FUDAYL BN IYYAD

He was born and he lived in khurasaan. He was previously the leader of a group of highway robbers who terrorise travellers and confiscate their goods. Even during this time, he was a Muslim, keeping his five daily salat prayers, fasting as required and forbidding his men to uncover any women found among the victims.

Due to the banditry of fudayl and his men. A rich merchant, fearful of running into bandits, mistake Fuḍayl for an honest man and ask him to hide the majority of his wealth lest bandits find him. As the merchant continued on his way, he was robbed of his remaining wealth by Fuḍayl’s men. When the merchant returned to Fuḍayl to recover the majority of his wealth, he was dismayed to find the bandits who had robbed him there surrounding the man he had trusted; however Fuḍayl indicated that he was a god-fearing man, and would not betray his trust, therefore motioning the merchant to reclaim the wealth he had left in trust with him.

One day, fudayl was about to waylay a group of people and rob them of their properties. He climbed the wall and in a moment, the light of Allah shone in his heart as he heard some one reciting a verse in suratu hadiid 57:16, which reads “Has not the Time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed (to them)…”.

He hastily got down from the wall and was full of remorse of his actions. He moved to an incomplete building were he met some people who were being wary lest the bandit Fuḍayl ibn Iyad find them. Fuḍayl stepped out and introduced himself, acknowledging that he had repented and was no longer a danger.

He changed his lifestyle since that faithful day and became a true servant of Allah. He tried to repent from those he has robbed and tried as much as possible to gain their forgiveness. On a particular account, he sought forgiveness from a Jew who was not pleased with him. the Jew asked him to serve him. After several days of work, a hurricane blew away the pile of dirt, and Fuḍayl explained to the Jew that God had aided him. The Jew then placed a bag of dirt on his bed and asked Fuḍayl to bring it to him, and remarked upon discovering that the dirt had turned to gold that he now believed in the religion of Fuḍayl, and asked to become a Muslim.

In his later life, he moved to Kufa, in modern-day Iraq, and studied under Ja’far al-Sadiq and Abdul Wahid Bin Zaid and he also taught great scholars such as Ibrahim ibn Adham, Bishr the Barefoot and Sari al-Saqati. He did hajj to Makkah were he remained and studied under Imam Abu Hanifah.

He became very popular that crowds of people do come to learn from him. Also, his prayers were usually quickly accepted by Allah. On one account, his son ahs a urinary tract infection which were cured by th eprayers of Fudayl.

He died in his prayer early in the year 187AH.

May Allah have infinite mercy on him.