Haram bin Hayyan Abdi says: I went to Kufa, and my only purpose in going there was to meet Uwais Qarni, may Allah be pleased with him, and to ask him some questions. (I kept looking for him) until I found him alone by the river Euphrates at noon, washing his clothes and performing ablution. I recognized him because of his features. I saw that he was a well-built, wheatish-complexioned man. He had thick hair on his head but kept it shaved, meaning he did not have long hair. He had a thick beard, wore clothes made of wool, and had a blanket also made of wool. He did not wear shoes. His face was heavy and awe-inspiring. I greeted him with peace. He looked at me while responding to my greeting and welcomed me, saying, "Who are you?" I extended my hand to shake his, but he refused to shake hands with me. He told me to stay where I was and prayed for me. I said, "O Uwais! May Allah have mercy on you and may Allah forgive you. How are you?" After that, the love that was in my heart for Uwais Qarni, may Allah be pleased with him, overwhelmed me, and when I saw his pitiable condition, I was filled with emotion. I started to cry at his state, and he also cried with me. Uwais Qarni, may Allah be pleased with him, said to me, "O Haram bin Hayyan, how are you? And who told you about me?" I said, "Allah, besides Whom there is no god worthy of worship, our Lord is pure, the promise of our Lord is fulfilled. Neither had he seen me nor had I seen him before this day." But when he addressed me by name, I asked him, "How do you know me, and who told you my father's name? Even though I have never met you before today." He said, "Allah, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, has informed me. When you spoke to me, my soul recognized your soul. Just like living beings, souls also have intellect, and they recognize each other upon seeing each other and converse with each other, even though our bodies may not meet and talk to each other, even though we may not recognize each other apparently, even though we may live in different cities, in different places (yet when they meet, they recognize each other)." I said, "Narrate to me a hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that I may remember from you." He said, "I did not meet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, nor did I have the good fortune of being in his company. However, I have visited many people who have seen the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and just as you have heard hadiths from them, I also have hadiths that I have heard from some companions. But I do not wish to call myself a hadith scholar, a judge, or a jurist. O Haram bin Hayyan! The heart continues to desire such matters." (Haram bin Hayyan) says: I said, "My brother! Please recite a verse from the Holy Quran, I will listen to it from you, because I love you very much for the sake of Allah, and also pray for me and give me some advice." He took my hand and took me to the bank of the river Euphrates and recited, "I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful." Upon reading this, he started sobbing and then began to cry. Then he said, "The word of Allah is the truest word, His speech is the truest speech, and His work is the best work. He has said:"
"And We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in play. We did not create them except in truth, but most of them do not know. Indeed, the Day of Judgment is their appointed time, all of them. The Day when no friend will avail another in the least, nor will they be helped, except for he whom Allah has mercy upon. Indeed, He is the Exalted in Might, the Most Merciful." (Surah Ad-Dukhan, verses 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
