Muhammad Ibn Wasi' Al-Azdi (d.ca.744 or 751) was a ''
tabi'i''
Islamic scholar
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
of ''
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...
'', judge, and soldier who was noted for his asceticism (''zuhd''). His statement, 'I never saw anything without seeing
Allah
Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", ...
therein' was much discussed by later
Sufis
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
. He fought under
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim (d.715) during the
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
conquest of
Transoxiana
Transoxiana or Transoxania (Land beyond the Oxus) is the Latin name for a region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to modern-day eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...
, and later became a judge.
There is a story that claims that a Muslim saw in a dream
Malik Bin Deenar and Ibn Wasi being led into
Jannah
In Islam, Jannah ( ar, جَنّة, janna, pl. ''jannāt'',lit. "paradise, garden", is the final abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Quran. Belief in the afterlife is one of the six articles of ...
, and noticed that Malik was more honoured and allowed to enter first. When he enquired, noting that he believed Ibn Wasi' was the more noble, he was told that it was true, "but Mohammed ibn Wasi possessed two shirts, and Malik only one. That is the reason why Malik is preferred".
[Nicholson, Reynold A. "The Mystics of Islam", 1914. p. 26]
Sayings About or Arributed to Ibn Wasi'
Qutaybah Ibn Muslim said of him, "That the finger of Muhammad ibn Wasi' points to the sky in battle is more beloved to me than one hundred thousand renowned swords and strong youths." Abu Hamid
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian polym ...
(d.1111) also mentioned him in his writings: If a man finds himself sluggish and averse from austerity and self-discipline, he should consort with one who is a proficient in such practices so as to catch the contagion of his enthusiasm. One saint used to say, "When I grow lukewarm in self-discipline, I look at Muhammad Ibn Wasi, and the sight of him rekindles my fervour for at least a week." Muhammad ibn Wasi said; “Only three things do I wish for in this world; a brother to set me straight if I go crooked; a livelihood for, which I do not have to beg; and a congregational prayer in, which I am relieved of absent mindedness and, which is recorded in my favor.”
[Al-Ghazali’s ''Ihya’ Ulum al-Din'']
Notes
Tabi‘un
8th-century deaths
Year of birth unknown
8th-century Arabs
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