Muhammad Ibn Wasi' Al-Azdi (d.ca.744 or 751) was a ''

tabi'i The tābiʿūn (, also accusative or genitive tābiʿīn , singular ''tābiʿ'' ), "followers" or "successors", are the generation of Muslims who followed the companions (''ṣaḥāba'') of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and thus received their ...

Islamic scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' ( ; also spelled ''ulema''; ; singular ; feminine singular , plural ) are scholars of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious knowledge in Islam. "Ulama ...

of ''

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

'', judge, and soldier who was noted for his asceticism (''zuhd''). His statement, 'I never saw anything without seeing

Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...

therein' was much discussed by later

Sufis Sufism ( or ) is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from , ), and ...

. He fought under Qutaybah Ibn Muslim (d.715) during the

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...

conquest of

Transoxiana Transoxiana or Transoxania (, now called the Amu Darya) is the Latin name for the region and civilization located in lower Central Asia roughly corresponding to eastern Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, parts of southern Kazakhstan, parts of Tu ...

, and later became a judge. There is a story that claims that a Muslim saw in a dream Malik Bin Deenar and Ibn Wasi being led into

Jannah In Islam, Jannah (, ''jannāt'', ) is the final and permanent abode of the righteous. According to one count, the word appears 147 times in the Qur'an. Belief in the afterlife is one of the Iman (Islam)#The Six Articles of Faith, six article ...

, and noticed that Malik was more honoured and allowed to enter first. When he enquired, noting that he believed Ibn Wasi' was the more noble, he was told that it was true, "but Mohammed ibn Wasi possessed two shirts, and Malik only one. That is the reason why Malik is preferred".Nicholson, Reynold A. "The Mystics of Islam", 1914. p. 26

Sayings About or Arributed to Ibn Wasi'

Qutaybah Ibn Muslim said of him, "That the finger of Muhammad ibn Wasi' points to the sky in battle is more beloved to me than one hundred thousand renowned swords and strong youths." Abu Hamid

Al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...

(d.1111) also mentioned him in his writings: If a man finds himself sluggish and averse from austerity and self-discipline, he should consort with one who is a proficient in such practices so as to catch the contagion of his enthusiasm. One saint used to say, "When I grow lukewarm in self-discipline, I look at Muhammad Ibn Wasi, and the sight of him rekindles my fervour for at least a week." Muhammad ibn Wasi said; “Only three things do I wish for in this world; a brother to set me straight if I go crooked; a livelihood for, which I do not have to beg; and a congregational prayer in, which I am relieved of absent mindedness and, which is recorded in my favor.”Al-Ghazali’s ''Ihya’ Ulum al-Din''

Notes

Tabi‘un 8th-century deaths Year of birth unknown 8th-century Arab people {{Islam-scholar-stub