After reciting these verses, he started sobbing again. After a while, he fell silent. I looked at him and thought that perhaps he had fainted. Then he said, "O Haram bin Hayyan, your father has passed away, and soon you will also pass away. Abu Hayyan has passed away. He is either in Paradise or in Hell. And O Ibn Hayyan! Adam, peace be upon him, and Eve, may Allah be pleased with her, have passed away. O Ibn Hayyan! And Noah, peace be upon him, Abraham, the friend of Allah, peace be upon him, have passed away. O Ibn Hayyan! Moses, the one spoken to by Allah, peace be upon him, and David, the vicegerent of the Most Merciful, peace be upon him, have also passed away, and Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has also passed away. O Ibn Hayyan! The Caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, has also passed away." After that, he started lamenting over Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, saying, "My brother and friend, Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, has also passed away. Alas, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, may Allah shower His mercy upon you." These were the days when Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was still alive, and this incident took place in the last days of his caliphate. I said to Uwais Qarni, may Allah be pleased with him, " Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, is still alive." He said, "O Haram! If you had any understanding, you would have known what I meant. The truth is that you and I are also among the dead, and all this will happen." Then he recited blessings upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and after that, he supplicated with many short prayers. Then he said, "O Ibn Hayyan! My advice to you is to hold fast to the Book of Allah, keep company with the righteous, and continue to send blessings upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. I am informing you of my death and your death, so it is upon you to remember death and not separate from it even for a moment. And when you return to your tribe, instill fear in them and advise your entire community, strive for your own sake, and save yourself from separating from the Jama'ah (congregation). (If you separate from the Jama'ah) you will become distant from the religion, and you will not even know about this distance, and you will enter Hell on the Day of Judgment." Then he said, "O Allah! This person thinks that he loves me for Your sake, and he has come to meet me only for Your sake. O Allah, make me recognize his face in Paradise, and grant us a meeting there. As long as he is alive, protect him, and grant him his sustenance, and make him content with a little of this world. O Allah, make easy for him whatever portion of the world You grant him, and when You have bestowed Your blessings upon him, make him grateful for Your blessings, and grant him the best of rewards. O Allah! I have entrusted Haram bin Hayyan to You. Peace and mercy of Allah be upon you." Then he said to me, "I will not see you after today. May Allah have mercy on you. Actually, I dislike fame and love solitude because as long as I am alive in this world with people, I will remain sad and worried. (After today) never ask anyone about me and do not try to find me. This is your responsibility from my side. Neither will you see me nor will I see you. Just remember me in your prayers, and if Allah wills, I will remember you in my prayers. Go from here." He says: I wished to accompany him for some distance, but he forbade me from accompanying him and separated me from himself. While parting, he cried, and my eyes also welled up. (Haram bin Hayyan) says: I kept watching him go from behind until he turned into an alley. After that, I searched for him a lot and asked many people about him, but I could not find anyone who could tell me anything about him. May Allah forgive him and have mercy on him. After that, I would see him in my dream once or twice every Friday."
