16
of al-Niffarī” (1) and authored other works besides] (2), had gone to the Nusayrīs and written a book for them. They venerate him greatly. The chief of the Prophet’s descendants related to me concerning him (3) that he said: “I asked him, ‘Are you a Nusayrī?’ He replied:
‘Nusayr is part of me’ (4);
and the Nusayrīs hold him in the highest veneration.
[Comments on the Rāfidī’s claims that Allah suffered eye inflammation and wept, and other such things]
As for what [this Imāmī] (5) mentioned—that He suffered eye inflammation, that the angels visited Him while He was ill, and that He wept over the Flood of Noah [peace be upon him] (6)—we have seen them transmit this (7) from certain Jews. I have not found it transmitted from any Muslim known to me (8). If this was indeed said by
(1) (Ayn) reads: “al-Naghzī,” which is incorrect. He is Abū Abd Allāh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbār ibn al-Hasan al-Niffarī, a name derived from the town of al-Niffar in the district of Kufa. Al-Sharānī included a biography of him in *al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā*, 1/174–175, stating: “He—may Allah be pleased with him—had sublime discourse on the Sufi path. He was the author of *al-Mawāqif*. Shaykh Muhyī al-Dīn Ibn al-Arabī quoted him. Al-Niffarī died in 354 AH.” See his biography in Professor Arberry’s English introduction to *al-Mawāqif*, Dār al-Kitāb edition, 1934; al-Dhahabī, *al-Mushtabah*, 2/64, Īsā al-Halabī edition, 1381 AH/1962 CE; and *al-Alām*, 7–56.
(2) The text in square brackets appears only in (Ayn).
(3) (N) and (M) read: “concerning them,” which is incorrect.
(4) (N) and (M) read: “better than me.”
(5) (B) and (A) read: “what was mentioned.” The phrase “this Imāmī” is omitted from (N), (M), (A), and (B). The substance of the ensuing passage appeared previously in (K), 1/84 (M), and in the present work, 2/500.
(6) “Peace be upon him” appears only in (Ayn).
(7) (N) reads: “they receive it.”
(8) Mustajī Zādeh commented here: “I say, in support of the author: al-Shahrastānī, the author of *al-Milal*, states in that work that this is a teaching of the Jews.”
النِّفَّرِيِّ
(١)
. وَصَنَّفَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ]
(٢)
قَدْ ذَهَبَ إِلَى النُّصَيْرِيَّةِ وَصَنَّفَ لَهُمْ كِتَابًا وَهُمْ يُعَظِّمُونَهُ جِدًّا، وَحَدَّثَنِي نَقِيبُ الْأَشْرَافِ عَنْهُ
(٣)
أَنَّهُ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ: أَنْتَ نُصَيْرِيٌّ؟
قَالَ:
نُصَيْرٌ جُزْءٌ مِنِّي
(٤)
; والنُّصَيْرِيَّةُ يُعَظِّمُونَهُ غَايَةَ التَّعْظِيمِ.
[التعليق على ما ذكره الرافضي من رمد الله وبكائه وغير ذلك]
وَأَمَّا مَا ذَكَرَهُ
[هَذَا الْإِمَامِيُّ]
(٥)
مِنْ رَمَدِهِ وَعِيَادَةِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَهُ وَبُكَائِهِ عَلَى طُوفَانِ نُوحٍ
[عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ]
;
(٦)
فَهَذَا قَدْ رَأَيْنَاهُمْ يَنْقُلُونَهُ
(٧)
عَنْ بَعْضِ الْيَهُودِ، وَلَمْ أَجِدْ هَذَا مَنْقُولًا عَمَّنْ أَعْرِفُهُ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
(٨)
، فَإِنْ كَانَ هَذَا قَدْ قَالَهُ
(١) ع: النَّغْزِيِّ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. وَهُوَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ النِّفَّرِيِّ نِسْبَةً إِلَى بَلْدَةِ النِّفَّرِ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْكُوفَةِ. تَرْجَمَ لَهُ الشَّعْرَانِيُّ فِي " الطَّبَقَاتِ الْكُبْرَى " ١/١٧٤ - ١٧٥ فَقَالَ: " كَانَ لَهُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ كَلَامٌ عَالٍ فِي طَرِيقِ الْقَوْمِ، وَهُوَ صَاحِبُ " الْمَوَاقِفِ " نَقَلَ عَنْهُ الشَّيْخُ مُحْيِي الدِّينِ بْنُ الْعَرَبِيِّ وَتُوُفِّيَ النِّفَّرِيُّ سَنَةَ ٣٥٤. انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ فِي: الْمُقَدِّمَةِ الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِ لِكِتَابِ " الْمَوَاقِفِ " بِقَلَمِ الْأُسْتَاذِ أَرْبِرِي، ط. دَارِ الْكِتَابِ ١٩٣٤ ; الْمُشْتَبَهِ لِلذَّهَبِيِّ ٢/٦٤، ط. عِيسَى الْحَلَبِيِّ، ١٣٨١/١٩٦٢ ; الْأَعْلَامِ ٧ - ٥٦
(٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ.
(٣) ن، م: عَنْهُمْ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.
(٤) ن، م: خَيْرٌ مِنِّي.
(٥) ب، أ: مَا ذَكَرَ، وَسَقَطَتْ عِبَارَةُ " هَذَا الْإِمَامِيُّ ": مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (أ) ، (ب) . وَسَبَقَ ذِكْرُ الْكَلَامِ التَّالِي بِمَعْنَاهُ فِي (ك) ١/٨٤ (م) ، وَهَذَا الْكِتَابِ ٢/٥٠٠.
(٦) عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: فِي (ع) فَقَطْ.
(٧) ن: يَتَلَقَّوْنَهُ.
(٨) عَلَّقَ مُسْتَجِي زَادَهْ هُنَا بِقَوْلِهِ: " قُلْتُ تَأْيِيدًا لِلْمُصَنِّفِ: إِنَّ الشَّهْرَسْتَانِيَّ صَاحِبَ " الْمِلَلِ " ذَكَرَ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ قَوْلُ الْيَهُودِ ".