Tarikh (al-Tabari) 133
The story of Abraham the Friend (peace and blessings be upon him)
وَهُوَ أَحَدُ أُولِي الْعَزْمِ الْخَمْسَةِ الْمَنْصُوصِ عَلَى أَسْمَائِهِمْ تَخْصِيصًا مِنْ بَيْنِ سَائِرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فِي آيَتَيِ الْأَحْزَابِ وَالشُّورَى، وَهُمَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنْكَ وَمِنْ نُوحٍ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا [ الْأَحْزَابِ: 7 ]. وَقَوْلُهُ: شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى أَنْ أَقِيمُوا الدِّينَ وَلَا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِيهِ [ الشُّورَى: 13 ]. الْآيَةَ، ثُمَّ هُوَ أَشْرَفُ أُولِي الْعَزْمِ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي وَجَدَهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي السَّمَاءِ السَّابِعَةِ مُسْنِدًا ظَهْرَهُ بِالْبَيْتِ الْمَعْمُورِ الَّذِي يَدْخُلُهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفًا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ ثُمَّ لَا يَعُودُونَ إِلَيْهِ آخِرَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ، وَمَا وَقَعَ فِي حَدِيثِ شَرِيكِ بْنِ أَبِي نَمِرٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ فِي حَدِيثِ الْإِسْرَاءِ؛ مِنْ أَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي السَّادِسَةِ وَمُوسَى فِي السَّابِعَةِ، فَمِمَّا انْتُقِدَ عَلَى شَرِيكٍ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ وَالصَّحِيحُ الْأَوَّلُ. ثُمَّ مِمَّا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ مُوسَى الْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي قَالَ فِيهِ: وَأَخَّرْتُ الثَّالِثَةَ لِيَوْمٍ يَرْغَبُ إِلَيَّ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ حَتَّى إِبْرَاهِيمُ. رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ ؓ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْمَقَامُ الْمَحْمُودُ الَّذِي أَخْبَرَ عَنْهُ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ بِقَوْلِهِ: أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَلَا فَخْرَ. ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ اسْتِشْفَاعَ النَّاسِ بِآدَمَ ، ثُمَّ بِنُوحٍ، ثُمَّ بِإِبْرَاهِيمَ، ثُمَّ مُوسَى، ثُمَّ عِيسَى فَكُلُّهُمْ يَحِيدُ عَنْهَا، حَتَّى يَأْتُوا مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ فَيَقُولُ: أَنَا لَهَا أَنَا لَهَا. الْحَدِيثَ. قَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ بسنده عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ أَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ ؟ قَالَ: أَتْقَاهُمْ. قَالُوا: لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ. قَالَ: فَيُوسُفُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ ابْنُ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ابْنِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ ابْنِ خَلِيلِ اللَّهِ. قَالُوا: لَيْسَ عَنْ هَذَا نَسْأَلُكَ. قَالَ: فَعَنْ مَعَادِنِ الْعَرَبِ تَسْأَلُونِي ؟ خِيَارُهُمْ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ خِيَارُهُمْ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ إِذَا فَقِهُوا. وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بسنده عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: إِنَّ الْكَرِيمَ ابْنَ الْكَرِيمِ ابْنِ الْكَرِيمِ ابْنِ الْكَرِيمِ يُوسُفُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلِ اللَّهِ. تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ أَحْمَدُ. وعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ حُفَاةً عُرَاةً غُرْلًا فَأَوَّلُ مَنْ يُكْسَى إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. ثُمَّ قَرَأَ كَمَا بَدَأْنَا أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ نُعِيدُهُ. فَأَخْرَجَاهُ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ بِهِ. وَهَذِهِ الْفَضِيلَةُ الْمُعَيَّنَةُ لَا تَقْتَضِي الْأَفْضَلِيَّةَ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى مَا قَابَلَهَا مِمَّا ثَبَتَ لِصَاحِبِ الْمَقَامِ الْمَحْمُودِ الَّذِي يَغْبِطُهُ بِهِ الْأَوَّلُونَ وَالْآخِرُونَ، وَأَمَّا الْحَدِيثُ الْآخَرُ الَّذِي قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بسنده عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ: يَا خَيْرَ الْبَرِيَّةِ فَقَالَ: " ذَاكَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ". فَقَدْ رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ وَهَذَا مِنْ بَابِ الْهَضْمِ، وَالتَّوَاضُعِ مَعَ وَالِدِهِ الْخَلِيلِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، كَمَا قَالَ: لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ . وَقَالَ لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى مُوسَى فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يُصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَائِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ. وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ لَا يُنَافِي مَا ثَبَتَ بِالتَّوَاتُرِ عَنْهُ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَنَّهُ سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ . وَكَذَلِكَ حَدِيثُ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ فِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ وَأَخَّرْتُ الثَّالِثَةَ لِيَوْمٍ يَرْغَبُ إِلَيَّ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ حَتَّى إِبْرَاهِيمُ. وَلَمَّا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَفْضَلَ الرُّسُلِ وَأُولِي الْعَزْمِ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ أُمِرَ الْمُصَلِّي أَنْ يَقُولَ فِي تَشَهُّدِهِ مَا ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ كَعْبِ بْنِ عُجْرَةَ، وَغَيْرِهِ قَالَ: قُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ قَدْ عَرَفْنَاهُ، فَكَيْفَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْكَ ؟ قَالَ: قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى. قَالُوا: وَفَّى جَمِيعَ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ. وَقَامَ بِجَمِيعِ خِصَالِ الْإِيمَانِ وَشُعَبِهِ، وَكَانَ لَا يَشْغَلُهُ مُرَاعَاةُ الْأَمْرِ الْجَلِيلِ عَنِ الْقِيَامِ بِمَصْلَحَةِ الْأَمْرِ الْقَلِيلِ، وَلَا يُنْسِيهِ الْقِيَامُ بِأَعْبَاءِ الْمَصَالِحِ الْكِبَارِ عَنِ الصِّغَارِ.
