Imam Abu ‘Abdullah al-Harits ibn Asad al-‘Anazi al-Muhasibi (q.s.) in Brief

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

Imam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Huzan al-Qushayri (r.a.) recorded, in his Risalah al-Qushayriyyah, Imam Abu ‘Abdullah al-Harits ibn Asad al-‘Anazi al-Muhasibi (q.s.) was unique in his age in regard to religious knowledge, piety scrupulosity, acts of devotion, and mystical states.  He came from Basra, and died in Baghdad in 243 AH.  It is said that he inherited, from his father, the sum of 70 thousand darahim, but he did not take anything from it.  It is said that this was because his father was an adherent of the doctrine of the Qadariyyah and he considered that it would be unscrupulous to take anything from his legacy.  A sound report from the Prophet (s.a.w.) says, “People of two different religions do not inherit anything from one another.” 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Husayn (r.a.) said that he heard from Shaykh al-Husayn ibn Yahya (r.a.), who heard from Shaykh Ja’far ibn Muhammad ibn Nuswayr al-Khuldi (r.a.), who heard from Shaykh Muhammad ibn Masruq (r.a.), who said, “When al-Harits ibn Asad al-Muhasibi died, he had not a single dirham.  His father left him land and real estate, but he did not take anything from it.” 

Shaykh Abu ‘Ali Hasan ibn ‘Ali ad-Daqqaq (q.s.) said, “Whenever al-Harits al-Muhasibi extended his hand to suspicious food, a vein in his finger would begin to move and he would abstain from it.” 

Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Khafif (r.a.) said, “Follow the example of five of our masters and think well of the rest.  They are: al-Harits al-Muhasibi, al-Junayd ibn Muhammad, Abu Muhammad Ruwaym, Abu al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Atha’, and ‘Amr ibn ‘Utsman al-Makki.  They combined knowledge with truths.” 

Imam Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Habib as-Sulami (r.a.) said that he heard from Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali ath-Thusi (r.a.), who heard from Shaykh Ja’far al-Khuldi (r.a.), who heard from Shaykh Abu ‘Uthman al-Baladi (r.a.) who said, Imam al-Harits al-Muhasibi  (q.s.) said, “He who has cleansed his inner self with self-observation and sincerity, God will Embellish his external form with pious self-exertion and the following of sunnah.” 

It is related that Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Junayd ibn Muhammad al-Baghdadi (q.s.) said, “Once I saw al-Harits al-Muhasibi passing by.  I noticed traces of hunger on his face.  I told him, ‘Uncle, come into the house and have something to eat.’  He agreed.  I entered the house and searched for something to feed him with.  At that time, there was, in the house some food that was brought to me from a wedding party.  So, I took this food and gave it to him.  He took a morsel of the food, and rolled it in his mouth several times, then he stood up, threw it into the corridor, and left. 

When I saw him a few days later, I inquired about this.  He answered, ‘I was hungry and wanted to make you happy by eating your food.  However, there is between me and God a sign. He does not permit me to eat any suspicious food.  Therefore, He did not allow me to swallow that food.  Where did it come to you from?’  I said that it was brought to the house of a relative of mine from a wedding party.  I asked him whether he would come in today.  He said that he would.  I gave him a piece of dry bread that we happened to have.  He ate it, and said, ‘If you want to give something to the poor one, it should be something like this.’”