Birth to Early Adulthood
(Part I)
Introduction“I looked to the Sahabah and I looked to ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, but I didn’t see a virtue for them over him, except in their companionship of the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and their battles with him.” - Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (rahimahullah)
The pages of our Islamic history and heritage are filled with the lives of men and women whose influence on our history can only be retold by history itself. They served as beacons of light, illuminating the path set by this Ummah’s Messenger (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam), and yet they were the heroes who protected this very path. Their interests didn’t lie in worldly gain nor were their efforts for selfish reasons but they worked hard in sincerity and under burden to deliver this message of Islam to you and I. They strove day and night purifying their societies and correcting what had become corrupt in this Ummah. They were true ‘ubbaad (slaves) of Allah who had put the Hereafter before their eyes and hence worked only towards this one goal.
Their nights were not the same as ours, nor are our days comparable to theirs – and it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that a lifetime of ours could not equal a number of their days in virtue and achievement. For they were a people who valued time, knew how to live fully and work hard in ease and under pressure, in poverty and in health. They knew no bounds when it came to aiding the religion of Allah and they refused to acknowledge any limits to their efforts and struggles. They were the Companions, the Tabi’in (successors), the Atba’ al-Tabi’in (successors of the Tabi’in), they were the righteous of this Ummah in the past and they are to be the righteous of those to come.
From amongst such figures are those who excelled in certain fields be they in leadership, scholarship, political thought, arts of war, business and literature to name but a few. You could say that one was a leading figure in such-and-such field; another would be an Imam on different platform. However, rarely has history in the post-Prophethood era witnessed personalities who had gathered all these characteristics and succeeded across numerous fields and avenues. Rarely has it witnessed lives that were so enriched and yet enriching, so influential and inspiring, so powerful and empowering, so humble and yet so humbling. One of these rarities lies in the very being of that scholar from Khurasan, the Mujahid between the army ranks, the faqeeh (jurist) and muhaddith (narrator) of his time, the righteous ‘aabid (worshipper) of his Lord, the successful merchant across cities, the well-known zahid (ascetic), the poet and writer, the grammarian and linguist, the respected and the leader of the Pious – ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak.
But who was ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak? Who is he about whom Isma’il ibn ‘Ayyash, the scholar of al-Sham said, “There is none like ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak on the face of this earth, nor do I know of a single good characteristic created by Allah except that He has put it in ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak.” Let us delve into learning more about the life of this man whose input into Islamic Scholarship and history still benefits not just the masses today, but even the heirs to Prophethood; the scholars themselves.
'Abdullah Ibn al-Mubarak: His Birth and Background
Name: ‘Abdullah b. al-Mubark b. Wadhih al-Handhali al-Tamimi
Birthplace: He was born in Marw’ one of the prime cities in Khurasan (nowadays in the surroundings of Afghanistan and Central Asia), in the year 118 AH. Marw has historically been a bustling city of ‘ilm which produced many scholars such as Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Sufyan al-Thawri and Ishaq ibn Rahawey. It was in this same city that ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak was born and raised until he reached roughly the age of twenty whereupon he left and began his travels to seek knowledge.
His father, Mubarak was originally a Turk, belonging to a merchant from Banu Handhala as a slave but he was known to be righteous and frequently in seclusion, worshiping Allah. Historical documentations and sources such as Shadharat al-Dhahab and Wafayat al-A’yan mention an interesting account that took place whilst Mubarak was working for his master in the fields/plantations:
After having worked in those fields and tended to the fruits and crops for many years, he was one day approached by his master who requested a sweet pomegranate. Mubarak went to the crops and brought back a pomegranate but as the master bit into it, he found it to be sour. He said, ‘I request a sweet one and you bring me a sour one? Bring a sweet one!’ So he went and brought another pomegranate which again turned out to be sour. He rebuked him harshly and ordered a sweet one again. This happened for a third time whereupon the master said, ‘Do you not know the difference between sweet and sour?’ Mubarak said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘How is that possible?’ He said, ‘Because I have never eaten from it such that I should know the difference.’ His master said, ‘And why have you not eaten of it?’ He said, ‘Because you have never given me permission to eat it.’
This was the piety his father had that prevented him from eating the fruits which he had long tended to and cared for throughout the years that he worked in those fields – he wasn’t given permission to eat and so he refrained, out of obedience and fear of Allah `azza wa jall. His master, upon seeing the righteousness of Mubarak requested him to marry his daughter but he replied, ‘The people in the time of ignorance used to marry for lineage, the Jews married for wealth and the Christians for beauty but this Ummah marries for Deen (religion).’
He became even more amazed at the attitude of Mubarak whereupon he informed his wife who said, ‘I do not see anyone else more suitable to marry her than Mubarak.’ He rahimahullah then married his master’s daughter (originally from Khuwarizm) who later gave birth to ‘Abdullah.
‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak was thus raised and brought up in a household known for its righteousness and nurtured by parents who were known for their piety, justice and humbleness. ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak first received education in one of the many kuttab (local schools where children were taught to read and write). As a young child and student, Ibn al-Mubarak began to display intellect and powerful memory. One of his friends narrates an incident which took place whilst they were students in the kuttab. He says, ‘We were young boys at school when Ibn al-Mubarak and I passed by a man giving a khutbah (sermon). He gave a long khutbah, and when we dispersed, Ibn al-Mubarak said to me ‘I memorised it.’ A man overhead him and said, ‘Then bring it forth.’ So Ibn al-Mubarak repeated all of it to him, and indeed he had memorised it.’
Another incident which took place between him and his father additionally shows his intense love for study and excellence of recollection. His interest in reading hence occupied him from his duties in helping his father in trade. Nu’aym ibn Hammad narrates: ‘I heard Ibn al-Mubarak say: ‘My father said to me, ‘If I find your books, I will burn them all.’ I said, ‘And what harm will that do me when it is all in my heart? (i.e. he memorised it)’ According to the sources, Ibn al-Mubarak first travelled out of Marw, in order to seek knowledge in the year 141 AH, which would mean that he began his Talab al-‘ilm (seeking knowledge) at the age of 23.
There is not much mention of what happened in his earlier youth although some sources say that he was cut off from education and studies and instead became influenced by youth culture and took to wasteful pastimes. This however may have been a short-lived stage in his life as he said, (when stating his reasons for leaving Marw and settling in Kufa): ‘I would be in Marw and there wouldn’t be an issue except that the people would come to me, or there wouldn’t be a mas’ala (matter) except that they’d say ‘Ask Ibn al-Mubarak!’ And now I’m here, safe from all that’. Overall however, very little is known about the time period between his childhood and the time he left his city to seek knowledge.
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