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`Abd al-Ghaffâr ibn Ismâ`îl said: "Ibn Fûrâk's works in us.ûl al-dîn,
us.ûl al-fiqh, and the meanings of the Qur'ân count nearly one hundred
volumes." Among them: Mujarrad Maqâlât al-Ash`arî and Mushkal al-H.adîth wa
Bayanuh, in which he refuted both the anthropomorphist tendencies of
H.anbalî literalists and the over-interpretation of the Mu`tazila.
Ibn Fûrâk
said that he embarked on the study of kalâm because of the h.adîth reported
from the Prophet 
: "The Black Stone is the
right hand of Allâh Most High"1 
which a mutakallim explained to his
satisfaction in contrast to the fuqahâ'.
Upon returning from Ghazna after the failure of the Karrâmiyya to have him
executed by the Sultan - after the latter questioned him then exonerated him
of the charges they had brought against him - he fell on the road, poisoned.
He was carried back to Naysabûr and buried in al-Hira. Ibn `Asâkir relates
that his grave is a place of visitation where one seeks healing (istishfâ')
and one's prayer is answered.
Abû `Alî al-Daqqâq was heard supplicating on
behalf of a number of a people and was asked: "Why do you not supplicate on
behalf of Ibn Fûrâk?" He replied: "How can I supplicate on his behalf when
only yesterday I implored Allâh to cure me for the sake of Ibn Fûrâk!"
Al-Dhahabî in his cursory notice on Ibn Fûrâk mentioned spurious
derogatory reports from Ibn H.azm - without questioning nor commenting them
in the least - whereby Ibn Fûrâk said that the Prophet is no longer a Prophet after his death and other things which
entail disbelief then stated: "But Ibn Fûrâk was better than Ibn H.azm, of
greater stature, and better belief."2
Ibn al-Subkî showed that these were
anti-Ash`arî fabrications falsely attributed to Ibn Fûrâk, al-Ash`arî, and
his companions and declared false by al-Qushayrî and Ibn al-S.alâh..3
Ibn
al-Subkî further relates that Ibn Fûrâk considered a disbeliever whoever
said that the Prophet is no longer a Prophet.
Furthermore Ibn Fûrâk said: "The Ash`arî doctrine is that our Prophet is alive in his grave and is the Messenger of
Allâh forever until the end of time,
literally, not metaphorically, and that he was a Prophet when Adam was
between water and clay, and his prophethood remains until now, and shall
ever remain."4
Finally, Ibn al-Subkî took al-Dhahabî to task for his
ambiguity: "As for his declaring that Ibn Fûrâk was better than Ibn H.azm,
it is a matter for Allâh Most High, and we ask our Shaykh: If Ibn Fûrâk
truly said this, then there is no good in him at all; and if he did not,
then why did you not clarify it lest someone be misled by this report?!"
The martyred Imâm Abû al-H.ajjâj Yûsuf ibn Dûnas al-Findalawî al-Mâlikî mentioned that Ibn Fûrâk never slept in a house that contained a volume of the Qur'ân, but would go and sleep somewhere else out of respect. Among his sayings:
* "Every instance in which you see scholarly endeavor but upon which there
is no light: know that it is a hidden innovation (bid`a khafiyya)." Ibn
al-Subkî said: "This is truly well-said and shows the great refinement of
the Teacher. Its foundation is the saying of the Prophet : `Virtue is what sets the soul at rest."5
* "It is impermissible for the walî to know that he is a walî because it
annuls his fear and imposes self-security upon him." Abû `Alî al-Daqqâq
considered it permissible. Al-Qushayrî said: "And this is what we prefer,
and choose, and declare." Ibn al-Subkî said: "Abû al-Qâsim is right without
the shadow of a doubt, for knowledge of one's wilâya does not do away with
one's fear of Allâh, nor knowledge of one's Prophethood. Indeed, Prophets
are the most fearful of Allâh of all people, yet they know that they are
Prophets.
