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Where can I find the story of the venerable Tabi'i Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Hafi?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Bishr ibn al-Harith al-Hafi was born in Baghdad in the year 150 AH. He heard Hadith from Hammad ibn Zayd, Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, and others. A group of scholars, including Abu Khaythama and Sari al-Saqati, narrated from him. He was renowned for his devotion, asceticism (zuhd), piety (wara‘), and self-mortification. Many imams praised him, such as Imam Ahmad, who said, "No one like him was left after him." In his early life, he was a brigand. The reason for his repentance was that he found a piece of paper with the name of Allah on it and honored it, so Allah enlivened his heart. Among his sayings is: "Whoever loves this world should prepare himself for humiliation." He never wore sandals. His death occurred in Baghdad in the year 227 AH. The people of Baghdad gathered for his funeral, and it is narrated that the jinn wailed over him. It was also reported that he said in a dream that Allah had forgiven him and everyone who loved him until the Day of Judgment.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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