INCIDENTS CONCERNING THE SACRIFICE OF THE 'ULAMAA IN THE QUEST OF KNOWLEDGE

IMAAM ABU BAKR MUHAMMAD IBN QAASIM AL-ANBAARI [ra] 

Imaam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Qaasim Ibn ul AnBaari (r.a.) was born in the year 271 Hijri and he passed away in 328 Hijri.

He was the most learned of his time with regards to Arabic grammar. He wrote many books on various topics such as 'Ulumul Quraan, Hadith and Grammer.

He had memorized three hundred thousand lines of poetry!. He also mentioned that he memorized 120 different commentaries of the Holy Quraan, the commentary of each verse with it's chain of narrators!!. And he never use to read out from a book. Instead he would relate from his memory.

His student Imaam Abul 'Abbaas ibn Yunus says: " Imaam Abu Bakr was with regards to his memory a sign of the signs of Allah Ta'ala!"

This great Imaam had abstained from luxuries his entire life just for the sake of the preservation of knowledge.

Abul Hasan Al-'Arudhi (r.a.) mentions : " Once I was with Imaam Abu Bakr (r.a.) at the palace of the king of the time. We were invited to meals and Imaam Abu Bakr had informed the cook of his choice of food. So whilst we were partaking of different types of delicious dishes he ate dry Qaliyyah (a very simple basic type of food.) When we finished  we were presented with sweet meats. He did not eat of that as well.

After meals we all slept on a soft canvas whilst he slept on the ground beside it.

He did not drink a sip of water until the time of 'Asr salaah. After 'Asr , he called out to the slave and he was given normal water instead of cold water."

Abul Hasan says: "I became extremely disturbed with this conduct of Imaam Abu Bakr so I called out to the King. I was summoned to his presence and upon enquiry I said: "Oh Ameerul Mu'mineen ! This man needs to be stopped from the way he treats himself. He doesn't treat himself properly." The King laughed and said:" He takes enjoyment in this and it has become his habit hence it does not harm him in the least.

Then I said to Imaam Abu Bakr:" Oh Abu Bakr! Why do you do this to your self?! He replied ;" I protect my memory in this way." I then said: " The people have mentioned a lot about your memory so how much have you memorized?" he said: " I have memorized thirteen trunks!!" –subhaanallah-

Imaam Muhammad ibn Ja'far Al-Tameemi says: "None before him nor anyone after him had memorized that amount."

It is said that he use to take a ripe fresh date in his hand , smell it and say:

 "Ah! Verily you are very pleasant but more pleasant and precious than you is the preservation of the knowledge that Allah Ta'al'a  has bestowed me with!."

He had remained single (unmarried) all his life for the sake of knowledge. He left behind after his demise no children or progeny besides more than 30 books which consist of more than fifty thousand (50 000) pages !!!

(May Allah reward him immensely for the value of knowledge that he portrayed.)

He once passed by the slave merchants and his gaze fell on a seemingly beautiful slave girl. He says: "I became inclined towards her. Thereafter I proceeded to the palace of the King. The King enquired of me as to where I had been so I related to him the incident. He then secretly instructed one of his servants to buy that slave-girl and take her to my house. When I returned home I found her there so I understood how it all happened. I asked her to go upstairs and I continued in search of a mas'alah. But my heart was occupied with the thoughts of that girl. So I said to the servant : " take her back to the slave-merchants, for her value  is not so much that it could distract  me from my knowledge!. So the slave took her. On her way out she enquired the reason for him doing this. He replied : " I have found nothing wrong with you besides that you have distracted me from my knowledge."

When the King heard of this he said: "There is no better place for knowledge than the heart of this man!"

All this was done by this great 'Alim of deen just so that he may protect his knowledge and so that he may remain undistracted in his search for knowledge!

Once when he fell sick his companions went to visit him. So they saw the great distress that his father was in because of his son's condition. They tried to console him and convince him that his son will soon be cured with the will of Allah. His father replied: 'How can I not be distraught because of the illness of one who memorized all that you see in front of you. And he indicated to a huge container filled with books.

When he was inflicted with the sickness that lead to his demise he use to partake of everything that he desired and he use to say: "This is the sickness of my death"

(in other words : the need to preserve his memory no more remained hence he could partake of such things.)

Imaam Abu Bakr (r.a.) passed away in the year328 Hijri Rahimahullahu Ta'ala rahmatan waasi'atan. May Allah fill his grave with noor and may he afford us the opportunity of emulating these great personalities to a minute extent. Ameen.

A poet says:

"Copy them if you cannot be exactly like them,
Verily the emulation of the noble is also a form of success."