Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/555)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

formed a single community at any time without Allah scattering them in the very worst of circumstances; nor did any one of them ever proclaim his doctrine openly without Allah bringing his neck to the sword. Had Allah allowed their opinion to prevail, the earth would have fallen into ruin, the roads and the pilgrimage would have been cut off, and the cause of Islam would have reverted to pagan ignorance. Then there would have risen (1) a host—each man of them calling people to recognise his own claim to the caliphate, each with more than ten thousand followers—so they would fight one another, each testifying to the other’s unbelief, until a believer would awake in fear for his own life, his faith, his blood, his family and his wealth, unsure whose side he should take.

Allah, exalted is He, says: “Were it not that Allah repels some people by means of others, the earth would surely be corrupted” (Q 2:251), and He says: “We shall certainly help Our messengers and those who believe” (Q 40:51); had they truly been believers, they would have been granted victory. He also says: “Indeed, Our forces will be the victors” (Q 37:173).

“O man of Khawlān, will you not show to the People of the Qiblah the forbearance that Noah showed to idol-worshippers, when his people said to him, ‘Shall we believe you when the lowest among us follow you?’ (Q 26:111)…,” until he said:

The man of Khawlān asked, “What, then, do you command me?”

He replied, “Look to your zakah: hand it over to the one to whom Allah has entrusted the affairs of this community and around whom He has united them. Sovereignty belongs solely to Allah and lies in His hand; He grants it to whom He wills. Once you have given it to the ruler, you are absolved of responsibility. If anything remains, then maintain with it the ties of kinship, aid your dependants, your neighbours and the guest.”

He said, “I bear witness that I have renounced the doctrine of the Ḥarūriyya (2).”

In al-ʿAql by Ibn al-Muhabbar (3) there is a section—about sixty lines—enumerating one hundred praiseworthy qualities of the intelligent person.

Wahb also said, “To endure humiliation is better than a triumph that only swells its owner with self-importance” (4).

Wahb himself was tried, imprisoned and beaten. Ḥibbān ibn Zuhayr al-ʿAdawī related:

(1) In the original text it reads: “and if he establishes a congregation.” (2) Ibn Asakir cites the report at length, vol. 17, p. 478 a. (3) The narrator is Dawud ibn al-Muhabbar; for the critical remarks on him and on his book, see the author’s al-Mizan, 2/20. (4) al-qamaʾa means fertility and tranquillity.

جَمَاعَةً قَطُّ، إِلاَّ فَرَّقَهَا اللهُ عَلَى شَرِّ حَالاَتِهِم، وَمَا أَظْهَرَ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُم قَوْلَهُ، إِلاَّ ضَرَبَ اللهُ عُنُقَهُ، وَلَوْ مَكَّنَ اللهُ لَهُم مِنْ رَأْيِهِم، لَفَسَدَتِ الأَرْضُ، وَقُطِعَتِ السُّبُلُ وَالحَجُّ، وَلَعَادَ أَمْرُ الإِسْلاَمِ جَاهِلِيَّةً، وَإِذاً لَقَامَ (١) جَمَاعَةٌ كُلٌّ مِنْهُم يَدْعُو إِلَى نَفْسِهِ الخِلاَفَةَ، مَعَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُم أَكْثَرُ مِنْ عَشْرَةِ آلاَفٍ، يُقَاتِلُ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضاً، وَيَشْهَدُ بَعْضُهُم عَلَى بَعْضٍ بِالكُفْرِ، حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ المُؤْمِنُ خَائِفاً عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَدِيْنِهِ وَدَمِهِ وَأَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ، لاَ يَدْرِي مَعَ مَنْ يَكُوْنُ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: (وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ اللهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَفَسَدَتِ الأَرْضُ﴾ [البَقَرَةُ: ٢٥١] ، وَقَالَ: ﴿إِنَّا لَنَنْصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا﴾ [غَافِرُ: ٥١] ، فَلَوْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِيْنَ لَنُصِرُوا، وَقَالَ: ﴿وَإِنَّ جُنْدَنَا لَهُمُ الغَالِبُوْنَ﴾ [الصَّافَّاتُ: ١٧٣] . أَلاَ يَسَعُكَ يَا ذَا خَوْلاَنَ مِنْ أَهْلِ القِبْلَةِ مَا وَسِعَ نُوْحاً مِنْ عَبَدَةِ الأَصْنَامِ، إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ: ﴿أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الأَرْذَلُوْنَ﴾ [الشُّعَرَاءُ: ١١١] . ... ، إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: فَقَالَ ذُوْ خَوْلاَنَ: فَمَا تَأْمُرُنِي؟ قَالَ: أُنْظُرْ زَكَاتَكَ، فَأَدِّهَا إِلَى مَنْ وَلاَّهُ اللهُ أَمْرَ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ، وَجَمَعَهُم عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ المُلْكَ مِنَ اللهِ وَحْدِهِ وَبِيَدِهِ، يُؤْتِيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ، فَإِذَا أَدَّيْتَهَا إِلَى وَالِي الأَمْرِ، بَرِئْتَ مِنْهَا، وَإِنْ كَانَ فَضْلٌ، فَصِلْ بِهِ أَرْحَامَكَ وَمَوَالِيْكَ وَجِيْرَانَكَ وَالضَّيْفَ. فَقَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنِّي نَزَلْتُ عَنْ رَأْيِ الحَرُوْرِيَّةِ (٢) . وَفِي (العَقْلِ) لابْنِ المُحَبَّرِ (٣) : ذِكْرُ صِفَاتٍ حَمِيْدَةٍ لِلْعَاقِلِ، نَحْوٌ مِنْ سِتِّيْنَ سَطْراً، فِيْهَا مائَةُ خَصْلَةٍ. وَعَنْ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ: احْتمَالُ الذُّلِّ خَيْرٌ مِنِ انْتِصَارٍ يَزِيْدُ صَاحِبَهُ قَمْأَةً (٤) . وَقَدِ امْتُحِنَ وَهْبٌ، وَحُبِسَ، وَضُرِبَ: فَرَوَى حِبَّانُ بنُ زُهَيْرٍ العَدَوِيُّ، قَالَ:

(١) في الأصل: وإذا أقام جماعة. (٢) أورده ابن عساكر مطولا ١٧ / ٤٧٨ آ. (٣) هو داود بن المحبر. انظر ما قيل فيه وفي كتابه، الميزان للمؤلف ٢ / ٢٠. (٤) القمأة: الخصب والدعة.