ibrahim ibnadham

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Khatam SharifFebruary 2006 Page 1 of 18

Shaykh Ibrahim bin Adham

Imam Qushayri state:

The root of chivalry is that the servants strive constantly for the sake of

others. Chivalry is to have a beautiful character.

Ihsar - Chivalryhere are many waqiahs in relation to chivalry. One such waqiah is

when the Holy Prophet (saw), Sayyiduna Ali and another sahabi

were sharing one horse. The Holy Prophet (saw) rode the horse for

one stage of the journey and then dismounted to give it to the sahaba. The

sahabi gave up his turn for the Holy Prophet (saw) and Sayyiduna Ali .

When it was Sayyiduna Alis turn he said, Ya Rasul-Allah (saw), please

take my turn, as I am a young person and I can walk for further. This is

chivalry because Sayyiduna Ali is willing to walk, but the Prophet (saw)

replied, No, I also am in need of this. So they too are practising chivalry.

The perfect example of chivalry is displayed by the conduct of Sayyiduna Ali

. Amongst many other virtues, Sayyiduna Ali is renowned the most for

having this quality amongst the sahabas. Data Sahib say that this is

reaffirmed in the Holy Quran, in the 30th Chapter. Where Allah (swt) praise

Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyida Fatimah , because they went without food for

T

In H onour Of The V enerable


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three days, as everyday they would give away what they had. They preferred

others even when they themselves were in need.

In one battle, Sayyiduna Ali had overpowered an enemy warrior and had his

sword at the mans throat, when the man spat in his noble face. Immediately

SayyidunaAli got up, put away his sword, and told the man, Taking your

life is unlawful to me. Goyou are free. The man was amazed, O Ali, he

asked, I was helpless, you were about to kill me, I insulted you and you

released me. Why? Sayyiduna Ali replied, When you spat in my face it

aroused the anger of my ego. If I had killed you then it would not have been

for the sake of Allah, but for the sake of my ego. I would have been a

murderer. You are free to go. The enemy warrior was deeply moved by this

show of great nobility and so embraced Islam immediately.

In another battle, Sayyiduna Ali encountered a handsome young warrior

who moved to attack him. Sayyiduna Alis heart was full of pity and

compassion for this misguided youth. He said out aloud, O young man, do

you not know who I am? I am Ali the Lion of Allah! No one can escape from

my sword. Go, and save yourself! The young man continued towards him,

sword in hand. Why do you wish to attack me? Why do you wish to die?

Sayyiduna Ali asked. The man answered, I love a girl who vowed she

would be mine, only if I killed you. But what if you die? asked Sayyiduna Ali

. The man replied, What is better, than dying for the one I love? At worst,

would I not be relieved of the agonies of love? Hearing this, Sayyiduna Ali

dropped his sword, took off his helmet, and stretched out his neck.

Confronted by such chivalry, the love in the young mans heart was

transformed into love for Sayyiduna Ali and for Rasul-Allah (saw).

Chivalry was practiced by all the sahabas as Imam al-Qushayri say, The

essence of futuwwa noble, generous, and honorable conduct is that the

servant should always be working for the sake of something other than

himself. In the battle of Tabuk one nephew was looking for his uncle

amongst the injured. After finding him, he approached him and found his lips

parched from thirst. As he was about to make him drink from his waterskin


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they both heard another sahabi asking for water. The uncle instructed his

nephew to go and serve him first. Again just as he was about to place the

waterskin to the sahabis lips; they heard a third person nearby pleading for

water. So this sahabi orders the young man to go and give water to this

soldier, however he died before he could drink the water. Afterwards he

returned to the other two sahaba and found they both had met their Lord and

were now drinking from the gardens of paradise.

He is the sultan of this world and of deen and dunya, he is the mountain

of certainty, he is the treasure of the world of isolation, he is the treasure

of secrets, he is the lord of the greater realm, he has been brought up with

lutfandkarmand is the master of the world, Ibrahim bin Adham.(Shaykh Fariduddin Attar )

Noble BirthShaykh Ibrahim Bin Adham was pious and siddiq of the time, his father was

called Adham, grandfather was called Suleiman and his great grandfather

was called Mansur. He was born in the 2nd century AH, 8th century AD, in the

Holy city of Makkah sharif. When Shaykh Ibrahims father, Shaykh Adham

, went on Hajj, he had taken his wife with him who was infact pregnant with

Shaykh Ibrahim . The baby was born during the pilgrimage rituals of Hajj;

his mother washed her newborn son in the well of Zam Zam sharif, wrapped

him and carried him in her arms as she made tawaaf of the holy Kabah.

