Ibrahim ibn Mansur ibn Zayd was born in the eight century of the Gregorian calendar. The exact birth date is not known, but it is specified to be within 60-100 Al-Hijri which is 718-782 in the Gregorian calendar. Ibrahim was born in Balkh, hence he was given the title “Al-Balkhi”. He was also from the Arab tribe of Banu Ajal that resided in Balkh.
When Ibrahim ibn Adham had reached adulthood, he became the ruler of Balkh, which was still a small town back during his time. Ibrahim did not feel content with his rich and lavish lifestyle. He felt bored, as if there was something he really did not want to have around. He realized that the reason for his discontent was the life of being a king. So, he decided to abandon all his royalty and live a nomadic and simple life on a farm. He also travelled to Makkah and other places to learn about Islam and gain knowledge. One of his teachers was the famous Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyadh, a former bandit who reverted to Islam and became a knowledgeable man. Ibrahim was also a classmate of Bishr ibn al-Harith, who would later be known as Al-Hafi due to his preferences to go barefooted.
Ibrahim ibn Adham eventually became one of the great scholars of Ahlus Sunnah. He was an expert in Hadith sciences. Ibrahim was also known to have feared fame; he was best known for his saying, “A slave who loves fame has not been truthful to Allah.” Amongst Ibrahim's students were the knowledgeable Sufyan at-Thawri, who was also one of his closest companions.
Ibrahim recalls his life, saying, “I never found delight in living except in Shaam (present-day Syria). I would flee with my religion from heights to heights and from mountain to mountain. Whoever saw me would say that I was delusional, and whoever saw me said that I was a porter.” We can see how he never cared about what others thought of him, and how he only cared about what Allah, may He be Exalted, thought about him. What a great man, may Allah have mercy on him.
An incident involving Ibrahim and Imam al-Awza'i is seen in the book Ta’tir al-Anfas min Hadith al-Ikhlas. It is related that Ibrahim was walking through the town of Baghdad. On his travels, he passed by a large gathering of people. The people were gathered around Imam al-Awza'i, who was in the center, reciting Qur'an and narrating Ahadeeth. Ibrahim said, “If such a gathering happened around Abu Hurayrah, he would have immediately left.” Ibrahim's words reached Imam al-Awza'i, who quickly left the gathering. From that day on, the Imam did not allow such gatherings to take place around himself again.
Ibrahim ibn Adham also engaged in jihad against the Byzantines, presumably under the reign of either the Umayyad or Abbasid dynasties. It is said that the reason for his passing was due to a surprise attack on his cavalry from the Byzantines. He was buried on an island which is said to be that of Jableh, though a tomb dedicated to him is found in the city of Sur in the Sultanate of Oman. Ibn Asakir records that the grave of Ibrahim ibn Adham was located on an island that was under Byzantine rule. Only Allah knows where Ibrahim ibn Adham is truly buried.
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The Early Zuhaad
Non-FictionA collection of short biographies of early Muslim ascetics, such as Al-Hasan of Basra, Junayd of Baghdad, and Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Hafi. All of these ascetics are firm followers of the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