And the walî does not cease to fear the design of Allâh as long as
he lives, and this is the greatest proof of fear. `Umar said: 'If one of my
feet were inside Paradise and the other still outside, I would not feel
secure from the design of Allâh Most High.'"6
The Prophet described the "friends of Allâh"
(awliyâ') as "Those who, when you see them, remind you of Allâh"7
while `Alî
( exclaimed: "Ah! how one yearns to see them!"8
Al-Qushayrî defined the walî
as
"One whose obedience attains permanence without the interference of sin;
or one whom Allâh Most High preserves and guards, in permanent fashion, from
the failures of sin through the power of acts of obedience: {He befriends
the righteous} (7:196)."9
Their position in relation to Allâh on the Day of
Judgment is described as an object of desire for the Prophets in the
authentic narrations. One h.adîth qudsî states:
"Those who love one another
for the sake of My Majesty shall have pulpits of light and the Prophets and
martyrs shall yearn to be in their position."10
Another narration states:
"Truly Allâh has servants whom He shall seat on pulpits of light, and their
faces shall completely overcome the fire of hell until the judgment of
creatures is concluded."11
The following are longer versions of the same h.adîth as narrated respectively by Abû Hurayra and Abû Mâlik al-Ash`arî:
[Abû Hurayra:] The Prophet said: "Truly there
are servants, among the servants of Allâh, that are not Prophets but whom
the Prophets and martyrs yearn to be like." Someone asked: "Who are they so
that we may love them?" He said: "They are a folk who loved one another with
the light of Allâh, without kinship nor affiliation. Their faces are light
on pulpits of light. They shall not fear when all people fear, nor shall
they grieve when all people grieve." Then he recited: {The Friends of Allâh!
Truly no fear shall there be for them, nor shall they grieve} (10:62).
[Abû Mâlik:] When the Prophet finished his
prayer he turned facing the people and said: "O people! Listen to this,
understand it, and know it. Allâh has servants who are neither Prophets nor
martyrs and whom the Prophets and martyrs yearn to be like, due to their
seat and proximity in relation to Allâh.
" One of the Bedouin Arabs who came
from among the most isolated of people twisted his hand at the Prophet and said: "O Messenger of Allâh! People from
humankind who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and yet the Prophets and the
martyrs yearn to be like them due to their seat and proximity in relation to
Allâh? Describe them for us!" The face of the Prophet showed delight at the question and he said:
"They are of the
strangers from here and there. They frequent this tribe or that without
belonging to any of them. They do not have family connections with each
other. They love one another for the sake of Allâh. They are of pure intent
towards one another. On the Day of Resurrection Allâh shall place for them
pedestals of light upon which He shall seat them, and He will turn their
faces and clothes into light. On the Day of Resurrection the people will be
terrified but not those. They are {the Friends of Allâh upon whom fear comes
not, nor do they grieve} (10:62)."12
NOTES
1 Narrated from Ibn `Abbâs, Jâbir, Anas, and others by Ibn Abî `Umar
al-Ma`danî in his Musnad, al-T.abarânî, al-Suyût.î in his Jâmi` al-Saghîr
(1:516 #3804-3805), Ibn `Asâkir in Târîkh Dimashq (15:90- 92), al-Khat.îb in
Târîkh Baghdâd (6:328), and others. It is considered forged by Ibn al-Jawzî
and Ibn `Adî (al-Kâmil 1:342). Cf. al-Ah.dab, Zawâ'id Târîkh Baghdâd
(5:321-323 #949). However, al-`Ajlûnî stated that it is s.ah.îh. as a halted
report from Ibn `Abbâs as narrated by al-Qud.â`î with the wording: "The
Corner [of the Black Stone] (al-rukn) is the Right Hand of Allâh on
earth...," and declared it h.asan as a h.adîth of the Prophet
Ibn Qutayba in Ta'wîl Mukhtalif al-H.adîth (1972 ed. p.
215=1995 ed. p. 198, 262) said that it was a saying of Ibn `Abbâs and
relates a saying of `A'isha that the Black Stone is the depository of the
covenant of human souls with Allâh ( on the Day of Promise (alastu bi
rabbikum). Its mention in the Reliance of the Traveller (p. 853b) as
"narrated by al-H.âkim, who declared it s.ah.îh., from `Abd Allâh ibn `Amr,"
is incorrect. Note: An authentic narration states that the Black Stone shall
appear with two eyes and a tongue on the Day of Resurrection. Narrated by
al-Tirmidhî, Ibn Mâjh, Ah.mad, al-Dârimî, Ibn H.ibbân (#3711-3712), and
others. 
