I want to abandon all private sittings!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said,

“Well-being and safety are ten parts; nine parts are found in silence (i.e. speak good or remain silent) and the tenth part is found in seclusion”. [1]

Malik Bin Dinar, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“The righteous people used to advise one another with three affairs: restraint of the tongue, seeking Allah’s forgiveness, and seclusion”. [2]

Al-Khattaabee, may Allah have mercy upon him, stated:

The intent behind this [i.e. seclusion] neither means that a person abandons the obligatory gatherings [i.e. Salawaat, the Jumu’ah prayer and other gatherings where one is required to appear, etc], nor that one neglects the rights of the people [i.e. such as visiting people for the sake of Allah, helping them, responding to an invitation, etc] and the good customary practices established amongst the people (i.e. the ones not in opposition to the Shariah), nor does it mean that one refrain from replying to their greetings; rather seclusion necessitates abandoning excessive and increased intermingling for which there is no need. [3]

Yahya Ibn Mu’adh, may Allah have mercy upon him, would oftentimes seek solitude and be secluded from the people. Then, one day, his brother came to him and said, “O my brother! How long will you abandon the people?! If you are one of the people, then you must associate with people.” Yahya looked at him and then said, “If you are one of the people, then you must turn to Allah.” Then Yahya recited (the line of poetry):

“For the sake of Allah, leave me and do not blame me, for you do not understand my situation. Leave me alone and depart from me, O men of Qeel and Qaal. O how I long for a person, inclining towards the Most Merciful, Someone who keeps his brother’s secrets and helps him in doing good”.

Explanation:

He (i.e. the author Ibn Al-Bannah) said: Yahya—that is, Yahya ibn Mu‘adh ar-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him—would oftentimes seek solitude and be secluded from the people: Meaning, he preferred being alone and avoiding intermingling with the people.

“Then one day, his brother came to him”—meaning, to reproach him for doing so. His brother said to him, “My brother, how long will you abandon the people?!”—meaning, you neither intermingle with them, sit with them, nor keep them company.

“If you are one of the people, then you must associate with people.” Meaning, so long as you are one of them, you must intermingle with them and sit with them.

“Yahya looked at him and then said… ‘If you are one of the people, then you must turn to Allah'”. Meaning: you must worship Him, submit to Him, and turn to Him for refuge. Then Yahya began to recite, making known the reason for the situation he was in, justifying the solitude he preferred and being secluded from the people, saying:

“By Allah, leave me alone”—meaning, do not blame me. “For you do not understand my situation.” Meaning: Do not blame me for what I am upon and the situation I am in, because indeed, you will not understand my situation, nor will you understand the reason that led me to that.

“Leave me alone and depart from me, O men of Qeel and Qaal”—meaning: He found that the state of their intermingling was as such—Qeel and Qaal; for example, backbiting, tale-bearing, mockery, and things of that nature.

“O how I long for a person, inclining towards the Most Merciful”: Meaning: Indeed, I would not have refrained from intermingling had I found an individual who would aid me in obedience and worship, strengthen and support me, and keep me upright. I long to find someone who is like this. “Someone who keeps his brother’s secrets and helps him in doing good.” [4]

Wahb ibn al-Ward, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: A man came to Wahb ibn Munabbih, may Allah have mercy upon him, and said: “I have been thinking of isolating myself from people and having no dealings with them. What do you think?” [5]

The Obscure One:

Imam Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

He does not make himself manifest and does not give importance to manifesting himself amongst the people, to be pointed out or for people to speak about him. You find him between his house and his Masjid and vice versa; from his house to his relatives and his brothers, whilst being unnoticed, and making himself unnoticed.

However, this does not mean that if Allah grants a person knowledge, he confines himself in his house and does not teach the people. This is in opposition to piety. Teaching the people is better for him than being confined in his house and not benefiting the people with his knowledge, or sitting in his house and not benefiting the people with his wealth; rather if the affair is between being conspicuous- to manifest himself or make himself visible, or hiding (i.e. without a need to make himself manifest), he chooses to hide; but if it is the case that he must make himself apparent, he has to make himself apparent. This is beloved to Allah, The Mighty and Majestic. [6]

We ask Allah:

اللهمَّ كما حسَّنتَ خَلقي فحسِّنْ خُلُقي

[1] Sifatus Safwa. 4/257

[2] Hilyatul Awliyaa 2/277

[3] Al-Uzlah. pages 12-13

[4] Sharh Ar-Risaalah Al-Mugniyah Fis Sukut Wa Luzoom Al-Buyut Pages 85-86 By Shaikh Abdur Razzaq al-Badr-hafidhahullah

[5] Al-Mudārāh by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā 1/42

[6] Sharh Riyaad As-Salihin. Chapter 69. 3/509