Ibn Abi al-Dunya preserves a report about Habib al-Ajami, may Allah have mercy on him, during a time of famine. Habib obtained food while payment was still due and distributed the food among poor people. He then sewed the empty sacks, placed them beneath his bedding, and prayed to Allah. When the sellers later came for what they were owed, the sacks were found filled with dirhams, and the money was weighed and paid to them in the amount of their rights.
Ibn Abi al-Dunya preserves a memorable report about Habib al-Ajami, may Allah have mercy on him, during a period of famine. Food was scarce and people were in need. According to the account, Habib obtained food from sellers while its price was still outstanding, then took that food and distributed it among the poor.
The story therefore begins with an act of generosity made before the sellers had received their money. After the food had been distributed, the sacks were empty. Habib is reported to have sewn those sacks, placed them beneath his bedding, and then turned to Allah in prayer. The source does not preserve the exact words of his supplication.
Later, the sellers came to Habib seeking the payment that was due to them. At that moment the report returns to the sacks that had been placed beneath the bedding. They were opened, and the account says that they were found filled with dirhams.
The money was then weighed rather than simply handed over without measure. The report says that the amount corresponded to the rights of the sellers. Their due payment was therefore given to them, and the debt created by the earlier purchase of food was settled.
The episode is also preserved in later classical works. Abu Nu'aym recounts the same central event in Hilyat al-Awliya, al-Lalaka'i includes it among reports connected with Habib's karamat, and Ibn Asakir records the story in his historical biography of Habib al-Ajami. The basic sequence remains the same: famine, food for the poor, prayer, the arrival of the creditors, and enough dirhams to satisfy what was owed.
In public form, the story is best kept close to that simple sequence. It does not require an invented explanation for how the money appeared, nor an exact prayer that the source itself does not preserve. Its memorable point is the reported outcome: after Habib had given the food away and prayed, the sacks were found with enough dirhams to pay the sellers their full due.
The story therefore begins with an act of generosity made before the sellers had received their money. After the food had been distributed, the sacks were empty. Habib is reported to have sewn those sacks, placed them beneath his bedding, and then turned to Allah in prayer. The source does not preserve the exact words of his supplication.
Later, the sellers came to Habib seeking the payment that was due to them. At that moment the report returns to the sacks that had been placed beneath the bedding. They were opened, and the account says that they were found filled with dirhams.
The money was then weighed rather than simply handed over without measure. The report says that the amount corresponded to the rights of the sellers. Their due payment was therefore given to them, and the debt created by the earlier purchase of food was settled.
The episode is also preserved in later classical works. Abu Nu'aym recounts the same central event in Hilyat al-Awliya, al-Lalaka'i includes it among reports connected with Habib's karamat, and Ibn Asakir records the story in his historical biography of Habib al-Ajami. The basic sequence remains the same: famine, food for the poor, prayer, the arrival of the creditors, and enough dirhams to satisfy what was owed.
In public form, the story is best kept close to that simple sequence. It does not require an invented explanation for how the money appeared, nor an exact prayer that the source itself does not preserve. Its memorable point is the reported outcome: after Habib had given the food away and prayed, the sacks were found with enough dirhams to pay the sellers their full due.
Conclusion
The account ends with the dirhams being weighed and the sellers receiving the amount owed to them after Habib al-Ajami had distributed the food among the poor.
Sources
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 99
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 99
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 99
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 99
Ibn Abi al-Dunya, Mujabu al-Da'wa, report 99
Abu Nu'aym, Hilyat al-Awliya, Habib al-Farisi section: famine food and sacks filled with money
Abu Nu'aym, Hilyat al-Awliya, same passage
al-Lalaka'i, Sharh Usul I'tiqad Ahl al-Sunna, report 197
Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, Habib al-Ajami entry; preserves both Ibn Abi al-Dunya and Hilya material
al-Sari ibn Yahya al-Shaybani: multiple critics call him trustworthy; Ahmad says thiqa thiqa
Damra ibn Rabi'a: classical critics broadly regard him as trustworthy/truthful with minor caution
CAND-0174 Task 1 evidence synthesis