Shaykh Adham would pray and ask others to make dua that his son would

become a pious and an honourable man, others say this is the reason as to

why Shaykh Ibrahim became a great saint of Allah (swt).

Shaykh Ibrahim grew up to become a handsome prince of Balkh

(Afghanistan), his father, a rich and powerful king, gave him everything he

could possibly want. He had a magnificent palace to live in, the finest silks to

wear and plenty of servants to obey his very wish. Whenever he travelled he

would have forty riders ride before him and forty behind, such was his life.


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During these days Shaykh Ibrahim bought a slave and asked him a series

of questions, What is your name? What do you eat? What do you wear?

What work do you do? And what do you desire? The slave replied, My

name is whatever you call me, I eat what you provide me, I wear what you

give me, I do what you tell me to do and what I desire? What has desire got

anything to do with being a slave? Shaykh Ibrahim suddenly felt strange

and asked himself, O unfortunate one, have you been like this with your lord?

Learn the etiquette of servanthood from this slave! After this event he cried

so much he became unconscious. This experience was an early awakening

to realising his true purpose, which was destined to unfold.

The CallOne night as he was sleeping, around midnight the roof of his palace shook

as if it were to collapse, he asked, Who is it? The stranger replied, I

am.you know me. I have lost my camel and I am looking for it, Shaykh

Ibrahim said, O foolish one! Youre looking for the camel on top of a roof,

how are you expecting to find it there? This stranger replied, O heedless

one! Just as you hope to find God in these soft beds and silk clothing, for me

to seek my camel on your roof is that any stranger? After this event, an awe

of whelm spread into his heart, a fire was lit and he became pre-occupied in

contemplation, bewilderment and sadness and could sleep no more.

At daybreak he sat on his throne, the ministers of state stood each in his

place and his slaves were drawn up in their ranks. Suddenly a very awe-

inspiring man came into this gathering, but nobody had the courage to ask

this person who he was and why he had come. He walked straight up to

Shaykh Ibrahim who asked, What do you want? He replied, I have come

to settle in this caravanserai. Shaykh Ibrahim said, This is not a

caravanserai, its my palace! The stranger asked, Whose palace was it

before you? Shaykh Ibrahim replied, My fathers. The stranger then

asked, Who owned the palace before him? Shaykh Ibrahim replied, My

grandfather. Then the stranger asked, Where are they now? Shaykh

Ibrahim said, They have left they have died. The stranger then stated,


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Is this then not a caravanserai, a place where one comes and another one

goes?

Saying this he departed very quickly and Shaykh Ibrahim ran after him and

implored to him to listen, By God, I want to have a conversation with you,

please stay. Who are you, and where have you come from? You have set

my heart on fire! The stranger replied, I am from land, I am from sea, I am

from heaven, I am from the other world, my famous name is Khidr. Shaykh

Ibrahim asked, Please wait, so I may go back to my palace to settle my

affairs. Sayyiduna Khidr (as) replied that the matter could not wait and then

disappeared. The pain and the longing in Shaykh Ibrahim grew, and blazed

fiercely in his soul, and he narrates:

I came to such a state that I would see something at night in a

dream and then in the following day it would happen. I could take it

no more so I had my horse saddled to go to hunting. In the state of

bewilderment I became separated from my riders and ended up in

the middle of the desert. I then heard a voice say, wake up! I

heard this command a few times more and then I heard, be awake

before you are awoken! and after hearing this I lost all self con trol

and fell, then a storm came.

After picking myself up, I saw some animal and I began to hunt it,

then to my astonishment it turned around looked me in the eyes

and said, I have been sent to hunt you! Not for you to hunt me!

This is not the reason why you have been created; have you not

got anything better to do? I asked myself what kind of situation is

this and if I was imagining the whole thing, and then I heard the

same words coming from my saddle, and my fear increased, I

began to see things more openly. When Allah (swt) wanted to

complete his work I heard this conversation further from within

myself, and then I began to see what is in the higher realm, it

became manifest to me. I began to see the hidden men of Allah

and I attained certainty. Following this I cried so much that all my


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clothes and my horse were full of my tears and I repented with

sincerity.

