Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (12/290)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

—had had a vast, lofty palace built for him there, adorned with every kind of paint and hanging. The foremost men of his state and his emirs were seated in his presence, and when the judge arrived he sat beside him. Those present began to extol this construction and praise it (1), while the judge remained silent and said nothing. The king turned to him and said, “What do you (1) say, Abu al-Hakam?” The judge wept, and tears streamed down his beard (1), and said, “I never imagined that Satan—may Allah disgrace him—could reach with you (2) such a scandalous, disgraceful, and ruinous level for its perpetrator in this world and the Hereafter (3), nor that you would grant him such mastery over your reins (4) when Allah has favoured you (5) above many people, only for you to take up the positions of the unbelievers. Allah, exalted is He, says:

“Were it not that mankind might become one community, We would have made, for those who disbelieve in the Compassionate, roofs of silver for their houses and stairways by which they ascend (33), and for their houses doors and couches on which they recline (34), and ornaments of gold; yet all that is but the enjoyment of the life of this world, and the Hereafter with your Lord is for the God-fearing (35).” [Qur’an 43:33-35]

The king thereupon fell silent, wept, and said, “May Allah reward you with goodness and multiply the likes of you among the Muslims (6).”

In one of the following years the people were struck by drought, and the king ordered the judge Mundhir ibn Saʿid al-Balluti to go out with the people and pray for rain. When the message reached him that he was to go out the next day, he asked the messenger, “How did you leave the king? In what state is he?” The messenger replied, “I found him in the most humbled condition, engaging in abundant supplication and entreaty (7).” The judge said, “You will surely be shown mercy and given to drink, by Allah; when the tyrant of the earth humbles himself, the Sovereign of heaven shows mercy.” He then said to his servant, “Bring the rain-cloak with you (8).”

When the people assembled and the judge arrived (9), he ascended the pulpit while they looked on, eager to hear what he would say. When he faced them, the first words with which he addressed them were:

“Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself: whoever among you does evil in ignorance and then repents thereafter and makes amends, He is indeed Forgiving, Merciful.” [Qur’an 6:54]

He repeated it several times (10), and the people broke into sobbing, weeping, repentance (11), and turning back to Allah, and they remained in that state until they were granted rain and returned wading through the water (12).

(1) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscripts B and T. (2) In manuscripts H and B: “bik”; the reading confirmed is from T. (3) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscript T. (4) In manuscript B: “fuʾādak.” (5) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscript T. (6) See al-Kāmil by Ibn al-ʿAṭīr (vol. 8, p. 674). (7) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscript T. (8) In H: “bil-minbar”; in B: “bil-manẓar”; both are scribal errors. The reading adopted is that of al-Kāmil by Ibn al-ʿAṭīr (vol. 8, p. 675). Al-mumṭar/al-mumṭarah: a woolen rain-garment for protection; see al-Līṣān under “matar.” (9) In manuscript T: “Then he said to his servant, ‘Call the people to prayer.’ The people then came to the place of the rain-invocation (istisqā’), and the qāḍī arrived.” (10) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscripts B and T. (11) Enclosed in parentheses in manuscripts B and T. (12) al-Kāmil (vol. 8, pp. 674–675).

بُني له فيها قصر عظيم منيف، وزخرف بأنواع الدهانات والستور، وجلس عنده رؤوس دولته وأمراؤه، وجاء القاضي، فجلس إلى جانبه، وجعل الحاضرون يثنون على هذا البناء [ويمدحونه] (١) ، والقاضي ساكتٌ لا يتكلم، فالتفت إليه الملك وقال: ما تقول [أنت] (١) يا أبا الحَكم؟ فبكى القاضي، [وانحدرت دموعه على لحيته] (١) وقال: ما كنتُ أظن أن الشيطان أخزاه الله تعالى يبلغ منك (٢) هذا المبلغ [المفضح المهتك المهلك لصاحبه في الدنيا والآخرة] (٣) ولا أنك تمكنه من قيادك (٤) هذا التمكين مع ما آثرك الله به وفضَّلك [به على كثير من الناس] (٥) حين أنزلك منازل الكُفَّار، قال الله تعالى: ﴿وَلَوْلَا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ (٣٣) وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ (٣٤) وَزُخْرُفًا وَإِنْ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [الزخرف: ٣٣ - ٣٥] ، قال: فَوَجمَ الملك عند ذلك وبكى وقال: جَزَاك الله خيرًا، وأكثر في المسلمين مثلك (٦) . وقد قُحِطَ النَّاسُ في بعض السِّنين، فأمر الملك القاضي منذر بن سعيد البلُّوطي أن يستسقي بالنَّاس، فلما جاءته الرِّسالة بذلك ليخرج من الغد قال للرَّسول: كيف تركت الملك؟ وما حاله؟ فقال: رأيته أخشع ما يكون وأكثره دعاءً [وتضرُّعًا] (٧) فقال القاضي: رُحمتم وسُقيتم والله إذا خَشَعَ جَبَّار الأرض رَحِمَ جَبَّارُ السَّماء. ثم قال لغلامه: اخرج بالمِمْطَر معك (٨) . فلما خرج النَّاس وجاء القاضي (٩) صَعِدَ المنبر والنَّاسُ ينظرون إليه يستمعون لما يقول، فلما أقبل عليهم كان أول ما خاطبهم به أن قال: ﴿سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾ [الأنعام: ٥٤] ، ثم أعادها [مرارًا] (١٠) فأخذ النَّاسُ في النحيب والبكاء [والتوبة] (١١) والإنابة، ولم يزالوا كذلك حتى سُقوا، ورجعوا يخوضون الماء (١٢) .

(١) ما بين حاصرتين من (ب) و (ط). (٢) في (ح) و (ب): بك، والمثبت من (ط). (٣) ما بين حاصرتين من (ط). (٤) في (ب) فؤادك. (٥) ما بين حاصرتين من (ط). (٦) انظر الكامل لابن الأثير (٨/ ٦٧٤). (٧) ما بين حاصرتين من (ط). (٨) في (ح): بالمنبر، وفي (ب) بالمنظر، وكلاهما تصحيف، والمثبت من الكامل لابن الأثير (٨/ ٦٧٥) والممطر والممطرة: ثوب من الصوف يلبس في المطر يتوقى به منه. اللسان (مطر). (٩) في (ط): ثم قال لغلامه: ناد في الناس الصلاة، فجاء الناس إلى محل الاستسقاء، وجاء القاضي. (١٠) ما بين حاصرتين من (ب) و (ط). (١١) ما بين حاصرتين من (ب) و (ط). (١٢) الكامل (٨/ ٦٧٤ - ٦٧٥).