The Salaf and their prayer

Mujaahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “When one of them stood in prayer, he would be too fearful of his Lord to allow his eyes to be drawn to anything, or to turn aside or to fidget by playing with pebbles or anything else or to think of any worldly matter, unless he forgot, during prayer.”

When Ibn al-Zubayr stood up to pray, he would be like a stick (i.e., immobile) with khushoo’. Once he was prostrating when a missile from a catapult was launched at him, when Makkah was being besieged, and part of his garment was torn away whilst he was praying, and he did not even raise his head.

Muslimah ibn Bashshaar was praying in the mosque when part of it collapsed, and the people got up [and fled], but he was praying and did not even notice.

When the time for prayer came, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib would be visibly shaken, and the color of his face would change. It was said to him, “what is the matter with you?’ He said, “By Allah, there has come the time of the amaanah (trust) which Allah offered to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it, but I bore it (referring to ayah of Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:72).”

When Sa’eed al-Tanookhi prayed, there would be tears rolling down his cheeks onto his beard.

One of the Taabi’een, when he stood up to pray, his color would change, and he would say, “Do you know before Whom I am going to stand and with Whom I am going to talk?”

They said to ‘Aamir ibn ‘Abd al-Qays, “Do you think to yourself during prayer?” He said, “Is there anything I like to think about more than the prayer?” They said, “We think to ourselves during prayer.” He said, “About Paradise and al-hooralin and so on?” They said, “No; about our families and our wealth.” He said, “If I were to be run through with spears, it would be dearer to me than thinking to myself about worldly matters during prayer.”

Sa’d ibn Mu’aadh said: “I have three qualities, which I wish I could keep up all the time, then I would really be something. When I am praying, I do not think about anything except the prayer I am doing; if I hear any hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I do not have any doubts about it; and when I attend a janaazah (funeral), I do not think about anything except what the janaazah says and what is said to it.”

Haatim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “I carry out what I am commanded; I walk with fear of Allah in my heart; I start with the [correct] intention; I magnify and glorify Allah; I recite at a slow and measured pace, thinking about the meaning; I bow with khushoo’; I prostrate with humility; I sit and recite the complete tashahhud; I say salaam with the [correct] intention; I finish with sincerity towards Allah; and I come back fearing lest [my prayer] has not been accepted from me, so I continue to strive until I die.”

Abu Bakr al-Subghi said: “I lived through the time of two imaams (leaders) although I was not fortunate enough to hear them in person: Abu Haatim al-Raazi and Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi. As for Ibn Nasr, I do not know of any prayer better than his. I heard that a hornet stung him on his forehead and blood started flowing down his face, but he did not move.” Muhammad ibn Ya’qoob al-Akhram said: “I have never seen any prayer better than that of Muhammad ibn Nasr. Flies used to land on his ears, and he did not shoo them away. We used to marvel at how good his prayer and khushoo’ were. His fear [of Allah] in prayer was so great that he would put his chin on his chest as if he were a piece of wood standing up.”

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him), when he started to pray, used to tremble so much that he would lean right and left. 

Source: 33 Ways of developing Khushoo’ in Salaah By Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

God-consciousness of Sufyan ath-thawri

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhàb said: "I never saw princes and rich men sit more meekly than in the gathering of Sufyàn al-Thawrï."

 Qabïsa said that no-one sat with Sufyàn except they remembered death.

Yusuf ibn Asbat. narrates that he once handed Sufyàn the ablution-pot in the evening and left him holding it pensively. At dawn, he had not moved and said: "I am still thinking about the next life." 

Ibn Mahdï said: "Night after night I would catch sight of Sufyàn sitting up and calling out: 'The Fire! The Fire! I cannot sleep nor feel pleasure anymore because I think of the Fire."

 Abu Nu'aym said that Sufyàn would be useless for days whenever this state overtook him.

Shuja' bin Walid said: "I performed the Hajj with Sufyan, and he would come and go with his tongue never ceasing to command the good and forbid the evil."

