Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/522)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

was a close friend of mine. He said, “The religion you are currently following is nothing but the king’s religion; what you ought to embrace is the Jacobite creed.” I refused and made my way to al-Jazīrah, where I attached myself to a monk in Nisibis who held the Jacobite view, and I became one of their chief polemicists.

Then, in a dream, I saw Abraham, the Friend of the Most Merciful, standing beside the Throne. He would single out everyone who adhered to his faith and admit him to Paradise, while anyone who was not on his faith was carried off to the Fire. Frightened, I fled from that monk and sought out another who was one hundred and fifty years old. When I told him my story he said, “The religion you are searching for is not found on earth today. It is the ḥanīfiyyah, the faith of the people of Paradise. Its time is near—indeed it has almost arrived. A prophet in Yathrib will be calling people to this religion.”

I asked, “What is this man’s name?”

He replied, “He is known by five names. Upon the Throne it is written Muḥammad; in the Gospel, Aḥmad; on the Day of Resurrection, Maḥmūd; on the Bridge (ṣirāṭ), Ḥammād; and at the gate of Paradise, Ḥāmid. He descends from Ishmael and belongs to Quraysh.” He then gave a lengthy description of him, peace and blessings be upon him.

I travelled through the wilderness, but Arabs captured me and employed me as a servant for years. I eventually escaped from them … until he said: “When I accepted Islam, ʿAlī kissed my head and Abū Bakr gave me the very clothes he was wearing …” and he went on to say, “O Salmān, you are the freedman of Allah and His Messenger.”

This report is munkar.

Its chain contains a liar—Isḥāq—on top of its being mursal and of the weakness of (1) Ibn Luhayʿah and the Taymī.

Samways (2) relates: ‘Amr b. Ḥammād al-Qannād (3) told us, Asbāṭ b. Naṣr narrated from al-Suddī, from Abū Mālik and from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Ibn ʿAbbās; and from Murrah, from Ibn Masʿūd; and from a number of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ concerning His words, “Indeed, those who believe, those who are Jews…”—the verse: it was revealed about the companions of Salmān, and he was from the people of Jund

(1) In the printed edition the phrase is misprinted as “wa-wahnuh.” (2) The printed edition reads “wa-bihi.” (3) The word “Qanad” is corrupted in the printed edition to “Hanad.”

صَدِيْقاً لِي، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الَّذِي أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ دِيْنُ المَلِكِ، وَلَكِنْ عَلَيْكَ بِاليَعْقُوْبِيَّةِ، فَرَفَضْتُ ذَلِكَ، وَلَحِقْتُ بِالجَزِيْرَةِ، فَلَزِمْتُ رَاهِباً بِنَصِيْبِيْنَ يَرَى رَأْيَ اليَعْقُوْبِيَّةِ، فَكُنْتُ عِنْدَهُمْ حِجَجاً. فَرَأَيْتُ فِيْمَا يَرَى النَّائِمُ أَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ خَلِيْلَ الرَّحْمَنِ قَائِمٌ عِنْدَ العَرْشِ، يَمِيْزُ مَنْ كَانَ عَلَى مِلَّتِهِ، فَيُدْخِلَهُ الجَنَّةَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ عَلَى غَيْرِ مِلَّتِهِ، ذَهَبُوا بِهِ إِلَى النَّارِ، فَهَرَبْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّاهِبِ، وَأَتَيْتُ رَاهِباً لَهُ خَمْسُوْنَ وَمَائَةُ سَنَةٍ، وَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِقِصَّتِي، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الَّذِي تَطْلُبُهُ لَيْسَ هُوَ اليَوْمَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ، ذَاكَ دِيْنُ الحَنَفِيَّةِ، وَهُوَ دِيْنُ أَهْلِ الجَنَّةِ، وَقَدِ اقْتَرَبَ، وَأَظَلَّكَ زَمَانُهُ، نَبِيُّ يَثْرِبَ يَدْعُو إِلَى هَذَا الدِّيْنِ. قُلْتُ: مَا اسْمُ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ؟ قَالَ: لَهُ خَمْسَةُ أَسْمَاءَ، مَكْتُوْبٌ فِي العَرْشِ: مُحَمَّدٌ، وَفِي الإِنْجِيْلِ: أَحْمَدُ، وَيَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ: مَحْمُوْدٌ، وَعَلَى الصِّرَاطِ: حَمَّادٌ، وَعَلَى بَابِ الجَنَّةِ: حَامِدٌ، وَهُوَ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيْلَ، وَهُوَ قُرَشِيٌّ. فَسَرَدَ كَثِيْراً مِنْ صِفَتِهِ ﷺ. قَالَ: فَسِرْتُ فِي البَرِّيَّةِ، فَسَبَتْنِي العَرَبُ، وَاسْتَخْدَمَتْنِي سِنِيْنَ، فَهَرَبْتُ مِنْهُم، إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمْتُ قَبَّلَ عَلِيٌّ رَأْسِي، وَكَسَانِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ ... ، إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: (يَا سَلْمَانُ! أَنْتَ مَوْلَى اللهِ وَرَسُوْلِهِ) . وَهُوَ مُنْكَرٌ. فِي إِسْنَادِهِ كَذَّابٌ، وَهُوَ إِسْحَاقُ، مَعَ إِرْسَالِهِ، وَوَهْنِ (١) ابْنِ لَهِيْعَةَ، وَالتَّيْمِيِّ. سَمَّوَيْه (٢) : حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بنُ حَمَّادٍ القَنَّادُ (٣) ، حَدَّثَنَا أَسْبَاطُ بنُ نَصْرٍ، عَنِ السُّدِّيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ، وَعَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَنْ مُرَّةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُوْدٍ، وَعَنْ نَاسٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِيْنَ هَادُوا ... ﴾ الآيَة، فِي أَصْحَابِ سَلْمَانَ نَزَلَتْ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ جُنْدِ

(١) تحرفت في المطبوع إلى " ووهنه ". (٢) في المطبوع " وبه ". (٣) تحرفت " قناد " في المطبوع إلى " هناد ".