Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (13/257)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

—he came to me in the morning and said, “Come, let us visit the shaykhs.”

I replied, “I am too weak; I simply cannot.”

He asked, “In what way are you weak?”

I said, “I will not conceal my state from you: two whole days have passed and I have eaten nothing.”

He said, “I still have a dinar; half of it is yours, and we shall use the other half for the fare.” So we left Basra, and I took from him the half-dinar (1).

I heard my father say: “We departed from Madinah, from the home of Dāwūd al-Jaʿfarī, then went on to al-Jār and boarded a ship. The wind was against us, and we remained at sea for three months. Our hearts grew constricted and everything we had with us was spent (2). We disembarked and walked overland for several days until the last of our food and water was gone. We walked one day without eating or drinking, the second day the same, and the third likewise. When evening came we would pray and collapse wherever we happened to be. On the morning of that third day we moved on as best we could. We were three men: an elder from Nishapur, Abū Zuhayr al-Marwarūdhī, and myself. The elder collapsed unconscious; we tried to rouse him but he was insensible, so we left him and walked about a farsakh—roughly three miles. My strength then failed, and I too fell unconscious, while my companion kept walking. From a distance he spotted some people who had brought their boat close to shore and had come down to the Well of Moses. When he saw them he waved his garment to attract their attention. They came to him carrying water in a small waterskin (3), gave him a drink, and took him by the hand.

He said to them, “Go and look for my two companions.” I was unaware of anything until a man was pouring water over my face. I opened my eyes and said, “Give me something to drink.” He poured a little water into a cup, and I drank; life returned to me. Then he gave me a little more and took me by the hand. I said, “Behind me lies an elder who has collapsed.” A group of them went to him while the man continued to hold my hand, and I

(1) See Ibn Abi Hatim, Al-Jarh wa al-Taʿdil, vol. 1, pp. 363–364; the additional wording is taken from this source. (2) Al-Jarh wa al-Taʿdil adds here: “from the provisions, and a portion still remained.” (3) *Idawah* (a small ablution vessel): a diminutive container used to carry water.

غَدَا عَلَيَّ، فَقَالَ: مُرَّ بِنَا إِلَى المَشَايِخِ. قُلْتُ: أَنَا ضَعِيْفٌ لاَ يُمْكِنُنِي. قَالَ: مَا ضَعْفُكَ؟ قُلْتُ: لاَ أَكْتُمُكُ أَمْرِي، قَدْ مَضَى يَوْمَان مَا طَعمتُ فِيْهِمَا شَيْئاً. فَقَالَ: قَدْ بَقِيَ مَعِيَ دِيْنَارٌ، فَنِصْفُهُ لَكَ، وَنَجْعَلُ النِّصْفَ الآخَرَ فِي الكِرَاءِ، فَخَرَجْنَا مِنَ البَصْرَةِ، وَأَخَذْتُ مِنْهُ النِّصْفَ دِيْنَار (١) . وَسَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُوْلُ: خَرَجْنَا مِنَ المَدِيْنَةِ، مِنْ عِنْدِ دَاوُدَ الجَعْفَرِيِّ، وَصِرْنَا إِلَى الجَارِ وَرَكِبْنَا البَحْرَ، فَكَانَتِ الرِّيْحُ فِي وَجُوْهِنَا، فَبَقِيْنَا فِي البَحْرِ ثَلاَثَةَ أَشْهُرٍ، وَضَاقتْ صُدُوْرُنَا، وَفَنِيَ مَا كَانَ مَعَنَا (٢) ، وَخَرَجْنَا إِلَى البَرِّ نَمْشِي أَيَّاماً، حَتَّى فَنِيَ مَا تَبَقَّى مَعَنَا مِنَ الزَّادِ وَالمَاءِ، فَمَشَيْنَا يَوْماً لَمْ نَأْكلْ وَلَمْ نَشْرَبْ، وَيَوْمَ الثَّانِي كَمثل، وَيَوْمَ الثَّالِثِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَكُوْنُ المَسَاءَ صَلَّيْنَا، وَكُنَّا نُلْقِي بِأَنْفُسِنَا حَيْثُ كُنَّا، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْنَا فِي اليَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ، جَعَلنَا نَمْشِي عَلَى قَدْرِ طَاقَتِنَا، وَكُنَّا ثَلاَثَةَ أَنْفُسٍ: شَيْخٌ نَيْسَابُورِيٌّ، وَأَبُو زُهَيْرٍ المَرْوَرُّوْذِيُّ، فَسَقَطَ الشَّيْخُ مَغْشِيّاً عَلَيْهِ، فَجِئْنَا نُحَرِّكُهُ وَهُوَ لاَ يَعْقِلُ، فَتَرَكْنَاهُ، وَمَشَيْنَا قَدْرَ فَرْسَخٍ، فَضَعُفْتُ، وَسَقَطْتُ مَغْشِيّاً عَلِيَّ، وَمَضَى صَاحِبِي يَمْشِي، فَبَصُرَ مِنْ بُعْدٍ قَوْماً، قَرَّبُوا سَفِيْنَتَهُم مِنَ البِرِّ، وَنَزَلُوا عَلَى بِئْرِ مُوْسَى، فَلَمَّا عَايَنَهُم، لَوَّحَ بِثَوْبِهِ إِلَيْهِم، فَجَاؤُوهُ مَعَهُم مَاءٌ فِي إِدْاوَةٍ (٣) . فَسَقَوْهُ وَأَخَذُوا بِيَدِهِ. فَقَالَ لَهُم: الحَقُوا رَفِيْقَيْنِ لِي، فَمَا شَعَرْتُ إِلاَّ بِرَجُلٍ يَصُبُّ المَاءَ عَلَى وَجْهِي، فَفَتَحْتُ عَيْنِيَّ، فَقُلْتُ: اسقِنِي، فَصَبَّ مِنَ المَاءِ فِي مَشْربَةٍ قَلِيْلاً، فَشَرِبْتُ، وَرَجَعَتْ إِليَّ نَفْسِي، ثُمَّ سَقَانِي قَلِيْلاً، وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي، فَقُلْتُ: وَرَائِي شَيْخٌ مُلْقَى، فَذَهَبَ جَمَاعَةٌ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي، وَأَنَا

(١) انظر: الجرح والتعديل: ١ / ٣٦٣ - ٣٦٤. والزيادة منه. (٢) أضاف هنا في " الجرح ": " من الزاد، وبقيت بقية ". (٣) الاداوة: المطهرة، وهي أناء صغير يحمل فيه الماء.