عبد الله بن المبارك

Ibn al-Mubarak (RH)

'Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak

118–181 AH · 736–797 CE

Hadith Sufism

Scholar of hadith, ascetic, merchant and frontier fighter from Merv.

Ibn al-Mubarak combined many lives in one. He was a scholar of hadith who studied with Sufyan al-Thawri, Malik and Abu Hanifa; a wealthy merchant who spent his profits on scholars and the poor; and a volunteer who fought on the Byzantine frontier.

His Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqa'iq, on renunciation and softening the heart, is one of the earliest works of Islamic spirituality. He is remembered for paying the travel costs of fellow pilgrims and for his poems urging scholars to sincerity.

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Life journey

736 CE Merv مرو
Travelled constantly between Khurasan, Iraq, the Hijaz and the frontier.
797 CE Hit هيت
Died 797 CE · 181 AH
Died at Hit on the Euphrates, returning from the frontier.

Teachers

Imam Abu Hanifa (RH) 699–767 CE
Ibn al-Mubarak studied fiqh with Abu Hanifa and spoke of him with respect.
Sufyan al-Thawri (RH) 716–778 CE
Ibn al-Mubarak learned hadith from Sufyan al-Thawri.

Key works

Kitab al-Zuhd wa al-Raqa'iq كتاب الزهد والرقائق
The Book of Renunciation
An early collection on renunciation and softening the heart.

Sources

al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad

Draft, awaiting scholarly review.