuwa yamkuthu al-yawmayni wa-al-thalāthata wa-al-arbaʿata wa-abā an yaʾkula minhā wahuwa yuwāsī al-fuqarāʾa minhā ilā an faniya ʿan ākhirihā, waqāla al-ḥuṣariyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā kharajtu maʿa al-shibliyyi fī ayyāmi al-qaḥṭi naṭlubu shayʾan liṣibyānihi fadakhala ʿalā insānin fa-aʿṭāhu darāhima kathīratan qāla fakharajnā min ʿindihi <wakummuhu malʾānu mina al-darāhimi> fakullamā laqīnā insānan mina al-fuqarāʾi aʿṭāhu minhu ḥattā lam yabqa illā al-qalīlu faqultu lahu yā sayyidī al-ṣibyānu fī al-bayti jiyāʿun faqāla lī ayya shayʾin aʿmalu fabaʿda al-juhdi ishtaraytu shayʾan mina al-kasbi wa-al-jazari bimā baqiya mina al-darāhimi waḥamalatuhu ilā ṣibyānihi, waḥukiya ʿan abī jaʿfarin al-darrāji raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla kharaja ustādhī yawman yataṭahharu fa-akhadhtu kinfahu fafattashtuhu fawajadtu fīhi shayʾan mina al-fiḍḍati miqdāra arbaʿati darāhima fataḥayyartu fī amrihi wakāna lanā awqātun lam naʾkul shayʾan falammā rajaʿa qultu lahu kāna fī kinfika kadhā wanaḥnu jiyāʿun qāla hāh akhadhtahu? ruddahu thumma qāla lī baʿda dhalika khudhhu wa-ishtari bihi shayʾan faqultu biḥaqqi maʿbūdika mā amru hadhihi al-fiḍḍati faqāla lam yarzuqnī Allāhu taʿālā shayʾan min

—the water, saying, “My Master, do You wish to distract me from You with this?” Jaʿfar al-Khuldī—may God Most High have mercy on him—related: Ibn Zīrī was one of al-Junayd’s companions—may God Most High have mercy on them both. When something of the world was opened to him, he became cut off from the poor. One day he met us with a kerchief in his sleeve containing many dirhams. When he saw us in the distance, he said, “Companions, if you take your dignity in poverty and we take ours in wealth, when shall we ever meet?” He then threw to us everything in his sleeve. Abū Saʿīd ibn al-Aʿrābī said: A young man used to accompany Abū Aḥmad al-Qalānisī—may God have mercy on him. He was absent for a time, then returned from a journey after something of the world had been opened to him and wealth had accumulated in his hands. We asked Abū Aḥmad, “Will you give us permission to visit him?” He replied, “No. He used to accompany us in poverty, and had he remained in his former state, we ought to visit him. But since he returned from his journey in this condition, he must visit us.” Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥuṣrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—related: Abū Ḥafṣ al-Ḥaddād—may God have mercy on him—remained in Ramla wearing two rags and carrying a thousand dinars at his waist. He would remain two, three, or four days refusing to eat from them, while sharing them with the poor until the last coin was gone. Al-Ḥuṣrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—also said: During a famine I went out with al-Shiblī to seek something for his children. He entered a man’s house and was given many dirhams. We left with his sleeve full of them. Whenever we met a poor man, he gave him some until only a little remained. I said, “My master, the children at home are hungry.” He replied, “What am I to do?” With great effort I finally bought some of the food called al-kasb and some carrots with the remaining dirhams and carried them to his children. It is related from Abū Jaʿfar al-Darrāj—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said: One day my teacher went out to purify himself. I took his side pouch, searched it, and found in it about four dirhams in silver. I was bewildered, for at times we had gone without food. When he returned, I said, “There was such-and-such in your pouch while we are hungry.” He said, “Ah, you took it? Put it back.” Later he said, “Take it and buy something.” I replied, “By the One you worship, what is the story of this silver?” He said, “God Most High has granted me nothing of—

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الدُّنْيَا [لَا] صَفْرَاءَ وَلَا بَيْضَاءَ غَيْرَهَا فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُوصِيَ أَنْ تُدْفَنَ مَعِي فَإِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ أَرُدُّهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَقُولُ هَذِهِ الَّتِي أَعْطَيْتَنِي مِنَ الدُّنْيَا أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، قَالَ وَدَفَعَ وَزِيرُ الْمُعْتَضِدِ مَالًا إِلَى أَبِي الْحُسَيْنِ النُّورِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَتَّى يُفَرِّقَهُ عَلَى الْمُتَصَوِّفَةِ فَصَبَّهُ فِي بَيْتٍ وَجَمَعَ صُوفِيَّةَ بَغْدَادَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ كُلُّ مَنْ يَحْتَاجُ مِنْكُمْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ فَلْيَدْخُلِ الْبَيْتَ وَلْيَأْخُذْ حَاجَتَهُ مِنْهُ فَكَانَ يَأْخُذُ الرَّجُلُ مِائَةَ دِرْهَمٍ وَالْآخَرُ أَكْثَرَ وَالْآخَرُ أَقَلَّ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا يَأْخُذُ شَيْئًا فَلَمَّا فَنِيَتِ الدَّرَاهِمُ وَلَمْ يَبْقَ شَيْءٌ قَالَ لَهُمْ بَعْدَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى مِقْدَارِ أَخْذِكُمْ مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ وَقُرْبُكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَلَى مِقْدَارِ تَرْكِكُمْ لَهَا، بَابٌ فِي ذِكْرِ آدَابِ مَنِ اشْتَغَلَ بِالْمَكَاسِبِ وَالتَّصَرُّفِ فِي الْأَسْبَابِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ سَهْلُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ مَنْ طَعَنَ عَلَى الِاكْتِسَابِ فَقَدْ طَعَنَ عَلَى السُّنَّةِ وَمَنْ طَعَنَ عَلَى التَّوَكُّلِ فَقَدْ طَعَنَ عَلَى الْإِيمَانِ، وَسُئِلَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الْكَسْبِ فَقَالَ يُسْتَقَى الْمَاءُ وَيُلْقَطُ النَّوَى، وَكَتَبَ إِسْحَاقُ الْمَغَازِلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكَانَ أَحَدَ الْمَشَايِخِ إِلَى بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَرْثِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَكَانَ بِشْرٌ يَعْمَلُ الْمَغَازِلَ فَكَانَ فِي كِتَابِهِ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ أَنَّكَ اسْتَغْنَيْتَ عَنْ أَمْرِ مَعَاشِكَ بِعَمَلِ هَذِهِ الْمَغَازِلِ أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى سَمْعَكَ وَبَصَرَكَ الْمُلْتَجَأُ إِلَى مَنْ؟ قَالَ فَتَرَكَ بِشْرٌ ذَلِكَ الْعَمَلَ وَاشْتَغَلَ بِالْعِبَادَةِ، وَسَأَلَ رَجُلٌ ابْنَ سَالِمٍ بِالْبَصْرَةِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَأَنَا حَاضِرٌ فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَكَانَ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِي فَضْلِ الْمَكَاسِبِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ نَحْنُ مُسْتَعْبِدُونَ بِالْكَسْبِ أَمْ بِالتَّوَكُّلِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ سَالِمٍ التَّوَكُّلُ حَالُ الرَّسُولِ وَالْكَسْبُ سُنَّةُ الرَّسُولِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنَّمَا اسْتَنَّ لَهُمُ الْكَسْبُ لِعِلْمِهِ بِضَعْفِهِمْ حَتَّى إِذَا سَقَطُوا عَنْ دَرَجَةِ التَّوَكُّلِ

