Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (5/28)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

They sought out ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf—men they already knew—and found them sitting with a group of Emigrants and Helpers. They said:

“O ʿUthmān, O ʿAbd al-Raḥmān! Your Prophet has written to us. We came in answer to his summons, entered upon him and greeted him with peace, but he did not return our greeting. We tried all day long to speak with him, yet he would not address us. What do you advise? Should we go back?”

They turned to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, who was present, and asked, “Abū al-Ḥasan, what do you think regarding these men?”

ʿAlī said to ʿUthmān and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, “I think they should set aside those fine robes and gold rings, put on their travel clothes, and then return to him.”

They did so, greeted him, and he returned their greeting. He then said,

“By Him who sent me with the truth, when they came the first time Satan was with them.”

The Prophet questioned them and they questioned him until they said, “What is your view of Jesus? We are returning to our people as Christians, and if you are truly a Prophet we would like to hear what you say about him.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, “Today I have nothing to say about him. Stay until I inform you of what Allah says concerning Jesus.”

The next morning Allah revealed: “Indeed, the likeness of Jesus in the sight of Allah is like that of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be!’—and he was. This is the Truth from your Lord, so do not be among those who doubt. And if anyone disputes with you about him after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray earnestly and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars.’” (Āl ʿImrān 3:59–61).

They refused to acknowledge it. The following morning, after informing them of the revelation, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came wrapped in a cloak, holding al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, with Fāṭimah walking behind him for the mutual imprecation (mubāhala); he had several wives with him that day.

Shurahbīl said to his two companions, “You know that when the whole valley gathers, they move only according to my counsel. By Allah, I see a weighty matter. If this man is a powerful king and we are the first Arabs to strike him in the eye and reject his cause, he and his followers will never rest until they destroy us—and we are the nearest Arabs to them. But if this man is a Prophet sent by Allah and we invoke the mutual curse against him, not a single hair or nail of us will remain on earth without perishing.”

His companions asked, “What do you propose, Abū Maryam?”

He replied, “I propose that we refer the matter to his judgment, for I see in him a man who never rules unjustly.”

They said, “As you wish.”

Shurahbīl therefore approached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, “I have thought of something better than challenging you to mutual imprecation.”

The Prophet asked, “And what is that?”

He replied, “That you judge between us from now until nightfall, and through the night until morning; whatever judgment you pass upon us shall stand.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

(1) In Dalail al-Nubuwwah: “They were well known to them; during the jahiliyya they would load the atāʾir (goods) onto camels bound for Najran, and would buy for them from its buz (goat-hair cloth), thamara (fruits), and dhurra (millet), so they found them among people..." (2) In Dalail al-Nubuwwah: “an naʿlam” (“that we know”). (3) al-khumayl: al-qatifa (velvet); in al-Qamus under khumal. (4) In al-Bayhaqi it reads mabʿuthan (“sent”). (5) In the printed edition: ʿaybatuhu; in manuscript A: ʿaybuhu; here we follow al-Bayhaqi. (6) In Dalail al-Nubuwwah it reads qawmihi. (7) Manuscript A reads “fammahammā ḥakamuka,” the printed edition reads “fa-mā ḥakamuka,” and we have retained the reading found in Dalail al-Nubuwwah.

