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Sufi
Biography: al-Mohasebi
The account given by Attar of al-Mohasebi, one of the greatest figures
in the history of Islamic mysticism is surprisingly jejune. Born in
Basra in 165 (781), Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Hareth ibn Asad al- Basri al-Mohasebi
early in his life removed to Baghdad where he studied Traditions and
theology and was closely involved with the leading personalities and
prominent events of his times. He died in 243(857).
The influence
of his teachings and writings upon later mystical theorists, including
in particular Abu Hamed al-Ghazali, was profound and far-reaching. Many
of his books and pamphlets have been preserved, the most important being
the Ketab al-Re’aya (edited by Dr.
Margaret Smith, London, 1940).
The austerity
of Hareth-e Mohasebi
Hareth-e Mohasebi inherited thirty thousand dinars from his father.
“Take it to the Treasury. Let the authorities have it,” he ordered.
“Why?” they asked.
“The Prophet said,” he explained, “and it is a true Tradition that the
Qadarites are the Magians of this
community. My father was a Qadarite. The Prophet also said that a Muslim
cannot inherit from a Magian.
My father was a Magian, as you see, and I am a Muslim.”
God’s providence in preserving him was such that, when he stretched out
his hand towards food whose
lawfulness was doubtful, a nerve in the back of his finger became taut
so that the finger did not obey the
command to move. Thus he knew that the morsel in question was not
proper.
“Hareth came to me one day and was visibly hungry,” reported Jonaid. “
‘Uncle, I will bring some food,’
I said. ‘That would be welcome,’ he answered. So I went to the larder
and looked for some food. I found
some remains of a wedding-feast which had been brought to us for supper.
I brought this a offered it to
him. His finger would not obey him. He put morsel in his mouth, but
despite all his efforts it would not
down. He turned it about in his mouth, then at last he got and put it
out in the porch and took his departure.
“Later I questioned him about what had happened. Hareth said, ‘I was
certainly hungry, and I wanted to
please you. But God has given me a special sign, that any food that is
doubtful will not go down my throat
and my finger refuses to touch it. For all that I tried, it would not go
down. Where did that. food come from?’
‘From the house of a kinsman of mine,’ replied.
“Then I said, ‘Today will you come to my house?’ ‘I will,’ he replied.
So we entered, and fetched a piece of
dry bread, and we ate. Hareth remarked, ‘This is the kind of thing to
offer dervishes.’”
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