Ya Ikhwa wal Akhawat, the following are some incidents of the Salaf as Saleh and their hatred and fear of fame, and how meticulous they were to stay away from it. What about us?! How should we be?!
Habib ibn Abu Tha’bit said: “While Ibn Mas’oud radiAllaahu ‘anhu was walking, some people were following him; he turned to them and said: ‘Can I help you?’ They said: ‘No but we would like to walk with you’: He radi Allahu ‘anhu said: ‘Go back, for it is a humiliation for the followers and a Fitnah for the person followed.’” – Ibn al-Jawzi, “Sifat as-Safwah”: 1/406
Al-Harith ibn Suwaid said: “Abdullah said: ‘If you knew what I know about myself you would scatter dust on my head.’” – Ibid: 1/406-407
Al-Hasan[1] said: “I was in the company of Ibn al-Mubarak one day when we arrived at a watering place and found people drinking from it. Ibn al-Mubarak went to drink and the people did not recognize him, so they pushed him. When he came back, he said, ‘This is how one should live his life,’ that is, when nobody recognised him or showed respect to him.’”
Al-Hasan also said: “One day Ibn al-Mubarak was in Kufa’ and one of his students was reading the book of Manaasik (Hajj rituals) to him. The reader got to a Hadeeth where it was written: “’Abdullaah Ibn al-Mubarak said and his opinion we followed.’ Then, Ibn al-Mubarak said: ‘Who wrote that?’ I (al-Hasan) said: ‘The writer.’ So Ibn al-Mubarak kept rubbing it with his own hand until he wiped it out, then he said, “Who am I to put my name there?’” – Ibn al-Jawzi, “Sifat as-Safwah”: 4/135
Ahmad ibn Yunus al-Yarbu’i said: “Fudha’la Ibn Ubaid advised us saying: “If you can learn and not be known, do that; if you can listen and not talk, do that; and if you can sit and acquire knowledge from others, do that.’” – Adh-Dhahabi “Siyar a’laam an-Nubalaa’”: 3/116
A man said: “I saw grief on the face of Imam Ahmad when a man praised him saying: May Allaah bless you on behalf of Islaam.” But Imam Ahmad replied: “On the contrary, may Allaah bless Islaam on my behalf, who am I and what have I done?’” – Ibid: 11/225
[1] One of Ibn al-Mubarak’s students; there were three among his students whose name started with al-Hasan: Al-Hasan Ibn ar-Rabi’, Al Hasan ibn Arafa’, and Al-Hasan Ibn Issa’ Ibn Ma’sirji.
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