What does it look like when a scholar truly fears Allah? Ibn al-Jawzi, rahimahullah, preserves for us the account of Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir — a man whose weeping over a single ayah of the Qur'an was so intense that his family sent for help. The following is an excerpt from Disturber of the Hearts by Ibn al-Jawzi, pages 39–40, published by Dar As-Sunnah.
A Crying Man Who Also Makes Others Cry
Yahya ibn al-Munkadir narrated: "I heard some of those who knew Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir saying: One night, he was praying and cried, but his crying became so excessive that his family became worried for him. Nevertheless, that did not lessen his tears — rather it only increased them.
His family requested Abu Hazim to come over to calm him down. When he arrived, he found him still crying. So he asked him: 'O my brother, what made you cry so much? For you have made your family worry about you.'
He said: 'I came across an ayah I recited from the Book of Allah, Exalted is He.'
Abu Hazim asked: 'Which ayah is it?'
He replied: 'It is the statement of Allah, the Most High:'
"And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account." (Al-Zumar 39:47)
Upon hearing this ayah, Abu Hazim was emotionally moved and started weeping as well.
And Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, when he was on his deathbed, panicked and said: "I fear that it will appear to me from Allah that which I had not taken into account."
His brother, Umar ibn al-Munkadir, also used to say: "An ayah from the Book of Allah that brought me to tears is: 'And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account.'" (Al-Zumar 39:47)
A Reflection
This ayah — "And there will appear to them from Allah that which they had not taken into account" — is one of the most sobering in the entire Qur'an. The scholars of tafsir explain that it refers to punishment that comes to the disbelievers from Allah in ways they never anticipated, having been deceived by the apparent ease of their worldly lives.
But what made Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir weep was not the ayah as it applied to others. It was the possibility — the fear — that he himself might have fallen short in ways he did not realize. That despite his worship, his knowledge, and his piety, something might appear from Allah that he had not accounted for.
This is the characteristic of the people of taqwa. They do not feel safe from Allah's reckoning. They fear in proportion to their knowledge. And that fear keeps the heart alive.
This same trembling awareness before Allah — the fear that keeps the heart soft rather than hardened — is exactly what is described among the 8 Causes of Weak Faith.
About the Book
Disturber of the Hearts by Ibn al-Jawzi is a collection of stories and accounts of the Salaf that soften the heart and remind the soul of what truly matters. Published by Dar As-Sunnah. Available at The Islamic Book Cafe for $10.00.
Baarakallahu feekum — The Islamic Book Cafe | Portland, Oregon
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