Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (18/231)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

And with this same chain of transmission to ʿAbd al-Karīm: I heard Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī; he said, “I heard al-Ḥusayn ibn Yaḥyā say, ‘I heard Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn Nuṣayr say, “I heard al-Junayd say: Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī declared:

‘A delicate insight from the insights of the brethren will sometimes settle in my heart for days, yet I will accept none of it unless two upright witnesses from the Book and the Sunnah testify to it.’ (1)

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Bākharzī (2) said: ‘Abū al-Qāsim, author of Faḍl al-Nuṭq al-Mustatāb (The Excellence of Pleasant Speech) (3), is a master (4) at expounding the doctrine of Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī. His command of the sciences surpasses human limits; his words are rare gems for those who seek benefit (5), and the steps of his pulpit are cushions for the gnostics. He also composes verse that crowns the heights of his virtues whenever the tails of his dictations are sealed with it.’

ʿAbd al-Ghāfir ibn Ismāʿīl said: ‘Among the notable events in the life of Abū al-Qāsim is the ordeal that befell him in matters of faith: partisanship flared between the two camps from 440 AH until 455 AH, some governors leaned toward their own whims, and certain dignitaries plotted against him with confusion. This led to the suspension of his teaching circles and the dispersal of his companions; envy made him the principal target, so he was forced to leave his homeland. During that time he journeyed to Baghdad, presented himself to al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh, and met…’

(1) See the report and its chain of transmission in volume 10 of the book, p. 183, under the entry of Abu Sulayman al-Darani, no. 34. Here, “nukta” means a wise saying, while “qawm” designates the pious individuals renowned for goodness. (2) Dumyat al-Qasr, vol. 2, pp. 993–994; the manuscript erroneously gives the name as al-Bakhzari. (3) In Dumyat al-Qasr the work is entitled Fasl al-Khitab fi Fadl al-Nutq al-Mustatab; the same title appears in Kashf al-Zunun, vol. 2, p. 1260. (4) The manuscript corruptly reads: “ma huwa.” (5) Dumyat al-Qasr adds: “All of his statements offer the learner both valuable insights and rare gems.”

وَبِهِ إِلَى عَبْد الكَرِيْمِ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيَّ، سَمِعْتُ الحُسَيْن بن يَحْيَى، سَمِعْتُ جَعْفَر بن مُحَمَّدِ بنِ نُصَيْر، سَمِعْتُ الجُنَيْد يَقُوْلُ: قَالَ أَبُو سُلَيْمَانَ الدَّارَانِي: رُبَّمَا تَقَعُ فِي قَلْبِي النُّكْتَةُ مِنْ نُكَتِ القَوْم أَيَّاماً، فَلاَ أَقْبَل مِنْهُ إِلاَّ شَاهِدين عَدْلَيْنِ مِنَ الكِتَاب وَالسُّنَّة (١) . قَالَ أَبُو الحَسَنِ البَاخَرْزِي (٢) : وَلأَبِي القَاسِمِ (فَضل النُّطْق المُسْتطَاب (٣)) مَاهرٌ (٤) فِي التَّكلّم عَلَى مَذْهَب أَبِي الحَسَنِ الأَشْعَرِيّ، خَارِجٌ فِي إِحَاطته بِالعلُوْم عَنِ الحَدِّ البشرِي، كَلِمَاتُهُ لِلمُسْتفِيدين فَرَائِد (٥) ، وَعَتبَات مِنْبَره لِلعَارِفِيْن وَسَائِد، وَلَهُ نَظْمٌ تُتَوَّجُ بِهِ رُؤُوْس معَاليه إِذَا خُتِمَتْ بِهِ أَذنَابُ أَمَاليه. قَالَ عبدُ الغَافِرِ بنُ إِسْمَاعِيْلَ: وَمِنْ جُمْلَةً أَحْوَال أَبِي القَاسِمِ مَا خُصَّ بِهِ مِنَ المِحنَة فِي الدِّين، وَظُهُوْرِ التعصُّب بَيْنَ الفَرِيْقَيْنِ فِي عَشْرِ سَنَةِ أَرْبَعِيْنَ وَأَرْبَعِ مائَة إِلَى سَنَة خَمْسٍ وَخَمْسِيْنَ، وَمَيْلِ بَعْضِ الوُلاَة إِلَى الأَهوَاء، وَسَعِي بَعْض الرُّؤَسَاء إِلَيْهِ بِالتَّخليط، حَتَّى أَدَّى ذَلِكَ إِلَى رَفْعِ المَجَالِس، وَتَفرُّقِ شَمْلِ الأَصْحَاب، وَكَانَ هُوَ المقصودَ مِنْ بَيْنهِم حَسَداً، حَتَّى اضْطر إِلَى مفَارقَةَ الْوَطَن، وَامتدّ فِي أَثْنَاء ذَلِكَ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ، فَوَرَدَ عَلَى القَائِمِ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ، وَلقِي

(١) انظر الخبر وتخريجه في الجزء العاشر من الكتاب ص ١٨٣، في ترجمة أبي سليمان الداراني رقم (٣٤) ، وأراد ب " النكتة ": كلمة الحكمة، وب " القوم ": الصالحين ممن اشتهر بالخير. (٢) في " دمية القصر " ٢ / ٩٩٣ - ٩٩٤، وفي الأصل: الباخزري وهو خطأ. (٣) اسم في " الدمية ": " فصل الخطاب في فضل النطق المستطاب "، وكذلك ورد اسمه في " كشف الظنون " ٢ / ١٢٦٠. (٤) تحرفت في الأصل إلى: " ما هو ". (٥) في " الدمية ": كلماته كلها ﵁ للمستفيدين فوائد وفرائد.