Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2428
The Year 99
تَرْكِ سَبِّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيٍّ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ بَنُو أُمَيَّةَ يَسُبُّونَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، إِلَى أَنْ وَلِيَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ الْخِلَافَةَ، فَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ وَكَتَبَ إِلَى الْعُمَّالِ فِي الْآفَاقِ بِتَرْكِهِ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ مَحَبَّتِهِ عَلِيًّا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كُنْتُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ أَتَعَلَّمُ الْعِلْمَ وَكُنْتُ أَلْزَمُ عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، فَبَلَغَهُ عَنِّي شَيْءٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ يَوْمًا وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي، فَأَطَالَ الصَّلَاةَ، فَقَعَدْتُ أَنْتَظِرُ فَرَاغَهُ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ، الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ لِي: مَتَى عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَضِبَ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَدْرٍ وَبَيْعَةِ الرِّضْوَانِ بَعْدَ أَنْ رَضِيَ عَنْهُمْ ؟ قُلْتُ: لَمْ أَسْمَعْ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَمَا الَّذِي بَلَغَنِي عَنْكَ فِي عَلِيٍّ ؟ فَقُلْتُ: مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى اللَّهِ وَإِلَيْكَ ! وَتَرَكْتُ مَا كُنْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ أَبِي إِذَا خَطَبَ فَنَالَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ، ؓ، تَلَجْلَجَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَبَهْ، إِنَّكَ تَمْضِي فِي خُطْبَتِكَ فَإِذَا أَتَيْتَ عَلَى ذِكْرِ عَلِيٍّ عَرَفْتُ مِنْكَ تَقْصِيرًا ؟ قَالَ: أَوَفَطِنْتَ لِذَلِكَ ؟ قُلْتُ: نَعَمْ. فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَوْلَنَا لَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ مَا نَعْلَمُ تَفَرَّقُوا عَنَّا إِلَى أَوْلَادِهِ. فَلَمَّا وَلِيَ الْخِلَافَةَ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الرَّغْبَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا مَا يَرْتَكِبُ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ الْعَظِيمَ لِأَجْلِهَا، فَتَرَكَ ذَلِكَ، وَكَتَبَ بِتَرْكِهِ، وَقَرَأَ عِوَضَهُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى الْآيَةَ، فَحَلَّ هَذَا الْفِعْلُ عِنْدَ النَّاسِ مَحَلًّا حَسَنًا، وَأَكْثَرُوا مَدْحَهُ بِسَبَبِهِ، فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُ كُثَيِّرِ عَزَّةَ: وَلِيتَ وَلَمْ تَشْتُمْ عَلِيًّا وَلَمْ تُخِفْ بَرِيًّا وَلَمْ تَتْبَعْ مَقَالَةَ مُجْرِمِ تَكَلَّمْتَ بِالْحَقِّ الْمُبِينِ وَإِنَّمَا تُبَيَّنُ آيَاتُ الْهُدَى بِالتَّكَلُّمِ وَصَدَّقْتَ مَعْرُوفَ الَّذِي قُلْتَ بِالَّذِي فَعَلْتَ فَأَضْحَى رَاضِيًا كُلُّ مُسْلِمِ أَلَا إِنَّمَا يَكْفِي الْفَتَى بَعْدَ زَيْغِهِ مِنَ الْأَوَدِ الْبَادِي ثِقَافُ الْمُقَوِّمِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ حِينَ أَنْشَدَهُ هَذَا الشِّعْرَ: أَفْلَحْنَا إِذًا.
Translation
✧ The Abandonment of Reviling the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī, upon him be peace The Umayyads used to revile the Commander of the Faithful ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, upon him be peace, until ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz assumed the caliphate, whereupon he abandoned that and wrote to the governors in the regions to abandon it. The reason for his love of ʿAlī was that he said: I was in Madinah learning knowledge, and I used to keep the company of ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUtbah b. Masʿūd. He was told something about me regarding that [reviling]. One day I came to him while he was praying, and he prolonged the prayer. I sat waiting for him to finish. When he finished his prayer, he turned to me and said: When did you learn that God became angry with the people of Badr and the Pledge of Satisfaction after He was pleased with them? I said: I have not heard that. He said: Then what is this that has reached me about you concerning ʿAlī? I said: An excuse to God and to you! And I abandoned what I was upon. My father, when he delivered a sermon and abused ʿAlī, ؓ, would stammer. I said: Father, you proceed in your sermon, but when you come to mentioning ʿAlī, I perceive deficiency in you? He said: Have you noticed that? I said: Yes. He said: My son, those around us, if they knew of ʿAlī what we know, they would leave us for his descendants. When he assumed the caliphate, he did not have enough desire for this world to commit this grave matter for its sake, so he abandoned it and wrote to abandon it. In its place he recited: "Indeed, God commands justice and good conduct and giving to relatives..." [Q 16:90]. This action settled in a good place among the people, and they greatly praised him because of it. Among that is the saying of Kuthayyir ʿAzzah: You assumed authority and did not revile ʿAlī, nor frighten an innocent, nor follow the speech of a criminal. You spoke the clear truth, and only by speaking are the signs of guidance made clear. You confirmed the goodness of what you said by what you did, so every Muslim became pleased. Indeed, it suffices a youth after his deviation from apparent crookedness to be straightened by the discipline of a corrector. When this poetry was recited to ʿUmar, he said: We have prospered, then.
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