Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlū - Ibn Qudama - (105)

Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlūIbn Qudama

Sulaym said: “I mounted a qaʿūd (young camel) of mine and made my way to Mecca (1) in search of him. I kneeled the animal at the gate of the Mosque, and there he was—peace and blessings be upon him—sitting with his knees drawn up, wrapped in a cloak with red stripes. I said, ‘Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.’ He replied, ‘And upon you be peace.’

I then said, ‘We, the people of the desert, are rough by nature; teach me some words through which Allah will benefit me.’ He said, ‘Come closer,’ three times, then said, ‘Repeat what you said.’ I repeated: ‘We, the people of the desert, are rough by nature; teach me some words through which Allah will benefit me.’ He said (2):

‘Be conscious of Allah, and never consider any act of goodness too insignificant—even if you should pour the leftover water from your bucket into the vessel of one who is seeking water (3). When you meet your brother, greet him with a cheerful face. Beware of isbāl, letting the izār (lower garment) hang below the ankles, for that is a form of arrogance, and Allah does not love arrogance. If someone insults you for something he knows to be in you, do not insult him for what you know to be in him; Allah, Exalted is He, will record a reward for you and place a burden of sin upon him. And never curse anything that Allah has placed under your care.’

Abu Jurayy said: ‘By the One who took the soul of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—I have never since cursed even a sheep or a camel of mine.’

A man then said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you mentioned isbāl (4) of the izār, but a man might have sores or something else he is ashamed to expose.’ He replied, ‘There is no harm if it reaches halfway down the calf, or to the ankles. A man from among those before you once wore two cloaks and strutted proudly in them. Allah looked at him from above His Throne and detested him; He commanded the earth and it swallowed him, and he continues to sink within it, writhing therein. So beware the punishments of Allah!’ (5)

(1) The term “Makkah” does not appear in manuscript R. (2) In other copies, the word “qal” (he said) is found. (3) In manuscripts R and H, the reading is “al-mustaqī.” (4) In the original text, the term is “al-isbāl.” (5) This hadith is recorded by Abū Dāwūd in his Kitāb al-Libās (Book of Clothing), chapter “On letting the izār trail” (Bab mā jā’a fī isbāl al-izār), no. 4084, vol. 4, p. 344, via Abū Tumayma al-Hujaymī instead of Ubayda. Abū Dāwūd comments: “Abū Tumayma’s name is Ṭarīf ibn Majālid.” Al-Tirmidhī transmits part of it in al-Istīʾdhān (Book of Permission), chapter “The dislike of initiating the greeting with alayka as-salām,” no. 2722, vol. 5, p. 72; their version omits the clause carrying the legal proof. Imām Aḥmad cites its isnāds in his Musnad (vol. 5, pp. 63–64), which likewise lack that clause. Al-Dhahabī includes it in al-ʿUlū, p. 36, stating that its isnād is layyin (weak).

سُلَيْمٍ: رَكِبْتُ قَعُودًا لِي، وَأَتَيْتُ (مَكَّةَ) (١) فِي طَلَبِهِ، فَأَنَخْتُ بِبَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَإِذَا هُوَ جَالِسٌ ﷺ، وَهُوَ مُحْتَبٍ بِبُرْدَةٍ لَهَا طَرَايِقُ حُمْرٌ، فَقُلْتُ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ: وَعَلَيْكَ السَّلَامُ، قُلْتُ: إِنَّا مَعْشَرَ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ قَوْمٌ بِنَا الْجَفَا، فَعَلِّمْنِي كَلِمَاتٍ يَنْفَعُنِي اللَّهُ بِهِنَّ، قَالَ: أدن ثلاثا. فقال: أَعِدْ عَلَيَّ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّا مَعْشَرَ أَهْلِ الْبَادِيَةِ قَوْمٌ بِنَا الْجَفَا، فَعَلِّمْنِي كَلِمَاتٍ يَنْفَعُنِي اللَّهُ بِهِنَّ، (فَقَالَ) (٢) : اتَّقِ اللَّهَ، وَلَا تَحْقِرَنَّ مِنَ الْمَعْرُوفِ شَيْئًا، ولو أَنْ تَصُبَّ فَضْلَ دَلْوِكَ فِي إِنَاءِ (الْمُسْتَسْقِي) (٣) ، وَإِذَا لَقِيتَ أَخَاكَ فَالْقَهُ بِوَجْهٍ مُنْبَسِطٍ، وَإِيَّاكَ وَإِسْبَالَ الإِزَارِ فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْمَخِيلَةِ، وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمَخْيَلَةَ، وَإِنِ امْرُؤٌ سَبَّكَ بِمَا يَعْلَمُ فِيكَ، فَلَا تَسُبَّهُ بِمَا تَعْلَمُ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَجْعَلُ لَكَ أَجْرًا، وَيَجْعَلُ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرًا، وَلَا تَسُبَّنَّ شَيْئًا مِمَّا خَوَّلَكَ اللَّهُ ﷿. قَالَ أَبُو جُرَيٍّ: فَوَالَّذِي ذَهَبَ بِنَفْسِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ مَا سَبَبْتُ لِي شَاةً وَلَا بَعِيرًا. فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، ذَكَرْتَ (إِسْبَالَ) (٤) الإِزَارِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ بِالرَّجُلِ القرح، أو الشيء يَسْتَحِي مِنْهُ، قَالَ لَا بَأْسَ إلى نصف السابق، أَوْ إِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِ، إِنَّ رَجُلًا مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبَلَكُمْ لَبِسَ بُرْدَيْنِ فَتَبَخْتَرَ فِيهِمَا، فَنَظَرَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ فَوْقِ عَرْشِهِ فَمَقَتَهُ، فَأَمَرَ الأَرْضَ فَأَخَذَتْهُ، فَهُوَ يَتَجَلْجَلُ فِي الأَرْضِ. فَاحْذَرُوا وَقَائِعَ اللَّهِ ﷿" (٥) .

(١) "مكة" ليست في (ر) . (٢) في النسخ الأخرى "قال". (٣) في (ر) ، و (هـ) "المستقي". (٤) في الأصل "الإسبال". (٥) رواه أبو داود في كتاب اللباس، باب ما جاء في إسبال الإزار، ح (٤٠٨٤) ، ٤/٣٤٤، عن طريق أبي تميمة الهجيمي بدل عبيدة، وقال أبو داود: (وأبو تميمة اسمه طريف بن مجالد) . وروى بعضه الترمذي في الاستئذان، باب كراهية أن يقول: عليك السلام مبتدئا، ح (٢٧٢٢) ، ٥/٧٢، وليس عندهم الشطر الذي فيه الشاهد، وللحديث طرق ذكرها الإمام أحمد في المسند ٥/٦٣-٦٤، وليس فيها الشاهد، وأورده الذهبي في العلو ص ٣٦، وقال: إسناده لين.