Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (7/142)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

They persisted until he finally accepted, whereupon they handed him one thousand dinars—meaning state funds. On his return journey he died in Kūfa, may God have mercy on him.

All of this was reported by Ibn Saʿd in al-Ṭabaqāt from al-Wāqidī. Although there is no dispute that al-Wāqidī is weak as a transmitter, he was nevertheless truthful in speech and of high standing.

In the Musnad of al-Shāfiʿī, in our own audition, we read: “Abū Ḥanīfa ibn Simāk informed us, ‘Ibn Abī Dhiʾb related to me, from al-Maqburī, from Abū Shurayḥ, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever has had a relative killed is granted two good choices: if he wishes, he may take the blood-money, and if he wishes, he may claim retribution.” (1)’ ”

I asked Ibn Abī Dhiʾb, “Do you act on this ḥadīth?”

He struck his chest, shouted repeatedly, rebuked me, and said, “I relate to you from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and you ask, ‘Do you act on it?’ Yes, I act on it! That is obligatory upon me and upon everyone who hears it. Allah chose Muḥammad (peace and blessings be upon him) from among mankind and guided them through him and at his hands; therefore all people must follow him, willingly or reluctantly—no Muslim has any way out of that.”

Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal said: “News reached Ibn Abī Dhiʾb that Mālik did not act upon the ḥadīth, ‘The two parties to a sale retain the right of option.’ (2) He said, ‘He must be asked to repent; if he repents, so be it, otherwise his neck is to be struck.’ ”

Then Aḥmad added: “He was more scrupulous and more forthright in speaking the truth than Mālik.”

I say: Had his scrupulousness been as it ought to be, he would not have uttered such harsh words about an Imām

(1) Musnad al-Shafi‘i, 2/249. Also transmitted by Abu Dawud (no. 4504) and al-Tirmidhi (no. 1406) through the chain Yahya ibn Saʿid – Ibn Abi Dhib – Saʿid al-Maqburi – Abu Shurayh; the isnad is sound. A parallel report from Abu Hurayrah appears in al-Bukhari, 1/182; Muslim, no. 1355; al-Tirmidhi, no. 1405; Abu Dawud, no. 4505; and al-Nasaʾi, 8/38, with the wording: “Whoever has a relative killed is entitled to one of two courses: either to accept blood-money or to demand retaliation.” (2) Related by Malik, al-Muwattaʾ, 2/671, Book of Sales, chapter “Sale with an Option”; al-Bukhari, 4/276, Book of Sales, chapter “The two parties retain the option until they part”; and Muslim, no. 1531, Book of Sales, chapter “The validity of the session option for both parties,” through Nafiʿ from Ibn ʿUmar. The Prophet said: “Both parties to a sale have the right of option over one another as long as they have not separated.”

فَلَمْ يَزَالُوا بِهِ حَتَّى قَبِلَ مِنْهُم، فَأَعْطَوْهُ أَلفَ دِيْنَارٍ -يَعْنِي: الدَّوْلَةَ- فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ، مَاتَ بِالكُوْفَةِ ﵀. نَقَلَ هَذَا كُلَّهُ: ابْنُ سَعْدٍ فِي (الطَّبَقَاتِ) ، عَنِ الوَاقِدِيِّ، وَالوَاقِدِيُّ - وَإِنْ كَانَ لاَ نِزَاعَ فِي ضَعْفِهِ - فَهُوَ صَادِقُ اللِّسَانِ، كَبِيْرُ القَدْرِ. وَفِي (مُسْنَدِ) الشَّافِعِيِّ سَمَاعُنَا: أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو حَنِيْفَةَ بنُ سِمَاكٍ، حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ، عَنِ المَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي شُرَيْحٍ: أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ: (مَنْ قُتِلَ لَهُ قَتِيْلٌ، فَهُوَ بِخَيْرِ النَّظَرَيْنِ: إِنْ أَحَبَّ، أَخَذَ العَقْلَ، وَإِنْ أَحَبَّ، فَلَهُ القَوَدُ (١)) . قُلْتُ لابْنِ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ: أَتَأْخُذُ بِهَذَا؟ فَضَرَبَ صَدْرِي، وَصَاحَ كَثِيْراً، وَنَالَ مِنِّي، وَقَالَ: أُحَدِّثُكَ عَنْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ وَتَقُوْلُ: تَأْخُذُ بِهِ؟! نَعَمْ، آخُذُ بِهِ، وَذَلِكَ الفَرْضُ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ سَمِعَهُ، إِنَّ اللهَ اخْتَارَ مُحَمَّداً ﷺ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَهَدَاهُم بِهِ، وَعَلَى يَدَيْهِ، فَعَلَى الخَلْقِ أَنْ يَتَّبِعُوْهُ طَائِعِيْنَ أَوْ دَاخِرِيْنَ، لاَ مَخْرَجَ لِمُسْلِمٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بنُ حَنْبَلٍ: بَلَغَ ابْنَ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ أَنَّ مَالِكاً لَمْ يَأْخُذْ بِحَدِيْثِ: (البَيِّعَانِ بِالخِيَارِ (٢)) . فَقَالَ: يُسْتَتَابُ، فَإِنْ تَابَ، وَإِلاَّ ضُرِبَتْ عُنُقُهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ أَحْمَدُ: هُوَ أَوْرَعُ وَأَقْوَلُ بِالحَقِّ مِنْ مَالِكٍ. قُلْتُ: لَوْ كَانَ وَرِعاً كَمَا يَنْبَغِي، لَمَا قَالَ هَذَا الكَلاَمَ القَبِيْحَ فِي حَقِّ إِمَامٍ

(١) مسند الشافعي: ٢ / ٢٤٩. وأخرجه أبو داود: (٤٥٠٤) ، والترمذي: (١٤٠٦) ، من طريق يحيى بن سعيد، عن ابن أبي ذئب، عن سعيد المقبري، عن أبي شريح، وإسناده صحيح وفي الباب عن أبي هريرة، أخرجه البخاري: ١ / ١٨٢، ومسلم: (١٣٥٥) ، والترمذي: (١٤٠٥) ، وأبو داود: (٤٥٠٥) ، والنسائي: ٨ / ٣٨، بلفظ: " ومن قتل له قتيل فهو بخير النظرين: إما أن يودى، وإما أن يقاد ". (٢) أخرجه مالك في " الموطأ ": ٢ / ٦٧١، في البيوع: باب بيع الخيار، والبخاري: ٤ / ٢٧٦، في البيوع: باب البيعان في الخيار ما لم يتفرقا، ومسلم: (١٥٣١) ، في البيوع: باب ثبوت خيار المجلس للمتبايعين، من طريق نافع، عن ابن عمر، أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: " المتبايعان كل واحد منهما بالخيار على صاحبه ما لم يتفرقا ".