Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/377)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

I (the author) say: his bravery was proverbial.

Al-Mundhir ibn Jahm (1) narrated: “I saw Ibn al-Zubayr on the day he was killed, after those who had been with him had abandoned him completely. They began slipping away to al-Ḥajjāj, while al-Ḥajjāj kept calling out, ‘People! Why do you destroy yourselves? Whoever comes out to us is safe; you have Allah’s covenant and pledge—by the Lord of this House, I will not betray you, and we have no desire for your blood.’

“So about ten thousand made their way over to him, and I saw Ibn al-Zubayr with no one left at his side (2).”

Ishāq ibn Abī Ishāq related: “I was present at the killing of Ibn al-Zubayr. The armies were entering upon him through the gates of the Mosque, and whenever a contingent came in through one gate he would charge them single-handedly until he drove them out. While he was still in that state, a balcony of the Mosque fell onto his head and felled him, and he was reciting:

‘Asma, O Asma, weep not for me;
Nothing remains but my lineage and my creed,
And a keen blade gripped in my right hand.’ (3)

I (the author) say: I am convinced that those troops—had they wished—could have finished him off (4) with their arrows, but they were determined to seize him alive, and that proved beyond them. If only he had ceased fighting once he saw he was overpowered; indeed, if only he had not sought refuge in the Sacred House, nor compelled those tyrants and al-Ḥajjāj—no

No judgement has been recorded about him, whether critical or approving. (1) Misprinted in the published edition as “Jahim.” He is an unknown narrator listed in al-Tarikh al-Kabir 7/358 and in al-Jarh wa al-Taʿdil 8/243–244. (2) The author cites it in his Tarikh 3/173 through al-Waqidi, who said: “Ishaq ibn Abd Allah related to us from al-Mundhir ibn Juhm.” (3) Ibn Kathir records it in al-Bidaya 8/343, attributing it to al-Tabarani; Abu Nuaym transmits it from him in Hilyat al-Awliya 1/333. (4) In the printed edition it was corrupted to read “illa talqawhu.”

قُلْتُ: قَدْ كَانَ يُضْرَبُ بِشَجَاعَتِهِ المَثَلُ. وَعَنِ المُنْذِرِ بنِ جَهْمٍ (١) ، قَالَ: رَأَيتُ ابْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ يَوْمَ قُتِلَ وَقَدْ خَذَلَهُ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ خِذْلاَناً شَدِيداً، وَجَعَلُوا يَتَسَلَّلُوْنَ إِلَى الحَجَّاجِ، وَجَعَلَ الحَجَّاجُ يَصِيحُ: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ! عَلاَمَ تَقْتُلُوْنَ أَنْفُسَكُم؟ مَنْ خَرَجَ إِلَيْنَا فَهُوَ آمِنٌ، لَكُم عَهْدُ اللهِ وَمِيْثَاقُهُ - وَرَبِّ هَذِهِ البَنِيَّةِ - لاَ أَغْدِرُ بِكُم، وَلاَ لَنَا حَاجَةٌ فِي دِمَائِكُم. قَالَ: فَتَسَلَّلَ إِلَيْهِ نَحْوٌ مِنْ عَشْرَةِ آلاَفٍ، فَلَقَدْ رَأَيتُ ابْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ وَمَا مَعَهُ أَحَدٌ (٢) . وَعَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بنِ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، قَالَ: حَضَرْتُ قَتْلَ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ؛ جَعَلَتِ الجُيُوْشُ تَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ المَسْجَدِ، فَكُلَّمَا دَخَلَ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَابٍ، حَمَلَ عَلَيْهِم وَحْدَهُ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَهُم، فَبَيْنَا هُوَ عَلَى تِلْكَ الحَالِ، إِذْ وَقَعَتْ شُرْفَةٌ مِنْ شُرُفَاتِ المَسْجَدِ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ، فَصَرَعَتْهُ، وَهُوَ يَتَمَثَّلُ: أَسْمَاءُ يَا أَسْمَاءُ لاَ تَبْكِينِي ... لَمْ يَبْقَ إِلاَّ حَسَبِي وَدِيْنِي وَصَارِمٌ لاَثَتْ بِهِ يَمِينِي (٣) ... قُلْتُ: مَا إِخَالُ أُوْلَئِكَ العَسْكَرَ إِلاَّ لَوْ شَاؤُوا لأَتْلَفُوهُ (٤) بِسِهَامِهِم، وَلَكِنْ حَرَصُوا عَلَى أَنْ يُمْسِكُوهُ عَنْوَةً، فَمَا تَهَيَّأَ لَهُم، فَلَيْتَهُ كَفَّ عَنِ القِتَالِ لَمَّا رَأَى الغَلَبَةَ، بَلْ لَيْتَهُ لاَ الْتَجَأَ إِلَى البَيْتِ، وَلاَ أَحْوَجَ أُوْلَئِكَ الظَّلَمَةَ وَالحَجَّاجَ - لاَ

= يذكر فيه جرحا ولا تعديلا. (١) تحرف في المطبوع إلى " جهيم " وهو مجهول مترجم في " التاريخ الكبير " ٧ / ٣٥٨، و" الجرح والتعديل " ٨ / ٢٤٣، ٢٤٤. (٢) أورده المؤلف في " تاريخه " ٣ / ١٧٣ من طريق الواقدي، حدثنا إسحاق بن عبد الله، عن المنذر بن جهم. (٣) ذكره ابن كثير في " البداية " ٨ / ٣٤٣ ونسبه للطبراني، وعنه أبو نعيم في " الحلية " ١ / ٣٣٣ (٤) تحرفت في المطبوع إلى " إلا تلقوه ".