Beshr ibn al-Hareth
Abu Nasr Besht ibn al-Hareth al-Hafi was born near Merv c. 150(767) and was converted from a life of dissipation, studied Traditions in Baghdad, then abandoned formal learning for the life of a mendicant, destitute, starving and barefoot. He died in Baghdad in 227 (841). He was admired by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and respected by the caliph al-Ma'mun.
The conversion of Beshr the Barefoot
Beshr the Barefoot was born in Mery and settled at Baghdad. The beginning of his conversion happened as follows. He had lived a life of dissipation, and one day as he was staggering along the road drunk he found a piece of paper on which was written, "In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. He bought some attar of roses and perfumed the paper with it, and deposited it reverently in his house. That night a certain holy man had a dream in which he was bidden to tell Beshr:
"Thou hast perfumed my Name, so I have perfumed thee. Thou hast exalted my Name, so I have exalted thee. Thou hast purified my Name, so I have purified thee. By my Majesty, I will surely perfume thy name in this world and the world to come.
"He is a dissolute fellow, thought the saint. "Perhaps I am seeing erroneously."
So he made ablution, prayed and returned to sleep. He saw the selfsame dream a second and a third time. In the morning he arose and went in search of Besht
"He is at a wine-party," he was told.
He went to the house where Beshr was,
"Was Besht here?" he enquired.
"He was," they said. "But he is drunk and inc pable.
"Tell him I have a message for him," said the saint.
"A message from whom?" demanded Beshr when he was told.
"A message from God," replied the saint.
"Alas!" cried Besht, bursting into tears. "Is it a message of chiding or of chastisement? Wait, till I tell my friends. Friends," he addressed his drinking-com- panions, "I have had a call. I am going. I bid you farewell. You will never see me again at this busi ness."
And from that day onward he lived so saintly, that none heard his name mentioned without heavenly peace invaded his heart. He took to the way of self- denial, and so overwhelmed was he by the vision of God that he never put shoes on his feet. For that rea son he was called Beshr the Barefoot.
"Why do you not wear shoes he was asked.
"I was barefooted the day when I made my peace with God," he said, "and ever since I am ashamed to wear shoes. Moreover God Almighty says, I have made the earth a carpet for you. It is not seemly to tread with shoes on the carpet of kings."
Ahmad-e Hanbal visited Beshr frequently, having a complete faith in him to such a point that his pupils protested.
"Today you are without rival as a scholar of Traditions, the law, theology and every manner of sci ence, yet every moment you go after a dasolute fellow. Is that seemly?"
"Indeed, in all the sciences you have enumerated 1 have better knowledge than he, Ahmade Hanbal replied. "But he knows God better than I."
So he would pursue Besht, saying, "Tell me about my Lord.
Anecdotes of Beser
"Tonight Beshr will be your guest."
This conviction entered Beshr's sister's mind. She swept and watered her house, and waited expectantly for Beshr to arrive. Suddenly Beshr came like one da traughe.
"Sister, I am going up to the roof," he announced. He planted his foot on the stairs and climbed sever al steps, then remained standing like that till the next day. When dawn broke, he descended. He went off to pray in the mosque.
"What was the reason you stood all night?" asked his sister when he returned.
"The thought entered my mind," Beshr replied, "that in Baghdad there are so many people whose names are Beshrone a Jew, one a Christian, one a Magian. My name too is Besht, and I have attained the great felicity of being a Muslim.
What, I asked myself, did the others do to be exclud ed, and what did I do to attain such felicity? Bewildered by this thought, I remained rooted to the spot.
Beshr possessed seven bookcases of volumes on Traditions. He buried them all in the ground, and did not transmit them.
"The reason 1 do not transmit Traditions," he explained, "is that I perceive in myself a luse to do so. If I perceive in my heart a lust to keep silence, then 1 will transmit."
For a space of forty years Beshr longed for roast meat but had not the money to buy any. For many years his heart yearned for beans, but he ate none. He never drank water from streams dag out by the authorities.
One of the Saints relates, "I was with Besht once when the weather was extremely cold. I saw him naked and trembling. "Abu Nast'I said, 'in such weather peo ple put on extra clothing. You have taken off your clothes. Yes, Beshr replied, "I remembered the poor. 1 had no money with which to succour them, so I want- ed to share with them physically."
