Dressed as A Beggar: From Spain to Baghdad in Search of Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal
A young man called Baqi Ibn makhlad leaves Andalusia in his early twenties, passes through the ocean, crosses Africa's deserts and reaches Baghdad city in Iraq after several weeks of travel alone in order to learn the hadith of our Beloved Prophet (upon him peace and blessings) from the world famous hadith authority and Imam of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah Almighty have mercy on both of them).
Upon reaching the old city of knowledge and wisdom, Baqi learns that the Mutazili influenced ruler has banned the Imam from holding hadith circles. Whilst heartbroken and deeply saddened to hear this news he enters the Central Masjid of Baghdad where he finds a teacher speaking about Hadith. Here he joins the circle and listens till the end until he desperately asks the scholar: what do you think of Ahmad bin Hanbal? The teacher declares the greatness of the Imam and that there was no authority greater than him in Hadith. Baqi leaves the circle in search of the home of the Imam eagerly wanting to place one sight upon his blessed face. For it was due to him that he had left Spain and travelled such a great distance.
Baqi finally reaches the home of Imam Ahmad after asking around and with enormous hope knocks on the door. A house worker opens the door and asks who he was. He mentioned that he was a traveller and needed to speak to the Imam. The worker asks Baqi to wait a few moments. SubhanAllah! I sometimes try to imagine the happiness that Baqi must have felt at this point; when he is told that soon his hopes will be fulfilled and duas shall be answered. Imam Ahmad attends the door and with great joy and adab Baqi meets him. What brings you here? Asks the great Imam.
Sayyidi! I am a foreigner, a student of Prophetic knowledge, I have travelled a long distance to study with you, replies Baqi. Are you from Africa? No, replies Baqi, I live further away in the West, I have to cross the ocean to reach Africa, I'm from Andalusia (Spain). Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal is surprised that this young man had travelled such a distance. But you do know that I have been banned from teaching? Says the Imam. Yes, however I want to listen to some hadiths from you and become your student says Baqi. But how will this be possible? Asks the Imam.
Dear readers, now carefully read the response of this sincere student of sacred knowledge and ponder upon how much thirst he had to study hadith and become a student of the world's famous hadith authority. Baqi putting his trust in Allah Almighty replies: sayyidi! If you permit me then I shall come to your door every day to listen to one hadith and I shall dress in the clothes of the beggars of Baghdad so no one notices that I am studying with you. When I call at your door saying
"give me something, may Allah reward you" as beggars say, then you shall realise I am here asking you to narrate a hadith to me. So Imam Ahmad agrees and the following day Baqi reaches the door of Imam Ahmad, dressed in the rough clothes of beggars and utters the words of beggars. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal steps to the side of his home and narrates a hadith and baqi writes it on a page he carries with him in his sleeve. This blessed meeting of knowledge occurred for a few minutes every day and Baqi gathered nearly three hundred hadiths of the Noble Prophet (upon him peace and blessings) from the Blessed Imam in this manner until the ban was removed and Imam Ahmad was reinstated as the hadith teacher in the Central Masjid of Baghdad!
Thereafter, the hadith gathering of Imam Ahmad became the largest known in the world with tens of thousands of people flocking to his presence to listen to the Prophetic Traditions but Imam Ahmad would always wait for Baqi to enter and would make him sit beside himself before he began to teach! Imam Ahmad would often narrate to his students the story of Baqi dressed as a beggar and how he was a genuine seeker of knowledge. If Baqi did not attend the gathering, Imam Ahmad would inquire about him. Once Baqi fell ill and was unable to attend the gathering. Imam Ahmad was told so he stood up from his seat and directly went to visit Baqi at his room that he had rented. It is narrated that a large circle of students also accompanied the Imam and the people of Baghdad were amazed that the Imam of Hadith and authority in Fiqh was so caring towards his beloved student that he walked with his students humbly in the streets of Baghdad to visit him. Imam Ahmad entered the room of Baqi and found him lying sick. Every student carried a pen and paper eagerly waiting for the Imam to utter a few words so that they would preserve them and the Imam prayed saying: May Allah Almighty cure you through his power, in the days of sickness one feels he shall never recover and in the days of good health one thinks he shall never fall sick. Every student wrote these few words in their diary.
SubhanAllah! This summary of the story gives us a reflection of how true students of Islamic knowledge make an effort to learn, having to make big sacrifices and face every coming challenge, even humility. It also shows the affection teachers in the past showed towards their students and also how desirous students were to document the utterances of their teachers (malfuzaat) and this is one reason as to why Islam has reached us today in this century.
Baqi bin Makhlad later became a major Hadith authority and his name is mentioned often in the six books of Hadith as he became the teacher of many hadith teachers.
May Allah Almighty immensely reward Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Baqi ibn Makhlad for their efforts, sincerity and service of the
Deen and give us the strength and means of studying the Noble Traditions till our last breaths and passing it on to the generations after us,
Aameen.....
