Chapter on the Servant Who Mentions His Works to His Brothers
because he did not move from secrecy to 'alaniya (openness), but rather moved from openness to openness, and that is more virtuous. So whenever others were present for his deed, it was more virtuous. And if hardship and severity were lightened for him against the enemy, and he was among those to whom God granted the power to repel passing thoughts (khatarat), and he was among those well-known [for piety], he would not conceal it, in order to urge others to fight the enemy, and so that God might strengthen the religion thereby and grant honor over the enemies.
Chapter on the servant informing his brothers of some of what he is able to do of deeds, in order to urge them to that
I said: So a man informs his brothers of some of what he is able to do of deeds, in order to urge them to that?
[It is reported]: "I have not prayed a single prayer since I became Muslim in which I spoke to myself about anything other than it, nor have I followed a funeral procession in which I spoke to myself about anything other than what she [i.e., the funeral] is saying and what is being said to her. And I never heard the Messenger of God utter a saying except that I knew it to be true."
'Umar said: "I have come to possess what my father possessed, yet [that is] upon ease for me, because I do not know whether that is better for me."
Ibn Mas'ud said: "I never woke up in any state without wishing that I were other than it — and that [state I wished for] is not death nor poverty, but rather it [the disliked thing] is affliction — and that is: the detested things with which I have been tested."
'Uthman said: "I have never sung, nor wished, nor touched my private parts with my right hand since I pledged allegiance to the Messenger of God with it."
And Shaddad ibn Aws said: Every word that I have uttered since I submitted to Islam — I have bridled it and examined it thoroughly, except for this word. He used to say to his servant: "Bring us the travel-spread so we may play with it until lunch arrives."
And Abu Sufyan ibn [damaged] said:
Al-Harith said to his family when death came upon him: "Do not weep over me, for I have not committed a new thing."
'A'isha said: Asid ibn Hudayr said — and he was among the most virtuous of people — "There are three states during which I wish I could remain constantly: whenever I recited the Quran, whenever I was heading toward what it leads to [TN: possibly "heading toward what the soul returns to"], and whenever I heard the Prophet ﷺ."
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz said: Whatever God has decreed for me by His decree, I would not be pleased for it to have been decreed otherwise for me. And I have come to have no desire except in the places where the decree of God, Exalted and Majestic, falls.
These leaders have acted thus, and no one should think of them anything but good, and they should urge others besides themselves toward obedience. This is only for someone who is strong. It was understood that the one for whom this becomes manifest should place it in the position of capability; otherwise, he would have placed the example in other than its proper place. Even if his resolve were strong, it would be cooled by riya' (ostentation).
We have seen and tested among the worshippers that the leader — like the caliph and the scholar — when he displays a garment of wool out of austerity, or speaks among the common people, or urges them toward good that they should act upon, they are admonished by that and submit humbly, because he is their leader and he is the one they take as their model.
And we have seen others whom the common people do not know, or whom only some of them know through knowledge and merit, and they do not place him in the position of a model. He may do that and be mocked for it.
Whoever is not a leader for the common people, it is a mistake for him to do it publicly. Whoever is a leader, it is permissible for him if he is strong. As was narrated concerning Maymun ibn Mihran — he was seen in the marketplace with a tattered lower garment, calling out: "That is — so that I may turn them over on their faces until I know the places of error and correctness in them."
There is no god but God.
Do you not see the verse «and make us a leader for the God-fearing» [25:74]? A people said: they wished to be emulated. So He praised them for their desire that God be obeyed through them. And the saying of Abraham, peace be upon him: «and grant me a tongue of truthfulness among the later generations» [26:84].
Its meaning is: We left upon him praise — and We left upon him among the later generations [37:108-109]. And God, exalted and glorified, said: the goodly one [37:109].
So every community — whoever believes in a scripture or a prophet — says: Abraham is from us. Yet a man may do that very thing, and the common people mock him, and ugly things are said about him, and he is accused of riyā' (ostentation), seeking worldly gain, madness, and foolishness — because he is not their leader, and they do not place him in that position.
The strong servant only intends to urge them toward obedience to their Lord, Most High, and to alert them to it. And if this is so, even if his resolve is strong, he is only urging them toward disobedience regarding it — so how can the intention be sound for him regarding it when he sees no place among them to hope that they would increase in what he tells them about his deeds, or that obedience would become manifest from them?
So the aspiring servant must recognize this and place it where God, Most High, has placed it.
A man may speak to a group about himself, and they place it upon riyā' (ostentation) because they do not emulate him. Among people there are those whose family emulates them — and if he commanded his neighbors, they would emulate him, or goodness would become manifest from them. And among people there are those whose neighbors emulate them — and if they extended beyond to the people of their marketplace, they would emulate him, or they would accuse him of ostentation if he told them about some of his deeds, or displayed to them dhikr (remembrance) and wearing wool and the like. And among people there are those whom the people of their quarter and their marketplace emulate — and if he displayed outwardly to the common people what the common people do not do, then named himself , they would not emulate him, and it would stir up some of those among them who know nothing of him except suspicion and ill opinion, and mockery of him — while in truth some of them know others through praise of him and mention of his knowledge and his deeds.
