Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (8/433)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

I said, “That is on account of the Prophet’s—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—words: ‘None of you should die except while thinking well of Allah.’ (1)

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi narrated from ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan, who said:

News reached Fudayl that Hariz intended to visit him, so he locked the door from the outside. Hariz arrived, saw the door secured, and turned back. I then went in to Fudayl and said, ‘It was Hariz.’

He replied, ‘What would he gain by coming to me? He would parade the fine points of his speech before me, and I would parade the fine points of mine before him; neither of us would truly adorn himself for the other. It is better for him not to come.’

‘Ali continued, ‘I have never seen anyone more sincere toward the Muslims or more fearful (of Allah) than he. Indeed, I once saw him in a dream standing on a chest, handing out Qur’ans while people gathered around him—among them Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah and Harun, the Commander of the Faithful. I did not see him bid anyone farewell in a way that allowed him to finish it.’

Fayd ibn Wathiq (2) said: I heard Fudayl say,

‘If you are able, avoid becoming a hadith narrator, a Qur’an reciter, or a public speaker. For if you are eloquent they will say, “How eloquent he is! How excellent his speech! How beautiful his voice!”—and you will be pleased and swell with pride. But if you lack eloquence and a pleasant voice they will say, “He cannot narrate well, and his voice is not good,” which will sadden and burden you, and you will fall into showing off. If, however, you can sit and speak without caring who criticizes you and who praises you, then speak.’

Muhammad ibn Zunbur reported that Fudayl said, ‘Your heart will not be safe until you cease to care who is consuming the world.’

(1) Recorded by Muslim in his Sahih, no. 2877, in the Book of Paradise, its Bliss and its People, from the hadith of Jabir b. Abd Allah, who related that he heard the Prophet three days before his death say: “None of you should die except while thinking well of Allah.” (2) The manuscript reads “Fayd b. Wathiq.” Although this name appears in Ibn Abi Hatim’s al-Jarh wa-l-Taʿdil, al-Fudayl is not listed among his teachers. The correct reading is most likely Fayd b. Ishaq, the servant of al-Fudayl, from whom several reports have already been cited in this entry and more will follow. See al-Jarh wa-l-Taʿdil, 7/88.

قُلْتُ: وَذَلِكَ لِقَوْلِه ﷺ: (لاَ يَمُوْتَنَّ أَحَدُكُم إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللهِ (١)) . رَوَى: أَحْمَدُ بنُ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ الدَّوْرَقِيُّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بنِ الحَسَنِ، قَالَ: بَلَغَ الفُضَيْلَ أَنَّ حَرِيْزاً يُرِيْدُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ، فَأَقفَلَ البَابَ مِنْ خَارِجٍ، فَجَاءَ، فَرَأَى البَابَ مُقْفَلاً، فَرَجَعَ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: حَرِيْزٌ. قَالَ: مَا يَصْنَعُ بِي، يُظْهِرُ لِي مَحَاسِنَ كَلاَمِهِ، وَأُظهِرُ لَهُ مَحَاسِنَ كَلاَمِي، فَلاَ يَتَزَيَّنُ لِي، وَلاَ أَتَزَيَّنُ لَهُ، خَيْرٌ لَهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ: مَا رَأَيْتُ أَنصَحَ لِلْمُسْلِمِيْنَ، وَلاَ أَخَوْفَ مِنْهُ، وَلَقَدْ رَأْيْتُهُ فِي المَنَامِ قَائِماً عَلَى صُنْدُوْقٍ يُعطِي المَصَاحِفَ، وَالنَّاسُ حَوْلَهُ، فِيْهِم سُفْيَانُ بنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، وَهَارُوْنُ أَمِيْرُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، فَمَا رَأْيْتُهُ يُوَدِّعُ أَحَداً، فَيَقدِرُ أَنْ يُتِمَّ وَدَاعَه. قَالَ فَيْضُ بنُ وَثِيْقٍ (٢) : سَمِعْتُ الفُضَيْلَ يَقُوْلُ: إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ لاَ تَكُوْنَ مُحَدِّثاً، وَلاَ قَارِئاً، وَلاَ مُتَكَلِّماً، إِنْ كُنْتَ بَلِيْغاً، قَالُوا: مَا أَبْلَغَهُ، وَأَحْسَنَ حَدِيْثَه، وَأَحْسَنَ صَوْتَه! فَيُعجِبُكَ ذَلِكَ، فَتَنْتَفِخَ. وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ بَلِيْغاً، وَلاَ حَسَنَ الصَّوتِ، قَالُوا: لَيْسَ يُحْسِنُ يُحَدِّثُ، وَلَيْسَ صَوْتُهُ بِحَسَنٍ، أَحزَنَكَ ذَلِكَ، وَشقَّ عَلَيْك، فَتكُوْنَ مُرَائِياً. وَإِذَا جَلَسْتَ، فَتَكَلَّمْتَ، فَلَمْ تُبَالِ مَنْ ذَمَّكَ، وَمَنْ مَدَحَكَ، فَتَكَلَّمْ. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ زُنْبُوْرٍ: قَالَ الفُضَيْلُ: لاَ يَسْلَمُ لَكَ قَلْبُكَ حَتَّى لاَ تُبَالِي مَنْ أَكَلَ الدُّنْيَا.

(١) أخرجه مسلم في " صحيحه " (٢٨٧٧) في الجنة وصفة نعيمها وأهلها، من حديث جابر بن عبد الله ﵁ أنه سمع النبي ﷺ قبل موته بثلاثة أيام يقول: " لا يموتن أحدكم إلا وهو يحسن الظن بالله عزوجل ". (٢) كذا الأصل: " فيض بن وثيق " وهو مترجم في " الجرح والتعديل " ولكنه لم يذكر في شيوخه الفضيل، وربما يكون محرفا عن فيض بن إسحاق وهو خادم الفضيل، وقد روى عنه أكثر من خبر تقدمت في هذه الترجمة وسيأتي بعضها. وانظر " الجرح والتعديل " ٧ / ٨٨.