Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (11/238)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Ṣāliḥ ibn Aḥmad said: I heard my father relate:

“When we were brought before Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm for the interrogation, he read out to us the letter that had arrived from Ṭarsūs—that is, from al-Maʾmūn. In it were the verses: ‘Nothing is like unto Him’ (Q 42:11) and ‘He is the Creator of every thing’ (Q 6:102).

I responded, ‘…and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’

Ṣāliḥ continues: The people were then examined, and whoever refused was sent off to prison. Everyone yielded except four men: my father, Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ, al-Qawārīrī, and al-Ḥasan ibn Ḥammād Sajjada.

Subsequently the latter two capitulated, while my father and Muḥammad remained in prison for several days. Then a letter came from Ṭarsūs commanding that the pair be transported, chained together, on a single mount.

Al-Ṭabarānī narrates: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad told us; Abū Maʿmar al-Qaṭīʿī told me:

“When we were brought to the palace during the inquisition and Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal had already been summoned, he saw the people giving in. Though normally mild-tempered, the veins in his neck swelled, his eyes reddened, and that gentleness vanished.

I said, ‘He has become angry for the sake of Allah.’ Then I told him, ‘Rejoice! Ibn Fuḍayl narrated to us, from al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Jumayʿ, from Abū Salama, who said:

‘Among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, were men who, whenever someone tried to coerce them in a matter of their religion, the pupils of their eyes would roll in their sockets as though they were mad.’”

ʿUmar ibn al-Qawwās informed us, from al-Kindī; al-Karūkhī informed us; Shaykh al-Islām informed us; Abū Yaʿqūb informed us; Ḥusayn ibn Muḥammad al-Khaffāf narrated: I heard Ibn Abī Usāmah say:

“It was related to us that during the inquisition Aḥmad was told, ‘Abū ʿAbd Allāh, do you not see how falsehood has prevailed over truth?’

He replied, ‘Never! Falsehood would prevail over truth only if hearts were to shift from guidance to misguidance—and our hearts remain steadfast upon the truth.’”

Al-Aṣamm reports: ʿAbbās al-Dūrī told us; I heard Abū Jaʿfar al-Anbārī say:

قَالَ صَالِحُ بنُ أَحْمَدَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُوْلُ: لَمَّا دَخلنَا عَلَى إِسْحَاقَ بنِ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ لِلْمِحْنَةِ، قَرَأَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابَ الَّذِي صَارَ إِلَى طَرَسُوْسَ -يَعْنِي: المَأْمُوْنَ- فَكَانَ فِيْمَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْنَا: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ﴾ [الشُّورَى: ١١] : ﴿وَهُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ [الأَنعَامُ: ١٠٢] . فَقُلْتُ: ﴿وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ البَصِيْرُ﴾ . قَالَ صَالِحٌ: ثُمَّ امْتُحِنَ القَوْمُ، وَوُجِّهَ بِمَنْ امتنعَ إِلَى الحَبْسِ، فَأجَابَ القَوْمُ جَمِيْعاً غَيْرَ أَرْبَعَةٍ: أَبِي، وَمُحَمَّدِ بنِ نُوْحٍ، وَالقَوَارِيْرِيِّ، وَالحَسَنِ بنِ حَمَّادٍ سَجَّادَةَ. ثُمَّ أَجَابَ هَذَانِ، وَبَقِيَ أَبِي وَمُحَمَّدٌ فِي الحَبْسِ أَيَّاماً، ثُمَّ جَاءَ كِتَابٌ مِنْ طَرَسُوْسَ بِحَمْلهِمَا مُقَيَّدَيْنِ زَمِيلَينِ. الطَّبَرَانِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ أَحْمَدَ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو مَعْمَرٍ القَطِيْعِيُّ، قَالَ: لَمَّا أُحْضِرنَا إِلَى دَارِ السُّلْطَانِ أَيَّامَ المِحْنَةِ، وَكَانَ أَحْمَدُ بنُ حَنْبَلٍ قد أحْضِرَ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّاسَ يُجِيْبُوْنَ، وَكَانَ رَجُلاً لَيِّناً، فَانتفَخَتْ أَوْدَاجُه، وَاحْمرَّتْ عَينَاهُ، وَذَهَبَ ذَلِكَ اللِّيْنُ. فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّه قَدْ غَضِبَ للهِ، فَقُلْتُ: أَبْشِرْ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنِ الوَلِيْدِ بنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بنِ جُمَيْعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، قَالَ: كَانَ مِن أَصْحَابِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ إِذَا أُرِيدَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِن أَمرِ دِينِه، رَأَيْتَ حَمَالِيْقَ عَيْنَيْهِ فِي رَأْسهِ تَدُورُ كَأنَّه مَجنُوْنٌ. أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بنُ القَوَّاسِ: عَنِ الكِنْدِيِّ، أَخْبَرَنَا الكَرُوْخِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا شَيْخُ الإِسْلاَمِ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو يَعْقُوْبَ، حَدَّثَنَا الحُسَيْنُ بنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الخَفَّافُ: سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ يَقُوْلُ: حُكِيَ لَنَا أَنَّ أَحْمَدَ قِيْلَ لَهُ أَيَّامَ المِحْنَةِ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ، أَوَلاَ تَرَى الحَقَّ كَيْفَ ظَهرَ عَلَيْهِ البَاطِلُ؟ قَالَ: كَلاَّ، إِن ظُهورَ البَاطِلِ عَلَى الحَقِّ أَنْ تَنْتَقِلَ القُلُوْبُ مِنَ الهُدَى إِلَى الضَّلاَلَةِ، وَقُلُوْبُنَا بَعْدُ لاَزمَةٌ لِلْحقِّ. الأَصَمُّ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّاسٌ الدُّوْرِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ الأَنْبَارِيَّ يَقُوْلُ: