ULAMA SACRIFICE IN DEEN
IMAAM ABU ABDUR-RAHMAAN BIN MAKHLAQ AL-ANDALUSY
Imaam Baqy ibn Makhlad al Andulusy {r.a.} was born in Spain and he passed
away there as well. He was born in the year :201 A.H. and passed away in 276
A.H.
At the age of 20 he traveled to Baghdad on foot for the sole purpose of
meeting Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal {r.a.}
He relates: "When I drew near to Baghdad, I heard of the sanction on
Imaam Ahmad and that he was banned from having any lessons. I became
extremely saddened by this.
After reaching baghdad I went to the Musjid in search of some gathering
of learning. I was shown a huge gathering wherein someone was screening
people. {he was mentioning the categaries of the various narrators of hadith}
Upon enquiry I was told that this was Imaam Yahya ibn Ma'een {r.a.} I then
saw a gap near him and went closer and asked: "Oh Abu Zakariyya ! may Allah
have mercy on you, I am a traveler and very far away from home. I wish to
ask you a question so please do not refuse me". He said to me: "go ahead". I
enquired from him about a few of people that I had met from the Ashaabul
Hadith. Some of them he authorized and some he unauthorized… Then I said to
him: "can I seek your authorization of Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal?" He looked at
me astonished and said:" can a person like me be asked about Imam Ahmad ibn
hambal?! Verily that is the leader of all the Muslims and the best and most
exalted of them".
Thereafter I went out in search of the house of Imaam Ahmad ibn Hambal.
When I reached his house, I tapped on the door. When he came out he saw a
man who he did not recognize. I said to him: "Oh Abu Abdillah! I am a man
who is far away from his home and this is my first time in this town. I am a
student of hadith and I have undertook this journey specially to benefit
from you." He said to me:" come to the passage so nobody sees you". He then
asked me: " Where are you from?" I replied : " from the far West" he asked:"
from Africa?" I replied; "further than that. I have to cross the sea to go
to Africa, I am from Spain." He said: " your country is very far off .
Nothing is more beloved to me than to assist a person like you but I have
been afflicted with the sanctions that you my have heard of " I said: " of
course, I heard of it whilst I was near Baghdad. But oh Abu Abdillah ! this
is the first time I have come here. Nobody knows me so if you permit I will
come every day in the clothes of a beggar and call out at the door like they
normally call out. Then you come to this passage and if you narrate to me
only one hadith a day it would be sufficient for me". He replied: " yes on
condition that you do not go to any other gathering or halqah of the
Ashaabul hadith". I said : " as you wish ". So I use to take a stick in my
hand, wrap a cloth on my head, put my paper and ink in my sleeve and come to
his door and call out like the beggars would call out. Then he would come to
the passage and narrate to me two or three ahadith and sometimes even more.
In this way I collected approximately 300 ahadith. I did this till the end
of the sanctions and till Imaam Ahmad regained his status in the eyes of the
people.
When I would come to his gathering later on, he would keep me close to
him and he would say to the Ashaabul Hadith : " this person is fit to be
called a student of hadith". Then he would narrate to them my incident with
him." { pg. 55-58 }
Imaam Abul Waleed Al-Faradhy says:" Baqy ibn Makhlad use to say: " Verily
I know a man { referring to himself } who days use to pass by during his
studenthood and he would not have food to eat except cabbage- leaves that
would be thrown away."
He once said to his students :"are you'll seeking 'ilm ?, is this the way
to seek 'ilm?!! Only when one of you does not have anything to do does he
think of seeking knowlledge ! verily I know a man { referring to himself }
who days use to pass by during his student days and he would not have
anything to eat but the cabbage leaves that people use to throw on the
streets!
And certainly I know a man who sold his pants many a times to buy pages
for writing!!!
This is the incident of a true student of 'ilm { in the words of Imaam
Ahmad }
It is said that Imaam Baqy ibn Makhlad had compiled a very large and
comprehensive work on hadith but unfortunately it's whereabouts are still
unknown. May Alaah Ta'ala make it easy to find this magnificent piece of
work of Imaam Baqy ibn Makhlad {r.a.} [ameen]
[ From the works of Shaykh Abdul-Fattaah
Abu Ghuddah ]
Last modified:
July 19, 2007
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