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الحَمْدُ لِلهِ وَالصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى رَسُوْلِ اللهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُ وَبَعْدُ
The Pious Servant
A Narration by Malik ibn Dinar
Malik ibn Dinar (may Allah have mercy upon him) related:
The rain was withheld from us in Basra, so we went out several times to pray for rain (Istisqa), but we saw no sign of a response. I went out along with ‘Ata al-Sulami, Thabit al-Bunani, Yahya al-Bakka, Muhammad ibn Wasi’, Abu Muhammad al-Sikhtiyani, Habib al-Farisi, Hassan ibn Thabit ibn Abi Sinan, ‘Utbah al-Ghulam, and Salih al-Murri.
When we reached the prayer ground (al-Musalla) in Basra, the young boys came out from the schools. We prayed for rain, but again saw no sign of a response. Midday passed, and the people departed. Thabit al-Bunani and I remained at the prayer ground.
When the night grew dark, I suddenly saw a black slave—handsome, with slender legs, wearing a woolen cloak worth perhaps two dirhams (meaning, they were cheap). He brought some water and performed ablution (Wudu), then came to the prayer niche (Mihrab) and prayed two short units of prayer (Raka’at). Then, he raised his gaze toward the sky and said:
“My God, my Master, and my Protector! How long will You turn back Your servants regarding that which does not benefit You? Has that which is with You been exhausted, or has that which is in Your treasuries diminished? I ask You by Your love for me to send us Your rain this very hour!”
Malik said: He had not even finished his words when the sky became clouded and rain began to pour like the mouths of water-skins.
Malik said: I approached him and said, “O Black man, are you not ashamed of what you said?”
He asked, “And what did I say?”
I replied, “Your saying: ‘By Your love for me.’ How do you know that He loves you?”
He said, “Stay away from me, O you who are occupied with yourself away from Him! Do you think He would have initiated this favor with me if not for His love for me? His love for me is according to His greatness, and my love for Him is according to my capacity.”
I said to him, “May Allah have mercy on you, stay a while with us.”
He replied, “I am a slave, and I have an obligation of obedience to my minor master.”
He departed, and we followed his tracks from a distance until he entered the house of a slave trader. When morning came, we went to the trader. I said, “May Allah have mercy on you, do you have a slave you would sell to us for service?”
He replied, “Yes, I have a hundred slaves for sale.”
He began showing us one slave after another until he had shown us seventy, but I did not find my beloved among them. He said, “Come back to me at another time.”
As we were about to leave, we entered a ruined room behind his house, and there was the black man standing in prayer. I exclaimed, “My beloved, by the Lord of the Ka’bah!”
I went to the trader and said, “Sell me this slave.”
He said, “O Abu Yahya, this slave has no concern at night except weeping, and during the day except for seclusion and solitude (al-khalwa wal wahdah – spiritual solitude).”
I said, “I must take him from you, regardless of the price or his condition.”
The trader called him, and he came appearing drowsy. The trader said, “Take him for whatever price you wish, provided you absolve me of all his faults.” I bought him for twenty dinars and said to him, “What is your name?”
He replied, “Maymun.”
I took him by the hand to go to my home, but he turned to me and said, “O my minor master, why did you buy me? I am not fit to serve created beings.”
I said, “By Allah, my master, I only bought you so that I may serve you myself.”
He asked, “And why is that?”
I said, “Were you not our companion last night at the prayer ground?”
He said, “Yes, and you found out about that?”
I said, “Yes, and I am the one who challenged your words last night.”
He continued walking until he reached a mosque. He asked my permission and entered. He prayed two short units of prayer, then raised his gaze to the sky and said:
“My God, my Master, and my Protector! A secret that was between me and You has been revealed to another. How can my life be pleasant now? I adjure You by Yourself to take my soul to You this very hour.”
He then prostrated. I waited for a while, but he did not raise his head. I went to him and moved him, only to find that he had passed away—may Allah the Almighty have mercy upon him.
Malik said: I straightened his hands and legs, and found him smiling and joyful. Whiteness had overcome his blackness, and his face was like the moon on the night of its fullness. Suddenly, a young man entered through the door and said, “Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. May Allah increase our reward and yours regarding our brother Maymun. Here is his shroud.”
He handed me two garments, the likes of which I had never seen. We washed him, shrouded him in them, and buried him.
Malik ibn Dinar said: We seek rain by his grave until this day, and we ask Allah the Almighty for our needs there. May Allah have mercy upon him.
Translated from the original Arabic by Gemini AI. Original Arabic and source below.
