Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (6/216)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

to offer the funeral prayer for him. His son protested, “You kill my father and then intend to pray over him?” The guards pushed the boy aside and Muḥammad stepped forward. Muḥammad was dark-skinned, heavy-set, and spoke with a slight stammer.

When he set out, al-Manṣūr was thrown into an uproar. He said to his kinsmen, “Go to that fool ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī, for he does have good judgment in warfare.” When they entered upon him he exclaimed, “Something serious must have brought you! Why have you all come together after avoiding me for ages?” They said, “We asked the Commander of the Believers for leave, and he granted it.” He replied, “That counts for nothing—what is the news?” They answered, “Muḥammad has risen.” He asked, “What do you think Ibn Salāmah will do?”—meaning al-Manṣūr. They said, “We do not know.” He remarked, “Stinginess has undone him. Let him lavish the money and honor the troops; if he wins, his wealth will soon come back to him anyway.”

Al-Manṣūr then equipped his heir-apparent, ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā, for the war against Muḥammad, and wrote to Muḥammad urging him to repent, promising him favors and holding out enticing hopes. Muḥammad replied:

“From the Mahdī, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh: ‘Ṭā Sīn Mīm. These are the verses of the clear Book’ (Q 28:1-2). I offer you the same guarantee of safety that you have offered me, for the truth is ours….” He added, “Which guarantee are you giving me—the guarantee of Ibn Hubayrah, your uncle’s guarantee, or the guarantee of Abū Muslim?”

Al-Manṣūr thereupon sent him a harsh letter. In the meantime Muḥammad’s troops seized Mecca, from which a detachment came to reinforce him. The heir-apparent marched with four thousand cavalry, entered Medina to win the people over, and a host of men slipped away from Muḥammad while others hastened to serve ʿĪsā.

Muḥammad was advised to flee to Egypt: “No one there will bar your way.” Jubayr cried out, “I seek refuge in Allah from leaving Medina, when the Prophet ﷺ said, ‘I saw myself in a well-fortified coat of mail, and I interpreted it as Medina.’” (1)

(1) This is an excerpt from a longer hadith recorded by Ahmad (Musnad, 1/271) with the chain: Sarij – Ibn Abi al-Zinad – his father – Ubayd Allah ibn Abd Allah ibn Utbah ibn Masud – Ibn Abbas. Ibn Abbas relates: “The Messenger of Allah seized his sword Dhu al-Faqar as war-booty at Badr. Concerning this same sword I had a dream on the day of Uhud. He said: ‘I saw a nick in my sword Dhu al-Faqar and interpreted it to mean that harm would befall some of you. I saw myself mounted behind a ram and took it to signify the slaying of the battalion’s champion. I saw myself inside a strong coat of mail and interpreted it as Medina. I also saw cows being slaughtered, and—by Allah—slaughtered cows are a good omen, slaughtered cows are a good omen.’ Events unfolded exactly as the Prophet foretold.” The isnad is hasan (sound). Al-Darimi (2/129) transmits a similar version through the chain: al-Hajjaj ibn Minhal – Hammad ibn Salamah – Abu al-Zubayr – Jabir; all the transmitters are reliable.

الصَّلاَةَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ ابْنُهُ: تَقتُلُ أَبِي، وَتُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ؟ فَنَحَّاهُ الحَرَسُ، وَتَقَدَّمَ مُحَمَّدٌ، وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَسْوَدَ، جَسِيْماً، فِيْهِ تَمتَمَةٌ. وَلَمَّا خَرَجَ، قَامَتْ قِيَامَةُ المَنْصُوْرِ، فَقَالَ لآلِهِ: اذْهَبُوا إِلَى هَذَا الأَحْمَقِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ عَلِيٍّ، فَلَهُ رَأْيٌ جَيِّدٌ فِي الحَرْبِ. فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا، قَالَ: لأَمرٍ مَا جِئْتُم! فَمَا جَاءَ بِكُم جَمِيْعاً، وَقَدْ هَجَرتُمُوْنِي مِنْ دَهْرٍ؟ قَالُوا: اسْتَأْذَنَّا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، فَأَذِنَ لَنَا. قَالَ: لَيْسَ ذَا بِشَيْءٍ، مَا الخَبَرُ؟ قَالُوا: خَرَجَ مُحَمَّدٌ. قَالَ: فَمَا تَرَوْنَ ابْنَ سَلاَّمَةَ صَانِعاً؟ يَعْنِي: المَنْصُوْرَ. قَالُوا: لاَ نَدْرِي. قَالَ: إِنَّ البُخلَ قَدْ قَتَلَه، فَلْيُخرِجِ الأَمْوَالَ، وَيُكرِمِ الجُنْدَ، فَإِنْ غَلبَ، فَمَا أَوشَكَ أَنْ يَعُودَ إِلَيْهِ مَالُه. وَجَهَّزَ المَنْصُوْرُ وَلِيَّ عَهْدِه عِيْسَى بنَ مُوْسَى لِحَربِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ يَحُثُّه عَلَى التَّوبَةِ، وَيَعِدُه، وَيُمَنِّيْه. فَأَجَابَه: مِنَ المَهْدِيِّ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ: ﴿طَسم، تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الكِتَابِ المُبِيْنِ﴾ ، وَأَنَا أَعرِضُ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الأَمَانِ مِثْلَ مَا عَرَضتَ، فَإِنَّ الحَقَّ حَقُّنَا ... ، إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: فَأَيُّ الأَمَانَاتِ تُعطِيْنِي، أَمَانُ ابْنِ هُبَيْرَةَ؟ أَمْ أَمَانُ عَمِّكَ؟ أَمْ أَمَانُ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ؟ فَأَرسَلَ إِلَيْهِ بِكِتَابٍ مُزعِجٍ، وَأَخَذَ جُنْدُ مُحَمَّدٍ مَكَّةَ، وَجَاءهُ مِنْهَا عَسْكَرٌ، وَسَارَ وَلِيُّ العَهْدِ فِي أَرْبَعَةِ آلاَفِ فَارِسٍ، وَنَفَذَ إِلَى أَهْلِ المَدِيْنَةِ يَتَأَلَّفُهُم، فَتَفَلَّلَ خَلْقٌ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَبَادَرَ آخَرُوْنَ إِلَى خِدمَةِ عِيْسَى. فَأُشِيْرَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ: أَنْ يَفِرَّ إِلَى مِصْرَ، فَلَنْ يَرُدَّكَ أَحَدٌ عَنْهَا. فَصَاحَ جُبَيْرٌ: أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ أَنْ نَخرَجَ مِنَ المَدِيْنَةِ، وَنَبِيُّ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُوْلُ: (رَأَيْتُنِي فِي دِرْعٍ حَصِيْنَةٍ، فَأَوَّلْتُهَا المَدِيْنَةَ) (١) .

(١) قطعة من حديث مطول، أخرجه أحمد ١ / ٢٧١ من طريق: سريج عن ابن أبي الزناد، عن أبيه، عن عبيد الله بن عبد الله بن عتبة بن مسعود، عن ابن عباس قال: تنفل رسول الله، ﷺ، سيفه ذا الفقار يوم بدر، وهو الذي أرى فيه الرؤيا يوم أحد، فقال: رأيت في سيفي ذي الفقار فلا، فأولته، فلا يكون فيكم، ورأيت أني مردف كبشا، فأولت كيش الكتيبة، ورأيت أني في درع حصينة، فأولتها المدينة، ورأيت بقرا تذبح، فبقر والله خير، فبقر والله خير، فكان الذي قال، ﷺ، ". وسنده حسن. وأخرج الدارمي ٢ / ١٢٩ بنحوه من طريق الحجاج ابن منهال، عن حماد بن سلمة، عن أبى الزبير عن جابر..ورجاله ثقات.