Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/13)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He entered and found him weeping, and said, “What is making you weep, Abū ʿUbaydah?”

He replied, “What brings me to tears is that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once spoke of the future conquests Allah would grant the Muslims—he even mentioned Syria—and he said: ‘If Allah prolongs your life, then let three servants suffice you: one to serve you, one to travel with you, and one to attend to your family; and let three mounts suffice you: a mount for your saddle, a mount for your baggage, and a mount for your servant.’

“Yet here I am, looking at my house, which is full of slaves, and at my stable, which is full of horses. How, then, shall I meet the Messenger of Allah ﷺ after this, when he instructed us: ‘The dearest of you to me and the closest to me is the one who meets me in the same condition in which I left you (1).’”

This is a singular hadith.

It was also narrated by Aḥmad in his Musnad, through Abū al-Mughīrah.

Wakīʿ ibn al-Jarrāḥ related—from Mubārak ibn Faḍālah, from al-Ḥasan—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “There is none of you but that, if I wished, I could censure him for some trait—except Abū ʿUbaydah.” This is mursal (2).

Abū ʿUbaydah was known for his fine character, exceptional forbearance, and humility.

Muḥammad ibn Saʿd said: “Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh narrated to us; Ibn ʿUyaynah narrated to us, from Ibn—”

(1) The isnad is weak because Abu Hisba is an unknown narrator, and his report from Abu Ubayda is mursal (lacking the Companion). The words placed between brackets are absent from the original manuscript; they have been supplied from the Musnad. Ahmad recorded the hadith (1/195–196), and al-Haythami cites it in Majmaʿ al-zawaʾid (10/253) commenting that Ahmad alone transmits it and that the chain contains an unnamed narrator, while the rest of its transmitters are reliable. In Majmaʿ the name Abu Hisba is corrupted to “Abu Hasana,” and in Taʿjil al-manfaʿa to “Abu Habiba.” The report is also found in Ibn ʿAsakir’s Tarikh (1/307–308). (2) Al-Hakim transmits the report (3/266), describing it as a rare mursal and affirming that its narrators are trustworthy. It appears as well in al-Istiyab (2/293), where Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr classifies it among al-Hasan’s mursal reports; another chain is given in al-Isaba (5/288). Al-Hafiz likewise judges it mursal with reliable transmitters. See also al-Fasawi’s Tarikh (1/448).

دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَوَجَدَهُ يَبْكِي، فَقَالَ: مَا يُبْكِيْكَ يَا أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ؟ قَالَ: يُبْكِيْنِي أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ ذَكَرَ يَوْماً مَا يَفْتَحُ اللهُ عَلَى المُسْلِمِيْنَ، حَتَّى ذَكَرَ الشَّامَ، فَقَالَ: (إِنْ نَسَأَ اللهُ فِي أَجَلِكَ، فَحَسْبُكَ مِنَ الخَدَمِ ثَلاَثَةٌ: خَادِمٌ يَخْدُمُكَ، وَخَادِمٌ يُسَافِرُ مَعَكَ، وَخَادِمٌ يَخْدمُ أَهْلَكَ، وَحَسْبُكَ مِنَ الدَّوَابِّ ثَلاَثَةٌ: دَابَّةٌ لِرَحْلِكَ، وَدَابَّةٌ لِثِقَلِكَ، وَدَابَّةٌ لِغُلاَمِكَ) . ثُمَّ هَا أَنَا ذَا أَنْظُرُ إِلَى بَيْتِي قَدِ امْتَلأَ رَقِيْقاً، وَإِلَى مَرْبَطِي قَدِ امْتَلأَ خَيْلاً، فَكَيْفَ أَلْقَى رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ بَعْدَهَا؟ وَقَدْ أَوْصَانَا: (إِنَّ أَحَبَّكُم إِلَيَّ، وَأَقْرَبَكُمْ مِنِّي، مَنْ لَقِيَنِي عَلَى مِثْلِ الحَالِ الَّتِي فَارَقْتُكُمْ عَلَيْهَا (١)) . حَدِيْثٌ غَرِيْبٌ. رَوَاهُ أَيْضاً: أَحْمَدُ فِي (مُسْنَدِهِ) ، عَنْ أَبِي المُغِيْرَةِ. وَكِيْعُ بنُ الجَرَّاحِ: مُبَارَكُ بنُ فَضَالَةَ، عَنِ الحَسَنِ: قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ: (مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ لَوْ شِئْتُ لأَخَذْتُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْضَ خُلُقِهِ، إِلاَّ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ) . هَذَا مُرْسَلٌ (٢) . وَكَانَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ مَوْصُوْفاً بِحُسْنِ الخُلُقِ، وَبِالحِلْمِ الزَائِدِ، وَالتَّوَاضُعِ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ سَعْدٍ: حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ

(١) إسناده ضعيف لجهالة أبي حسبة، كما أن روايته عن أبي عبيدة مرسلة. والزيادة بين الحاصرتين ليست في الأصل، وإنما استدركت من المسند، وقد أخرجه أحمد ١ / ١٩٥ - ١٩٦، وذكره الهيثمي في " المجمع " ١٠ / ٢٥٣ وقال: رواه أحمد وفيه راو لم يسم. وبقية رجاله ثقات. وقد تحرفت في " المجمع " أبو حسبة إلى " أبي حسنة " كما تحرفت في " تعجيل المنفعة " إلى " أبي حبيبة ". وهو في تاريخ ابن عساكر ١ / ٣٠٧ - ٣٠٨. (٢) أخرجه الحاكم ٣ / ٢٦٦ وقال: مرسل غريب، ورواته ثقات. وهو في " الاستيعاب " ٢ / ٢٩٣، وقال ابن عبد البر: هو من مراسيل الحسن. وفي " الإصابة " ٥ / ٢٨٨ من طريق أخرى. وقال الحافظ: مرسل، ورجاله ثقات. وانظر تاريخ الفسوي ١ / ٤٤٨.