Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlū - Ibn Qudama - (141)

Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlūIbn Qudama

There Abraham looked⟮1⟯ and saw that the old man’s qiblah was identical to his own. Abraham then asked, “Old man, which day is the greatest?” He replied, “It is the day when Allah sets down His kursī (Seat) for the Reckoning— the day when Hell is commanded to exhale one breath, after which no angel who is near nor any messenger-prophet remains but that he falls in prostration, each one concerned only for himself because of the terror of that day.”

Abraham said, “Old man, pray to Allah to grant safety to both you and me from the dread of that day.” He answered, “What good will my supplication do? I have a prayer that has been held back in heaven for three years, and I have not seen it answered.” Abraham asked, “Shall I tell you why your prayer has been delayed?” He said, “Yes.” Abraham explained, “When Allah loves a servant, He postpones fulfilling his request, for He loves to hear his voice; but when He dislikes a servant, He either hastens the request—or casts despair into his breast. So, what is this prayer of yours that has been kept in heaven for three years?”

The man said, “A young man with a lock of hair once passed by this place. With him were sheep that looked as though they had just been washed, and cattle that seemed freshly anointed with oil. I asked, ‘By Allah, whose livestock are these?’ He said, ‘They belong to Allah’s intimate friend, Abraham—peace be upon him.’ So I prayed, ‘O Allah, if You have a friend on earth, let me see him before I leave this world.’”

Abraham responded, “Your prayer has been answered.” The two then embraced each other. Before that time people would prostrate—each to the other—whenever they met; then Islam introduced the handshake, and the fingers do not part until each of the two has been forgiven. Praise be to Allah, who has lifted from us the burdens⟮2⟯.

(1) The text enclosed in parentheses does not appear in the other manuscripts. (2) Al-Dhahabi records part of this report in his al-Ulu (p. 56), calling it “a long fabricated report narrated from Uthman ibn ʿAta through his father from Abu Sufyan al-Alahani from Tamim al-Dari.” He also mentions it under the biography of ʿUmar ibn Hafs ibn Muhbar in al-Mizan (3:189), with the chain “from Uthman ibn ʿAta from his father from Abu Sufyan al-Hudhali from Tamim al-Dari,” quotes a portion, then declares it forged—suggesting the defect may lie in its elevation to the Prophet, so that it might actually be mursal. Burhan al-Din al-Halabi includes it in al-Kashf al-Hathith (‘On Those Accused of Fabricating Hadith’, section 33), cites al-Dhahabi’s verdict, and adds that if al-Dhahabi considered it mursal yet deliberately raised it to marfuʿ, then that constitutes fabrication. Al-ʿUqayli lists it in al-Duʿafaʾ al-Kabir (3:155) with the same chain, noting that al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar judged it weak (al-Taqrib 2:12), as did al-Daraqutni, Muslim, and Yahya ibn Maʿin; al-Nasa’i deemed its narrator unreliable; Ibn Khuzaymah refused to use his reports; al-Hakim stated that he narrates fabricated ahadith from his father; and the hadith master Abu Nuʿaym said he transmitted objectionable reports from his father (al-Mizan 3:48; Tahdhib 7:135). As for his father, ʿAtaʾ ibn Abu Muslim al-Khurasani was a professing transmitter of the fifth generation, known to omit his own principal transmitter’s name and to practice tadlis; he died (date unspecified).

(فَنَظَرَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ) (١) ، فَإِذَا قِبْلَتُهُ قِبْلَتُهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: يَا شَيْخُ، أَيُّ يَوْمٍ أَعْظَمُ؟ قَالَ: يَوْمَ يَضَعُ اللَّهُ كُرْسِيَّهُ لِلْحِسَابِ، يَوْمَ تُؤْمَرُ جَهَنَّمُ أَنْ تَزْفُرَ زَفْرَةً لَا يَبْقَى لَهَا مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ، وَلَا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ إِلَّا خَرَّ سَاجِدًا تَهُمُّهُ نَفْسُهُ مِنْ هَوْلِ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: يَا شَيْخُ: ادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُؤَمِّنَنِي وَإِيَّاكَ مِنْ هَوْلِ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، قَالَ: وَمَا يَصْنَعُ بِدُعَائِي، إِنَّ لِي دَعْوَةٌ مَحْبُوسَةٌ فِي السَّمَاءِ مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِ سِنِينَ لَمْ أَرَهَا، قَالَ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: أَلَا أُخْبِرُكَ مَا حَبْسُ دُعَاءِكَ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷿ إِذَا أَحَبَّ عَبْدًا أَخَّرَ مَسْأَلَتَهُ لِحُبِّهِ صَوْتَهُ، وَإِذَا أَبْغَضَ عَبْدًا عَجَّلَ مَسْأَلَتَهُ، أَوْ أَلْقَى الأَيَاسَ فِي صَدْرِهِ، فَمَا دَعْوَتُكَ الْمَحْبُوسَةُ فِي السَّمَاءِ مُنْذُ ثَلَاثِ سِنِينَ؟ قَالَ: مَرَّ بِي فِي هَذَا الْمَكَانِ شَابٌّ لَهُ ذُؤَابَةٌ فِي رَأْسِهِ، مَعَهُ غنم كأنما خشيت، وَبَقَرٌ كَأَنَّمَا دُهِنَتْ، قُلْتُ: بِاللَّهِ لِمَنْ هَذِهِ؟ قَالَ: لِخَلِيلِ اللَّهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇، فَقُلْتُ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ لَكَ خَلِيلٌ في الأرض فأرينه قَبْلَ خُرُوجِي مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: قَدْ أُجِيبَتْ دَعْوَتُكَ، فَاعْتَنَقَ هُوَ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ، وَكَانَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ السُّجُودُ، يَسْجُدُ هَذَا لِهَذَا، وَهَذَا لِهَذَا إِذَا لَقِيَهُ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ الإِسْلَامُ بِالْمُصَافَحَةِ، فَلَا تَفْتَرِقُ الأَصَابِعُ حَتَّى يُغْفَرَ لِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَضَعَ عنا الآصار (٢) .

(١) ما بين القوسين لا يوجد في النسخ الأخرى. (٢) أورد بعضا منه الذهبي في العلو، وقال: حديث باطل طويل يروى عن عثمان بن عطاء عن أبيه عن أبي سفيان الألهاني، عن تميم الداري. العلو ص ٥٦، وذكره في الميزان عند ترجمة عمر بن حفص بن محبر عن عثمان بن عطاء عن أبيه عن أبي سفيان الهذلي -هكذا في الميزان- عن تميم الداري، وذكر طرفا من الحديث، ثم حكم بوضعه، وقال: لعل الآفة منه في رفعه، فيحتمل أنه موقوف. الميزان ٣/١٨٩. وذكره أيضا برهان الدين الحلبي في الكشف الحثيث، وذكر كلام الذهبي المذكور وعقب عليه بقوله: هذا الرجل إن كان عنده الحديث موقوفا فرفعه متعمدا فإنه يكون وضعا. انظر: الكشف الحثيث عمن رمي بوضع الحديث/ ٣٣، وأورده العقيلي في الضعفاء الكبير ٣/١٥٥، وفي سنده أيضا عثمان بن عطاء بن أبي مسلم الخراساني، قال الحافظ بن حجر: ضعيف. التقريب ٢/١٢، وضعفه أيضا الدارقطني، ومسلم، ويحيى بن معين، وقال النسائي: ليس بثقة، وقال ابن خزيمة: لا أحتج بحديثه. وقال الحاكم: يروي عن أبيه أحاديث موضوعة. وقال الحافظ أبو نعيم: روى عن أبيه أحاديث منكرة. الميزان ٣/٤٨، والتهذيب ٧/١٣٥. أما أبوه فهو عطاء بن أبي مسلم أبو عثمان الخراسان، صدوق يهم كثيرا، ويرسل ويدلس. من الخامسة، توفي