“Don’t worship Allah so He may give you. Rather, worship Him so He may be pleased. For when He is pleased, He will astonish you with His Gifts.”
By the dawn
And the ten nights
And the even and the odd
O you tranquil soul!
Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing
[al-Fajr: 1-3; 27-28]
Loftiness is attained in accordance to one’s struggles,
And whoever seeks nobility, remains vigilant by night.
Whoever wishes to achieve without due effort,
Will waste their life seeking what’s impossible.
You search for glory and yet you sleep at night,
It’s only the seeker of pearls who dives deep into the sea.
– Imam al-Shafi’i, al-Diwan
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Abu Hazim: Fearlessness in the face of Authority
Sulayman ibn ‘Abd al-Malik (the Ruler) once sent for Abu Hazim, and when he came to him, he said, “O Abu Hazim, why is it that we dislike death?”
He said, “Because you have ruined your Hereafter and built up your present world. So you hate to leave this constructed world of yours and go to the ruins.”
He said, “That’s true. So how will our arrival be when we go back to Allah?”
He said, “As for the righteous good-doer, then he will be like the absent one returning to his family, and as for the wicked, then he will be like the runaway slave being brought back to his master.”
Sulayman then wept and said, “Alas, what do we have with Allah then, O Abu Hazim?”
He said, “Present yourself to the Book of Allah `azza wa jall, and you will know what you have with Him.”
He said, “O Abu Hazim! How can I get that?”
He said, “At the point of His Words: “And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.” [al-Infitar: 14]
He said, “So where is the Mercy of Allah?”
He said, “…Near to the good-doers.” [al-A’raf: 56]
Sulayman said, “What do you say about our affairs (as rulers)?”
He said, “Pardon me from answering this.”
He said, “Even words of advice that you can give?”
Abu Hazim said, “There are some people who took hold of this matter (authority/government) forcefully without consulting the Muslims or gathering their opinions. So they shed therein much blood because of their pursuit of the Dunya (world), and then they left this world. God knows what they will say and what will be said to them.”
Some of those present said, “What evil you have uttered, O shaykh!”
Abu Hazim said, “You are a liar. Indeed Allah has taken a covenant from the scholars that they should make things clear to the people and not conceal knowledge.”
Sulayman said, “Accompany us, O Abu Hazim, so that we can gain from you and you can gain from us.”
He said, “I seek refuge in Allah from that.”
He said, “And why?”
Abu Hazim said, “I fear that I will incline to you a little and thus be made to taste double punishment in life and double punishment after death.” (referring to verses from Surah al-Isra’)
He said, “Instruct me.”
He said, “Beware that Allah sees you where He has prohibited you from, and that He finds you missing from where He has ordered you to be.”
He said, “O Abu Hazim, pray for us for goodness.”
He said, “O Allah, if Sulayman is from Your close slaves, then ease the path of goodness for him. And if he is an enemy to You, then take him by the forelock and guide him to good.”
Sulayman said to one of the workers, “Bring a hundred dirhams.” And he gave it to Abu Hazim saying, “Take it.”
Abu Hazim said, “I have no need for it. I fear that you are bestowing this upon me because of what you just heard from me.”
– Translated from Shaykh Sa’id ‘Abd al-‘Adhim’s book, ‘al-Atqiya’ al-Akhfiya’, pg.169-170
More quotes from Abu Hazim to be continued insha’Allah…