Harm bin Hayyan Abdi kahte hain : mein Kufa mein gaya, aur wahan jane ka mera wahed yahi maksad tha ke mein Hazrat Uways Qarni (رضي الله تعالى عنه) se mulaqat karoon aur un se kuchh baaten poochhon. (Un ko dhundta raha) hatta ke nahar Furat ke kinare par dopahar ke waqt woh akele baithe apne kapde dho rahe the aur wuzu kar rahe the, maine un ki nishaniyon ki wajah se un ko pehchan liya. Maine un ko dekha, woh bhare hue jism wale gandam gun shakhs the. Un ke sar par kaseer baal the lekin woh sar mundwa kar rakhte the, yani woh chatiya nahin rakhte the, darhi ghani thi, oon ka bana hua libas pehente the aur oon ki bani hui ek chadar bhi hoti thi, moze nahin pehente the, chehra bhari aur raab dar tha, maine is ko salam kiya, unhon ne mere salam ka jawab dete hue meri janib dekha, aur mujhe khush aamaded kahte hue bole : tum kaun ho? Maine un se musafaha karne ke liye apna hath aage badhaya, lekin unhon ne mere sath musafaha karne se inkar kar diya. Aur mujhe dua dete hue apni jagah par khade rahne ka kaha. Maine kaha : aye Uways! Allah Ta'ala aap par rahem farmaye, aur Allah Ta'ala aap ki magfirat farmaye, aap ka kya haal hai? Is ke baad is mohabbat ne mujh par shadeed galba kar liya jo mere dil mein Hazrat Uways (رضي الله تعالى عنه) ke bare mein mojood thi, aur jab maine un ki halat zaar dekhi to mujh par ek rakt tari ho gayi. Un ki halat par mujhe rona aa gaya, aur mere sath sath woh bhi ro diye. Hazrat Uways (رضي الله تعالى عنه) ne mujhe kaha : aye Harm bin Hayyan tumhara kya haal hai? Aur tumhen mere bare mein kis ne bataya? Maine kaha : Allah Ta'ala ne, is ke siwa koi ibadat ke layak nahin hai, hamara Rab pak hai, hamare Rab ka wada poora ho kar rahta hai, is din se pehle na to unhon ne mujhe dekha tha aur na maine un ko dekha to lekin unhon ne jab mujhe naam lekar mukhatab kiya to maine un se poochha : aap mujhe kaise jante hain aur mere wald ke naam ka aap ko kis ne bataya? Halan ke aaj se pehle meri aap ke sath kabhi mulaqat nahin hui. Unhon ne kaha : mujhe ilm aur khabar rakhne wale Allah Ta'ala ne khabar di hai. Jab tum ne mere sath baat ki to meri rooh ne tumhari rooh ko pehchan liya. Zinda insano ki tarah rooh mein bhi aql hoti hai aur yeh bhi ek doosre ko dekh kar pehchan leti hain, aapas mein guftgu karti hain, agarche hamare jism ek doosre se mulaqat aur baat cheet na karen agarche bazahir ek doosre ko na pehchante hon. Agarche yeh alag alag shehron mein alag alag maqamat par rahte hon, (phir bhi jab milte hain to ek doosre ko pehchan lete hain) maine kaha : mujhe Rasul Allah ﷺ ki koi hadees sunaie jo mein aap ke hawale se yaad rakhoon. Unhon ne kaha : Rasul Allah ﷺ ke sath meri mulaqat nahin hui aur na hi mujhe huzoor ﷺ ki sohbat ki sa'adat mili, haan albatta maine aise bahut sare logon ki ziyarat ki hai jinhon ne Rasul Allah ﷺ ko dekha hai. Aur jaise tum logon ne un se ahadees sun rakhi hain isi tarah mere paas bhi kisi sahabi se suni hui ahadees mojood hain, lekin mein apne aap ko muhaddis, qazi ya mufti nahin kehlwana chahta. Aye Haram bin Hayyan! Dil to is tarah ke mamlat ki khwahish karta rahta hai. (Harm bin Hayyan) kahte hain : maine kaha : aap mere bhai! Aap Quran Kareem ki koi ayat hi padh dijiye, mein tum se wohi sun leta hun. Kyunki mein aap se Allah Ta'ala ki raza ke liye bahut zyada mohabbat karta hun, aur aap mere liye dua bhi farmaen aur mujhe koi wasiyat bhi farmaen. Woh mera hath pakad kar mujhe nahar Furat ke kinare le gaye aur A'udhu Billahi Minash Shaytanir Rajeem Bismillah Hir Rehmanir Raheem padha, yeh padhte hue aap siskiyan lene lage aur phir ro pade, phir farmaya : Allah Ta'ala ka qaul sab se bar haq qaul hai, is ki baat sab se sachi baat hai aur is ka kalam sab se achha kalam hai, is ne irshad farmaya hai : Wa Ma Khalaqnas Samawati Wal Arda Wa Ma Baynahuma La'ibeen. Ma Khalaqnahuma Illa Bil Haqqi Wa Lakinna Aksarahum La Ya'lamoon. Inna Yawmal Fasli Meeqatuhum Ajma'een. Yawma La Yughnee Mawla 'An Mawla Shay'aw Wa La Hum Yunṣaroon. Illa Man Rahimallahu Innahu Huwal 'Azeezur Raheem. (Surah Ad Dukhan, Ayat 38, 39, 40, 41, 42) ''Aur hum ne na banaye aasman aur zameen aur jo kuchh un ke darmiyan hai khel ke taur par hum ne inhen na banaya magar haq ke sath lekin in mein aksar jante nahin beshak faisla ka din in sab ki miyad hai jis din koi dost kisi dost ke kuchh kaam na aaye ga aur na un ki madad ho gi magar jis par Allah rahem kare beshak wohi izzat wala meharban hai'' (Tarjuma Kanzul Iman, Imam Ahmad Raza Rahmatullah Alaih) Yeh ayat padhne ke baad aap phir siskiyan lene lage, kuchh der baad khamosh ho gaye, maine un ko dekha to mujhe laga ke shayad aap be hos ho chuke hain, phir