After dismounting from his horse, he saw a shepherd wearing felt clothes and

a felt hat. He took his gold-embroidered cloak and bejewelled cap and gave

them to him and requested for his clothes in return, which he donned upon

himself. This symbolic event was to change his life forever and marked a

transition from wealth and power to spirituality and poverty and the moment is

best described as:

All the Angels stood gazing on Shaykh Ibrahim . What a kingdom has

come to the son of Adham, they cried. He has cast away the filthy

garments of the world, and has donned the glorious robes of poverty.

Turning his back on his kingdom, lamenting and repenting over his past life,

he proceeded on foot over mountainous terrains and arrid deserts; he

eventually reached the city of Merv. Here he saw a man who had fallen from

a bridge and was about to perish in the waves of the river. Shaykh Ibrahim

immediately made the following supplication, O God, preserve him! Suddenly

the man became suspended in mid-air until helpers arrived and pulled him to

saftey. Many witnessed this miracle and cried out, Who is this man? and

Where has he come from? To avoid attention Shaykh Ibrahim swiftly left

this place, and travelled south to the great capital, Nishapur.

Cave in NishapurOn the outskirts of Nishapur, Shaykh Ibrahim searched for a desolate place

where he could busy himself with obedience to Allah (swt). He found an

empty ghar (cave) and began to pray there. He spent nine years in this

particular cave, three years in each of the three compartments, and Allah

(swt) knows best what kind of prayers and hardships he went through in these

nine years of isolation.


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Every Thursday Shaykh Ibrahim would climb above the cave and collect

firewood, which he would sell the following morning in the town of Nishapur.

After performing the Juma prayers, he would buy from his earnings a piece of

bread, which he would break into two and give a piece to another dervish and

use the other half to break his fasts. This would be his practice for every

week.

During the winter it was so cold in the cave, it was close to freezing, especially

during the nights. In one particular night, Shaykh Ibrahim needed to do

ghusul for his ibadats. As it was so cold he thought he would die if he

attempted it, however despite this fear, he broke a piece of ice and washed.

During the ghusulhe felt something was giving heat to his back, but yet could

not see what, as it was still too dark. After completing his prayers and other

ibadats he fell asleep, and when daylight came he felt very warm. As he

turned to see the source of this heat, he realised it was a python, it was

blowing hot air onto his back. When seeing the python he prayed O lord you

have sent him to me as a mercy, but now looking at him I fear him. So from

that moment the python moved away and rubbed its face two or three times in

the dust and vanished infront of him.

Shaykh Ibrahims fame for piety, poverty and chivalry spread far and wide.

As more people came to recognise this, he decided to move on and left the

cave. When Shaykh Abu Said Abu al-Khayr , went to do the ziyaret of the

cave he said, Subhanallah! If you were to fill this ghar with musk, it would

still not give as greater fragrance it contains, because of one pious man

spending a few days and creating this atmosphere of spirituality...may Allah

bless him.

His TravelsWandering in the wilderness and measuring each step with prayer and

forgiveness. His travels led him from Baghdad to Syria and onto Tarsus.

Whilst travelling, he worked constantly to help and serve others, spending the

wages of his labour on his disciples and companions, while choosing the


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simplest ascetic provisions for himself. He wore a turban and common cheap

clothing without proper shoes, in winter, a sheepskin jacket over a shirt; in

summer a simple shirt and a loincloth. Regardless of travelling, he fasted

regularly, and maintained the all-night vigil, and was constantly in dhikr.

Eventually he left Tarsus for the Holy sanctuary of Makkah sharif.

On another part of this journey he arrived at Zat ul- Irq. Here he met one of

seven mystics who was facing the pangs of death and asked, What is your

state young man? The young man replied, Ya Ibn Adham, we are Sufi

people and we set off on tawwakul. We made a pact with our Lord that we

would not ask of anyone but from Him and have no fear or hope but from Him.

When we arrived at this place, Khidr (as) appeared to us and gave us

salaams. He also gave us glad tidings and said our efforts had been

rewarded and our desire that we wish from Allah (swt) had been granted. In

that moment, whilst Khidr (as) was giving us these glad tidings we heard a

voice say, O Liars! And Pretenders! You made a pact with Me, that you will

have nothing to do with anyone else, why are you speaking to someone else

other than Me? And from that voice we heard, Until you give your blood, I

will not make peace with you again! So that is why the others have given

their blood, and I am waiting so I too can make my way back to the pact.