al-dunyā [lā] ṣafrāʾa walā bayḍāʾa ghayrahā fa-aradtu an ūṣiya an tudfana maʿī fa-idhā kāna yawmu al-qiyāmati arudduhā ilā Allāhi taʿālā aqūlu hadhihi allatī aʿṭaytanī mina al-dunyā aw kamā qāla, qāla wadafaʿa wazīru al-muʿtaḍidi mālan ilā abī al-ḥusayni al-nūriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ḥattā yufarriqahu ʿalā al-mutaṣawwifati faṣabbahu fī baytin wajamaʿa ṣūfiyyata baghdāda faqāla lahum kullu man yaḥtāju minkum ilā shayʾin falyadkhuli al-bayta walyaʾkhudh ḥājatahu minhu fakāna yaʾkhudhu al-rajulu miʾata dirhamin wa-al-ākharu akthara wa-al-ākharu aqalla waminhum man lā yaʾkhudhu shayʾan falammā faniyati al-darāhimu walam yabqa shayʾun qāla lahum baʿdakum mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā miqdāri akhdhikum mina al-darāhimi waqurbukum mina Allāhi taʿālā ʿalā miqdāri tarkikum lahā, bābun fī dhikri ādābi mani ishtaghala bi-al-makāsibi wa-al-taṣarrufi fī al-asbābi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla sahlu bnu ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu man ṭaʿana ʿalā al-iktisābi faqad ṭaʿana ʿalā al-sunnati waman ṭaʿana ʿalā al-tawakkuli faqad ṭaʿana ʿalā al-īmāni, wasuʾila al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu ʿani al-kasbi faqāla yustaqā al-māʾu wayulqaṭu al-nawā, wakataba isḥāqu al-maghāziliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wakāna aḥada al-mashāyikhi ilā bishri bni al-ḥarthi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wakāna bishrun yaʿmalu al-maghāzila fakāna fī kitābihi balaghanī ʿanka annaka istaghnayta ʿan amri maʿāshika biʿamali hadhihi al-maghāzili araʾayta in akhadha Allāhu taʿālā samʿaka wabaṣaraka al-multajaʾu ilā man? qāla fataraka bishrun dhalika al-ʿamala wa-ishtaghala bi-al-ʿibādati, wasaʾala rajulun ibna sālimin bi-al-baṣrati raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wa-anā ḥāḍirun fī majlisihi wakāna yatakallamu fī faḍli al-makāsibi faqāla lahu ayyuhā al-shaykhu naḥnu mustaʿbidūna bi-al-kasbi am bi-al-tawakkuli faqāla ibnu sālimin al-tawakkulu ḥālu al-rasūli wa-al-kasbu sunnatu al-rasūli ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama wa-innamā istanna lahumu al-kasbu liʿilmihi biḍaʿfihim ḥattā idhā saqaṭū ʿan darajati al-tawakkuli

—the world, [neither] gold nor silver, apart from these coins. I wished to leave instructions that they be buried with me, so that on the Day of Resurrection I might return them to God Most High and say, ‘This is what You gave me of the world,’” or words to that effect. The vizier of al-Muʿtaḍid gave Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Nūrī—may God Most High have mercy on him—a sum of money to distribute among the Sufis. Al-Nūrī poured it into a room, assembled the Sufis of Baghdad, and told them, “Whoever among you needs anything should enter the room and take what he needs.” One man took a hundred dirhams, another more, another less, and some took nothing. When the dirhams had all gone and nothing remained, he told them, “Your distance from God Most High is proportionate to the dirhams you took, and your nearness to God Most High is proportionate to what you left.” Chapter on the Etiquette of Those Engaged in Earning and the Use of Secondary Causes. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God have mercy on him—said, “Whoever disparages earning has disparaged the Sunna; whoever disparages trust in God has disparaged faith.” Al-Junayd—may God have mercy on him—was asked about earning and replied, “One draws water and gathers date stones.” Isḥāq al-Maghāzilī—may God Most High have mercy on him—one of the shaykhs, wrote to Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith—may God Most High have mercy on him. Bishr used to make spindles. Isḥāq wrote, “I have heard that making these spindles has made you independent in the matter of your livelihood. Tell me: if God Most High took away your hearing and sight, to whom would you turn for refuge?” Bishr therefore abandoned that work and devoted himself to worship. While I was present in Ibn Sālim’s gathering in Basra—may God have mercy on him—as he spoke about the merit of earning, a man asked, “Shaykh, are we charged to earn or to trust in God?” Ibn Sālim replied, “Trust in God is the Messenger’s spiritual state, while earning is the Messenger’s Sunna—may God bless him and grant him peace. He established earning as a Sunna for them because he knew their weakness, so that if they fell from the degree of trust in God—

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الَّتِي هِيَ حَالُهُ لَا يَسْقُطُونَ عَنْ دَرَجَةِ طَلَبِ الْمَعَاشِ الَّتِي هِيَ سُنَّتُهُ وَلَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَهَلَكُوا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ لَا خَيْرَ فِيمَنْ لَا يَذُوقُ ذُلَّ الْمَكَاسِبِ، وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ يَقُولُ مَكَاسِبُكَ لَا تَمْنَعُكَ عَنِ التَّفْوِيضِ وَالتَّوَكُّلِ إِذَا لَمْ تُضَيِّعْهُمَا فِي كَسْبَكَ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخَرَّازَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ خَرَجَ سَنَةً مِنَ السِّنِينَ مِنَ الشَّامِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ مَعَ الْقَافِلَةِ فَجَلَسَ لَيْلَةً إِلَى الصَّبَاحِ يَخْرِزُ نِعَالَ أَصْحَابِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ وَالصُّوفِيَّةِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو حَفْصٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى تَرَكْتُ الْكَسْبَ مَرَّةً ثُمَّ عَاوَدْتُهُ ثُمَّ تَرَكَنِي الْكَسْبَ فَلَمْ أُعَاوِدْ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْفُقَرَاءِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِدِمَشْقَ رَجُلٌ أَسْوَدُ وَيَصْحَبُ الصُّوفِيَّةَ وَكَانَ يَمُرُّ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ يَدُقُّ الْجِصَّ بِثَلَاثَةِ دَرَاهِمَ وَلَا يَأْكُلُهَا إِلَّا فِي ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فَإِذَا أَخَذَ الْأُجْرَةَ يَشْتَرِي بِهَا طَعَامًا [مَا] وَيَجِيءُ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ وَيَأْكُلُ مَعَهُمْ أَكْلَةً وَيَرْجِعُ إِلَى عَمَلِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْمُنَادِي رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ فَإِذَا وَقَعَ فِي يَدِهِ مِقْدَارُ دَانِقَيْنِ يَرْجِعُ مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ أَيَّ وَقْتٍ كَانَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْخَوَّاصِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى [أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِذَا عَرَّجَ الْمُرِيدُ عَلَى الْأَسْبَابِ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فَالْعَمَلُ فِي الْمَكَاسِبِ وَدُخُولُ السُّوقِ أَوْلَى بِهِ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ] أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ عَلَيْكَ بِعَمَلِ الْأَبْطَالِ: الْكَسْبُ مِنَ الْحَلَالِ وَالنَّفَقَةُ عَلَى الْعِيَالِ، قَالَ أَبُو نَصْرٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَمَنِ اشْتَغَلَ بِالْمَكَاسِبِ فَأَدَبُهُ أَنْ لَا يَشْتَغِلَ عَنْ أَدَاءِ الْفَرَائِضِ فِي أَوْقَاتِهَا وَلَا يَرَى رِزْقَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَيَنْوَى بِذَلِكَ مُعَاوَنَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَيُنْصِفُهُمْ فَإِذَا فَضَلَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ كَسْبِهِ وَنَفَقَةِ عِيَالِهِ لَا يَجْمَعُ وَلَا يَمْنَعُ وَيُنْفِقُ عَلَى إِخْوَانِهِ مِنَ الْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مَعَاشٌ وَلَا مَعْلُومٌ وَلَا سُؤَالٌ لِأَنَّهُ وَإِنِ امْتُحِنَ بِذَلِكَ فَهُوَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ وَكَذَلِكَ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ عَلَاقَةٌ إِذَا فُتِحَ عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْءٌ سَاعَدُوهُ وَيَهْتَمُّونَ بِأَسْبَابِهِ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ اهْتِمَامِهِمْ

