Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (11/247)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

or from the Sunnah of His Messenger, so that I may speak on its basis.

Ahmad ibn Abi Du’ad retorted, “So you will say nothing except what is in the Book or in the Sunnah?”

I replied, “You have advanced an interpretation—Allah knows best—but I have not espoused any interpretation for which a man deserves to be imprisoned or shackled (1).”

Hanbal said that Abu ‘Abd Allah remarked, “They produced an argument against me that my heart could scarcely bear and my tongue could not even repeat.

“They denied the transmitted reports, something I had never imagined of them until I heard it myself. They began ranting, saying, ‘The opponent says this and that’ (2). So I countered them with the Qur’an, citing His words: ‘Father, why do you worship what neither hears nor sees?’ (3) [Maryam 19:42]. Is that objectionable in your view?”

They cried, “He has likened—Commander of the Faithful, he has likened!”

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Būshanjī said: One of our companions informed me that Ahmad ibn Abi Du’ad turned toward Ahmad and began addressing him, but Ahmad would not so much as look at him, until al-Mu‘taṣim said, “Ahmad, will you not speak to Abu ‘Abd Allah?”

I replied, “I do not regard him as one of the people of knowledge worthy of conversation!”

Ṣāliḥ said: Ibn Abi Du’ad then declared, “Commander of the Faithful, by Allah, if he would only answer you, it would be dearer to me than a thousand dinars, even a hundred thousand dinars,” and he went on counting whatever Allah willed him to count.

He added, “If he answers me, I will personally free you from him, I will ride against him with my troops, and I will trample his heels.

“Ahmad, by Allah, I truly feel compassion for you, and I am anxious on your behalf…"

(1) Tarikh al-Islam quotes: “…So I said to him, ‘Since you have offered those interpretations, you know best; and what you have interpreted does not warrant imprisonment or fetters.’” (2) Tarikh al-Islam reads: “They began repeating the opponent’s statement, and so on.” (The wording is corrupt.) (3) Tarikh al-Islam continues after the verse: “Thus Abraham reproached his father for worshipping something that neither hears nor sees…”

أَوْ سُنَّةِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ حَتَّى أَقُوْلَ بِهِ. فَيَقُوْلُ أَحْمَدُ بنُ أَبِي دُوَادَ: أَنْتَ لاَ تَقُوْلُ إِلاَّ مَا فِي الكِتَابِ أَوِ السُّنَّةِ؟ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: تَأَوَّلتَ تَأويلاً، فَأَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ، وَمَا تَأَوَّلتُ مَا يُحبَسُ عَلَيْهِ، وَلاَ يُقَيَّدُ عَلَيْهِ (١) . قَالَ حَنْبَلٌ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ: لَقَدِ احتجُّوا عَلَيَّ بِشَيْءٍ مَا يَقْوَى قَلْبِي، وَلاَ ينطَلِقُ لِسَانِي أَن أَحكِيَهُ. أَنكرُوا الآثَارَ، وَمَا ظَنَنتُهُم عَلَى هَذَا حَتَّى سَمِعْتُه، وَجَعَلُوا يُرغُونَ، يَقُوْلُ الخَصْمُ كَذَا وَكَذَا (٢) ، فَاحتججتُ عَلَيْهِم بِالقُرْآنِ بِقَولِه: ﴿يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ وَلاَ يُبْصِرُ (٣) ﴾ [مَرْيَمُ: ٤٢] ، أَفَهَذَا مُنكَرٌ عِندكُم؟ فَقَالُوا: شَبَّهَ، يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، شَبَّهَ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ البُوْشَنْجِيُّ: حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا: أَنَّ أَحْمَدَ بنَ أَبِي دُوَادَ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى أَحْمَدَ يُكَلِّمُهُ، فَلَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ إِلَيْهِ، حَتَّى قَالَ المُعْتَصِمُ: يَا أَحْمَدُ، أَلاَ تُكَلِّمُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ؟ فَقُلْتُ: لَسْتُ أَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ العِلْمِ فَأُكلِّمَهُ!! قَالَ صَالِحٌ: وَجَعَلَ ابْنُ أَبِي دُوَادَ يَقُوْلُ: يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، وَاللهِ لَئِنْ أَجَابَكَ، لَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ أَلفِ دِيْنَارٍ، وَمائَةِ أَلْفِ دِيْنَارٍ، فَيَعُدُّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا شَاءَ اللهُ أَنْ يَعُدَّ. فَقَالَ: لَئِنْ أَجَابَنِي لأُطْلِقَكُنَّ عَنْهُ بِيَدِي، وَلأَرْكَبَنَّ إِلَيْهِ بِجُندِي، وَلأَطَأَنَّ عَقِبَهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا أَحْمَدُ، وَاللهِ إِنِّي عَلَيْكَ لَشَفِيْقٍ، وَإِنِّي لأُشْفِقُ عَلَيْكَ

(١) في " تاريخ الإسلام ": " ... فقلت له: كما تأولت تأويلات فأنت أعلم، وما تأولت ما يحبس عليه، وما يقيد عليه ". (٢) في " تاريخ الإسلام ": " وجعلوا يدعون بقول الخصم وكذا وكذا ". وهي مصحفة. (٣) في " تاريخ الإسلام " بعد الآية: " فذم إبراهيم أباه أن عبد ما لا يسمع ولا يبصر.."