Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (15/223)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He goes on to relate that many tawqiʿs (signed rescripts) were issued through him. When Abū Jaʿfar passed away, the deputyship devolved upon this Ḥusayn. He sat in the house, and the Shīʿa gathered round him. Then Dhakāʾ the servant came out carrying a staff, a rolled cloak (1), and a casket, and said to him:

“Our master commanded: ‘When Abū al-Qāsim Ḥusayn buries me and takes his seat, hand this over to him.’ Inside the casket were the signet-rings of the Imams.”

He then rose, accompanied by a group, and entered the residence of Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Shalmaghānī (2). His retinue swelled until princes, viziers, and leading notables rode to visit him, and people extolled his intellect and discernment.

ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Iyādī narrated on the authority of his father: “I witnessed him one day when Abū ʿUmar the judge (3) entered. Abū al-Qāsim said to him, ‘Sound counsel from a well-wisher is a lesson for the one entangled; therefore, let the judge not carry out what he has resolved.’ I saw Abū ʿUmar look at him and then ask, ‘Where did you get that?’

“He replied, ‘If what I have said is something you already knew, then your question, “Where did you get that?” is idle curiosity; but if you did not know it, then you have caught me.’

“Abū ʿUmar clasped his hands and said, ‘No, by Allah, I shall postpone you for my day—or for tomorrow.’”

When he had left, Abū al-Qāsim remarked, “Never have I seen a defeated man meet clear proof with such hypocrisy. I exposed to him what I have disclosed to no one else.”

Abū al-Qāsim continued to enjoy great respect until Ḥāmid ibn al-ʿAbbās assumed the vizierate; after that, a series of incidents occurred between them whose details would be lengthy to recount.

Ibn Abī Ṭayy then devoted several pages to his biography and to how he was taken and imprisoned for five—

(1) Mudraj: the term denotes “the accursed patch,” as recorded in Matn al-Lugha, vol. 2, p. 396. (2) The adjective derives from Shalmaghan, a village in the Wasit district. The Shalmaghani meant here is better known as Ibn Abi al-Azaker, famous for his doctrine of hulul (divine indwelling); he was executed in 322 AH. See: al-Lubab, 2 / 27; al-Kamil, 8 / 290–294. (3) Muhammad b. Yusuf, Chief Judge (qadi al-qudat), was held up as a model of intelligence and forbearance. He died in 320 AH. A full biography appears in Tarikh Baghdad, 3 / 401–405.

قَالَ: وَقَدْ خَرَجَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ توَاقيعُ كَثِيْرَةٌ: فَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ صَارَتِ النِّيَابَةُ إِلَى حُسَيْنٍ هَذَا، فَجَلَسَ فِي الدَّارِ، وَحَفَّ بِهِ الشِّيْعَةُ، فَخَرَجَ ذكَاء الخَادِمُ، وَمَعَهُ عكازَة، وَمُدَرَّج (١) وَحُقَّه، وَقَالَ لَهُ: إِن مولاَنَا قَالَ: إِذَا دَفَنَنِي أَبُو القَاسِمِ حُسَيْنٌ، وَجَلَسَ، فَسُلِّمَ إِلَيْهِ هَذَا، وَإِذَا فِي الحُقِّ خَوَاتِيمُ الأَئِمَّة. ثُمَّ قَامَ وَمَعَهُ طَائِفَة فَدَخَلَ دَارَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ مُحَمَّدِ بنِ عَلِيٍّ الشَّلْمَغَانِيِّ (٢) ، وَكَثُرَتْ غَاشِيَتُهُ حَتَّى كَانَ الأُمَرَاء وَالوزرَاء يَرْكَبُوْنَ إِلَيْهِ وَالأَعيَانُ، وَتوَاصَفَ النَّاسُ عَقْلَهُ وَفَهْمه. فَرَوَى: عَلِيُّ بنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الإِيَادِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِيْهِ قَالَ: شَاهَدْتُهُ يَوْماً، وَقَدْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَبُو عُمَرَ القَاضِي (٣) ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو القَاسِمِ: صوَابُ الرَّأْي عِنْد المُشْفِق عِبْرَةٌ عِنْد المتورِّط، فَلاَ يَفْعَل القَاضِي مَا عَزَمَ عَلَيْهِ، فرَأَيْتُ أَبَا عُمَرَ قَدْ نَظَر إِلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ كُنْتُ قُلْتُ لَكَ مَا عرفتَه، فمسأَلتِي مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ؟ فضولٌ، وَإِنْ كُنْت لَم تَعْرِفْه، فَقَدْ ظَفِرْتَ بِي. قَالَ: فَقَبَضَ أَبُو عُمَرَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: لاَ بَلْ وَاللهِ أُؤخِّرك ليومِي أَوْ لِغَدِي. فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قَالَ أَبُو القَاسِمِ: مَا رَأَيْتُ محجوجاً قَطُّ يلقَى البرهَانَ بنفَاقٍ مِثْلَ هَذَا، كَاشَفْتُه بِمَا لمَ أكَاشفُ بِهِ غَيْرَه. وَلَمْ يَزَلْ أَبُو القَاسِمِ وَافرَ الحُرْمَة إِلَى أَنْ وَزر حَامِدُ بنُ العَبَّاسِ، فجَرَت لَهُ مَعَهُ خُطُوبٌ يطولُ شَرْحُهَا. ثمَّ سَرَدَ ابْن أَبِي طَيّ تَرْجَمَتَه فِي أَورَاقٍ، وَكَيْفَ أُخِذَ وَسُجِنَ خَمْسَةَ

(١) مدرج: وهي الرقعة الملعونة كما في متن اللغة ٢ / ٣٩٦. (٢) نسبة إلى شلمغان. قرية من نواحي واسط. والشلمغاني هذا هو المعروف بابن أبي العزاقر. صاحب المذهب المشهور في الحلول، وقد قتل سنة / ٣٢٢ / هـ انظر " اللباب ": ٢ / ٢٧، و" الكامل ": ٨ / ٢٩٠ - ٢٩٤. (٣) محمد بن يوسف. قاضي القضاة. كان يضرب المثل بعقله وحلمه. توفي سنة / ٣٢٠ / هـ. له ترجمة في " تاريخ بغداد ": ٣ / ٤٠١ - ٤٠٥.