Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (14/534)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He narrated from Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz and Ibrāhīm al-Khawwāṣ. Those who narrated from him include Jaʿfar al-Khuldī, Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Takritī, Abū al-Qāsim al-Baṣrī, and many others. He passed away while living as a neighbor to Mecca.

Among his words are the following: “Whoever enters this vast wilderness needs four things: a spiritual state that protects him, knowledge that steers him, scrupulous God-wariness that restrains him, and remembrance that gives him solace.”

He also said: “Sufism is refined character; whoever outstrips you in character has outstripped you in Sufism.”

It is related from him: “The rule for an aspirant is that his sleep be only when it overtakes him, his eating only out of need, and his speech only when necessary.”

The author comments: Indeed, it befits the sincere seeker to reduce his speech, food, sleep, and social mixing, and to increase his litanies, humility, remembrance of death, and the saying, “There is no might nor power except with Allah.” (1)

al-Ibar, 2:194–195; al-Wafi bi-l-wafayat, 4:111–112; Tabaqat al-awliya, 144–148; al-Nujum al-zahira, 3:248; Shadharat al-dhahab, 2:296. (1) Reported by al-Bukhari, 11/159 (Book of Supplications, chapter: The supplication when ascending a rise), 11/180 (chapter: Saying la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah), and 11/437–438 (Book of Predestination), through two chains from Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, from Abu Musa al-Ashari: “We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a military expedition. Whenever we ascended a hill or went down into a valley we raised our voices with the takbir. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ approached us and said: ‘People, be gentle with yourselves; you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent. Rather, you are calling upon One who hears and sees.’ He then said: ‘Abd Allah b. Qays, shall I teach you a phrase that is a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? It is: la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power and no might except with Allah).’

حَكَى عَنْ: أَبِي سَعِيْدٍ الخَرَّازِ، وَإِبْرَاهِيْمَ الخَوَّاصِ. حَكَى عَنْهُ: جَعْفَرٌ الخُلْدِيُّ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَلِيٍّ التَّكْرِيْتِيُّ، وَأَبُو القَاسِمِ البَصْرِيُّ، وَآخَرُوْنَ. وَمَاتَ مُجَاوِراً بِمَكَّةَ. وَمِنْ كَلاَمِهِ، قَالَ: مَنْ يَدْخُلْ فِي هَذِهِ المفَازَةِ يَحْتَاجَ إِلَى أَرْبَعٍ: حَالٍ تَحْمِيْهِ، وَعِلْمٍ يَسُوْسُهُ، وَوِرَعٍ يَحْجُزُهُ، وَذِكْرٍ يُؤنِسُهُ. وَقَالَ: التَّصَوُّفُ خُلقٌ، فَمَنْ زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي الخُلقِ، زَادَ عَلَيْكَ فِي التَّصَوُّفِ. وَعَنْهُ، قَالَ: مِنْ حُكمِ المُرِيدِ أَنْ يَكُوْنَ نَومُهُ غَلَبَةً، وَأَكْلُهُ فَاقَةً، وَكَلاَمُهُ ضَرُوْرَةً. قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ لِلصَّادِقِ أَنْ يُقِلَّ مِنَ الكَلاَمِ وَالأَكلِ وَالنَّومِ وَالمُخَالَطَةِ، وَأَنَّ يُكثِرَ مِنَ الأَورَادِ وَالتَّوَاضُعِ، وَذِكْرَ المَوْتِ، وَقَوْلِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللهِ (١) .

= العبر: ٢ / ١٩٥ ١٩٤، الوافي بالوفيات: ٤ / ١١٢ ١١١، طبقات الأولياء: ١٤٨ ١٤٤، النجوم الزاهرة: ٣ / ٢٤٨، شذرات الذهب: ٢ / ٢٩٦. (١) أخرج البخاري: ١١ / ١٥٩ في الدعوات: باب الدعاء إذا علا عقبة، و١١ / ١٨٠: باب قول لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله، و١١ / ٤٣٨ ٤٣٧ في القدر، من طريقين عن أبي عثمان النهدي، عن أبي موسى الأشعري قال: كنا مع رسول الله ﷺ في غزاة، فجعلنا لا نصعد شرفا، ولا نعلو شرفا، ولا نهبط في واد، إلا رفعنا أصواتنا في التكبير. قال: فدنا منا رسول الله ﷺ فقال: " أيها الناس! اربعوا على أنفسكم، فإنكم لا تدعون أصم ولا غائبا، إنما تدعون سميعا بصيرا ". ثم قال: " يا عبد الله بن قيس! ألا أعلمك كلمة هي كنز من كنوز الجنة؟ لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله ". =