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by
Sh. Zakariyya Khan
Throughout
the history of Islam there have been renowned personalities who have dedicated
their life to the preservation of Islam against the tide of disbelief and
deviation. In the early period of Islam, the preservation of the Hadith (traditions)
was an indispensable element, which needed to be preserved in order to safeguard
the deen (religion). Thus, Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was one of these
personalities who ensured that Islam was presented to us today in the same form
it had been 1400 years ago.
Abdullah
Ibn Mubarak was born in 118 hegira / 726 CE, in the town of Marwa. In his
childhood he studied elementary subjects, such as writing and arithmetic, which
were considered as essential. Thereafter, his life took an unusual turn, thus,
he became occupied in the pleasures of the world. He lived a luxurious life of
jest and play, until one night, when he received a wake up call from Allah
Ta’lah. As a routine custom one-day he invited his friends for a party in his
orchard, here, they played and joked until they were overpowered by sleep.
However, unlike before, in his sleep he saw a bird perched on the tree reciting
a verse in which Allah Ta’lah sends an admonition to his servants:
Has
not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by the
reminder of Allah, and that, which has been revealed of the truth. (Quran 57:16)
The
message carried by this majestic verse was so profound that it led Abdullah Ibn
Mubarak to discard the comforts of this temporary world in order to search for
eternal bliss. He instigated his thoughts into actions by, firstly, breaking the
musical instrument he had in his hand and this was his first step in Zuhad (asceticism).
Abdullah
Ibn Mubarak was now on a new path in search of sacred knowledge, especially Hadith
(traditions). He travelled the entire Islamic world in order to preserve Hadith,
until Abu Usama declared that ‘I have not seen a person searching for Hadith
throughout the corners of the world like Ibn Mubarak’. Consequently, he became
the undisputed authority in the science transmitting Hadith (traditions).
He attained such a lofty rank that the critics of this science unanimously
agreed on the fact that he was of a sound nature and a possessor of an
extraordinary memory. To achieve such acceptance is unparalleled in the history
of Islam; however, this status was necessary for a person who was to be the
torch barer of the Hadith. The renowned scholar of critical analysis of
transmitters, Yahya Bin Maeen, has wonderfully illustrated his noble traits:
He
(Ibn Mubarak) was intelligent, cautious (in narrating Hadith), trustworthy and a
true scholar of Hadith. It is sufficient to know (his status) that many narrated
from him, thus he is one of the narrators of Imam Bukhari and the rigorous
conditions applied by Imam Bukhari in the verification and sound nature of a
narrator is all well known, therefore there is no reason to expound on it.
Hence,
he was a firm pillar in the establishment of Hadith, so whenever there
was a narration he would take extreme measures to ensure the authenticity of Hadith
before he would narrate it. This is why his legendary statement still resonates
today in the hearts and minds of the scholars of Hadith that ‘Isnad (the
chain of narration) is a part of Deen (religion), if there was no Isnad,
then everyone would say what they desired’. Thus, everyone, including the king
knew his extreme precaution. Thus, the Abbasi King Harron Al-Rashid once
retorted to an atheist that was brought on trial, who had claimed to have
fabricated over one thousand Hadith, none of which were established;
‘What
is your rank in compression to Ishaq Al-Farazi and Ibn Mubarak? O Enemy of
Allah! They will separate them through a sieve, letter for letter (from the
collection of Hadith)’.
Not
only did Ibn Mubarak gain proficiency in Hadith, but also in Fiqh
(jurisprudence) he was a master in his field. The fact that he studied under the
greatest living jurists of his time, including men like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam
Malik and Sufyan Thawri, shows that he had developed an appreciation of this
science.
He
was also praised for being a prolific writer in his time; Imam Dhahabi states
that his books include Kitab Al-Arbaeen, Kitab Tareek, Kitab Jihad and Kitab
Zuhad wa Raqaiq. Unfortunately all of his written works are not published today.
One
of his greatest assets was his Zuhad (asceticism) and the desire for the
hereafter. Even though, he had an annual yearly income in excess of one thousand
Dinars. All of which he spent in the path of Allah. This is exemplified
in his excursions to Makkah for Hajj, while on the journey he would lavishly
spend on his associates and fellow travellers despite the fact that he was
continuously fasting.
Finally,
in the year 181 hegira / 797 CE, during the month of Ramadan Ibn Mubarak
departed the world while striving hard in the path of Allah. The endeavours he
took during his life are numerous and cannot be covered here. However, a glimpse
into the life of this great Imam testifies how taking precaution in the
narration and narrators preserved the Hadith from being marred with taint. We
are therefore indebted to the service rendered by our pious predecessors who
fulfilled their rights upon us and especially Ibn Mubarak.
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