Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (4/442)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

“The enemy of God has slipped away! By Allah, had we known, the matter between us and him would have been quite different.”

He (the narrator) continues: They had hardly said this before the real news reached them. This is how Ibn Isḥāq recounts the episode in its abridged form.

Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, however, relates it with a continuous chain of transmission. He said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq told us, Maʿmar told us, I heard Thābit narrate from Anas who said:

When the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—conquered Khaybar, al-Ḥajjāj ibn ʿIlāṭ said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have wealth in Mecca and I have family there. I wish to go to them. Will I incur any sin if I speak against you or say something (to mislead them)?” The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—granted him permission to say whatever he needed.

On reaching Mecca, al-Ḥajjāj went to his wife and said, “Gather up everything you have, for I intend to buy some of Muhammad’s and his Companions’ spoils; they have been plundered and their property destroyed.”

The report spread through Mecca: the Muslims were subdued, while the idolaters celebrated with glee. News of it reached al-ʿAbbās, who was so stunned he could not even stand.

Maʿmar said: ʿUthmān al-Jazarī told me on the authority of Miqsam that al-ʿAbbās took a little son of his named Qutham, lay on his back, placed the boy on his chest and kept repeating—

“Hail, Qutham,
Likeness of the noble, sharp-nosed one,
The Prophet of abundant grace,
Despite the spiteful!”

Thābit, quoting Anas, continued: Al-ʿAbbās then sent a servant to al-Ḥajjāj ibn ʿIlāṭ with the message, “Woe to you! What news have you brought and what are you saying? What Allah has promised is better than what you report!”

Al-Ḥajjāj told the servant, “Give Abū al-Faḍl my greetings and ask him to reserve one of his houses so I may meet him privately, for I have news that will please him.”

The servant returned, and as soon as he reached the door he cried, “Good tidings, Abū al-Faḍl!” Al-ʿAbbās leapt up in joy, kissed him between the eyes, and on hearing al-Ḥajjāj’s words set the boy free.

Al-Ḥajjāj then arrived and informed him that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—had indeed conquered Khaybar, seized their wealth, distributed Allah’s allotted shares, and chosen Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyayy for himself. He had given her the choice of freedom and marriage or a return to her people, and she chose freedom and marriage.

Al-Ḥajjāj added, “I came only to collect money I have here. I asked the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—for permission to say whatever I needed; he granted it. Conceal me for three days, then publicize matters as you wish.”

His wife gathered all the jewelry and household goods in her possession, handed them over to him, and he departed with them. When he had

(1) In ms. A it reads “wa lam yalbithu” (“and they did not tarry long”), and the reading in ms. T is maintained. (2) In al-Musnad (vol. 3, pp. 138–139); its isnad is sound. (3) That is: as though they had struck him with the maqma’a—an iron instrument resembling a mace used to beat an elephant’s head—a metaphor for crushing oppression and humiliation. See Mukhtar al-Sihah under qama’. (4) The passage between al-Hasiratayn was supplied from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s Musnad.

انفلت عدوُّ اللّه، أما والله لو علمنا لكان لنا وله شأن. قال: ولم يَنْشَبُوا (١) أن جاءهم الخبر بذلك. هكذا ذكر ابن إسحاق هذه القصة منقطعةً. وقد أسند ذلك الإمام أحمد بن حنبل (٢) فقال: ثنا عبد الرزاق، ثنا مَعْمَر، سمعت ثابتًا يُحَدِّث عن أنس قال: لما افتتح رسول اللّه ﷺ خَيْبَرَ، قال الحَجَّاج بن عِلَاط: يا رسول الله، إن لي بمكّة مالًا، وإن لي بها أهلًا، وإنِّي أُريد أن آتيهم، أفأنا في حلٍّ إن أنا نِلْتُ مِنْكَ أو قلت شيئًا؟ فأذن له رسول اللّه ﷺ أن يقول ما شاء، فأتى امرأته حين قدم فقال: اجمعي لي ما كان عندكِ؛ فإني أُريد أن أشتري من غنائم محمدٍ وأصحابه، فإنهم قد استُبيحوا وأُصيبت أموالهم. قال: وفشى ذلك بمكَّة، فانقمع (٣) المسلمون وأظهر المشركون فرحًا وسرورًا. قال: وبلغ الخبر العباس فعقر، وجعل لا يستطيع أن يقوم. قال مَعْمَر: فأخبرني عُثمان الجَزَريُّ، عن مِقْسَم قال: فأخذ ابنًا له يقال له: قُثَم. واستلقى ووضعه على صدره وهو يقول: [من مجزوء الرجز] حَيَّ قُثَم [حيَّ قثم] (٤) شَبيه ذي الأَنْفِ الأَشَمّ نَبيِّ ذي النِّعَمْ بِرَغْمِ مَنْ رَغِمْ قال ثابت: عن أنس: ثم أرسل غلامًا له إلى الحجاج بن علاط: ويلك ما جئت به وماذا تقول؟ فما وعد الله خير مما جئت به، فقال الحجاج بن علاط لغلامه: أقرئ على أبي الفضل السلام، وقل له فليخل لي في بعض بيوته لآتيه، فإنّ الخبر على ما يسرُّه. فجاء غلامه، فلمَّا بلغ باب الدار قال: أبشر يا أبا الفضل. قال: فوثب العباس فرحًا حتى قبَّل بين عينيه، فأخبره ما قال الحجاج فأعتقه. قال: ثم جاءه الحَجَّاج فأخبره أن رسول اللّه ﷺ قد افتتح خيبر وغنم أموالهم، وجرت سهام اللّه في أموالهم، واصطفى رسول اللّه ﷺ صفية بنت حُييٍّ واتخذها لنفسه، وخيَّرها أن يعتقها وتكون زوجة، أو تلحق بأهلها، فاختارت أن يعتقها وتكون زوجته. قال: ولكني جئت لمال كان لي هاهنا أردت أن أجمعه فأذهب به، فاستأذنت رسول اللّه ﷺ ، فأذن لي أن أقول ما شئت، فأخف عليَّ ثلاثًا، ثم اذكر ما بدا لك. قال: فجمعت امرأته ما كان عندها من حليٍّ ومتاع، فجمعته ودفعته إليه، ثم استمرَّ به، فلمَّا كان

(١) في (آ): "ولم يلبثوا" وأثبت لفظ (ط). (٢) في "المسند" (٣/ ١٣٨ و ١٣٩)، وإسناده صحيح. (٣) أي: كأنهم ضربوا بالمقمعة - وهي آلة من حديد كالمحجن يضرب بها على رأس الفيل - كناية عن القهر والذّلِّ. انظر "مختار الصحاح" (قمع). (٤) ما بين الحاصرتين استدركته من "المسند" للإمام أحمد بن حنبل.