Ali Hammuda – The lives of the four Imams #07 – Imam Ahmad
AI: Summary ©
The Hadiths were a major student of the school of Rai of reasoning, and were a major student of the school of Rai of reasoning. They were also known for their desire to be a Muslim and their desire to be a Muslim themselves. The personality and accomplishments of the Hadith himself are discussed, including his study in Yemen and travel to Yemen. The conversation also touches on the idea of Islam being rewarded for things like being liked, and the potential for harm. A narrator describes a storyteller's narration of a man named Muhammad who recounts a story about his son's death and how his father died.AI: Transcript ©
Salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah
a vessel of knowledge, a defender of the Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
and exemplar of a worshiper and for those who saw him, simply a reminder of how the companions of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam WA, this is precisely who Imam Ahmed invidual handle was.
So many people in the past and today have risen to fame, because of their knowledge of fake and Hadith. But the likes of Imam Ahmed in human history are extremely rare. It was in the year 164, after the Hegira in the city of Baghdad in Iraq.
When Allah subhanaw taala gifted the Muslim ummah, with this marvel of a human being, and the fourth of the four Imams chronologically,
he is a hermit, son of Mohammed son of handbell, known for short and not able to handle sort of Hammond and also nicknamed father of Abdullah Abu Abdullah. He was shaped by me, meaning from the tribe of che band, which is an Arab, I didn't have any tribe. So his ancestry meets with the ancestry of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at the level of Nizar it would do it. No, I didn't. And they have a common ancestry. They're at adenan. Ahmed's father was a soldier who died in his 30s. So Imam Muhammad was raised as an orphan, but this did not prevent him from becoming one of the most influential Muslim figures in our Islamic history. And it was his mother, Sofia being to
Ramona, who, after becoming widowed, dedicated her entire life to the raising of her child and preparing him for the OMA a deed, which we ask Allah subhanaw taala to grant her the highest ranks in gender for, along with the Mother of Imam Shafi, who did something similar.
And along with all of the Muslim mothers who have set for themselves, this exact same vision in their lives.
Imam admins mother raised him to be conscious of Allah, and to put the fear of Allah, the consciousness of Allah and the love and hope in Allah and aspirations and Allah before that of any other mortal. And the fruits of this appeared very clearly later on in his life, as we shall find out.
Ibrahim and Lucia Merce he said come to RFO I handed him in 100 Watt hula hula, what are you healing? I used to know am I able to handle when he was still a young boy. And he at that age would spend the night of prayer.
So from a young age, it was as if Allah subhanaw taala was preparing him for the colossal event that was ahead of him. An event that would cost him many years of his life in defense of the Sunnah as we shall find out.
What do we know of Imam Ahmed's pursuit of Islamic knowledge? From a very young age, he memorized the Quran. And by the time he had reached the age of around 15 years old, he had dedicated himself entirely for the pursuit of Islamic knowledge, there was nothing else he was doing.
And one of his very first teachers Subhanallah was even Abu Yusuf who is one of the two primary students of Imam Abu Hanifa, who was as we mentioned, a scholar belonging to the school of Rai of reasoning scholarly judgment. We spoke about this, and despite our use of of course, being a scholar of Hadith as well, but with the passage of time, Imam Muhammad found himself inclining a lot more to the school of Hadith. So what did he do?
He attended the study circle of Hadith which was led by a man called Abu Bakr Ibn why yesh, which was after fajr after the dawn prayer, so Imam Muhammad would wake up hours before fetcher in order to arrive early and to enjoy proximity to the teacher. So early in fact that his mother would hold on to a hammer to close when he was leaving, he was a young man and it's pitch black outside, it's midnight. She would urge him she would say just wait at least until the call to the federal prayer was made. She's scared for her son's well being if he leaves during the dark hours of the night.
