Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (18/522)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

This is al-Samʿānī’s assessment, and he has surely hit the mark; for this man occupies the rank of a king, and one such as he would be fit for the caliphate.

Abū Saʿd continued: “I heard Abū al-Maʿālī Muḥammad b. Naṣr al-Khaṭīb say the same, and he was one of al-Sharīf’s companions.

“I also heard him relate: Al-Sharīf laid out a magnificent garden. The ruler of Transoxiana, Khidr Khāqān, asked that he attend the banquet he intended to hold there. Al-Sharīf said to the chamberlain, ‘That is out of the question.’

“When the request was pressed, he replied, ‘Nevertheless, I shall not attend, I will not provide him with the instruments of vice and corruption, and I will not disobey Allah, exalted be He.’

“Khāqān grew angry and resolved to seize him, so al-Sharīf hid with one of his agents for about a month. A proclamation went out throughout the city, yet they failed to capture him. They then displayed regret for what they had done so that he might feel secure, and his family urged him to appear. He therefore resumed his public life for a time.

“Later the ruler sent to consult him on a certain matter; but when al-Sharīf came, he arrested him and imprisoned him, then confiscated all his wealth and estates. Al-Sharīf bore this patiently, praised Allah, and said, ‘Whoever belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt must inevitably be tried. I was reared in ease and feared that some flaw might have crept into my lineage (1); when this happened I rejoiced, knowing that my lineage is sound (2).’

“Abū al-Maʿālī al-Khaṭīb told me: ‘We heard that they deprived him of food until he died of starvation; he was a descendant of Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn (3).’”

Abū Saʿd said: Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Jawharī related, “I saw Sayyid al-Murtadā after his death—he was in Paradise with food set before him. He was asked, ‘Will you not eat?’ He replied, ‘No, not until …’”

(1) The base manuscript reads: “la yakun” (it will not be), whereas al-Tadhkira has: “akhafu yakun” (I fear it will be). (2) See: al-Muntazam 9/41; Tadhkirat al-huffaz 4/1211. (3) Al-Muntazam 9/41; Tadhkirat al-huffaz 4/1211; al-Wafi 1/143; al-Bidaya wa-l-nihaya 12/134.

هَذَا قَوْل السَّمْعَانِيّ، وَلَقَدْ بِالغ، فَهَذَا فِي رُتْبَة مَلِكٍ، وَمِثْلُ هَذَا يَصلُح لِلْخِلاَفَةِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو سَعْدٍ: وَسَمِعْتُ أَبَا المعَالِي مُحَمَّدَ بن نَصْرٍ الخَطِيْب يَقُوْلُ: ذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الشَّرِيْف. وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ: إِنَّ الشَّرِيْفَ أَنشَأَ بُستَانَا عَظِيْماً، فَطَلبَ صَاحِبُ مَا وَرَاء النَّهْرِ الخَاقَانُ خَضِرٌ أَنْ يَحْضُرَ دَعوتَه فِي البُسْتَان، فَقَالَ الشَّرِيْف لِلْحَاجِبِ: لاَ سَبِيْل إِلَى ذَلِكَ. فَأَلَحَّ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: لَكِنِّي لاَ أُحضر، وَلاَ أُهيَىء لَهُ آلَةَ الفِسْق وَالفسَاد، وَلاَ أَعصِي الله - تَعَالَى -. قَالَ: فَغَضِبَ الخَاقَان، وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْبِضَ عَلَيْهِ، فَاخْتَفَى عِنْد وَكيل لَهُ نَحْواً مِنْ شَهْر، فَنُوْدِيَ عَلَيْهِ فِي البَلَد، فَلَمْ يَظفرُوا بِهِ، ثُمَّ أَظهرُوا نَدماً عَلَى مَا فَعلُوا لِيَطمَئِن، وَأَلحَّ عَلَيْهِ أَهْله فِي الظُهُوْر، فَجَلَسَ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مُدَّة، ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْملك نَفَّذَ إِلَيْهِ ليشَاورَهُ فِي، أَمر فَلَمَّا حصل عِنْدَهُ، أَخَذَه وَسَجَنَهُ، ثُمَّ اسْتَأَصل أَمْوَاله وَضيَاعَه، فَصبر، وَحَمِدَ الله، وَقَالَ: مَنْ يَكُوْنُ مِنْ أَهْلِ البَيْتِ لاَ بُدَّ أَنْ يُبتلَى، وَأَنَا رُبِّيْتُ فِي النِّعمَة، وَكُنْتُ أَخَاف أَنْ (١) يَكُوْنَ وَقَعَ فِي نسبِي خلل، فَلَمَّا جرَى هَذَا، فَرِحْتُ، وَعلمتُ أَنَّ نسبِي مُتَّصِل (٢) . قَالَ لِي أَبُو المَعَالِي الخَطِيْب: فَسمِعنَا أَنَّهم منعُوْهُ مِنَ الطَّعَام حَتَّى مَاتَ جُوعاً، وَهُوَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّة زَيْنِ العَابِدِيْنَ عَلِيِّ بنِ الحُسَيْنِ (٣) . قَالَ أَبُو سَعْدٍ: قَالَ أَبُو العَبَّاسِ الجَوْهَرِيُّ: رَأَيْتُ السَّيِّدَ المُرْتَضَى بَعْد مَوْتِهِ وَهُوَ فِي الجَنَّةِ وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ طَعَامٌ، قِيْلَ لَهُ: أَلاَ تَأكل؟ قَالَ: لاَ، حَتَّى

(١) في الأصل: لا يكون، وفي التذكرة، أخاف يكون. (٢) انظر " المنتظم " ٩ / ٤١، و" تذكرة الحفاظ " ٤ / ١٢١١. (٣) " المنتظم " ٩ / ٤١، و" تذكرة الحفاظ " ٤ / ١٢١١، و" الوافي " ١ / ١٤٣، و" البداية والنهاية " ١٢ / ١٣٤.