Saturday, August 22, 2026

Green Bowl and the Patience of Sayyiduna Ibrahim Bin Adham رحمۃ اللہ علیہ

46. Dough that dried in sunlight

Sayyidunā 'Utba-tul-Ghulām عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ رَبِّ الْاَکْرَام used to knead dough and let it dry in the sunlight. After this, he رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ would eat it. He رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ then used to say, 'One should survive on a mere piece of bread and a little salt so that he could enjoy fried roasted meat and delicious food on the Day of Judgement.'

(Iḥyā-ul-'Ulūm, vol. 3, pp. 100)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

47. He did not drink milk for forty years

Sayyidunā Mālik Bin Dīnār عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ الْقَهَّار did not drink milk for forty years despite the desire of his Nafs. Once, someone gave him dates as a gift which he immediately gave to his students and said, 'You people eat, I have not even tasted dates for forty years.'

(ibid, pp. 101)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

48. Meat and bread

Sayyidunā 'Utba-tul-Ghulām عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ رَبِّ الْاَکْرَام refrained from eating meat for 7 years. One day, he purchased some bread and meat. After roasting the meat, he رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ placed it on the bread. Meanwhile, an orphan came. He رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ gave the bread and meat to the orphan and began to weep reciting the eighth verse of Sūrah Ad-Dahr:

وَيُطْعِمُوْنَ الطَّعَامَ عَلٰى حُبِّهٖ مِسْكِيْنًا وَّيَتِيْمًا وَّاَسِيْرًا

And they feed, for love of Him, the indigent, the orphan and the prisoner.

[Kanz-ul-Īmān (Translation of Quran)] (Part 29, Sūrah Ad-Dahr, verse 8)

Since then, Sayyidunā 'Utba-tul-Ghulām عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ رَبِّ الْاَکْرَام did not even taste roasted meat and bread.

(ibid, pp. 211)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

49. Frightening thunderstorm

Sayyidunā 'Utba-tul-Ghulām عَلَيْهِ رَحْمَةُ رَبِّ الْاَکْرَام has stated: My Nafs had the desire of consuming dates from many years. One day, I purchased some dates for Ifṭār. Suddenly, a severe thunderstorm occurred, darkening the sky and frightening the people. Looking at this, I said to myself, 'This is your fault because you have obeyed your Nafs purchasing these dates and people are facing this storm because of your sins.' I then made the promise that I would not even taste these dates.'

(ibid, pp. 210)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on him and forgive us without accountability for his sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Dear Islamic brothers! It was the humility of this great saint that he considered himself responsible for the horrific thunderstorm. In essence, troubles do not befall due to saints, instead, they are removed due to their blessings. May be an earthquake was about to occur and it may have changed into a mere thunderstorm because of his presence. It is stated that mercy descends at the time of the mentioning of the pious.

(Kashf-ul-Khifā, vol. 2, pp. 91, Ḥadīš 1772)

When divine grace descends at the mentioning of the pious, then what will be the magnitude of divine grace on the place where they are physically present!

Green bowl

Sayyidunā Shafīq Bin Ibrāhīm رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ has narrated: I once met Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm Bin Adham رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ in Makkah near the birth place of the Beloved and Blessed Prophet صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. He was weeping while sitting on the roadside. I sat next to him and then asked, 'O Abū Isḥāq رَحِمَهُ اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی! (This was his Kunyah), why are you weeping?' At first, he did not tell me the reason, but when I insisted, he replied, 'O Shafīq! Please keep my secret.' I assured him that I would not disclose his secret, so he رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ said, 'My Nafs had a strong desire for Sikbāj (meat with vinegar and fragrant spices) for thirty years but I kept preventing my Nafs from consuming it. Last night, I had a dream in which I saw a young man who had a green bowl of aromatic Sikbāj. Plucking up the courage, I moved away from him but he forwarded the bowl towards me and said, "O Ibrāhīm, eat." I replied, "I will not eat because I have already left it for the pleasure of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ." He said, "It is Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ who has granted you this gift, please eat." I had no answer and began to weep. He insisted, "May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ shower mercy upon you, (eat)." I then told him, "We have been instructed not to put anything into our stomach until we are absolutely sure that the thing is Ḥalāl."'

The young man said, 'Eat, may Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ grant you peace! I was given this food and told "O Khiḍr! Take this food to Ibrāhīm Bin Adham رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ and feed him. Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ had mercy on him for having persistent patience by preventing his Nafs from Sikbāj." O Ibrāhīm رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ, I have heard the angels say, "If a person does not accept the thing offered to him, he will not be given that thing even when he asks for it." I (Ibrāhīm Bin Adham رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ) said, "If it is so, I am prepared for it due to my promise with Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ." (I will not eat it). I turned back to return. Meanwhile, giving him something, another young man said, "O Khiḍr! Feed him with your own hand." Therefore, Khiḍr began to feed me and then my eyes opened. When I woke up, the taste of the food was still in my mouth.'

Sayyidunā Shafiq رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ has narrated, 'Having heard about this dream, I kissed his hand with love and respect.'

(Iḥyā-ul-'Ulūm, vol. 3, pp. 100-101)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on them and forgive us without accountability for their sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Leaving this world with Īmān!

Dear Islamic brothers! Did you see how Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm Bin Adham رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ used to oppose his Nafs. He رَحْمَةُاللهِتَعَالٰیعَلَیْہِ refrained from eating Sikbāj for thirty years. By the grace of Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, Sayyidunā Khiḍr عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام came to feed him with his own hands. Sayyidunā Khiḍr عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام is a Holy Prophet who is still physically alive in the world.

Here is a Madanī pearl about the blessings of Sayyidunā Khiḍr عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. In Tafsīr Ṣāwī, it is stated that whoever remembers the full name of Sayyidunā Khiḍr عَلٰی نَبِیَّنَا وَ عَلَیْہِ الصَّلٰوۃُ وَالسَّلَام along with his father-name, title and Kunyah, he will leave this world in the state of Īmān. His full name along with father-name, title and Kunyah is 'Abul 'Abbās Balyā Bin Malkān Al-Khiḍr' (اَبُوالْعَبَّاسِ بَلْیَا بِنْ مَلْکَان اَلْخِضْر).

(Tafsīr Ṣāwī, vol. 2, pp. 1207)

May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ have mercy on them and forgive us without accountability for their sake!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ! صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

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