So this is another teacher of Imam Muhammad. We also have someone called who shame IGNOU Bashir. This was the name of another Hadith teacher of email. I hope you started with for four years Allahu Akbar and email Muhammad he said I memorized
Everything I heard from who shame during his lifetime, meaning I encompassed his entire knowledge before he died Subhanallah then when who shame passed away, a brand new page in AdWords life was turned a page of, of serious travel for knowledge, and specifically, as we said, the knowledge of Hadith.
And in the year in which his teacher who shame passed away in the year 183, after they
left Baghdad, actually, within days of the death of his teacher, left Baghdad to continue his quest for knowledge, he traveled to the cities of Kufa take note of this Subhanallah
Coover in Iraq and with him was his life long friend and steady mate. Yeah, here immuno nine take note of that name. Another great scholar of Hadith who we praise and benefit from till this day. The conditions of studying were very harsh, and during Ahmed stay in one of the houses there in Iraq, he had to use a piece of masonry a block of rock as his pillow. As he was traveling to Basra he travelled to whilst in Iraq as well.
One of his teachers was easy to blow Harun and many people would gather at the circles of Yazeed, including Ahmed, but following a few conversations with him, he has he realized that ahead of him was not an average human being a mountain of knowledge. A mountain of Taqwa. So he would bring a hammock very close to sit besides him. During the class, hammock continued his travels, and he went to Morocco. Went to Algeria, went to Mecca, you went to Medina, he went to Yemen. He went to Persia and other places. And all of these travels were as the scholar said, we're just in the first phase of his life, the first phase of his travels, and it was in Mecca, where Ahmed would finally meet
Imam Shafi and he benefited from him enormously, and Adam had made a huge effort to meet Imam Malik as well in Medina. But by the time he arrived, Imam Malik had just passed away.
In the year 198, after the hijra, Imam Muhammad and his Travelmate Yeah, it will not mean they intended to embark on the journey to Mecca to do their Hajj. And then the intention was when they finished Hajj in Mecca, they were going to go to Yemen to study under the famous Sheikh Abdul Razak. And as they were circumambulating, around the cada Subhanallah, who did they bump into? They bumped into Abdul Razak from Yemen. They greeted one another. Abdul Razak told me that we've heard so many good things about you. Yeah, he introduced them. And then yeah, yet nobody and he saw this as such a good opportunity to study from abdulrazaq whilst they were in Mecca, and that Allah had spared them
from needing to go to Yemen afterwards.
But didn't like the idea.
I haven't said too. Yeah, here is Travelmate. He said welcome to UFC the near TV Mata cool, normally, what is Melvin? I'm not going to change my intention because of what you're saying. Go and study with him now that he's here in Mecca, the change my intention, we will travel to Yemen, insha Allah, and we will take from him knowledge from his home city. Wow. Subhanallah so after their Hajj was completed, and yeah, even though mine they traveled together to Yemen, and they studied under Abdul Razak, and during their journey, how much finances would run out. So he managed to find some work. He was carrying luggage for people just to finance himself, and he refused assistance from
everyone and everything. And this by the way of Amad, rejecting rejecting help from people was a consistent feature in his life, as we shall find out.
Actually afterwards, poverty had reached such extremes that when he was leaving Yemen, he needed to offer his shoes as a deposit or as a security Iran in return for bread from the baker until I had managed to find the money to pay him for the bread.
So I have traveled the world for the pursuit of knowledge. In fact, Akhmad would compile his famous work of Hadith known as the Muslims, which consisted of around 40,000 Generations, which he personally took from his teachers 40,000 narrations which he nominated from 750,000 generations now you know, Allah. And Iman, even Josie he said about this. Wakata for dunya Mauritania da Sala Muhammad traveled the world twice. Did you get that statement? I haven't traveled the world over twice until he completed his Muslim.
Ibrahim
al-harbi He said in praise of Muhammad I saw a hammer in your handbag and it
was as if Allah Almighty had gathered for him the Knowledge of each kind
and the knowledge of the first and the knowledge of the last speaking as he wishes, and withholding, as he wishes, masha Allah and epizoda Rossi he would say 100 used to memorize 1 million narration so there was a way of understanding this word 1 million, the Hadith are actually far less than that. But when you put everything together the authentic and the unauthentic and the repetitions etcetera, Hammett had memorized he said 1 million.
