Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (9/466)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

a group of men engaged in conversation. He began reviewing hadith with me, one narration after another. Then he said, “Break your fast with us.”

So I took the iftār in his house, and he gave me five hundred dinars, saying, “Come back again.” I left, tidied myself up, bought new clothes, and met al-Zubayrī. When he saw me in that state he was pleased, and I told him what had happened.

The vizier went on showing me favor, sending me five hundred dinars every night until the eve of Eid. On that night he said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, tomorrow dress for the Commander of the Faithful in the finest garb worn by judges and position yourself where he will pass, for he will ask me about you and I shall inform him.”

I did as instructed. During the procession the Commander of the Faithful kept casting glances at me. When we dismounted, I walked with Yaḥyā ibn Khālid and he said, “Abū ʿAbd Allāh, the Commander of the Faithful has been asking about you constantly. I told him the story of our pilgrimage, and he has ordered that thirty thousand dirhams be given to you.”

I then made ready to return to Medina—how could anyone blame me for loving Yaḥyā? He went on to relate a long story.

Abū ʿIkrimah al-Ḍabbī said: Sulaymān ibn Abī Shaykh narrated to us, from al-Wāqidī, who said:

I once fell into hardship while staying with Yaḥyā ibn Khālid, and Eid was at hand. A servant girl came to me and said, “We have nothing for the festival.” So I went to a merchant friend to borrow some money. He brought out a sealed purse containing one thousand dinars and two hundred dirhams, which I took. I had barely settled back home when a Hāshimī friend arrived, complaining that his income was delayed and he needed a loan.

I went in to my wife and told her. She asked, “What do you intend to do?” I replied, “I plan to share the purse with him.” She said, “That will not do! You went to an ordinary man and he gave you one thousand dinars and two hundred dirhams, and now a man from the family of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—comes to you and you would give him only half of what the commoner gave?!”

So I handed the entire purse over to him and he left. The merchant friend then went to the Hāshimī—who was also his acquaintance—and asked him for a loan. The Hāshimī produced that very same purse and gave it to him. The merchant recognised it, returned to me and told me what had happened. He said:

قَوْمٌ يُحَادِثُوْنَهُ، فَجَعَلَ يُذَاكِرُنِي الحَدِيْثَ بَعْدَ الحَدِيْثِ. وَقَالَ: أَفْطِرْ عِنْدَنَا. فَأَفْطَرْتُ عِنْدَهُ، وَأَعْطَانِي خَمْسَ مائَةِ دِيْنَارٍ، وَقَالَ: عُدْ إِلَيْنَا. فَذَهَبْتُ، فَتَجَمَّلْتُ، وَاكْتَسَيْتُ، وَلَقِيْتُ الزُّبَيْرِيَّ، فَلَمَّا رَآنِي بِتِلْكَ الحَالِ سُرَّ، وَأَخْبَرْتُهُ الخَبَرَ. وَلَمْ يَزَلِ الوَزِيْرُ يُقَرِّبُنِي، وَيُوْصِلُنِي كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ خَمْسَ مائَةِ دِيْنَارٍ إِلَى لَيْلَةِ العِيْدِ، فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ، تَزَيَّنْ غَداً لأَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ بِأَحْسَنِ زِيٍّ لِلْقُضَاةِ، وَاعْتَرِضْ لَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ سَيَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ خَبَرِكَ، فَأُخْبِرُهُ. فَفَعَلْتُ، قَالَ: وَجَعَلَ أَمِيْرُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَلْحَظُنِي فِي المَوْكِبِ، ثُمَّ نَزَلْنَا، وَمَضَيْتُ مَعَ يَحْيَى بنِ خَالِدٍ، فَقَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ، مَا زَالَ أَمِيْرُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَسْأَلُنِي عَنْكَ، فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ بِخَبَرِ حَجِّنَا، وَقَدْ أَمَرَ بِثَلاَثِيْنَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ. ثُمَّ تَجَهَّزْتُ إِلَى المَدِيْنَةِ، وَكَيْفَ أُلاَمُ عَلَى حُبِّ يَحْيَى؟ وَسَاقَ حِكَايَةً طَوِيْلَةً. قَالَ أَبُو عِكْرِمَةَ الضَّبِّيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بنُ أَبِي شَيْخٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الوَاقِدِيُّ، قَالَ: أَضَقْتُ مَرَّةً، وَأَنَا مَعَ يَحْيَى بنِ خَالِدٍ، وَحَضَرَ عِيْدٌ، فَجَاءتْنِي الجَارِيَةُ، فَقَالَتْ: لَيْسَ عِنْدَنَا مِنْ آلَةِ العِيْدِ شَيْءٌ. فَمَضَيْتُ إِلَى تَاجِرٍ صَدِيْقٍ لِي لِيُقْرِضَنِي، فَأَخْرَجَ إِلَيَّ كِيْساً مَخْتُوْماً فِيْهِ أَلْفُ دِيْنَارٍ وَمائَتَا دِرْهَمٍ، فَأَخَذْتُهُ، فَمَا اسْتَقْرَرْتُ فِي مَنْزِلِي حَتَّى جَاءنِي صَدِيْقٌ لِي هَاشِمِيٌّ، فَشَكَا إِلَيَّ تَأَخُّرَ غَلَّتِهِ وَحَاجَتِهِ إِلَى القَرْضِ. فَدَخَلْتُ إِلَى زَوْجَتِي، فَأَخْبَرْتُهَا، فَقَالَتْ: عَلَى أَيِّ شَيْءٍ عَزَمْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: عَلَى أَنْ أُقَاسِمَهُ الكِيْسَ. قَالَتْ: مَا صَنَعْتَ شَيْئاً، أَتَيْتَ رَجُلاً سُوْقَةً، فَأَعْطَاكَ أَلْفاً وَمائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ، وَجَاءكَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ آلِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ تُعْطِيْهِ نِصْفَ مَا أَعْطَاكَ السُّوْقَةُ؟! فَأَخْرَجْتُ الكِيْسَ كُلَّهُ إِلَيْهِ، فَمَضَى، فَذَهَبَ صَدِيْقِي التَّاجِرُ إِلَى الهَاشِمِيِّ - وَكَانَ صَاحِبَهُ - فَسَأَلَهُ القَرْضَ، فَأَخْرَجَ الهَاشِمِيُّ إِلَيْهِ الكِيسَ بِعَيْنِهِ، فَعَرفَهُ التَّاجِرُ، وَانْصَرَفَ إِلَيَّ، فَحَدَّثَنِي بِالأَمْرِ. قَالَ: