\u0628\u0633\u0645 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u062d\u0645\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0631\u062d\u064a\u0645<\/p>\n
In the book Ayn al-Kh\u0101shic<\/sup>\u016bn fi al-\u1e62al\u0101h<\/em>, the author, Shaykh<\/em> Ab\u016b \u1e6cal\u1e25ah Mu\u1e25ammad Y\u016bnus ibn c<\/sup>Abd al-Satt\u0101r writes:<\/p>\n The objective of listening intently to counsel, or admonition, or studying a book is to treat spiritual sicknesses and rectify the soul in this way that whenever you are afforded an opportunity to listen to some advice or read a book, you should look at yourself: If you find piety and an inclination towards good, then praise All\u0101h, the Exalted, but if you do not find yourself desiring to do good deeds, ask All\u0101h for help, for, undoubtedly, All\u0101h, the Exalted, is Generous, and responds to those who ask of Him. \u201cAnd when My slaves ask you about Me; undoubtedly I am near. I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he calls out.\u201d[i]<\/a><\/p>\n As an example of this, Shaykh<\/em> Mu\u1e25ammad quotes an incident that happened in the life of al-A\u1e25naf ibn Qays, may All\u0101h have mercy on him. Before mentioning what happened it would be helpful to give a brief biography of al-A\u1e25naf, may All\u0101h have mercy on him, so that we know who this man is, what accomplishments he achieved during his life, and what favors All\u0101h, the Exalted, blessed him with. With this knowledge, we will, God willing, be able to appreciate the incident that Shaykh<\/em> Mu\u1e25ammad mentions.<\/p>\n al-A\u1e25naf ibn Qays\u2019 real name is Ab\u016b Ba\u1e25r \u1e62akhr ibn Qays ibn Muc<\/sup>\u0101wiyah ibn \u1e24u\u1e63ayn al-Tam\u012bm\u012b al-Sac<\/sup>diyy (d. ~67 A.H.). He is famously known as al-A\u1e25naf due to a birth defect afflicting his legs. When he was little, his mother used to rock him and sing, \u201cIf not for the defect in his leg\/ There wouldn\u2019t be a boy like him among the tribe.\u201d al-A\u1e25naf, may All\u0101h have mercy on him, was a paragon of forbearance and tolerance, a distinguished scholar, general, and a mukha\u1e0dram<\/em>, who was alive during the time of the Prophet, may peace and blessing of All\u0101h be upon him, but never met him (it has been said that he, may peace and blessings of All\u0101h be upon him, prayed for him). Considered one of the elder Tabic<\/sup>\u012bn<\/em> (pl. of T\u0101bic<\/sup>\u012b<\/em>) of Ba\u1e63rah, he narrates from c<\/sup>Umar, c<\/sup>Uthm\u0101n, c<\/sup>Al\u012b, Ibn Masc<\/sup>\u016bd, and Ab\u016b Dhar, may All\u0101h be pleased with them, as well as others.[ii]<\/a><\/p>\n Someone once asked al-A\u1e25naf where his forbearance and dignified bearing came from. He replied, \u201cIt comes from aphorisms I heard from c<\/sup>Umar ibn al-Kha\u1e6d\u1e6d\u0101b, whom I heard say: O A\u1e25naf, the one who is arrogant is looked down upon. The one who laughs, his respect lessens. The one who indulges in a thing is known by it. The one who speaks a lot, errs a lot. The one who errs a lot, his shyness dwindles. The one whose shyness lessens, his piety diminishes, and the one whose piety diminishes, his heart dies.\u201d[iii]<\/a><\/p>\n Ibn Kath\u012br, may All\u0101h have mercy on him, mentions that before one of the battles against a Turkish army in Khuras\u0101n, al-A\u1e25naf addressed the Muslims, saying, \u201cUndoubtedly you are small in number, and your enemy is abundant, but do not fear them for, \u2018how many a small party has defeated a large one by the permission of All\u0101h; All\u0101h is with those who are steadfast!