Hatim was a wise man and Ahmad ibn Hanbal was from the second generation after the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, two hundred years after the Prophet, they were good people then, it was the sahabah, the tabieen and those who followed the sahabah.
Ahamd ibn Hanbal was a prominent figure, and when you have a status like that people talk about you, they get jealous.
You know who gets the most jealous? It's family, friends, neighbours - people who know you. Those who don't know you don't care.
So people used to talk about Ahmad ibn Hanbal رحمه الله a lot!
One day Ahmad asked Hatim. Hatim is an influential wise man, and he asked him how am I going to save myself from the people, the community, how do I stop them from speaking about me?
Hatim told Ahmad that when the people curse you, you don't curse them. People they will hit you, you don't hit them, people they will take your money, you don't take their money. People talk about you, everything the people do against you, you don't talk about them, you don't do it to them.
Do you know what Ahmad said? He said I swear by Allah that's too much Hatim!
Hatim told him after that, you wish you can also be safe, even after you do this you cannot be safe. After all this, you gave up everything, you're not going to be safe. They're going to follow even further on that.
That's the way, that's how people are. You wish you're going to be safe after all that but you're not going to, people won't let you go!
Don't be like them people, forgive and tolerate...your reward is with Allah!
DON'T BE AMONGST THOSE AHMAD IBN HANBAL رحمه الله WAS WARNED ABOUT ⚠️ Take heed, the wisdom to be taken from this should be by everyone. We all are faced with negativity, but let Hatim's words be implanted in your minds, when you please Allah He will make the people pleased with you, and when you displease Allah to please the people, neither will you be able to achieve the pleasure of the people nor the pleasure of the Creator.
- Shaykh Musa Jibril حفظه الله