allatī hiya ḥāluhu lā yasquṭūna ʿan darajati ṭalabi al-maʿāshi allatī hiya sunnatuhu walawlā dhalika lahalakū, waḥukiya ʿan ʿabdi Allāhi bni al-mubāraki annahu kāna yaqūlu lā khayra fīman lā yadhūqu dhulla al-makāsibi, wakāna ʿabdu Allāhi bnu al-mubāraki yaqūlu makāsibuka lā tamnaʿuka ʿani al-tafwīḍi wa-al-tawakkuli idhā lam tuḍayyiʿhumā fī kasbaka, wayuqālu inna abā saʿīdin al-kharrāza raḥimahu Allāhu kharaja sanatan mina al-sinīna mina al-shāmi ilā makkata maʿa al-qāfilati fajalasa laylatan ilā al-ṣabāḥi yakhrizu niʿāla aṣḥābihi mina al-fuqarāʾi wa-al-ṣūfiyyati, waqāla abū ḥafṣin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā taraktu al-kasba marratan thumma ʿāwadtuhu thumma tarakanī al-kasba falam uʿāwid ilayhi baʿda dhalika, waḥukiya ʿan baʿḍi al-fuqarāʾi annahu kāna bidimashqa rajulun aswadu wayaṣḥabu al-ṣūfiyyata wakāna yamurru kulla yawmin yaduqqu al-jiṣṣa bithalāthati darāhima walā yaʾkuluhā illā fī thalāthati ayyāmin fa-idhā akhadha al-ujrata yashtarī bihā ṭaʿāman [mā] wayajīʾu ilā aṣḥābihi wayaʾkulu maʿahum aklatan wayarjiʿu ilā ʿamalihi, waḥukiya ʿan abī al-qāsimi al-munādī raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna yakhruju min manzilihi fa-idhā waqaʿa fī yadihi miqdāru dāniqayni yarjiʿu mina al-ṭarīqi ilā manzilihi ayya waqtin kāna, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma al-khawwāṣi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā [annahu kāna yaqūlu idhā ʿarraja al-murīdu ʿalā al-asbābi baʿda thalāthati ayyāmin fa-al-ʿamalu fī al-makāsibi wadukhūlu al-sūqi awlā bihi, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni adhama] annahu kāna yaqūlu ʿalayka biʿamali al-abṭāli: al-kasbu mina al-ḥalāli wa-al-nafaqatu ʿalā al-ʿiyāli, qāla abū naṣrin raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā wamani ishtaghala bi-al-makāsibi fa-adabuhu an lā yashtaghila ʿan adāʾi al-farāʾiḍi fī awqātihā walā yarā rizqahu min dhalika wayanwā bidhalika muʿāwanata al-muslimīna wayunṣifuhum fa-idhā faḍala shayʾun min kasbihi wanafaqati ʿiyālihi lā yajmaʿu walā yamnaʿu wayunfiqu ʿalā ikhwānihi mina al-fuqarāʾi alladhīna laysa lahum maʿāshun walā maʿlūmun walā suʾālun li-annahu wa-ini imtuḥina bidhalika fahuwa wāḥidun minhum wakadhalika hāʾulāʾi alladhīna laysa lahum ʿalāqatun idhā futiḥa ʿalayhim shayʾun sāʿadūhu wayahtammūna bi-asbābihi akthara mina ihtimāmihim

—which was his spiritual state, they would not fall below the degree of seeking a livelihood, which was his Sunna. Otherwise they would perish.” It is related from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak that he used to say, “There is no good in one who has not tasted the abasement of earning.” He also used to say, “Your gainful occupations do not prevent you from entrusting your affair to God and trusting in Him, provided that you do not neglect these two while earning.” It is said that one year Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz—may God have mercy on him—travelled with the caravan from Syria to Mecca. One night he sat until morning stitching the sandals of his companions among the poor and the Sufis. Abū Ḥafṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Once I left earning, then returned to it; later earning left me, and I never returned to it again.” It is related of some of the poor that in Damascus there was a Black man who kept company with the Sufis. Every day he went out to pound gypsum for three dirhams, and he did not consume those wages except over three days. When he received his pay, he bought some food, went to his companions, ate one meal with them, and returned to his work. It is related from Abū al-Qāsim al-Munādī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he would leave his house, but as soon as two dāniqs came into his hand, he would turn around and go home, whatever the time. It is related from Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ—may God Most High have mercy on him—[that he used to say, “If after three days the novice turns aside toward secondary causes, working for a living and entering the marketplace are more fitting for him.” It is related from Ibrāhīm ibn Adham] that he used to say, “Take up the work of heroes: lawful earning and expenditure on dependants.” Abū Naṣr—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: The discipline of anyone engaged in earning is not to let it distract him from performing the obligations at their proper times, not to regard it as the source of his provision, and to intend through it to assist Muslims and treat them fairly. If anything remains after the costs of his work and the support of his dependants, he neither hoards nor withholds it, but spends it on his poor brothers who have no livelihood, fixed allowance, or habit of asking. Though he has been tested with earning, he is still one of them. Likewise, when something is opened to those who have no attachments, they assist him and attend to the means of his welfare more carefully than they attend to—

