Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/59)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He was counted among Quraysh’s men of sound judgment, shrewdness, firmness, competence, and keen insight into warfare. He also belonged to the noblest ranks of the Arab princes and to the eminent figures among the early Emigrants. May Allah forgive him and pardon him. Had it not been for his love of worldly gain and his involvement in certain matters, he would have been fit for the caliphate, for he enjoyed a record of precedence that Muʿāwiyah did not.

He was even appointed commander over the likes of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar because of his strategic vision and astuteness.

Ibn Isḥāq said: Yazīd ibn Abī Ḥabīb related to me, from Rāshid, the freedman of Ḥabīb, from Ḥabīb ibn Aws, who said:

ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ told me: “When we withdrew from the Trench, I gathered a group of Quraysh and said, ‘By Allah, Muhammad’s cause is ascending in an astonishing way; by Allah, nothing can stand against him—and I have reached a conclusion.’

“They asked, ‘What is it?’

“I replied, ‘That we go to the Negus under the protection of our own guard. If our people prevail, they know who we are and we can return to them; but if Muhammad prevails, being under the Negus’ authority is dearer to us than being under Muhammad’s.’

“They said, ‘You have spoken well.’

“So purchase gifts for him, for among the most prized items sent to him from our land is tanned leather. We gathered a large quantity of leather, travelled to him, and found with him ʿAmr ibn Umayya al-Ḍamrī, whom the Prophet ﷺ had dispatched concerning Jaʿfar and his companions.

“When I saw him I thought, ‘Perhaps I can kill him.’

“I presented the gifts, and the Negus said, ‘Welcome, my friend!’ He admired the gift, so I said, ‘O King! I have seen Muhammad’s envoy with you. He is a man who has wronged us and slain our nobles. Hand him over to me so that I may strike off his head.’

“He became enraged and struck his own nose so hard that I thought it was broken. Had the earth opened beneath me I would have entered it. I said, ‘If I had known you disliked this, I would never have asked for it.’

“He said, ‘You ask me to surrender to you the messenger of a man to whom the nāmūs (1)—the very messenger-angel who used to come to Moses the Great—comes, so that you may kill him?!’

“I said, ‘Is that really so?’

“He replied, ‘Yes, by Allah, I am sincerely advising you—follow him, for by Allah…’

(1) Al-namus refers to the angel Jibril; this is also how the People of the Book use the term. In Waraqa’s statement to Khadija he said: “If what you say is true, then the namus who used to come to Musa has come to him.”

وَكَانَ مِنْ رِجَالِ قُرَيْشٍ رَأْياً، وَدَهَاءً، وَحَزْماً، وَكَفَاءةً، وَبَصَراً بِالحُرُوْبِ، وَمِنْ أَشْرَافِ مُلُوْكِ العَرَبِ، وَمِنْ أَعْيَانِ المُهَاجِرِيْنَ، وَاللهُ يَغْفِرُ لَهُ وَيَعفُو عَنْهُ، وَلَوْلاَ حُبُّهُ لِلدُّنْيَا، وَدُخُوْلُهُ فِي أُمُوْرٍ، لَصَلُحَ لِلْخِلاَفَةِ، فَإِنَّ لَهُ سَابِقَةً لَيْسَتْ لِمُعَاوِيَةَ. وَقَدْ تَأَمَّرَ عَلَى مِثْلِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ؛ لِبَصَرِهِ بِالأُمُوْرِ وَدَهَائِهِ. ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: حَدَّثَنِي يَزِيْدُ بنُ أَبِي حَبِيْبٍ، عَنْ رَاشِدٍ مَوْلَى حَبِيْبٍ، عَنْ حَبِيْبِ بنِ أَوْسٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرُو بنُ العَاصِ، قَالَ: لَمَّا انْصَرَفْنَا مِنَ الخَنْدَقِ، جَمَعْتُ رِجَالاً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَقُلْتُ: وَاللهِ إِنَّ أَمْرَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَعْلُو عُلُوّاً مُنْكَراً، وَاللهِ مَا يَقُوْمُ لَهُ شَيْءٌ، وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَأْياً. قَالُوا: وَمَا هُوَ؟ قُلْتُ: أَنْ نَلْحَقَ بِالنَّجَاشِيِّ عَلَى حَامِيَتِنَا، فَإِنْ ظَفِرَ قَوْمُنَا، فَنَحْنُ مَنْ قَدْ عَرَفُوا نَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِم، وَإِنْ يَظْهَرْ مُحَمَّدٌ، فَنَكُوْنُ تَحْتَ يَدَيِ النَّجَاشِيِّ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ أَنْ نَكُوْنَ تَحْتَ يَدَيْ مُحَمَّدٍ. قَالُوا: أَصَبْتَ. قُلْتُ: فَابْتَاعُوا لَهُ هَدَايَا، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَعْجَبِ مَا يُهْدَى إِلَيْهِ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا الأَدَمُ، فَجَمَعْنَا لَهُ أَدَماً كَثِيْراً، وَقَدِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ، فَوَافَقْنَا عِنْدَهُ عَمْرَو بنَ أُمَيَّةَ الضَّمْرِيَّ، قَدْ بَعَثَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فِي أَمْرِ جَعْفَرٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ. فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُ، قُلْتُ: لَعَلِّي أَقْتُلُهُ. وَأَدْخَلْتُ الهَدَايَا، فَقَالَ: مَرْحَباً وَأَهْلاً بِصَدِيْقِي. وَعَجِبَ بِالهَدِيَّةِ، فَقُلْتُ: أَيُّهَا المَلِكُ! إِنِّيْ رَأَيْتُ رَسُوْلَ مُحَمَّدٍ عِنْدَكَ، وَهُوَ رَجُلٌ قَدْ وَتَرَنَا، وَقَتَلَ أَشْرَافَنَا، فَأَعْطِنِيْهِ أَضْرِبْ عُنُقَهُ. فَغَضِبَ، وَضَرَبَ أَنْفَهُ ضَرْبَةً ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ كَسَرَهُ، فَلَو انْشَقَّتْ لِيَ الأَرْضُ دَخَلْتُ فِيْهَا، وَقُلْتُ: لَوْ ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّكَ تَكْرَهُ هَذَا لَمْ أَسْأَلْكَهُ. فَقَالَ: سَأَلْتَنِي أَنْ أُعْطِيَكَ رَسُوْلَ رَجُلٍ يَأْتِيْهِ النَّامُوْسُ (١) الَّذِي كَانَ يَأْتِي مُوْسَى الأَكْبَرَ تَقْتُلَهُ؟! فَقُلْتُ: وَإِنَّ ذَاكَ لَكَذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، وَاللهِ إِنِّيْ لَكَ نَاصِحٌ فَاتَّبِعْهُ، فَوَاللهِ

(١) الناموس: جبريل ﵇، وكذا؟ ؟ أهل الكتاب. وفي حديث ورقة لخديجة ﵂: إن كان ما تقولين حقا، فإنه ليأتيه الناموس الذي كان يأتي موسى ﵇.