Showing posts with label Ibn Umar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ibn Umar. Show all posts

22 May 2011

Miscellaneous accounts about death

When al-Hasan ibn Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) was dying, he asked people to take him out to the hall. Then he said: “O Lord, I trust myself in you”.

On his death Muadh ibn Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “Look if the day has broken? “They looked and answered negative. Later on, he was informed that it was morning. Then he remarked: “I seek refuge in Allah from a night whose morning leads to Hell-fire. Welcome to death, an absent visitor and a beloved returning while we are defected. O Lord, I used to fear you, but now I expect good from you. You know that I never loved this world or long stay in it. I used to observe fasting on extremely hot days, praying at long nights of winter, and joining scholars in their circles of knowledge”.

Abu Muslim said:”I visited Abu Ad-Darda(May Allah be pleased with him) on his death. He said, “Would you get prepared for this day and for this hour? “Then he breathed his last”.

Salman al-Farisi(May Allah be pleased with him) wept on his death. Asked about this, he said: “The Prophet (Peace be upon him) commanded us to have sufficient provisions for the hereafter”.

Al-Mazini said that he visited Ash-Shafi’i on his deathbed. He said, “I asked him, how are you?” He replied,” I am leaving this world, leaving my brothers, meeting my sins, drinking the cup of death, and returning to the Almighty. But I do not know to Hell or Paradise my spirit will be admitted”.

Abu Ad- Darda (May Allah be pleased with him) was once asked about his visit to grave. He said “I visit people who remind me of death. They never back bite me when I depart”.

Maymun ibn Mahran said, “I joined Umar ibn Abdul Azeez in his visit to graves. Beholding them he wept and told me, “Maymun , these are the tombs of the predecessors from the Banu Umayyah. Look, as if they never shared this world’s delight. Do you not see them lying being exemplary to others. They have decayed”. Then he shed tears and said, By Allah I know non better that the dead who have been saved from Almighty’s torture”.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said, “Death has exposed this world, leaving no delight for sensible people therein”

When Ibn Umar remembered death, he trembled like birds. He used to convene with the jurists every night talking about death and the hereafter. Then they shed tears as if they were in funerals.

Hamid al-Qasyrasi said: “Though we know death is certain, we have not prepared ourselves for it. Though we know paradise is definite, we have not worked for it. Though we know the hell fire is sure, we have not feared it. So why are you delighted? What are you waiting for? Death is the first visitor from the Almighty bringing good or evil tidings. Brothers get closer to your Lord”.

Habib Ibn Muhammad’s wife said that Habib used to tell me,”If I die today get so-and-so to bath me”. She was asked if he had seen a dream of his death. She replied that he used to tell her likewise every day.

Source: Mukhtasar Minhaj Al-Qadisin (towars the hereafter) by Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdisi Translated by Wa'il 'A.Shihab

19 September 2010

Ibn Umar

(radiyallhu anhu)

The Most Disciplined Youth

Some narrations collected in adh-Dhahabi’s ‘Siyar A’lam an-Nubala‘‘ (4/346-373) and Ibn al-Jawzi’s ‘Sifat as-Safwah’ (1/214-222) give a taste of Ibn ‘Umar’s character:

1 – His Discipline as a Youth:

Ibn Mas’ud said: “From the most disciplined youth of Quraysh in the face of the dunya was ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar.”

Jabir bin ‘Abdillah said: “None of us experienced the dunya but that it affected him, except Ibn ‘Umar.”

Nafi’ said that Ibn ‘Umar presented himself to fight in Uhud when he was fourteen years old, and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) refused to allow him. He then presented himself during the Battle of the Trench when he was fifteen, and he was allowed to fight.

2 – His Discipline as an Adult:

Ibn Shihab said that Ibn ‘Umar was about to curse one of his servants, and said: “O Allah, cu-” without completing the word, and he said: “I don’t like to say this word.”

3 – His Love of Imitating the Prophet in Everything:

Zayd bin Aslam said: “Ibn ‘Umar would dye his beard with saffron until his clothes were colored with it. He was asked about this, and said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) dye his hair with it.”"

Hisham bin ‘Urwah said: “I saw Ibn ‘Umar’s hair reaching down to his earlobes,” and Anas reported that the Prophet’s hair also hung down to his earlobes.

‘A’ishah said: “I never saw anyone holding tighter to the original affair than Ibn ‘Umar.”

Malik said that someone informed him: “Ibn ‘Umar would imitate the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and follow his traces and lifestyle and be very keen in this, to the point that we feared for his sanity because of his keenness in this.”

Nafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar used to follow the traces of the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) in every place he prayed. This was to the point that there was a tree that the Prophet would sit under, and Ibn ‘Umar would frequent this tree and water its trunk so that it wouldn’t weaken.”

Nafi’ said that Ibn ‘Umar told him that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) told him: “If only we could leave this door (of the mosque) for the women.” So, Ibn ‘Umar never used that door until the day he died.

Muhammad al-’Umari said: “I never heard Ibn ‘Umar mention the Prophet without weeping.”

Nafi’ said that Ibn ‘Umar was once on his way to Makkah, and stopped the animal he was riding and said to it: “Maybe my footsteps will fall where his footsteps did,” meaning the footsteps of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

Tawus said: “I never saw anyone praying like Ibn ‘Umar who was stricter than him in facing the Qiblah with his face, hands, and feet.”

4 – His Friendliness With People:

Ibn ‘Umar said: “Sometimes, I go out for no reason or need except to greet people and have them greet me.”

Abi ‘Amr an-Nadabi said: “I went out with Ibn ‘Umar once, and he didn’t leave a single young or old person except that he greeted them.”

5 – His Care to Look and Smell Good:

‘Abdullah bin Waqid said: “I saw Ibn ‘Umar praying. If you saw him, you’d see him shivering about, and I saw him putting some musk in cream and rubbing it on himself.”

6 – His Humility:

Nafi’ said: “Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbas would sit with the people when the pilgrims arrived, and I would sit with one of them one day, and the other the next. Ibn ‘Abbas would answer every question he was asked, and Ibn ‘Umar would refuse to answer most of the questions he was asked.”