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بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي حَفْصٍ الْحَدَّادِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً يَعْمَلُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ بِدِينَارٍ وَيُنْفِقُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ يَعْنِي الصُّوفِيَّةَ وَلَا يَسْأَلُ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ وَيَصُومُ ثُمَّ يَخْرُجُ بَيْنَ الْعِشَاءَيْنِ فَيَتَصَدَّقُ مِنَ الْأَبْوَابِ، وَقَالَ الشِّبْلِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ حِرْفَتُكَ فَقَالَ خَرَّازٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ نَسِيتَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بَيْنَ الْخَرْزِ وَالْخَرْزِ، وَقَالَ ذُو النُّونِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا طَلَبَ الْعَارِفُ الْمَعَاشَ فَهُوَ فِي لَا شَيْءٍ، وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ، بَابٌ فِي آدَابِ الْأَخْذِ وَالْعَطَاءِ وَإِدْخَالِ الرِّفْقِ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَخْبَرَنِي جَعْفَرٌ الْخُلْدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ سَرِيًّا السَّقَطِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ أَعْرِفُ طَرِيقًا مُخْتَصَرًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ لَا تَسْأَلُ أَحَدًا شَيْئًا وَلَا تَأْخُذْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَكُنْ مَعَكَ شَيْءٌ تُعْطِي أَحَدًا، حَكَى عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا يَصِحُّ لِأَحَدٍ الْأَخْذِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْإِخْرَاجُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْأَخْذِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ [أَحْمَدُ] بْنُ حَمَوَيْهِ صَاحِبُ الصُّبَيْحِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مَنْ أَخَذَ لِلَّهِ أَخَذَ بِعِزٍّ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ لِلَّهِ تُرَكَ بِعِزٍّ وَمَنْ أَخَذَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ أُخِذَ بِذُلٍّ وَمَنْ تَرَكَ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ تُرِكَ بِذُلٍّ، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ الْوَجِيهِيَّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ الزَّقَّاقَ يَقُولُ اسْتَقْبَلَنِي يُوسُفُ الصَّائِغُ بِمِصْرَ وَمَعَهُ كِيسٌ فِيهِ دَرَاهِمُ فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يُنَاوِلَنِي فَرَدَدْتُ يَدَهُ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ فَقَالَ خُذْهَا مِنِّي وَلَا تَرُدَّهَا عَلَيَّ فَلَوْ عَلِمْتَ أَنِّي أَمْلِكُ شَيْئًا أَوْ أَنِّي أُعْطِيكَ شَيْئًا مَا أَعْطَيْتُكَ هَذَا، سَمِعْتُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ الرُّوذْبَارِيَّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَقُولُ مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحْسَنَ أَدَبًا مِنَ ابْنِ رُفَيْعٍ الدِّمَشْقِيِّ فِي إِدْخَالِ الرِّفْقِ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي بِتُّ عِنْدَهُ لَيْلَةً فَحَكَيْتُ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ عَلَامَةُ الْفَقِيرِ الصَّادِقِ

bi-anfusihim, waḥukiya ʿan abī ḥafṣin al-ḥaddādi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna akthara min ʿishrīna sanatan yaʿmalu fī kulli yawmin bidīnārin wayunfiquhu ʿalayhim yaʿnī al-ṣūfiyyata walā yasʾalu ʿan masʾalatin wayaṣūmu thumma yakhruju bayna al-ʿishāʾayni fayataṣaddaqu mina al-abwābi, waqāla al-shibliyyu raḥimahu Allāhu lirajulin ayyu shayʾin ḥirfatuka faqāla kharrāzun faqāla lahu nasīta Allāha taʿālā bayna al-kharzi wa-al-kharzi, waqāla dhū al-nūni raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā ṭalaba al-ʿārifu al-maʿāsha fahuwa fī lā shayʾin, wa-Allāhu taʿālā aʿlamu, bābun fī ādābi al-akhdhi wa-al-ʿaṭāʾi wa-idkhāli al-rifqi ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā akhbaranī jaʿfarun al-khuldiyyu raḥimahu Allāhu qāla samiʿtu al-junayda raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu samiʿtu sariyyan al-saqaṭiyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu aʿrifu ṭarīqan mukhtaṣaran ilā al-jannati lā tasʾalu aḥadan shayʾan walā taʾkhudh min aḥadin shayʾan walā yakun maʿaka shayʾun tuʿṭī aḥadan, ḥakā ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla lā yaṣiḥḥu li-aḥadin al-akhdhi ḥattā yakūna al-ikhrāju aḥabba ilayhi mina al-akhdhi, waqāla abū bakrin [aḥmadu] bnu ḥamawayhi ṣāḥibu al-ṣubayḥiyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā man akhadha li-Allāhi akhadha biʿizzin waman taraka li-Allāhi turaka biʿizzin waman akhadha lighayri Allāhi ukhidha bidhullin waman taraka lighayri Allāhi turika bidhullin, samiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaliyyin al-wajīhiyya yaqūlu samiʿtu al-zaqqāqa yaqūlu istaqbalanī yūsufu al-ṣāʾighu bimiṣra wamaʿahu kīsun fīhi darāhimu fa-arāda an yunāwilanī faradadtu yadahu ilā ṣadrihi faqāla khudhhā minnī walā taruddahā ʿalayya falaw ʿalimta annī amliku shayʾan aw annī uʿṭīka shayʾan mā aʿṭaytuka hadhā, samiʿtu aḥmada bna ʿaliyyin yaqūlu samiʿtu abā ʿaliyyin al-rūdhbāriyya raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā yaqūlu mā raʾaytu aḥsana adaban mina ibni rufayʿin al-dimashqiyyi fī idkhāli al-rifqi ʿalā al-fuqarāʾi wadhalika annī bittu ʿindahu laylatan faḥakaytu ʿan sahli bni ʿabdi Allāhi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla ʿalāmatu al-faqīri al-ṣādiqi

—their own. It is related from Abū Ḥafṣ al-Ḥaddād—may God Most High have mercy on him—that for more than twenty years he worked each day for one dinar and spent it upon them—that is, the Sufis. He asked no questions, fasted, and then went out between the sunset and night prayers to seek charity from people’s doors. Al-Shiblī—may God have mercy on him—asked a man, “What is your trade?” He replied, “I am a shoemaker.” Al-Shiblī said, “You forgot God Most High between one stitch and the next.” Dhū al-Nūn—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “When the gnostic seeks a livelihood, he is engaged in nothing.” God Most High knows best. Chapter on the Etiquette of Taking and Giving and Bringing Ease to the Poor. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: Jaʿfar al-Khuldī—may God have mercy on him—reported to me: I heard al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—say: I heard Sarī al-Saqaṭī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say, “I know a short path to Paradise: ask no one for anything, take nothing from anyone, and possess nothing that you could give to another.” It is related from al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “It is not sound for anyone to take until giving away is dearer to him than taking.” Abū Bakr [Aḥmad] ibn Ḥamawayh, the companion of al-Ṣubayḥī—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Whoever takes for God takes with honour; whoever leaves for God is left with honour. Whoever takes for something other than God is seized in abasement; whoever leaves for something other than God is left in abasement.” I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Wajīhī say: I heard al-Zaqqāq say: Yūsuf al-Ṣāʾigh met me in Egypt carrying a purse of dirhams. He tried to hand it to me, but I pushed his hand back to his chest. He said, “Take it from me and do not return it. Had you thought that I owned anything or that I was giving you anything, I would not have given you this.” I heard Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī say: I heard Abū ʿAlī al-Rūdhbārī—may God Most High have mercy on him—say, “I have seen no finer conduct in bringing ease to the poor than that of Ibn Rufayʿ al-Dimashqī. I spent a night with him and related from Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allāh—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, ‘The sign of the truthful poor man—

