2372 – Abu ʿAbd Allah Ibn Batta reported: “Abu Bakr al-Ajurri narrated to us, saying, ‘I heard Ibn Abi al-Tayyib say, “Jaʿfar the Goldsmith related to me”—and he pointed to ⦗1333⦘ the column of the congregational mosque in the city of al-Mansur—“saying:
‘Among the neighbours of Abu ʿAbd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal there once lived a man given to sins and shameful deeds. One day he came to Ahmad’s session and greeted him with salam, but Ahmad did not return a full greeting and withdrew from him. The man said, ‘Abu ʿAbd Allah, why do you keep your distance from me? I have changed from what you used to know of me because of a dream I saw.’
‘Ahmad asked, ‘What did you see? Tell me.’
‘He replied, ‘I saw the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—in my sleep, standing on a height while a great number of people sat below him. They advanced toward him one by one, and each time they would say, “Pray for us,” until none of them remained but me. I wanted to step forward, but was ashamed because of the ugliness of what I had been doing. He said to me, “So-and-so, why do you not come and ask me to supplicate for you?” I seemed to answer, “O Messenger of Allah, I am held back by shame over the evil I am upon.” He said, “If modesty restrains you, rise and ask me to pray for you; you never curse any of my Companions.” So I stood up and he prayed for me. When I awoke, Allah had made hateful to me everything I used to do.’”’
Abu ʿAbd Allah (Ahmad) then said to us, “O Jaʿfar, O so-and-so, O so-and-so, relate this report and memorise it, for it is beneficial.”
2373 – Yusuf ibn al-Hasan ibn Ibrahim al-Khayyat, a righteous elderly man who had been our neighbour—living first on the eastern side and later on the western side, and who had served Shashunikir the chamberlain—told me:
“On the eastern side, in the days of al-Husayn ibn Buwayh, there was a Daylamite commander named Jabnah, one of the notable officers of his army. Several eyewitnesses to this story affirmed that he was a celebrated man, wealthy, brave, and handsome.
“One day, while he was standing in Baghdad during the hajj season and the people were setting out for Mecca, a man known as ʿAli al-Daqqaq al-Maʿafiri passed by him. (Yusuf adds: he himself narrated this story to me in detail, for he was its protagonist, and I had heard others speak of it because of its fame.) ʿAli said ⦗1334⦘:
‘I passed by Jabnah and he asked, “ʿAli, are you making the pilgrimage this year?” I answered, “A pilgrimage has never become possible for me until now, and I am seeking the means.” He replied, “I will provide you with a pilgrimage.” Though I did not really credit his words, I said, “Very well, give it to me.” He called, “Boy, go to ʿUthman the money-changer and tell him to weigh out twenty dinars for you.” I went with his servant; ʿUthman weighed out the twenty dinars, and I returned. Jabnah then said, “Put your affairs in order; when you are ready to depart, come and show me your face so that I may give you some advice.”
‘So I left, prepared my affairs, and came back to him. The first thing he said was, “I have presented you this pilgrimage as a gift; I have no need of it. But I will entrust you with a message for Muhammad.” I asked, “What is it?” He said, “Tell him: I renounce your two companions, Abu Bakr and ʿUmar, who are with you.” Then he made me swear a triple divorce that I would indeed relay those words.
‘Panic seized me. I left him anxious and sorrowful, performed the hajj, entered Medina, and visited the grave of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I kept wavering: should I deliver the message or not? I thought, “If I do not, my wife is divorced; if I do, how grave it is to utter such words before the Messenger of Allah.” I sought Allah’s guidance, and finally said, “So-and-so son of So-and-so says such-and-such,” conveying the message verbatim. I was overcome by deep anguish and withdrew to one side, where sleep overtook me.
‘I saw the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—who said, “I have heard the message you delivered. When you return to him, say: ‘Rejoice, enemy of Allah! On the twenty-ninth day after your arrival in Baghdad you shall enter the Fire of Hell.’”
‘I awoke, set out, and returned to Baghdad. Crossing to the eastern side I thought, “This is an evil man. I conveyed his message to the Messenger of Allah; shall I convey the reply to him? The moment I do, he will order my death or kill me himself.” I hesitated, then said ⦗1335⦘: “I will convey it even if it costs me my life; I will not conceal the reply.”
‘I entered upon him before going to my own home. The moment he saw me he said, “Daqqaq, what did you do with the message?” I said, “I delivered it to the Messenger of Allah, and he has sent a reply.” He asked, “What is it?” I recounted my dream. He glared at me and said, “Killing the likes of you is easy for me!” Then he cursed and reviled, shaking in my face a mace he held in his hand. “But I will leave you until the day you have mentioned,” he said, pointing at the mace. Those present reproached me, and he ordered his servant, “Lock him in the stable and shackle him.”
‘Thus I was imprisoned and fettered. My family came, wept over me, lamented, and blamed me, but I said, “What is decreed has come to pass, and no one dies except at his appointed time.” The days passed; people would visit, check on me, and pity me until twenty-seven days had gone by.
‘On the night of the twenty-eighth the Daylamite held a great banquet, summoning the chief commanders of the army, and they sat drinking. When half the night had passed, the groom came to me and said, “Daqqaq, the commander has been seized by a violent fever. He has covered himself with every cloth in the house, the servants are lying on top of the blankets, yet he is shaking uncontrollably beneath them.” He remained like that for the whole of day twenty-eight.
‘The night of the twenty-ninth came. The groom entered at midnight and said, “Daqqaq, the commander has died; remove your chains.” When morning broke the people gathered from every side, the commanders sat to receive condolences, and I was brought out—my story was well known. They bade me recount it, so I did, and many people gave up their corrupt ways. As for me, I was released.’