About Ibnul Mubaarak, AI-Hasan bn Shaqeeq (RAH) reported that, when it is the time of Hajj, his students amongst the people of Marwa assemble around him and say, We want to accompany you O Abu AbdirRahmaan! and he says to them, 'Assemble your provisions (for the journey)' and he puts these provisions in a container and locks it up. He goes with them from Marwa to Baghdad all being well dressed and in high sense of honour until they get to Madeenah.
When they arrived, he says to every one of them, 'What has your household requested you to purchase for them of its outstanding items? 'And he says, 'So and so.' And he buys it for them. When they get to Makkah and after the completion of their Hajj rites he asks each of them, What has your household requested you to purchase for them of the outstanding items of Makkah?' he says, 'So and so' and he buys for them.
Then they go out of Makkah and he never stops spending upon them until they return to Marwa. Back at Marwa, he whitewashes their houses and after three days, he invites them to a banquette and provides them also with dresses.
After the feasting and at nightfall, he calls for the container (where he had kept their provisions), opens it and returns the provisions of each of them to him after he had written their names on it":- Al-Imaam adh-Dhahabee (RAH) narrated, "He spends a hundred thousand Silver coins on the poor every year."
Al-Imaam Muhammad bn 'Eesa RH narrated that; "Ibnul-Mubaarak regularly visits Tartoos and stays at ar-Riqqah. There was a young boy who goes to him to assist him take care of some of his needs and then learns ahaadeeth from him. So, Ibnul-Mubaarak once visited Tartoos and did not find the boy but he hurriedly went on an expedition.
When he returned he asked after the boy and he was said to have been imprisoned over a debt of ten thousand silver coins and he was directed to the creditor. He paid him ten thousand silver coins and took his words in promise never to tell anyone as much as he lived. The boy was released. Thereafter, Ibnul-Mubaarak was walking around and the boy met him at a location in ar-Riqqah and said to him, 'O young man! Where have you been that I had not seen you?' The boy said, 'O Abu AbdirRahmaan, I was imprisoned on a debt.' He asked him, 'How were you freed?' He said 'A man paid the debt while I did not know.' So, the boy did not know (that the debt was paid by Ibnul-Mubaarak) until after the death of Abdullaah (Ibnul-Mubaarak)."
The Trader
AI-Imaam Abu AbdirRahmaan Abdullaah Ibnul-Mubaarak bn Waadeh at-Tameemee (RAH) got his stupendous wealth from trade. He would purchase items from Khuraasaan (present day Iran) and travel to the Arabian Peninsula to sell them. He made lots of money in the process. In all these; the goal was to keep up his deen since being wealthy generally implies an ability to spend on oneself in the process of learning, provides some defense against those who would want to compel one to act against knowledge and also gives some preservation of one's self dignity.
Once al-Imaam Fudayl bn Iyyaad (older than Ibnul-Mubaarak but was also his student) said to al-lmaam Ibnul-Mubaarak, ''You encourage us to take the matters of the dunya lightly, not to a mass wealth but to be satisfied with little. Yet we see you come to the precinct lands (in the Arabian Peninsula) from Khuraasaan with goods for sale. Why is it like that and you command me the opposite?" So, al-Imaam Ibnul-Mubaarak (RAH) said, "O Abu Ali! I do that to preserve my honour and dignify my self esteem and it assists me in the obedience of my Lord. I do not see that A1laahhas a right over me except that I hasten to it until I fulfill it." So,al-Imaam Fudayl said, "O Ibnul-Mubaarak! How well is that (obedience to Allaah and His Messenger) when this happens."
For the Scholars and Students
As generous as the Imaam was (RAH) , those who enjoyed his generosity most were the scholars and students of knowledge at the time. He spent huge amounts on them to take care of their needs and relieve them of the burdens of debt.
Hibban bn Moosah said, "Ibnul-Mubaarak was once criticized for spreading so much wealth in various cities (in the Islaamic World) more than he did within where he lived; and he said, "I have a better knowledge of the status of the people. They are honorable and truthful, they studied the narrations of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) perfected the learning of the narrations, are greatly needed by the people and they also have needs.
If we abandon them, their knowledge will be lost but if we suffice them they will spread the knowledge to the Ummah of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and I do not know anything besides Messengership better than spreading knowledge.''' Sometimes, he sent up to ten thousand golden coins, clothes and food to al-Imaam Maalik bn Anas in Madeenah.
Ibnul-Mubaarak, the Imaam
Al-lmaam Abdullaah bnul-Mubaarak (RAH) commenced search for knowledge when he was twenty years old. In Khuraasaan he started learning from al-lmaam ar-Rabee' bn Anas al-Khuraasaanee (RAH) and then traveled across the Muslim world to seek knowledge from those who remained amongst the students of the Companions of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). He thus learnt under the likes of Hammaad bn Zayd, Hammaad bn Salamah, Sulaymaan bn Mihraan al-A'amash, Abdullaah bn Awn and Humayd at-Taweel amongst others. Maalik bn Anas was also one of his teachers. He was reported to have said that he acquired knowledge from about a thousand teachers.
Concerning this al-Imaam Ahmad bn Hambal (RAH) said, ''There was no one at the time of Ibnul-Mubaarak who was frantic at search for knowledge than he was. He went to Yemen, Egypt, Shaam (Ancient Syria), Koofah, Basra and was a great reporter of narrations and of its people. He learnt from the young and the old (amongst the Scholars) and gathered a lot. He erred lesser than any other person and used to narrate reports from his memory without looking at the books." All these no doubt, placed him with the best at his time.
One of his teachers who later became one of those who took knowledge from him al-Imaam Sufyaan ath-Thawree (RAH) said, "Ibnul-Mubaarak is the most learned of the peoples of the Eastand West". And so said al-lmaam Sufyaan bn Uyaynah. Abdul'Azeez bn Abee Razmah (RAH) said, ''There is none of the facets of Righteousness except that they are combined in Ibnul-Mubaarak - bashfulness, self esteem, model character, excellent companionship and company, taking the matters of the dunya lightly, the fear of Allaah and everything". He combined the knowledge of Hadeeth, Fiqh, Arabic Grammar, History, Bravery, Trade, open handedness, love for people even when they differ.
Thus, the likes of al-Imaam Sufyaan ath-Thawree, Sufyaan bn Uyaynah, Abu Dawood at-Tayaalesee , AbdurRahman bn Mahdee, Qutaybah bn Sa'eed, Fudayl bn 'Iyyaad Yahya bn Ma'een, Muhammad bn Salaam al-Baykundee and others who were of the best of the people at their time acquired knowledge from al-Imaam Ibnul-Mubaarak RH. AI-Imaam Abu AbdirRahmaan Abdullaah Ibnul-Mubaarak died in the year 129 AH at the age of sixty three.