'Don't You Feel Lonely?

Nu'aym ibn Hammad: ''Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak used to stay in his house a lot so it was said to him, 'don't you feel lonely?'



He said, 'How can I feel lonely when I am with the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and his Companions?'



In another narration, he said, 'Am I on my own?! No, rather I am with the Prophets, the Righteous, the Wise ones; the Prophet and his Companions!' Then he began to recite the following lines of poetry:



"I have companions whose speech I never tire of

Intelligent ones, trustworthy in absence and in presence,



When we gather together then their good speech

Helps me ward off all worries and concerns,



They benefit me with their knowledge of what has passed by

Of wisdom, intelligence, discipline and correct opinion,



I fear neither cruelty nor evil companionship

Nor do I fear from them a ruthless tongue or hand,



If you were to say, 'They are alive' then you have not told a lie

And were you to say, 'They are dead' then you are not wrong."