Translation
✧ He is one of the five messengers of firm resolve (ūlū al-ʿazm) whose names are specified, singled out from the rest of the prophets, in the two verses of al-Aḥzāb and al-Shūrā, namely the Almighty's saying: "And when We took from the prophets their covenant, and from you, and from Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm, Mūsā, and ʿĪsā b. Maryam; and We took from them a solemn covenant" [al-Aḥzāb: 7], and His saying: "He has ordained for you of the religion what He enjoined upon Nūḥ, and that which We have revealed to you, and what We enjoined upon Ibrāhīm, Mūsā, and ʿĪsā: that you should establish the religion and not be divided therein" [al-Shūrā: 13], the verse. Then he is the most noble of the messengers of firm resolve after Muḥammad ﷺ. He it is whom he ﷺ found in the seventh heaven, resting his back against the Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-Maʿmūr), which seventy thousand angels enter every day and then do not return to it again. As for what occurs in the ḥadīth of Sharīk b. Abī Namir, from Anas, in the ḥadīth of the Night Journey—that Ibrāhīm was in the sixth heaven and Mūsā in the seventh—this is among the criticisms leveled against Sharīk in this ḥadīth, and the correct view is the former. Then one of the things indicating that Ibrāhīm is superior to Mūsā is the ḥadīth in which he said: "And I have reserved the third for a day when all creation will turn to me, even Ibrāhīm." It was narrated by Muslim from the ḥadīth of Ubayy b. Kaʿb ؓ. This is the Praiseworthy Station (al-maqām al-maḥmūd), which he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke of in his saying: "I am the master of the children of Ādam on the Day of Resurrection, and no boast." Then he mentioned the people's seeking intercession through Ādam, then Nūḥ, then Ibrāhīm, then Mūsā, then ʿĪsā, and each of them declines, until they come to Muḥammad ﷺ, who says: "I am the one for it, I am the one for it." The ḥadīth. Al-Bukhārī said with his chain of transmission from Abū Hurayrah, who said: It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, who is the noblest of people?" He said: "The most God-fearing of them." They said: "We are not asking you about this." He said: "Then Yūsuf, the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah, son of the Friend of Allah (Khalīl Allah)." They said: "We are not asking you about this." He said: "Then about the mettle of the Arabs you ask me? The best of them in the Jāhiliyyah are the best of them in Islam, if they attain understanding." And Aḥmad said with his chain of transmission from Abū Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The noble one, son of the noble one, son of the noble one, son of the noble one: Yūsuf b. Yaʿqūb b. Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm, the Friend of Allah." Aḥmad alone narrated it. And from Ibn ʿAbbās, from the Prophet ﷺ: "People will be gathered barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised, and the first to be clothed will be Ibrāhīm ﷺ." Then he recited: "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it." They both included it in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from the ḥadīth of Saʿīd b. Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbās. This specific virtue does not entail superiority relative to what is opposed to it of what is established for the holder of the Praiseworthy Station, whom the first and the last will envy for it. As for the other ḥadīth that Imam Aḥmad narrated with his chain of transmission from Anas b. Mālik, who said: A man said to the Prophet ﷺ: "O best of creation." He said: "That is Ibrāhīm." Muslim narrated it. This is of the kind of self-effacement and humility before his father the Friend ﷺ, as he said: "Do not prefer me over the prophets," and he said: "Do not prefer me over Mūsā, for the people will be struck down on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to regain consciousness, and I will find Mūsā grasping the leg of the Throne; I do not know whether he regained consciousness before me or was recompensed for the thunderbolt of the Mount." All of this does not contradict what has been established by mass transmission from him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that he is the master of the children of Ādam on the Day of Resurrection. Likewise the ḥadīth of Ubayy b. Kaʿb in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: "And I have reserved the third for a day when all creation will turn to me, even Ibrāhīm." And because Ibrāhīm ﷺ is the most excellent of the messengers and the messengers of firm resolve after Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all), the one praying is commanded to say in his tashahhud what is established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from the ḥadīth of Kaʿb b. ʿUjrah and others. He said: "We said: O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we invoke blessings upon you?" He said: "Say: 'O Allah, bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. And bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.'" And the Almighty said: "And Ibrāhīm, who fulfilled." They said: He fulfilled all that he was commanded, and he carried out all the traits and branches of faith. The observance of a magnificent command did not distract him from attending to the interest of a small one, nor did undertaking the burdens of great interests make him forget the small ones.
Grades by grader
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