Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (14/36)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Abū ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Akhram said: “Muḥammad ibn Naṣr returned from his second journey in the year 260 AH, took up residence in Nīshāpūr, and kept his business running there. He entered into a profit-sharing partnership, while devoting himself to study and worship. In 275 AH he set out for Samarqand, where he remained, while his partner stayed in Nīshāpūr. During his years in Nīshāpūr he became the leading scholar and mufti after the death of Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā, for Ḥaykān⦗1⦘—that is, Yaḥyā the son of Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā—and all who came after him acknowledged his excellence and precedence.

The ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Akhram related: “Ismāʿīl ibn Qutayba told us, ‘I heard Muḥammad ibn Yaḥyā on more than one occasion; whenever he was asked about a problem he would reply, “Ask Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Marwazī.” ’ ”

Abū Bakr al-Ṣibghī said: “I met two imams from whom I was not granted the chance to hear: Abū Ḥātim al-Rāzī and Muḥammad ibn Naṣr al-Marwazī. As for Ibn Naṣr, I never saw anyone perform the prayer more perfectly than he did. I was informed that a hornet once settled on his forehead, the blood ran down his face, and yet he did not move.”

Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb ibn al-Akhram added: “I have never seen a finer prayer than that of Muḥammad ibn Naṣr. Flies would land on his ear, blood would trickle down, and he would not brush them away. We used to marvel at the beauty of his prayer, his humility, and his composure in the ritual: he would rest his chin—”

Ibn Dinar transmitted from Ibn Umar who said: ʿUmar delivered a sermon to us at al-Jabiyah and declared: “O people, I am standing before you as the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—once stood among us and said: ‘I urge you to take care of my Companions; then those who succeed them; then those who succeed them. After that, lying will become widespread: a man will swear an oath without being asked to do so, and a witness will give testimony without being requested. Beware: no man should ever be alone with a woman, for the third present will be Satan. Hold fast to the community and beware of division, for Satan is with the solitary person and is farther away from two. Whoever wishes to dwell in the heart of Paradise should stay with the community. Whoever is pleased by his good deed and grieved by his bad deed—that one is a believer.’” Its chain of transmission is sound. Al-Hakim declared it authentic (1/114) and al-Dhahabi agreed; al-Tirmidhi graded it “hasan sahih” (good and sound). (1) Al-hafiz Yahya ibn Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Abd Allah al-Dhuhli, the leading scholar of Nishapur, died in 267 AH. He was nicknamed “Haykan,” and his biography is well established.

وَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ بنُ الأَخْرَمِ: انْصَرَفَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ نَصْرٍ مِنَ الرِّحلَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ سَنَةَ سِتِّيْنَ وَمائَتَيْنِ، فَاسْتَوْطَنَ نَيْسَابُوْرَ، فَلَمْ تَزَلْ تِجَارَتُهُ بِنَيْسَابُوْرَ، أَقَامَ مَعَ شَرِيْكٍ لَهُ مُضَارِبٍ، وَهُوَ يَشْتَغِلُ بِالعِلْمِ وَالعِبَادَةِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ سَنَةَ خَمْسٍ وَسَبْعِيْنَ إِلَى سَمَرْقَنْدَ، فَأَقَامَ بِهَا وَشريكُهُ بِنَيْسَابُوْرَ، وَكَانَ وَقتَ مُقَامِهِ بِنَيْسَابُوْرَ هُوَ المُقَدّم وَالمُفْتِي بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ يَحْيَى، فَإِنَّ حَيْكَانَ (١) - يَعْنِي: يَحْيَى وَلدُ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ يَحْيَى - وَمَنْ بَعْدَهُ أَقَرُّوا لَهُ بِالفَضْلِ، وَالتَّقَدُّمِ. قَالَ ابْنُ الأَخْرَمِ الحَافِظُ: أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيْلُ بنُ قُتَيْبَةَ، سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بنَ يَحْيَى غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ، إِذَا سُئِلَ عَنْ مَسْأَلَةٍ يَقُوْلُ: سَلُوا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللهِ المَرْوَزِيّ. وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّبْغِيّ: أَدْرَكْتُ إِمَامَيْن لَمْ أُرْزَق السَّمَاعَ مِنْهُمَا: أَبُو حَاتِمٍ الرَّازِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بنُ نَصْرٍ المَرْوَزِيُّ، فَأَمَّا ابْنُ نَصْرٍ، فَمَا رَأَيْتُ أَحْسَنَ صَلاَةً مِنْهُ، لَقَدْ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ زُنْبُوراً قَعَدَ عَلَى جَبْهَتِهِ، فسَالَ الدَّمُ عَلَى وَجهِهِ وَلَمْ يَتَحَرَّكْ. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ يَعْقُوْبَ بنِ الأَخْرَمِ: مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحْسَنَ صَلاَةً مِنْ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ نَصْرٍ، كَانَ الذُّبَابُ يقعُ عَلَى أُذُنِهِ، فَيَسِيْلُ الدَّمُ، وَلاَ يَذُبُّهُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَلَقَدْ كُنَّا نَتَعَجَّبُ مِنْ حُسْنِ صَلاَتِهِ وَخُشُوعِهِ وَهَيئَتِهِ للصَّلاَةِ، كَانَ يَضَعُ ذَقْنَهُ

= ابن دينار، عن ابن عمر قال: خطبنا عمر بالجابية فقال: يا أيها الناس إني قمت فيكم كمقام رسول الله ﷺ فينا فقال: " أوصيكم بأصحابي، ثم الذين يلونهم، ثم الذين يلونهم، ثم يفشو الكذب، حتى يحلف الرجل ولا يستحلف، ويشهد الشاهد ولا يستشهد، ألا لا يخلون رجل بأمرأة إلا كان ثالثهما الشيطان. عليكم بالجماعة، وإياكم والفرقة، فإن الشيطان مع الواحد، وهو من الاثنين أبعد، من أراد بحبوحة الجنة، فليلزم الجماعة، من سرته حسنته، وساءته سيئته فذلك المؤمن ". وسنده صحيح، وصححه الحاكم: ١ / ١١٤، ووافقه الذهبي، وقال الترمذي: حسن صحيح. (١) هو الحافظ يحيى بن محمد بن يحيى بن عبد الله الذهلي، شيخ نيسابور، المتوفى ٢٦٧ هـ، ويلقب: حيكان وقد تقامت ترجمته.