it was narrated that shaqiq albalkhi entered upon harun alrashid and said to him you are the brother of the ascetic. he said to him as for shaqiq yes but as for the ascetic it is said. he said to him advise me. he said to him indeed allah the most high has placed you in the position of a truthful person and he demands from you truthfulness as you demand it from him. he has placed you in the position of a discriminator and he demands from you the distinction between truth and falsehood as you demand it from him. he has placed you in the position of the possessor of two lights and he demands from you modesty and dignity as you demand it from him. he has placed you in the position of ali ibn abi talib and he demands from you knowledge as you demand it from him. then he was silent. he said to him tell me more. he said yes allah has a house which he has named hell and he has made you its gatekeeper and has given you the treasury of the muslims a sharp sword and a painful whip. he has commanded you to repel people from this house with these three things whoever comes to you from the people of need give him from this house. whoever goes ahead of what allah has forbidden hurt him with this whip. whoever kills a person unjustly kill him with this sword by the order of the guardian of the one killed. if you do not do that then you will be the one who precedes and people will follow you to the fire. he said tell me more. he said yes you are the eye. and the workers are the rivers if the eye is clear the rivers will not become turbid and if the eye is turbid the rivers will not become clear. it has been narrated that harun alrashid intended to go to alfudayl ibn iyadh at night with alabbas in his house. when he reached his door he heard him reading or do those who commit evil deeds think that we will make them like those who believe and do righteous deeds equal in their life and their death? evil is that which they judge. so harun said to alabbas if we benefit from anything it is from this.
وقد روى ان شقيق البلخى دخل على هارون الرشيد فقال له أنت شقيق الزاهد فقال له أما شقيق فنعم واما الزاهد فيقال فقال له عظني فقال له إن الله تعالى أنزلك منزلة الصديق وهو يطلب منك الصدق كما تطلبه منه وأنزلك منزلة الفاروق وهو يطلب منك الفرق بين الحق والباطل كما تطلبه منه وأنزلك منزلة ذي النورين وهو يطلب منك الحياء والكرامة كما تطلبه منه وانزلك منزلة علي بن أبي طالب وهو يطلب منك العلم كما تطلبه منه ثم سكت فقال له زدني قال نعم ان لله دارا سماها جهنم وجعلك بوابا لها واعطاك بيت مال المسلمين وسيفا قاطعا وسوطا موجعا وامرك ان ترد الخلق من هذه الدار بهذه الثلاث فمن أتاك من أهل الحاجة فاعطه من هذا البيت ومن تقدم على نهى الله فأوجعه بهذا السوط ومن قتل نفسا بغير حق فاقتله بهذا السيف بأمر ولى المقتول فإنك إن لم تفعل ذلك فأنت السابق والخلق تابع لك إلى النار قال زدني قال نعم أنت العين والعمال الأنهار إن صفت العين لم يصر كدر الأنهار وإن كدرت العين لم يرج صفاء الأنهار وقد حكى أن هارون الرشيد قصد الفضيل بن عياض ليلا مع العباس في داره فلما وصل إلى بابه سمع قراءته وهو يقرأ {أم حسب الذين اجترحوا السيئات أن نجعلهم كالذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات سواء محياهم ومماتهم ساء ما يحكمون} فقال هارون للعباس إن انتفعنا بشيء فبهذا