Whilst listening to this young man Shaykh Ibrahim became bewildered and

asked, The rest of your companions have died and you are the sole survivor,

why is this? He replied, I am not as advanced as the six mystics before me,

I am still weak and need to address my weaknesses. Until I too become ripe

and reach the level I promised with my brothers, I wait patiently. Whilst

saying this he also achieved that level and passed into the divine presence.

Ism-e Azam InitiationDuring this period of Shaykh Ibrahims life, he was initiated into the great

name of Allah (swt), the Ism-e Azam.

Whilst walking in the desert (badiyah), he met a stranger who was as

physically weak as he was. They travelled for a little while together and

stopped to pray Salat ul-Maghrib, on completion the stranger recited some


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strange mystic words, which were unknown to Shaykh Ibrahim . At once

two containers appeared, one of food and the other of water, which they ate

and drank. After accompanying this man for a few days he initiated Shaykh

Ibrahim into the Ism-e Azam, after which he disappeared. At a latter stage

of this journey Shaykh Ibrahim met Khidr (as), who said, This person who

has given you the name of Allah, is my brother Ilyas (as).

Arriving In Makkah SharifIt was fourteen years after leaving Nishapur, Shaykh Ibrahim finally arrived

at Makkah sharif, the holy people; the Shaykhs of Makkah sharif longing for

his arrival went out to welcome him. However Shaykh Ibrahim hid himself

so he would not be recognised. He ran ahead of the group he was travelling

with, so that he could enter the city without attracting attention. Meanwhile

the khadims of the Shaykhs had gone ahead to look for him. Encountering

the Shaykh well in front of the bigger group, without knowing who he was,

they asked, Do you know who Shaykh Ibrahim is from amongst the

approaching group? We have a grand reception for him." Not revealing his

own identity he replied, What do you want with that heretic? Deeply offended

by the remarks, the khadims beat him. How dare you insult such a holy man

and call him a heretic, it is you who is the heretic! shouted the khadims. I

agree, that is what I am saying.replied the injured Shaykh Ibrahim . When

the khadims finally had enough and left, Shaykh Ibrahim picked himself up

and addressed his nafs, Well! Did you enjoy the grand reception,

Alhamdullilah! I saw you getting excited about it, now you have tasted the

welcome and been put in your place! However later on people found out it

was him and begged for his forgiveness and welcomed him to live in Makkah

sharif.

One of the companions of Shaykh Ibrahim narrates,

I requested Shaykh Ibrahim to be his companion, to travel with him

for Hajj. He said, Young man, we people have our way, you might not

be able to follow it. I pleaded with the Shaykh not to deny me his


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companionship, as I really wanted to be with him. He then agreed and

said, Ok, but we have to elect an Amir, because Rasul-Allahs (saw)

sunnat is that if two people travel then you must appoint an Amir. I

immediately said, You are older and wiserso you must be the Amir, I

will follow you. Shaykh Ibrahim agreed to this, but on the journey he

started to cook and clean after me. I protested, you are the Amir let

me do this, but this was to no avail as he said, Before we set off on

this journey you wanted me as Amir, I did not protest, now I am telling

you to follow and let me be the Amir. So throughout the journey he did

everything, he cooked for me, looked after me and when it was hot he

would shield me from the heat and when it was cold he would do all he

could to keep me warm. When I became ill he spent whatever he had

on me, whatever I desired he fulfilled, he even sold his donkey and

spent the money on me. When I became better I could not see the

donkey, I asked Where is the donkey? He told me he had sold it, I

then said, I am very weak, what am I going to ride on? And for three

manzils (stages) of the journey he carried me on his back.

Once we had completed the Hajj rituals, I immediately said, I think we

need to re-negotiate. We should elect a new Amir, and this time I will

be Amir. Shaykh Ibrahim said, Ok, thats fine, as you like, well

travel like this. But as we started our travels he began to serve me in

the same manner and love as before. I protested, No Shaykh, no! As

the Amir I am telling you dont do this. But he replied, You are the

Amir, it is necessary for me to look after you. Amir means leader, so

you are my leader. This is good manners, and I must serve you. So

he kept serving me on the latter part of our journey.

