Ibrahim Bin Adham
Encyclopedia
Ibrahim ibn Adham is one of the most prominent of the early ascetic Sufi saint
s.
The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prince renouncing his throne and choosing asceticism closely echoing the legend of Gautama Buddha
.
Sufi tradition ascribes to Ibrahim countless acts of righteousness, and his humble lifestyle, which contrasted sharply with his early life as the king of Balkh
(itself an earlier center of Buddhism). As recounted by Abu Nu'aym, Ibrahim emphasized the importance of stillness and meditation
for asceticism. Rumi extensively described the legend of Ibrahim in his Masnavi
.
The most famous of Ibrahim's students is Shaqiq al-Balkhi
(d. 810).
but he was born in Balkh
. While some writers traced his lineage back to Umar
, the most famous family tree of his Sufi ancestors, most authors trace it to 'Abdullah, the brother of Ja'far al-Sadiq
, and son of Muhammad al-Baqir
, the grandson of Husayn ibn Ali
.
Accounts of Ibrahim's life are recorded by medieval authors such as Ibn Asakir
and Bukhari
.
Ibrahim was born into the Arab community of Balkh
as the king of the area in around 730 C.E, but he abandoned the throne to become an ascetic. He received a warning from God, through Khidr who appeared to him twice, and, abdicated his throne to take up the ascetic life in Syria
.
Having migrated in around 750 C.E, he chose to live the rest of his life in a semi-nomadic lifestyle, often travelling as far south as Ghazzah. Ibrahim abhorred begging and worked tirelessly for his livelihood, often grinding corn or tending orchards. In addition, he is also said to have engaged in military operations on the border with Byzantium
, and his untimely death is supposed to have occurred on one of his naval expeditions.
His earliest spiritual master was a Christian monk named Simeon.
Ibrahim later recounted later his dialog with Simeon in his writings:
As is often with the graves of saints, numerous locations have been placed as the burial place of Ibrahim ibn Adham. Ibn Asakir
stated that Ebrahim was buried on a Byzantine
island, while other sources state his tomb is in Tyre, in Baghdad
, in the "city of the prophet Lot", in the "cave of Jeremiah
" in Jerusalem and, finally, on the Syrian coast.
Ibrahim may have been a historical Sufi of the 8th century, whose legend was embellished in later accounts.
The Persian Memorial of the Saints
by Attar, for example, remains one of the richest sources on Ebrahim's conversion and early life as the king of Balkh
. It was through the Persian memorials that literature on Ibrahim passed into the legendary literature of India and Indonesia, where further unhistorical embellishments were added.
One of the main features of non-Arabic literature on Ibrahim is the feature of full-length biographies on the figure, as opposed to anecdotes centering around the main incidents in his life. Moreover, many of the non-Arabic accounts on Ebrahim's life preceded with a short account of the life of his father, Adham. One of the most famous of these biographies was written by Rumi, which was adapted into Arabic form.
Other such biographies were written in Urdu
and Malay
, which laid the basis for short biographies in Javanese
and Sundanese
.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s.
The story of his conversion is one of the most celebrated in Sufi legend, as that of a prince renouncing his throne and choosing asceticism closely echoing the legend of Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
.
Sufi tradition ascribes to Ibrahim countless acts of righteousness, and his humble lifestyle, which contrasted sharply with his early life as the king of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
(itself an earlier center of Buddhism). As recounted by Abu Nu'aym, Ibrahim emphasized the importance of stillness and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
for asceticism. Rumi extensively described the legend of Ibrahim in his Masnavi
Masnavi
The Masnavi, Masnavi-I Ma'navi or Mesnevi , also written Mathnawi, Ma'navi, or Mathnavi, is an extensive poem written in Persian by Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, the celebrated Persian Sufi saint and poet. It is one of the best known and most influential works of both Sufism and Persian literature...
.
The most famous of Ibrahim's students is Shaqiq al-Balkhi
Shaqiq al-Balkhi
Shaqiq al-Balkhi was an early Sufi saint of the Khorasan school.Tradition makes him the disciple of Ibrahim ibn Adham.He emphazised the importance of tawakkul or reliance upon God.-References:...
(d. 810).
Life
According to Muslim tradition, Ibrahim's family was from KufaKufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
but he was born in Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
. While some writers traced his lineage back to Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
, the most famous family tree of his Sufi ancestors, most authors trace it to 'Abdullah, the brother of Ja'far al-Sadiq
Ja'far al-Sadiq
Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq was a descendant of Muhammad and a prominent Muslim jurist. He is revered as an Imam by the adherents of Shi'a Islam and as a renowned Islamic scholar and personality by Sunni Muslims. The Shi'a Muslims consider him to be the sixth Imam or leader and spiritual...