Ahmad ibn Ebrahim tells the following story. "Tell Ma'ruf," Beshe said to me, "that I will call on him after I have said my prayer"
I delivered the message, and we waited together. We performed the midday prayer, and Beshr did not come. We performed the afternoon prayer, and he did not come. We performed the prayer before sleep- ing.
"Glory be to God," 1 said to myself, "does a man like Besht break his word? This is extraordinary." I kept on the lookout, we being at the door of the mosque. Presently Beshr came along with his prayer rug under his arm. When he reached the Tigris he walked on the water and so came to us. He and Ma'ruf talked till dawn, then he returned walking on the water again. Flinging myself down from the roof, I hurried to him and kissed his hands and feet.
"Pray for me, I implored him.
Beshr prayed. Then he said, "Reveal what you have seem to no man."
So long as he was alive, I told no one
A crowd was gathered around Besht, and he was preaching in the theme of satisfaction. One of those present interrupted him.
"Abu Nast, you accept nothing from any creature in order to attain prominence. If you are sincere in your self-denial and have truly turned your face from this world, then take offerings from other men so that you may lose your prominence in people's eyes. Give to the poor what you receive, but give in secret, then be unwavering in trusting in God, and obtain your provi sion from the world unseen."
These words made a powerful impression on Beshr's followers. Beshr answered as follows,
"Attend now! The poor are divided into three class ex. One class consists of those who never ask for any thing, and if they are given anything they yet decline to accept it. These people are the spiritualists, for when they ask aught from God, God gives them whatever they desire, and if they adjure God their need is at once granted. The second class are those who do not ask, but if they are given anything they accept it. These are the middling folk; they are constant in their trust in God, and they are those who shall sit at the table of Paradise. The third class are those who sit with patience, as far as they can they observe their moment, and repel outward enticements."
"I am satisfied with this statement," the interrupter said. "May God he satisfied with you!"
A throng of people came to Beshe.
"We have come from Syria, and are going on the pilgrimage," they said. "Do you feel inclined to accom pany us?"
"On three conditions," Besht replied. "First, we will take nothing with us; second, we will not ask for any- thing, third, if we are given anything we will not accept it."
"Not to ask for anything and not to take anything with us that we are able to concede," they answered. "But if an offering comes along, we cannot not take it.
"You have put your faith not in God," Beshr rebuked them, "but in your pilgrims provisons."
A man once came to consult Beshr's advice.
"I have two thousand dirhams lawfully acquired. I wish to go on the pilgrimage."
"You want to walk for your own amusement," Beshr replied. "If you are really intent on pleasing God, then go and pay someone's debt, or give the money to anorphan, or someone in poor circumstances. The ease thas given to a Muslim's heart is more acceptable to God than a hundred pilgrimages."
"I put prior the desire to make the pilgrimage," the man said.
"That is because you have obtained these moneys by means that are not good, Beshr commented. "You will never find rest until you have spent them in improper ways."
Beshr related as follows.
Once I saw the Prophet in a dream. He said to me, "Besht, do you not know why God has chosen you from amongst your contemporaries and has raised you up to high rank?"
"No, Messenger of God, I replied.
"It is because you have followed my Sunna, and rev erenced the righteous, and given good counsel to your brethren, and loved me and the people of my house hold, the Prophet told me. "For this reason God has advanced you to the station of the pious."
Beshr also told the following story
One night I saw Ali in a dream. I said, "Give me counsel."
"How good a thing," said Ali, "is the compassion shown by the rich to the poor for the sake of seeking
the reward of the All-merciful, Better still is the disdain shown by the poor towards the rich relying upon the manificence of the Creator of the world."
Beshr lay on his deathbed. A man entered and com plained of the tight-fistedness of fate. Beshe gave him his shirt and put on a borrowed shirt, and in that shirt set out into the world beyond.
It is recorded that so long as Beshr was alive, no male dropped as dung in the streets of Baghdad out of reverence for him, because he walked barefooted. One night a man with a mule observed his beast drop its dung in the road.
"Ah, Beshr the Barefoot is no more," he exclaimed.
Enquiry was made, and so it proved. The man was asked how he knew
"Because so long as he was alive, on all the streets of Baghdad no male-dung was to be seen. I observed that the rule had been broken, and so knew that Beshr was no more,"