Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (9/207)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

From ʿAbd al-Raḥmān it is related that he used to dislike sitting with anyone ruled by passion or enamoured of speculative opinion.

Rustah said: Ibn Mahdī once rose from a gathering and the people followed him. He called out, “O people! Do not tread on my heels and do not walk behind me. Abū al-Ashhab narrated to us from al-Ḥasan, who said that ʿImrān remarked, ‘The clatter of sandals behind a fool rarely leaves any part of his religion intact.’ (1)”

Rustah also reported: I asked Ibn Mahdī about a man who longs for death out of fear that tribulation might overtake his faith. He answered, “I see no harm in that, provided he does not wish for death because of bodily affliction or poverty. Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and others beneath them wished for death. (2)”

I heard Ibn Mahdī say: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Leave what makes you doubt for that which leaves you in no doubt.’ (3)” I objected, “The one who gives the command is only a human being.” He replied, “Then hold fast to what raises no doubts so that what troubles you will not befall you”—meaning legal stratagems.

It has reached us that Ibn Mahdī said, “The obsession with chasing after hadith is nothing but the sport of pigeons and the butting of rams.”

I say: He spoke the truth—by Allah—except for the one who pursues it for Allah’s sake, and such people are few indeed.

Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Munʿim informed us (4), and the judge Jamāl al-Dīn informed us—

(1) The report is cited in Abu Nuaym, Hilyat al-Awliya, vol. 9, p. 12; there the wording reads “wa la tamshu” (“do not walk”) instead of “wa la tamshanna.” (2) Hilyat al-Awliya, vol. 9, p. 13. The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—firmly forbade a person to wish for death because of an affliction, as established in the hadith of Anas reported by al-Bukhari (10/107-108, “Illness”), Muslim (no. 2680, “Remembrance and Supplication”), Abu Dawud (3108), al-Tirmidhi (970), and al-Nasa i (4/3). The wording states: “None of you should long for death because of a calamity that has befallen him. If he must do so, let him say: O Allah, keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and cause me to die when death is better for me.” (3) Reported by al-Tirmidhi (2520) in the section “Tie your camel and rely on Allah” within the chapters on the Day of Resurrection; by al-Nasa i, 8/327-328; and by Ahmad, 1/200. The chain is sound; this verdict is affirmed by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Hibban (no. 512). The complete version of the narration is found in Hilyat al-Awliya, vol. 9, p. 13. (4) Umar ibn Abd al-Munim ibn Umar ibn Abd Allah was a reliable, long-lived scholar and, in the author’s estimation, the leading musnid (principal transmitter of hadith) of his time.

وَعَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ: أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ الجُلُوْسَ إِلَى ذِي هَوَىً، أَوْ ذِي رَأْيٍ. وَقَالَ رُسْتَه: قَامَ ابْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ مِنَ المَجْلِسِ، وَتَبِعَهُ النَّاسُ، فَقَالَ: يَا قَوْمُ! لاَ تَطَؤُنَّ عَقِبِي، وَلاَ تَمْشُنَّ خَلْفِي، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَشْهَبِ، عَنِ الحَسَنِ، قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: خَفْقُ النِّعَالِ خَلْفَ الأَحْمَقِ قَلَّ مَا يُبقِي مِنْ دِيْنِهِ (١) . قَالَ رُسْتَه: سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ مَهْدِيٍّ عَنِ الرَّجُلِ يَتَمَنَّى المَوْتَ مَخَافَةَ الفِتْنَةِ عَلَى دِيْنِهِ؟ قَالَ: مَا أَرَى بِذَلِكَ بَأْساً، لَكِنْ لاَ يَتَمَنَّاهُ مَنْ ضُرٍّ بِهِ، أَوْ فَاقَةٍ، تَمَنَّى المَوْتَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَمَنْ دُوْنَهُمَا (٢) . وَسَمِعْتُ ابْنَ مَهْدِيٍّ يَقُوْلُ: قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ: (دَعْ مَا يَرِيْبُكَ إِلَى مَا لاَ يَرِيْبُكَ (٣)) . فَقُلْتُ: الآمِرُ رَجُلٌ. فَقَالَ: خُذْ بِمَا لاَ يَرِيْبُكَ حَتَّى لاَ يُصِيْبَكَ مَا يَرِيْبُكَ -يَعْنِي: الحِيَلَ-. وَبَلَغَنَا عَنِ ابْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ، قَالَ: مَا هُوَ -يَعْنِي: الغَرَامَ بِطَلَبِ الحَدِيْثِ- إِلاَّ مِثْلُ لَعِبِ الحَمَامِ، وَنِطَاحِ الكِبَاشِ. قُلْتُ: صَدَقَ -وَاللهِ- إِلاَّ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ بِهِ اللهَ، وَقَلِيْلٌ مَا هُم. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو حَفْصٍ عُمَرُ بنُ عَبْدِ المُنْعِمِ (٤) ، أَخْبَرَنَا القَاضِي جَمَالُ الدِّيْنِ

(١) الخبر في " حلية الأولياء " ٩ / ١٢، وفيه " ولا تمشوا " بدل " ولا تمشن ". (٢) " حلية الأولياء " ٩ / ١٣، والنهي عن تمني الإنسان الموت لضر أصابه ثابت عنه ﷺ من حديث أنس عند البخاري ١٠ / ١٠٧، ١٠٨، في المرض، ومسلم (٢٦٨٠) في الذكر والدعاء، وأبي داود (٣١٠٨) والترمذي (٩٧٠) ، والنسائي ٤ / ٣، ولفظه: " لا يتمنين أحدكم الموت من ضر أصابه، فإن كان لابد فاعلا فليقل: اللهم أحيني ما كانت الحياة خيرا لي، وتوفني إذا كانت الوفاة خيرا لي ". (٣) أخرجه الترمذي (٢٥٢٠) في أبواب صفة القيامة: باب اعقلها وتوكل، والنسائي ٨ / ٣٢٧، ٣٢٨، وأحمد ١ / ٢٠٠، وإسناده صحيح، وصححه الترمذي، وابن حبان (٥١٢) ، والخبر بطوله في " الحلية " ٩ / ١٣. (٤) هو عمر بن عبد المنعم بن عمر بن عبد الله الثقة المعمر مسند وقته، قال المؤلف =