Once, Caliph Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik arrived in Madinah on his way to Makkah and stayed there for several days. He asked the people:
“Is there anyone in Madinah who met a Companion of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?”
They replied:
“Yes, Abū Ḥāzim (raḥimahullāh) is here.”
The Caliph then sent for Abū Ḥāzim Salamah ibn Dīnār (raḥimahullāh). When he arrived, Sulaymān said:
“O Abū Ḥāzim! What is this discourtesy and neglect?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“O Commander of the Faithful! Do not say something that does not reflect what actually happened. Until today, you did not know me, and I had never seen you either. So where is the question of discourtesy or neglect?”
Sulaymān then turned to Muḥammad ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī (raḥimahullāh) and said:
“The shaykh has spoken correctly. I was the one who made a mistake.”
Sulaymān then asked:
“Why do we dislike death so much?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Because you have ruined your Hereafter while building up your worldly life. You are therefore reluctant to move from a place you have built and cultivated to one that lies in ruins.”
Sulaymān said:
“You have spoken the truth, Abū Ḥāzim! What will our encounter with Allah be like tomorrow?”
He replied:
أما المحسن فكالغائب يقدم على أهله، وأما المسيء فكالآبق يقدم على مولاه.
“As for the righteous, he will be like an absent traveller returning to his family. As for the wrongdoer, he will be like a runaway slave being brought back to his master.”
Hearing this, Sulaymān began to weep and exclaimed:
“Alas! What will our condition be before Allah?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Present your deeds before the Book of Allah.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Where shall I find that?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Indeed, the righteous will be in Paradise, while the wicked will be in Hell.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Then where is Allah’s mercy?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Indeed, Allah’s mercy is near to those who do good.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Who are the most honoured among Allah’s servants?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Those who possess a sense of dignity and wisdom.”
Sulaymān asked:
“What is the best deed?”
He replied:
“Fulfilling the obligatory duties and abstaining from what is forbidden.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Which supplication is most likely to be accepted?”
He replied:
“The supplication made by someone who has received kindness on behalf of the person who showed that kindness.”
Sulaymān asked:
“What is the best form of charity?”
He replied:
“Giving to a needy beggar and spending according to one’s means while in a state of poverty, without reproaching the recipient for the favour or causing them distress.”
Sulaymān asked:
“What is the most just and truthful statement?”
He replied:
“Speaking the truth even before someone whom you fear or from whom you hope to receive something.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Who is the most discerning among the believers?”
He replied:
“The person who obeys Allah and calls others to obey Him as well.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Who is the most foolish among the believers?”
He replied:
“The person who sells his Hereafter in exchange for another person’s worldly interests by following the desires of an oppressive individual.”
Sulaymān asked:
“What is your opinion of our present condition?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“O Commander of the Faithful! Will you excuse me from answering this question?”
Sulaymān said:
“No. Rather, advise me.”
Abū Ḥāzim then said:
يا أمير المؤمنين إن آباءك قهروا الناس بالسيف، وأخذوا هذا الملك عنوة على غير مشورة من المسلمين ولا رضا لهم حتى قتلوا منهم مقتلة عظيمة؛ فقد ارتحلوا عنها فلو شعرت ما قالوه وما قيل لهم!
“O Commander of the Faithful! Your forefathers imposed their authority upon people by the sword. They seized this kingdom by force, without consulting the Muslims or obtaining their consent, and many people were killed in the process. Then they departed from this world. If only we knew what they said and what was said to them!”
Someone in the royal court remarked:
“O Abū Ḥāzim! You have spoken very harshly!”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“You are mistaken! Allah has taken a covenant from the scholars that they must make the truth clear to people and not conceal it.”
Sulaymān then asked:
“How can we reform ourselves?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Abandon arrogance and artificial pretensions to superiority, uphold your dignity, and establish equitable distribution.”
Sulaymān asked:
“What is the proper way to spend wealth?”
