Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (راشدون/191)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He went on: “They also allege that the Qur’an once existed in several separate codices which I destroyed, leaving only one. Yet the Qur’an is a single book that came from the One God, and in this matter I merely followed the lead of these Companions. Is that not so?” They answered, “Yes.”

He continued: “They claim that I recalled al-Ḥakam even though the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had banished him to al-Ṭāʾif and then brought him back. It was the Messenger who exiled him, and it was the Messenger who later allowed him to return. Is that correct?” They said, “Yes.”

He said: “They object that I have appointed young men to office. I have appointed no one except after consultation and with general approval. The people of the provinces I oversee are here—ask them. Someone even younger than the man in question held command before my time, and harsher words were addressed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ over his appointment of Usāmah than are now directed at me. Is that not the case?” They replied, “Yes.”

He then remarked: “They contend that I granted Ibn Abī Sarḥ part of the booty that Allah had bestowed. I merely gave him one-fifth of the one-fifth—the commander’s customary share—which amounted to one hundred thousand. Abū Bakr and ʿUmar did the same. When the troops pretended to resent this, I returned it to them, though they had no right to it. Is that true?” They responded, “Yes.”

He added: “They say that I love my family and give to them. My affection for them does not entail injustice, and whatever I give them comes from my own wealth. I do not treat the Muslims’ property as lawful for myself or for anyone else.” In fact, he had already divided his wealth and land among the Banū Umayyah, counting his own children as no more than any other recipient.

The narrator says: Those men then went back to their homelands, and he pardoned them. Later they corresponded with one another and agreed to meet again in Shawwāl. When Shawwāl arrived they set out pretending to be pilgrims until they camped near Medina. Four hundred men came from Egypt; their leaders were ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿUdays al-Balawī, Kinānah ibn Bishr al-Laythī, Sudān ibn Ḥumrān al-Sukūnī, and Qutayrah al-Sukūnī, while their overall commander was al-Ghāfiqī ibn Ḥarb al-ʿUkkī. With them was Ibn al-Sawdāʾ.

قال: وقالوا: كان القرآن كتبا فتركتها إلا واحدا ألا وإن القرآن واحد جاء من عند واحد، وإنما أنا في ذلك تابع هؤلاء، أفكذاك؟ قالوا: نعم. وقالا: إني رددت الحكم وقد سيره رسول الله ﷺ إلى الطائف ثم رده، فرسول الله ﷺ سيره وهو رده، أفكذاك؟ قالوا: نعم وقالوا: استعملت لأحداث. ولم استعمل إلا مجتمعا مرضيا، وهؤلاء أهل عملي فسلوهم، وقد ولي من قبلي أحدث منه، وقيل في ذلك لرسول الله ﷺ أشد مما قيل لي في استعماله أسامة، أكذاك؟ قالوا: نعم. وقالوا: إني أعطيت ابن أبي سرح ما أفاء الله عليه. وإني إنما نفلته خمس الخمس، فكان مائة ألف، وقد نفل مثل ذلك أبو بكر وعمر، وزعم الجند أنهم يكرهون ذلك فرددته عليهم، وليس ذلك لهم، أكذاك؟ قالوا: نعم. وقالوا: إني أحب أهل بيتي وأعطيهم. فأما حبهم فلم يوجب جورا، وأما إعطاؤهم، فإنما أعطيهم من مالي، ولا استحل أموال المسلمين لنفسي ولا لأحد. وكان قد قسم ماله وأرضه في بني أمية، وجعل ولده كبعض من يعطى. قال: ورجع أولئك إلى بلادهم وعفا عنهم قال: فتكاتبوا وتواعدوا إلى شوال، فلما كان شوال خرجوا كالحجاج حتى نزلوا بقرب المدينة، فخرج أهل مصر في أربع مائة، وأمراؤهم عبد الرحمن بن عديس البلوي، وكنانة بن بشر الليثي، وسودان بن حمران السكوني، وقتيرة السكوني، ومقدمهم الغافقي بن حرب العكي، ومعهم ابن السوداء.