Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (11/262)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Commander of the Faithful, he is a disbeliever whose blood is licit; strike off his neck, and the liability for his blood is on me.”

Shuʿayb said the same: “Place his blood on my neck.” Yet Abū Isḥāq paid no heed to either of them.

Abū ʿAbd Allāh remarked, “No one in the assembly declared me an unbeliever more vehemently than those two. As for Ibn Simāʿah, he said:

“O Commander of the Faithful, he belongs to a noble family with an established reputation, and perhaps he will come to hold the view of the Commander of the Faithful.” At that the caliph seemed to soften.

Whenever Ibn Abī Dāwūd spoke to me I would not even look at him, but when Abū Isḥāq addressed me I answered him gently.

On the third day he said, “Answer me, Ahmad, for I have been told that you love leadership”—this because they had filled his heart with resentment against me.

Burghūth kept saying, “The Jabari has uttered such-and-such—speech that is outright disbelief in Allah.”

I replied, “I do not know anything about that. What I know is that He is One, the Eternal Refuge, without likeness or equal, exactly as He has described Himself.” With that, he fell silent.

Abū Isḥāq then said to me, “Ahmad, I feel for you as I feel for my own son Hārūn. So answer me—by Allah, I wish I had never come to know you, Ahmad. Fear Allah, fear Allah regarding your blood.”

When it brought no result he exclaimed, “May Allah curse you; I had hoped you would comply!”

Then he ordered, “Seize him and drag him away.”

I was taken, stripped, and two executioners with their whips were brought. I carried with me a strand of the Prophet’s hair, peace and blessings be upon him. They set me between the two executioners and I said:

“O Commander of the Faithful, fear Allah! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘The blood of a man who testifies that there is no god but Allah and that I am the Messenger of Allah is not lawful except in one of three cases.’ O Commander of the Faithful, on what basis do you deem my blood lawful? Fear Allah, fear Allah! Do not meet Allah while there is a claim outstanding between you and me. Remember, O Commander of the Faithful, your standing before Allah—exalted is He—just as I now stand before you. Be mindful of Allah.”

He seemed to hesitate, and Ibn Abī Dāwūd, fearing that pity or mercy might overtake him, declared, “He is an unbeliever in Allah, astray and leading others astray!”

أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، هُوَ كَافِرٌ حلاَلُ الدَّمِ، اضربْ عُنُقَه، وَدمُه فِي عُنُقِي. وَقَالَ شُعَيْبٌ كَذَلِكَ أَيْضاً: تَقَلَّدْ دَمِي، فَلَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ إِلَيْهِمَا. وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ: لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي القَوْمِ أَشَدُّ تَكْفِيْراً لِي مِنْهُمَا، وَأَمَّا ابْنُ سِمَاعَةَ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، إِنَّه مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ شَرفٍ ولَهُم قَدَمٌ، وَلَعَلَّهُ يَصيرُ إِلَى الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ أَمِيْرُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، فَكَأنَّه رقَّ عِنْدَهَا، وَكَانَ إِذَا كَلَّمنِي ابْنُ أَبِي دُوَادَ، لَمْ ألتفتْ إِلَى كَلاَمِه، وَإِذَا كلَّمنِي أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ، أَلَنْتُ لَهُ القَوْلَ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ فِي اليَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ: أَجِبنِي يَا أَحْمَدُ، فَإِنَّه بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تحبُّ الرِّئاسَةَ، وَذَلِكَ لَمَّا أوَغرُوا قَلْبَه عَلَيَّ. وَجَعَلَ بَرْغُوْثُ يَقُوْلُ: قَالَ الجَبْرِيُّ: كَذَا وَكَذَا كَلاَمٌ هُوَ الكُفْرُ بِاللهِ. فَجعلتُ أَقُوْلُ: مَا أَدرِي مَا هَذَا، إِلاَّ أَنِّي أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ أَحَدٌ صَمَدٌ لاَ شِبْهَ لَهُ وَلاَ عِدْلَ، وَهُوَ كَمَا وَصفَ نَفْسَهُ، فَسَكَتَ. وَقَالَ لِي أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ: يَا أَحْمَدُ، إِنِّي لأُشْفِقُ عَلَيْكَ كَشفقَتِي عَلَى ابْنِي هَارُوْنَ، فَأَجِبْنِي، وَاللهِ لَودِدتُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَكُنْ عَرفتُكَ يَا أَحْمَدُ، اللهَ اللهَ فِي دَمِكَ. فلَمَّا كَانَ فِي آخِرِ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: لَعنكَ اللهُ، لَقَدْ طَمعتُ أَنْ تُجِيبَنِي. ثُمَّ قَالَ: خُذُوهُ، وَاسحَبُوهُ. فَأُخذتُ ثُمَّ خُلِّعتُ، وَجِيْءَ بِعُقَابَيْنِ وَأَسيَاطٍ، وَكَانَ مَعِي شعرٌ مِنْ شعرِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ثُمَّ صُيِّرتُ بَيْنَ العُقَابينِ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، اللهَ اللهَ، إِنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ: (لاَ يَحِلُّ دَمُ امْرِئٍ يَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَأَنِّي رَسُوْلُ اللهِ إِلاَّ بِإِحْدَى ثَلاَثٍ) ، يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، فِيمَ تَسْتحلُّ دَمِي؟ اللهَ اللهَ، لاَ تَلقَ اللهَ وَبَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ مُطَالَبَةٌ، اذكرْ يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ وُقُوفَك بَيْنَ يَدَيِ اللهِ -تَعَالَى- كَوقُوفِي بَيْن يَدَيكَ، وَرَاقبِ اللهَ. فَكَأَنَّهُ أَمسكَ، فَخَافَ ابْنُ أَبِي دُوَادَ أَنْ يَكُوْنَ مِنْهُ عطفٌ أَوْ رَأفَةٌ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّه كَافِرٌ بِاللهِ، ضَالٌّ مُضِلٌّ.