Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1752
The illness of the Prophet ﷺ and his death
إِرَادَتِهِ ﷺ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ كِتَابًا فَاخْتَلَفُوا فَلَمْ يَكْتُبْ رَوَى الشَّيْخَانِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ وَمَا يَوْمُ الْخَمِيسَ ثُمَّ بَكَى حَتَّى بَلَّ دَمْعُهُ الْحَصَى، قُلْتُ يَا ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ وَمَا يَوْمُ الْخَمِيسِ ؟ قَالَ: اشْتَدَّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَجَعُهُ فَقَالَ: ائْتُونِي أَكْتُبُ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ أَبَدًا، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مُدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْوَجَعُ وَعِنْدَكُمُ الْقُرْآنُ حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ فَاخْتَلَفَ أَهْلُ الْبَيْتِ، فَاخْتَصَمُوا، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: قَرِّبُوا يَكْتُبُ لَكُمْ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ مَا قَالَ عُمَرُ. فَتَنَازَعُوا وَلَا يَنْبَغِي عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ التَّنَازُعُ، فَقَالُوا: مَا شَأْنُهُ أَهَجَرَ ؟ اسْتَفْهِمُوهُ ! فَذَهَبُوا يُعِيدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «قُومُوا» لَمَّا أَكْثَرُوا اللَّغْوَ وَالِاخْتِلَافَ عِنْدَهُ، دَعَوْنِي فَالَّذِي أَنَا فِيهِ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَنِي إِلَيْهِ. فَقَالَ: وَأَوْصَاهُمْ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلَاثٍ فَقَالَ: «أَخْرِجُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ مِنْ جَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِ، وَأَجِيزُوا الْوَفْدَ بِنَحْوٍ مِمَّا كُنْتُ أُجِيزُهُمْ قَالَ: وَسَكَتَ عَنِ الثَّالِثَةِ، أَوْ قَالَ: فَنَسِيَهَا فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ الرَّزِيئَةَ سَحْلُ الرَّزِيئَةِ مَا حَالَ بَيْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ لَهُمْ هَذَا الْكِتَابَ لِاخْتِلَافِهِمْ وَلَغَطِهِمْ». وَرَوَى أَبُو يَعْلَى بِسَنَدٍ صَحِيحٍ عَنْ جَابِرٍ ؓ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ دَعَا عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ بِصَحِيفَةٍ لِيَكْتُبَ فِيهَا كِتَابًا لَا يَضِلُّونَ بَعْدَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: «يَكْتُبُ فِيهِمَا كِتَابًا لِأُمَّتِهِ. لَا يَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ» وَكَانَ فِي الْبَيْتِ لَغَطٌ فَنَكَلَ عُمَرُ فَرَفَضَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ. وَرَوَى الطَّبَرَانِيُّ مِنْ طَرِيقِ لَيْثِ بْنِ أَبِي سُلَيْمٍ- وَبَقِيَّةُ رِجَالِهِ ثِقَاتٌ- عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ قَالَ دَعَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِكَتِفٍ فَقَالَ: ائْتُونِي بِكَتِفٍ أَكْتُبُ لَكُمْ كِتَابًا لَا تَخْتَلِفُونَ بَعْدِي فَأُخِذَ مَنْ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَفِي لَفْظٍ: «فَقَالَتِ امْرَأَةٌ مِمَّنْ حَضَرَ وَيْحَكُمُ عَهِدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَيْكُمْ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ اسْكُتِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا عَقْلَ لَكِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنْتُمْ لَا أَحْلَامَ لَكُمْ. وَرَوَى الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ وَابْنُ سَعْدٍ - وَفِي سَنَدِهِ ضَعْفٌ- عَنْ عَلِيٍّ ؓ قَالَ أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ آتِيَهُ بِطَبَقٍ أَكْتُبُ فِيهِ مَا لَا تَضِلُّ أُمَّتِي مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالَ: فَخَشِيتُ أَنْ تَسْبِقَنِي نَفْسُهُ قَالَ: قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَحْفَظُ وَأَوْعَى قَالَ: أُوصِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ». وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِمَّا قَدْ تَوَهَّمَ بِهِ بَعْضُ الْأَغْبِيَاءِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، كُلٌّ يَدَّعِي أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابِ مَا يَرْمُزُونَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَقَالَاتِهِمْ، وَهَذَا هُوَ التَّمَسُّكُ بِالْمُتَشَابِهِ وَتَرْكُ الْمُحْكَمِ، وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ يَأْخُذُونَ بِالْمُحْكَمِ وَيَرُدُّونَ مَا تَشَابَهَ إِلَيْهِ، وَهَذِهِ طَرِيقَةُ الرَّاسِخِينَ فِي الْعِلْمِ، كَمَا وَصَفَهُمُ اللَّهُ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فِي كِتَابِهِ، وَهَذَا الْمَوْضِعُ مِمَّا زَلَّ فِيهِ أَقْدَامُ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الضَّلَالَاتِ، وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ فَلَيْسَ لَهُمْ مَذْهَبٌ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعُ الْحَقِّ يَدُورُونَ مَعَهُ كَيْفَمَا دَارَ، وَهَذَا الَّذِي كَانَ يُرِيدُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَهُ قَدْ جَاءَ فِي الْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ التَّصْرِيحُ بِكَشْفِ الْمُرَادِ مِنْهُ ; فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ: حَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلٌ، ثَنَا نَافِعُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، ثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ: لَمَّا كَانَ وَجَعُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ الَّذِي قُبِضَ فِيهِ قَالَ: " ادْعُوا لِي أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَابْنَهُ فَلْيَكْتُبْ ; لِكَيْ لَا يَطْمَعَ فِي أَمْرِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ طَامِعٌ وَلَا يَتَمَنَّى مُتَمَنٍّ " ثُمَّ قَالَ يَأْبَى اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ مَرَّتَيْنِ. قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: فَأَبَى اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ. وقالَ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ وَالذَّهَبِيُّ: وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ عُمَرُ التَّخْفِيفَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حِينَ رَآهُ شَدِيدَ الْوَجَعِ لِعِلْمِهِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى قَدْ أَكْمَلَ دِينَنَا، وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ وَحْيًا لَكَتَبَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَلَمَا أَخَلَّ بِهِ لِاخْتِلَافِهِمْ وَلَغَطِهِمْ لِقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: بَلِّغْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ [الْمَائِدَةِ: 67] كَمَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ تَبْلِيغَ غَيْرِهِ لِمُخَالَفَةِ مَنْ خَالَفَهُ وَمُعَادَاةِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ مَا حَكَى سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ قَبْلَهُ، أَنْ يَكْتُبَ اسْتِخْلَافَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، ثُمَّ تَرَكَ كِتَابَتَهُ اعْتِمَادًا عَلَى مَا عَلِمَ مِنْ تَقْدِيرِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، كَمَا هَمَّ بِهِ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ مَرَضِهِ حِينَ قَالَ: «وَارَأْسَاهُ». ثُمَّ بَدَا لَهُ أَنْ لَا يَكْتُبَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «يَأْبَى اللَّهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا أَبَا بَكْرٍ» ثُمَّ نَبَّهَ أُمَّتَهُ عَلَى خِلَافَتِهِ بِاسْتِخْلَافِهِ إِيَّاهُ فِي الصَّلَاةِ حِينَ عَجَزَ عَنْ حُضُورِهَا، وَبَسَطَ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ الْكَلَامَ فِي ذَلِكَ. وَقَالَ الْمَازِرِيُّ: إِنَّمَا جَازَ لِلصَّحَابَةِ الِاخْتِلَافُ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ مَعَ صَرِيحِ أَمْرِهِ بِذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّ الْأَوَامِرَ قَدْ يُقَارِنُهَا مَا يَنْقُلُهَا مِنَ الْوُجُوبِ، فَكَأَنَّهُ ظَهَرَتْ مِنْهُ قَرِينَةٌ دَلَّتْ عَلَى أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ لَيْسَ عَلَى التَّحَتُّمِ بَلْ عَلَى الِاخْتِيَارِ، فَاخْتَلَفَ اجْتِهَادُهُمْ وَصَمَّمَ عُمَرُ عَلَى الِامْتِنَاعِ لِمَا قَامَ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْقَرَائِنِ بِأَنَّهُ ﷺ قَالَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ غَيْرِ قَصْدٍ جَازِمٍ [وَعَزْمُهُ ﷺ كَانَ إِمَّا بِالْوَحْيِ وَإِمَّا بِالِاجْتِهَادِ، وَكَذَلِكَ تَرْكُهُ إِنْ كَانَ بِالْوَحْيِ فَبِالْوَحْيِ وَإِلَّا فَبِالِاجْتِهَادِ أَيْضًا]. وَقَالَ النَّوَوِيُّ: اتَّفَقَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَى أَنَّ قَوْلَ عُمَرَ «حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ» مِنْ قُوَّةِ فِقْهِهِ وَدَقِيقِ نَظَرِهِ، لِأَنَّهُ خَشِيَ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ أُمُورًا رُبَّمَا عَجَزُوا عَنْهَا فَيَسْتَحِقُّوا الْعُقُوبَةَ لِكَوْنِهَا مَنْصُوصَةً وَأَرَادَ أَنْ لَا يَسُدَّ بَابَ الِاجْتِهَادِ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَفِي تَرْكِهِ ﷺ الْإِنْكَارَ عَلَى عُمَرَ الْإِشَارَةُ إِلَى تَصْوِيبِهِ وَأَشَارَ بِقَوْلِهِ: «حَسْبُنَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ» إِلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ [الْأَنْعَامِ: 38] وَلَا يُعَارِضُ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنَّ الرَّزِيَّةَ...... إِلَخْ، لِأَنَّ عُمَرَ كَانَ أَفْقَهَ مِنْهُ قَطْعًا، وَلَا يُقَالُ: أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ لَمْ يَكْتَفِ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَعَ أَنَّهُ حَبْرُ الْقُرْآنِ وَأَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِتَفْسِيرِهِ وَلَكِنَّهُ أَسِفَ عَلَى مَا فَاتَهُ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ وَبِالتَّنْصِيصِ عَلَيْهِ لِكَوْنِهِ أَوْلَى مِنَ الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ.
Translation
✧ His ﷺ wishing to write a document for his Companions, but they differed, so he did not write it Al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated from Saʿīd b. Jubayr, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said, "Thursday — and what a Thursday!" Then he wept until his tears moistened the pebbles. I said, "O Ibn ʿAbbās, Thursday — and what a Thursday?" He said: The pain of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intensified, so he said, "Bring me [something] so that I may write for you a document after which you will never go astray." ʿUmar said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is overcome by pain, and you have the Qurʾān. Sufficient for us is the Book of Allah." The people of the household differed and disputed. Some of them said, "Bring [it] near so that he may write for you," while others said what ʿUmar said. They quarreled, and it is not proper to quarrel in the presence of the Prophet. They said, "What is the matter with him? Has he become delirious? Ask him!" So they went back to him, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Get up," when their idle talk and disagreement increased in his presence. "Leave me, for what I am in is better than what you are calling me to." He said: And he enjoined three things upon them at his death, saying: "Expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, and give gifts to the delegations in a manner similar to what I used to give them." He said: And he was silent about the third, or he said: "He forgot it." Ibn ʿAbbās said, "The calamity — the entire calamity — is what prevented the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from writing that document for them because of their disagreement and clamor." Abū Yaʿlā narrated with a sound chain from Jābir ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called for a sheet at his death in order to write in it a document after which they would not go astray. In another narration: "He would write in it a document for his community: they will not wrong nor be wronged." There was clamor in the house, and ʿUmar objected, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ abandoned it. Al-Ṭabarānī narrated through the route of Layth b. Abī Sulaym — and the rest of its men are trustworthy — from Ibn ʿAbbās ؓ who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called for a shoulder blade and said: "Bring me a shoulder blade so that I may write for you a document after which you will not differ after me." Some of the people around him were seized [by emotion]. In another wording: "A woman among those present said, 'Woe to you! The Messenger of Allah ﷺ has made a covenant with you.' Some of the people said, 'Be quiet, for you have no intelligence.' The Prophet ﷺ said, 'You are the ones with no forbearance.'" Imām Aḥmad and Ibn Saʿd narrated — and in its chain there is weakness — from ʿAlī ؓ who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to bring him a tablet so that he might write in it what my community would not go astray after him. He said: I feared that his soul might depart before me. He said: I said, "I memorize and retain." He said: "I enjoin prayer, zakāt, and what your right hands possess." This ḥadīth is one of the things by which some fools among the people of innovation, from the Shīʿa and