Hazrat Abu Is'haq Ibrahim Adham, a ninth century Sufi, was the Prince of Balkh who governed a large northeastern province in Persia. He lived in a luxurious palace, and his soldiers carried swords and shields made of pure gold.

One night, while he was sleeping in his palace in a room decorated with silk, gold, and gemstones, Ibrahim heard footsteps on the roof. He called for his guards and soldiers, but received no reply. He then called to the man who was walking upon the roof: "Who is there? What are you doing on the roof of my palace?"

The man replied: "I am a friend looking for my camel!"

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham said: "You fool! How do you expect to find a camel on the top of a palace?"

The man replied: "My action is as strange as yours. You think that I am crazy to search for a lost camel on the top of a palace, and yet you consider yourself sane when you search for divinity in the depth of your luxurious attachments!"

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham realized that this was a sign, and understood that so long as he prayed in his elaborate room, and remained deeply attached to these luxuries, his hopes of finding Allah were as futile as searching for a camel upon the palace's rooftops.

When he awoke the next morning, he found that he was still upset about his experience of the night before. Nonetheless, he went to the audience room of his palace and carried on with his usual schedule. A poor man barged into the palace with such force that the guards were afraid to throw him out. The man addressed Ibrahim abruptly: "Who lives in this inn?"

Insulted, Ibrahim angrily retorted: "This is not an inn, this is my palace."

Seeming not to notice the remark, the man asked: "Who lived in this house before you?"

Hazrat Ibrahm Adham answered: "My father."

The man continued to question Hazrat Ibrahim Adham: "And before him, and before him, and so forth?"

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham replied: "My father, and his father, and so forth for a few generations."

The man then asked, "Where are they now?"

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham answered, "They have all died."

Then the man said, "So is this not an inn, where one comes and goes, and leaves his place for another to come and go? Why are you holding so tightly to something that will not remain in your possession forever?"

The man, who was said to be Khidr (also spelled Khizr), seemed to disappear after he made this statement.

Hazrat Ibrahim Adham knew that these were divine teachings, yet he still couldn't believe that these signs were happening to him. One day he went for hunting with some of his servents, but on the way to jungle, he lost them. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham heard the divine voice, saying: "O Ibrahim! wake up before your death." He heard that divine voice continuously for some while. Suddenly a deer appeared before him, and when he targetted the deer by the arrow, the dear began to speak to him in a pleasant manner, saying: "Were you created for this, or were you commanded to do this?" After hearing that, Hazrat Ibrahim Adham felt a great change in himself.

Later he gave up his realm & wandered in the desert. And finally he went stayed in a cave near Nishapur (Iran), where he lived for nine years cutting himself from outer world. After some period when people came to know that a dervish lives in the cave near Nishapur, many people started to visit him. So then he left that cave & wandered in the desert, where Hazrat Khidr met him again, and Hazrat Ibrahim Adham took Bay't from him & became his disciple. After living wandering many years in the desert, he left for Makka to perform pilgimage. So he joined a caravan, but no one recognized him. Later the news spread all over Makka that Hazrat Ibrahim Adham is on the way to Makka, so they anxiously started to wait for him. When Hazrat Ibrahim Adham knew about that, he left the caravan, so that no one could recognize him. After reaching Makka, he saw group of people who were waiting for Hazrat Ibrahim Adham. When he asked them that for whom they are waiting? They replied that they are waiting for Hazrat Ibrahim Adham. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham said: "Why are you so anxious to see a heretic man?" After hearing this, those people started to beat him by saying: "Hazrat Ibrahim Adham isn't an unbeliever, but you are!" Hazrat Ibrahim Adham replied: "Yes, I also said that." Later when people came to know that he is himself Hazrat Ibrahim Adham, they were ashamed. Many people became your disciple after taking Bay't from you. Haszrat Ibrahim Adham lived there some time by working in the field for the livlihood, and then became a woodcutter.

He died in 782 A.D., in Syria.

Once he was sitting on a mountain, a person came to him and asked that what is the sign to know that a dervish is perfect in sainthood. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham replied: "When he orders the mountain to move, the mountain moves by obeying him". When he said that, the mountain, on which they both were sitting upon, started to move. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham said to the mountain: "I didn't order you to move." So then the mountain became still as earlier.

Once Hazrat Ibrahim Adham was sewing his cloth on the river bank of the jungle. A person visited him and asked: "What have you found after leaving your luxurious life." After hearing this, Hazrat Ibrahim Adham threw the sew into the river, and then said loudly: "O fishes, bring my sew." Suddenly a large number of fishes appeared on the surface of the river, and every fish was holding a sew of gold in the mouth.

When Hazrat Ibrahim Adham was wandering in the desert, he found few Sufis sitting there and are busy in meditation. He also sat among them & meditated. In meditation he saw that in the ocean there is a boat, which is struck by the tornado & is about to sink. People on that boat were souting for help. Hazrat Ibrahim Adham saved the boat with his spiritual power & brought it near the beach. After doing so, all Sufis opened their eyes, one of them asked: "Who commited that stupid act?" Hazrat Ibrahim Adham said: "I did it, because I felt mercy on the people." The Sufi said: "You acted opposite to the will of God, because God wanted to sink that boat." Hazrat Ibrahim Adham replied: "How is it possible that I could act against the will of God, no one could do anything against his will." After that all of those sufies disappeared.