Ibn al-Mubarak's letter to Fudayl ibn Iyad (Ya 'Abid Al Haramayn)

It is reported that when in Tarsus, Ibn al-Mubarak wrote a letter to his friend al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyadh (who was known for his worship in Makkah and Madinah), encouraging him to partake in Jihad and not to be satisfied with simply worshiping Allah in the mosques. Ibn Abi Sukaynah said, 'In Tarsus in the year 177 AH, Ibn al-Mubarak gave me a letter with the following verses. I bid farewell to him and went to deliver it to al-Fudhayl ibn 'Iyadh:

O Worshipper of the Two Holy Masjids

يا عابد الحرمين لو ابصرتنا

لعلمت انك في العبادة تلعب

من كان يخضب خده بدموعه

فنحورنا بدمائنا تتخضب

أو كان يتعب خيله في باطل

فخيولنا يوم الصبيحة تتعب

ريح العبير لكم ونحن عبيرنا

رهج السنابك والغبار الأطيب

ولقد اتانا من مقال نبينا

قول صحيح صادق لا يكذب

لا يستوي غبار خيل الله في

أنف امرئ ودخان نار تلهب

هذا كتاب الله يحكم بيننا

ليس الشهيد بميت لا يكذب


O Worshiper of the Two Holy Masjids!
Had you witnessed us in the battlefield
You would have known that, compared to our Jihad,
Your worship is child's play.
For every tear you have shed upon your cheek,
We have shed in its place, blood upon our chests.
You are playing with your worship,
While worshipers offer your worship
Mujahideen offer their blood and person (life).
The smell of nice perfume of is for you,
And our perfume is the dust and dirt (which is more pure),
And it has reached us from the sayings of our Prophet,
The martyr is not dead,
This is a true correct saying, in which there is no lie.
The dust of the people of Allah is never equal,
To a thousand men, whilst the smoke is climbing.
This is the book of Allah between us,
The martyr is not dead - and this is no lie

Ibn Abi Sukaynah said, 'So I met al-Fudhayl in the Haram (Makkah) with the letter and when he read it, tears came to his eyes and he said, 'Indeed, Abu Abdur-Rahman (Ibn al-Mubarak) has told the truth and he has certainly advised (me).

Source: The Life of ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak The scholar of the East and the scholar of the West Compiled by Farhia Yahya Based on the book 'Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, al-Imam al-Qudwah' By Muhammad 'Uthman Jamal
To download this book click here

To listen to the audio click here