عثمانَ بن عفانَ وعبدَ الرحمن بن عوف، وكانوا يعرفونهما (١) ، فوجدوهما في ناسٍ من المهاجرين والأنصار في مجلس، فقالوا: يا عثمان ويا عبد الرحمن، إنّ نبيَّكم كتبَ إلينا بكتابٍ، فأقبلنا مُجيبين له، فأتَيْناه فسلَّمنا عليه، فلم يَرُدّ سلامَنا، وتَصَدَّينا لكلامه نهارًا طويلًا، فأعيانا أن يكلمنا، فما الرأي منكما، أتَرَوْنَ أن نَرْجعَ؟ فقالا لعلي بن أبي طالب وهو في القوم: ما ترى يا أبا الحسن في هؤلاء القوم؟ فقال عليٌّ لعثمان ولعبد الرحمن (رضي الله عنها) : أرى أن يضعوا حُلَلَهم هذه، وخواتيمَهم، ويلبسوا ثيابَ سَفَرِهم، ثم يعودوا إليه، ففعلوا، فسلَّموا، فرد سلامهم، ثم قال: "والذي بعثني بالحق، لقد أتوني المرة الأولى وإنّ إبليسَ لمعهم" . ثم ساءلهم وساءلوه، فلم تزل به وبهم المسألة حتى قالوا: ما تقول في عيسى، فإنّا نرجع إلى قومنا، ونحن نصارى، ليسرنا إن كنت نبيًا أن نسمع (٢) ما تقول فيه. فقال رسول الله ﷺ : "ما عندي فيه شيءٌ يَوْمي هذا، فأقيموا حتى أخبركم بما يقول الله في عيسى" فأصبح الغد وقد أنزل الله – Exalté soit-Il – هذه الآية: ﴿إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ (٥٩) الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ (٦٠) فَمَنْ حَاجَّكَ فِيهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ فَقُلْ تَعَالَوْا نَدْعُ أَبْنَاءَنَا وَأَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَنِسَاءَنَا وَنِسَاءَكُمْ وَأَنْفُسَنَا وَأَنْفُسَكُمْ ثُمَّ نَبْتَهِلْ فَنَجْعَلْ لَعْنَتَ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْكَاذِبِينَ﴾ [آل عمران: ٥٩ - ٦١] . فأبوا أن يُقِرُّوا بذلك، فلما أصبح رسول الله ﷺ الغد بعدما أخبرهم الخبر أقبل مشتملًا على الحسن والحسين في خَميل له (٣) ، وفاطمة تمشي عندَ ظهره للمُلاعَنَةِ، وله يومئذ عِدَّةُ نسوةٍ، فقال شُرحبيل لصاحِبَيْه: قد عَلِمْتُما أنّ الوادي إذا اجتمع أعلاه وأسفله لم يَرِدوا ولم يَصْدُروا إلا عن رأيي، وإني والله أرى أمرًا ثقيلًا، والله لئن كان هذا الرجل ملكًا متقويا (٤) فكنا أول العرب طعن في عينه (٥) ، وَرَدَّ عليه أمرَه لا يذهب لنا من صدره ولا من صدور أصحابه (٦) حتى يصيبونا بجائحة، وإنا أدنى العرب منهم جوارًا، ولئن كان هذا الرجل نبيًا مرسلًا فلاعنَّاه لا يبقى على وجه الأرض منا شَعر ولا ظُفر إلا هلكَ، فقال له صاحباه: فما الرأي يا أبا مريم؟ فقال: رأيي أن أحكّمه، فإني أرى رجلًا لا يَحْكُم شَططًا أبدًا. فقالا له: أنت وذاك. قال: فتلقى شُرحبيل رسول الله ﷺ فقال: إني قد رأيتُ خيرًا من ملاعنتك. فقال: "وما هو" ؟ فقال: حكمك اليوم إلى الليل، وليلتك إلى الصباح، فمهما حكمت (٧) فينا هو جائز، فقال رسول الله ﷺ :

(١) في دلائل النبوة: "وكانا معرفة لهم، كانا يجدعان العتائر إلى نجران في الجاهلية، فيشترون لهم من بزها وثمرها وذرتها، فوجدوهما في ناس .. ". (٢) في دلائل النبوة: "أن نعلم". (٣) الخميل: القطيفة (القاموس: خمل). (٤) في البيهقي: "مبعوثًا". (٥) في المطبوعة: (عيبته) وفي أ: (عيبه) وما هنا عن البيهقي. (٦) في الدلائل: (قومه). (٧) في أ "فمهما حكمك" وفي ط "فما حكمك" وأثبتنا ما في دلائل النبوة.