Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/306)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Al-Aṣmaʿī said: When al-Shaʿbī was ushered in to al-Ḥajjāj, the latter exclaimed, “Come now, Shaʿbī!”

He replied, “Our dwelling has filled us with sorrow, and fear has clung to us like a second skin (1); in what we did we were neither devoutly righteous nor powerfully wicked.”

Al-Ḥajjāj remarked, “By Allah, what a remarkable man you are! (2)”

Ibn Saʿd (3) said: Our teachers have related that al-Shaʿbī was among those who joined the uprising of the Qur’an-reciters against al-Ḥajjāj. Afterwards he went into hiding for a time and used to write to Yazīd ibn Abī Muslim, asking him to intercede with al-Ḥajjāj on his behalf.

I say: The Qur’an-reciters—the people of the Qur’an and piety in Iraq—rose up against al-Ḥajjāj because of his tyranny, his delaying of the prayer, and his combining of the prayers while resident. This was a feeble stance adopted by the Umayyads, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) foretold: “There will be rulers over you who will cause the prayer to die out.” (4)

Consequently ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ashʿath ibn Qays al-Kindī—noble, obeyed, and whose grandmother was the sister of al-Ṣiddīq—rebelled against al-Ḥajjāj, and around him (5) gathered one hundred thousand men, or even more. The world closed in upon al-Ḥajjāj, and his authority was on the verge of collapse. They routed him repeatedly, and he stared death in the face, yet he remained steadfast and daring until victory was his; the forces of Ibn al-Ashʿath were scattered and multitudes were killed.

(1) The phrase ahzana bina al-manzil means that the dwelling became rough or harsh, as though the place itself imposed hardship on them when they settled there. Likewise, istahlasa fulan al-khawf describes someone gripped by fear without respite or sense of safety. (2) Ibn Asakir, biographical entry “Asim b. Ayyadh,” p. 211; see also Abu Nuaym, Hilyat al-awliyaʾ, 4/325, and Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab, s.v. “h-l-s.” (3) Tabaqat, 6/249. The report continues beyond this point. (4) Muslim, Sahih, no. 648; Abu Dawud, 431; al-Tirmidhi, 176; and Ibn Majah, 1256, narrate from Abu Dharr that the Messenger of Allah said: “How will you fare when rulers are placed over you who delay the salah (prayer) from its proper time, even causing it to die out?” I asked, “What do you command me to do?” He replied, “Perform the prayer at its prescribed time; then, if you join them afterwards, pray with them, for that will count for you as a voluntary prayer (nafila).” Abu Dawud, 434, transmits from Qabisa ibn Waqas: the Messenger of Allah said, “After me there will be governors who postpone the prayer; the obligation remains upon them, while the reward is yours. Therefore pray with them so long as they face the qibla (direction of prayer).” (5) The verb iltafa al-qawm means “the people gathered around him.” Hence the correct wording is: “About one hundred thousand converged upon him.”

وَقَالَ الأَصْمَعِيُّ: لَمَّا أُدْخِلَ الشَّعْبِيُّ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ، قَالَ: هِيْه يَا شَعْبِيُّ! فَقَالَ: أَحْزَنَ بِنَا المَنْزِلُ، وَاسْتَحْلَسْنَا الخَوْفَ (١) ، فَلَمْ نَكُنْ فِيْمَا فَعَلْنَا بَرَرَةً أَتْقِيَاءَ، وَلاَ فَجَرَةً أَقْوِيَاءَ. فَقَالَ: للهِ دَرُّكَ (٢) . قَالَ ابْنُ سَعْدٍ (٣) : قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا: كَانَ الشَّعْبِيُّ فِيْمَنْ خَرَجَ مَعَ القُرَّاءِ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ، ثُمَّ اخْتَفَى زَمَاناً، وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ إِلَى يَزِيْدَ بنِ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَ فِيْهِ الحَجَّاجَ. قُلْتُ: خَرَجَ القُرَّاءُ وَهُمْ أَهْلُ القُرْآنِ وَالصَّلاَحِ بِالعِرَاقِ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ؛ لِظُلْمِهِ وَتَأْخِيْرِهِ الصَّلاَةَ وَالجَمْعِ فِي الحَضَرِ، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مَذْهَباً وَاهِياً لِبَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، كَمَا أَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: (يَكُوْنُ عَلَيْكُم أُمَرَاءُ يُمِيْتُوْنَ الصَّلاَةَ) (٤) . فَخَرَجَ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بنُ الأَشْعَثِ بنِ قَيْسٍ الكِنْدِيُّ، وَكَانَ شَرِيْفاً، مُطَاعاً، وَجَدَّتُهُ أُخْتُ الصِّدِّيْقِ، فَالْتَفَّ (٥) عَلَى مائَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيْدُوْنَ، وَضَاقَتْ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ الدُّنْيَا، وَكَادَ أَنْ يَزُوْلَ مُلْكُهُ، وَهَزَمُوْهُ مَرَّاتٍ، وَعَايَنَ التَّلَفَ، وَهُوَ ثَابِتٌ مِقْدَامٌ، إِلَى أَنِ انْتَصَرَ، وَتَمَزَّقَ جَمْعُ ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ، وَقُتِلَ خَلْقٌ

(١) أحزن بنا المنزل: صار ذا حزونة (خشونة) كأن المنزل أركبهم الحزونة حيث نزلوا فيه. واستحلس فلان الخوف: إذا لم يفارقه الخوف ولم يأمن. (٢) ابن عساكر (عاصم عايذ) ٢١١، وانظر الحلية ٤ / ٣٢٥ واللسان (حلس) . (٣) في الطبقات ٦ / ٢٤٩. له تتمة. (٤) أخرج مسلم في صحيحه (٦٤٨) وأبو داود (٤٣١) والترمذي (١٧٦) وابن ماجه (١٢٥٦) عن أبي ذر قال: قال لي رسول الله ﷺ: " كيف أنت إذا كانت عليك أمراء يؤخرون الصلاة عن وقتها أو يميتون الصلاة عن وقتها "؟ قال: قلت: فما تأمرني؟ قال: " صل الصلاة لوقتها، فإن أدركتها معهم فصل فإنها لك نافلة ". وأخرج أبو داود (٤٣٤) من حديث قبيصة بن وقاص، قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: " يكون عليكم أمراء من بعدي يؤخرون الصلاة، فهي لكم وهي عليهم، فصلوا معهم ما صلوا القبلة ". (٥) التف عليه القوم: اجتمعوا. فعلى هذا تكون العبارة: " فالتف عليه مئة ألف ".