Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (8/417)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Abū Isḥāq al-Tālqānī said: “We were sitting with Ibn al-Mubārak when the qahandaz (1) caved in. Two large teeth were brought out, and one of them was found to weigh two manns (2). ʿAbd Allāh thereupon recited:

I have come with two teeth, already worn,
hauled from the fortress when they unearthed the hoard;

each of them weighs two manns—
one’s palm can scarcely raise so heavy a load.

Thirty teeth there were, all of that size—
Blessed are You, O Best of Creators!

What could have withstood those mouths?
What food could ever have filled those bellies?

Whenever I recall their massive bodies,
my own soul shrinks and grows humble;

and every one of them has tasted death—
they have all perished and now lie lifeless.”

It has been transmitted through several chains from Ibn al-Mubārak—though some say the verses belong to Ḥamīd the Grammarian:

Seize two rakʿahs that draw you near to God
whenever you are free and at ease;

and if you are tempted to utter falsehood,
let praise of God take its place.

For profiting from silence is better than plunging into speech,
even if your words are eloquent.

Some people heard Ibn al-Mubārak reciting these lines while standing on the ramparts of Tarsus:

Among the trials—and a sure sign of trial—
is that no turning away from your whim is seen in you.

A slave is the slave of his own soul in its cravings,
whereas the free man is sometimes full and sometimes hungry.

Abū Umayyah al-Aswad reported: I heard Ibn al-Mubārak say, “I love the righteous, though I am not one of them; and I loathe the wicked, while I am worse than they are.” Then he began to recite:

(1) Yaqut vocalizes the word as kahandaz (short a on the first two consonants, silent n, short a on the d, ending in z). He explains that it originally denoted the fortress or citadel situated at the center of a city, a term peculiar to the people of Khurasan and Transoxiana. Al-Samani, by contrast, reads it quhunduz (short u on the qaf and the h, silent n, short u on the plain d) and says it is used of various localities, meaning the walled inner town. (2) mann: an old unit of measure, formerly used for either capacity or weight; here it corresponds to approximately 810 grams.

قَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الطَّالْقَانِيُّ: كُنَّا عِنْدَ ابْنِ المُبَارَكِ، فَانْهَدَّ القَهَنْدَزُ (١) ، فَأَتَى بِسِنَّيْنِ، فَوُجِدَ وَزْنُ أَحَدِهِمَا مَنَوَانِ (٢) ، فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ: أَتَيْتُ بِسِنَّيْنِ قَدْ رُمَّتَا ... مِنَ الحِصْنِ لَمَّا أَثَارُوا الدَّفِيْنَا عَلَى وَزْنِ مَنَوَيْنِ، إِحْدَاهُمَا ... تُقِلُّ بِهِ الكَفُّ شَيْئاً رَزِيْنَا ثَلاَثُوْنَ سِنّاً عَلَى قَدْرِهَا ... تَبَارَكْتَ يَا أَحسَنَ الخَالِقِيْنَا! فَمَاذَا يَقُوْمُ لأَفْوَاهِهَا ... وَمَا كَانَ يَمْلأُ تِلْكَ البُطُونَا إِذَا مَا تَذَكَّرْتُ أَجسَامَهُم ... تَصَاغَرَتِ النَّفْسُ حَتَّى تَهُوْنَا وَكُلٌّ عَلَى ذَاكَ ذَاقَ الرَّدَى ... فَبَادُوا جَمِيْعاً، فَهُم هَامِدُوْنَا وَجَاءَ مِنْ طُرُقٍ عَنِ ابْنِ المُبَارَكِ - وَيُقَالُ: بَلْ هِيَ لِحَمِيْدٍ النَّحْوِيِّ -: اغْتَنِمْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ زُلفَى إِلَى اللهِ ... إِذَا كُنْتَ فَارِغاً مُسْتَرِيْحَا وَإِذَا مَا هَمَمْتَ بِالنُّطْقِ بِالبَاطِلِ ... فَاجْعلْ مَكَانَهُ تَسْبِيْحَا فَاغْتِنَامُ السُّكُوتِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ ... خَوْضٍ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ بِالكَلاَمِ فَصِيْحَا وَسَمِعَ بَعْضُهُم ابْنَ المُبَارَكِ وَهُوَ يُنْشِدُ عَلَى سُوْرِ طَرَسُوْسَ: وَمِنَ البَلاَءِ وَلِلْبَلاَءِ عَلاَمَةٌ ... أَنْ لاَ يُرَى لَكَ عَنْ هَوَاكَ نُزُوعُ العَبْدُ عَبْدُ النَّفْسِ فِي شَهَوَاتِهَا ... وَالحُرُّ يَشْبَعُ مَرَّةً وَيَجُوْعُ قَالَ أَبُو أُمَيَّةَ الأَسْوَدُ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ المُبَارَكِ يَقُوْلُ: أُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِيْنَ وَلَسْتُ مِنْهُم، وَأُبْغِضُ الطَّالِحِيْنَ وَأَنَا شَرٌّ مِنْهُم، ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يَقُوْلُ:

(١) ضبطه ياقوت بفتح أوله وثانيه، وسكون النون، وفتح الدال، وزاي، وقال: هو في الأصل: اسم الحصن أو القلعة في وسط المدينة، وهي لغة كأنها لاهل خراسان وما وراء النهر خاصة. أما السمعاني فقد ضبطه بضم القاف والهاء وسكون النون وضم الدال المهملة، وقال: هو من بلاد شتى، وهو المدينة الداخلة المسورة. (٢) المن: معيار قديم كان يكال به أو يوزن، ومقداره ٨١٠ غرامات تقريبا.