Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/42)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Shuʿbah likewise narrated it from al-Azraq, who said:
“I was with Abū Barzah in Ahwāz. He stood to perform the ʿAsr prayer with the reins of his horse in his hand; the animal kept backing away, and Abū Barzah kept stepping back with it. A man from the Kharijites was hurling insults at him. When he had finished the prayer, he said, ‘I took part in six—or perhaps seven—expeditions with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and I witnessed how easy-going he was (1).’

Hammām related from Thābit al-Bunānī that Abū Barzah used to wear wool. Someone said to him, “Your brother ʿĀʾidh ibn ʿAmr wears fine brocade.” He replied, “Shame on you! Who is like ʿĀʾidh?!” The man went off and told ʿĀʾidh, who said, “And who is like Abū Barzah? (2)”

I (the author) say: Such (3) was the manner in which scholars showed respect for their contemporaries.

Abū Barzah reported: “In pre-Islamic times we used to say, ‘Whoever eats leavened bread (4) puts on weight.’ On the day of Khaybar we drove the people away from one of their loaves (5); each of us would take a bite, then feel his flanks, asking, ‘Have I grown fatter?’ ”

It was also said (6) that Abū Barzah kept a large bowl of tharid each morning and another each evening for widows, orphans, and the poor (7).

He would rise for the night prayer, perform ablution, and awaken his family—may Allah be pleased with him.

(1) Ibn ʿAsakir, Tarikh, vol. 17, p. 289, section A. (2) Quoted in Ibn Saʿd, vol. 4, p. 300, in an expanded version; likewise in Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 17, p. 290, section B. (3) The manuscript reads: “hatha hakadha” (“this is so”), which is probably a copyist’s addition. (4) Both Ibn ʿAsakir and Ibn Hajar’s al-Matalib al-ʿAliya read the word as “al-khubz” (bread). (5) The phrase fa-ajhadna al-qawm means “we overpowered them and pushed them from their place.” Al-khubza—also called al-tulma—is a lump of dough buried in hot ashes (al-malla) until it is baked; al-malla denotes the ashes and earth in which the fire has burned. (6) Ibn ʿAsakir, Tarikh, vol. 17, p. 289, section B; also cited by Ibn Hajar in al-Matalib al-ʿAliya, vol. 3, p. 165, who attributes the report to Ahmad ibn Maniʿ. (7) The account is found in Ibn Saʿd, vol. 4, p. 299.

وَكَذَا رَوَاهُ: شُعْبَةُ، عَنِ الأَزْرَقِ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ مَعَ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ بِالأَهْوَازِ، فَقَامَ يُصَلِّي العَصْرَ، وَعِنَانُ فَرَسِهِ بِيَدِهِ، فَجَعَلَتْ تَرْجِعُ، وَجَعَلَ أَبُو بَرْزَةَ يَنْكُصُ مَعَهَا. قَالَ: وَرَجُلٌ مِنَ الخَوَارِجِ يَشْتُمُهُ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ، قَالَ: إِنِّيْ غَزَوْتُ مَعَ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ سِتّاً، أَوْ سَبْعاً، وَشَهِدْتُ تَيْسِيْرَهُ (١) . هَمَّامٌ: عَنْ ثَابِتٍ البُنَانِيُّ: أَنَّ أَبَا بَرْزَةَ كَانَ يَلْبَسُ الصُّوْفَ، فَقِيْلَ لَهُ: إِنَّ أَخَاكَ عَائِذَ بنَ عَمْرٍو يَلْبَسُ الخَزَّ. قَالَ: وَيْحَكَ! وَمَنْ مِثْلُ عَائِذٍ؟! فَانْصَرَفَ الرَّجُلُ، فَأَخْبَرَ عَائِذاً، فَقَالَ: وَمَنْ مِثْلُ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ (٢) ؟! قُلْتُ: هَكَذَا (٣) كَانَ العُلَمَاءُ يُوَقِّرُوْنَ أَقْرَانَهُم. عَنْ أَبِي بَرْزَةَ، قَالَ: كُنَّا نَقُوْلُ فِي الجَاهِلِيَّةِ: مَنْ أَكَلَ الخَمِيْرَ (٤) سَمِنَ، فَأَجْهَضْنَا القَوْمَ (٥) يَوْمَ خَيْبَرَ عَنْ خُبْزَةٍ لَهُم، فَجَعَلَ أَحَدُنَا يَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ الكِسْرَةَ، ثُمَّ يَمَسُّ عِطْفَيْهِ، هَلْ سَمِنَ؟ (٦) وَقِيْلَ: كَانَتْ لأَبِي بَرْزَةَ جَفْنَةٌ مِنْ ثَرِيْدٍ غُدْوَةً، وَجَفْنَةٌ عَشِيَّةً، لِلأَرَامِلِ وَاليَتَامَى وَالمَسَاكِيْنِ (٧) . وَكَانَ يَقُوْمُ إِلَى صَلاَةِ اللَّيْلِ، فَيَتَوَضَّأُ، وَيُوْقِظُ أَهْلَهُ ﵁.

(١) " تاريخ ابن عساكر ": ١٧ / ٢٨٩ / آ. (٢) أورده ابن سعد: ٤ / ٣٠٠ مفصلا، وكذا ابن عساكر: ١٧ / ٢٩٠ / ب. (٣) في الأصل: " هذا هكذا " فلعلها زيادة من الناسخ. (٤) لفظ " ابن عساكر " و" المطالب العالية ": " الخبز ". (٥) فأجهضنا القوم: غلبناهم نحيناهم عن مكانهم. والخبزة: الطلمة: وهي عجين يوضع في الملة حتى ينضج، والملة: الرماد والتراب الذي أوقد فيه النار. (٦) " تاريخ ابن عساكر ": ١٧ / ٢٨٩ / ب، وأورده ابن حجر في " المطالب العالية ": ٣ / ١٦٥، ونسبه لأحمد بن منيع. (٧) الخبر في " ابن سعد " ٤ / ٢٩٩.