Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (1/550)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

stations: some come out with credit and no liability, some with liability and no credit, and some with neither credit nor liability.

I asked, “And how is that?”

He replied, “As for the one with credit and no liability: he is a man who seizes the people’s heedlessness and the darkness of the night, performs ablution, and prays. That is in his favour and nothing against him.

“The one with liability and no credit is a man who likewise exploits the people’s heedlessness and the darkness of the night, but he walks about in acts of disobedience to Allah. That is against him and nothing in his favour.

“And the one with neither credit nor liability is a man who sleeps until morning; for him there is neither gain nor loss.”

Ṭāriq said, “So I resolved to keep company with this man.”

A call was made (1) for a military detachment, and he joined it. I accompanied him and was not better than he in any task: if I kneaded the dough, he baked; and if I baked, he cooked. We halted at a way-station and spent the night there. Ṭāriq had a portion of the night that he would normally spend standing in prayer; I stayed awake for it but found him asleep. I said to myself, “A companion of the Messenger of Allah—who is better than I—lies sleeping,” and I too went to sleep. Then I awoke and still found him asleep, so I slept again—except that whenever he stirred during the night he would say, while still reclining:

“Subḥān Allah, al-ḥamdu lillāh, lā ilāha illā Allah, Allāhu akbar. Lā ilāha illā Allah waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.”

Shortly before dawn he would rise, perform ablution, and pray four rakʿahs.

When we had performed the dawn prayer, I said, “O Abū ʿAbd Allāh! I used to have a portion of the night that I observed, and I stayed awake for it, but I found you asleep.”

He replied, “My nephew, what did you hear me saying?”

I told him, and he said, “My nephew, that is the prayer. The five prescribed prayers wipe away whatever lies between them, so long as the mortal sin is avoided. My nephew, stick to moderation, for it reaches furthest (2).”

Shuʿbah narrated from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, who said: I heard Abū al-Bukhtarī relate that Salman invited a man to eat with him. A beggar (3) came, and the man took a piece of bread and handed it to him. Salman said,

(1) In the printed edition the word is erroneously rendered as “fandab.” (2) Narrated by Abd al-Razzaq in the Musannaf, nos. 148 and 4737; by Abu Nuaym in Hilyat al-awliya, 1/190; and by al-Tabarani, no. 6051. Al-Haythami cites it in Majma al-zawaid, 1/300, and notes that all its transmitters are trustworthy. (3) In the printed edition the word is erroneously rendered as “biskin.”

مَنَازِلَ: فَمِنْهُم مَنْ لَهُ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِ، وَمِنْهُم مَنْ عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ لَهُ، وَمِنْهُم مَنْ لاَ عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ لَهُ. فَقُلْتُ: وَكَيْفَ ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا مَنْ لَهُ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِ: فَرَجُلٌ اغْتَنَمَ غَفْلَةَ النَّاسِ، وَظُلْمَةَ اللَّيْلِ، فَتَوَضَّأَ، وَصَلَّى، فَذَاكَ لَهُ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِ. وَرَجُلٌ اغْتَنَمَ غَفْلَةَ النَّاسِ، وَظُلْمَةَ اللَّيْلِ، فَمَشَى فِي مَعَاصِي اللهِ، فَذَاكَ عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ لَهُ. وَرَجُلٌ نَامَ حَتَّى أَصْبَحَ، فَذَاكَ لاَ لَهُ وَلاَ عَلَيْهِ. قَالَ طَارِقٌ: فَقُلْتُ: لأَصْحَبَنَّ هَذَا. فَضُرِبَ (١) عَلَى النَّاسِ بَعْثٌ، فَخَرَجَ فِيْهِم، فَصَحِبْتُهُ، وَكُنْتُ لاَ أَفْضُلُهُ فِي عَمَلٍ، إِنْ أَنَا عَجَنْتُ خَبَزَ، وَإِنْ خَبَزْتُ طَبَخَ، فَنَزَلْنَا مَنْزِلاً فَبِتْنَا فِيْهِ، وَكَانَتْ لِطَارِقٍ سَاعَةٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ يَقُوْمُهَا، فَكُنْتُ أَتَيَقَّظُ لَهَا، فَأَجِدُهُ نَائِماً، فَأَقُوْلُ: صَاحِبُ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي نَائِمٌ، فَأَنَامُ، ثُمَّ أَقُوْمُ، فَأَجِدُهُ نَائِماً، فَأَنَامُ، إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا تَعَارَّ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ، قَالَ وَهُوَ مُضْطَجِعٌ: سُبْحَانَ اللهِ، وَالحَمْدُ للهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ. حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ قُبَيْلَ الصُّبْحِ قَامَ، فَتَوَضَّأَ، ثُمَّ رَكَعَ أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ. فَلَمَّا صَلَّيْنَا الفَجْرَ، قُلْتُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ! كَانَتْ لِي سَاعَةٌ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ أَقُومُهَا، وَكُنْتُ أَتَيَقَّظُ لَهَا، فَأَجِدُكَ نَائِماً. قَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي! فَإِيْشْ كُنْتَ تَسْمَعُنِي أَقُوْلُ؟ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي! تِلْكَ الصَّلاَةُ، إِنَّ الصَّلَوَاتِ الخَمْسَ كَفَّارَاتٌ لَمَّا بَيْنَهُنَّ، مَا اجْتُنِبَتِ المَقْتَلَةُ، يَا ابْنَ أَخِي! عَلَيْكَ بِالقَصْدِ، فَإِنَّهُ أَبْلَغُ (٢) . شُعْبَةُ: عَنْ عَمْرِو بنِ مُرَّةَ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا البَخْتَرِيِّ يُحَدِّثُ: أَنَّ سَلْمَانَ دَعَا رَجُلاً إِلَى طَعَامِهِ. قَالَ: فَجَاءَ مِسْكِيْنٌ (٣) ، فَأَخَذَ الرَّجُلُ كِسْرَةً، فَنَاوَلَهُ. فَقَالَ سَلْمَانُ:

(١) تحرفت في المطبوع إلى " فندب ". (٢) أخرجه عبد الرزاق " ١٤٨) و (٤٧٣٧) ، وأخرجه أبو نعيم في " الحلية " ١ / ١٩٠، والطبراني (٦٠٥١) ، وذكره الهيثمي في " المجمع " ١ / ٣٠٠، وقال: ورجاله موثقون. (٣) تحرفت في المطبوع إلى " بسكين ".