Malek ibn Dinar

Malek ibn Dinar al-Sami was the son of a Persian

slave from Sejestan (or Kabol) and became a disciple

of Hasan of Basra. He is mentioned as a reliable

traditionist, transmitting from such early

authorities as Anas ibn Malek and Ibn Sirin. A

noted early calligrapher of the Koran, he died c.

130 (748).

How Malek-e Dinar came to be so named, and

the story of his repentance

When Malek was born his father was a slave; yet

though he was a slave’s son, he was free from bondage

to both worlds.

Some say that Malek-e Dinar once embarked in a

ship. When the ship was far out to sea the mariners

demanded,

“Produce your fare!” “I do not have it,” he

answered.

They beat him till he was senseless. When he recovered,

they shouted again.

“Produce your fare!”

“I do not have it,” he repeated.

They beat him unconscious a second time. When he

came to, they demanded a third time.

“Produce your fare!”

“I do not have it.”

“Let us seize him by the feet and throw him overboard,”

the sailors shouted.

All the fish in the water at that moment put up their

heads. Each one held two golden dinars in its mouth.

Malek reached down his hand and, taking two dinars

from one of the fish, gave it to them. Seeing this, the

crew fell at his feet. He walked on the face of the

waters and vanished.

That is why he was called Malek-e Dinar.

Now his conversion came about as follows. He was

a very handsome man and fond of worldly things, and

he possessed great wealth. He lived in Damascus,

where Mo’awiya had built the cathedral mosque,

endowing it liberally. Malek was very eager to be

appointed in charge of that mosque. So he went and

threw his prayer rug down in the corner of the

mosque, and there for a whole year continued in devotion,

hoping that whoever saw him would find him at

prayer.

“What a hypocrite for you!” he would say to himself.

A year passed in this way. By night he would leave

the mosque and take his amusement. One night he was

enjoying music, and all his companions had fallen

asleep. Suddenly a voice came from the lute he was

playing.

“Malek, what ails thee that thou repentest not?”

Hearing these words, Malek dropped the instrument

and ran to the mosque in great confusion.

“For a whole year I have worshipped God hypocritically,”

he communed with himself. “Is it not better

that I should worship God in sincerity? Yet I am

ashamed. What am I to do? Even if they offer me this

appointment, I will not accept it.”

So he resolved, and he put his conscience right with

God.

That night he worshipped with a truthful heart.

Next day people assembled as usual before the mosque.

“Why, there are cracks in the mosque,” they

exclaimed. “A superintendent ought to be appointed to

keep it in order.”

They reached the unanimous view that no one was

better fitted for the post than Malek. So they came to

him. He was at -e prayer, so they waited patiently until

he was finished.

“We have come to plead with you to accept this

appointment,” they said.

“O God,” cried Malek, “I served Thee hypocritically

for a whole year, and no one looked at me. Now that

I have given my heart to Thee and firmly resolved that

I do not want the appointment, Thou hast sent twenty

men to me to place this task on my neck. By Thy glory,

I do not want it.”

And he ran out of the mosque and applied himself to

the Lord’s work, taking up the life of austerity and discipline.

So 18 respected did he become, and of such

excellence of life, that l when a certain wealthy citizen

of Basra died, leaving behind a lovely daughter, the latter

approached Thabet-e Bonani.

“I wish to become the wife of Malek,” she

announced, “so that he may help me in the labour of

obedience to God.” Thabet informed Malek.

“I have divorced the world,” Malek replied. “This

woman belongs to the world I have divorced. I cannot

marry her.”

Malek and his licentious neighbour

There was a certain youth living in Malek’s neighbourhood

who was extremely depraved and dissolute in his

ways. Malek e was constantly pained on account of his

bad behaviour, but he endured patiently waiting for

someone else to speak. To be brief, in due course others

came forward to complain about the young man.

Malek then arose and went to him to bid him mend his

ways. The youth reacted in a very headstrong and

overbearing manner.

“I am the Sultan’s favourite,” he told Malek. “No

one has the power to check me or restrain me from

doing as I please.”

“I will talk to the Sultan,” Malek threatened.

“The Sultan will never swerve from his approval of

me,” the youth retorted. “Whatever I do, he will

approve.”