And among people there are those who, when they display anything of that, then are named to the common people — they can hardly remain hidden; rather
he passes by it when he is commanded to, saying: "It is like the caliph when he passes by, or like the well-known muhaddith (hadith transmitter), or like the mufti (jurisconsult) known among the common people — for that one is an imam to the common people. Whoever hears his name submits and follows his example in whatever good comes from him, even if he has never seen him." So much so that we have seen from among the common people — from before — those who follow the example of the distinguished scholar known for his knowledge, and the virtuous ascetic known for his devoutness. So when a slip occurs from him, they hasten to take him as an example in it and do not hasten to take him as an example in the much good that comes from others. How then regarding what appears of good?
So the intelligent aspirant must know in which position among people God Most High has placed him, so that commanding right (hisba) becomes possible for him. And what appears from the one who is an example is powerful even if his intention is good, and he should not exceed his capacity. And if his resolve is strong and the regard for creatures becomes light upon him —
Likewise it has been narrated from al-Hasan that he said: "A man is the imam of his family, and a man is the imam of his neighborhood, and a man is the imam of the common people." So what is commanded regarding these six is to conceal one's works, seeking safety and for the merit of secrecy, because secrecy is more protective for workers and further removes from them the abundance of passing thoughts and their acceptance.
It has been narrated from al-Hasan, may God have mercy upon him, that he said: "The Muslims have agreed that the work done in secret is more protective for workers." So the knowledgeable aspirant should not deceive himself, nor should he expose himself to tribulation through what he has experienced of it. Let him adhere to well-being (ʿāfiya). For his likeness is only like a swimmer who has mercy on the drowning and goes out to them, so they cling to him and drown him, and would that he drowned like the drowning of the innocent. Rather, from him comes that which exposes him to the loathing of God, Mighty and Glorious.
And whoever's resolve is strong, and the enemy's passing thoughts become light upon him regarding the acceptance of riyāʾ (showing off), and nothing induces him to display his works with an intention other than God, Mighty and Glorious — yet it appears while he does not wish to display it, and so what appears becomes disclosed to people — then what agitates him regarding that is not a lack of contentment with what God Most High has given, nor seeking the knowledge of creatures concerning it, but rather
He who has truly realized [this] is stirred by the scarcity of contentment with seeking reward for his work alone «in obedience to God Most High», so that he may have the reward of that along with his reward for his work, without overstepping his capacity among those who follow only one who is trustworthy.
So he is greater in reward.
People have differed regarding this. A group from the people of knowledge said: The work done in secret (sirr) is superior to the work done openly (ʿalāniya) — whether openly for the sake of being an exemplar (qudwa) or otherwise — and the work done openly for the sake of being an exemplar is superior to the work done openly for other than the sake of being an exemplar.
Another group said: The work done in secret is superior to the work done openly when it is not for the sake of being an exemplar, and the work done openly for the sake of being an exemplar is superior to the work done in secret. Were it not that the work done openly for the sake of being an exemplar is superior, the Prophet ﷺ would not have urged them toward that — and that can only be done openly. He urged them so that they would do what others could follow as an example. He urged them toward the work done openly in this sense and informed them that they would have their reward and the reward of those who followed them. This is proof that he drew them out, by urging and encouraging, from the work done in secret to the work done openly, on account of the abundance of reward — not for the sake of showing off (riyāʾ) — and he informed them that they would have their reward and the reward of others. They already knew beforehand that the one who works in secret has his reward alone. This makes clear that the work of being an exemplar is superior to the work done in secret.
It has been related in some ḥadīth:
The work done in secret is multiplied over the work done openly by seventy-fold, and the work done openly, when others follow the example of the one who does it, is multiplied over the work done in secret by seventy-fold.
And it would be even more superior by folds that cannot be counted. Rather, the Prophet ﷺ says:
Whoever establishes a good practice (sunna ḥasana) and it is acted upon, he shall have its reward and the reward of all who act upon it until the Day of Resurrection.
So a man may establish a good practice and it is acted upon until the Day of Resurrection.
Chapter on Secret Works
Weakness in Manifesting Works due to Fear of the Enemy and Wariness of Fame
I said:
If the virtue of secret works over public works is as you have described, and we are not people of emulation, then let us not display works and let us not work except in secret.
He said: That is a delusion and deception from the enemy, for God, Exalted and Glorified, has praised both secret and public works. God, Exalted, said as one who speaks:
«Those who spend their wealth by night and by day, secretly and openly».
And God, Exalted and Glorified, said: «If you disclose acts of charity, that is well, but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, that is better for you».
So secrecy is superior to public action, and public action is superior to idleness and abandoning works. So secrecy is best whenever it is possible. But when secrecy is not possible, then performing works publicly with ikhlas (sincerity) to God alone is superior to abandoning them.
I said: A group of mighty leaders among the strong have indeed disliked being known and famous for goodness. Among them was Ibrahim [al-Nakha'i] — a man sought permission to enter upon him while he was reciting, so he closed the mushaf and said: Let him not see that I recite every hour.