 When al-Mahdi came into power, he sent for Sufyan. When Sufyan entered, al-Mahdi removed his ring and threw it at Sufyan and said: "O Aba 'Abdillah, this is my ring. Work for this nation according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah." So, Sufyan took the ring and said: "Do you permit me to speak, O Commander of the Believers? Can I speak with your promise not to harm me?" He said: "Yes." So, Sufyan said: "Do not send for me again until I come to you myself, and do not give me anything unless I ask you for something." So, al-Mahdi become enraged and wanted to kill him, but his assistant reminded him that he had promised not to harm Sufyan. So, Sufyan was kicked out of the palace and his companions asked him: "What made you refuse? He only asked you to work according to the Qur'an and Sunnah!" So, Sufyan belittled their intellects due to their missing the point and he ran away as a fugitive to al-Basrah.

al-Mahdi later said : "I was unable to look at Sufyan out of haya' and intimidation from him."

Sufyan would reach states of anxiety about the Day of Judgment in which he urinated blood. He said: "I may see something against which I ought to speak out but I do not, then I urinate blood." 

Sufyan also said: "I felt the fear of God to a point I wondered how I could still be alive, then I would say to myself: I have a fixed term of life, but I wish it were made lighter for me. My fear is such that I fear losing my mind."

Sufyan once went to Abu Ja'far when they were at Mina and said to him: "Fear Allah! You are in this position and have this power due to the swords of the Muhajirin and Ansar, and their sons are dying of hunger! 'Umar made the Hajj and spent only fifteen dinars, and he used to shade himself under the trees!" So, Abu Ja'far said: "Do you want me to be like you?" Sufyan said: "No. Just be below what you are and above what I am." Abu Ja'far said: "Get out."

It was also related from Ibn Abi Hatim that there was a blind man who used to sit with Sufyan. When it was Ramadan, the man would go lead the people in prayer, and they would give him clothes and gifts as a reward for this. So, Sufyan said: "On the Day of Resurrection, the people of the Qur'an will come with their Qur'an, and it will be said to the likes of this person: 'You have already received your reward previously.'" So, the man said to him: "O Aba 'Abdillah, you say this while I am sitting right next to you?" Sufyan replied: "I fear that it will be said to me on the Day of Resurrection that you were sitting next to me and I did not advise you."

Examples of Taqwa in the Lives of Early Muslims

The early Muslim community was par excellence in terms of integrity, nobility of character, and engaging in commendable competition to earn the Satisfaction of Allah The Exalted. Taqwa (consciousness of Allah The Almighty) was a prominent and distinguished feature of the lives of the early Muslim community. This great Muslim generation dominated and subdued the whole world due to their courage and striving in the cause of Allah. Their noble morals and manners and virtues spread in the east and west. The Prophet, , the leader of the pious believers and the epitome of Taqwa, used to pray at night until his feet would crack. He used to cry out of his fear of Allah The Exalted and a sound would come from his breast like the rumbling of a mill owing to weeping, although his past and future sins were forgiven. 

Abu Bakr the successor and best friend of the Prophet, , used to say, “I wish I were a tree that is eaten from and then truncated!"

Once, a servant of Abu Bakr, , came to him with some food, and he, , ate some of it. Abu Bakr, , used to ask the servant each time about the origin of the food before eating, but this time he forgot to do so. The servant then asked him, "Why did you not ask me where this food came from?" Abu Bakr, , returned, "From where?" The servant responded, "I practiced fortune telling in the times of Jaahiliyyah (the Period of Ignorance before Islam) for some people and they paid me for it (today)." On hearing this, Abu Bakr, , put his finger into his mouth and forced himself to vomit up the food, until there was nothing left in his stomach. Then, he said, “By Allah, if getting this piece of bread out of my body meant my death, I would have got it out.”

This reflects his Taqwa and fear of Allah The Exalted. ‘Umar, , feared Allah The Almighty and his heart abounded with Taqwa beyond words. He once heard someone reciting the verse that reads (what means): {The Day they are thrust toward the fire of Hell with a [violent] thrust…} [Quran 52:13] On pondering over this verse, ‘Umar, , fell ill for three days and people visited him. Moreover, he once read the verse that reads (what means): {And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned.} [Quran 37:24] This time he fell ill for a whole month and people visited him.

‘Ali, , used to grab his beard in the darkness of the night and say, “O, vicious world! Do you want to allure me? Go and try your allurements on somebody else. I do not desire to own you and do not want to have you. I have divorced you thrice, an irrevocable divorce. The life of pleasures that you offer is of a very little duration.”

Ibn Mas‘ood, , once went out with some people. He asked them, “Do you need anything from me?” They said, “No, but we love walking with you.” Ibn Mas‘ood, , said, “Go away! This is a humiliation for the follower and a trial for the one who is being followed.”

The great Abbasid Caliph Haaroon Ar-Rasheed, was a great Muslim Caliph who subdued the emperors of the Roman and Persian empires and whose kingdom reached the furthest countries east and west. He went out one day in his luxurious procession. A Jew said to him, “O Commander of the Believers, fear Allah!" Haaroon Ar-Rasheed descended from his mount and prostrated to Allah The Exalted in utter modesty and humility. Then, he talked to the Jew and commanded his men to fulfill his need. Haaroon Ar-Rasheed was then asked about his reaction, he said, “When I heard his words, I remembered the verse that reads (what means): {And when it is said to him, "Fear Allah," pride in the sin takes hold of him. Sufficient for him is Hellfire, and how wretched is the resting place.} [Quran 2:206] I feared that I would be meant by this verse.”

These days many people when they are told to fear Allah The Almighty would feel proud and angry, their eyes would become red with anger and their veins would pop out of their forehead! Ibn Mas‘ood, , said, “Enough is the sin of a man to whom people say, 'Fear Allah', and he would reply, 'Mind your own business, how can a man like you advise a man like me!’”

When the hearts of our predecessors were filled with Taqwa, Allah The Exalted united them, granted them glory and might after being humiliated, and enabled them to conquer countries in the course of fulfilling His promise to them. Allah The Exalted Says (what means): {And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning.} [Quran 7:96]

Source 

A loaf of bread is sufficient for him

There are numerous stories related concerning Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal's piety, which confirm each other. He would not accept money from governor or ruler due to his piety and when Al-Mutawakkil sent him ten thousand dirhams with one of his chamberlains, the chamberlain said to him: " He send salutations of peace to you and he says to you spend this." But he refused to accept it. The chamberlain said to him: "Oh, Abu 'Abdullah! I fear that your refusal will cause enmity between you and him, so it is in your interest to accept it." And he left it with him and departed. 

Then at the end of the night, Imam Ahmad called his family, his nephews and his dependents and said: "I have not slept this night because of this money." So they sat with him and they wrote the names of those in need among the followers of Hadeeth and others among the inhabitants of Baghdad and Al-Bashrah, then in the morning, he distributed it among the people in fifty, a hundred, and two hundred, leaving not even a dirham. Among those to whom he gave were Abu Kuraib and Abu Sa'red Al-Ashajj. He gave away the bag in which it came and did not give anything of it to his family even though they were in direst o straits and the most urged need. Then his son, Salih came and took a piece of it for his son, and Imam Ahmad- may Allah have mercy on him- said nothing.

The Caliph was informed that he had given the whole of this gift in charity, until nothing remained of it and that he had given the bag in charity. 'Ali bin Jhm said: "Oh, Commander of the faithful! He accepted it from you and gave it in charity on your behalf. What does Ahmad want with money? A loaf of bread is sufficient for him." Upon which, the Caliph replied: "That is true." 

Source: The biography of Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal by Salahuddin Ali Abdul Mawjood

When will your heedlessness end?

Khutbah By ‘Umar As-Subayyil

All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his household and companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as he should be feared, for the best provision is piety: “And fear a day when you will be returned to Allaah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned and they will not be wronged (i.e. treated unjustly).” (Al-Baqarah: 291).

Brothers in faith! Mans happiness and success lies in his repentance to his Lord and his steadfastness upon the law of Allaah and His religion for the entire duration of his life. It does not lie in being distracted from working towards his eternal future by the urge to acquire the beauties of this world. This is the way of the righteous and pious people whom Allaah describes as that which translates as: “Men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allaah and performance of prayer and giving of zakaah. They fear a Day in which the hearts and eyes will (fearfully) turn about.” (An-Noor: 37).

Righteous people, despite their business and worldly engagements, do not allow that to stand between them and remembrance of Allaah’s greatness; a remembrance that makes them constantly fear Him and worship Him as He should be worshiped.

This is how the true believer should be. They should spend their days in performing righteous deeds and seek the abode of the Hereafter with whatever Allaah gives them. This is because they know that this life is only a means to achieve the everlasting life and perpetual prosperity. They know this world is not an end in itself but only a finite place in which both the pious and sinful have their daily bread. They know that, however long one may live, they will eventually grow old and die. They also understand this world’s insignificance and know that it is worthless in the sight of Allaah and that it is only a bridge which people cross over to reach Paradise or Hell. 

Allaah says that which translates as:“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children – like the example of a rain whose (resulting) plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes (scattered) debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allaah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion?” (Al-Hadeed:  20).

The Messenger  of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: “The life of this world is sweet and green (i.e. as tempting as fruits) and Allaah makes you  succeed one another in it, so that He may observe what type of deeds you will do therein. Beware of this life and beware of (the temptation of) women.”(Muslim). He also said: “If this world was worth a mosquito’s wing in the sight of Allaah, He would not have given a disbeliever a single gulp of water.”(Al-Tirmidhi).

There are in these Qur’aanic verses and Ahadeeth the clearest picture of the worthlessness of this world and an exhortation to mankind to fulfil their objectives here. They are meant to worship Allaah, reform their souls, be pious, abstain from lusts and base desires and not become deceived with the beauties of this life. It is however, pathetic that many are in the state of forgetfulness and delusion so much so that the aspiration of acquiring the beauties of this world has overpowered them and sins and evil deeds have covered their hearts. They live as if there is no other life except that of this world. When the love of this life conquers one’s heart, it makes one forget the remembrance of their Lord and if that happens then they become deserving of the wrath of Allaah.

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, while explaining the evil of the love of this world and its danger to one’s religion said: “Two hungry wolves sent into the midst of a flock of sheep are less destructive to the sheep than man’s covetousness for money and fame are to his religion”.

It is said that, “Love of this world is the mother of all sins”. When Imaam Hasan  Al-Basri observed the greediness of the people of his time for the wealth of this world, he exclaimed: “Do these people believe in the Day of Reckoning? No, I swear by the Master of the Day of Judgment!”

A sign of the domination of love of this world over the hearts is when one does not have concern for anything other than the search for prestige and fame, even if that is to be at the expense of one’s religion. Some have concerns only for amassing wealth even if they have to get it from dubious or forbidden means.

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam warned against this when he said: “I swear by Him in whose Hand is Muhammad’s soul! A man may swallow a morsel of food from a haraam source the consequence of which will be that no good deed will be accepted from him for forty days”.

He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam also said: “The fire of hell is entitled to any piece of flesh that has been nurtured by ill-gotten food”.

Brothers in faith! There are many Muslims amongst those who have been overwhelmed by the love of this life, who so yielded to their whims, desires and evil inclinations that they drank alcohol, took drugs, committed adultery, fornication and other evil acts. They are encouraged to perpetrate these evil acts by the modern mass media. This makes these malevolent things fair-seeming to them. It allures them with temptation and incites them to revolt against good moral values until many Muslims, especially the youth, begin to imitate their enemies in all aspects of their life. The following refers to them: “Then, there came after them successors (i.e. later generations) who neglected prayer and pursued desires; So they face ghayy (a valley in hell).”(Maryam: 59) So, it is their excessive passion for this life that will be the cause of them being thrown into hell.

