Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/248)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Jarir ibn Hazim, transmitting from Nafiʿ, said:
“I have seen Medina, and there was no young man in it who strove more earnestly, was more learned in jurisprudence, more devout in worship, or more proficient in reciting the Book of Allah than ʿAbd al-Malik.” (1)

Abu al-Zinad remarked: “The jurists of Medina are Saʿid ibn al-Musayyab, ʿAbd al-Malik, ʿUrwah, and Qabisah ibn Dhuʾayb.” (2)

Ibn ʿUmar said: “People are born as sons, whereas Marwan was born a father.”

Yahya ibn Saʿid al-Ansari related: “The first person I saw maintaining prayer between Zuhr and ʿAsr was ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwan, together with some youths who would remain in prayer until the ʿAsr time.”

Ismaʿil ibn Abi Khalid, quoting al-Shaʿbi, said: “I never sat with anyone without feeling I had the upper hand over him—except ʿAbd al-Malik.”

It is also said that he sighed when Yazid dispatched his army to fight Ibn al-Zubayr; yet when power came to him he sent against him the profligate al-Hajjaj.

Ibn ʿAʾishah narrated: “Authority reached ʿAbd al-Malik while a copy of the Quran was open before him. He closed it and said, ‘This is the last time I shall turn to you.’” (3)

(The compiler comments:) O Allah, do not deal with us by way of stratagem.

Al-Asmaʿi reported that someone said to ʿAbd al-Malik, “Gray hair has come upon you quickly.” He replied, “And how could it not, when every Friday I expose my intellect to the scrutiny of the people?”

Malik said: “The first person to mint dinars was ʿAbd al-Malik, and he inscribed Qurʾanic text upon them.” (4)

(1) Ibn Asakir, vol. 10, p. 254 A; see also Ibn Saʿd, vol. 5, p. 234. (2) al-Maʿrifa wa-l-Tarikh, vol. 1, p. 563. (3) Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 10, p. 390. (4) The author notes in his History, vol. 3, p. 279: “Musab b. Abd Allah reports that Abd al-Malik had the words ‘Qul huwa Allahu ahad’ (Say: He is Allah, the One) engraved on the dinar, rimmed it with a silver band, and added inside it: ‘Struck in the city of …’. On the outside of the band he inscribed: ‘Muhammad rasul Allah arsalahu bil-huda wa din al-haqq’ (Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth).”

جَرِيْرُ بنُ حَازِمٍ: عَنْ نَافِعٍ، قَالَ: لَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ المَدِيْنَةَ وَمَا بِهَا شَابٌّ أَشَدُّ تَشْمِيْراً وَلاَ أَفْقَهُ وَلاَ أَنْسَكُ وَلاَ أَقْرَأُ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ مِنْ عَبْدِ المَلِكِ (١) . وَقَالَ أَبُو الزِّنَادِ: فُقَهَاءُ المَدِيْنَةِ: سَعِيْدُ بنُ المُسَيِّبِ، وَعَبْدُ المَلِكِ، وَعُرْوَةُ، وَقَبِيْصَةُ بنُ ذُؤَيْبٍ (٢) . وَعَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ: وُلِدَ النَّاسُ أَبْنَاءً، وَوُلِدَ مَرْوَانُ أَباً. وَعَنْ يَحْيَى بنِ سَعِيْدٍ الأَنْصَارِيِّ: أَوَّلُ مَنْ صَلَّى بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالعَصْرِ عَبْدُ المَلِكِ بنُ مَرْوَانَ، وَفِتْيَانٌ مَعَهُ كَانُوا يُصَلُّوْنَ إِلَى العَصْرِ. إِسْمَاعِيْلُ بنُ أَبِي خَالِدٍ: عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، قَالَ: مَا جَالَسْتُ أَحَداً إِلاَّ وَجَدْتُ لِي عَلَيْهِ الفَضْلَ إِلاَّ عَبْدُ المَلِكِ. وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّهُ تَأَوَّهَ مِنْ تَنْفِيْذِ يَزِيْدَ جَيْشَهُ إِلَى حَرْبِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، فَلَمَّا وَلِيَ الأَمْرَ، جَهَّزَ إِلَيْهِ الحَجَّاجَ الفَاسِقَ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَائِشَةَ: أَفْضَى الأَمْرُ إِلَى عَبْدِ المَلِكِ وَالمُصْحَفُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَأَطْبَقَهُ، وَقَالَ: هَذَا آخِرُ العَهْدِ بِكَ (٣) . قُلْتُ: اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَمْكُرْ بِنَا. قَالَ الأَصْمَعِيُّ: قِيْلَ لِعَبْدِ المَلِكِ: عَجِلَ بِكَ الشَّيْبُ. قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ لاَ وَأَنَا أَعْرِضُ عَقْلِي عَلَى النَّاسِ فِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ. قَالَ مَالِكٌ: أَوَّلُ مَنْ ضَرَبَ الدَّنَانِيْرَ عَبْدُ المَلِكِ، وَكَتَبَ عَلَيْهَا القُرْآنَ (٤) .

(١) ابن عساكر ١٠ / ٢٥٤ آ، وانظر ابن سعد ٥ / ٢٣٤. (٢) المعرفة والتاريخ ١ / ٥٦٣. (٣) تاريخ بغداد ١٠ / ٣٩٠. (٤) وقال المؤلف في تاريخه ٣ / ٢٧٩: " وقال مصعب بن عبد الله: كتب عبد الملك على الدينار (قل هو الله أحد) وطوقه بطوق فضة وكتب فيه ضرب بمدينة كذا " وكتب في خارج الطوق (محمد رسول الله أرسله بالهدى ودين الحق) .