العبد الصالح
قال مالك بن دينار رحمه الله تعالى: احتبس عنا المطر بالبصرة فخرجنا نستسقي مراراً فلم نر للإجابة أثراً فخرجت أنا وعطاء السلمي وثابت البناني ويحيى البكاء ومحمد بن واسع وأبو محمد السختياني وحبيب الفارسي وحسان بن ثابت بن أبي سنان وعتبة الغلام وصالح المزني حتى إذا صرنا إلى المصلى بالبصرة خرج الصبيان من المكاتب ثم استسقينا فلم نر للإجابة أثراً حتى انتصف النهار وانصرف الناس وبقيت أنا وثابت البناني بالمصلى فلما أظلم الليل إذا أنا بعبد أسود مليح دقيق الساقين عليه جبة صوف قومت ما عليه بدرهمين فجاء بماء فتوضأ ثم جاء إلى المحراب فصلى ركعتين خفيفتين ثم رفع طَرْفَهُ إلى السماء وقال: إلهي وسيدي ومولاي إلى كم تردّ عبادك فيما لا ينفعك أَنَفَذَ ما عندك أم نقص ما في خزائنك؟!! أقسمت عليك بحبك لي إلا ما أسقيتنا غيثك الساعة. قال: فما تم كلامه حتى تغيمت السماء وجاءت بمطر كأفواه القِرَب. قال مالك: فتعرضت له وقلت له: يا أسود أما تستحي مما قلت قال: وما قلت؟!! قلتُ: قولك: بحبك لي وما يدريك أنه يحبك قال: تنح عني يا من اشتغل عنه بنفسه أفتراه بدأني بذلك إلا لمحبته إياي ثم قال: محبته لي على قدره ومحبتي له على قدري فقلت له: يرحمك الله ارفق قليلاً فقال: إني مملوك وعلي فرض من طاعة مالكي الصغير قال: فانصرف وجعلنا نقفو أثره على البعد حتى دخل دار نخاس فلما أصبحنا أتينا النخاس فقلت يرحمك الله أعندك غلام تبيعه منا للخدمة قال: نعم عندي مائة غلام للبيع فجعل يعرض علينا غلاماً بعد غلام حتى عرض علينا سبعين غلاماً فلم ألق حبيبي فيهم فقال: عُودا إليَّ في غير هذا الوقت فلما أردنا الخروج من عنده دخلنا حجرة خَرِبة خلف داره وإذا بالأسود قائم يصلي فقلت: حبيبي ورب الكعبة فجئت إلى النخاس فقلت له: يعني هذا الغلام فقال: يا أبا يحيى هذا الغلام ليست له همة في الليل إلا البكاء وفي النهار إلا الخلوة والوحدة فقلت له: لا بد من أخذه منك ولك الثمن وما عليك منه فدعاه فجاء وهو يتناعس فقال: خذه بما شئت بعد أن تبرئني من عيوبه كلها فاشتريته منه بعشرين ديناراً وقلت له: ما اسمك قال: ميمون فأخذت بيده أريد المنزل فالتفت إلي وقال: يا مولاي الصغير لماذا اشتريتني وأنا لا أصلح لخدمة المخلوقين. فقلت له: والله يا سيدي إنما اشتريتك لأخدمك بنفسي قال: ولم ذلك فقلت: ألست صاحبنا البارحة بالمصلى. قال: بلى وقد اطلعت على ذلك قلت: نعم وأنا الذي عارضتك البارحة في الكلام بالمصلى قال: فجعل يمشي حتى أتى إلى مسجد فاستأذنني ودخل المسجد فصلى ركعتين خفيفتين ثم رفع طرفه إلى السماء وقال: إلهي وسيدي ومولاي سِرّ كان بيني وبينك أطلعت عليه غيرك فكيف يطيب الآن عيشي. أقسمت عليك بك إلا ما قبضتني إليك الساعة ثم سجد فانتظرته ساعة فلم يرفع رأسه فجئت إليه وحركته فإذا هو قد مات رحمة الله تعالى عليه قال: فمددت يديه ورجليه فإذا هو ضاحك مستبشر وقد غلب البياض على السواد ووجهه كالقمر ليلة البدر وإذا شاب قد دخل من الباب وقال: السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته أعظم الله أجورنا وأجوركم في أخينا ميمون هاكم الكفن فناولني ثوبين ما رأيت مثلهما قط فغلسناه وكفناه فيهما ودفناه. قال مالك بن دينار: فبقبره نستسقي إلى الآن ونطلب الحوائج من الله تعالى رحمة الله عليه.
Halaqa 