Fudayl ibn Iyad was a leader among the repentant, a beacon of generosity and grace, an ocean of piety and wisdom, and a revered Sufi who turned away from both worlds to seek nearness to Allah. Yet, his journey towards becoming a friend of Allah began in a life starkly different. In his early years, Fudayl roamed the lands between the cities of Merv and Abiward as a bandit. Despite his lawlessness, his nature inclined toward goodness. Even as a highwayman, he adhered to certain principles: he would not harm women in the caravans he plundered, nor would he take the belongings of the poor or destitute. He would often leave behind enough for his victims to continue their journey.
Fudayl’s banditry had its own peculiar order. He resided in a tent in the middle of the desert, where his followers would bring him the spoils of their raids. He would sit inside, choosing what he desired and leaving the rest to his men. One day, a grand caravan approached. Fudayl’s men prepared for the ambush, but a member of the caravan overheard the bandits and alerted the caravan leader. Seeking to protect his gold, the leader slipped away into the desert, where he stumbled upon a lone tent. Inside sat a man draped in a simple cloak—none other than Fudayl himself, though the caravan leader was unaware.
The leader, anxious to safeguard his wealth, requested that the man guard his gold. Fudayl, without revealing his identity, agreed and told him to place the gold in a corner of the tent. The man complied and returned to the caravan, only to find that it had been entirely plundered by the bandits. Devastated, he gathered what little remained and returned to the tent, intending to retrieve his gold.
When he arrived, he was met with a startling sight: the bandits were sitting together, dividing the spoils of the caravan. Overcome with despair, the man sighed deeply and lamented, “So I’ve entrusted my gold to the very hands of the bandits!”
Fudayl, noticing the man’s anguish, called out to him. “Come here,” he said. When the man approached, Fudayl asked, “What brings you back?” The caravan leader explained, “I’ve come to reclaim the gold I left in trust.” Fudayl replied calmly, “Take it from where you placed it.”
The man went to the designated spot and found his gold untouched. Astonished, he turned to Fudayl’s men and exclaimed, “You looted the entire caravan, yet the gold I entrusted remains as it was!”
When questioned by his followers, who were equally bewildered, Fudayl explained, “That man placed his trust in me, and I place my trust in Allah. I honored his trust in me, hoping that Allah will honor my trust in Him.”
In his earlier years, Fudayl had also been consumed by an intense love for a woman. Every spoil he gained from his raids, he would send to her. Occasionally, he would visit her, overcome by his infatuation to the point of tears. On one such visit, having spent the entire day in her company, Fudayl climbed onto her rooftop at night, lost in conversation.
As he lingered there, a caravan passed below, and one of its travelers recited the Qur’anic verse:
"Has the time not come for those who have believed to humble their hearts to the remembrance of Allah and what has been revealed of the truth?" (Al-Hadid 16)
The words struck Fudayl like an arrow to the heart. Overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow, he whispered to himself, “The time has come. Indeed, it has already passed.”
In a state of shock and remorse, he fled to a ruined building, where he poured out his heart in repentance, pleading for forgiveness with deep sincerity. Meanwhile, members of a caravan that happened to be nearby, aware of Fudayl’s reputation, anxiously discussed how they would proceed. "Fudayl is on this path," they said to one another. "How will we get through safely?" Hearing their worried voices, Fudayl called out to them, “Rejoice! The one you fear has repented. Just as you once fled from him, he now flees from you and from the sins of his past.”
Thus, Fudayl publicly declared his repentance, turning away from his former life and beginning the journey that would lead him to walayah (being a friend of Allah).
Following his sincere repentance, Fudayl ibn Iyad sought to rectify the wrongs of his past. He diligently sought out those he had wronged, returning their belongings with interest and ensuring their satisfaction. He made amends with everyone, asking for forgiveness and clearing all debts. His heartfelt repentance and efforts to right his transgressions brought him into the ranks of Allah’s beloved servants.
One day, as Fudayl wandered through Abiward in a state of humility and sorrow, a Jewish man spotted him and remarked to his companions, “Now is the perfect time to mock the followers of Muhammad.” The man approached Fudayl and said, “O Fudayl, if you want me to forgive my rights over you, you must fulfill a condition: level the rocky hill at such-and-such a place and make it completely flat.”
The task was monumental, as the hill was vast and solid. Nevertheless, Fudayl immediately set to work, digging tirelessly day and night. As dawn broke one morning, a sudden gust of wind blew across the area, leveling the entire hill until it was as smooth as a plain. Witnessing this extraordinary sight, the Jewish man was astonished. Yet, still intent on testing Fudayl’s sincerity, he declared, “I swore that I would not forgive you unless you returned my gold. Under this cushion lies my gold—bring it to me so that I may release you from my claim.”
In truth, the man had hidden nothing under the cushion; it was merely a ploy to test Fudayl’s character. Without hesitation, Fudayl reached under the cushion, and to the man’s amazement, withdrew a handful of gold coins. Stunned, the man exclaimed, “Before I forgive you, I have one last request: present Islam to me.”
Fudayl, perplexed, asked, “What is the meaning of this?” The man replied, “I was testing you. In reality, there was nothing but stones beneath the cushion. Yet when I saw those stones transform into gold in your hands, I knew that you were truthful and that your faith is true.” Moved by the encounter, the man accepted Islam on the spot.
In the years that followed, Fudayl ibn Iyad traveled with his wife to Makkah, where he joined the company of the righteous. He became a disciple in the gatherings of Imam Abu Hanifa in Kufah, acquiring both knowledge and refined manners. His extraordinary memory allowed him to quickly memorize a large number of hadiths, and he eventually became a distinguished scholar in the science of hadith.
The once-feared bandit had now transformed into a fountain of wisdom, spiritual insight, and divine truths. The people of Makkah eagerly sought his companionship and attended his gatherings, yearning to benefit from his teachings. Stories of his miraculous deeds spread far and wide, drawing visitors from distant lands who came in droves to sit in his company. Fudayl’s life, once marked by transgression, now stood as a beacon of repentance, knowledge, and unwavering devotion. 