Fellow Muslims! It is the unrestrained love for this life and preferring it to the Hereafter that weakened the Muslim Ummah in contemporary times and made disgrace, dissension and hypocrisy her lot. It is this predicament that gave her enemies the power to dictate many of her affairs, seize her wealth, conquer her lands and severely persecute the Muslims. A vivid example of this is what happens presently in Palestine where Jewish usurpers carry out criminal acts of aggression against our brothers and desecrate lives, properties and mosques. This is an actualisation of what the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam prophesied when he said: “When you trade by ‘Eenah[1]’ (a form of ribaa), get yourselves occupied with cattle and become pleased with cultivation  - and abandon Jihaad; Allaah will impose an ignominy on you which he will  not remove until you go back to your religion”.

Imaam Ahmad and Abu Daawood also reported that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: ‘Beware the nations all over the world shall join forces against you as diners gather around their bowl of food’. The companions asked: ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Is that because we will be few in number then?’ He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam said: ‘No, rather you will rather be many, but you will only be as (voluminous and as worthless as) the scum after a flood. The fear of you shall be removed from the hearts of your enemies and weakness will be put into your hearts’. The companions asked: ‘What is the weakness?’ he answered: “To love this life and detest death”.

Therefore, let all of us desist from heedlessness and preferring this life to the Hereafter. Allaah has condemned the heedless and praised the pious when He said that which translates as: “So as for he who transgressed. And preferred the life of this world, Then indeed, Hellfire will be (his) refuge. But as for he who feared the position of his Lord and prevented the soul from (unlawful) inclination, Then indeed, Paradise will be (his) abode”. (An-Naaziaat: 37-41).

Brothers in Islaam! Fear Allaah “And let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allaah by the chief deceiver (Satan). Indeed Satan is an enemy to you; so take him as an enemy. He only invites his party to be among the companions of the Blaze.” (Faatir: 5-6).

Brothers in faith! Fear Allaah as he should be feared and die not except as Muslims. Do not be among those who have been overpowered by negligence and overwhelmed by Satan thereby making them forget the remembrance of Allaah and the abode of the Hereafter. They are so deceived by false hopes that they do not think of anything other than the pleasure of this world regardless of the source from which that pleasure may come.

“They know what is apparent of the worldly life, but they, of the Hereafter, are unaware”. (Ar-Room: 7).

Why can you not reflect, O slaves of Allaah, and learn lessons from the misfortunes and calamities that Allaah has inflicted on people throughout history? Can you not ponder over the fate of the dead who are escorted to their burial places daily? These people who are our fathers, our mothers, our children, kings, paupers, believers, disbelievers, righteous and sinful? These people are all buried in graves and will all be resurrected on the Day of Judgment,

“The Day they will emerge from the graves rapidly as if they were, toward an erected idol, hastening. Their eyes humbled, humiliation will cover them. That is the Day which they had been promised!” (Al-Ma`aarij: 43-44).

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and be dutiful to Him and remember that you will one day leave this world for your everlasting abode which will be either Paradise or Hell. Get yourselves prepared for that day: “So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained (his desire). And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion?" (Aal-‘Imraan: 185). 

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A beautiful Hadith regarding a man who abused his slaves

'Aisha (RadiyAllah Anhuma) said: "A man sat in front of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) verily I have slaves, they lie to me, are disloyal to me and disobey me. When I came to know about this I scold them and beat them. So tell me how have I been with them?" The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) replied: "What they were disloyal to you about, what they disobeyed you in, and what they lied to you about is measured, and the punishment which you inflicted upon them is also measured. If your punishment was equal to their sins, then the scale of balance is equal, it is not for you and nor is it against you. If your punishment to them was not to the extent of their sins (i.e. less than they deserved) then that is against you".

The man then fell back and began to weep and scream. The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "Haven’t you read the verse in the Book of Allah:

"And we shall set up balances on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything..."(21:47)

The man replied; "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) I do not see anything better for me and them than they leave me, I call you to witness that all of them are free". (Sunan at-Tirmidhi)

Source: Weeping from the fear of Allah

The piety of Umar bin Abdul Azeez

Umar bin Abdul Azeez is considered fifth caliph among the Khulafa ar-Rashideen(The rightly guided caliphs). Most of the scholars among Muslims say that the Khulafa ar-Rashideen are five:Abu bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, and Umar bin abdul Azeez. (May Allah be Pleased with them)

Before becoming caliph Umar bin Abdul Azeez wore showy and costly clothes. However, after becoming caliph he adopted the life style of a poor in his food and clothing. 

