Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (10/184)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī said: I heard Abū Sulaymān say:
“The root of every good is to fear the world; the key to the world is a full belly, and the key to the Hereafter is hunger (1).”

Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥākim related—al-Khaldī narrated to us, Junayd told me, I heard Sari al-Saqaṭī, Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī informed us—he said: I heard Abū Sulaymān say:
“My family once served me bread and salt. In the salt there was a single sesame seed; I ate it, and I felt its film upon my heart for an entire year afterward.”

Aḥmad ibn Abī al-Ḥawārī also said—and I heard him remark: “Whoever accords himself any value has never tasted the sweetness of service (2).”

From him: “When devotees force themselves to speak with pedantic grammatical accuracy, humility leaves their hearts.”

And from him: “Among Allah’s creation are people who, even if the Gardens were adorned for them, would feel no yearning for them; so how could they love this world when He has already made them disinclined toward it? (3)”

Aḥmad said: I heard him say:
“Were it not for the night, I would have no wish to remain in this world; and there are times when I see the heart laughing aloud (4).”

(1) Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 9, p. 259; Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 10, p. 250; al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya, vol. 10, p. 256. These sources add: “The root of every good in this world and the next is fear of God.” (2) al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya, vol. 10, p. 256. (3) The report appears in Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 9, p. 273, with the following wording: Ahmad—meaning Ibn Abi al-Hawari—said, “I heard Abu Sulayman say: ‘Among God’s creatures are people who, even if the gardens of Paradise were disparaged before them, would not long for them; so how could they love this world when He has already made them abstain from it?’ I later repeated this to his son Sulayman, who asked, ‘Disparaged before them?’ I replied, ‘That is exactly what your father said.’ He answered, ‘By God, even if they had been enticed toward it they would not have longed for it—so how could they if it were disparaged?’” (4) See Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 9, p. 275; Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 10, p. 249; al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya, vol. 10, p. 257.

ابْنُ أَبِي الحَوَارِيِّ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سُلَيْمَانَ يَقُوْلُ: أَصْلُ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ الخَوْفُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، وَمِفْتَاحُ الدُّنْيَا الشِّبَعُ، وَمِفْتَاحُ الآخِرَةِ الجُوعُ (١) . أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الحَاكِمُ: أَخْبَرَنَا الخَلْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي الجُنَيْدُ، سَمِعْتُ السَّرِيَّ السَّقَطِيَّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ أَبِي الحَوَارِيِّ، سَمِعْتُ أَبَا سُلَيْمَانَ يَقُوْلُ: قَدَّمَ إِلَيَّ أَهْلِي مَرَّةً خُبْزاً وَمِلْحاً، فَكَانَ فِي المِلْحِ سُمْسُمَةٌ، فَأَكَلْتُهَا، فَوَجَدْتُ رَانَهَا عَلَى قَلْبِي بَعْدَ سَنَةٍ. أَحْمَدُ بنُ أَبِي الحَوَارِيِّ، وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ: مَنْ رَأَى لِنَفْسِهِ قِيْمَةً، لَمْ يَذُقْ حَلاَوَةَ الخِدْمَةِ (٢) . وَعَنْهُ: إِذَا تَكَلَّفَ المُتَعَبِّدُوْنَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالإِعرَابِ، ذَهَبَ الخُشُوْعُ مِنْ قُلُوْبِهِم. وَعَنْهُ: إِنَّ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللهِ خَلْقاً لَوْ زُيِّنَ لَهُمُ الجِنَانُ، مَا اشْتَاقُوا إِلَيْهَا، فَكَيْفَ يُحِبُّوْنَ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ زَهَّدَهُم فِيْهَا (٣) . قَالَ أَحْمَدُ: وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُوْلُ: لَوْلاَ اللَّيْلُ لَمَا أَحْبَبْتُ البَقَاءَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَلَرُبَّمَا رَأَيْتُ القَلْبَ يَضْحَكُ ضَحِكاً (٤) .

(١) " حلية الأولياء " ٩ / ٢٥٩، و" تاريخ بغداد " ١٠ / ٢٥٠، و" البداية والنهاية " ١٠ / ٢٥٦، وفيها: وأصل كل خير في الدنيا والآخرة الخوف من الله تعالى. (٢) " البداية والنهاية " ١٠ / ٢٥٦. (٣) الخبر في " الحلية " ٩ / ٢٧٣، ولفظه: أحمد - هو ابن أبي الحواري قال: سمعت أبا سليمان يقول: إن في خلق الله تعالى خلقا لو ذم لهم الجنان ما اشتاقوا إليها، فكيف يحبون الدنيا وهو قد زهدهم فيها؟ فحدثت به سليمان ابنه، فقال: لو ذمها لهم؟ قلت: كذا قال أبوك. قال: والله لو شوقهم إليها لما اشتاقوا، فكيف لو ذمها لهم. (٤) انظر " الحلية " ٩ / ٢٧٥، و" تاريخ بغداد " ١٠ / ٢٤٩، و" البداية والنهاية " ١٠ / ٢٥٧.