He replied:
“Acquire it through lawful means and spend it where it rightfully belongs.”
Sulaymān then said:
“O Abū Ḥāzim! Will you join our company, so that you may benefit from us and we may benefit from you?”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“I seek refuge in Allah from that.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Why?”
He replied:
أخشى أن أركن إليكم شيئا قليلا فيذيقني الله ضعف الحياة وضعف الممات
“I fear that if I were to incline towards you even a little, Allah might make me taste a doubled punishment—during life and at death.”
Sulaymān said:
“Tell me what you need.”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Save me from Hell and admit me into Paradise.”
Sulaymān said:
“That is beyond my power.”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
“Then I have no other need.”
Sulaymān said:
“Then at least pray for me.”
Abū Ḥāzim supplicated:
اللهم إن كان سليمان وليك فيسره لخير الدنيا والآخرة، وإن كان عدوك فخذ بناصيته إلى ما تحب وترضى.
“O Allah! If Sulaymān is among Your beloved servants, make the goodness of this world and the Hereafter easy for him. But if he is among Your enemies, take him by the forelock and guide him towards what You love and what pleases You.”
Sulaymān asked:
“Give me some further advice.”
Abū Ḥāzim replied:
قد أوجزت وأكثرت إن كنت من أهله، وإن لم تكن من أهله فما ينفعني أن أرمي عن قوس ليس لها وتر.
“I have spoken briefly, yet I have said much. If you are receptive to this advice, it will suffice you. But if you are not, there is no benefit in shooting an arrow from a bow that has no string.”
He then added:
“Let me offer you one concise piece of advice: Hold Allah in such great reverence that He never finds you engaged in something He has forbidden, and never finds you absent from something He has commanded you to do.”
When Abū Ḥāzim left, Sulaymān sent him one hundred dinars along with a message saying:
“Spend this money. If you need more, you can have it.”
Abū Ḥāzim returned the money and wrote back:
يا أمير المؤمنين أعيذك بالله أن يكون سؤالك إياي هزلا أو ردي عليك بذل وما أرضاها لك فكيف أرضاها لنفسي
“O Commander of the Faithful! I seek Allah’s protection from the possibility that your questions to me were asked in jest or that my refusal should be regarded as an insult. I would not consider this acceptable for you; how, then, could I consider it acceptable for myself?”
He then referred to the account of Sayyidunā Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām) and the Prophet Shuʿayb (ʿalayhis-salām), explaining that even in a state of extreme hunger and fear, Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām) did not wish to sell his religion in exchange for worldly gain.
Finally, he wrote:
ان كانت هذه المائة دينار عوضا لما حدثت فالميتة والدم ولحم الخنزير في حال الاضطرار أحل من هذه وان كان لحق في بيت المال فلي فيها نظراء فإن ساويت بيننا وإلا فليس لي فيها حاجة
“If these one hundred dinars are payment for the advice I have given, then, in a state of necessity, the flesh of a dead animal, blood, and pork would be more lawful for me than this money. But if this money represents my rightful share of the public treasury (*Bayt al-Māl*), then there are many others who have the same right to it. If you distribute it equally among us, I shall accept my share; otherwise, I have no need for it.”
*(Sunan al-Dārimī, ḥadīth no. 647)*
This incident stands as a remarkable example in Islamic history of the character, consciousness of the Hereafter, and self-respect of a scholar who remains steadfast upon the truth.
It teaches us that a genuine scholar does not flatter those in power. Rather, he speaks the truth fearlessly and exercises great caution in accepting gifts and favours from rulers in order to preserve his religious independence.
The account also teaches that attachment to worldly life makes people fearful of death, whereas preparing for the Hereafter makes death and the meeting with Allah easier to face.
At the same time, it clearly highlights the importance of fulfilling obligatory duties, abstaining from what is forbidden, establishing just governance, safeguarding the trust of the public treasury, and speaking the truth even in the presence of rulers.