Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/554)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

the people of the Qur’an and upright conduct; Allah knows best what is hidden within him. He then told me that a group from among the people of Ḥarūrā had approached him and said, “The zakah you hand over to the governors does not clear you of your duty, because they do not place it where it belongs. Pay it to us instead.” I added, “Abū ʿAbd Allah, I think your words will be more healing for him than mine.”

Wahb said, “Man of Khawlān, do you wish, after reaching old age, to become a Ḥarūri, declaring deviant someone who is better than you? What will you say to Allah tomorrow when He makes you stand face-to-face with the one you maligned? Allah bears witness to his faith while you bear witness to his unbelief; Allah attests to his guidance while you pronounce him misguided. Where will you stand when your view contradicts Allah’s command and your testimony contradicts the testimony of Allah? Tell me, man of Khawlān—what exactly do they say to you?”

At that he spoke up and said to Wahb, “They instruct me not to give charity except to whoever holds their view, and not to seek forgiveness except for him.”

Wahb replied, “You have spoken the truth; this is their lying ordeal. As for what they claim about charity: it has reached me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned that a woman from Yemen entered the Fire because she had confined a cat (1). So is a human being who worships Allah, affirms His oneness and associates nothing with Him, less beloved to Allah that He should feed him when he is hungry than a cat? Allah says: ‘And they give food, out of love for Him, to a poor person, an orphan and a captive’ (al-Insān 76:8) and the verses that follow.

“As for their statement that one may seek forgiveness only for him who shares their view—are they better than the angels? Allah says: ‘They seek forgiveness for those on earth’ (al-Shūrā 42:5). By Allah, the angels did not do so until they were commanded: ‘They do not venture to speak before Him, and they act on His command’ (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:27). And He says: ‘They seek forgiveness for those who believe’ (Ghāfir 40:7).

“O man of Khawlān, I witnessed the first generation of Islam, and by Allah, the Khawārij never…"

(1) Hadith of the cat: reported by al-Bukhari, 6/254, Book of the Beginning of Creation, chapter “If a fly falls into the drink of one of you”; and by Muslim, no. 2242, Book of Righteousness and Kinship, chapter “The prohibition of tormenting a cat or similar animals”, on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Umar. The Prophet ﷺ said: “A woman was cast into the Fire because of a cat she had tied up; she neither fed it nor let it eat the vermin of the earth.”

القُرْآنِ وَالصَّلاَحِ، وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِسَرِيْرَتِهِ، فَأَخْبَرَنِي: أَنَّهُ عَرَضَ لَهُ نَفَرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ حَرُوْرَاءَ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: زَكَاتُكَ الَّتِي تُؤَدِّيْهَا إِلَى الأُمَرَاءِ لاَ تُجْزِئُ عَنْكَ، لأَنَّهُم لاَ يَضَعُوْنَهَا فِي مَوَاضِعِهَا، فَأَدِّهَا إِلَيْنَا، وَرَأَيْتُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ أَنَّ كَلاَمَكَ أَشْفَى لَهُ مِنْ كَلاَمِي. فَقَالَ: يَا ذَا خَوْلاَنَ، أَتُرِيْدُ أَنْ تَكُوْنَ بَعْدَ الكِبَرِ حَرُوْرِيّاً، تَشْهَدُ عَلَى مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ بِالضَّلاَلَةِ؟! فَمَاذَا أَنْتَ قَائِلٌ للهِ غَداً حِيْنَ يَقِفُكَ اللهُ وَمَنْ شَهِدْتَ عَلَيْهِ؟ فَاللهُ يَشْهَدُ لَهُ بِالإِيْمَانِ، وَأَنْتَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِ بِالكُفْرِ، وَالله يَشْهَدُ لَهُ بِالهُدَى، وَأَنْتَ تَشْهَدُ عَلَيْهِ بِالضَّلاَلَةِ، فَأَيْنَ تَقَعُ إِذَا خَالَفَ رَأْيُكَ أَمْرَ اللهِ؟ وَشَهَادَتُكَ شَهَادَةَ اللهِ؟ أَخْبِرْنِي يَا ذَا خَوْلاَنَ، مَاذَا يَقُوْلُوْنَ لَكَ؟ فَتَكَلَّمَ عِنْد ذَلِكَ، وَقَالَ لِوَهْبٍ: إِنَّهُم يَأْمُرُوْنَنِي أَنْ لاَ أَتَصَدَّقَ إِلاَّ عَلَى مَنْ يَرَى رَأْيَهُم، وَلاَ أَسْتَغْفِرَ إِلاَّ لَهُ. فَقَالَ: صَدَقْتَ، هَذِهِ مِحْنَتُهُم الكَاذِبَةُ، فَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُم فِي الصَّدَقَةِ: فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ ذَكَرَ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ اليَمَنِ دَخَلَتْ النَّارَ فِي هِرَّةٍ رَبَطَتْهَا (١) ، أَفَإِنْسَانٌ مِمَّنْ يَعْبُدُ اللهَ يُوَحِّدُهُ وَلاَ يُشْرِكُ بِهِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ أَنْ يُطْعِمَهُ مِنْ جُوْعٍ أَوْ هِرَّةٌ؟! وَاللهُ يَقُوْلُ: ﴿وَيُطْعِمُوْنَ الطَّعَامَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِسْكِيْناً وَيَتِيْماً وَأَسِيْراً﴾ [الإِنْسَانُ: ٨] الآيَاتُ. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُم: لاَ يُسْتَغْفَرُ إِلاَّ لِمَنْ يَرَى رَأْيَهُم، أَهُمْ خَيْرٌ أَمِ المَلاَئِكَةُ، وَاللهُ يَقُوْلُ: ﴿وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ لِمَنْ فِي الأَرْضِ﴾ [الشُّوْرَى: ٥] ، فَوَاللهِ مَا فَعَلَتِ المَلاَئِكَةُ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى أُمِرُوا بِهِ: ﴿لاَ يَسْبِقُوْنَهُ بِالقَوْلِ وَهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُوْنَ﴾ [الأَنْبِيَاءُ: ٢٧] ، وَجَاءَ مُيَسَّراً: ﴿وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَ لِلَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا﴾ [غَافِرُ: ٧] . يَا ذَا خَوْلاَنَ، إِنِّي قَدْ أَدْرَكْتُ صَدْرَ الإِسْلاَمِ، فَوَاللهِ مَا كَانَتِ الخَوَارِجُ

(١) حديث الهرة أخرجه البخاري ٦ / ٢٥٤ في بدء الخلق باب إذا وقع الذباب في شراب أحدكم، ومسلم (٢٢٤٢) في البر والصلة باب تحريم تعذيب الهرة ونحوها عن عبد الله بن عمر عن النبي ﷺ أنه قال: " دخلت امرأة النار في هرة ربطتها فلم تطعمها ولم تدعها تأكل من خشاش الأرض ".