Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (8/431)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

“Are you carrying any debt?”

He replied, “Yes—a debt to my Lord, one for which He has not yet called me to account. Woe to me if He asks me about it; woe to me if He scrutinises me; and woe to me if I am not inspired with an argument.”

Hārūn said, “I was speaking of people’s debts.”

He answered, “My Lord did not charge me with that. Rather, He commanded me to keep His promise and obey His order, for He—exalted is He—has said: ‘I did not create jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me’ (Q 51:56) and the verses that follow.”

Hārūn then said, “Here are one thousand dinars. Take them, spend them on your dependants, and use them to strengthen yourself for the worship of your Lord.”

He replied, “Subḥān Allāh! I am pointing you to the path of salvation and you reward me with this? May Allah preserve you and grant you success.”

Then he fell silent and spoke no further to us.

We left, and Hārūn said, “Abū ʿAbbās, when you direct me, direct me to someone like this man; he is the chief of the Muslims.”

One of Fudayl’s wives came in and said, “You can see the hardship we are in; if only you would accept that money.”

He replied, “My case and yours is like a people who own a camel: they live off its labour, and when it grows old they slaughter it and eat its meat.”

When Hārūn heard these words he said, “Let us go back in; perhaps he will accept the money.”

But when Fudayl realised this, he went out and sat on the roof by the door to the room. Hārūn came and sat beside him, speaking to him, but he would not answer. While we were in that state, a black slave-girl came out and said, “Sir, you have been troubling the shaykh since last night—please leave.” So we left.

It is an astonishing tale, though al-Ghalābī is not reliable.

Others, however, have related it. ʿĀʾisha bint ʿĪsā informed us, Ibn Rājiḥ informed us, al-Salafī informed us, al-ʿAllāf informed us, Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ḥammāmī informed us, Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥajjāj in Mosul informed us, Muḥammad ibn Saʿdān al-Ḥarrānī narrated to us, Abū ʿUmar al-Naḥwī narrated to us—he was

Ma'qil ibn Yasar reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, “No one whom Allah, Mighty and Majestic, entrusts with the care of subjects and who dies while betraying them will enter Paradise; Allah will make it forbidden for him.” In another version: “Whoever does not protect them with sincere counsel will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise.”

عَلَيْكَ دَينٌ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، دَينٌ لِرَبِّي، لَمْ يُحَاسِبْنِي عَلَيْهِ، فَالوَيْلُ لِي إِنْ سَاءلَنِي، وَالوَيلُ لِي إِنْ نَاقَشَنِي، وَالوَيلُ لِي إِنْ لَمْ أُلْهَم حُجَّتِي. قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَعْنِي مِنْ دَينِ العِبَادِ. قَالَ: إِنَّ رَبِّي لَمْ يَأْمُرْنِي بِهَذَا، أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَصْدُقَ وَعْدَهُ، وَأُطِيْعَ أَمْرَهُ، فَقَالَ ﷿: ﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الجِنَّ وَالإِنْسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُوْنَ﴾ [الذَّارِيَاتُ: ٥٦] ، الآيَاتِ. فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ أَلفُ دِيْنَارٍ، خُذْهَا، فَأَنْفِقْهَا عَلَى عِيَالِكَ، وَتَقَوَّ بِهَا عَلَى عِبَادَةِ رَبِّكَ. فَقَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللهِ! أَنَا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى طَرِيْقِ النَّجَاةِ، وَأَنْتَ تُكَافِئُنِي بِمِثلِ هَذَا، سَلَّمَكَ اللهُ، وَوَفَّقَكَ. ثُمَّ صَمَتَ، فَلَمْ يُكَلِّمْنَا. فَخَرَجْنَا، فَقَالَ هَارُوْنُ: أَبَا عَبَّاسٍ! إِذَا دَلَلْتَنِي، فَدُلَّنِي عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا، هَذَا سَيِّدُ المُسْلِمِيْنَ. فَدَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ نِسَائِهِ، فَقَالَتْ: قَدْ تَرَى مَا نَحْنُ فِيْهِ مِنَ الضِّيقِ، فَلَو قَبِلْتَ هَذَا المَالَ. قَالَ: إِنَّمَا مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُكُم، كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ لَهُم بَعِيْرٌ يَأْكلُوْنَ مِنْ كَسْبِهِ، فَلَمَّا كَبِرَ نَحَرُوهُ، فَأَكَلُوا لَحْمَهُ، فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ هَارُوْنُ هَذَا الكَلاَمَ، قَالَ: نَدْخُلُ، فَعَسَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَ المَالَ. فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ الفُضَيْلُ، خَرَجَ، فَجَلَسَ فِي السَّطحِ عَلَى بَابِ الغُرفَةِ، فَجَاءَ هَارُوْنُ، فَجَلَسَ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ، فَجَعَلَ يُكَلِّمُهُ، فَلاَ يُجِيْبُهُ، فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ كَذَلِكَ، إِذْ خَرَجَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ، فَقَالَتْ: يَا هَذَا! قَدْ آذَيْتَ الشَّيْخَ مُنْذُ اللَّيْلَةِ، فَانْصَرِفْ، فَانْصَرَفْنَا. حِكَايَةٌ عَجِيْبَةٌ، وَالغَلاَبِيُّ غَيْرُ ثِقَةٍ. وَقَدْ رَوَاهَا: غَيْرُهُ. أَخْبَرَتْنَا عَائِشَةُ بِنْتُ عِيْسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ رَاجِحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا السِّلَفِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا العَلاَّفُ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الحَسَنِ الحَمَّامِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا جَعْفَرُ بنُ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ الحَجَّاجِ بِالمَوْصِلِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ سَعْدَانَ الحَرَّانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عُمَرَ النَّحْوِيُّ - هُوَ

= مغفل بن يسار قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: " ما من أحد يسترعيه الله عزوجل رعية يموت يوم يموت وهو غاش لرعيته إلا حرم الله عليه الجنة " وفي رواية: " فلم يحطها بنصح لم يرح الرائحة الجنة ".