Shaqeeq bin Ebrahim mentioned:
I was once in the company of Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) who was on his way to visit a sick person, when another man was coming towards us in the opposite direction. When he saw Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), he took cover and changed direction. Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) shouted out his name and said, “O so and so! Walk in the direction you were walking in. Don’t change your direction now.” When he realized that Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) had already seen him, he was overcome with shame and stood still. Upon reaching him, Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) asked him the reason for avoiding him. He replied, “I owe you a long overdue amount of ten thousand dirhams which I am unable to pay. I have breached my promise of payment. I was overcome by shame when I saw you coming towards me.”
Imaam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah) remarked, “Subhaanallah! Matters have reached such proportions that when you see me you take cover? Go! I have gifted the entire amount to you and I declare myself a personal witness to this. Remember! Do not take cover when you see me around. Also, forgive me for the ill-feelings that could have cropped up in your heart against me.”
Shaqeeq (the narrator of the incident) says, “This is when I was completely convinced that this man is a true saint.”
(Uqoodul Jummaan pg.198)