unhon ne farmaya : aye Harm bin Hayyan, tera wald faut ho gaya hai aur an qareeb tum bhi faut hone wale ho, Abu Hayyan faut ho gaye hain, woh ya to jannati hain ya dozaki hain. Aur aye Ibn Hayyan! Hazrat Adam Alaihissalam aur Hazrat Hawa ( (رضي الله تعالى عنه) ا) wafat pa gaye aye Ibn Hayyan! Aur Hazrat Nuh Alaihissalam, Hazrat Ibrahim Khalilullah Alaihissalam wafat pa gaye, aye Ibn Hayyan! Hazrat Musa Najir Rehman Alaihissalam aur Hazrat Dawood Khalifatur Rahman Alaihissalam bhi wafat pa gaye, aur Muhammad Rasul Allah ﷺ bhi wafat pa gaye, aye Ibn Hayyan! Khalifatul Muslimeen Hazrat Abubakar Siddique (رضي الله تعالى عنه) bhi wafat pa gaye, is ke baad woh Hazrat Umar (رضي الله تعالى عنه) par afsos karte hue kahne lage mere bhai aur dost Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (رضي الله تعالى عنه) bhi wafat pa gaye, haye Umar (رضي الله تعالى عنه) , Allah Ta'ala tum par rehmatein nazil kare, yeh un dino ki baat hai jab ke Hazrat Umar (رضي الله تعالى عنه) abhi zinda the aur yeh un ki khilafat ke aakhri ayam ka waqea hai. Maine Hazrat Uways (رضي الله تعالى عنه) se kaha : Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (رضي الله تعالى عنه) to abhi zinda hain. Agar tujh mein zara bhi samajh hui to tum jaan loge ke mere kahne ka kya matlab tha, haqeeqat to yeh hai ke tu aur mein bhi murdon mein shumar hain. Aur yeh sab ho kar rahe ga. Phir unhon ne Rasul Allah ﷺ ki zaat par durood pak padha, aur is ke baad kaafi sari mukhtasar duaen maangi. Phir farmaya : aye Ibn Hayyan! Meri taraf se yeh tumhen wasiyat hai ke kitab Allah ko mazbooti se thamo, aur saliheen se mulaqat karte raho, aur Nabi Akram ﷺ par durood padhte raho, mein tumhen apni aur tumhari maut ki khabar deta hun, is liye tum par lazim hai ke maut ko yaad rakha kar, ek lamha ko bhi is ko apne se juda na kar aur jab tu laut kar apne qabile mein jaye to un ko dar suna aur apni poori millat ke liye nasihat kar, aur apni zaat ke liye mehnat kar, aur jamaat se alag hone se apne aap ko bacha (agar tu jamaat se alag ho gaya to) deen se door ho jaye ga, aur is doori ka tujhe pata bhi nahin chale ga aur tu qayamat ke din dozakh mein dakhil ho jaye ga. Phir unhon ne kaha : aye Allah! Yeh shakhs samajhta hai ke yeh teri raza ki khatir mujh se mohabbat karta hai, aur yeh sirf teri raza ki khatir meri mulaqat ke liye aaya hai ya Allah jannat mein mujhe is ke chehre ki pehchan karana, aur wahan par is ki mere sath mulaqat karana, jab tak is ki zindagi hai, is ki hifazat farma, aur is ko is ki jaidad ata farma, aur is ko duniya ki thori naimat par razi hone wala bana, aye Allah tu is ko duniya ka jitna hissa ata farmaye woh is ke liye aasan farma, aur jab tu is ko naimaten ata kar chuke to is ko apni naimat ka shukar guzar bana, aur is ko jazaey khair ata farma, ya Allah! Maine Harm bin Hayyan ko tere supurd kiya, wassalam alaikum wa rehmatullah. Phir unhon ne mujhe kaha : mein aaj ke baad tumhen na dekhon. Allah Ta'ala tujh par rahem farmaye. Dar asal mein shohrat ko napasand karta hun aur khalwat-o-tanhai ko pasand karta hun. Kyunki jab tak mein logon ke sath duniya mein zinda hun, tab tak mein ghamgeen aur pareshan hi rahun ga. (Aaj ke baad) tum mere bare mein kabhi kisi se mat poochhna aur na hi mujhe dhundne ki koshish karna. Meri taraf se tumhari yeh zimmedari hai. Na tum mujhe dekhna aur na mein tumhen dekhon. Bas tum mujhe yaad kar ke mere liye dua kiya karna aur Insha Allah Ta'ala mein tumhen yaad kar ke tumhare liye dua kiya karun ga. Tum yahan se chale jao, woh farmate hain : maine khwahish ki ke kuchh door tak mein un ke hamrah chaloon lekin unhon ne mujhe sath chalne se mana kar diya aur mujhe khud se juda kar diya, juda hote hue woh bhi ro diye aur meri bhi aankhen chhalak padin. (Harm bin Hayyan) kahte hain : mein un ko jate hue peeche se dekhta raha hatta ke woh ek gali mein mud gaye, is ke baad maine un ko bahut dhunda aur bahut logon se un ke bare mein poochha, lekin mujhe koi shakhs aisa na mila jo un ke bare mein kuchh batata, Allah Ta'ala un ki magfirat farmaye aur un par rahem farmaye. Is ke baad har jumma ko ek ya do martaba khwab mein mujhe aap ki ziyarat hoti thi.