Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlū - Ibn Qudama - (146)

Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlūIbn Qudama

“I bear witness that Allah’s promise is indeed true,
and that the Fire is the lodging of the unbelievers;
that the Throne floats upon the waters,
and above that Throne is the Lord of all creation;
that noble angels bear it aloft—
the divinely marked hosts of the Almighty.” (1)

His wife replied, “Allah has spoken the truth and my eyes have deceived me,” even though she had not memorised any part of the Quran. (2)(3)

ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Sulami informed us; Abu al-Qasim al-Husayni narrated to us; ʿAbd al-ʿAziz al-Kinani narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿUthman narrated to us; my uncle Muhammad ibn al-Qasim narrated to us; Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn ʿAli ibn Saʿid narrated to us; Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Abu Usamah narrated to us, from Nafiʿ, who said:

ʿAbd Allah ibn Rawahah had a slave-girl, and he used to conceal from his wife his intimacy with her. One day he slept with her; his wife suspected it and accused him. He denied the accusation, whereupon she said, “Then recite the Quran.” So he recited:

“By Allah’s leave I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Messenger of the One who is above the highest heavens;
and that Abu Yahya and Yahya—both of them—
have deeds that are accepted by their Lord.”

He then said, “Woe to you!” (7)

(1) This couplet does not appear in the other manuscripts. (2) In copies other than the original: "Amanatu billah" (I believed in Allah). (3) See al-Istiʿāb by Ibn Abd al-Barr, marginal note to al-Isābah, vol. 2, p. 296. It was also transmitted by ad-Dārimī in his ar-Radd ʿalā al-Jahmīyah, p. 27 (Islamic Book House edition). Al-Albānī commented: “Its isnād is ḥasan (good), but it is muwaqūf (mursal).” Al-Dhahabī included it in al-ʿUlū, p. 42, noting that it was reported through various mursal chains, among them Yahyā ibn Ayyūb al-Miṣrī, who related it via ʿAmārah ibn Ghuzbah from Qudāmah ibn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm al-Ḥāṭibī, thus rendering it munqaṭiʿ (interrupted). (4) In other manuscripts: "Abū al-Maʿālī al-Silmī." (5) In manuscripts h and r: "Abū al-Maʿālī," which is erroneous. (6) In other manuscripts: "ahlahu" (his people). (7) It was recorded by Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah in his al-Musannaf, vol. 8, p. 697. The verse is among the poetry of Ḥassān ibn Thābit, mentioned above at note (23).

شَهِدْتُ بِأَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ... وَأَنَّ النَّارَ مَثْوَى الْكَافِرِينَا وَأَنَّ الْعَرْشَ فَوْقَ الْمَاءِ طَافٍ ... وَفَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَا وَتَحْمِلُهُ مَلَائِكَةٌ كِرَامٌ ... وَأَمْلَاكُ الإِلَهِ مُسَوَّمِينَا (١) فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ (صَدَقَ اللَّهُ) (٢) ، وَكَذَبَتْ عَيْنِي، وَكَانَتْ لَا تَحْفَظُ الْقُرْآنَ (٣) . ٥٣- وَأْخَبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيُّ (٤) ، أَنْبَا (أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ) (٥) الْحُسَيْنِيُّ، أَنْبَأَ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ الْكِنَانِيُّ، أَنْبَأَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ، أَنْبَأَ عَمِّي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ، أَنْبَأَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، أَنْبَأَ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، ثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، قَالَ: كَانَتْ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رَوَاحَةَ جَارِيَةٌ، وَكَانَ يُكَاتِمُ (امْرَأَتَهُ) (٦) غَشَيَانَهَا، فَوَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ، فَاتَّهَمَتْهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ وَقَعَ عَلَيْهَا، فَأَنْكَرَ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: اقرأ القرآن إذاً، فَقَالَ: شهدت بإذن الله أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا ... رَسُولُ الَّذِي فَوْقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ مِنْ عَلِ وَأَنَّ أَبَا يَحْيَى وَيَحْيَى كِلَاهُمَا ... لَهُ عَمَلٌ مِنْ ربه متقبل فقال: أَوْلَى لَكَ (٧) .

(١) هذا البيت لا يوجد في النسخ الأخرى. (٢) في غير الأصل: "آمنت بالله". (٣) انظر: الاستيعاب لابن عبد البر بهامش الإصابة ٢/٢٩٦. وأخرجه الدارمي في الرد على الجهمية ص ٢٧، طبع المكتب الإسلامي. وقال الألباني في تعليقه عليه: إسناده حسن، ولكنه موقوف. وأورده الذهبي في العلو ص ٤٢، وقال: روي عن وجوه مرسلة، منها يحيى بن أيوب المصري، حدثنا عمارة بن غزبة، عن قدامة بن محمد بن إبراهيم الحاطبي، فذكره، فهو منقطع. (٤) في النسخ الأخرى: "أبو المعالي السلمي". (٥) في (هـ) ، و (ر) : "أبو المعالي" وهو خطأ. (٦) في النسخ الأخرى: "أهله". (٧) أخرجه أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة في مصنفه ٨/٦٩٧. وهو من شعر لحسان بن ثابت تقدم ذكره تحت الرقم: (٢٣) .