Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (18/138)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He led an exemplary life—ascetic, devout, content with a rough existence, preferring solitude and satisfied with little. He spent most of his time teaching Qur’anic recitation and narrating hadith, travelling by himself and venturing into the open wilderness.⦗1⦘

I read before Ishaq al-Asadi, who reported to us from Ibn Khalil, who reported to us from Khalil ibn Badr, who reported to us from Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahid al-Daqqaq, who said:

“The matchless Imam, Abu al-Fadl al-Razi—may Allah grant him His good pleasure and lodge him in His gardens—visited us. He was one of the reliable leading authorities on hadith transmission, the Sunnah, and the verses of Revelation; merely uttering his name fills the mouth and brings tears to the eyes. He came to Isfahan many times, and I heard a substantial collection of narrations from him. He was a dignified man, tall of stature, a friend of Allah endowed with miraculous graces, who roamed the world both imparting and seeking knowledge.⦗2⦘”

Al-Khallal said: “Abu al-Fadl was once on the road carrying some bread and fānīdh⦗3⦘. Highwaymen tried to seize it, but he drove them off with his staff. When asked about this, he replied, ‘It was lawful food, and I might never find its like again.’⦗4⦘”

He entered Kerman in a shabby state, clad in tatters and rags. He was taken before the ruler, and they said, “A spy.”

The ruler asked, “What news do you bring?”

He answered, “Are you asking me for news of the heavens or news of the earth? If you want news of the heavens: ‘Every day He is engaged in some affair’ (Q 55:29). If you want news of the earth: ‘Everyone upon it will perish’ (Q 55:26).”

The ruler was astonished by his words, honoured him, and offered him money, but he would not accept it.⦗5⦘

(1) See Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar, vol. 1, p. 336. (2) Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar, vol. 1, p. 337. (3) A kind of starch-based sweet, the Persian loanword banidh; in Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar the term is mistakenly printed as al-qanid. (4) Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar, vol. 1, p. 337. (5) Maʿrifat al-qurraʾ al-kibar, vol. 1, p. 338.

حَسَنَ السِّيْرَةِ، زَاهِداً، مُتَعَبِّداً، خَشِنَ الْعَيْش، منفرداً، قَانِعاً، يُقرِئ وَيُسمِعُ فِي أَكْثَر أَوقَاتِهِ، وَكَانَ يُسَافر وَحْدَه، وَيدخل البَرَارِي (١) . قَرَأْتُ عَلَى إِسْحَاقَ الأَسَدِيِّ: أَخْبَرْنَا ابْنُ خَلِيْلٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا خَلِيْلُ بنُ بَدْرٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ الدَّقَّاق قَالَ: وَردَ عَلَيْنَا الإِمَامُ الأَوحدُ أَبُو الفَضْلِ الرَّازِيّ - لَقَّاهُ اللهُ رضوَانه، وَأَسكنه جنَانَه - وَكَانَ إِمَاماً مِنَ الأَئِمَّةِ الثِّقَات فِي الحَدِيْثِ وَالروَايَات وَالسّنَة وَالآيَات، ذِكْرُهُ يَملأُ الْفَم، وَيَذْرِفُ الْعين، قَدِمَ أَصْبَهَان مرَاراً، سَمِعْتُ مِنْهُ قطعَةً صَالِحَةً، وَكَانَ رَجُلاً مَهِيْباً، مديدَ القَامَة، وَلياً مِنْ أَوْلِيَاء الله، صَاحِبَ كَرَامَات، طَوَّفَ الدُّنْيَا مُفِيداً وَمُسْتفِيداً (٢) . وَقَالَ الخلاَّل: كَانَ أَبُو الفَضْلِ فِي طَرِيْق، وَمَعَهُ خُبْز وَفَانِيذ (٣) ، فَأَرَادَ قُطَّاعَ الطَّرِيْق أَخَذَه مِنْهُ، فَدَفَعهم بعَصَاهُ، فَقِيْلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: لأَنَّه كَانَ حَلاَلاً، وَرُبَّمَا كُنْت لاَ أَجِدُ مِثْله (٤) . وَدَخَلَ كَرْمَان فِي هَيئَةٍ رَثَّةٍ وَعَلَيْهِ أَخلاَقٌ وَأَسمَال، فَحُمِلَ إِلَى الْملك، وَقَالُوا: جَاسوس. فَقَالَ المَلِكُ: مَا الخَبَر؟ قَالَ: تسَأَلُنِي عَنْ خَبَرِ الأَرْضِ أَوْ خَبَر السَّمَاء؟ فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تسَأَلُنِي عَنْ خَبَر السَّمَاء ف* ـ ﴿كُلُّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ﴾ [الرَّحْمَن:٢٩] وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تسَأَلُنِي عَنْ خَبَر الأَرْض فـ ﴿كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ﴾ [الرَّحْمَن:٢٦] فَتَعَجَّبَ المَلِكُ مِنْ كَلاَمِهِ، وَأَكْرَمَهُ، وَعرض عَلَيْهِ مَالاً، فَلَمْ يَقبله (٥) .

(١) انظر " معرفة القراء الكبار " ١ / ٣٣٦. (٢) " معرفة القراء الكبار " ١ / ٣٣٧. (٣) نوع من الحلواء يعمل بالنشاء معرب بانيذ، وقد تصحفت في " معرفة القراء الكبار " إلى: القانيد. (٤) " معرفة القراء الكبار " ١ / ٣٣٧. (٥) " معرفة القراء الكبار " ١ / ٣٣٨.