■ Imām Hasan of Basra, may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret, and the Fire-Worshipper.
Among the moving stories recorded by Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār in Tadhkirat al-Awliyāʾ (Memorial
of the Saints) is the account of imām Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and his dying neighbour, Simeon, a fire-worshipper.
Simeon had lived beside Ḥasan for many years. When he became gravely ill and death drew near, some of his friends asked Ḥasan to visit him.
Ḥasan went to his home and found him lying upon his bed, his body darkened by years spent among fire and smoke.
Ḥasan counselled him gently:
“Fear Allāh Almighty. You have spent your life among fire and smoke. Accept Islām, so that Allāh Almighty may have mercy upon you.”
Simeon replied:
“There are three things that prevent me from becoming a Muslim. First, you speak against attachment to this world, yet you pursue worldly things day and night.
Second, you say that death is inevitable, yet you make little preparation for it. Third, you say that the Face of Allāh Almighty shall be seen, yet you live in ways contrary to His pleasure.”
Ḥasan was struck by the wisdom contained in Simeon’s words.
He replied:
“What you have described is indeed the condition of those who claim knowledge but fail to live according to it. But what do you say of the one who truly believes in the Oneness of Allāh Almighty?
You have worshipped fire for seventy years, while I have never worshipped fire. Yet both
you and I remain entirely dependent upon the mercy of Allāh Almighty. Fire itself is only a created thing, and every created thing is subject to the command of its Creator.”
Then Ḥasan said:
“Come, let us place our hands into the fire. Then you will see that fire has no power except by the permission of Allāh Almighty.”
Ḥasan placed his hand into the fire, and by the permission of Allāh Almighty it did not burn him. Simeon was astonished. For seventy years, he had worshipped fire. Now only moments remained to him.
“What shall I do?” he asked.
Ḥasan replied:
“Accept Islām.”
Simeon said:
“Give me a written assurance that Allāh Almighty will not punish me, and I will believe.”
Ḥasan wrote a statement for him, and Simeon asked respected witnesses from Basra to attest to it. Then Simeon wept, pronounced the testimony of faith, and turned toward Ḥasan.
“When I die, wash my body, perform the funeral prayer over me, and bury me with this document in my hand. Let it be my proof.”
Soon afterward, Simeon passed away.
The people washed his body, performed the funeral prayer, and buried him with the document, just as he had requested.
That night, Ḥasan went to sleep troubled by what had happened.
He thought:
“How could I claim to rescue a drowning man when I myself am drowning? I have no control over my own destiny, so how could I presume to guarantee what Allāh Almighty would do?”
As he slept, he saw Simeon in a dream.
Simeon appeared radiant, like a shining lamp. He wore beautiful garments, a crown upon his head, and walked joyfully through a garden of Paradise.
Ḥasan asked:
“How are you, Simeon?”
Simeon smiled and replied:
“Why do you ask when you can see for yourself? Allāh Almighty, through His immense bounty, brought me near to His presence and bestowed upon me blessings beyond description. You fulfilled your promise, so take back your document. I no longer have any need of it.”
Ḥasan awoke.
To his astonishment, the parchment was in his hand. He raised his heart to Allāh Almighty and said:
“O Lord, I know that whatever You do is solely from Your boundless bounty. Who can ever be deprived at Your door?
You have brought a man who worshipped fire for seventy years into Your mercy because of a single sincere utterance. How, then, would You exclude a believer who has worshipped You for seventy years?”
■ The Lesson
This story is not a declaration that anyone may guarantee another person’s salvation. Rather, it is a profound reminder of the vastness of the mercy of Allāh Almighty, the power of sincere repentance, and the danger of judging the final destiny of another soul.
The servant sees only a person’s past; Allāh Almighty sees the heart, the repentance, the sincerity, and the final moment.
A lifetime of error may be overturned by one moment of genuine return. And a lifetime of outward worship must never become a cause for pride, for salvation belongs ultimately to the mercy and grace of Allāh Almighty.
▪︎ As the people of the spiritual path have long taught:
Never despair of the mercy of Allāh Almighty, and never become certain of your own standing before Him.
▪︎ Source: Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār, Tadhkirat al-Awliyāʾ (Memorial of the Saints), in the account of Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, may Almighty Allāh sanctify his secret.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 