2.2.20.3 - Abu al-Abbas Ahmad al-Hariri

It seems, as we alluded above, that Ahmed was younger than his brother Muhammad Al-Khayyat, and perhaps he was of the same age as Shaykh Muhyiddin, which is what might have brought them together initially as friends. Shaykh Muhyiddin describes his friend Ahmad beautifully by saying that he has gathered the virtues and avoided the vices, he knew the truth and obliged himself to it, and the secret was disclosed to him but he covered it up ... [Quds:, pp. 59-61].

As for his brother Abu al-Abbas Ahmad, what a man he was! A man replete with the virtues, avoiding all vices, one who knew God and was devoted to him, utterly trustworthy. He was of those who received divine communication from behind a veil, Mighty in his contemplation, pleasing in company, helpful in all things and gentle, tolerant, agreeable to all which was pleasing to God, but firmly opposed to all not pleasing to Him. He invoked the Name and was ennobled by it and his name was on every tongue. Although he might sometimes seem absentminded, he could be as swift as one fleeing an avenger. He submitted himself to the authority of the mysteries and was a man much given to contemplation. Whenever we were considering some point or other he would become inwardly absent from us, after which he would expound some aspect of the problem to us. He still acts in this way today. He served only his brother through whose spiritual grace he enjoyed many spiritual benefits.

Then, Shaykh Muhyiddin adds that Ahmad Abu al-Abbas was being addressed in his heart, which means that Allah speaks to him from behind a veil. So it often occurs that when they were discussing some issue, he goes a little astray from them and then when he returns he tells them one aspect of the issue in which they are discussing.

In Egypt, he used to be Imam at the Mosque of the Candles. He was known in Egypt as Ahmad al-Hariri. He was firm and resolute in the religion of God as if he could see the Unseen with his own eyes.

The brothers Ahmed and Muhammad traveled together to Egypt and lived there for a while, during which the famous famine happened in Egypt as we shall describe in Chapter IV, thus al-Khayyat fell severely ill and his brother Ahmed took care of him. Then when Shaykh Muhyiddin arrived in Egypt, in 598/1201, they wanted to go with him for Hajj, but Muhammad al-Khayyat’s illness prevented them from doing so [Quds:, pp. 59-61].

At about that time plague and famine were ravishing the people of Egypt. One day this Shaykh of ours was walking along the street and saw young babies dying of starvation. At this sight he said, O Lord, what may all this mean? Then he became lost to himself in contemplation, during which a voice said to him, O my servant, have I caused you loss in anything? He said, No, indeed. The voice continued, Do not interfere, for the children you see before you are the offspring of sin. These are a people who have made light of my statutes, so I have imposed the strictures of My Law upon them. Thus do I deal with those who make light of My statutes. Do not concern yourself with them. When he came to himself again he found himself no longer distressed by what he saw. This Shaykh enjoyed many such discourses.