The Early Zuhaad

Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Hafi

Bishr ibn al-Harith was born in the year 150 Al-Hijri in the town of Merv, which is now part of modern day Turkmenistan. Bishr and his family later moved to Baghdad, and he was raised as a Muslim. But despite being raised as a Muslim, Bishr enjoyed indulging in forbidden activities. One of these activities was partying. He would throw raucous parties at his house, which often involved the consumption of alcohol. Loud music was also played during the parties.

But one day, a local scholar, Musa ibn Ja'far, passed by the house of Bishr. He saw a female servant throwing away some rubbish from the party into a nearby dump outside the house. So, Musa asked if the owner of the house was a slave or free man. She replied that he was a free man, and Musa replied that she was correct, because if Bishr was a slave, he would indeed be afraid of Allah. When the woman returned into the house, she told Bishr about what Musa had said. When Bishr heard what he was told, he was incredibly shocked. So, Bishr ran out of his house and began to chase after Musa ibn Ja'far. He was in such a drunk state that he forgot to wear his shoes! When Musa ibn Ja'far confirmed his words, Bishr began repenting for his sinful actions.

Bishr ibn al-Harith began avoiding the sinful life. He prohibited people from partying at his house as well. Everyone was surprised at this sudden change in behaviour. Bishr also travelled to other towns to learn from great scholars, one of them Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyadh. Bishr studied the sciences of Hadith, and after a few years, he was knowledgeable enough to become a scholar. Some his teachers also included the great Imam Malik ibn Anas, the founder of the Maliki madhab. The founder of the Hanbali madhab, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, was one of the many students who learned Islamic spirituality and asceticism from Bishr.

One of Bishr's iconic traits was that he refused to wear shoes to remember the time he began his repentance. Hence, he was nicknamed “Al-Hafi” which can be translated to mean “The Barefoot”. Like other scholars of his time, Bishr did not like fame and he absolutely abhorred it. One of his famous sayings, “Whoever loves fame is not regardful of Allah,” reflects this attitude.

Bishr al-Hafi passed away in the year 227 Al-Hijri. He was buried in Baghdad, at a place called “Bab al-Harb”. But unfortunately, a small mosque was built over his grave, and the ignorants worshipped there, asking the deceased saint to ask Allah for blessings and things, not knowing that the saint couldn't hear them- he was dead. It is said that Bishr's descendants lived in Persia, one of them was buried in Anar where the grave is mistakenly attributed to Bishr himself.