Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (16/109)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

He had considerable wealth, yet he spent it all and adopted a life of renunciation. He was also versed in kalām (speculative theology) and rational disputation.

Al-Sulamī said, “I heard ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Muḥammad say: I heard Bundar ibn al-Ḥusayn say, ‘I entered upon al-Shiblī carrying merchandise worth forty thousand dinars. He looked into a mirror and said, “The mirror says: there is still a tie.” I replied, “The mirror has spoken truth.” I then brought him six money-bags, and I kept his company until I had handed over to him all my possessions. He looked once more into the mirror and said, “The mirror says: there is no longer any tie.” I replied, “It has spoken truth.”’ ”

Al-Sulamī added, “Bundar was learned in the principles of doctrine, and he composed a rebuttal of Ibn Khafīf regarding the issue of al-ighāna and other matters. It is reported that Bundar recited:
‘The blows of time have schooled me—
only the cultivated take admonition;
I have tasted sweetness and I have tasted bitterness—
such is the varied life of youth;
No hardship nor yet delight has passed
but that I had a share in each.’ (1)

Among his sayings: ‘Do not argue on behalf of your own soul, for it is not yours. Leave it to its Owner; He will deal with it as He wills.’ (2)
He also said: ‘Keeping company with the people of innovation breeds aversion to the truth.’ (3)

It is said that Bundar died in 353 AH.

As for:

74 – ʿAlī ibn Bundar ibn al-Ḥusayn, the Sufi, the devoted worshipper,*
he was a contemporary of the man just discussed, yet he was not his son

(1) The verses are found in Tabaqat al-Sufiyya, p. 470, and in Tabaqat al-Awliya, p. 121. (2) Tabaqat al-Sufiyya, p. 468. (3) Tabaqat al-Sufiyya, p. 469. (*) Tabaqat al-Sufiyya, pp. 501-504; al-Muntazam, vol. 7, p. 52; Tabaqat al-Shaʿrani, vol. 1, p. 146.

وَكَانَ ذَا أَمْوَالٍ فَأَنفقهَا وَتزهَّدَ، وَلَهُ مَعْرِفَةٌ بِالكَلاَمِ وَالنَّظَرِ. قَالَ السُّلَمِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الوَاحِدِ بنَ مُحَمَّدٍ، يَقُوْلُ: سَمِعْتُ بُنْدَارَ بنَ الحُسَيْنِ، يَقُوْلُ: دَخَلتُ عَلَى الشِّبلِيِّ وَمعِي تجَارَةٌ بِأَرْبَعِيْنَ أَلفِ دِيْنَارٍ، فنظرَ فِي المرآةِ، فَقَالَ: المرآةَ تَقُولُ: إِنَّ ثَمَّ سبَباً. قُلْتُ: صدقَتِ المرآةُ، فحملتُ إِلَيْهِ سِتَّ بِدَرٍ، ثُمَّ لزمتُهُ حَتَّى حملتُ إِلَيْهِ جمِيعَ مَالِي، فنظرَ مرَّةً فِي المرآةِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: المرآةُ تَقُولُ: لَيْسَ ثَمَّ سَبَبٌ، قُلْتُ: صَدَقَتْ. قَالَ السُّلَمِيُّ: كَانَ بُنْدَارُ عَالِماً بِالأُصولِ، وَلَهُ ردٌّ عَلَى ابْنِ خَفِيفٍ فِي مَسْأَلَةِ الإِغَانَةِ وَغيرهَا، وَمِمَّا قِيْلَ: إِنَّ بُنْدَاراً أَنشدَهُ: نوَائِبُ الدَّهْرِ أَدَّبَتْنِي ... وَإِنَّمَا يُوعَظُ الأَدِيبُ قَدْ ذُقْتُ حلُواً وَذُقْتُ مُرّاً ... كَذَاكَ عيشُ الفَتَى ضُروبُ مَا مرَّ بُؤْسٌ وَلاَ نَعِيمٌ ... إِلاَّ وَلِي فِيْهِمَا نَصِيْبُ (١) وَمِنْ كلاَمِهِ: لاَ تُخَاصِمْ لِنَفْسِكَ، فَإِنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ لَكَ، دَعْهَا لِمَالِكِهَا يفعلُ بِهَا مَا يُرِيْدُ (٢) . وَقَالَ: صُحْبَةُ أَهْلِ البِدَعِ تُورثُ الإِعرَاضَ عَنِ الحَقِّ (٣) . قِيْلَ: تُوُفِّيَ بُنْدَار سَنَةَ ثَلاَثٍ وَخَمْسِيْنَ وَثَلاَثِ مائَةٍ. فَأَمَّا: ٧٤ - عَلِيُّ بنُ بُنْدَارَ بنِ الحُسَيْنِ الصُّوْفِيُّ العَابِدُ * فمعَاصرٌ لصَاحبِ التَّرْجَمَةِ، وَمَا هُوَ بِابنٍ

(١) الابيات في " طبقات الصوفية ": ٤٧٠، وطبقات الأولياء: ١٢١. (٢) " طبقات الصوفية " ص ٤٦٨. (٣) " طبقات الصوفية " ص ٤٦٩. (*) طبقات الصوفية: ٥٠١ - ٥٠٤، المنتظم: ٧ / ٥٢، طبقات الشعراني: ١ / ١٤٦.