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أَنْ لَا يَسْأَلَ وَلَا يَرُدَّ وَلَا يَحْبِسَ فَلَمَّا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُفَارِقَهُ حَمَلَ مَعَهُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الدَّرَاهِمِ وَوَقَفَ عَلَى الْجَانِبِ الَّذِي حُمِلَتْ رِكْوَتِي وَقَالَ لِي كَيْفَ حَكَيْتَ عَنْ سَهْلٍ الْحِكَايَةَ فَلَمَّا حَكَيْتُ لَهُ الْحِكَايَةَ وَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَا تَسْأَلْ وَلَا تَرُدَّ فَطَرَحَهَا فِي رَكْوَتِي وَانْصَرَفَ، وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الزَّقَّاقُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَيْسَ السَّخَاءُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ الْوَاجِدُ الْمُعْدِمَ إِنَّمَا السَّخَاءُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ الْمُعْدِمُ الْوَاجِدَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ أَبِي مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُرْتَعِشِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا يَصِحُّ الْأَخْذُ عِنْدِي حَتَّى تَقْصِدَ مَنْ تَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ فَتَأْخُذَ لَهُ لَا لَكَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الْخُلْدِيِّ عَنِ الْجُنَيْدِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ ذَهَبْتُ يَوْمًا إِلَى ابْنِ الْكُرَيْنِيِّ وَمَعِي دَرَاهِمُ [أُرِيدُ] أَنْ أَدْفَعَهَا إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَعْرِفُنِي وَسَأَلْتُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ أَنَا عَنْهُ مُسْتَغْنٍ وَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنِّي فَقُلْتُ لَهُ إِنْ كُنْتَ [أَنْتَ] عَنْهَا مُسْتَغْنِيًا فَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أُسَرُّ بِأَخْذِكَ لَهَا فَتَأْخُذُهَا لِإِدْخَالِ السُّرُورِ عَلَيَّ فَأَخَذَهَا مِنِّي، وَذُكِرَ عَنْ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْمُنَادِي رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا رَأَى دُخَانًا يَخْرُجُ مِنْ [بَيْتِ] بَعْضِ جِيرَانِهِ فَيَقُولُ لِبَعْضِ مَنْ يَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مُرَّ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ فَقُلْ لَهُمْ أَعْطُونَا مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي تَطْبُخُونَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَائِلٌ فَعَسَى يُسَخِّنُونَ الْمَاءَ وَقَالَ مُرَّ إِلَيْهِمْ لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ يُصْلِحُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَغْنِيَاءُ غَيْرَ أَنْ يُعْطُونَا شَيْئًا وَيَشْفَعُوا لَنَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ، وَقَالَ الْجُنَيْدُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى حَمَلْتُ دَرَاهِمَ إِلَى حُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْمِصْرِيِّ وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ قَدْ وَلَدَتْ وَهُمْ فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ جَارٌ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا مِنِّي فَأَخَذْتُ الدَّرَاهِمَ وَرَمَيْتُهَا فِي الْحُجْرَةِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِيهَا الْمَرْأَةُ وَقُلْتُ أَيَّتُهَا الْمَرْأَةُ هَذِهِ لَكَ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ حِيلَةٌ فِيمَا فَعَلْتُ، وَسُئِلَ يُوسُفُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِذَا آخَيْتُ رَجُلًا فِي اللَّهِ فَخَرَجْتُ إِلَيْهِ بِكُلِّ مَالِي هَلْ أَكُونُ قَائِمًا بِحَقِّهِ فِيمَا مَلَّكَنِي اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ أَنَّى لَكَ بِمَا أَلْزَمْتَهُ مِنْ ذُلِّ الْأَخْذِ وَاسْتَدْرَكْتَ مِنْ عِزِّ الْإِعْطَاءِ إِذَا كَانَ فِي الْعَطَاءِ رِفْعَةٌ وَفِي الْأَخْذِ مَذَلَّةٌ،

an lā yasʾala walā yarudda walā yaḥbisa falammā aradtu an ufāriqahu ḥamala maʿahu shayʾan mina al-darāhimi wawaqafa ʿalā al-jānibi alladhī ḥumilat rikwatī waqāla lī kayfa ḥakayta ʿan sahlin al-ḥikāyata falammā ḥakaytu lahu al-ḥikāyata waqultu lahu lā tasʾal walā tarudda faṭaraḥahā fī rakwatī wa-inṣarafa, waqāla abū bakrin al-zaqqāqu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā laysa al-sakhāʾu an yuʿṭiya al-wājidu al-muʿdima innamā al-sakhāʾu an yuʿṭiya al-muʿdimu al-wājida, waḥukiya ʿan abī muḥammadin al-murtaʿishi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla lā yaṣiḥḥu al-akhdhu ʿindī ḥattā taqṣida man taʾkhudhu minhu fataʾkhudha lahu lā laka, waḥukiya ʿan jaʿfarin al-khuldiyyi ʿani al-junaydi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla dhahabtu yawman ilā ibni al-kurayniyyi wamaʿī darāhimu [urīdu] an adfaʿahā ilayhi wakāna ʿindī annahu lā yaʿrifunī wasaʾaltu an yaʾkhudha dhalika faqāla anā ʿanhu mustaghnin wa-abā an yaʾkhudha minnī faqultu lahu in kunta [anta] ʿanhā mustaghniyan fa-anā rajulun mina al-muslimīna usarru bi-akhdhika lahā fataʾkhudhuhā li-idkhāli al-surūri ʿalayya fa-akhadhahā minnī, wadhukira ʿan abī al-qāsimi al-munādī raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna idhā raʾā dukhānan yakhruju min [bayti] baʿḍi jīrānihi fayaqūlu libaʿḍi man yakūnu ʿindahu murra ilā hāʾulāʾi faqul lahum aʿṭūnā min hadhā alladhī taṭbukhūna faqāla lahu qāʾilun faʿasā yusakhkhinūna al-māʾa waqāla murra ilayhim li-ayyi shayʾin yuṣliḥu hāʾulāʾi al-aghniyāʾu ghayra an yuʿṭūnā shayʾan wayashfaʿū lanā fī al-ākhirati, waqāla al-junaydu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā ḥamaltu darāhima ilā ḥusayni bni al-miṣriyyi wakānati imraʾatuhu qad waladat wahum fī al-ṣaḥrāʾi walaysa lahum jārun fa-abā an yaqbalahā minnī fa-akhadhtu al-darāhima waramaytuhā fī al-ḥujrati allatī kānat fīhā al-marʾatu waqultu ayyatuhā al-marʾatu hadhihi laka falam yakun lahu ḥīlatun fīmā faʿaltu, wasuʾila yūsufu bnu al-ḥusayni raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā idhā ākhaytu rajulan fī Allāhi fakharajtu ilayhi bikulli mālī hal akūnu qāʾiman biḥaqqihi fīmā mallakanī Allāhu taʿālā qāla annā laka bimā alzamtahu min dhulli al-akhdhi wa-istadrakta min ʿizzi al-iʿṭāʾi idhā kāna fī al-ʿaṭāʾi rifʿatun wafī al-akhdhi madhallatun,

