Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/159)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

the wearing of gold and silk, and the use of the hides of predatory beasts or sitting upon them?’
He replied, ‘Yes.’
Al-Miqdām said, ‘By Allah, I have seen every one of those things in your own house!’
Muʿāwiyah retorted, ‘I knew I could not escape you.’ (1)
Its chain of transmission is sound.
Muʿāwiyah was one of the best of kings—his justice outweighed his injustice, though he was by no means free of faults. May Allah pardon him.

Al-Madāʾinī reports, from Abū ʿUbayd Allah, from ʿUbādah ibn Nusayy, who said:
Muʿāwiyah once addressed the people saying, ‘I am like a crop that has reached full ripeness and been harvested. My rule over you has lasted so long that I have grown weary of you and you have grown weary of me. No one better than I shall govern you after me, just as those before me were better than I. O Allah, I have come to love meeting You, so love Your meeting with me.’ (2)

Al-Wāqidī said: Ibn Abī Sabrah related to us, from Marwān ibn Abī Saʿīd ibn al-Muʿallā, who said:
Muʿāwiyah counseled Yazīd, ‘Fear Allah. I have smoothed the way for you and borne the burden of rule. If what I did was good, I shall be the happiest because of it; if it was otherwise, I shall suffer for it. Be gentle with the people, and beware of confronting those of noble rank or behaving arrogantly toward them.’

It is also said that Muʿāwiyah told Yazīd, ‘What I fear for most is something I did on your account. One day I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ trim his nails and cut some of his hair; I gathered what fell. When I die, pack my mouth and nostrils with it.’

ʿAbd al-Aʿlā ibn Maymūn ibn Mihrān narrates, from his father:
Muʿāwiyah instructed in his will, saying:

(1) All its transmitters are reliable, except that Baqiya practiced tadlis. The report appears at greater length in Sunan Abi Dawud, no. 4131 (Book of Dress). Imam Ahmad also records it (Musnad, 4/132) up to the words “from Ali,” and in that version Baqiya explicitly says “he narrated to us.” (2) Ansab al-Ashraf, 4/44; al-Qali’s al-Amali, 2/311; al-Dhahabi’s Tarikh al-Islam, 2/323. Ibn Kathir cites it as well (8/141) in a fuller form, attributing it to Ibn Abi Dunya.

لُبْسِ الذَّهَبِ وَالحَرِيْرِ، وَعَنْ جُلُوْدِ السِّبَاعِ وَالرُّكُوْبِ عَلَيْهَا؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: فَوَاللهِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ هَذَا كُلَّهُ فِي بَيْتِكَ. فَقَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ: عَرَفْتُ أَنِّي لاَ أَنْجُو مِنْكَ (١) . إِسْنَادُهُ قَوِيٌّ. وَمُعَاوِيَةُ: مِنْ خِيَارِ المُلُوْكِ الَّذِيْنَ غَلَبَ عَدْلُهُم عَلَى ظُلْمِهِم، وَمَا هُوَ بِبَرِيْءٍ مِنَ الهَنَاتِ - وَاللهُ يَعْفُو عَنْهُ -. المَدَائِنِيُّ: عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بنِ نُسَيٍّ، قَالَ: خَطَبَ مُعَاوِيَةُ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّيْ مِنْ زَرْعٍ قَدِ اسْتَحْصَدَ، وَقَدْ طَالَتْ إِمْرَتِي عَلَيْكُم حَتَّى مَلِلْتُكُم وَمَلِلْتُمُوْنِي، وَلاَ يَأْتِيْكُم بَعْدِي خَيْرٌ مِنِّي، كَمَا أَنَّ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلِي خَيْرٌ مِنِّي، اللَّهُمَّ قَدْ أَحْبَبْتُ لِقَاءكَ فَأَحِبَّ لِقَائِي (٢) . الوَاقِدِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي سَبْرَةَ، عَنْ مَرْوَانَ بنِ أَبِي سَعِيْدٍ بنِ المُعَلَّى، قَالَ: قَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ لِيَزِيْدَ وَهُوَ يُوْصِيْهِ: اتَّقِ اللهَ، فَقَدْ وَطَّأْتُ لَكَ الأَمْرَ، وَوَلِيْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا وَلِيْتُ، فَإِنْ يَكُ خَيْراً فَأَنَا أَسْعَدُ بِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ شَقِيْتُ بِهِ، فَارْفُقْ بِالنَّاسِ، وَإِيَّاكَ وَجَبْهَ أَهْلِ الشَّرَفِ، وَالتَّكَبُّرَ عَلَيْهِم. وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ لِيَزِيْدَ: إِنَّ أَخْوَفَ مَا أَخَافُهُ شَيْءٌ عَمِلْتُهُ فِي أَمْرِكَ، شَهِدْتُ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ يَوْماً قَلَّمَ أَظْفَارَهُ، وَأَخَذَ مِنْ شَعْرِهِ، فَجَمَعْتُ ذَلِكَ، فَإِذَا مِتُّ، فَاحْشُ بِهِ فَمِي وَأَنْفِي. عَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بنُ مَيْمُوْنِ بنِ مِهْرَانَ: عَنْ أَبِيْهِ: أَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ أَوْصَى، فَقَالَ:

(١) رجاله ثقات إلا أن فيه تدليس بقية، وهو في سنن أبي داود (٤١٣١) في اللباس مطولا، وأخرج الامام أحمد ٤ / ١٣٢ اوله إلى قوله " من علي " وقد صرح فيه بقية بالتحديث. (٢) " أنسب الاشراف " ٤ / ٤٤، و" الامالي " للقالي ٢ / ٣١١، و" تاريخ الإسلام " ٢ / ٣٢٣، وأورده ابن كثير ٨ / ١٤١ بأطول مما هنا، ونسبه لابن أبى الدنيا.