Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (9/542)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

On the authority of Abū Hurayrah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Two qualities are never combined in a hypocrite: a dignified bearing and a sound grasp of the religion.”⦗1⦘

Abū ʿĪsā commented, “Khalaf is the sole transmitter of this report, and I do not know its exact degree of authenticity.”

Al-Ḥākim said in his History: “I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz the preacher say, ‘I heard Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Bīkandī say:

I heard our teachers relate that the reason the dominion of the House of Sāmān remained firm was that Asad ibn Nūḥ once presented himself to al-Muʿtaṣim. Asad was brave and intelligent, and they were astonished by his handsome appearance and sharp mind. Al-Muʿtaṣim asked him, “Is there anyone in your family braver than you?” He replied, “No.” He then asked, “Is there anyone among them more knowledgeable and wiser than you?” Again he replied, “No.”

Al-Muʿtaṣim was not pleased and asked, “Why did you answer in that way?” He said, “Because no one in my family other than myself has ever trodden the carpet of the Commander of the Believers or beheld him with his own eyes.”

Al-Muʿtaṣim approved of this reply and appointed him governor of Balkh, where Asad would deliver the Friday sermon himself.

Later he inquired about the scholars of Balkh, and they mentioned Khalaf ibn Ayyūb. He waited for Khalaf to come to the Friday prayer, mounted, and rode to his quarter. When Khalaf saw him, Asad dismounted and approached him, but Khalaf sat down and covered his face. Asad greeted him with, “Peace be upon you.” Khalaf returned the greeting without looking at him. The emir then raised his eyes to the sky and said, “O Allah, this righteous servant dislikes us for Your sake, while we love him for Your sake,” after which he remounted.

(The narrator continues:) Khalaf subsequently fell ill, and the emir Asad came to visit him

(1) Al-Tirmidhi, no. 2685, Book of Knowledge, chapter “The Merit of Juristic Understanding over Acts of Worship.” Regarding Khalaf ibn Ayyub, al-Khalili states in al-Irshad that he is a well-known, trustworthy narrator, praised for his discretion, piety, and asceticism, and that he was a jurist in the Kufan school. Ibn Hibban includes him in al-Thiqat and only reproaches him for holding the doctrine of irja—which is not a formal criticism. Ibn Abi Hatim, after listing his teachers and students, reports: “I asked my father about him; he replied, ‘People transmit from him.’” The remaining transmitters in the chain are reliable. Nor is Ibn Ayyub the sole source: the hadith comes to us through two further lines of transmission—one from Anas, noted by al-Uqayli in al-Duafa, fol. 123, and another recorded by Ibn al-Mubarak in al-Zuhd, fol. 75/1, through Maʿmar, from Muhammad ibn Hamza ibn Abd Allah ibn Salam, with an elevated isnad. Consequently, the hadith is at least hasan (reliable).

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ ﷺ: (خَصْلَتَانِ لاَ تَجْتَمِعَانِ فِي مُنَافِقٍ: حُسْنُ سَمْتٍ، وَفِقْهٌ فِي الدِّيْنِ (١)) . قَالَ أَبُو عِيْسَى: تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ خَلَفٌ، وَلاَ أَدْرِي كَيْفَ هُوَ. قَالَ الحَاكِمُ فِي (تَارِيْخِهِ) : سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بنَ عَبْد العَزِيْزِ المُذَكِّرَ، سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بنَ عَلِيٍّ البِيْكَنْدِيَّ يَقُوْلُ: سَمِعْتُ مَشَايِخَنَا يَذْكُرُوْنَ أَنَّ السَّبَبَ لِثَبَاتِ مُلْكِ آلِ سَامَانَ، أَنَّ أَسَدَ بنَ نُوْحٍ خَرَجَ إِلَى المُعْتَصِمِ، وَكَانَ شُجَاعاً عَاقِلاً، فَتَعَجَّبُوا مِنْ حُسْنِهِ وَعَقْلهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ المُعْتَصِمُ: هَلْ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ أَشْجَعُ مِنْكَ؟ قَالَ: لاَ. قَالَ: فَهَلْ فِيْهِم أَعْلَمُ وَأَعقَلُ مِنْكَ؟ قَالَ: لاَ. فَلَمْ يُعْجِبِ المُعْتَصِمَ، ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ: لِمَ قُلْتَ؟ قَالَ: لأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِي مَنْ وَطِئَ بِسَاطَ أَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَرَآهُ غَيْرِي. فَاسْتَحسَنَ ذَلِكَ، وَوَلاَّهُ بَلْخَ، فَكَانَ يَتَوَلَّى الخُطبَةَ بِنَفْسِهِ. ثُمَّ سَأَلَ عَنْ عُلَمَاءِ بَلْخَ، فَذَكَرُوا لَهُ خَلَفَ بنَ أَيُّوْبَ، فَتَحَيَّنَ مَجِيْئَه لِلْجُمُعَةِ، وَرَكِبَ إِلَى نَاحِيَتِهِ، فَلَمَّا رَآهُ، تَرَجَّلَ وَقَصَدَهُ، فَقَعَدَ خَلَفٌ، وَخَمَّرَ وَجْهَه، فَقَالَ لَهُ: السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُم. فَأَجَابَه، وَلَمْ يَنْظُرْ إِلَيْهِ، فَرَفَعَ الأَمِيْرُ رَأْسَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، وَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ هَذَا العَبْدَ الصَّالِحَ يُبْغِضُنَا فِيْكَ، وَنَحْنُ نُحِبُّه فِيْكَ، ثُمَّ رَكِبَ. قَالَ: وَمَرِضَ خَلَفٌ، فَعَادَهُ الأَمِيْرُ أَسَدٌ،

(١) الترمذي (٢٦٨٥) في العلم: باب ما جاء في فضل الفقه على العبادة، وفي خلف بن أيوب يقول الخليلي في " الارشاد ": صدوق مشهور كان يوصف بالستر والصلاح والزهد وكان فقيها على رأي الكوفيين، وذكره ابن حبان في " الثقات " ونقم عليه الارجاء - وهو ليس بجرح - وقال ابن أبي حاتم بعد أن ذكر شيوخه والاخذين عنه: وسألت أبي عنه، فقال: يروي عنه: وباقي رجال الإسناد ثقات. ولم ينفرد ابن أيوب به، بل ورد من طريقين آخرين أحدهما عن أنس أشار إليه العقيلي في " الضعفاء " لوحة ١٢٣، والثاني رواه ابن المبارك في " الزهد " ورقة ٧٥ / ١ من طريق معمر، عن محمد بن حمزة بن عبد الله بن سلام مرفوعا به، فالحديث أقل أحواله أن يكون حسنا.