Al-Wara' - Ibn Abi al-Dunya - (89)

Al-Wara'Ibn Abi al-Dunya

127 – Khalaf ibn Salim narrated to us; he said: Abu Nuʿaym narrated to us; he said: Ismaʿil ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhajir narrated to us; he said: I heard ʿAbd al-Malik ibn ʿUmayr say: A man from Thaqif related to me:

“ʿAli appointed me over ʿUkbarā, and in those days the Sawād … the regular worshippers. When we were all gathered he said to me, ‘Collect their land-tax in full, and let them find in you neither laxity nor concession. Then come back to me at midday.’

“So I went to him. I found no doorkeeper standing between us; he was seated with nothing before him but a cup and a jug of water. He called for a small pouch, and I said to myself, ‘He must feel secure with me if he is going to take out jewels.’ The pouch was sealed; he broke the seal and inside it was suwayq (barley flour). He poured some into the cup, drank, and gave me to drink. I could not hold my tongue and said, ‘Commander of the Believers, you do this here in Iraq when the food of Iraq is far more varied than that!’

“He replied, ‘I only buy what suffices me, and I dislike letting it spoil so that something else might be mixed into it. I did not seal it out of miserliness; I did so merely to preserve it, for I hate to put anything into my stomach unless it is pure. As for the stern words I spoke to you in their presence, it is because they are a people given to evasion. Now I charge you with what I charge you now: if you put it into practice with them, well and good; otherwise Allah will call you to account for it instead of me. And if word reaches me that you have acted contrary to my instructions, I will dismiss you.

“Do not sell them any provisions that they eat, nor clothing for winter or for summer. Do not strike any one of them a single lash for the sake of a dirham, nor detain him for a dirham, for we have not been commanded to do that. Nor are you to sell them an animal on which they work. We have only been ordered to take from them what is surplus to their needs (al-ʿafw).’

“I asked, ‘And if I return to you as I have now departed?’ He answered, ‘If you do so…’

“So I went and carried out everything he had ordered. When I returned to him not a single dirham remained outstanding—every last one had been collected and delivered.”

١٢٧ - حَدَّثَنَا خَلَفُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ مُهَاجِرٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ قَالَ: اسْتَعْمَلَنِي عَلِيٌّ عَلَى عُكْبَرَا، وَلَمْ يَكُنِ السَّوَادُ. . . الْمُصَلُّونَ، فَقَالَ لِي بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ: «اسْتَوْفِ مِنْهُمْ خَرَاجَهُمْ وَلَا يَجِدُوا فِيكَ مَعْفًا وَلَا رُخْصَةً» ثُمَّ قَالَ لِي: «رُحْ إِلَيَّ عِنْدَ الظُّهْرِ» . فَرُحْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمْ أَجِدْ عِنْدَهُ حَاجِبًا يَحْجِبُنِي دُونَهُ، وَوَجَدْتُهُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَهُ قَدَحٌ وَكُوزٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَدَعَا بِطَيَّةٍ، فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي لَقَدْ أَمَّنَنِي حِينَ يُخْرِجُ إِلَيَّ جَوْهَرًا، فَإِذَا عَلَيْهَا خَاتَمٌ، فَكَسَرَ الْخَاتَمَ، فَإِذَا فِيهَا سُوَيْقٌ، فَصَبَّ فِي الْقَدَحِ، فَشَرِبَ مِنْهُ، وَسَقَانِي فَلَمْ أَصْبِرْ. فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ تَصْنَعُ هَذَا بِالْعِرَاقِ وَطَعَامُ الْعِرَاقِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: «إِنَّمَا أَشْتَرِي قَدْرَ مَا يَكْفِينِي وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَفْنَى، فَيُصْنَعَ فِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ، وَإِنِّي لَمْ أَخْتِمْ عَلَيْهِ بُخْلًا عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا حِفْظِي لِذَلِكَ وَأَنَا أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُدْخِلَ بَطْنِي إِلَّا طَيِّبًا، وَلَئِنْ قُلْتُ لَكَ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمُ الَّذِي قُلْتُ لَكَ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمُ خِدْعٍ وَأَنَا آمُرُكَ بِمَا آمُرُكَ بِهِ الْآنَ، فَإِنْ أَخَذْتَهُمْ بِهِ، وَإِلَّا أَخَذَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ دُونِي، وَلَئِنْ بَلَغَنِي عَنْكِ خِلَافُ مَا آمُرُكَ بِهِ عَزَلْتُكَ لَا تَبِيعَنَّ لَهُمْ رِزْقًا يَأْكُلُونَهُ، وَلَا كِسْوَةَ شِتَاءٍ وَلَا صَيْفٍ، وَلَا تَضْرِبْ رَجُلًا مِنْهُمْ سَوْطًا فِي طَلَبِ دِرْهَمٍ، وَلَا تُقِمْهُ فِي طَلَبِ دِرْهَمٍ، فَإِنَّا لَمْ نُؤْمَرْ بِذَلِكَ، وَلَا تَبِيعَنَّ لَهُمْ دَابَّةً يَعْمَلُونَ عَلَيْهَا، إِنَّمَا أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَأْخُذَ مِنْهُمُ الْعَفْوَ» قَالَ: إِذَا جِئْتُكَ كَمَا ذَهَبْتُ؟ قَالَ: «فَإِنْ فَعَلْتَ» قَالَ: فَذَهَبْتُ فَسَعَيْتُ بِمَا أَمَرَنِي بِهِ، فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ وَمَا بَقِيَ عَلِي دِرْهَمٌ وَاحِدٌ إِلَّا وَفَّيْتُهُ "