, and son of Muhammad al-Baqir
Muhammad al-Baqir
Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī al-Bāqir was the Fifth Imām to the Twelver Shi‘a and Fourth Imām to the Ismā‘īlī Shī‘a. His father was the previous Imām, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, and his mother was Fatimah bint al-Hasan...
, the grandson of Husayn ibn Ali
Husayn ibn Ali
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
.
Accounts of Ibrahim's life are recorded by medieval authors such as Ibn Asakir
Ibn Asakir
-Name:His full name was Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allah ibn `Abd Allah, Thiqat al-Din, Abu al-Qasim, known as Ibn `Asakir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari.-Works:...
and Bukhari
Muhammad al-Bukhari
Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari , popularly known as Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, , was a Sunni Islamic scholar of Persia...
.
Ibrahim was born into the Arab community of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
as the king of the area in around 730 C.E, but he abandoned the throne to become an ascetic. He received a warning from God, through Khidr who appeared to him twice, and, abdicated his throne to take up the ascetic life in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Having migrated in around 750 C.E, he chose to live the rest of his life in a semi-nomadic lifestyle, often travelling as far south as Ghazzah. Ibrahim abhorred begging and worked tirelessly for his livelihood, often grinding corn or tending orchards. In addition, he is also said to have engaged in military operations on the border with Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
, and his untimely death is supposed to have occurred on one of his naval expeditions.
His earliest spiritual master was a Christian monk named Simeon.
Ibrahim later recounted later his dialog with Simeon in his writings:
I visited him in his cell, and said to him, "Father Simeon, how long hast thou been here?" "For seventy years", he answered. "What is thy food?" I asked. "O Hanifite", he countered, "what hast caused thee to ask this?" "I wanted to know", I replied. Then he said. "Every night one chickpea." I said, "What stirs thee in thy heart so that this pea suffices thee?" He answered, "They come to me one day in every year and adorn my cell and process about it, so doing me reverence; and whenever my spirit wearies of worship, I remind it of that hour, and endure the labors of a year for the sake of an hour. Do thou, O Hanifite, endure the labor of a year for the glory of eternity."
As is often with the graves of saints, numerous locations have been placed as the burial place of Ibrahim ibn Adham. Ibn Asakir
Ibn Asakir
-Name:His full name was Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Hibat Allah ibn `Abd Allah, Thiqat al-Din, Abu al-Qasim, known as Ibn `Asakir al-Dimashqi al-Shafi`i al-Ash`ari.-Works:...
stated that Ebrahim was buried on a Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
island, while other sources state his tomb is in Tyre, in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, in the "city of the prophet Lot", in the "cave of Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
" in Jerusalem and, finally, on the Syrian coast.
Historicity and literary reception
The medieval narratives of the life of Ibrahim are semi-historical.Ibrahim may have been a historical Sufi of the 8th century, whose legend was embellished in later accounts.
The Persian Memorial of the Saints
Tadhkiratul Awliya
Tadhkiratul Awliya by Farid al-Din Attar of Nishapur is regarded as one of the most important works of Sufism. It is acclaimed as of the rare collection of the biographies of Muslim Sufi saints between the 6th and 13th century....
by Attar, for example, remains one of the richest sources on Ebrahim's conversion and early life as the king of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
. It was through the Persian memorials that literature on Ibrahim passed into the legendary literature of India and Indonesia, where further unhistorical embellishments were added.
One of the main features of non-Arabic literature on Ibrahim is the feature of full-length biographies on the figure, as opposed to anecdotes centering around the main incidents in his life. Moreover, many of the non-Arabic accounts on Ebrahim's life preceded with a short account of the life of his father, Adham. One of the most famous of these biographies was written by Rumi, which was adapted into Arabic form.
Other such biographies were written in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, which laid the basis for short biographies in Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
and Sundanese
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
.
See also
- Fudhail Bin IyadhFudhail Bin IyadhFudhail Bin Iyadh Bin Masood Bin Bishr Al-Tamimi aka Abul Fadhl and Abu Ali, was an early day Sufi Saint, a successor to Abdul Waahid Bin Zaid, third link in the Sufi Silsilah of Chishti Order, and the Master of Ibrahim Bin Adham....
- Huzaifah Al-Mar’ashi
- Sultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham MosqueSultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham MosqueThe Sultan Ibrahim Ibn Adham Mosque is the largest mosque in the Palestinian town of Beit Hanina, located northeast of Jerusalem. It is named after a Muslim who lived in the town and worked as collector of olive products. An engraving in a stone in front of the mosque reads, "this mosque was built...
- Beit HaninaBeit HaninaBeit Hanina is a Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem on the road to Ramallah. It is bordered by Hizma to the east, Shuafat to the south, Beit Iksa and Nabi Samwil to the west, and Bir Nabala, al-Jib, Kafr Aqab and ar-Ram to the north. The total area of Beit Hanina is 20 sq. kilometers...