Biographies - Abdullah ibn Mubarak

Throughout the history of Islamthere have been renowned personalities
who have dedicated their life to the preservation of Islam against the
tide of disbelief and deviation. In the early period of Islam, the
preservation ofthe Hadith (traditions) was an indispensable element,
which needed to be preserved in order to safeguard the deen
(religion). Thus,Abdullah Ibn Mubarakwas one of these personalities
who ensured that Islam was presented to us today in the same form it
had been 1400 years ago.
Abdullah Ibn Mubarakwas born in 118 hegira / 726 CE, in the town of
Marwa. In his childhood he studied elementary subjects, such as
writing and arithmetic, which were considered as essential.
Thereafter, his life took an unusual turn,thus, he became occupied in
the pleasuresof the world. He lived a luxurious life of jest and play,
until one night, when he received a wake up call from Allah Ta'lah. As
a routine custom one-day he invited his friends for a party in his
orchard, here, they played and joked until they were overpowered by
sleep. However, unlike before, in his sleep he saw a birdperched on
the tree reciting a verse in which Allah Ta'lah sends an admonition to
his servants:
Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be
affected by the reminder of Allah, and that, which has been revealed
of the truth. (Quran 57:16)
The message carried by this majestic verse was soprofound that it
ledAbdullah Ibn Mubarakto discard the comforts of this temporary world
in order to search for eternal bliss. He instigated his thoughts into
actions by, firstly, breaking the musical instrument he had in his
hand and this was his first step in Zuhad (asceticism).
Abdullah Ibn Mubarak was now on a new path in search of sacred
knowledge, especially Hadith (traditions). He travelled the entire
Islamic world in order to preserve Hadith, until Abu Usama declared
that 'I have not seen a person searching for Hadith throughout the
corners of the world like Abdullah ibn Mubarak. Consequently, he
becamethe undisputed authorityin the science transmitting Hadith
(traditions). He attained such a lofty rank that the critics of this
science unanimously agreed on the fact that he was of a sound nature
and a possessor of an extraordinary memory. To achieve such acceptance
is unparalleled in the history of Islam; however, this status was
necessary for a person who was to be the torch barer of the Hadith.
The renowned scholar of critical analysis of transmitters, Yahya Bin
Maeen, has wonderfully illustrated his noble traits:
He (Abdullah ibn Mubarak) was intelligent,cautious (in narrating
Hadith), trustworthy and a true scholar of Hadith. It is sufficient to
know (his status) that many narrated from him, thus he is one of the
narratorsof Imam Bukhariand the rigorous conditions applied by Imam
Bukhariin the verification and sound nature of a narrator is all well
known, therefore there is no reason to expound on it.
Hence, he was a firm pillar in the establishment of Hadith, so
whenever there was a narration he would take extreme measures to
ensure the authenticity of Hadith before he would narrate it. This is
why his legendary statement still resonates today in the hearts and
minds of the scholars of Hadith that 'Isnad (the chain of narration)
is a part of Deen (religion), if there was no Isnad, then everyone
would say what they desired'. Thus, everyone, including the king knew
his extreme precaution. Thus, the Abbasi King Haroon Al-Rashid once
retorted to an atheist that was brought on trial, who had claimed to
have fabricated over one thousand Hadith, none ofwhich were
established;
'What is your rank in compression to Ishaq Al-Farazi and Abdullah ibn
Mubarak? O Enemy ofAllah! They will separate them through a sieve,
letter for letter (from the collection of Hadith)'.
Not only did Abdullah ibnMubarak gain proficiencyin Hadith, but also
in Fiqh(jurisprudence) he was a master in his field. The fact that he
studied under the greatest living jurists of his time, including men
like Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malikand Sufyan Thawri, shows that he had
developed an appreciation of this science.
He was also praised for being a prolific writer in his time; Imam
Dhahabi states that his books include Kitab Al-Arbaeen, Kitab Tareek,
Kitab Jihad and Kitab Zuhad wa Raqaiq. Unfortunately all of his
written works are not published today.
One of his greatest assets was his Zuhad (asceticism) and the desire
for the hereafter. Even though, he had an annual yearly income in
excess of one thousand Dinars. All of which he spent in the path of
Allah.This is exemplified in his excursions to Makkahfor Hajj, while
on the journey he would lavishly spend on his associates and fellow
travellers despite the factthat he was continuously fasting.
Finally, in the year 181 hegira / 797 CE, during the month of Ramadan
Abdullah ibn Mubarak departed the world while striving hard in thepath
of Allah. The endeavours he took during his life are numerous and
cannot be covered here. However, aglimpse into the life of this great
Imam testifies how taking precaution inthe narration and narrators
preserved the Hadith from being marred with taint. We are therefore
indebted to the service rendered by our pious predecessors who
fulfilled their rights uponus and especially Abdullah ibn Mubarak.