—is that he does not ask, does not refuse, and does not hoard.’ When I was about to leave, Ibn Rufayʿ carried some dirhams with him and stood on the side where my waterskin was hanging. He asked, ‘How did you relate the account from Sahl?’ I repeated it and said, ‘He does not ask and does not refuse.’ Ibn Rufayʿ dropped the dirhams into my waterskin and went away.” Abū Bakr al-Zaqqāq—may God Most High have mercy on him—said, “Generosity is not that one who has gives to one who lacks; generosity is that one who lacks gives to one who has.” It is related from Abū Muḥammad al-Murtaʿish—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “In my view, taking does not become sound until you attend to the person from whom you take, taking for his sake rather than your own.” It is related by Jaʿfar al-Khuldī from al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said: One day I went to Ibn al-Kuraynī carrying dirhams [which I intended] to give him. I thought he did not know me, and I asked him to take them. He said, “I have no need of them,” and refused to take them from me. I replied, “If [you] have no need of them, I am a Muslim who will be gladdened by your taking them. Take them, then, to bring joy to me.” So he took them from me. It is related of Abū al-Qāsim al-Munādī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that whenever he saw smoke rising from [the house of] one of his neighbours, he told someone with him, “Go to these people and ask them to give us some of what they are cooking.” Someone said to him, “Perhaps they are only heating water.” He replied, “Go to them! What good are these wealthy people except to give us something and intercede for us in the hereafter?” Al-Junayd—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: I carried dirhams to Ḥusayn ibn al-Miṣrī. His wife had given birth, and they were in the open country with no neighbour. He refused to accept them from me, so I took the dirhams and threw them into the enclosure where his wife was, saying, “Woman, these are for you.” After what I had done, he had no way around it. Yūsuf ibn al-Ḥusayn—may God Most High have mercy on him—was asked, “If I take a man as my brother for God’s sake and give him all my wealth, have I fulfilled his right in what God Most High has placed in my possession?” He replied, “How could that be, when you have imposed upon him the abasement of taking and secured for yourself the honour of giving? Giving brings elevation, while taking brings humiliation.”

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بَابٌ فِي آدَابِ الْمُتَأَهِّلِينَ وَمَنْ لَهُ وَلَدٌ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ بْنُ الْأَعْرَابِيِّ كَانَ سَبَبُ تَزْوِيجِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ الْقَلَانِسِيِّ وَاسْمُهُ مُصْعَبُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ أَنَّ شَابًّا مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ خَطَبَ ابْنَةً لِصَدِيقٍ لِأَبِي أَحْمَدَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرَ وَقْتُ عَقْدِ النِّكَاحِ امْتَنَعَ الشَّابُّ وَاسْتَحْيَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلَ الَّذِي كَانَ يُزَوِّجُهُ ابْنَتَهُ فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ قَالَ يَا سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ يُزَوِّجُ رَجُلٌ بِكَرِيمَتِهِ فَتَمْتَنِعُ عَلَيْهِ فَاعْقِدُوا النِّكَاحَ عَلَى أَبِي أَحْمَدَ وَقَبَّلَ رَأْسَ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ قَالَ مَا عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِي عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنَ الْمِقْدَارِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِي مِثْلُكَ خَتَنٌ وَمَا عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِابْنَتِي عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنَ الْمِقْدَارِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهَا مِثْلُك زَوْجٌ قَالَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ بَقِيَتْ عِنْدَهُ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً وَهِيَ بِكْرٌ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْقَصَّارِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَهُ أَهْلٌ وَوَلَدٌ وَكَانَتْ لَهُ بُنَيَّةٌ وَكَانَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَصْدِقَائِهِ عِنْدَهُ يَوْمًا فَصَاحَتِ الصَّبِيَّةُ يَا رَبِّ السَّمَاءِ نُرِيدُ الْعِنَبَ فَضَحِكَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ وَقَالَ قَدْ أَدَّبْتُهُمْ بِذَلِكَ حَتَّى إِذَا احْتَاجُوا إِلَى شَيْءٍ يَطْلُبُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَلَا يَطْلُبُونَ مِنِّي، وَسَمِعْتُ الْوَجِيهِيَّ يَقُولُ كَانَ لِبَنَانٍ الْحَمَّالِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَوْلَادٌ فَرُبَّمَا كَانَ يَجِيءُ ابْنُهُ وَيَقُولُ يَا أَبِي أُرِيدُ خُبْزًا وَكَانَ يَصْفَعُهُ وَيَقُولُ مُرَّ، كُدَّ مِثْلَ أَبِيكَ وَقَالَ وَجَاءَ يَوْمًا فَقَالَ يَا أَبِي إِنِّي أُرِيدُ مِشْمِشًا قَالَ فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِهِ وَجَاءَ بِهِ إِلَى مَنْ يَبِيعُ الْمِشْمِشَ وَقَالَ لَهُ ادْفَعْ إِلَيْهِ مِشْمِشًا بِقِيرَاطٍ حَتَّى أَصِيحَ عَلَى مِشْمِشِكَ إِلَى أَنْ تَبِيعَهُ فَدَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ الرَّجُلُ وَوَقَفَ بَنَانُ يَصِيحُ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اشْتَرُوا مِنْ هَذَا الصَّغِيرِ الْغِذَاءَ الَّذِي يَفْنَى وَلَا يَبْقَى فَمَا لَبِثَ طَوِيلًا حَتَّى بَاعَ الرَّجُلُ مِشْمِشَهُ كُلَّهُ، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَدْهَمَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ إِذَا تَزَوَّجَ الْفَقِيرُ فَمَثَلُهُ مِثْلُ رَجُلٍ قَدْ رَكِبَ السَّفِينَةَ فَإِذَا وُلِدَ لَهُ قَدْ غَرِقَ،

