Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/297)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He used to say, “Husayn will be slain in the land of Babylon.”

When Husayn read her letter he said, “Then my death is inevitable.” ⦗1⦘

ʿAbd Allah ibn Jaʿfar also wrote to him, warning him and imploring him by Allah, but Husayn replied:

“I have seen a vision in which I beheld the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him; he commanded me to do something, and I am going ahead to carry it out.” ⦗2⦘

Thus Husayn refused every piece of advice that did not involve setting out for Iraq. ⦗3⦘

Ibn ʿAbbās said to him, “I truly think you will be killed tomorrow amid your wives and daughters just as ʿUthmān was killed, and I fear you will be the one through whom ʿUthmān is taken to task. Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we return.” ⦗4⦘

Husayn replied, “Abu al-ʿAbbās, you are an old man; you have grown elderly.”

Ibn ʿAbbās said, “Were it not that people would disparage both you and me, I would seize your head with my own hand; and if I were sure that holding you back would make you stay, I would certainly do it.” Then he wept and added, “You have gladdened Ibn al-Zubayr’s eye.”

Later he said to Ibn al-Zubayr, “What you wished for has come to pass: Abū ʿAbd Allah is heading to Iraq and leaving you in sole charge of the Hijaz:

O lark in Maʿmar,
now the open land is yours—
so flash your white and yellow plumage
and peck wherever you care to peck.” ⦗5⦘

(1) Tahdhib Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 4, pp. 332–333. (2) Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 388. (3) Tahdhib Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 4, p. 333. (4) Tahdhib Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 4, p. 334. (5) Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 384; Ibn al-Athir, vol. 4, p. 39; Tarikh al-Islam, vol. 2, p. 343; Al-Bidaya, vol. 8, p. 160; Tahdhib Ibn ʿAsakir, vol. 4, p. 334. His word “qanbara” is also transmitted as “qabra,” pronounced with a ḍamma on the qaf and a doubled ba; it is the singular of qabr (grave). Al-Batalyusi, in Sharh Adab al-Katib, adds that the form qanbara—with the nun retained—is likewise classical; it designates a species of bird resembling the sandgrouse. The rajaz verse is attributed to Tarafa; see the appendix to his Diwan, p. 193. It is said that Tarafa was travelling with his uncle when he was seven years old; they halted at a water-hole, and he set up his snare to catch larks.

يَقُوْلُ: (يُقْتَلُ حُسَيْنٌ بِأَرْضِ بَابِلَ) . فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ كِتَابَهَا، قَالَ: فَلاَ بُدَّ إِذاً مِنْ مَصْرعِي (١) . وَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ جَعْفَرٍ يُحَذِّرُهُ وَيُنَاشِدُهُ اللهَ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ: إِنِّيْ رَأَيْتُ رُؤْيَا، رَأَيْتُ فِيْهَا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ وَأَمَرَنِي بِأَمْرٍ أَنَا مَاضٍ لَهُ (٢) . وَأَبَى الحُسَيْنُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ أَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ المَسِيْرَ إِلَى العِرَاقِ (٣) . وَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنِّيْ لأَظنُّكَ سَتُقتَلُ غَداً بَيْنَ نِسَائِكَ وَبَنَاتِكَ كَمَا قُتِلَ عُثْمَانُ، وَإِنِّي لأَخَافُ أَنْ تَكُوْنَ الَّذِي يُقَادُ بِهِ عُثْمَانُ، فَإِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ (٤) . قَالَ: أَبَا العَبَّاسِ! إِنَّكَ شَيْخٌ قَدْ كَبِرْتَ. فَقَالَ: لَوْلاَ أَنْ يُزْرَى بِي وَبِكَ، لَنَشَبْتُ يَدِي فِي رَأْسِكِ، وَلَوْ أَعلَمُ أَنَّكَ تُقِيمُ، إِذاً لَفَعَلْتُ. ثُمَّ بَكَى، وَقَالَ: أَقْرَرْتَ عيْنَ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ. ثُمَّ قَالَ بَعْدُ لابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ: قَدْ أَتَى مَا أَحْبَبْتَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ، يَخْرُجُ إِلَى العِرَاقِ، وَيَتْرُكُكَ وَالحِجَازَ: يَا لَكِ مِنْ قُنْبَرَةٍ بِمَعْمَرِ ... خَلاَ لَكِ البَرُّ فَبِيْضِي وَاصْفِرِي وَنَقِّرِيْ مَا شِئْتِ أَنْ تُنَقِّرِي ... (٥)

(١) " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٤ / ٣٣٢، ٣٣٣. (٢) " تاريخ الطبري " ٥ / ٣٨٨. (٣) " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٤ / ٣٣٣. (٤) " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٤ / ٣٣٤. (٥) " تاريخ الطبري " ٥ / ٣٨٤، و" ابن الأثير " ٤ / ٣٩، و" تاريخ الإسلام " ٢ / ٣٤٣، و" البداية " ٨ / ١٦٠، و" تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٤ / ٣٣٤. وقوله: " قنبرة " ويروى " قبرة " وهي بضم القاف وتشديد الباء، واحدة القبر، قال البطليوسي في " شرح أدب الكاتب ": وقنبرة أيضا بإثبات النون وهي لغة فصيحة: وهو ضرب من الطير يشبه الحمر. وينسب الرجز لطرفة انظر ملحق ديوانه: ١٩٣. يقال: إن طرفة كان مع عمه في سفر وهو ابن سبع سنين، فنزلوا على ماء، فذهب طرفة بفخ له، فنصبه للقنابر، =