Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (19/95)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

His father belonged to the landed gentry of Bayhaq (1). He grew up studying Arabic grammar, trained himself in penmanship and chancery practice, served for a time in Ghaznah, and his career advanced until he was appointed vizier to Sultan Alp Arslan and then to the latter’s son, Malikshah. He administered their realms with exemplary competence, reduced oppressive levies, treated the subjects kindly, endowed charitable trusts, and leading scholars migrated to his court; his standing only increased, and he remained in office for twenty years.

He received hadith from al-Qushayrī, Abū Muslim ibn Mihrabzud (2), and Abū Ḥāmid al-Azharī. Those who narrated from him include ʿAlī ibn Ṭirād al-Zaynabī, Naṣr ibn Naṣr al-ʿUkbarī, and a number of others.

He was a man of virtue and God-consciousness, inclined toward the righteous and humble before their admonitions; he delighted in anyone who would show him his own faults, whereupon he would be moved to tears.

He was born in 408 AH, and was killed while fasting in Ramadan. A Bāṭinī assassin came to him disguised as a Sufi, handed him a petition, and as he took it the man stabbed him in the heart with a dagger, so he died; the assassin was then slain. This took place on the night of Friday in 485 AH, near Nihāwand. His last words were: “Do not kill my assassin; I have pardoned him. There is no god but Allah.” (3)

Ibn Khallikān (4) said: “Niẓām al-Mulk once entered upon the caliph al-Muqtadī bi-Llâh…”

(1) Al-Subki records for him nine additional madrasas beyond the ones just cited. (2) The person meant is the Muʿtazili grammarian and Qur’an commentator Muhammad b. ʿAli b. Mihrabazd; his biography appeared earlier, vol. 18, entry 79. (3) Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Muntazam, vol. 9, pp. 66–67; Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-Aʿyan, vol. 2, p. 130. (4) Vol. 4, p. 128; the same text is also found in al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafiʿiyya, vol. 4, p. 322.

وَكَانَ أَبُوْهُ مِنْ دَهَاقين بَيْهَقَ (١) ، فَنشَأَ وَقرَأَ نَحْواً، وَتعَانَى الكِتَابَة وَالدِّيْوَان، وَخدم بِغَزْنَةَ، وَتَنَقَّلَتْ بِهِ الأَحْوَالُ إِلَى أَنْ وَزَرَ لِلسُّلْطَانِ أَلب آرسلاَن، ثُمَّ لابْنِهِ مَلِكْشَاه، فَدبَّر مَمَالِكَه عَلَى أَتمِّ مَا يَنْبَغِي، وَخفف المظَالِمَ، وَرَفَقَ بِالرعَايَا، وَبَنَى الوُقُوْفَ، وَهَاجرت الكِبَارُ إِلَى جَنَابه، وَازدَادت رفعتُهُ، وَاسْتمرَّ عِشْرِيْنَ سَنَةً. سَمِعَ مِنَ: القُشَيْرِيّ، وَأَبِي مُسْلِمٍ بن مِهْرَبْزُدَ (٢) ، وَأَبِي حَامِد الأَزْهَرِيّ. رَوَى عَنْهُ: عَلِيُّ بنُ طِرَادٍ الزَّيْنَبِيّ، وَنَصْرُ بنُ نَصْرٍ العُكْبَرِيّ، وَجَمَاعَة. وَكَانَ فِيْهِ خَيْرٌ وَتَقْوَى، وَمَيْلٌ إِلَى الصَّالِحِيْنَ، وَخُضوعٌ لِمَوعِظتهم، يُعْجِبُهُ مَنْ يُبَيِّنُ لَهُ عيوبَ نَفْسه، فَيَنكسِرُ وَيَبْكِي. مَوْلِدُهُ: فِي سَنَةِ ثَمَانٍ وَأَرْبَع مائَة، وَقُتِلَ صَائِماً فِي رَمَضَانَ، أَتَاهُ باطنِي فِي هيئَة صُوْفِي يُنَاوله قِصَّة، فَأَخَذَهَا مِنْهُ، فَضَرَبَه بِالسِّكينِ فِي فُؤَاده، فَتَلِفَ، وَقَتلُوا قَاتِلَه، وَذَلِكَ لَيْلَةَ جُمُعَةٍ، سَنَةَ خَمْسٍ وَثَمَانِيْنَ وَأَرْبَعِ مائَةٍ، بِقُرْبِ نُهَاوَنْدَ، وَكَانَ آخِرُ قَوْلِهِ: لاَ تَقتلُوا قَاتلِي، قَدْ عَفْوتُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ الله (٣) . قَالَ ابْنُ خَلِّكَانَ (٤) :قَدْ دَخَلَ نِظَامُ الْملك عَلَى المُقتدي بِاللهِ،

(١) ذكر له السبكي في طبقاته تسع مدارس أخرى غير هذه. (٢) هو العلامة النحوي المفسر المعتزلي محمد بن علي بن مهربزد، تقدمت ترجمته في الجزء الثامن عشر الترجمة (٧٩) . (٣) " المنتظم ": ٩ / ٦٦ - ٦٧، و" وفيات الأعيان ": ٢ / ١٣٠. (٤) ٤ / ١٢٨، وهو في طبقات السبكي: ٤ / ٣٢٢.