Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (7/29)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

…with troops of the Muslims, who were encamped in part of his territory awaiting the arrival of Khālid, as will be mentioned later. He therefore sent (1) to her, asking for safe-conduct and promising that he would grant her one-half of the land—the portion that would have belonged to Quraysh had they acted justly—saying, “Allah has restored it to you and endowed you with it.” He proposed that they meet accompanied by a small group from his tribe; accordingly he rode to her with forty of his men, came into her presence, and the two met in a tent. When they were alone he renewed his offer of half the land, and she accepted.

Musaylimah then declaimed:
“Allah has heard the one who listens,
He fills him with good whenever he yearns for it;
His decree remains united in everything that pleases.
Your Lord has seen you and welcomed you,
from loneliness He has made you companions;
on the Day of His religion He rescued you and gave you life.
Upon us are the prayers of a company of the righteous—
not the wretched, not the wicked—
who stand the night in worship and fast by day
for your majestic Lord, the Lord of clouds and rain.”

He also said:
“When I saw that their faces were fair,
their skins smooth,
and their hands soft (2),
I told them:
‘You will not approach women,
nor will you drink wine;
rather, you are a band of righteous men who fast.
Glory be to Allah—when life comes, how will you live?
and how will you ascend to the kingdom of heaven?
Were it but a mustard seed,
a witness would rise over it, knowing what hearts conceal,
and most people would meet their ruin because of it.’ (3)”

Musaylimah—may Allah curse him—had furthermore laid down for his followers that a bachelor might marry, but once a male child was born to him, women became forbidden to him; should that son die, women again became lawful until another son was born. This was one of the rulings he fabricated on his own, may Allah curse him.

It is related that when he was alone with Sajah he asked her, “What is revealed to you?”
She replied, “Do women ever take the initiative? Rather, what has been revealed to you?”
He said,
“Have you not seen what your Lord does with the pregnant woman? He brings forth from her a living soul that moves, from between membranes (4) and entrails.”
She said, “And what else?”
He answered,
“Indeed, Allah created for women afrāj (5) (private parts) and appointed men for them as spouses; we insert into them a qaʿs (6) (shaft) in penetration, and withdraw it whenever we wish, so that they may bear offspring for us.”

She declared, “I bear witness that you are a prophet.”
He then said to her, “Would you like me to marry you, and, with my people and yours together, devour the Arabs?”
She replied, “Najm” (an expression of assent).
Thereupon he recited— in the hazaj metre—
Rise now for coupling;
the couch has been prepared for you.
If you wish, in the house,
or, if you wish, in the bedchamber;
if you wish, we will take you standing,
and if you wish, on all fours. (7)

(1) In the printed edition it reads “fa-baʿathani,” which is a mistake, as it does not suit the context. (2) Ṭafl: “become soft, tender.” See al-Lisān, s.v. “ṭifl.” (3) Ath-thubūr: “destruction and woe.” See al-Qāmūs, s.v. “thabar.” (4) As-sifāq: in Kitāb, the skin beneath the hairy dermis and the entire abdominal skin. See al-Qāmūs, s.v. “safaq.” (5) Al-afrāj appears to be the plural of farj. Ibn Manẓūr states that the singular is farj and its only correct plural is furūj, never afraj. See al-Lisān, s.v. “farj.” (6) Al-qaʿs is defined in Arabic lexicons as “protuberance.” Its metaphorical sense here is not recorded and must be inferred from context. (7) In the printed edition: “in.” It disrupts the metre and is inserted solely for prosodic purposes.

المُسْلمين، وهم نازلونَ ببعضِ بلادِه ينتظرون قدومَ خالدٍ كما سيأتي، فبعث (١) إليها يستأمنُها ويضمنُ لها أن يعطيها نصفَ الأرضِ الذي كان لقريشٍ لو عدلَتْ، فقد ردَّهُ الله عليك فحباك به، ورأسلها ليجتمعَ بها في طائفةٍ من قومه، فركبَ إليها في أربعينَ من فومِه، وجاء إليها فاجتمعا في خيمةٍ، فلما خلا بها وعرضَ عليها ما عرضَ من نصف الأرضِ، وقبلت ذلك. قال مسيلمة: سمعَ الله لمن سمعْ، وأطمعَهُ بالخير إذا طمعْ، ولا يزالُ أمرُه في كل ما يسر مجتمعْ، رآكم ربكم فحيّاكُمْ، ومن وحشته أخلاكمْ، ويوم دينه أنجاكم فأحياكم، علينا من صلواتِ معشر أبرارْ، لا أشقياء ولا فجَّار، يقومون الليل ويصومون النهار، لربكم الكبار، ربِّ الغيوم والأمطار. وقال أيضًا: لما رأيتُ وجوههم حسنتْ، وأبشارهم صفتْ، وأيديهم طَفُلَتْ (٢) ، قلت لهم: لا النساءَ تأتونْ، ولا الخمر تشربونْ، ولكنكم معشرٌ أبرارٌ تصومونْ، فسبحان الله إذا جاءتِ الحياةُ كيف تَحْيَون، وإلى ملك السماء كيف تَرْقَوْن. فلو أنها حبةُ خردلةٍ لقام عليها شهيدٌ يعلم ما في الصدور، ولأكثر الناس فيها الثبور (٣) . وقد كان مسيلمةُ لعنه الله شرعَ لمن اتبعه أن الأعزب يتزوج فإذا ولد له ذكر فيحرم عليه النساء حينئذ، إلا أن يموت ذلك الولد الذكر، فتحل له النساء حتى يولد له ذكر، هذا مما إقترحه لعنه الله، من تلقاء نفسه. ويقال: إنه لما خلا بسَجاحِ سألها ماذا يُوحَى إليها؟ فقالت: وهل يكونُ النساءُ يبتدئن؟ بل أنت ماذا أوحيَ إليك؟ فقال: ألم ترَ إلى ربّك كيف فَعَلَ بالحُبْلى؟ أخرج منها نسمةً تَسْعى، من بين صفاقٍ (٤) وحشًا. قالت: وماذا؟ فقال: إنَّ اللهَ خلقَ للنساء أفراجًا (٥) ، وجعلَ الرجالَ لهن أزواجا، فنولج فيهن قَعْسًا (٦) إيلاجًا، ثم نخرجها إذا نشاء إخراجًا، فينتجن لنا سخالًا إنتاجًا. فقالت: أشهد أنك نبيٌّ؛ فقال لها: هل لك أن أتزوجك وآكل بقومي وقومك العربَ؟ قالت: نجم، فقال: [من الهزج] ألا قومي إلى النَّيْكِ … فقدَ هُيِّءْ لَكِ المَضْجَعْ فَإنْ شِئْتِ فَفِي البَيْتِ … وإنْ (٧) شِئْت ففي المَخْدَعْ وإنْ شِئْتِ سَلْقنَاكِ … وَإنْ شِئْتِ عَلَى أرْبَعَ

(١) في المطبوع: فبعثني؛ خطأ. وما هنا للسياق. (٢) طَفُل: صار ناعمًا. اللسان (طفل). (٣) الثبور: الهلاك والويل. القاموس (ثبر). (٤) الصِّفاق: ككتاب: الجلد تحت الجلد الذي عليه الشعر، وجلد البطن كله. القاموس (صفق). (٥) الأفراج كما يبدو جمع فرج، قال ابن منظور: الفرج والجمع فروج، لا يُكسَّر على غير ذلك. اللسان (فرج). (٦) القَعْس في المعاجم العربية: الناتئ، والمعنى المقصود هنا لم يرد فيها لأنه مجاز يفهم من السياق. (٧) في ط: إن؛ ولا يستقيم الوزن بها، وما هنا للوزن العروضي.