Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/579)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Salam ibn Miskin, reporting from al-Hasan, said:
“Disparage this worldly life; by Allah, it is never more gratifying than when you treat it with disdain.” ⦗1⦘

Jaʿfar ibn Sulayman said: “Al-Hasan was among the bravest of people, and whenever al-Muhallab went out to fight the idolaters, he would place him in the front ranks.” ⦗2⦘

Abu Saʿid ibn al-Aʿrabi ⦗3⦘ states in Tabaqat al-Nussak:
“Most of the ascetics we have mentioned used to come to al-Hasan, listen to his words, and defer to his grasp of jurisprudence in these particular matters. ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd and ʿAbd al-Wahid ibn Zayd were constant in his company. He had a private gathering in his home where he spoke almost exclusively about renunciation, devotional practice, and the inward sciences. Should anyone ask him about something else, he would become annoyed and say, ‘We have secluded ourselves with our brothers to remind one another.’

As for his circle in the mosque, there the hadith, jurisprudence, Quranic studies, Arabic language, and the other disciplines were discussed. He might also be asked about Sufism, and he would answer. Some kept his company for hadith, others for the Quran and its expression, others for rhetoric, and others for sincerity and the knowledge reserved for the elect—such as ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd ⦗4⦘, Abu Jahir, ʿAbd al-Wahid ibn Zayd, Salih al-Murri, Shumayt, and Abu ʿUbayda al-Naji. Each of these men became renowned for a distinct devotional state.”

Hammad ibn Zayd, reporting from Ayyub, said: “Two groups have fabricated lies about al-Hasan…"

(1) Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt, vol. 7, p. 168; the wording there is: “If you treat her contemptuously.” See also Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, Kitāb al-Zuhd, p. 282. (2) Al-Fasawī reproduces the report at greater length in al-Maʿrifa wa-l-Ta⁠ʾrīkh, vol. 2, p. 49. (3) Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Ziyād, Abū Saʿīd b. al-Aʿrabī al-Baṣrī al-Ṣūfī (d. 340 AH/951 CE). The present author cites his book in several places; for his biography see vol. 10, p. 100 of the base manuscript. (4) For the biography of this individual, see vol. 5, p. 186 of the base manuscript.

سَلاَّمُ بنُ مِسْكِيْنٍ: عَنِ الحَسَنِ، قَالَ: أَهِيْنُوا الدُّنْيَا، فَوَاللهِ لأَهْنَأُ مَا تَكُوْنُ إِذَا أَهَنْتَهَا (١) . وَقَالَ جَعْفَرُ بنُ سُلَيْمَانَ: كَانَ الحَسَنُ مِنْ أَشَدِّ النَّاسِ، وَكَانَ المُهَلَّبُ إِذَا قَاتَلَ المُشْرِكِيْنَ، يُقَدِّمُهُ (٢) . وَقَالَ أَبُو سَعِيْدٍ بنُ الأَعْرَابِيِّ (٣) فِي (طَبَقَاتِ النُّسَّاكِ) : كَانَ عَامَّةُ مَنْ ذَكَرْنَا مِنَ النُّسَّاكِ يَأْتُوْنَ الحَسَنَ، وَيَسْمَعُوْنَ كَلاَمَهُ، وَيُذْعِنُوْنَ لَهُ بِالفِقْهِ فِي هَذِهِ المَعَانِي خَاصَّةً، وَكَانَ عَمْرُو بنُ عُبَيْدٍ، وَعَبْدُ الوَاحِدِ بنُ زَيْدٍ مِنَ المُلاَزِمِيْنَ لَهُ، وَكَانَ لَهُ مَجْلِسٌ خَاصٌّ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ، لاَ يَكَادُ يَتَكَلَّمُ فِيْهِ إِلاَّ فِي مَعَانِي الزُّهْدِ وَالنُّسُكِ وَعُلُوْمِ البَاطِنِ، فَإِنْ سَأَلَهُ إِنْسَانٌ غَيْرَهَا، تَبَرَّمَ بِهِ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا خَلَوْنَا مَعَ إِخْوَانِنَا نَتَذَاكَرُ. فَأَمَّا حَلْقَتُهُ فِي المَسْجِدِ، فَكَانَ يَمُرُّ فِيْهَا الحَدِيْثُ، وَالفِقْهُ، وَعِلْمُ القُرْآنِ وَاللُّغَةِ، وَسَائِرُ العُلُوْمِ، وَكَانَ رُبَّمَا يُسْأَلُ عَنِ التَّصَوُّفِ، فَيُجِيْبُ، وَكَانَ مِنْهُم مَنْ يَصْحَبُهُ لِلْحَدِيْثِ، وَكَانَ مِنْهُم مَنْ يَصْحَبُهُ لِلْقُرَآنِ وَالبَيَانِ، وَمِنْهُم مَنْ يَصْحَبُهُ لِلْبَلاَغَةِ، وَمِنْهُم مَنْ يَصْحَبُهُ لِلإِخْلاَصِ وَعِلْمِ الخُصُوْصِ، كَعَمْرِو بنِ عُبَيْدٍ (٤) ، وَأَبِي جَهِيْرٍ، وَعَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ بنِ زَيْدٍ، وَصَالِحٍ المُرِّيِّ، وَشُمَيْطٍ، وَأَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ النَّاجِيِّ، وَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ هَؤُلاَءِ اشْتُهِرَ بِحَالٍ -يَعْنِي: فِي العِبَادَةِ-. حَمَّادُ بنُ زَيْدٍ: عَنْ أَيُّوْبَ، قَالَ: كَذَبَ عَلَى الحَسَنِ ضَرْبَانِ مِنْ

(١) ابن سعد ٧ / ١٦٨ ولفظه: " إذا أهنتموها "، والزهد لأحمد ٢٨٢. (٢) أورده الفسوي في " المعرفة والتاريخ " ٢ / ٤٩ مطولا. (٣) هو أحمد بن محمد بن زياد أبو سعيد بن الاعرابي البصري الصوفي المتوفى سنة ٣٤٠ هـ. وكتابه هذا نقل عنه المؤلف في أكثر من موضع، انظر ترجمته في المجلد العاشر ١٠٠ آمن الأصل. (٤) انظر ترجمته في المجلد الخامس ١٨٦ آمن الأصل.