And he went Moshe, and he said, I left Baghdad, Iraq. And I did not leave behind me anyone who was more cautious Islamically more pious, and more scholarly than
actually, avid was so occupied with the pursuit of Islamic knowledge that he didn't get married. Only after he returned from his travels, he was 40 years old. Let us speak a little bit about the personality of Imam Muhammad him to Hamburg. And we will mention this under several headings, several dimensions, the first of them, as we alluded to earlier, his refusal to accept any favor, any help any assistance from anyone. Even Muhammad was passionately against receiving favors, or even help.
He wanted to be self sufficient. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of a fever. And this decision of his pushed him to the limits.
Authorized life. He didn't want alone didn't want a gift. He didn't want it from a friend from a teacher or even a Muslim leader.
Yes, even know how to when we mentioned him earlier, one of our habits, teachers, he would offer financial assistance to his students. And his students would accept the offerings. Yeah, even Nova in his Travelmate was one of them. Have a Muslim almost me he would accept the offering of Yazeed with the exception to him and
he refused to take anything. That's it. He wants his reliance to be upon Allah doesn't want anyone to have the upper hand, even if it is something as small as that
livelihood was sourced entirely from the rental income of a property that his father had left behind for him.
And it's for this reason that Muhammad was consistently hard pressed financially all throughout his life.
In fact, he carried out to hedge five times and he said three of them was purely on foot. Imagine what that means.
And ACMA said on one of my trips to hedge I spent only 30 dyrham. That's nothing.
So he didn't want these favors. In fact, I let him know jam. He said that. I had a neighbor who wants pulled out a manuscript and he said, Do you guys know whose handwriting This is? They said, Yeah, of course. That's about 200 Ha right handwriting. How did you get your hand on that? He said, we were in Mecca, studying with Sophia Dippenaar. Yang and athletic Duhamel joined us for some days. But then he disappeared. So we got concerned about him. We made his way. We were told that this is his house. He hasn't come out for some time. We knocked on the door we came in, and he was wearing what seemed to be two handmade pieces of clothing. And we said to him 100 Imam, Abu Abdullah father
of Abdullah what happened? He said
Sudha the be my clothes were stolen. It's called no other pair of clothes. So his friend said to me, Look, I've got some money ticket as a no, no ticket as a gift admitted, I don't want it. So then I said, Okay, look, why don't you write some knowledge for me, and I pay you for it. I said, that's a good idea. So he took a dinner of gold to give him I said, No, I don't want to accept it from you. You take that dinar and buy me two pieces of garments, an upper and a lower garment, and then bring me the change. So he went and he did that. Then I brought with me a pen and paper and he wrote this knowledge for me. And therefore this is his handwriting isn't what any favors from anyone.
Another dimension of Ahmed's personality was his behavior with people. By His nature, he was so affectionate to the poor.
And he was the most generous of people with what little he possessed. And he would give people the nicknames that were favorite to them.
And at the same time, he would be completely absorbed in the thought or the preparation for the hereafter. This was
a good old he said candidate majority, majority said they use coffee machine, Emery duniya, Walmart to Ashland dakara duniya cup, a Buddha what he said the gatherings of Muhammad, were gatherings of the hereafter.
No matters of dunya would be discussed. In fact, a Buddha would set I have never seen make mention of dunya at all. Like you know in
Over
the gatherings of Muhammad, his study circles, they were heavily attended. But the interest of the majority of the students was not just in his knowledge as much as it was in his sublime manners in his etiquette, how he carried himself. It's made him not only Yeah, he said that there were around 5000 students sitting in Imam Ahmed classes. It was only 500 to 10% 500 who were writing, but the remainder of them 4500 They were just observing that madness, the etiquette of Iran bad luck, bye.
