Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (20/26)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Ahmad, and he also mastered the laws of inheritance, arithmetic, and geometry. He would give testimony before the judges and was charged with supervising the endowments of the ʿAḍudī hospital (1).”

Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī said: “He was an authority in many disciplines, and he used to say:

‘I memorised the Qur’an when I was seven, and there is no branch of knowledge that I have not examined, taking from it either the whole or part of it—except for Arabic grammar; in that my provision is small. Nor do I know that I have ever wasted an hour of my life in frivolity or play (2).’”

Ibn al-Jawzī (3) related: “Judge Abū Bakr told us that two astrologers were present at my birth, and they both agreed that my lifespan would be fifty-two years. Yet here I am, already past ninety.”

I say: This points to the soundness of his creed.

Ibn al-Jawzī (4) also said: “He was handsome of appearance, sweet-tongued, pleasant to keep company with. He used to pray in the Manṣūr Mosque; on certain days he would come, stand behind my assembly while I was preaching, and greet me.”

Our shaykh Ibn Nāṣir took dictation from him, and I read to him extensively. He was trustworthy, intelligent, firm, authoritative, versatile, and without peer in the laws of inheritance.

He once said to me: “I performed the Friday prayer, then sat observing the people, and I did not see anyone I would wish to be like.” He had travelled, fell into Byzantine captivity, and remained

(1) Founded by Adud al-Dawla Abu Shuja Fana Khusraw ibn Buwayh on the western side of Baghdad; he appointed physicians and staff, stocked it with a great variety of medicines, drinks, and drugs, and opened it in Safar 372 AH. See: Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya, 11/299; Ahmad Isa, Tarikh al-Bimaristanat fi al-Islam, pp. 187-197. Adud al-Dawla’s biography appeared above, vol. 16, no. 175. (2) See Ibn Rajab, Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1/193. (3) Al-Muntazam, 10/92. (4) Al-Muntazam, 10/93-94.

أَحْمَدَ، وَالفَرَائِض وَالحسَابَ وَالهَنْدَسَةَ، وَيَشْهَدُ عِنْد القُضَاةِ، وَيَنْظرُ فِي وُقُوفِ البَيْمَارَسْتَانِ العضديّ (١) . وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوْسَى المَدِيْنِيُّ: كَانَ إِمَاماً فِي فُنُوْنٍ، وَكَانَ يَقُوْلُ: حفظتُ القُرْآنَ وَأَنَا ابْنُ سَبْعٍ، وَمَا مِنْ علمٍ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ نَظرتُ فِيْهِ، وَحصَّلْتُ مِنْهُ الكُلَّ أَوِ البَعْضَ، إِلاَّ هَذَا النَّحْوَ، فَإِنِّي قَلِيْلُ البِضَاعَةِ فِيْهِ، وَمَا أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي ضَيَّعْتُ سَاعَةً مِنْ عُمُرِي فِي لَهْوٍ أَوْ لَعِبٍ (٢) . وَقَالَ ابْنُ الجَوْزِيِّ (٣) : ذَكَرَ لَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ القَاضِي أَنَّ مُنَجِّمَيْنِ حضَرَا عِنْد وِلاَدتِي، فَأَجْمَعَا عَلَى أَنَّ العُمُرَ اثنتَانِ وَخَمْسُوْنَ سَنَةً، فَهَا أَنَا قَدْ جَاوَزْتُ التِّسْعِيْنَ. قُلْتُ: هَذَا يَدلُّ عَلَى حُسنِ مُعتقدِهِ. قَالَ ابْنُ الجَوْزِيِّ (٤) : وَكَانَ حَسَنَ الصُّوْرَةِ، حُلوَ المنطقِ، مليحَ المُعَاشَرَةِ، كَانَ يُصَلِّي فِي جَامِعِ المَنْصُوْر، فَيجِيْء فِي بَعْضِ الأَيَّامِ، فَيَقِفُ وَرَاءَ مَجْلِسِي وَأَنَا أَعظُ، فَيُسلِّم عليَّ. اسْتملَى عَلَيْهِ شَيْخُنَا ابْنُ نَاصرٍ، وَقَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ الكَثِيْرَ، وَكَانَ ثِقَةً فَهِماً، ثَبْتاً حُجَّةً، مُتفنِّناً، مُنْفَرِداً فِي الفَرَائِضِ. قَالَ لِي يَوْماً: صَلَّيْتُ الجُمُعَةَ، وَجلَسْتُ أَنظر إِلَى النَّاسِ، فَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَداً أَودُّ أَنْ أَكُوْنَ مِثْلَهُ، وَكَانَ قَدْ سَافرَ، فَوَقَعَ فِي أَسْرِ الرُّوْمِ، وَبَقِيَ

(١) الذي انشأه عضد الدولة أبو شجاع فنا خسرو بن بويه في الجانب الغربي من بغداد، ورتب فيه الاطباء والخدم، ونقل إليه من الادوية والاشربة والعقاقير شيئا كثيرا، وافتتح في صفر سنة ٣٧٢ هـ. انظر " البداية والنهاية " ١١ / ٢٩٩، و" تاريخ البيمارستانات في الإسلام " للدكتور أحمد عيسى ص ١٨٧ - ١٩٧، وعضد الدولة هذا مرت ترجمته في الجزء السادس عشر برقم (١٧٥) . (٢) انظر: " ذيل طبقات الحنابلة " لابن رجب ١ / ١٩٣. (٣) في " المنتظم " ١٠ / ٩٢. (٤) في " المنتظم " ١٠ / ٩٣، ٩٤.