Imam Ahmad and the Baker- 191

Est. Read time: 3 min
Edition Number: 191
Adapted from: Hidden Blessings: The Believer's Guide To Navigating Trials
Instructor: Shaykh Yasir Fahmy

Assalamu Alaykum,

Today’s gem is from Shaykh Yasir Fahmy’s course, Hidden Blessings: The Believer's Guide To Navigating Trials. In this gem Shaykh Yasir Fahmy shares the story of Imam Ahmad (R) and a baker who is always in the state of istighfar.

Hope you enjoy!

We begin in the Name of Allah ﷻ, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,
We ask that He ﷻ sends Peace and Blessings upon our noble and beloved
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

And so we have the famous story of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal when he was traveling alone. Back then, there was no social media, so people didn’t know when he would travel to another land, nor did they know what he looked like. People had heard of Sayyidina Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, but if they saw him, they wouldn’t recognize him.

As he was traveling, he happened to arrive in a city and went to a masjid to pray Isha. After praying, he stayed in the masjid and fell asleep. However, the guard of the masjid dragged him out and told him he couldn’t sleep there. Imam Ahmad didn’t protest or reveal his identity; he simply sat outside.

While he was sitting there, a khabbaz (baker) who was heading to work early in the morning saw the situation. Typically, bakers start their work hours before Fajr to prepare for the morning rush. The baker, seeing Imam Ahmad outside, invited him to come to his bakery and rest until Salatul Fajr.

Imam Ahmad went with him and sat in the bakery, observing him at work. The entire time, the baker was making istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah ﷻ), continuously repeating phrases of repentance while kneading the dough and preparing the bread.

Impressed, Imam Ahmad asked the baker, “What benefits have these istighfar brought you? I noticed that the entire time, you have been making istighfar. What have you gained from this practice?”

The baker replied, “I have received many benefits. But the most amazing and consistent benefit is that whenever I ask Allah ﷻ for something, Allah ﷻ grants me whatever I ask for.” Then he added, “Except for one thing that I have asked for, which has not yet been granted.”

Imam Ahmad asked, “And what is that?”

The baker replied, “I have asked Allah ﷻ for the opportunity to meet Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.”

Imam Ahmad smiled and said, “Allah ﷻ has dragged me to you! Literally, I was dragged out of the masjid, and Allah ﷻ has brought me to your bakery. Allah ﷻ has responded to this dua of yours as well.”

SubhanAllah! Here we see a simple baker, in the middle of nowhere, in his bakery, hoping, aspiring, and yearning for Allah’s ﷻ bounties. And what was he doing? Making istighfar. The result of his istighfar was that the world around him was facilitated for him. Allah ﷻ brought Imam Ahmad, one of the greatest scholars of the time, from far away to meet him at his bakery.

So, brothers and sisters, why do we hinder ourselves unnecessarily?

Too often, we fail to value and appreciate the immense treasures embedded in our sacred tradition. The ulama would often say, “If the kings knew what we were upon, they would come and fight us with their swords.” Why? Because we are sitting upon the most replete treasure—one that is limitless in its value and truly priceless.

And istighfar? Istighfar is one of the treasures of the Divine. So why don’t we make istighfar and unlock its bounties?

May Allah ﷻ grant us tawfiq to make istighfar.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم، فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرحيم

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