Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (12/11)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Abū al-ʿAynāʾ recounted: “We were in the assembly of Abū ʿĀṣim when Abū Bakr, the son of Yaḥyā ibn Aktham, began quarrelling with a youth. Abū ʿĀṣim asked, ‘mahyam? (what is the matter?)’ (1)
They answered, ‘Abū Bakr is bickering with a boy.’ He replied, ‘If he steals, a forefather of his stole before him.’ (2)

He was also lampooned in scattered verses that I have not cited here.

Al-Khaṭīb said: When al-Mutawakkil succeeded to the caliphate, he placed Yaḥyā in the position formerly held by Ibn Abī Dāwūd and bestowed on him five robes of honour. (3)

Nifṭawayh stated: When Yaḥyā was removed from the judiciary and replaced by Jaʿfar al-Hāshimī, his secretary came to him and said, ‘Hand over the diwan (the official registers).’ Yaḥyā replied, ‘Bring two upright witnesses against the Commander of the Faithful to attest to that.’ The secretary ignored him, the registers were taken by force, and al-Mutawakkil ordered the confiscation of his property. He was sent on to Baghdad and placed under house arrest.

Al-Kawkabiyy reported: Muḥriz ibn Aḥmad the scribe narrated to us—Muḥammad ibn Muslim al-Saʿdī narrated to me—that he said, ‘I entered upon Yaḥyā ibn Aktham and he said, “Open that portfolio.” I opened it, and inside was an object whose head was that of a human, but from its navel downward it had the form of a crow. (4) A large wen—meaning a hump—protruded from its back, and another one bulged from its chest.’

= 10/316. Yahya ibn Aktham was counted among the leading imams of the Sunnah, a scholar revered by the people and highly regarded for his mastery of fiqh, hadith, and strict adherence to the transmitted tradition. (1) Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam notes in Gharib al-Hadith, 2/190-191, that the word mahim seems to be of Yemeni origin and means “what is the matter with you?” or “what is this that I see from you?”—in other words, an interrogative about someone’s state or situation. In the hadith reported from Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, the Prophet saw traces of yellow perfume on him and asked, “Mahim?” He replied, “I have married a woman from the Ansar for the weight of a gold date-stone.” The Prophet said, “Give a wedding banquet, even if only with a single sheep.” (2) Tarikh Baghdad, 14/197; Wafayat al-Ayan, 6/153. (3) Tarikh Baghdad, 14/200-201. (4) Al-Damiri explains that the zaagh is a species of crow, also called the zar‘i, a type of field crow.

قَالَ أَبُو العَيْنَاءِ: كُنَّا فِي مَجْلِسِ أَبِي عَاصِمٍ، فَنَازَعَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ بنُ يَحْيَى بنِ أَكْثَمَ غُلاَماً، فَقَالَ أَبُو عَاصِمٌ: مَهْيَمْ (١) ؟ قِيْلَ: أَبُو بَكْرٍ يُنَازِعُ غُلاَماً، فَقَالَ: إِنْ يَسْرِقْ، فَقَدْ سَرَقَ أَبٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ (٢) . وَقَدْ هُجِيَ بِأَبْيَاتٍ مُفَرَّقَةٍ لَمْ أَسُقْهَا. قَالَ الخَطِيْبُ: لَمَّا اسْتُخْلِفَ المُتَوَكِّلُ، صَيَّرَ يَحْيَى فِي مَرْتَبَةِ ابْنِ أَبِي دُوَادَ، وَخَلَعَ عَلَيْهِ خَمْسَ خِلَعٍ (٣) . وَقَالَ نِفْطَوَيْه: لَمَّا عُزِلَ يَحْيَى مِنَ القَضَاءِ بِجَعْفَرٍ الهَاشِمِيِّ، جَاءهُ كَاتِبُهُ، فَقَالَ: سَلِّمِ الدِّيْوَانَ. فَقَالَ: شَاهِدَانِ عَدْلاَنِ عَلَى أَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ بِذَلِكَ. فَلَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ إِلَيْهِ، وَأُخِذَ مِنْهُ قَهْراً، وَأَمَرَ المُتَوَكِّلُ بِقَضِّ أَمْلاَكِهِ، وَحُوِّلَ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ، وَأُلزِمَ بَيْتَهُ. قَالَ الكَوْكَبِيُّ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحْرِزُ بنُ أَحْمَدَ الكَاتِبُ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ مُسْلِمٍ السَّعْدِيُّ، قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى يَحْيَى بنِ أَكْثَمَ، فَقَالَ: افْتَحْ هَذَا القِمَطْرَ. فَفَتَحَ، فَإِذَا فِيْهِ شَيْءٌ رَأْسُهُ رَأْسُ إِنْسَانٍ، وَمِنْ سُرَّتِهِ إِلَى أَسْفَلٍ خِلْقَةُ زَاغٍ (٤) ، وَفِي ظَهْرِهِ سِلْعَةٌ -يَعْنِي: حَدْبَةٌ- وَفِي صَدْرِهِ كَذَلِكَ.

= ١٠ / ٣١٦، كان يحيى بن أكثم هذا من أئمة السنة، وعلماء الناس، ومن المعظمين للفقه والحديث واتباع الاثر. (١) قال أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام في " غريب الحديث " ٢ / ١٩٠، ١٩١: مهيم: كأنها كلمة يمانية، معناها: ما أمرك، أو ما هذا الذي أرى منك، ونحو هذا من الكلام. فهي كلمة استفهام عن الحال أو الشأن. وفي حديث عبد الرحمن بن عوف ﵁ أن النبي ﷺ رأى عليه وضرا من صفرة، فقال: مهيم؟ قال: تزوجت امرأة من الانصار على نواة من ذهب. قال: " أولم ولو بشاة ". (٢) " تاريخ بغداد " ١٤ / ١٩٧، و" وفيات الأعيان " ٦ / ١٥٣. (٣) " تاريخ بغداد " ١٤ / ٢٠٠، ٢٠١. (٤) قال الدميري: الزاغ: نوع من أنواع الغربان، يقال له: الزرعي، وغراب =