Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/519)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

and another company is cast into the Fire—how wretched are its quarters!
These hearts had pledged that whenever they inclined to goodness
they would loathe whatever hindered the way;
but misery turned them aside from seeking the Garden—
this worldly life, which God will blot out, diverted them.
A servant called his own soul to account,
knowing that the All-Seeing One was watching it.
What desire can the soul have for life? Even if it lives a little while,
death will surely overtake it. (1)
Whoever flees from his appointed end
will one day, unawares, come face to face with it;
if he does not die suddenly in full strength, he will die of old age—
death holds a cup, and every mortal shall taste it. (2)

He (3) continued: Then he went back to his lodging, and had remained there only a short time before he was struck in his side (4). News reached me, so I came to him and found him laid out (5), a cover spread over him. I drew near; he gasped, opened his eyes (6), looked toward the ceiling, raised his voice, and said:

[from rajaz]
“At Your service, at Your service—here I am before you both!
I have no wealth to ransom me, nor family to protect me.”

Then he lost consciousness, letting out a gasp, and I said, “The man has perished.” He opened his eyes again, looked toward the ceiling, raised his voice, and said:

“At Your service, at Your service—here I am before you both!
I have no plea of innocence with which to excuse myself, no clan with which to seek victory.”

He fainted once more, gasped, opened his eyes again, looked toward the ceiling, and said:

“At Your service, at Your service—here I am before you both!
Favoured with blessings, yet harvested for my sin.”

He lost consciousness again, gasped, and said:

“At Your service, at Your service—here I am before you both!
If You forgive, O Allah, then forgive abundantly—
for which of Your servants has not erred?” (7)

(1) In the edition: “ma raghabb.” (2) In the edition of al-Uṣūl: “ghubta,” which is unwarranted. Restore the reading found in his Dīwān. ‘Abṭa died young. The verses are in the Dīwān of Umayya (p. 419), where their isnād is also given. (3) In the B edition: “qālat.” (4) In the edition: “hiyāratahu.” In the Mukhtaṣar Tarīkh Dimashq it reads “ẓa‘ana fī janāzatihi,” which yields no coherent meaning. Al-ḥiyār denotes a trace or remnant. (5) al-na‘sh: the litter or bed on which the ruler is carried when ill. (6) The expression shaqq baṣr al-mayyit (literally “to split open the dead man’s sight”) means that his eyes opened and he stared as if looking at something, without his gaze returning. (7) Dīwān (p. 491). The term al-lamam refers to minor sins.

وفرقةٌ منهمُ قدِ ادخِلتِ النَّـ … ـارَ فساءتْهمُ مَرافقها تعاهدتْ هذه القلوبُ إذا … هَمَّتْ بخيرٍ عافَتْ عَوائقُها وصَدَّها للشقاءَ عَن طلَبِ الـ … ـجَنَّةِ دُنْيا اللهُ ماحِقُها عبدٌ دَعا نَفسَه فعاتَبَها … يَعْلَمُ أنَّ البصيرَ رامِقُها ما رغبة النفس في الحياةِ وإن … تَحيا قليلًا فالموتُ لاحِقها (١) يوشِك مَنْ فرَّ من منيّته … يومًا على غِرّةٍ يُوافقها إنْ لم تَمُتْ عَبْطةً تَمُتْ هَرَمًا … لِلموتِ كأسٌ والمرْءُ ذائِقها (٢) قال (٣) : ثم انصرف إلى رحله، فلم يلبث إلا يسيرًا حتى طعن في حيارته (٤) فأتاني الخبر، فانصرفتُ إليه، فوجدتُه منعوشًا (٥) قد سُجّي عليه، فدنوتُ منه، فشهق شهقةً، وشقّ (٦) ، بصره، ونظر نحوَ السقفِ ورفع صوتَه، وقال: [من الرجز] لبَّيكما لبَّيكما … ها أنذا لديكما لا ذو مال فيفديني، ولا ذو أهل فتحميني. ثم أُغمي عليه، إذ شهق شهقةً فقلت: قد هلك الرجلُ. فشقَّ بصره نحو السقف فرفع صوته، فقال: [من الرجز] لبيكما لبيكما … ها أنا ذا لديكما لا ذو براءة فأعتذر، ولا ذو عشيرة فأنتصر. ثم أغمي عليه، إذ شهق شهقةً وشق بصره، ونظر نحو السقف، فقال: [من الرجز] لبيكما لبيكما … ها أنا ذا لديكما بالنعم محفود، وبالذنب محصود، ثم أغمي عليه إذ شهق شهقة. فقال: [من الرجز] لبيكما لبيكما … ها أنا ذا لديكما إنْ تغفرِاللهُمَّ تَغْفِرْ جَمّا … وأيُّ عبدٍ لكَ لا أَلمًّا (٧)

(١) في ط: ما رغّب. (٢) في ط الأصول: غبطة. ولا وجه لها. وأثبت ما في ديوانه. ومات عبطة: شابًا. والأبيات في ديوان أمية: (٤١٩)، وتخريجها فيه. (٣) في ب: قالت. (٤) في ط: حيارته. وفي مختصر تاريخ دمشق: ظعن في جنازته. ولا يستقيم بها المعنى. والحيار: الأثر. (٥) النعش: السرير يحمل عليه الملك إذا مرض. (٦) شق بصر الميت: انفتحت عيناه وشخص كأنه ينظر إلى شيء، لا يرتد إليه طرفه. (٧) ديوانه (٤٩١). وألم الرجل: وقع في اللمم، وهو صغار الذنوب.