Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (14/396)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

of the alley saying to someone, “Who is the deceased?” and the man replied, “A stranger who used to stay here.” I exclaimed, “We belong to Allah! After my brother’s long residence here and his fame for knowledge and commerce, he is reduced to being called: ‘A stranger who used to stay here.’” That remark drove me to return to my homeland (1).

I say: His brother Ismāʿīl al-Sarrāj (2) was reliable, learned, and closely associated with Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal. He related hadith from Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā and many others, and was himself narrated from by Ismāʿīl al-Khuṭabī, Ibn Qāniʿ, and a number of scholars.

Ismāʿīl ibn Ismāʿīl informed us in his book; Aḥmad ibn Tamīm al-Labliyy informed us in Baalbek; Abū Rūḥ informed us in Herat; Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl informed us; ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Aḥmad al-Malīḥī informed us; Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Khaffāf informed us; Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Sarrāj dictated to us, saying:

“Whoever does not affirm that Allah—exalted is He—marvels and laughs (3), and that He descends every night to the lowest heaven and says, ‘Who will ask of Me so that I may give him? (4)’ is a heretical unbeliever who must be urged to repent; if he repents, well and good, otherwise his neck is to be struck. No funeral prayer is to be performed for him, nor is he to be buried in the Muslims’ cemeteries.

I add: One is not to be declared an unbeliever unless he knows that the Messenger ﷺ actually said this and then rejects it; such a person is obstinate—may Allah guide us. But if he acknowledges its truth while refraining from probing its meanings, he has acted rightly; and if he believes and interprets all of it, or offers an interpretation

(1) Tarikh Bagdad, vol. 6, p. 293. (2) Al-Khatib includes his biography in the same work, vol. 6, pp. 292-293. (3) Al-Bukhari, vol. 6, p. 101, Book of Jihad, chapter “Prisoners in Chains,” ḥadith of Abu Hurayrah in which the Prophet said: “Allah was amazed at a people who will enter Paradise in chains.” The collection also records, vol. 8, pp. 482-484, another report from Abu Hurayrah: “Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, marveled—or laughed—at so-and-so.” For additional traditions on this theme, see Ibn Khuzaymah, Kitab al-Tawhid, pp. 230-238. (4) The documentation has already been given in footnote (3) on p. 279.

الدَّربِ يَقُوْلُ لآخَرَ: مَنْ هَذَا المَيتُ؟ قَالَ: غَرِيْبٌ كَانَ هَا هُنَا. فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّا للهِ، بَعْدَ طُولِ مُقَامِ أَخِي بِهَا، وَاشتِهَارِه بِالعِلْمِ وَالتِّجَارَةِ، يُقَالُ لَهُ: غَرِيْبٌ كَانَ هُنَا. فَحَمَلَتْنِي هَذِهِ الكَلِمَةُ عَلَى الانْصِرَافِ إِلَى الوَطَنِ (١) . قُلْتُ: كَانَ أَخُوْهُ إِسْمَاعِيْلُ السَّرَّاجُ (٢) ثِقَةً، عَالِماً، مُخْتَصّاً بِأَحْمَدَ بنِ حَنْبَلٍ، يَرْوِي عَنْ: يَحْيَى بنِ يَحْيَى، وَجَمَاعَةٍ. رَوَى عَنْهُ: إِسْمَاعِيْلُ الخُطَبِيُّ، وَابْنُ قَانِعٍ، وَطَائِفَةٌ. أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيْلُ بنُ إِسْمَاعِيْلَ فِي كِتَابِهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ تَمِيْمٍ اللَّبْلِيُّ ببَعْلَبَكَّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو رَوْحٍ بِهَرَاةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بنُ إِسْمَاعِيْلَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الوَاحِدِ بنُ أَحْمَدَ المَلِيْحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الخَفَّافُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو العَبَّاسِ السَّرَّاجُ إِمْلاَءً، قَالَ: مَنْ لَمْ يُقِرَّ بِأَنَّ اللهَ - تَعَالَى - يَعْجَبُ، وَيَضْحَكُ (٣) ، وَيَنْزِلُ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، فَيَقُوْلُ: (مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي، فَأُعْطِيَهُ (٤)) ، فَهُوَ زِنْدِيْقٌ كَافِرٌ يُسْتَتَابُ، فَإِنْ تَابَ، وَإِلاَّ ضُرِبَتْ عُنُقه، وَلاَ يُصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ، وَلاَ يُدْفَنُ فِي مَقَابِرِ المُسْلِمِيْنَ. قُلْتُ: لاَ يُكفَّرُ إِلَّا إِنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ ﷺ قَالَهُ، فَإِنْ جَحَدَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَهَذَا مُعَانِدٌ - نَسْأَلُ اللهَ الهُدَى - وَإِنِ اعْتَرَفَ إِنَّ هَذَا حَقٌّ، وَلَكِنْ لاَ أَخُوضُ فِي مَعَانِيهِ، فَقَدْ أَحسَنَ، وَإِنْ آمَنَ، وَأَوَّلَ ذَلِكَ كُلَّه، أَوْ تَأَوَّلَ

(١) " تاريخ بغداد " ٦ / ٢٩٣. (٢) ترجمه الخطيب في " تاريخه " ٦ / ٢٩٢ - ٢٩٣. (٣) في البخاري: ٦ / ١٠١ في الجهاد: باب الاسارى في السلاسل، من حديث أبي هريرة، عن النبي ﷺ قال: " عجب الله من قوم يدخلون الجنة في السلاسل ". وفيه أيضا: ٨ / ٤٨٤ - ٤٨٢ من حديث أبي هريرة قال " لقد عجب الله عزوجل أو ضحك من فلان وفلانة ". وانظر الأحاديث في هذا الباب في كتاب " التوحيد " لابن خزيمة ص ٢٣٠ - ٢٣٨. (٤) تقدم تخريجه في الحاشية (٣) من الصفحة (٢٧٩) .