(The Story of Al – Fudayl Ibn Iyad)
Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah
Here is a story of Al – Fudayl Ibn Iyad who repented from being a thief and highway robber to an ascetic person, a fervent worshipper of Allah, and then to a great scholar of Hadith. He called people towards the right path of Allah through preaching.
Prior to his repentance, Al-Fudayl was a highwayman, he led a group of bandits, in Syria and Khorasan, raiding caravans and robbing travelers. He was a highway robber who prowled in the night for victims on the road from Abu Ward to Sarakhas. Between these two cities, there was a small village in which lived a young girl whom Al-Fudayl loved very much. One faithful night, out of desperation to be with the girl, Al-Fudayl climbed the wall of her home.
As he was climbing over the wall, he heard a voice recite:
Has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should become humbly submissive at the remembrance of Allah and what has come down of the truth? And let them not be like those who were given the Scripture before, and a long period passed over them, so their hearts hardened; and many of them are defiantly disobedient.
(Qur’an 57:16, trans. Sahih International, Qt57:16)
Upon hearing these words from the Quran, Al-Fudayl replied, “O my Lord, the time has indeed come.” So, he went away from there. The night forced Al-Fudayl to seek shelter from a ruined building. When he entered the building, he saw a group of travelers standing inside. Al-Fudayl heard one of them say, “Let us continue our journey now.” Another said, “No, not until the morning, for Al-Fudayl is lurking on the road somewhere out there, just waiting to rob us.”
Having heard this conversation between the travelers, Al-Fudayl thought and said to himself, “I go around in the night to sin, while a group of Muslims remain here because they fear me; I think that Allah only led me to them so that I might take a lesson and stop what I am doing. O Allah, I indeed repent to You! My repentance is that I will live in the neighbourhood of the Sacred House (the Ka’bah).”
After this encounter, Al-Fudayl tried to visit each of his known victims to repay them of what he had stolen from them, and when he was short of goods, he visited them to beg for their forgiveness.
He then moved to Makkah, settled down there and lived in its neighbourhood till he passed away on 803 AD, Makka, Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim Ibn Al-Ash’ath, the servant of Al-Fudayl, said:
I have not seen anyone apart from Al-Fudayl in whose heart Allah was the greatest. When Allah was mentioned before him, or if he heard the Qur’an, fear and grief would become apparent on him, his eyes would shed tears and he would cry to such an extent that those who were sitting near him would feel sorry for him.
Some Selected Quotes By Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“There isn’t something on earth that is harder than leaving one’s desire.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“Lower your heart, in order to accept the truth, for it can save you.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“When Allah loves a servant, He multiplies his worries.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“It’s more beloved to me to be accompanied by a sinner with beautiful manners instead of a worshipper with filthy manners.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“To humble is to accept the truth & submit to it even if you heard it from a child or someone uneducated or ignorant.’ – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“It isn’t permissible for you to harm a dog or a pig unjustly. So how is it that you harm a Muslim?!” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“The Qur’an was only revealed to be acted upon, but the people treated its recitation as action.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“Stick to the path of guidance, and do not be hurt by the small number of people who take this path.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“Whoever sees wrongdoing from his brother and then laughs in front of him has betrayed him.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“A believer plants a palm tree and fears that thorns will grow. The hypocrites plant thorns expecting ripe dates to grow.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“Abandoning a deed for people’s sake is Riya (show off) and committing a deed for people’s sake is (minor) Shirk.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
“Be sympathetic to three people; a leader of men who becomes humiliated, a wealthy man who becomes broke and a scholar among illiterates.” – Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyad
Please Reflect on the Moral Lesson Below
My dear brother or sister, no matter how sinful you are, there is a chance for you to turn back to Allah in repentance. As stated by Al-Fudayl, leaving one’s desire is the most difficult thing to do; but it isn’t impossible. We should remember that asking Allah for forgiveness is the key to being able to change ourselves for the better. The story teaches us that no matter how sinful a person is, there is always room for forgiveness.
Your sins do not define you, the actions you take afterwards do. Make an effort to change your sinful acts and Allah(Azza wa Jalla, AwJ) will guide you to lengths you never imagined. This is His promise to you: “If he draws near to Me a hand’s length, I draw to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” - [Sahih al-Bukhari 7405]
We are all human at the end of the day, we all sin. The difference between those who enter Heaven and Hell can be seen in repentance.
May Allah forgive us our sins and guide us all on to the straight path. May Allah give us the strength to not only ask for forgiveness from Him, but to also forgive ourselves.
References
http://islamstories4you.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-story-of-al-fudayl-ibn-iyaad-moral.html
http://damas-original.nur.nu/Texter/bionotes/bio_fudayl_b_3iyad.html
https://web.facebook.com/UoBIslamicSociety/photos/a.301899557599/10153883284557600
https://quotesdownload.com/al-fudayl-ibn-iyad-quotes/
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