bābun fī ādābi al-mutaʾahhilīna waman lahu waladun, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā qāla abū saʿīdin bnu al-aʿrābiyyi kāna sababu tazwīji abī aḥmada al-qalānisiyyi wa-ismuhu muṣʿabu bnu aḥmada anna shābban min aṣḥābihi khaṭaba ibnatan liṣadīqin li-abī aḥmada falammā ḥaḍara waqtu ʿaqdi al-nikāḥi imtanaʿa al-shābbu wa-istaḥyā min dhalika al-rajula alladhī kāna yuzawwijuhu ibnatahu falammā raʾā dhalika abū aḥmada qāla yā subḥāna Allāhi yuzawwiju rajulun bikarīmatihi fatamtaniʿu ʿalayhi fa-iʿqidū al-nikāḥa ʿalā abī aḥmada waqabbala raʾsa abī aḥmada qāla mā ʿalimtu anna lī ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā mina al-miqdāri an yakūna lī mithluka khatanun wamā ʿalimtu anna li-ibnatī ʿinda Allāhi taʿālā mina al-miqdāri an yakūna lahā mithluk zawjun qāla abū saʿīdin baqiyat ʿindahu thalāthīna sanatan wahiya bikrun aw kamā qāla, waḥukiya ʿan muḥammadi bni ʿaliyyin al-qaṣṣāri raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu kāna lahu ahlun wawaladun wakānat lahu bunayyatun wakāna jamāʿatun min aṣdiqāʾihi ʿindahu yawman faṣāḥati al-ṣabiyyatu yā rabbi al-samāʾi nurīdu al-ʿinaba faḍaḥika muḥammadu bnu ʿaliyyin waqāla qad addabtuhum bidhalika ḥattā idhā iḥtājū ilā shayʾin yaṭlubūna mina Allāhi taʿālā walā yaṭlubūna minnī, wasamiʿtu al-wajīhiyya yaqūlu kāna libanānin al-ḥammāli raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā awlādun farubbamā kāna yajīʾu ibnuhu wayaqūlu yā abī urīdu khubzan wakāna yaṣfaʿuhu wayaqūlu murra, kudda mithla abīka waqāla wajāʾa yawman faqāla yā abī innī urīdu mishmishan qāla fa-akhadha biyadihi wajāʾa bihi ilā man yabīʿu al-mishmisha waqāla lahu idfaʿ ilayhi mishmishan biqīrāṭin ḥattā aṣīḥa ʿalā mishmishika ilā an tabīʿahu fadafaʿa ilayhi al-rajulu wawaqafa banānu yaṣīḥu yā ayyuhā al-nāsu ishtarū min hadhā al-ṣaghīri al-ghidhāʾa alladhī yafnā walā yabqā famā labitha ṭawīlan ḥattā bāʿa al-rajulu mishmishahu kullahu, waḥukiya ʿan ibrāhīma bni adhama raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla idhā tazawwaja al-faqīru famathaluhu mithlu rajulin qad rakiba al-safīnata fa-idhā wulida lahu qad ghariqa,

Chapter on the Etiquette of Those with Spouses and Children. The shaykh—may God Most High have mercy on him—said: Abū Saʿīd ibn al-Aʿrābī said: Abū Aḥmad al-Qalānisī, whose name was Muṣʿab ibn Aḥmad, came to marry in the following way. A young companion of his sought the hand of a daughter of one of Abū Aḥmad’s friends. When the time came to conclude the marriage contract, the young man withdrew and felt ashamed before the father whose daughter he had sought. Seeing this, Abū Aḥmad said, “Glory be to God! A man gives his cherished daughter in marriage, and you refuse him? Then conclude the marriage contract with Abū Aḥmad.” The father kissed Abū Aḥmad’s head and said, “I never knew that I possessed such standing with God Most High that a man like you should become my son-in-law, nor that my daughter possessed such standing with God Most High that a man like you should become her husband.” Abū Saʿīd said, “She remained with him for thirty years while still a virgin,” or words to that effect. It is related from Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Qaṣṣār—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he had a wife and children, including a little daughter. One day a group of his friends were with him when the girl cried, “Lord of heaven, we want grapes!” Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī laughed and said, “I have trained them in this until, whenever they need something, they ask God Most High and do not ask me.” I heard al-Wajīhī say: Banān al-Ḥammāl—may God Most High have mercy on him—had children. His son would sometimes come and say, “Father, I want bread.” Banān would slap him and say, “Go and toil like your father.” One day the boy came and said, “Father, I want apricots.” Banān took him by the hand to an apricot seller and said, “Give him a qīrāṭ’s worth of apricots in return for my calling out your wares until you sell them.” The man gave them to him, and Banān stood calling, “People, buy from this little fellow the food that perishes and does not remain!” Before long, the man had sold all his apricots. It is related from Ibrāhīm ibn Adham—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “When a poor man marries, he is like a man who has boarded a ship; when a child is born to him, he has drowned.”

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وَهَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةُ تُعْرَفُ لِسُفْيَانَ الثَّوْرِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ بِشْرِ بْنِ الْحَرْثِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَوْ دَفَعْتُ إِلَى الِاهْتِمَامِ بِمُؤْنَةٍ وَحَاجَةٍ مَا أَمَّنْتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي أَنْ أُصْبِحَ شُرْطِيًّا، وَكَانَ لِأَبِي شُعَيْبٍ الْبَرَاثِيِّ كُوخٌ فَمَرَّتْ بِهِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا فَقَالَتْ لَهُ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَتَزَوَّجَ بِكَ وَأَخْدِمَكَ فَخَرَجَتْ مِنْ جَمِيعِ مَا كَانَتْ تَمْلِكُهُ وَتَزَوَّجَ بِهَا أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَتْ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ الْكُوخَ نَظَرَتْ إِلَى قِطْعَةِ خِصَافٍ فَقَالَتْ مَا أَنَا بِدَاخِلَةٍ حَتَّى تُخْرِجَهَا أَلَيْسَ سَمِعْتُكَ تَقُولُ الْأَرْضُ لِابْنِ آدَمَ تَجْعَلُ [الْيَوْمَ] بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ شَيْئًا وَأَنْتَ غَدًا فِي بَطْنِي فَمَا كُنْتُ لِأَجْعَلَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكِ حِجَابًا فَأَخَذَ الْخِصَافَ وَأَخْرَجَهَا فَرَمَى بِهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ ادْخُلِي فَدَخَلَتْ فَمَكَثَا يَتَعَبَّدَانِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَكَانِ سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً حَتَّى تُوُفِّيَا وَهُمَا عَلَى تِلْكَ الْهَيْئَةِ، قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَلَيْسَ مِنْ آدَابِ مَنْ تَزَوَّجَ أَوْ كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ أَنْ يَكِلَ أَمْرَ عِيَالِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَيَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَقُومَ بِفَرْضِهِمْ إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِثْلَهُ فِي الْحَالِ، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ آدَابِهِمْ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجُوا ذَوَاتِ الْيَسَارِ وَيَدْخُلُوا فِي رِفْقِ نِسَائِهِمْ وَمِنْ أَدَبِ الْفَقِيرِ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَ بِفَقِيرَةٍ مُقِلَّةٍ وَأَنْ يُنْصِفَهَا وَإِنْ رَغِبَتْ فِيهِ امْرَأَةٌ غَنِيَّةٌ أَنْ لَا يَرْتَفِقَ مِنْهَا، وَحُكِيَ عَنْ فَتْحٍ الْمَوْصِلِيِّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ أَخَذَ يَوْمًا صَبِيًّا لَهُ فَقَبَّلَهُ قَالَ فَتْحٌ سَمِعْتُ هَاتِفًا يَقُولُ يَا فَتْحُ أَلَا تَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ تُحِبَّ مَعَنَا غَيْرَنَا قَالَ فَمَا قَبَّلْتُ وَلَدًا لِي بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَإِنْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ قَدْ كَانَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوْلَادٌ وَكَانَ يُقَبِّلُهُمْ وَيُعَانِقُهُمْ وَيَضُمُّهُمْ إِلَى صَدْرِهِ وَقَالَ الْأَقْرَعُ بْنُ حَابِسٍ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لِي عَشَرَةٌ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ مَا قَبَّلْتُ وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمْ فَقَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُ لَا يُرْحَمُ يُقَالُ لِقَائِلِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ قَدْ أَبْعَدْتَ الْقِيَاسَ لِأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِمَامُ الْخَلْقِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَمَصْحُوبُهُ الْعِصْمَةُ وَقُوَّةُ النُّبُوَّةِ وَأَنْوَارُ الرِّسَالَةِ فِي جَمِيعِ الْأَشْيَاءِ لَا تَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ الْأَشْيَاءُ وَلَا يَكُونُ فِي الْأَشْيَاءِ بِحَظِّهِ لِأَنَّ جَمِيعَ حَرَكَاتِهِ تَأْدِيبٌ لِلْغَيْرِ مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ وَهَؤُلَاءِ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ تِلْكَ الْقُوَّةُ وَلَا ذَلِكَ التَّخْصِيصُ وَإِذَا لَاحَظَهُمْ بِعِنَايَتِهِ يَغَارُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَدَعَهُمْ يَلْتَفِتُونَ بِخَوَاطِرِهِمْ إِلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُ،

wahadhihi al-ḥikāyatu tuʿrafu lisufyāna al-thawriyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā, waḥukiya ʿan bishri bni al-ḥarthi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu qāla law dafaʿtu ilā al-ihtimāmi bimuʾnatin waḥājatin mā ammantu ʿalā nafsī an uṣbiḥa shurṭiyyan, wakāna li-abī shuʿaybin al-barāthiyyi kūkhun famarrat bihi imraʾatun min abnāʾi al-dunyā faqālat lahu innī urīdu an atazawwaja bika wa-akhdimaka fakharajat min jamīʿi mā kānat tamlikuhu watazawwaja bihā abū shuʿaybin falammā arādat an tadkhula al-kūkha naẓarat ilā qiṭʿati khiṣāfin faqālat mā anā bidākhilatin ḥattā tukhrijahā alaysa samiʿtuka taqūlu al-arḍu li-ibni ādama tajʿalu [al-yawma] baynī wabaynaka shayʾan wa-anta ghadan fī baṭnī famā kuntu li-ajʿala baynī wabaynaki ḥijāban fa-akhadha al-khiṣāfa wa-akhrajahā faramā bihā thumma qāla idkhulī fadakhalat famakathā yataʿabbadāni fī dhalika al-makāni sinīna kathīratan ḥattā tuwuffiyā wahumā ʿalā tilka al-hayʾati, qāla al-shaykhu raḥimahu Allāhu walaysa min ādābi man tazawwaja aw kāna lahu waladun an yakila amra ʿiyālihi ilā Allāhi taʿālā wayajibu ʿalayhi an yaqūma bifarḍihim illā an yakūnū mithlahu fī al-ḥāli, walaysa min ādābihim an yatazawwajū dhawāti al-yasāri wayadkhulū fī rifqi nisāʾihim wamin adabi al-faqīri an yatazawwaja bifaqīratin muqillatin wa-an yunṣifahā wa-in raghibat fīhi imraʾatun ghaniyyatun an lā yartafiqa minhā, waḥukiya ʿan fatḥin al-mawṣiliyyi raḥimahu Allāhu taʿālā annahu akhadha yawman ṣabiyyan lahu faqabbalahu qāla fatḥun samiʿtu hātifan yaqūlu yā fatḥu alā tastaḥyī an tuḥibba maʿanā ghayranā qāla famā qabbaltu waladan lī baʿda dhalika, fa-in qāla qāʾilun qad kāna lirasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama awlādun wakāna yuqabbiluhum wayuʿāniquhum wayaḍummuhum ilā ṣadrihi waqāla al-aqraʿu bnu ḥābisin lirasūli Allāhi ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama yā rasūla Allāhi lī ʿasharatun mina al-waladi mā qabbaltu wāḥidan minhum faqāla ʿalayhi al-salāmu man lā yarḥamu lā yurḥamu yuqālu liqāʾili hadhā al-qawli qad abʿadta al-qiyāsa li-anna al-nabiyya ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wasallama imāmu al-khalqi ilā yawmi al-qiyāmati wamaṣḥūbuhu al-ʿiṣmatu waquwwatu al-nubuwwati wa-anwāru al-risālati fī jamīʿi al-ashyāʾi lā taʾkhudhu minhu al-ashyāʾu walā yakūnu fī al-ashyāʾi biḥaẓẓihi li-anna jamīʿa ḥarakātihi taʾdībun li-al-ghayri min ummatihi wa-hāʾulāʾi laysa lahum tilka al-quwwatu walā dhalika al-takhṣīṣu wa-idhā lāḥaẓahum biʿināyatihi yaghāru ʿalayhim an yadaʿahum yaltafitūna bikhawāṭirihim ilā man siwāhu,

This account is also known from Sufyān al-Thawrī—may God Most High have mercy on him. It is related from Bishr ibn al-Ḥārith—may God Most High have mercy on him—that he said, “If I were driven to concern myself with someone’s maintenance and needs, I would not feel safe from becoming a policeman by morning.” Abū Shuʿayb al-Barāthī had a hut. A woman from a wealthy family passed by him and said, “I wish to marry you and serve you.” She divested herself of everything she owned, and Abū Shuʿayb married her. When she was about to enter the hut, she saw a piece of woven matting and said, “I will not enter until you remove it. Have I not heard you say that the earth tells the son of Adam, ‘[Today] you place something between me and yourself, though tomorrow you will be inside me’? I will not place a barrier between myself and you.” He took the matting out and threw it away, then said, “Enter.” She entered, and the two of them remained worshipping in that place for many years until they died in that same condition. The shaykh—may God have mercy on him—said: It is not proper conduct for one who marries or has a child to entrust the affair of his dependants to God Most High; he is obliged to fulfil what is due to them, unless they share his spiritual state. Nor is it proper conduct for them to marry women of means and live by their wives’ provision. The poor man’s discipline is to marry a poor woman of little means and deal fairly with her. If a wealthy woman desires him, he should derive no material benefit from her. It is related from Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī—may God Most High have mercy on him—that one day he took a young son of his and kissed him. Fatḥ said: I heard a voice call, “Fatḥ, are you not ashamed to love someone besides Us along with Us?” He said, “After that I never kissed another child of mine.” If someone objects, “The Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—had children and used to kiss them, embrace them, and hold them to his breast. Al-Aqraʿ ibn Ḥābis said to the Messenger of God—may God bless him and grant him peace—‘Messenger of God, I have ten children and have never kissed a single one of them.’ He—peace be upon him—replied, ‘Whoever shows no mercy will be shown no mercy,’” then the answer is: You have made a far-fetched comparison. The Prophet—may God bless him and grant him peace—is the guide of creation until the Day of Resurrection, accompanied by divine protection, the strength of prophethood, and the lights of messengership in all things. Things take nothing from him, and he takes no personal share in things, for every one of his movements instructs others among his community. These people do not possess that strength or that special distinction. When God regards them with His solicitude, He is jealous for them and will not leave them to turn their thoughts toward anyone other than Him—