others, have been deluded. Each claims that he wanted to write in that document what they allude to of their own doctrines. This is clinging to the ambiguous and abandoning the clear. The people of the Sunnah take the clear and refer the ambiguous back to it. This is the way of those firmly grounded in knowledge, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, described them in His Book. This place is one where the feet of many people of misguidance have slipped. As for the people of the Sunnah, they have no way except following the truth, revolving with it wherever it revolves. What he ﷺ wanted to write has come in the authentic ḥadīths with explicit clarification of its intended meaning. For Imām Aḥmad said: Muʾammal narrated to us, Nāfiʿ b. ʿUmar narrated to us, Ibn Abī Mulaykah narrated to us from ʿĀʾishah who said: When the illness of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in which he was taken came, he said: "Call for me Abū Bakr and his son, so that he may write, lest anyone covet the affair of Abū Bakr or any wisher wish [for it]." Then he said: "Allah and the believers refuse that," twice. ʿĀʾishah said: "Allah and the believers refused that." Al-Bayhaqī and al-Dhahabī said: ʿUmar only intended to lighten the burden on the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he saw him in severe pain, knowing that Allah, Blessed and Exalted, had completed our religion. If that document had been revelation, the Prophet ﷺ would have written it and would not have failed to do so because of their disagreement and clamor, due to the word of Allah, Exalted: "Convey what has been sent down to you from your Lord" [al-Māʾidah: 67], just as he did not abandon conveying anything else because of the opposition of those who opposed him or the enmity of those who were hostile to him. He only wanted what Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah reported from the people of knowledge before him: that he should write the appointment of Abū Bakr as successor. Then he abandoned writing it in reliance on what he knew of Allah's decree, just as he intended it at the beginning of his illness when he said: "Oh, my head!" Then it appeared to him not to write it. Then he said: "Allah and the believers refuse anyone but Abū Bakr." Then he alerted his community to his succession by appointing him to lead the prayer when he was unable to attend it. Al-Bayhaqī expanded on this. Al-Māzarī said: The Companions' disagreement over this document was permissible despite his explicit command for it, because commands may be accompanied by what transfers them from obligation. It was as if a contextual indication appeared showing that the command was not definitive but rather optional. Their ijtihād differed, and ʿUmar insisted on refusal because of the indications he had that he ﷺ said that without a firm intention. [His ﷺ intention was either by revelation or by ijtihād, and likewise his leaving it: if by revelation, then by revelation; otherwise, by ijtihād as well.] Al-Nawawī said: The scholars agreed that ʿUmar's statement "Sufficient for us is the Book of Allah" is from the strength of his fiqh and the subtlety of his insight, because he feared that he might write matters they might be unable to fulfill and thus deserve punishment since they would be explicitly stipulated. He wanted not to close the door of ijtihād for the scholars. In the Prophet's ﷺ not disapproving of ʿUmar there is an indication of his correctness. He pointed with his statement "Sufficient for us is the Book of Allah" to the word of Allah, Exalted: "We have not neglected anything in the Book" [al-Anʿām: 38]. This is not contradicted by Ibn ʿAbbās's statement about the calamity, because ʿUmar was certainly more knowledgeable in fiqh than him. It is not said that Ibn ʿAbbās was not satisfied with the Qurʾān, even though he was the scholar of the Qurʾān and the most knowledgeable of people in its interpretation, but he grieved over what was missed of explicit clarification, since explicit stipulation is better than derivation. And Allah, Exalted, knows best.
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