Download PDF: [S] Imam Shubah’s Piety (Islamic story)

Hadrat Sayyiduna Shu’bah bin Al Hujjaj’s – may Allah be pleased with him – title was “Abu Bustaam” and he was from Basrah. He was one of the most respected authorities on Hadith and in the history of this science, he was actually given the title of “Ameerul Mo’mineen fil Hadith”. The list of his students could not even be counted. Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Shafi – may Allah be pleased with him – states that, “If Imam Shu’bah – may Allah be pleased with him – was not present, there would have been no one in Iraq to convey the Ahadith.”

 

Imam Shu’bah – may Allah be pleased with him – was extremely soft-hearted and pious. In his time, he was considered as one of those people who were unmatched in Ibadah. People used to say that he spent his days in fasting and his night in Ibadah. Imam Muslim bin Ebrahim Imam Shu’bah – may Allah be pleased with him – used to say that whenever he went to meet him in his house, he was always in Ibadah. In fact, due to his immense Ibadah and piety, he had actually becomes skin and bones. He also disliked the idea of wasteful spending. If one of his students arrived in classes with a kurta whose material was eight Dirhams, he used to advise him to buy material for four Dirhams and give the other four in charity.

 

Imam Shu’bah’s – may Allah be pleased with him – behaviour was such that if anyone came to his house asking for anything, he was always prepared to take everything in his house and give the person. If while on the road and he was on his donkey and someone asked him for something and at that time he had nothing, he used to even give the person his donkey and walk. If he was on a boat, he used to pay for everyone’s fare.

 

It is mentioned that once the Khalifah, Mehdi Abbasi, sent thirty thousand Dirhams to him and within one sitting Imam Shu’bah – may Allah be pleased with him – had all of this distributed among his student and the poor and needy. He did not keep a single Dirham for himself even though his family were in great need themselves on that day.

 

He used to wear brown clothing so that it did not appear soiled quickly. He only had one kurta, one lower covering and one shawl. In fact, all three of these things were less than ten Dirhams in value. When someone valued his saddle and the reins on his donkey, they were less than seventeen Dirhams. He passed away in 166 A.H. and was buried in Basrah. (Tabqaat, Tahzeeb)