In the holy mosque one day it came to Shaykh Ibrahims heart to do tawaaf

of the Kabah whilst it was not so busy. But this

seemed impossible, as there were many

pilgrims. That night a giant thunderstorm

engulfed Makkah sharif and the Kabah was


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suddenly vacated as pilgrims ran for cover. Shaykh Ibrahim narrate, I

then saw an opportunity to do tawaaf. It was such a situation that I was the

only one doing tawaaf. I approached the Kabah and took hold of the ghilaf

and prayed, Oh Allah, keep me away from sin. And then I heard a voice

within me say, Oh Ibrahim, everyone asks us of this, to be sinless. But if I

make all of you sinless then where will my mercy go? I then prayed, Oh

Allah, forgive my sins. I heard the same voice say, Everyone asks this, ask

for something else. I then prayed, Oh my Lord, the seven heavens are

meaningless to me, what I seek is your love and your uns (intimacy). Ya

Rabb, take me out of the life of zillat (shame), and give me the honour of your

obedience.

If there was no sin, God would destroy this world

as sin is needed for His mercy.(Shaykh Muhyiuddin Ibn Arabi )

NisbetRasul-Allah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam

Sayyiduna Ali

Imam Hasan al-Basri

Shaykh Abd al- Wahid bin Zaid

Shaykh Fudayl bin Iyadh

Shaykh Attar say,because Sayyiduna Khidr (as) trained Shaykh Ibrahim

under his supervision, he was his spiritual

Master. But nevertheless Shaykh Ibrahim

became the disciple of a living Shaykh,

Shaykh Fudayl bin Iyadh in Makkah Sharif.

At the dergah of Shaykh Fudayl , he was

made to renounce his false pride. For a man

who was a King of such a grand kingdom, his Shaykh was very strict with him,

and infact made him carry out the garbage on a regular basis. Shaykh

Shrine of Shaykh Attar


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Ibrahim did as he was ordered without any ill feeling, and carried the

garbage out on his shoulders. The other disciples could not bear to see that

this great noble being was subjected to such humiliation, so they pleaded to

their Shaykh to give him another task, which was more befitting. Shaykh

Fudayl said, Well alright, well have a test. So he sent someone to knock

the garbage over whilst Shaykh Ibrahim was carrying it. Shaykh Ibrahim

looked at him sternly and said, When I was king, I would have never put up

with that. This was then told to Shaykh Fudayl who then said, Hes not

ready yet. Some months later, the incident was repeated. This time, Shaykh

Ibrahim just looked at the one who knocked the garbage over. Just like

before when Shaykh Fudayl heard about it, he said, Hes still not ready.

Then, finally, months later when the garbage was knocked over for the third

time, Shaykh Ibrahim didnt even look to see who did it. He just picked the

garbage up and continued with his chore. After hearing this, Shaykh Fudayl

went out and embraced him and gave him a very high initiation and thus he

became the successor.

Personality and CharacterWhilst walking one day, Shaykh Ibrahim came across a wealthy young man

who was spewing due to having drunk alcohol. He vomited so much that flies

were attracted to him and this excessive spewing caused him to lose

consciousness. Upon seeing him Shaykh Ibrahim was very upset. The

thought occurred to him that the very tongue that pronounces the name of

Allahhas become impure due to alcohol. So he collected some water and

washed the vomit around this mans mouth. He then prayed to Allah (swt),Oh Allah, though he is unworthy and disobediently involved in sin, You are

my Friend and he is a servant of my Friend. In view of the fact that I consider

him to be Your servant even though he is a sinner I will cast my attention on

him, for he is nonetheless connected to You.

The splash of cold water on the mans face immediately woke him up. He

came to his senses and sat up. He saw Shaykh Ibrahim and said: Ibrahim

you are an Awliya. You are he who has given up a Kingdom and yet you are


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tending to a miserable drunkard like me? Shaykh Ibrahim replied, Seeing

you in this state aroused compassion in me. I saw you in a state where flies

are attracted to you, but because you are a servant of Allah, I deemed it

correct to serve you This young man was surprised and replied, I was

always under the impression that men of Allah look down upon sinners.

Today I have come to realise that none are as compassionate to sinners as

the friends of Allah. Please give me your hands, so that I can make taubah, I

can repent for my sins and become you follower. Shaykh Ibrahim

accepted his request for Bayat and made him repent from his sins. At that

moment Shaykh Ibrahim received the ability to see hidden things, and he

saw that this young man had surpassed many pious individuals of that period

due to his repenting.