What do we know about his humbleness? I will Jaffery he said, listen to this description. I will. He said Mohammed was the shyest of people, the most generous of them. He was the best of companions. He had the lofty stuff man who's he would frequently look to the ground, and would only ever be hard revising Hadith with someone or remembering the righteous people. His character was one of gravity, he said, composure, beautiful choosing of words. And if anyone met him, he would greet them with delight and attention. And he would intensely humble himself to the scholars of Islam. And they revealed him to Allah Akbar.
The great scholar, Yahya Abdul mine and his lifelong friend and companion, he said that I have never seen anyone greater than 100. That is his best friend, his Travelmate Subhanallah his roommate, he is saying, Oh, you have never seen anyone greater than 100.
He never saw himself as being greater or above us, because he was an Arab. In fact, he never even brought it up.
And when Mohammed was asked whether or not he was an Arab, and of course we know he was an Arab who has ancestry meeting at the ancestry of the prophets of Allah, Allah He was sent him they said, Are you an Arab? What did Hamid say? He said, we'll call one Misaki and we are people to be pitied you and rip said forget me. I'm a person to be pitied. Now in
In fact, it will be for Zara he said, listen to this narration. My mother suffered from paralysis for 20 years background.
And she wants her to go to Imam Muhammad him to humble and ask him to make dua for me. So I made my way to his house. I knocked on the door. He said Who is it? I said, I'm a member of your locality. My mother, she's an older handicapped woman. And she's asked me to ask you to make dua to Allah subhanaw taala on her behalf.
He said I heard from the other side of the door, Imam Muhammad mumbling words of anger. This didn't make him happy.
And then he said, Nothing What I will do. And third, hola Halina. He said, We are more in need of her dua than she is of mine.
Like it upset him, Why am I being identified as the supposedly righteous man, I need to hurt a lot more than she needs mine. Look how humble he was. The man said Swan, Allah What can I do? Like I've upset the man. So I made my way back home. And then afterwards, the door opened up again. And there was a woman she said, Excuse me, were you the one who just spoke to a boy Abdullah Imam Muhammad, he said, Yeah, she said, I just want to let you know that I left him and he and he was making dua for your mother. The man said I rushed home, I knocked on the front door of my mother's house, the door opened up and it was my mother standing on two feet. And she said to me, at will have Allahu
Allah has gifted me with well being.
Now this is very different, of course to a person who sits in public gatherings, a shake, or otherwise expecting his hand to be kissed by every student in finding it completely acceptable that Baraka blessings are sought from his clothes, sweat from his hair, so from his sweat, the people have class sincerity. They don't consider any aspect of theirs, meaning greater than others, not their items not their do. Not anything else. This was exemplified by Mr.
Fina, Muhammad would also ask his sons to take note of the names of the people who visited them, so as to ensure that he returns the favor and visits them back. I think he also wants to heard someone say to him,
just Allah who just ask Allah why didn't you say to him, I apologize. Yeah. May Allah reward you for everything that you have done for Islam.
But even I haven't, he said, Better jazz. Hola, hola. Cinema, Annie Hira, Mani Anna Juana? He said no rather May Allah reward Islam for what it has done for me. You're seeing me Allah reward me.
What I have done? It's not no. May Allah reward Islam for what it has done for me, after all, who am I? And what am I am I said, Who am I? And what am I?
This was the way of the scholars of the past. Their great knowledge of Allah and His Majesty caused them to realize the weakness of ourselves.
And there was Subhanallah an amusing incident that involved Imam Muhammad, which again uncovers another side to his forgiving and forbearing and easygoing personality Imam Muhammad may Allah have mercy on him. Imam Muhammad and his travel meet and study made and best friend Yeah, even though mine
they will once both praying in a masjid and then a storyteller stood up and he began to narrate this story. And he said,
you know, humble, and yeah, no matter in narrated to me, that abdulrazaq narrated that Mama narrated that Qatar that narrated that and narrated that the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam narrated, you got this whole chain of narration that he's made up. He said that the Prophet said, Whoever says La Ilaha illa Allah know God worthy of worship, but Allah, Allah creates a bird for each of those words. And then he This bird has a beak of gold and feathers from coral. And he continued relaying this 20 page. baseless narration just made it up. Storyteller. You get them in every community. I have an Yeah, he looked at each other. As if to say, that's the first time we've
ever heard of this narration and he's saying we quoted it to him. Did you tell him with this duration? He said, No, he said no to die. So they both remain quiet. Till he finished the story. Then yeah, I called him. So the man made his way to Yahoo thinking that he's going to give him some money for his amazing story. Right? I said to him, just out of interest who narrated the story to you? He said the great Imams, I haven't any I have no mind.
