Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (8/414)

nor will I revile al-Zubayr, the Messenger’s devoted disciple,
nor shall I ever send Talha a single word of abuse, whether people honor him or disdain him.
I do not say, “ʿAlī is in the clouds,” for had I said that—by Allah—I would have spoken sheer injustice and aggression.
I do not embrace the doctrine of Jahm, whose words at times resemble those of the idol-worshippers.
Nor do I claim that the Lord of all servants has withdrawn from His creation and handed affairs over to Satan;
not even Pharaoh—the Pharaoh of Moses—nor Hāmān, in all their arrogance, ever uttered such a statement.
Allah, through the sultan, wards off a grave calamity from our religion, as a mercy and favor from Him.
Were it not for the rulers, our roads would never be secure, and the weakest among us would become easy plunder for the strong.

It is related that al-Rashīd was greatly pleased with these lines. When the news reached him that Ibn al-Mubārak had died at Hīt (1), he said,
“Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we return. O Faḍl, grant the people permission to offer us condolences for Ibn al-Mubārak.”
He added, “Was he not the one who said:
‘Allah, through the sultan, wards off a grave calamity…’?
Who could hear such words from Ibn al-Mubārak and not acknowledge our rightful claim?”

Al-Kudaymī said: ʿAbdah ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥīm narrated, “I was in the company of Fudayl…"

(1) A town on the Euphrates, upstream from Anbar. Although it belongs administratively to Iraq, it is situated on the Syrian bank, whereas Anbar lies on the Baghdad bank. The Euphrates divides the two, and the Tigris separates Anbar from Baghdad. The tomb of this Imam is located there.

وَلاَ الزُّبَيْرَ حَوَارِيَّ الرَّسُوْلِ، وَلاَ ... أُهْدِي لِطَلْحَةَ شَتْماً عَزَّ أَوْ هَانَا وَلاَ أَقُوْلُ: عَلِيٌّ فِي السَّحَابِ، إِذاً ... قَدْ قُلْتُ -وَاللهِ- ظُلْماً ثُمَّ عُدْوَانَا وَلاَ أَقُوْلُ بِقَوْلِ الجَهْمِ، إِنَّ لَهُ ... قَوْلاً يُضَارِعُ أَهْلَ الشِّركِ أَحْيَانَا وَلاَ أَقُوْلُ: تَخَلَّى مِنْ خَلِيقَتِهِ ... رَبُّ العِبَادِ وَوَلَّى الأَمْرَ شَيْطَانَا مَا قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ هَذَا فِي تَمَرُّدِهِ ... فِرْعَوْنُ مُوْسَى وَلاَ هَامَانُ طُغْيَانَا اللهُ يَدْفَعُ بِالسُّلْطَانِ مُعْضِلَةً ... عَنْ دِيْنِنَا رَحْمَةً مِنْهُ وَرِضْوَانَا لَوْلاَ الأَئِمَّةُ لَمْ تَأْمَنْ لَنَا سُبُلٌ ... وَكَانَ أَضْعَفُنَا نَهْباً لأَقْوَانَا فَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ الرَّشِيْدَ أَعْجَبَهُ هَذَا، فَلَمَّا أَن بَلَغَهُ مَوْتُ ابْنِ المُبَارَكِ بِهِيْتَ (١) ، قَالَ: إِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ، يَا فَضْلُ! إِيْذَنْ لِلنَّاسِ يُعَزُّونَا فِي ابْنِ المُبَارَكِ. وَقَالَ: أَمَا هُوَ القَائِلُ: اللهُ يَدفَعُ بِالسُّلْطَان مُعْضِلَةً ... ... فَمَنِ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ هَذَا مِنِ ابْنِ المُبَارَكِ، وَلاَ يَعْرِفُ حَقَّنَا؟ قَالَ الكُدَيْمِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيْمِ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ فُضَيلِ

(١) مدينة على الفرات فوق الانبار من أعمال العراق، لكنها في بر الشام، والانبار في بر بغداد، والفرات يفصل بينهما، ودجلة تفصل بين الانبار وبغداد، وبها قبر هذا الامام.