Every son of Adam is a sinner but the best of sinners is he who repents.(Rasul-Allah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam)

There was once a young man who fell in love with a girl, when meeting her he

soon realised she too had similar feelings for him. However they both

understood that it wasnt right for them to meet alone and after a short while

he left and did a very sincere tawba. On his way home he was troubled and

soon came to meet a prophet of the time. The prophet asked, Where are you

travelling to? The young man replied, I am lost, and am in need of

guidance. The prophet invited him to walk with him, and as they continued

on their journey they both noticed a cloud shading them. The young man

thought that it must be shading them because the man with him was a

prophet and very pious. As they were both about to separate ways they

observed the cloud move over the young man and not the prophet, so the

prophet asked him, What is it you have done? The young man narrated his

story to the prophet. The prophet said to him, This is happening because

you did a sincere tawba and Allah is so pleased with you that there is a cloud

shading you!

Halal Livelihood


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Shaykh Ibrahim once asked a person, Do you desire to become and

Auliyah? The man replied, Of course! Shaykh Ibrahim said to him, Then

dont attach yourself to one particle to this world, or to the next, and turn your

face towards Allah (swt) completely, and from everyone else apart from Allah

wash your hands and eat from the halal rizq. And he went on to say,

Nothing is more beneficial to this path for becoming a man of Allah. Than a

person being careful of what enters his throat, and therefore is conscious

about what he eats is halal and what he earns is halal. Halal livelihood is

more important and more beneficial than any other action.

On one occasion there was young man, whom people said, had attained great

spiritual states (haal). When hearing this Shaykh Ibrahim said, Bring him

to me so I can verify this claim. When this young man was brought to the

Shaykhs presence he was told to be his guest for a period of three days.

During these days Shaykh Ibrahim fed this young man from his halal

provisions that he had earned with his own hands. Soon after, this person

began to lose his spiritual state and started to lack in his ibadats. It soon

transpired that what was pumping out was his ego and shaytan and not

genuine spirituality. Shaykh Ibrahim went on to explain to him, Your

prayers and fasting were fine, but what you were eating was not halal.

Therefore, it is this that was giving you the false impression that you were

spiritually progressing whereas in reality you were not.

Reunion With His SonWhen Shaykh Ibrahim had left Balkh in his youth; he had a son who was

still an infant. When that son grew up he asked about his father, his mother

said, Your father is lost, and maybe you will find an indication of his

whereabouts in Makkah sharif. The son replied, I will go to Makkah sharif

and I will do ziyaret and khidmat. So he went out and said to his people,

Anyone who wishes to do hajj with me, saddle your horse, for I will pay for

all! Four thousand people gathered around him and volunteered for this

journey.


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When the caravan from Balkh arrived at Haram sharif, in Makkah sharif, they

saw a dervish and asked him, Do you know Ibrahim bin Adham? He replied,

Yes, he is our master. They then asked where he was, to which he replied,

He has gone to the jungle to collect wood, which he will sell for bread and

then share amongst us. After hearing this, his son set off in the direction of

the jungle in search of his father. After a while he saw Shaykh Ibrahim

walking slowly, whilst crouching over, due to the heavy load of wood he was

carrying on his back. The son broke down into tears when he heard his father

say, Who will buy a clean thing with a clean thing, a halal thing with a halal

thing? A person then came and bought the wood with bread.

Shaykh Ibrahim used to preach to all his followers, Dont look at young

boys and women, especially during hajj. All the dervishes accepted and

followed this advice. When the hajjis were doing tawaaf, Shaykh Ibrahim

and his followers were also amongst them. After a while Shaykh Ibrahim

saw a beautiful young man and began to gaze at him, his followers were

puzzled by this and when they finished their tawaaf, some said to him, May

Allah have mercy on you! You tell us not to look at women and young men

and yet you are looking at that young boy. Shaykh Ibrahim said,Did you

see him? These followers replied they had, then he said, It came to my

heart maybe he was my son, who I left in Balkh, at that time he was an infant

and I feel it may be him.

However throughout this entire time his son did not make his presence aware

to his father. Every day he would come and look at his father and observe

him from far. One day Shaykh Ibrahim went to the caravan from Balkh and

met the people who had come from there. He went into one of the camps and

he saw the same young man sitting on a chair and reading the holy Quran,

he was reciting the ayat,

Inama amwalokum wa aulado kum fitnaMost certainly your possessions and your children are a source of fitna.

(Holy Quran)


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After hearing this Shaykh Ibrahim began to weep and said, Allah has said

true, God has spoken the truth. And he returned to his abode and instructed

one of his followers to go and ask the boy whose son he is.