Yeah, he said, Well, I am you're here. This is Ahmed. Neither of us have ever heard of your story before. So the man was obviously exposed. So he needed to, you know, think of something quick on the spot to get himself out of this sticky situation. So he said,
You know, I used to hear that, ya know, McCain was an idiot. But now that I've met you, I am sure that you are in India. He said to them, Do you think that you two are the only young I have no mine and I have an even more humble in this world. I have taken knowledge from 17 Different your abdomen I use an app I didn't know handles in this world. 17 of them. Same name, just different people. So Upon hearing this, ama just covered his face with his clothes, like oh my god, what is this?
And he said to Yeah, just let them go. Have mercy upon him just let them go. The narration said Fatah McHale, Musa ze and Houma so the man just got up scornfully and he walked away like, what do you guys know? Good to say?
What do we know of the worship of Him out of a hammock he was one of the greatest worshipers of his era. His son Abdullah said that his father 100, used to perform 300 units of cyanide a day. And after the fitna that he experienced and the lashing that he received this week in his body, so he reduced it to 150 150 units a day. He was in his late 70s At the time, and he would recite a seventh of the Quran on a daily basis. So he would complete the Quran from cover to cover on a weekly basis.
And that is apparently excluding the Quran, which he would recite during his prayer during the day. And he would nap lightly after the action of prayer, and then he would remain awake until
Allahu Akbar What else do we know about this great Imam Ahmed said MERG Hadith and, and in the views of Allahu Allah, he was sitting in our Wakata having to be there isn't any Hadith that I have written down from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, except that I made an effort to first apply its teaching.
And unlike us, Imam Muhammad had memorized hundreds of 1000s of narrations, but he made an effort to apply each and every single one of them. For example, He knew that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had cupping therapy he Jama done and that the Prophet gave one dinar to the therapist. So Mohammed requested cupping therapy on his body and he gave one dinar of gold to the therapist.
He knew, for example, that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam hid in a cave for three days during his escape from Mecca to Medina, the analyst estimate about them about this. He said, Yeah, I found a cave and I spent spent three days in it as well.
In fact, even America only started to teach at the age of 40. And he argued that this was the age of which the prophets of Allah Allah who has sent them, received prophethood from Allah subhanho wa Taala amazing adherence to the Sunnah right down to his last breath as we shall find out.
And the student of knowledge once spent the night
at the house of Imam Muhammad and so I met he placed a container of water so that he can do his will do his washing for the night prayer.
But when it came to him for the fajr prayer so that they may pray, he noticed that the water had not been moved from its place. So Mohammed said to him Subhanallah Raju Luna, Yet Allah will I'ma Well, I don't believe he said Subhanallah can it be a student of knowledge who doesn't pray at night? He seemed to him that this knowledge should show up in every one of your doings, including worship changes should be something that we see about you that changes and has an illusory he would say cannot Roger who is taller than Haman. Let me get back on your feet. Bizarrely, he will he certainly he was already he was on it. What I can assure you he was already in the past when a person would
start his journey of knowledge. And hasn't he said the effects of this learning Woods instantly start appearing in his glances. His words in his hands. This prayer in his humility is minimalism.
A chef Yeah, he also praised I haven't my saying that Ahmed is an imam. Eight matters. Imam and Hadith. Imam, an
imam in language. Imam an
imam in poverty. Imam in the minimalism Imam Anwar caution imam in the Salah.
May Allah have mercy upon this great individual
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