(Source: IARM)
A young man called Baqi Ibn makhlad leaves Andalusia in his early twenties, passes through the ocean, crosses Africa's deserts and reaches Baghdad city in Iraq after several weeks of travel alone in order to learn the hadith of our Beloved Prophet (upon him peace and blessings) from the world famous hadith authority and Imam of the Ahl al-Sunnah, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (may Allah Almighty have mercy on both of them).
Upon reaching the old city of knowledge and wisdom, Baqi learns that the Mutazili influenced ruler has banned the Imam from holding hadith circles. Whilst heartbroken and deeply saddened to hear this news he enters the Central Masjid of Baghdad where he finds a teacher speaking about Hadith. Here he joins the circle and listens till the end until he desperately asks the scholar: what do you think of Ahmad bin Hanbal? The teacher declares the greatness of the Imam and that there was no authority greater than him in Hadith. Baqi leaves the circle in search of the home of the Imam eagerly wanting to place one sight upon his blessed face. For it was due to him that he had left Spain and travelled such a great distance.
Baqi finally reaches the home of Imam Ahmad after asking around and with enormous hope knocks on the door. A house worker opens the door and asks who he was. He mentioned that he was a traveller and needed to speak to the Imam. The worker asks Baqi to wait a few moments. SubhanAllah! I sometimes try to imagine the happiness that Baqi must have felt at this point; when he is told that soon his hopes will be fulfilled and duas shall be answered. Imam Ahmad attends the door and with great joy and adab Baqi meets him. What brings you here? Asks the great Imam.
Sayyidi! I am a foreigner, a student of Prophetic knowledge, I have travelled a long distance to study with you, replies Baqi. Are you from Africa? No, replies Baqi, I live further away in the West, I have to cross the ocean to reach Africa, I'm from Andalusia (Spain). Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal is surprised that this young man had travelled such a distance. But you do know that I have been banned from teaching? Says the Imam. Yes, however I want to listen to some hadiths from you and become your student says Baqi. But how will this be possible? Asks the Imam.
Dear readers, now carefully read the response of this sincere student of sacred knowledge and ponder upon how much thirst he had to study hadith and become a student of the world's famous hadith authority. Baqi putting his trust in Allah Almighty replies: sayyidi! If you permit me then I shall come to your door every day to listen to one hadith and I shall dress in the clothes of the beggars of Baghdad so no one notices that I am studying with you. When I call at your door saying
"give me something, may Allah reward you" as beggars say, then you shall realise I am here asking you to narrate a hadith to me. So Imam Ahmad agrees and the following day Baqi reaches the door of Imam Ahmad, dressed in the rough clothes of beggars and utters the words of beggars. Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal steps to the side of his home and narrates a hadith and baqi writes it on a page he carries with him in his sleeve. This blessed meeting of knowledge occurred for a few minutes every day and Baqi gathered nearly three hundred hadiths of the Noble Prophet (upon him peace and blessings) from the Blessed Imam in this manner until the ban was removed and Imam Ahmad was reinstated as the hadith teacher in the Central Masjid of Baghdad!
Thereafter, the hadith gathering of Imam Ahmad became the largest known in the world with tens of thousands of people flocking to his presence to listen to the Prophetic Traditions but Imam Ahmad would always wait for Baqi to enter and would make him sit beside himself before he began to teach! Imam Ahmad would often narrate to his students the story of Baqi dressed as a beggar and how he was a genuine seeker of knowledge. If Baqi did not attend the gathering, Imam Ahmad would inquire about him. Once Baqi fell ill and was unable to attend the gathering. Imam Ahmad was told so he stood up from his seat and directly went to visit Baqi at his room that he had rented. It is narrated that a large circle of students also accompanied the Imam and the people of Baghdad were amazed that the Imam of Hadith and authority in Fiqh was so caring towards his beloved student that he walked with his students humbly in the streets of Baghdad to visit him. Imam Ahmad entered the room of Baqi and found him lying sick. Every student carried a pen and paper eagerly waiting for the Imam to utter a few words so that they would preserve them and the Imam prayed saying: May Allah Almighty cure you through his power, in the days of sickness one feels he shall never recover and in the days of good health one thinks he shall never fall sick. Every student wrote these few words in their diary.
SubhanAllah! This summary of the story gives us a reflection of how true students of Islamic knowledge make an effort to learn, having to make big sacrifices and face every coming challenge, even humility. It also shows the affection teachers in the past showed towards their students and also how desirous students were to document the utterances of their teachers (malfuzaat) and this is one reason as to why Islam has reached us today in this century.
Baqi bin Makhlad later became a major Hadith authority and his name is mentioned often in the six books of Hadith as he became the teacher of many hadith teachers.
May Allah Almighty immensely reward Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Baqi ibn Makhlad for their efforts, sincerity and service of the
Deen and give us the strength and means of studying the Noble Traditions till our last breaths and passing it on to the generations after us,
Aameen.....
(Source: IARM)
0 comments:
Post a Comment