Shaykh Ibrahims follower came to the young Prince and asked him where

he was from, and who his father was. He replied he was from Balkh, and then

put his head down and whilst crying said I am the son of Ibrahim bin Adham,

I have not seen my father until yesterday and I am not certain whether it is

him or not, and I am afraid if I speak to him he might run away from me . This

dervish then says, Come with me, I will take you to him.

Shaykh Ibrahim were sitting with his followers near Rukn-e Yamani, and

when this boy and his mother saw Shaykh Ibrahim they could no longer

contain their sabr, They cried and the lady said to her son that this is your

father. They all started to cry and the son fell unconscious, when he came to

his senses he gave salams to his father. His father took him to one side and

said, What deen are you on? The son replied, I am on Islam. Shaykh

Ibrahim said, Alhamdolillah, and then further asked, Do you know the

Quran? The son replied, yes and Shaykh Ibrahim again said,

Alhamdolillah. He then asked have you learnt anything from knowledge, the

son replied, yes he had, and Shaykh Ibrahim said, Alhamdolillah. After

this Shaykh Ibrahim wanted to leave but his son and wife implored him to

stay a while longer. Shaykh Ibrahim raised his head to the heavens and

said, O Lord, help me and at that moment his son died. His followers,

shocked and bewildered asked what had happened. Shaykh Ibrahim said,

When he grabbed hold of my cloak, my heart began to feel attachment

towards him, and then I heard a voice say, Ya Ibrahim, you claim to love Me,

then how can you love Me and someone else? And you say to other people

dont look at women and young children and yet you yourself are looking at

your wife and child! When I heard this voice I said, O my Lord, come to my

aid. If he becomes an obstacle for the love I have for you then either take him

or take me. And the prayer was accepted in his favour rather than mine.


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Moments With The AwliyaShaykh Ibrahim associated with many great Shaykhs throughout his life.

Shaykh Junaid al-Baghdadi said about him, The knowledge of Sufism and

the keys to this knowledge are Ibrahim bin Adham.

One day Shaykh Ibrahim came before Imam al-Azam , and some of the

followers of Imam al-Azam looked down upon

him and made some belittling remarks. Imam

al-Azam immediately referred to Shaykh

Ibrahim as our master, these students asked,

How has he achieved this rank of masterhood?

Imam al-Azam said, He is alwayspreoccupied with his lord, whereas I have other

pre-occupations, and for this reason he is our master.

On another occasion Shaykh Ibrahim sent a disciple to Jerusalem to study

with the venerable Shaykh Sufyan-al-Thawri . When the student arrived at

Shaykh Sufyans home, the neighbours made fun of him for coming so far

to study with such a man, as they were ignorant of Shaykh Sufyan . The

student, however, in the spirit of his master, ignored their behaviour and

declared that he had come not to learn from Shaykh Sufyans religious

authority, but to gain from his humility. When Shaykh Sufyan heard these

words, he reflected on the master who had trained such an aware individual

and decided to meet Shaykh Ibrahim himself. When the two saints of Allah

(swt) met, Shaykh Sufyan said, I am your pupil, in learning to accept

whatever comes to me. From this very first meeting, these two were

delighted so much in each others spiritual company that they sat awake the

whole night with short spurts of conversation and long periods of

contemplative silence.

Passing Into The Divine Presence

Shrine of Imam Al-Azam


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Shaykh Ibrahim bin Adham moved away from dunya towards the end of his

life. For this reason it is not possible to know the exact place of his mazar. At

the time of Shaykh Ibrahims death a voice was heard by all,

Know that the security, the peace, the protection of this world has died!

Many people had become confused as to what had happened for this voice to

be heard. Until they heard that the Shaykh had left this temporary world for

the everlasting one.

Having lived a truly purposeful life Shaykh Ibrahim passed into the divine

presence in approximately 783 AD (163 AH). From the inspiration, which he

left behind, the most vital for us is his promise for hope. His life and words

make it clear that God helps a sincere lover, God sheds mercy on a traveller,

and looks with His eye of grace.

You know that heaven has no more weight for me than a mosquito, since

You have honoured me with Your love, made me intimate with remembrance

of You, and released me to contemplate Your grandeur.

(Shaykh Ibrahim bin Adham )

Al-Fatiha(Complied by Sayyid Sajid and Saeed Rashid)

ibrahim ibnadham

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