Chapter X: Living and Character of the Prophet
(5) When Harun Rashid became Caliph, the learned men met him and he fixed their annual allowances. Only his friend Sufyan Saori did not meet him. Then the Caliph wrote to him a letter inviting him to come to his palace. When the sage Sufyan received the letter, he wrote in reply on its back : From Sufyan to Harun Rashid : proud of wealth and deprived of the taste of faith, I write to you that I demolished the path of love for you and cut off my love for you. I dislike action for which you cite me as a witness as you have written that you have opened your treasury for the Muslim. You are spending it unjustly and against the provision of Shariat. You are satisfied with what you have done.
O Harun, you are spending the wealth of the State extravagantly without the consent of the people. Are the widows, orphans and learned satisfied, with your actions ? Know that you shall have to face the Alimighty very soon. You have taken your seat on the Throne being dressed with silk robes. You have hung down long screen over your doors and kept your tyrant soldiers as guards.
They drink wine but beat the drunkards. They commit fornicators but mete out prescribed punishment on the fornicat or s. They steal but they cut off the hands of thieves. Why don't you inflict punishment on them before they inflict punishment on others?
He handed over the letter to the messenger of the Caliph without closing it in envelope without any seal. The messenger handed over the letter to the Caliph who accepted it cordially. He then used to keep it by his side and read it at the end of each prayer till his death.
(16) The Caliph Rashid stayed for some days at Kufa after pilgrimage. People then began to come to him. One Bahlul of deranged brain was one of them. When Harun came to him, he proclaimed loudly : O Commander of the Faithful. At this, Rashid uncovered his face and said : O Bahlul, Labbaik, Bahlul said : You should take to modesty and humility in your journey.
206 Enjoining good and forbidding evil Vol-II
At this the Caliph began to weep and said : Give me more advice.
Bahlul said : O Commander of the Faithful, if any man spends something out of his God given wealth and gives charity, he is enrolled as a pious man. Then the Caliph presented him something which he refused to accept saying : I have got to need of it.
These are some of the example of the previous sages and learned men in enjoining good and forfidding evil. They cared very little the powers of the rulers and depended entirely on God.
They remained satisfied in the belief that God would grant them the benefit of martyrdom.