A knock sounded on the door of the renowned tavern in Baghdad. The owner, swaying with intoxication, opened the door to find a dignified figure in simple attire standing before him. The owner, in a slurred tone, apologized, “I regret to inform you that all the staff has left. It is time to close the tavern. Please come tomorrow.”
Before the owner could turn back, a stranger placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I need to meet Bishr bin Harith; there is an important message for him.”
The tavern owner, taken aback, replied, “Speak! My name is Bishr bin Harith.”
The stranger, with surprise, looked from head to toe, stumbling back, and exclaimed, “Are you Bishr bin Harith?!”
The owner confidently responded in a defiant tone, “Why doubt it?”
The stranger moved forward, kissed his hands, and said, “Listen, Bishr bin Harith! The Creator of the Earth and the Sky has instructed me to convey His greetings to you. The respect you showed to my name, that same respect will reach your name across the world.”
With these words, Bishr bin Harith was left stunned. One day, amidst the usual haze of intoxication, he noticed a piece of paper with the word “Allah” written on it, lying in a heap of filth. Bishr cleaned the paper, kissed it with great reverence, and placed it in a clean spot, saying, “O Mighty Creator, this place is for Bishr, not for You.”
This gesture transformed Bishr bin Harith into “Bishr Hafi,” the one on whom Allah has mercy. From that moment, he spent his entire life walking barefoot through the alleys, making sure his feet did not touch any impurity.
Such was Bishr Hafi, whom the great Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, used to acknowledge by saying, “People who accept Ahmad bin Hanbal as their authority are recognized by Bishr Hafi.”