\u2019 [iv]<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n With that groundwork as a foundation, we can now return to the example cited by Shaykh<\/em> Mu\u1e25ammad, who states:<\/p>\n In his booklet Qiy\u0101m al-Layl<\/em>, Al-\u1e24afi\u1e93 Mu\u1e25ammad ibn Na\u1e63r al-Marwaz\u012b mentioned that one day while al-A\u1e25naf ibn Qays was seated this ayah came to mind:<\/p>\n \u00a0\ufd3e\u0644\u0642\u062f \u0623\u0646\u0632\u0644\u0646\u0627 \u0625\u0644\u064a\u0643\u0645 \u0643\u062a\u0627\u0628\u0627 \u0641\u064a\u0647 \u0630\u0643\u0631\u0643\u0645 \u0623\u0641\u0644\u0627 \u062a\u0639\u0642\u0644\u0648\u0646\ufd3f<\/p>\n \u201cUndoubtedly, we have revealed a book in which is your mention, will you not understand?<\/em>\u201d[v]<\/a><\/p>\n He became excited and thought, \u201cToday, I must take the mu\u1e63\u1e25af<\/em> and search for my mention so that I may know who I am (i.e. since he knew that the Qur\u2019\u0101n mentioned all of mankind\u2019s qualities, detailed their characteristics and classes, he wanted to search for himself to know which category he was in).\u201d<\/p>\n He opened the mu\u1e63\u1e25af<\/em> and came across a group of people described as:<\/p>\n \u201cThey sleep a little of the night, in the early morning they seek forgiveness, and in their wealth is a set portion for the beggar and the one deprived [i.e. who is not gainfully employed],\u201d[vi]<\/a> and a people described as, \u201cTheir sides shun their beds; they call upon their Lord, with fear and hope, and they spend from that which We provide them,\u201d[vii]<\/a> and a people described as, \u201cThey spend their night prostrating and standing for their Lord,\u201d[viii]<\/a> and a people described as, \u201cThey spend in good and bad conditions, conceal their anger, and pardon people; and All\u0101h loves those who do good,\u201d[ix]<\/a> and a people described as, \u201cThey give preference over themselves even though they are in need; and whoever is protected from the greed of themselves, those are the successful ones,\u201d[x]<\/a> and a people described as, \u201cThey abstain from the major sins and promiscuity, and when they become angry they forgive; those who respond to their Lord, establish prayer, their affair is mutual consultation, and they spend from that which we provide.\u201d[xi]<\/a><\/p>\n A\u1e25naf ibn Qays stopped and said, \u201cO All\u0101h! I don\u2019t recognize myself here (i.e. he did not find these qualities in himself so that he might be counted amongst this category).\u201d<\/p>\n After a while he took a different tract, and in the mu\u1e63\u1e25af he came across a people described as,”When it is said to them \u2018There is no god but All\u0101h,\u2019 they become proud and say, \u2018Should we leave our gods for a mad poet?\u2019\u201d[xii]<\/a> and he passed by a people, about whom, All\u0101h said, \u201cWhen All\u0101h alone is mentioned the hearts of those who have not accepted the truth of the Hereafter feel disgust, but when those besides Him are mentioned, all of a sudden, they are delighted,\u201d[xiii]<\/a> and he passed by a people to whom it was said, \u201cWhat made you enter Hell? They replied, \u2018We were not amongst those who prayed, we were not of those who fed the poor, we\u00a0 used to discuss falsehood with the people of sin and misguidance, and we denied the Day of Judgement until certainty came to us.\u201d[xiv]<\/a><\/p>\n Here, A\u1e25naf ibn Qays stopped and, after a pause, he said, \u201cOh All\u0101h! I declare myself absolutely free of those people!\u201d then he continued turning the pages of the mu\u1e63\u1e25af,<\/em> searching for the category he belonged to until he stumbled across this verse:<\/p>\n \ufd3e\u0648 \u0622\u062e\u0631\u0648\u0646 \u0627\u0639\u062a\u0631\u0641\u0648\u0627 \u0628\u0630\u0646\u0648\u0628\u0647\u0645 \u062e\u0644\u0637\u0648\u0627 \u0639\u0645\u0644\u0627 \u0635\u0627\u0644\u062d\u0627 \u0648 \u0622\u062e\u0631 \u0633\u064a\u0626\u0627 \u0639\u0633\u0649 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u0623\u0646 \u064a\u062a\u0648\u0628 \u0639\u0644\u064a\u0647\u0645 \u0625\u0646 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647 \u063a\u0641\u0648\u0631 \u0631\u062d\u064a\u0645\ufd3f<\/p>\n \u201cAnd others who acknowledge their sins; they mix righteous actions with wrong [actions]; soon All\u0101h will accept their repentance; undoubtedly, All\u0101h is the Forgiving, the Merciful.