Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (22/398)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

and ʿĪsā al-Muṭʿim, the Shafiʿī.

A special platform was erected for him in the Palace Mosque so that he might conduct public debates. He also preached, and the people received him with complete acceptance. He was granted permission to enter upon the amir Abū Naṣr Muḥammad ibn al-Nāṣir every Friday to listen to the Musnad, which he was licensed to transmit by ijāzah from the amir’s father, al-Nāṣir. The amir grew attached to him, and when he succeeded to the caliphate and took the honorific al-Ẓāhir, he entrusted Abū Ṣāliḥ with the judiciary in the year 622 AH. Abū Ṣāliḥ governed with fine conduct, followed the straight path, upheld the authority of the Sacred Law, flattered no one, and would allow no shouting in his presence.

He used to walk to the Friday prayer on foot, and the court witnesses would dip their pens into his own inkwell during session. When al-Mustanṣir came to power he confirmed him for a few months and then dismissed him.

He transmitted a great many ḥadīths; he was reliable, painstakingly exact, and possessed outstanding mastery of his school. He was gentle, humble, witty, intelligent, and bold—a true man among men. I heard him say:

“I was in the residence of the vizier al-Qummī (1) together with a group when a dignified-looking man entered. They all rose and served him, so I too stood up, thinking he was one of the jurists. They said, ‘This is Ibn Karam the Jew, the director of the mint.’ I said to him, ‘Come over here.’

“He came and stood, and I said, ‘Woe to you! I took you for a jurist (2) and therefore rose to honor you, yet—woe to you—you do not hold that rank with me.’ I repeated this to him while he stood there saying, ‘May God preserve you! May God keep you!’ Then I said, ‘Get back—away from us,’ and he left.

“Abū Ṣāliḥ also told me that a stipend had been allotted to him by the caliph. That very day he had visited the grave of Imām Aḥmad, and someone said to me, ‘Your allowance has been handed over to Ibn Tūmā the Christian; go to him and take it.’ I replied, ‘By God, I will neither go nor ask for it.’

“The gold remained with him until he was—may God’s curse be upon him—killed the following year. The gold was seized from his house and forwarded to me.”

Abū Ṣāliḥ passed away on the sixteenth of Shawwāl in the year 633 AH,

(1) Muʾayyad al-Din, whose biography appears earlier in this volume. (2) The primary manuscript has “faqih” (jurist).

الشَّافِعِيِّ، وَبُنِيت لَهُ دَكَّة بِجَامِعِ القَصْرِ لِلْمُنَاظَرَة، وَوَعَظَ، فَكَانَ لَهُ قبولٌ تَامٌّ، وَأُذِنَ لَهُ فِي الدُّخُول عَلَى الأَمِيْرِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ مُحَمَّدِ ابْنِ النَّاصِرِ فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ لِسَمَاعِ (المُسْنَدِ) بِإِجَازته مِنَ النَّاصِر وَالِدِه، فَأَنِسَ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا اسْتُخلِفَ، لُقِّبَ بِالظَّاهِرِ، فَقلَّدَ القَضَاءَ أَبَا صَالِحٍ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَعِشْرِيْنَ، فَسَارَ السِّيرَةَ الحَسَنَةَ، وَسَلكَ الطَّرِيقَةَ المُسْتَقِيمَةَ، وَأَقَامَ نَامُوسَ الشَّرْعِ، وَلَمْ يُحَابِ أَحَداً، وَلاَ مَكَّنَ مِنَ الصِّيَاحِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ. وَكَانَ يَمضِي إِلَى الجُمُعَةِ مَاشِياً، وَيَكْتُب الشُّهُودُ مِنْ دَوَاتِه فِي المَجْلِسِ، فَلَمَّا اسْتُخلفَ المُسْتَنْصِرُ، أَقرَّهُ أَشْهُراً، وَعَزَلَهُ. وَرَوَى الكَثِيْرَ، وَكَانَ ثِقَةً، مُتحرِّياً، لَهُ فِي المَذْهَبِ اليَدُ الطُّوْلَى، وَكَانَ لَطِيفاً، مُتَوَاضِعاً، مَزَّاحاً، كَيِّساً، وَكَانَ مِقْدَاماً، رَجُلاً مِنَ الرِّجَالِ، سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ: كُنْتُ فِي دَارِ الوَزِيْرِ القُمِّيِّ (١) ، وَهُنَاكَ جَمَاعَةٌ، إِذْ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ ذُو هَيْئَةٍ، فَقَامُوا لَهُ وَخَدَمُوْهُ، فَقُمْتُ وَظننتُه بَعْض الفُقَهَاء، فَقِيْلَ: هَذَا ابْنُ كَرَمٍ اليَهُوْدِيُّ عَامِلُ دَارِ الضَّرْبِ. فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: تَعَالَ إِلَى هُنَا. فَجَاءَ، وَوَقَفَ، فَقُلْتُ: وَيْلَكَ! تَوَهَّمْتُكَ فَقِيْهاً (٢) ، فَقُمْتُ إِكرَاماً لَكَ، وَلَسْتَ - وَيْلَكَ - عِنْدِي بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ. ثُمَّ كَرَّرتُ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يَقُوْلُ: اللهُ يَحفظُكَ! اللهُ يُبقِيكَ! ثُمَّ قُلْتُ لَهُ: اخْسَأْ هُنَاكَ بَعِيداً عَنَّا، فَذَهَبَ. قَالَ: وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو صَالِحٍ: أَنَّهُ رُسِمَ لَهُ بِرِزْقٍ مِنَ الخَلِيْفَةِ، وَأَنَّهُ زَارَ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَبْرَ الإِمَامِ أَحْمَدَ، فَقِيْلَ لِي: دُفِعَ رَسْمُكَ إِلَى ابْنِ تُوْمَا النَّصْرَانِيِّ، فَامضِ إِلَيْهِ، فَخُذْهُ. فَقُلْتُ: وَاللهِ لاَ أَمضِي وَلاَ أَطلبه. فَبقِي ذَلِكَ الذَّهَبُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَى أَنْ قُتِلَ - إِلَى لَعنَةِ اللهِ - فِي السَّنَةِ الأُخْرَى، وَأُخِذَ الذَّهَبُ مِنْ دَارِهِ، فَنفذ إِلَيَّ. تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو صَالِحٍ: فِي سَادِسَ عَشَرَ شَوَّالٍ، سَنَةَ ثَلاَثٍ وَثَلاَثِيْنَ وَسِتِّ مائَةٍ،

(١) مؤيد الدين الذي مرت ترجمته في هذا المجلد. (٢) في الأصل: " فقيه ".