And among them was Ibrahim al-Taymi who said:
When speech pleases you, be silent. And when silence pleases you, then speak.
And al-Hasan said:
One of them would indeed pass by something harmful, and nothing would prevent him from picking it up except his dislike of fame.
And there are reports regarding that like unto a handspan.
One of them, when weeping would come upon him, would divert it to laughter out of fear of fame.
One of them, when visitors would spend the night with him, would abandon the night prayer out of fear of fame.
He said: They are imams, may God have mercy on them, and for us there is an exemplary model in all of them, though some of them are stronger in certain states than others. This one is strong in a state in which another is weak, and this strong one is weak in a state in which the one who was weak therein is strong. So if you asked about excellence, I would point to excellence, and excellence lies in the one who was strong in nafy (negation) and did not abandon what God, exalted and glorious, had opened for him of the doors of action. As the hadith has come:
"When a door of goodness is opened for you, seize it."
And for everything I have mentioned of the traditions, there is an opposite from among those who were strong. Even if those who were weak in what others were strong in only intended ikhlas (sincerity) and safety, and [experienced] fatra (respite) from deeds , I hope that God, exalted and glorious, will not disappoint them of the reward for that, even if the others were stronger than them.
As for what Ibrahim ibn Adham did regarding the mushaf (written copy of the Quran), it is reported about Ibn Abbas that he entered upon a man who was reciting, and he said: "This is my portion that I missed last night."
And Uthman, may God be pleased with him, said: Indeed I would be ashamed before my Lord, exalted and glorious, that a day should pass over me without my looking into His covenant. And he reported that he used to recite from the mushaf every day.
And Umar, may God be pleased with him, said: Abd al-Rahman entered upon him while he was praying at the time of the midday decline, and he said: "This is my portion of the night that I missed."
And Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl used to recite from the mushaf, then take it and place it upon his face while weeping, and say: "The speech of my Lord, the speech of my Lord." And the one who narrated this from him—it had become apparent to him from him.
As for the saying of the one who flees from it:
One of them is sound, and «the other is weak» [TN: possible Quranic allusion], and contradicting what He commanded of the servants. Even if one was being tactful, some of what is lofty in itself is a love for ikhlas (sincerity), while other than it is stronger than it.
As for the meaning — the sound one: if he held that speech pleased him on account of the desire of the nafs (soul) — for idle excess, frivolity, and the forbidden — as the speaker says: "Such-and-such food and such-and-such pleases me," and by that the matter of habitual conduct, then his meaning is sound. Likewise, when silence pleases you — that is, it pleased [you]. It is as though he said: Do not speak about everything, and do not remain silent about everything, but look at what your soul desires, then oppose it — for its caprice calls to nothing but the affairs of this world — so oppose the call of your caprice and obey God, Mighty and Glorious, in speech and silence.
If, however, he meant: when it pleases you on account of self-admiration ('ujb), or on account of ostentation (riya') — that they praise you for your silence or your speech — then be silent and speak [without regard to that].
If he meant on account of self-admiration with righteous deeds and speaking what is good, which the servants are commanded to do, then they are not commanded to abandon it; rather, they are commanded to remember that this is a blessing from God, Mighty and Glorious, and that their souls — whose caprice was contrary to that — should bind their hearts [to gratitude].
And if it was on account of admiration for people's praise: if the admiration was what appeared first — whether it was speech or [deed] — and if the resolve was first for God, Mighty and Glorious, and the admiration only occurred as an afterthought after sincerity — admiration at people's praise — then people are not commanded in this to abandon it, but rather to repel the afterthought and to complete the deeds for God, Mighty and Glorious.
And the most upright in speech is the saying of the man who migrated to God. He had indeed reminded [others] of that, and his words were lowered in investigation and clarification.
He relates concerning a people who weakened in some of their spiritual states regarding the will for goodness and ikhlas (sincere devotion).
His saying this and his relating this to people was to admonish them, and what is more renowned than the removal of harm. But rather, he urged renouncing the seeking of fame, and he chose the adherence to admonition, remembrance, and issuing legal opinions (iftā') from whatever strength he found. And that is more renowned and loftier than all that has been mentioned regarding those who were mentioned — of the scholars who volunteered in the congregational prayers and the mosques, while the Prophet, peace be upon him, and his Companions witnessed the funeral prayers, and the scholars gathered for remembrance and public [worship], and the scholars appointed themselves [to these tasks]. All of this indicates that the deeds performed openly are superior to abandoning them.
As for Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, he was indeed strong in other than that, and his [renown] is more renowned and loftier. He appointed himself to issuing legal opinions until the common people came to know of him.
And the saying of 'Uthman in reporting about himself regarding his recitation each day is stronger in merit than Ibrahim's closing of the manuscript .
And Ibn 'Abbas, may God be pleased with him, sat weeping while he recited in the manuscript , when he mentioned [the verse]:
[damaged]
And the work done openly, with ikhlas (sincere devotion) and spiritual struggle (mujāhada), which one does not turn away from — that is superior and takes greater priority. When one is able [to act] and the inner chambers are illuminated and the concealment is dispelled , then let him act and not obey [the impulse] toward squandering obedience.