Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (سيرة 2/276)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

when you mentioned me to him, did he not say, ‘Indeed, he is not the least among you in rank’? He said that only because he knows that I have been made a partner with him.”

Musaylimah then began to declaim in rhymed prose, imitating the Qur’an. Among the lines he recited were:

“Truly Allah has shown favor to the expectant woman:
He brought forth from her a living soul that moves about,
from between the membrane and the belly.”

He abolished the prescribed prayers for his followers and declared fornication and wine lawful, while still testifying that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was indeed a prophet. Banū Ḥanīfah, as a whole, sided with him on this.

Shuʿayb ibn Abī Ḥamzah narrated from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥusayn who said: Nāfiʿ ibn Jubayr related to us from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:

Musaylimah the liar came to Medina during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, repeatedly saying, “If Muḥammad will give me authority after him, I will follow him.” He entered the city with a large retinue from his tribe.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came to him accompanied by Thābit ibn Qays ibn Shamās, holding in his hand a small palm-stick. He stood before Musaylimah amid his men and said,

“Even if you were to ask me for this twig, I would not give it to you. You will never escape what Allah has decreed concerning you. If you turn away, Allah will surely destroy you. I take you to be the one about whom I was shown what I saw. Thābit ibn Qays will answer you on my behalf.”

With that, he turned and left.

Ibn ʿAbbās continued: I asked about the Prophet’s statement, “You are the one about whom I was shown what I saw,” and Abū Hurayrah informed me that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“While I was asleep I saw two golden bracelets on my forearms, and their presence distressed me. I was told in the dream to blow them off, so I blew, and they flew away. I interpreted them as two impostors who will appear after me.”

He added: “One is al-ʿAnsī, the man of Ṣanʿāʾ, and the other is Musaylimah, the man of al-Yamāmah.” The two Ṣaḥīḥ compilers—al-Bukhārī and Muslim—both recorded this tradition.

حين ذكرتموني له أما إنه ليس بأشركم مكانا؟ وما ذاك إلا لما يعلم أني قد أشركت معه. ثم جعل يسجع السجعات فيقول لهم فيما يقول مضاهاة للقرآن: لقد أنعم الله على الحبلى، أخرج منها نسمة تسعى، من بين صفاق وحشى. ووضع عنهم الصلاة وأحل لهم الزنى والخمر، وهو مع ذلك يشهد لرسول الله ﷺ أنه نبي. فأصفقت معه بنو حنيفة على ذلك. وقال شعيب بن أبي حمزة، عن عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن بن أبي حسين، قال: حدثنا نافع بن جبير، عن ابن عباس، قال: قدم مسيلمة الكذاب على عهد الله رسول الله ﷺ المدينة، فجعل يقول: إن جعل لي محمد الأمر من بعده اتبعته. وقدمها في بشر كثير من قومه. فأقبل النبي ﷺ، ومعه ثابت بن قيس بن شماس، وفي يد النبي ﷺ قطعة جريد، حتى وقف على مسيلمة في أصحابه، فقال: "إن سألتني هذه القطعة ما أعطيتكها، ولن تعدو أمر الله فيك، ولئن أدبرت ليعقرنك الله، وإني أراك الذي أريت فيه ما رأيت، وهذا ثابت بن قيس يجيبك عني" ثم انصرف. قال ابن عباس: فسألت عن قول النبي ﷺ: "إنك الذي أريت فيه ما رأيت"، فأخبرني أبو هريرة أن النبي ﷺ قال: "بينا أنا نائم رأيت في يدي سوارين من ذهب فأهمني شأنهما، فأوحي إلي في المنام أن أنفخهما، فنفختهما فطارا، فأولتهما كذابين يخرجان من بعدي". قال: فهذا أحدهما العنسي صاحب صنعاء، والآخر مسيلمة صاحب اليمامة. أخرجاه.