Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/530)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Whenever we walked together he would turn toward me, exhort me, and remind me that I have a Lord, that before me lie Paradise, Hell, and the Reckoning—repeating much the same counsel he used to give the people on Sundays.

Then he said, “O Salman! Allah will soon send forth a messenger whose name is Ahmad; he will appear in Tihamah.” (The man was a foreigner and could not pronounce the name Muhammad.) “His sign is that he will eat what is given as a gift but he will not eat charity, and between his shoulders is the Seal of Prophethood. The time of his emergence is near. As for me, I am an old man and do not expect to live to see him, but if you should meet him, believe in him and follow him.”

I asked, “Even if he commands me to leave your religion and all that you practise?”

He replied, “Yes, for the pleasure of the All-Merciful lies in what he says.”

It was only a short while before he awoke in alarm, remembering Allah Most High, and cried, “O Salman! The shade has moved from this spot and I have not remembered Allah. What of the duty you took upon yourself?”

I said, “Because you had not slept for such-and-such a time, I wanted you to take your full rest.”

He praised Allah, rose, and went out; I followed him. On the way he passed by the cripple and said, “Servant of Allah! You entered and I asked you but you did not give me; you left and I asked you (1) and you still did not give me.”

He looked around to see whether anyone was present; seeing no one, he approached the man and said, “Give me your hand.”

When the cripple extended it, he said, “In the name of Allah.” The man then stood up as though loosed from fetters—sound, without defect—and set off, neither turning toward anyone nor lingering with anyone.

The former cripple said to me, “Boy, carry my clothes so I may hurry to bring the good news to my family.”

I lifted his garments for him, and he went off without looking back. I followed in his tracks, asking after him, and everyone I questioned said, “He is ahead of you,”

until I came upon a caravan of Kalb and asked them,

(1) The phrase fasal’tuka (“so I asked you”) is omitted in the printed edition.

وَكَانَ لَمَّا يَمْشِي وَأَنَا مَعَهُ، يُقْبِلُ عَلَيَّ، فَيَعِظُنِي، وَيُخْبِرُنِي أَنَّ لِي رَبّاً، وَأَنَّ بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ جَنَّةً وَنَاراً وَحِسَاباً، وَيُذَكِّرُنِي نَحْوَ مَا كَانَ يُذَكِّرُ القَوْمَ يَوْمَ الأَحَدِ. حَتَّى قَالَ: يَا سَلْمَانُ! إِنَّ اللهَ سَوْفَ يَبْعَثُ رَسُوْلاً اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ، يَخْرُجُ بِتِهَامَةَ، وَكَانَ رَجُلاً أَعْجَمِيّاً لاَ يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يَقُوْلَ مُحَمَّدٌ، عَلاَمَتُهُ أَنَّهُ يَأْكُلُ الهَدِيَّةَ، وَلاَ يَأْكُلُ الصَّدَقَةَ، بَيْنَ كَتِفَيْهِ خَاتَمُ النُّبُوَّةِ، وَهَذَا زَمَانُهُ الَّذِي يَخْرُجُ فِيْهِ قَدْ تَقَارَبَ، فَأَمَّا أَنَا فَإِنِّي شَيْخٌ كَبِيْرٌ، وَلاَ أَحْسَبُنِي أُدْرِكُهُ، فَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَدْرَكْتَهُ فَصَدِّقْهُ، وَاتَّبِعْهُ. قُلْتُ: وَإِنْ أَمَرَنِي بِتَرْكِ دِيْنِكَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَإِن رِضَى الرَّحْمَنِ فِيْمَا قَالَ. فَلَمْ يَمْضِ إِلاَّ يَسِيْرٌ حَتَّى اسْتَيْقَظَ فَزِعاً يَذْكُرُ اللهَ -تَعَالَى- فَقَالَ: يَا سَلْمَانُ! مَضَى الفَيْءُ مِنْ هَذَا المَكَانِ، وَلَمْ أَذْكُرِ اللهَ، أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتَ جَعَلْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ؟ قُلْتُ: لأَنَّكَ لَمْ تَنَمْ مُنْذُ كَذَا وَكَذَا، فَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ تَسْتَوْفِيَ مِنَ النَّوْمِ. فَحَمِدَ اللهَ، وَقَامَ، وَخَرَجَ، فَتَبِعْتُهُ، فَمَرَّ بِالمُقْعَدِ، فَقَالَ: يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ! دَخَلْتَ وَسَأَلْتُكَ فَلَمْ تُعْطِنِي، وَخَرَجْتَ فَسَأَلْتُكَ (١) فَلَمْ تُعْطِنِي. فَقَامَ يَنْظُرُ، هَلْ يَرَى أَحَداً، فَلَمْ يَرَ، فَدَنَا مِنْهُ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: نَاوِلْنِي يَدَكَ. فَنَاوَلَهُ، فَقَالَ: بَاسْمِ اللهِ. فَقَامَ كَأَنَّهُ نَشَطَ مِنْ عُقَالٍ صَحِيْحاً، لاَ عَيْبَ فِيْهِ، فَانْطَلَقَ ذَاهِباً، فَكَانَ لاَ يَلْوِي عَلَى أَحَدٍ، وَلاَ يَقُوْمُ عَلَيْهِ. فَقَالَ لِي المُقْعَدُ: يَا غُلاَمُ! احْمِلْ عَلَيَّ ثِيَابِي حَتَّى أَنْطَلِقَ وَأُبَشِّرَ أَهْلِي. فَحَمَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابَهُ، وَانْطَلقَ لاَ يَلْوِي عَلَيَّ، فَخَرَجْتُ فِي أَثَرِهِ أَطْلُبُهُ، فَكُلَّمَا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهُ قَالُوا: أَمَامَكَ. حَتَّى لَقِيَنِي رَكْبٌ مِنْ كَلْبٍ، فَسَأَلْتُهُم،

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