Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (10/83)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Abu Bakr ibn Ziyād al-Naysābūrī said: I heard al-Rabīʿ say, “Al-Shāfiʿī used to complete the recitation of the Quran sixty times every Ramadan and thirty times in every month. He would teach while a basin was placed beneath him, and one day he said, ‘O Allah, if You are pleased with this, then increase it.’ ⦗1⦘

Thereupon Idrīs ibn Yaḥyā al-Maʿāfirī—the ascetic of Egypt—sent word to him, saying, ‘You are not one of the men destined for hardship, so ask Allah for well-being.’

Al-Zubayr ibn ʿAbd al-Wāḥid narrated to us: Muḥammad ibn ʿAqīl al-Firyābī told us; he said: Al-Muzanī, or al-Rabīʿ, related: “We were sitting with al-Shāfiʿī one day when an elderly man arrived, dressed in wool and carrying a staff. Al-Shāfiʿī rose, adjusted his own garments for him, the shaykh exchanged greetings and sat, and al-Shāfiʿī kept gazing at him out of reverence.

“The shaykh said, ‘May I ask?’

“Al-Shāfiʿī replied, ‘Ask.’

“He said, ‘What is the decisive proof in the religion of Allah?’

“Al-Shāfiʿī answered, ‘The Book of Allah.’

“‘And what else?’

“‘The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.’

“‘And what else?’

“‘The consensus of the ummah.’

“The shaykh asked, ‘On what basis do you say: the consensus of the ummah?’

“Al-Shāfiʿī paused in contemplation. The shaykh then said, ‘I grant you a respite of three days; if you can bring a proof from the Book of Allah, well and good—otherwise repent to Allah, Exalted is He.’

“The colour of al-Shāfiʿī’s face changed. He withdrew and did not appear again until the third day, between ẓuhr and ʿaṣr, his face, hands, and feet swollen, and he was unwell. He sat down, and there was no…"

(1) The attribution of this statement to al-Shafi‘i is open to question, for he could hardly have been unaware that the Prophet used to seek refuge from afflictions and implore Allah for well-being. Al-Bukhari (11/125) and Muslim (no. 2707) narrate on the authority of Abu Hurayra that “the Messenger of Allah would seek protection from overwhelming trials, from falling into misery, from an evil decree, and from the gloating of enemies.” Muslim (no. 2739) also records from Ibn Umar that the Prophet’s supplication included: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the removal of Your favor, the loss of the health You have granted, the suddenness of Your punishment, and every form of Your wrath.” Another authentic report from Ibn Umar, transmitted by Abu Dawud (no. 5073), states that each morning and evening the Prophet would say: “O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in my religion, my worldly life, my family, and my property. O Allah, conceal my faults and calm my fears. O Allah, guard me from in front of me, from behind me, on my right, on my left, and from above me; and I seek refuge in Your greatness from being taken unawares from beneath me.” The complete wording is found in al-Hilya (9/135). Immediately after the phrase “so ask Allah for well-being,” al-Hilya adds that al-Shafi‘i sent word to the narrator saying, “Pray to Allah to grant me well-being.”

قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بنُ زِيَادٍ النَّيْسَابُوْرِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ الرَّبِيْعَ يَقُوْلُ: كَانَ الشَّافِعِيُّ يَخْتِمُ القُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ رَمَضَانَ سِتِّيْنَ خَتْمَةً، وَفِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلاَثِيْنَ خَتْمَةً، وَكَانَ يُحَدِّثُ وَطَسْتٌ تَحْتَهُ، فَقَالَ يَوْماً: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ لَكَ فِيْهِ رِضَى، فَزِدْ (١) . فَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ إِدْرِيْسُ بنُ يَحْيَى المَعَافِرِيُّ -يَعْنِي: زَاهِدَ مِصْرَ-: لَسْتَ مِنْ رِجَالِ البَلاَءِ، فَسَلِ اللهَ العَافِيَةَ. الزُّبَيْرُ بنُ عَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَقِيْلٍ الفِرْيَابِيُّ، قَالَ: قَالَ المُزَنِيُّ، أَوِ الرَّبِيْعُ: كُنَّا يَوْماً عِنْد الشَّافِعِيِّ، إِذْ جَاءَ شَيْخٌ عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابٌ صُوفٌ، وَفِي يَدِهِ عُكَّازَةٌ، فَقَامَ الشَّافِعِيُّ وَسَوَّى عَلَيْهِ ثِيَابَه، وَسَلَّمَ الشَّيْخُ وَجَلَسَ، وَأَخَذَ الشَّافِعِيُّ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى الشَّيْخِ هَيْبَةً لَهُ، إِذْ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ: أسْأَلُ؟ قَالَ: سَلْ. قَالَ: مَا الحُجَّةُ فِي دِيْنِ اللهِ؟ قَالَ: كِتَابُ اللهِ. قَالَ: وَمَاذَا؟ قَالَ: سُنَّةُ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ. قَالَ: وَمَاذَا؟ قَالَ: اتِّفَاقُ الأُمَّةِ. قَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ قُلْتَ: اتِّفَاقُ الأُمَّةِ؟ فَتَدَبَّرَ الشَّافِعِيُّ سَاعَةً، فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ: قَدْ أَجَّلْتُكَ ثَلاَثاً، فَإِنْ جِئْتَ بِحُجَّةٍ مِنْ كِتَابِ اللهِ، وَإِلاَّ تُبْ إِلَى اللهِ -تَعَالَى-. فَتَغَيَّرَ لُوْنُ الشَّافِعِيِّ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ ذَهَبَ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَى اليَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالعَصْرِ، وَقَدِ انْتَفَخَ وَجْهُهُ، وَيَدَاهُ، وَرِجلاَهُ، وَهُوَ مِسْقَامٌ، فَجَلَسَ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ

(١) في ثبوت هذا عن الشافعي وقفة، فإنه مما لا يخفى عليه أن النبي ﷺ كان يستعيذ من البلاء، ويسأل الله العافية، ففي البخاري ١١ / ١٢٥، ومسلم (٢٧٠٧) من حديث أبي هريرة: كان رسول الله ﷺ يتعوذ من جهد البلاء، ودرك الشقاء، وسوء القضاء، وشماتة الاعداء. وفي " صحيح مسلم " (٢٧٣٩) من حديث ابن عمر: كان من دعاء النبي ﷺ: " اللهم إني أعوذ بك من زوال نعمتك، ومن تحول عافيتك، ومن فجاءة نقمتك، ومن جميع سخطك وغضبك " وصح عنه ﷺ من حديث ابن عمر فيما رواه أبو داود (٥٠٧٣) أنه كان يدعو حين يصبح ويمسي بهذه الدعوات: " اللهم إني أسألك العفو والعافية في ديني ودنياي، وأهلي ومالي، اللهم استر عوراتي وآمن روعاتي، اللهم احفظني من بين يدي، ومن خلفي، وعن يميني، وعن شمالي، ومن فوقي، وأعوذ بعظمتك أن أغتال من تحتي " والنص في " الحلية " ٩ / ١٣٥. وفيه بعد قوله: " فسل الله العافية " أن الشافعي بعث إليه، فقال: ادع الله لي بالعافية.