<\/em>\u201d[xv]<\/a><\/p>\n After reading this, A\u1e25naf ibn Qays humbly uttered the following words, \u201cI am one of these people.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: Ayn al-Kh\u0101shic<\/sup>\u016bn fi al-\u1e62al\u0101h, pp. 42-43<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [i]<\/a>al-Baqarah<\/em>, 186<\/p>\n [ii]<\/a> Siyar<\/em> 4:86,87,96; al-I\u1e63\u0101bah<\/em> 1:364, 365, 367; al-Ist\u012bc<\/sup>\u0101b<\/em>\u00a0pp.144-145; T\u0101r\u012bkh Mad\u012bnah al-Dimashq<\/em> 24:312<\/p>\n [iii]<\/a> T\u0101r\u012bkh Mad\u012bnah al-Dimashq<\/em> \u00a024:15<\/p>\n [iv]<\/a> al-Baqarah, 249; al-Bid\u0101yah wa al-Nih\u0101yah<\/em>\u00a010:167<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Translators note:<\/strong> In an attempt to keep things concise and not stray too far from the point, I omitted the following passages, but the incident is so interesting I decided to stick it in a footnote so that anyone who wants can read it. Now, the enemy used to disappear during the night, and al-A\u1e25naf did not know where they went, so one night he took a detachment to look for them. When it was almost morning, a single horseman from the enemy camp appeared. He was wearing a ring around his neck and beating a drum.\u00a0 al-A\u1e25naf advanced towards him, and the two exchanged blows, then al-A\u1e25naf stabbed him and killed him, while reciting some lines of poetry, part of which was:<\/p>\n Assuredly, It is a right upon every leader<\/em><\/p>\n That he dye the spear until it shatters<\/em><\/p>\n Then he stripped the enemy soldier of his neck ring and stood in his place. Another soldier came out, dressed in the same manner, and started to beat his drum, but al-A\u1e25naf went and killed him as well. After stripping this one, al-A\u1e25naf again stood in his place. A third soldier came out, and was also killed and stripped of his ring. Then, al-A\u1e25naf hastened back to his army, leaving the enemy unaware of what had happened.<\/p>\n It was the enemy\u2019s habit that they would not come out of their resting places until three of their men came out, the first beating his drum, then the second, then the third, after which they would come out. When the enemy came out that night, after the third soldier had beat his drum, they stumbled upon their slain soldiers.<\/p>\n The enemy King took a bad omen from that and told his army, \u201cWe have stayed here too long, and those people have been afflicted in a manner the like of which has never occurred. We will achieve no good in fighting those people, let us turn back.\u201d So they returned to their lands, while the Muslims waited on them to come out and fight. Later on the news reached them that the enemy had fled back to their lands.<\/p>\n The Muslims asked al-A\u1e25naf what he thought about chasing them, and he said, \u201cRemain in your places and leave them be.\u201d Ibn Kath\u012br concludes, stating, \u201cHe was right in that,\u00a0 because it is narrated, \u2018Leave the Turks alone as long as they leave you alone.\u2019[Sunan Ab\u016b D\u0101w\u016bd<\/em>, #4302]\u201d [al-Bid\u0101yah<\/em> 10:167-168]<\/p>\n [v]<\/a> al-Anbiy\u0101h, 10<\/em><\/p>\n [vi]<\/a> al-Zumar, 17-19<\/em><\/p>\n [vii]<\/a> Sajdah, 16<\/em><\/p>\n [viii]<\/a> al-Furq\u0101n, 64<\/em><\/p>\n [ix]<\/a> \u0100li c<\/sup>Imr\u0101n, 134<\/em><\/p>\n [x]<\/a> al-\u1e24ashr, 9<\/em><\/p>\n [xi]<\/a> al-Sh\u016br\u0101, 37-38<\/em><\/p>\n [xii]<\/a> al-\u1e62\u0101ff\u0101t, 35-36<\/em><\/p>\n [xiii]<\/a> al-Zumar, 45<\/em><\/p>\n
\nal-\u1e24\u0101fi\u1e93<\/em> Ibn Kath\u012br, may All\u0101h have mercy on him, continues:<\/p>\n