Knowledge elevates the slave to the level of the master
Knowledge elevates the slave to the level of the master
Let us project ourselves to the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah (the 12th month of the lunar year according to the Muslim calendar) of the 97th year of the Hijrah (the Muslim calendar, which begins from the moment the Prophet moved from Mecca to Medina). Many pilgrims who arrived from different regions gathered at the ancient House (Kaaba), some on horseback and some on foot. Among them were old and young, men and women, dark-skinned and light-skinned, Arabs and non-Arabs, noble and ordinary people. They all came to the Lord of the worlds, fearing Him and hoping for His mercy.
Suleiman ibn Abd al-Malik, the ruler of the Muslims, also walked around the Kaaba with his head bare. He walked barefoot, wearing only an izar (a piece of linen that was used to wrap the lower half of the body) and a cape. He did not stand out in any way from other people - his brothers in faith. Behind him walked his two sons. Having completed his circumambulation of the Kaaba, he approached one of his closest and asked him: “Where is your friend?” He replied: “He is there, praying.”
The ruler, together with his sons, went to where he was shown. His closest wanted to follow him, clearing the way for him so that he would not suffer in the stampede but Abd al-Malik ordered them not to do this, saying, “Now there is no difference between kings and ordinary people and only acceptance of deeds and fear of God can extol one over the other. It is possible that a man with disheveled hair and covered in dust will arrive to God the Almighty and that He will accept him in a way that he will not accept kings.
Then he went to the person he was asking about and found that he was still praying. People sat behind him, to the right and to the left. The Caliph sat down where there was free space and seated his sons next to him. The young men looked intently at this man to whom their father, the Commander of the Believers, had come. They sat with the ordinary people, waiting for him to finish praying. When he turned around, they saw in front of them an elderly Ethiopian - black, with curly hair and a flat nose.
So, having completed the prayer, this man turned in the direction where the Caliph was sitting. Suleiman ibn Abd al-Malik greeted him and he returned his greeting. After this, the Caliph began to ask him about the rituals of Hajj in order, and this man gave him comprehensive answers to each of his questions, citing the hadiths of the Messenger of God ﷺ. After listening to all the answers, the caliph said, “May God the Almighty reward you with goodness!” Then he ordered his sons, “Get up!” They got up and all three headed towards the hills of Safa and Marwa to make a ritual walk between them. On the way, the young men heard a herald announc,: “O believers!” Today, in this place, fatwas (decisions on religious issues) are given by Ata ibn Abu Rabah and, if he is not there, then by Abdullah ibn Abu Najih.
One of the young men looked at his father and asked, “How can this be? The herald of the commander of the believers declared that people should not turn for fatwas to anyone except Ata ibn Abu Rabah and his companion, and we went for fatwas to this man, who did not even pay due attention to the caliph!”
Suleiman answered his son, “My son, this man whom you saw and before whom we sat with humility, is Ata ibn Abu Rabah, who gives fatwas in the Sacred Mosque al-Haram and replaced Abd Allah ibn Abbas in this important post after his death.”
Then the caliph continued, “Acquire knowledge, my sons!” Verily, knowledge elevates the humble, awakens the lazy and careless, and raises slaves to the level of kings.”
Suleiman ibn Abd al-Malik did not exaggerate when he told his sons about the importance of knowledge. Ata ibn Abu Rabah was a slave as a child and belonged to a certain woman from among the inhabitants of Mecca. But the Almighty honoured this Ethiopian by putting him on the path of acquiring knowledge.
Ata divided his time into three parts. He dedicated one part to his mistress. At the same time, he served her impeccably and respected her rights in the best possible way. He devoted the second part of his time to the Lord, worshiping Him with zeal and sincerity. He devoted a third of his time to acquiring knowledge. Ata came to the companions he found and tirelessly drew from the purest source of knowledge. He learned from Abu Hurayrah, Abd Allah ibn Umar, Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Abd Allah ibn az-Zubay (may God be pleased with them) and other noble companions. He acquired a lot of knowledge, gaining a deep understanding of religion, and knew a lot of hadiths of the Messenger of God ﷺ.
Seeing that her slave devoted himself to serving the Lord and acquiring useful knowledge, the Meccan woman set him free, hoping for the pleasure of the Creator. From that day on, Ata almost never left the al-Haram mosque. This mosque became for him the home in which he lived, the school in which he studied, and the place of worship of the Almighty.
Historians claim that Ata slept in the mosque for about twenty years. A noble follower of the Companions, Ata ibn Abu Rabah reached such heights in the gaining of knowledge that few of his contemporaries could compare with him.
They say that once Abdullah ibn Umar, while performing the minor Hajj (umra), led the prayer of the inhabitants of Mecca and after the prayer people surrounded him, asking questions. Abdullah said, “You surprise me, O people of Mecca!” Are you really asking me something when Ata ibn Abu Rabah is among you? Ata ibn Abu Rabah reached such a high degree in religion and knowledge thanks to two qualities. Firstly, he perfectly tamed his desires and did not allow his soul to useless pleasures. Secondly, he managed his time very well, not wasting a minute on unnecessary words and actions.
Ata ibn Abu Rabah benefited many people. Among them were scientists, craftsmen and other representatives of society. Imam Abu Hanifa an-Numan said, “In Mecca, I made a mistake in five questions regarding the Hajj and the barber taught me.” When I wanted to shave my head to get out of the state of ihram (Hajj rites), I went to the barber and asked, “How much will it cost me to shave my head?” He replied, “May Almighty Allah guide you to the true path. There is no agreement on payment for shaving during the pilgrimage. Sit down and then give me as much as you can.” I felt ashamed and sat down. However, I sat down, turning not towards the Kaaba (qibla). He nodded at me, motioning me to turn in the direction of the qibla. I obeyed and felt even more ashamed. I offered him the left side of my head, but he said, “Give me the right side.”
And I obeyed. He started shaving my head. I looked at him silently, surprised. He told me: “Why are you silent? Say takbir (words of exaltation of the Lord - “Allahu Akbar!”, read on the days of the Eid al-Adha holiday).” And I said takbir until I got up to leave. He asked, “Where are you going?” I replied, “I want to go to my tent.” He advised, “Perform two rak’ahs of prayer, and then go wherever you wish.” I prayed two rak’ahs, and then I thought, “The barber could not have said all this without having knowledge!” I asked him, “Where did you get the knowledge about the actions that you told me to do?” He replied, “May God bless you! I saw Ata ibn Abu Rabah do this, and I learned it from him and now I order people to do the same.”
Ata ibn Rabah lived a long life, living to be one hundred years old. His life was filled with knowledge and work, piety and fear of Allah and adorned with indifference to what belonged to other people and the desire for what belonged to the Lord of the worlds. He made the pilgrimage (Hajj) seventy times and stood in the valley of Arafat seventy times, asking the Almighty for mercy and forgiveness for himself and all believers.
