IBN
FURAK
by
Dr. G.F. Haddad
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Ibn Fûrâk, Muhammad ibn
al-Hasan ibn Fûrâk, Abû Bakr al-Asbahânî
al-Shâfi`î (d. 406), the Imâm and foremost specialist
of kalâm and usûl, transmitter of
al-Ash`arî's school, specialist of Arabic language, grammar and
poetry, orator, jurist, and hadîth scholar. He studied doctrine
under al-Ash`arî's companion, Abû al-Hasan
al-Bâhilî, and Abû `Uthmân al-Maghribî
who stipulated, before his death, that Ibn Fûrâk lead the
funeral prayer over him. Ibn Fûrâk taught al-Qushayrî
and al-Bayhaqî who cite him frequently in al-Risâla
and al-Asmâ' wa al-Sifât respectively. He
fought and defeated the anthropomorphist Karrâmiyya in Rayy then
went to Naysabûr where he trained generations of fuqahâ' at
a school founded for him, an expansion of Abû al-Hasan
al-Bushanji's earlier Sûfî school (khânqah).
He brought to Naysabûr the transmissions of the narrators of
Basra and Baghdâd and authored numerous books in various
disciplines.
`Abd al-Ghaffâr ibn Ismâ`îl said: "Ibn
Fûrâk's works in usûl al-dîn, usûl al-fiqh, and the meanings of the Qur'ân
count nearly one hundred volumes." Among them: Mujarrad
Maqâlât al-Ash`arî and Mushkal
al-Hadîth wa
Bayanuh, in which he refuted both the anthropomorphist
tendencies of Hanbalî literalists and the over-interpretation of
the Mu`tazila. Ibn Fûrâk said that he embarked on the study
of kalâm because of the hadîth reported
from the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him -: "The Black Stone is the
right hand of Allâh Most High"
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 Hazm - without
questioning nor commenting them in the least - whereby Ibn
Fûrâk said that the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him -
is no longer a Prophet after his death and other things which entail
disbelief then stated: "But Ibn Fûrâk was better than Ibn
Hazm, of greater stature, and better belief."
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-Salâh. Ibn al-Subkî further
relates that Ibn Fûrâk considered a disbeliever whoever
said that the Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - is no longer a
Prophet.
Furthermore Ibn Fûrâk said: "The Ash`arî doctrine is
that our Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - is alive in his grave
and is the Messenger of Allâh - Allah bless and greet him -
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." Finally, Ibn al-Subkî took
al-Dhahabî to task for his ambiguity: "As for his declaring that
Ibn Fûrâk was better than Ibn Hazm, 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-Hajjâj 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 - Allah bless and greet him -: `Virtue is what sets the
soul at rest."
* "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.'"
The Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - described the "friends of
Allâh" (awliyâ') as "Those who, when you
see them, remind you of Allâh"
while `Alî ( exclaimed: "Ah! how one yearns to see them!" 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)." 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 hadîth
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."
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." The following are longer
versions of the same hadîth as narrated respectively by Abû
Hurayra and Abû Mâlik al-Ash`arî:
[Abû Hurayra:] The Prophet - Allah bless and greet him - 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 - Allah bless and greet him -
finished hisprayer 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 -
Allah bless and greet him - 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 - Allah
bless and greet him - 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)."
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