2 He claims that Ibn Fûrâk said of the Prophet :
"He was the Prophet of Allâh, but today no longer is" and he cites Ibn
H.azm's claim that Ibn Fûrâk said something even more derogatory. Siyar
(13:131). Ibn H.azm is known for his rabid enmity to Ash`arîs, and he is the
model of those who attack Ash`arîs in later times as Ibn Taymiyya and some
of his modern epigones.
3 T.abaqât al-Shâfi`iyya al-Kubrâ (3:384-385; 3:399-423; 4:131-132;
4:406-416). "As for what is alleged whereby al-Ash`arî and his companions
said that Muh.ammad is no longer a Prophet in
his grave nor a Messenger after his death: this is a great calumny and a
crass lie. None of them ever said anything of the kind; nor was it heard
from them in any debate; nor is it found in any of their books. And how can
such a thing be correctly related from them when their position is that the
Prophet is alive in his grave?" Al-Qushayrî,
Shikâyat Ahl al-Sunna in Ibn al-Subkî, T.abaqât al-Shâfi`iyya al-Kubrâ
(3:406, cf. 3:384).
4 T.abaqât al-Shâfi`iyya al-Kubrâ (4:131-132).
5 Narrated from Abû Tha`laba al-Khushanî by Ah.mad with a sound chain as
stated by al-Haythamî (1:175) and Ah.mad Shâkir in the Musnad (13:479
#17671), and from Wâbis.a ibn Ma`bad al-Asadî by Ah.mad and al-Dârimî.
6 Tabyîn (p. 230-231); Siyar (13:130-131 #3739); T.abaqât al-Shâfi`iyya
al-Kubrâ (4:127-135 #317).
7 H.adîth (h.asan) of the Prophet in response
to the question: "Who are the awliyâ of Allâh?" and - in some narrations -
the question: "Who should we sit with?" Narrated from Ibn `Abbâs by
al-Nasâ'î in al-Sunan al-Kubrâ (6:362), Ibn al-Mundhir, Abû al-Shaykh, Ibn
Mubârak, al-Bazzâr in his Musnad (#3626, cf. Ibn H.ajar's Mukhtas.ar
2:394-395 #2083 and al-Haythamî's Majma` al-Zawâ'id 10:78), al-T.abarî in
his Tafsîr (11:131), Ibn Abî H.âtim, al-`Askarî, al-T.abarânî in al-Kabîr
(#12325), Ibn al-Mubârak in al-Zuhd (#218), Abû Nu`aym in Akhbâr As.bahân
(1:231), and Ibn Mardûyah; from Ibn `Abbâs, `Abd Allâh ibn `Amr, and Anas
ibn Mâlik by al-H.akîm al-Tirmidhî in Nawâdir al-Us.ûl (p. 140, cf. p. 158
"The conditions of wilâya and p. 204-209 "
Profile of the awliyâ'"); from Ibn
Mas`ûd by al-T.abarî in his Tafsîr (11:131) and al-T.abarânî with a chain of
trustworthy narrators but for one unknown per al-Haythamî (10:78); from Abû
Mâlik al-Ash`arî by al-Kharâ'it.î in Masâwi' al-Akhlâq (#233); mursal from
the Tâbi`î Sa`îd ibn Jubayr by Ibn al-Mubârak in al-Zuhd (#218), Ibn Abî
Shayba, al-T.abarî in his Tafsîr (11:131-132), Abû al-Shaykh, al-Dûlâbî
in
al-Kunâ (1:106), Abû Nu`aym in the H.ilya (1985 ed. 1:6) and Ibn Mardûyah;
mursal from the Tâbi`î `Abd al-Rah.mân ibn Ghanam al-Ash`arî by Imâm Ah.mad
in his Musnad (al-Zayn ed. 14:31 #17921: isnâd h.asan; al-Arna'ût. ed.