Malik bin Dinar relates “People used to say,”If anyone can be said to be a Zahid(ascetic), he is Umar bin Abdul Azeez. (Because the world came to him and he renounced it).

After Umar bin Abdul Azeez took oath for caliphate, they brought a horse from the royal stable for him. But he refused by saying his personal mule was sufficient for him. And when he was returning home his slave said to him, “You look sad”. He said, “If anybody has a right to be grieved today, it is me. Is it a light burden? Before I am asked to explain the written register of my actions, I will have to give the people their dues”. And when he entered his house, he started weeping until his beard became wet. His wife becoming alarmed and asked him whether he was well. He said, “How can I be well? The burden of the entire ummah has been put around my neck. I have been overburdened with the naked, the hungry, the sick, the oppressed, the travelers, the captives, the children, and the poor with large families. I am weeping for the fear of being asked to render accounts and my possible failure to do so on the day of Reckoning”.

After becoming caliph he said to his wife, “Deposit all your jewelry in the treasury or I shall part with you, because I don’t like that you, your jewelry and I should live under the same roof”. His wife soon sent all her jewelry to the treasury. 

Yunus bin shabib says, “I had seen Umar bin Abdul Azeez before he became caliph. Then the belt of his trouser was sunken into his abdomen due to his plumpness but after he became caliph he became so thin that each and every bone could be counted”.

Umar bin Abdul Azeez’s son says, “Abu Jafar Mansoor asked me about his wealth when he died. I said four hundred dinars and had he lived a few more days, it would have come down more”.

Maslama bin Abdul Malik says, “I visited Umar bin Abdul Azeez during his sickness. I saw that he was wearing a dirty shirt. I said to my sister (that is his wife), “Why don’t you wash his shirt? She said “He has no other shirt to change into”.

His slave Abu Omayya says, “One day I said to my master’s respectable wife, “I am sick of eating lentils” she said, “Your master eats them daily”

His wife states during his caliphate when he used to come home from outside he would go in to prostration and he would fall asleep weeping. When he woke, he would start weeping again. 

Sayeed bin Saweed says that once when Umar bin abdul Azeez came to lead the congregational prayer on Friday, he saw his shirt had patches in front and in the back. A man said to him,” Amir al Muminun, Allah has given you everything. Why don’t you get new clothes tailored? He continued to ponder for some time with his head bent and then said, “Moderation in prosperity and forgiveness in power are great things”.

Once he asked his slave to heat water for him. The slave went and brought it by heating it in royal kitchen. When he came to know where it came from, he sent firewood worth a dirham to replace it. 

It was his custom that so long as people kept sitting by him and talking about affairs of state, he kept the lamp of the treasury burning and when they left, he put it out and lit his own lamp.

Mohamed ibn Fadala relates that Abdullah (son of Umar bin Abdul Azeez) passed by an ascetic who lived on an island. The ascetic saw him and went to him though he had never gone to anyone before and began to say to him,” Do you know why I came to you?” He replied in the negative. Then he said,” Simply because you are son of a righteous and just Imam(leader).

Ata relates that Umar bin Abdul Azeez used to gather legal scholars at night and discussed death and Doomsday with them causing him to weep so much as if there was a dead body in front of him. Abi Sayeb says that he had not seen a man greater in fearing Allah than Umar bin Abdul Azeez.

Obaid bin Hassan says that when his end came and the pain of death started, he asked the people to leave him alone and everybody went out. Maslama bin Abdul Malik and his wife Fatima bin Abdul Malik remained standing at the door. They heard him say, “Bismillah, (in the name of Allah), Please come. These faces are neither of men nor Jinn” and then he recited, (Quran translation) “That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the Muttaqun (pious).(28:83).

When Imam Hasan al Basri was informed of his death, he said, “The best man in the world has died”.

*Information taken from “The history of Islam” by Akbar Shah Najeebabadi