“Well, if the Sultan cannot do anything,” Malek proceeded,

“I will tell the All-merciful.”

And he pointed to heaven.

“Ha,” the youth replied. “He is too generous to take

me to task.”

This floored Malek, and he left him. Some days went

by, and the youth’s depravity surpassed all bounds.

People came again to complain. Malek rose up to

rebuke him; but on the way he heard a voice.

“Keep your hands off My friend!”

Amazed, Malek went in to the youth.

“What has happened,” the youth demanded on seeing

him, “that you have come a second time?”

“I have not come this time to chide you,” Malek

answered. “I have come simply to inform you that I

heard such a voice.”

“Ah,” the youth exclaimed. “Since things are like

that, I dedicate my palace wholly to His service. I care

nothing for all my possessions.”

So saying, he cast everything aside and set out to

wander the world.

Malek relates that after a certain time he saw the

youth in Mecca, utterly destitute and at his last breath.

“He is my friend,” he gasped. “I went to see my

friend.” And with that he expired.

Malek and his abstinence

Years passed without anything sour or sweet passing

Malek’s lips. Every night he would repair to the baker’s

and buy two round loaves on which he broke his fast.

From time to time it happened that the bread was

warm; he found consolation in that, taking it as an

appetizer.

Once he fell sick, and a craving for meat entered his

heart. For ten days he controlled himself; then, unable

to restrain himself any longer, he went to a delicatessen

and bought two or three sheep’s trotters and put them

in his sleeve. The shopkeeper sent his apprentice after

him to see what he would do. After a little while the

boy returned in tears.

“From here he went to a desolate spot,” he reported.

“There he took the trotters out of his sleeve, kissed

them twice or thrice, then he said, ‘My soul, more than

this is not meet for you.’ Then he gave the bread and

trotters to a beggar, saying, ‘Weak body of mine, do not

think that all this pain I impose on you is out of enmi-

ty. It is so that on the resurrection morn you may not

burn in Hell. Be patient for a few days, and it may be

that this trial will come to an end, and you will fall into

bliss that shall never pass away.'”

Once Malek said, “I do not know the meaning of the

statement that if a man does not eat meat for forty

days, his intelligence is diminished. I have not eaten

meat for twenty years, and my intelligence increases

every day.”

For forty years he lived in Basra and never ate fresh

dates. When the season of ripe dates came round he

would say, “People of Basra, behold, my belly has not

shrunk from not eating them, and you who eat them

daily—your bellies have not become any larger.”

After forty years he was assailed by a mood of restlessness.

However hard he tried, he could not withstand

the craving for fresh dates. Finally after some

days, during which the desire daily increased whilst he

constantly denied his appetite, he could resist no more

the importunity of his carnal soul.

“I will not eat fresh dates,” he protested. “Either kill

me, or die!”

That night a heavenly voice spoke.

“You must eat some dates. Free your carnal soul

from bondage.”

At this response his carnal soul, finding the opportunity,

began to shout.

“If you want dates,” Malek said, “fast for a week

without breakfasting once, and pray all night. Then I

will give you some.”

This contented his carnal soul. For a whole week he

prayed all night and fasted all day. Then he went to the

market and bought some dates, and betook himself to

the mosque to eat them. A boy shouted from the

rooftop.

“Father! A Jew has bought dates and is going to the

mosque to eat them.”

“What business has a Jew in the mosque?” the man

exclaimed. And he ran to see who the Jew might be.

Beholding Malek, he fell at his feet.

“What were those words the boy uttered?” Malek

demanded.

“Excuse him, master,” the boy’s father pleaded. “He

is only a child, and does not understand. In our quarter

many Jews live. We are constantly fasting, and our

children see the Jews eating by day. So they suppose

that everyone who eats anything by day is a Jew. What

he said he said in ignorance. Forgive him!”

When Malek heard this, a fire consumed his soul. He

realized that the child was inspired to speak as he had.

“Lord God,” he cried, “I had not eaten any dates,

and Thou didst call me a Jew by the tongue of an innocent

child. If I eat the dates, Thou wilt proclaim me an

unbeliever. By Thy glory, if I ever eat any dates!”

Source : Sufism.ir