29:521-523 h.asan bi shawâhidih) cf. al-Haythamî (8:93) and al-Mundhirî in
al-Targhîb (=3:499); and from Ibn `Abbâs mawqûf by T.abarânî, Abû al-Shaykh,
Ibn Mardûyah, and al-D.iyâ' al-Maqdisî in al-Mukhtâra. Also narrated with
the wording: "The best among you are those who, when they are seen, Allâh is
remembered" from Asmâ' bint Yazîd by Ah.mad, al-Bayhaqî in Shu`ab al-Imân
(7:494), Abû Nu`aym in the H.ilya, Ibn Mardûyah, Musaddad, Ibn Abî Shayba,
`Abd al-Razzâq, `Abd ibn H.âmid, Abû Ya`lâ al-Maws.ilî, and Ibn Mâjah with a
fair (h.asan) chain as stated by al-Bûs.îrî in Mis.bâh. al-Zujâja (4:215);
from Ibn `Umar by al-Bayhaqî in Shu`ab al-Imân (5:297 #6708 with a weak
chain because of Ibn Lahî`a and a missing Tâbi`î link); and from `Ubada ibn
al-Samit with a very weak chain because of Yazîd ibn Rabî`a by al-Bazzâr in
his Musnad (#2719) and by al-T.abarânî as stated by al-Haythamî (8:93). Ibn
H.ajar in his Mukhtas.ar (2:395) considers it a saying of the Tabi`î Tawus
ibn Kaysan.
narrated by
al-T.abarânî with a chain of trustworthy narrators according to al-Haythamî
in the Majma` (10:78): "{The Friends of Allâh! Truly no fear shall there be
for them, nor shall they grieve} (10:62). Allâh is remembered through their
remembrance (dhikr) [or: `through remembrance of them']" (yudhkaru Allâhu bi
dhikrihim). Cf. Fayd. (#2885, #3976) and corresponding commentary in
al-Ghumârî's al-Mudâwî.
8 Narrated by Ibn al-Jawzî in S.ifat al-S.afwa 2(4):10 (#570) and 1(2):203
(#254) and Abû Nu`aym, H.ilyat al-Awliyâ' (6:155) and in the chapter titled
"Abû Hâshim."
9 Al-Qushayrî as cited in Ibn `Abidîn, Rasâ'il (2:277).
10 Narrated from Mu`âdh and `Ubada ibn al-S.âmit. by al-Tirmidhî who graded
it h.asan s.ah.îh. and Ibn H.ibbân (2:338 #577), Ah.mad in the Musnad and
his son `Abd Allâh in Zawâ'id al-Musnad (5:328), al-T.abarânî in al-Kabîr
(20:167-168), and Abû Nu`aym in the H.ilya (1985 ed. 2:131), all with a good
chain according to al-Arna'ût. in Ibn H.ibbân. One of `Ubada's versions
replaces the Martyrs with the S.iddîqûn.
11 Narrated from Abû Umâma by al-T.abarânî [in Musnad al-Shâmiyyîn (2:10)]
with a good chain according to al-Haythamî (10:277).
12 Narrated from Abû Hurayra by Ibn H.ibbân (2:332-334 #573) with a sound
chain according to Shaykh Shu`ayb al-Arna'ût., and al-Nasâ'î in al-Sunan
al-Kubrâ (6:362 #11153), al-T.abarî in his Tafsîr (11:132), and al-Mundhirî
in al-Targhîb (=4:20); from Abû Mâlik al-Ash`arî by Ah.mad, al-T.abarânî,
and Abû Ya`lâ with a chain of trustworthy narrators [except for Shahr ibn
H.awshab who is mostly reliable]; also by al-Baghawî
in Sharh. al-Sunna
(13:50 #3464) and al-T.abarî in his Tafsîr (11:132)]; from Abû al-Dardâ' by
al-T.abarânî with a fair chain according to al-Mundhirî]; and from `Amr ibn
`Abasa al-Sulamî with a chain of narrators considered trustworthy,
all three
gradings according to al-Haythamî (10:276-277, 10:77); from `Umar by Abû
Dâwûd with a chain of sound narrators, Abû Nu`aym in the H.ilya (1985 ed.
1:5) with a good chain as per al-Arna'ût., and al-T.abarî in his Tafsîr
(11:132); from Ibn `Umar by al-H.âkim (4:170-171 s.ah.îh., confirmed by
al-Dhahabî); and from Abû Umâma by al-T.abarânî with a good chain according
to al-Mundhirî (=4:20) and al-Haytamî (10:277); also by Ibn `Asâkir, Ibn Abî
al-Dunyâ in Kitâb al-Ikhwan, Ibn Abî H.âtim, and Ibn Mardûyah.
Hajj Gibril
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