A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   On the authority of Sayyidina Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ( r.a. ), Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ) said, “Allah ( s.w.t. ) has Created three hundred people, whose hearts are like that of Adam, and He Created forty people whose hearts are like Moses.   He also Created seven people whose hearts are like that of Abraham, and he Created five people with a heart like that of Gabriel, and three people with a heart like that of Mika’il and only one person with a heart like that of Rafa’il.   When such a person dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Replace him with one of the three.   When one of such three dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Replace him with one of the five.   When one of the seven dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Replace him with one of the forty, and when one of the forty dies, He will Replace him with one of the three hundred and when one of the three hundred elite dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) will Replace him with someone He Chooses...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) recorded, in his Hilyat al-Awliya’ , on the authority of Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-A‘asw ( r.a. ), that Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ) said, “The Akhyar amongst my ummah in every century are five hundred, and the Abdal are forty and their number does not increase.   Neither the five hundred nor forty diminish in number.   When one amongst the forty Abdal dies, Allah ( s.w.t. ) Replaces him with one of the five hundred.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) wrote, in Hilyat al-Awliya’ , “A brother who remembers God because of you, when you meet him, is better than a friend who places a dinar in your hand every time you meet him.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) wrote, in Hilyat al-Awliya’ , “The one who intentionally misses swalah , his name will be engraved on the portal of Hell.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu‘aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) recorded, in Hilyat al-Awliya’ , “‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated, ‘On many occasions, I saw my father placing the Blessed hair of Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ) on his mouth and kissing it.  He would also place it on both his eyes.  I also saw him passing that Blessed hair in water and then drinking that water to obtain shifa’ .  He also had a bowl which was used by Rasulullah ( s.a.w. ).  He would wash it with water and drink that water.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu ’ aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) wrote, on Sayyidina Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ), “Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Utsman ibn ‘Affan ( r.a. ) met anxiety with patience, and he travelled through afflictions with thankfulness to his Lord.   He sipped the bitter taste of his trials and tribulations in this world to savour the everlasting sweetness and solace of Salvation in the Hereafter.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ According to Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ), once Jesus ( a.s. ) met Satan and Satan asked, “Is it not true that only what has been Decreed will happen?” Jesus ( a.s. ) replied, “That is true.” Then Satan said, “So throw yourself down from the top of this mountain, and let us see if you live or not!” Jesus ( a.s. ) answered, “The servant does not test his Master; rather, it is the Master Who Tests His servant.”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) related, as recorded in Nuzhat al-Majalis , that Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Sufyan ibn Sa’id ats-Tsawri ( r.a. ) said, “I was once leaving my house when my gaze fell upon a youth who was reading, ‘ Allahumma swalli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala ali Muhammad ,’ with every step he took. I asked him, ‘Is there any proof for your action?’ He asked, ‘Who are you?’ I replied, ‘Sufyan ats-Tsawri.’ ‘Sufyan of Iraq?’ he asked.   I replied in the affirmative.   He asked, ‘Do you have the ma’rifat of Allah ( s.w.t. )?’   I replied in the affirmative.   He asked, ‘How did you attain it?’ I said, ‘He Takes the night out of the day and the day out of the night, and He Fashions the child in the mother’s womb.’ He said, ‘You have not truly recognised Him.’ I asked him, ‘So how have you come to recognise Him?’ He replied, ‘I firmly decide on doing something, but I end up...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ) reported in his Hilyat al-Awliya’ , through Imam Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal ( r.a. ), from Sayyidina ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl ‘Amr ( r.a. ), that Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Sakhr ad-Dawsi az-Zahrani al-Azdi ( r.a. ) said, “Verily, I turn to Allah ( s.w.t. ) asking Forgiveness and repenting to Him 12,000 times every day.” This atsar is reported, by Imam Abu Nu’aym ( r.a. ), in this manner, in his Hilyat al-Awliya’ , and is mentioned by Imam Shihab ad-Din Abu al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn ‘Ali ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani ( r.a. ), in his Iswabah , as being reported by Shaykh Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa‘d ( r.a. ).   Shaykh Muhammad al-Hafizh ibn ‘Abd al-Lathif al-Miswri ( r.a. ) declared this atsar swahih .   A review of the chain will attest to such a grading. Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Ziyad ( r.a. ) was declared tsiqah , impeccably trustworthy, by Imam Yahya ibn Ma’in ( r.a. ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ It is written, in Tadzkirat al-Awliya’ , by Imam Abu Nu’aym Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah al-Aswbahani ( r.a. ), of Shaykh Habib ibn Muhammad al-‘Ajami al-Baswri ( q.s. ), who was a Persian who settled at Basra.   He was a noted muhadits , who transmitted from Shaykh Abu Sa’id ibn Abi al-Hasan Yasar al-Baswri ( q.s. ), Imam Muhammad ibn as-Sirin ( q.s. ), and other authorities.   His conversion from a life of ease and self-indulgence was brought about by Shaykh Hasan’s ( q.s. ) eloquence.   He was a frequent attendant at Shaykh Hasan’s ( q.s. ) lectures and became one of his closest associates. Shaykh Habib ( q.s. ) was a man of property, and an usurer.   He dwelt in Basra, and every day he made the rounds to collect from his clients.   If he got no money, he would demand payment for his shoe leather.   In this manner he covered his daily expenditure.   One day, he had gone to look for a certain debtor.   The ma...