Virtues of the righteous
Virtues of the righteous
Examples of the modesty of righteous predecessors
Our righteous predecessors, following the example of the Prophet ﷺ, were never arrogant towards one other. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to visit the sick, accompany funeral processions, ride a donkey, accept invitations from servants, feed camels, sweep his house, mend his sandals, patch his clothes, milk the sheep, eat with the servant and help him grind when he was weary. The Prophet ﷺ was not embarrassed to carry his goods from the market to his family. He would shake hands with both the rich and the poor. The Prophet ﷺ was simple with regard to food, he was gentle of character, generous of nature, pleasant of company; his face was cheerful, he smiled much, without laughing and showed his sadness without frowning; he was humble without being self-effacing, generous without being extravagant. He was gentle of heart and compassionate with each Muslim; he never gave signs of having eaten his fill or reached out his hand in greed.
Umar ibn al-Khattab used to walk at a quick pace and would explain that such walking would bring him swiftly to attend to people’s needs and keep him far from vanity. Once, while sitting in company, he went and brought something he needed, they said to him, “If you had ordered us, we would have brought it to you.” To which he replied, “I went to do it and I was Umar, and I returned and still I am Umar.” [1]
It is also conveyed, “When Zayd ibn Thabit was mounting a camel, Ibn Abbas came up to him to hold the stirrup. Zayd said, “Stop, O son of the uncle the Messenger of Allah ﷺ!” “But that is what we have been ordered to do with our learned ones,” responded Ibn Abbas. Zayd then took Ibn Abbas’s hand, kissed it and said, «This is how we have been commanded to treat] the family of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.»
`Urwah ibn Zubayr related, “When I saw `Umar ibn al-Khattab carrying a heavy water-skin on his shoulder I told him, “O ruler of the faithful, it is not fitting for you to do this!” `Umar replied, “When deputations of the Arabian tribes came to me, listening and obedient, a certain sense of pride began to steal into my soul. And I wished to break it.” So he proceeded with the water-skin to the house of an elderly woman from among the Ansars and emptied it into her jar.»
Once when he was ruler of Medina, Abu Huraira was seen with a bundle of firewood on his back. As he walked, he repeated, “Make way for the governor!”
Ibn `Abbas observed, “Modesty is that a man drinks the portion left behind by his brother.”
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz heard that one of his sons had purchased a valuable signet ring with a jewel for one thousand dirhams. So Umar wrote to him, “I have heard that you have bought a gem worth one thousand dirhams. When this letter reaches you, sell the ring and fill one thousand stomachs. Then buy a ring worth two dirhams, make its signet of Chinese iron, and inscribe on it, ‘May God have mercy upon the one who knows his true worth’.»
When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz delivered a public sermon to Muslims, someone estimated his garments to be worth twelve dirhams. These were a caftan, a turban, a shirt, trousers, a pair of slippers and a hat and a hood.
Ibrahim ibn Adham said, “In Islam I have been delighted twice. The first time I was on board a ship and there was a man who was a jokester. He would remark, ‘We used to grab a captive infidel in the lands of the Turks thus’ and he would tug at my hair and shake me back and forth. This would please me as there was no one more contemptible in his eyes on board. The second time I was resting in a mosque overcome with a sickness, and when the mosque’s muezzin came and told me to leave, I could not. So he grabbed me by my foot and dragged me out of the mosque.»
One of the righteous said, “It is not generous to use a guest as a servant”
Admonition for the arrogant
O Muslims, reflect on everything through the insight of your heart and you will find the Almighty in everything and that He is the Creator in all things. How can you scorn the creations of Allah?
The point of the matter is that you should not miss witnessing the glorification of the creations of Almighty Allah with the sight of your eyes and heart. Know that a murid will not attain perfection until he ceases to notice the flaws in others. As long as a murid sees the shortcomings of people, he needs someone who will improve and discipline him and lead him to the level qualified for the insight of angels, prophets and the righteous.
The following once occurred with Sheikh Muhyiddin ibn al-Arabi. When he embarked on a ship, the wind rose and a storm began. He said, “Calm down, O lake, there is a sea of knowledge above you!” Following his words, the waves subsided and a huge animal emerged and addressed the sheikh, “O Muhyiddin, I will ask you one question and if you answer it, you will be a scholar, and, if not, an ignoramus.” He asked, «What kind of question?» The animal said, “If Allah turns a woman’s husband into something which is not a man, what will be her `idda period: like that of a woman whose husband has died or like one who has got a divorce?” The sheikh did not know what to say. Then the animal said, «If you make me your sheikh-mentor, I will answer this question.» The scholar agreed and the animal replied, “If the husband was turned into a living being, then the woman observes `idda [2] as after a divorce. And if he was metamorphosed into an inanimate object, then the `idda will be as after the death of a husband.” After this incident and until his death not a hint was heard from Sheikh Muhyiddin that he possessed knowledge.
Reflect on the following words that you might say, “If I were not afraid that someone would lord it over me if I should belittle myself and be modest in his presence, then I would do so for him.” In these words are contained the mark of arrogance. This is because you put yourself above your brother and then afterwards it is as though you were descending to his level. As for the modesty of those who know Allah, this is devoid of arrogance, for they do not regard] their spiritual degree to be higher than that of any other Muslim. The prophets, with their infallibility, nevertheless asked Almighty Allah to protect them from Satan and from the tribulation of the false messiah - dajjal. Our master Ali al-Khawwas said, “The trials of the dajjal is in the fear for the justification of his claims to divine qualities when they see him.” In a hadith it is conveyed that Almighty Allah said (meaning), “Greatness and pride are My garment (that is, attributes that are innate only to the Lord). I will ruin whoever wants to take one of them from Me.”
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[1] Probably the essence of these words is that this act in no way diminished his dignity.
[2] Idda is a specified period of time during which a woman whose husband has died or who has been divorced does not have the right to marry another.
