Tarikh (al-Tabari) 298
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
وفاة زكريا عليه السلام لَمَّا قُتِلَ يَحْيَى وَسَمِعَ أَبُوهُ بِقَتْلِهِ فَرَّ هَارِبًا فَدَخَلَ بُسْتَانًا عِنْدَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فِيهِ أَشْجَارٌ، فَأَرْسَلَ الْمَلِكُ فِي طَلَبِهِ، فَمَرَّ زَكَرِيَّاءُ بِالشَّجَرَةِ. فَنَادَتْهُ: هَلُمَّ إِلَيَّ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ! فَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا انْشَقَّتْ فَدَخَلَهَا، فَانْطَبَقَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَبَقِيَ فِي وَسَطِهَا. فَأَتَى عَدُوُّ اللَّهِ إِبْلِيسُ فَأَخَذَ هُدْبَ رِدَائِهِ فَأَخْرَجَهُ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ لِيُصَدِّقُوهُ إِذَا أَخْبَرَهُمْ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: مَا تُرِيدُونَ ؟ قَالُوا نَلْتَمِسُ زَكَرِيَّاءَ. فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ سَحَرَ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَانْشَقَّتْ لَهُ فَدَخَلَهَا، قَالُوا: لَا نُصَدِّقُكَ ! قَالَ: فَإِنَّ لِي عَلَامَةً تُصَدِّقُونِي بِهَا، فَأَرَاهُمْ طَرَفَ رِدَائِهِ، فَأَخَذُوا الْفُئُوسَ وَقَطَعُوا الشَّجَرَةَ بِاثْنَتَيْنِ وَشَقُّوهَا بِالْمِنْشَارِ، فَمَاتَ زَكَرِيَّاءُ فِيهَا، فَسَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْبَثَ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فَانْتَقَمَ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ السَّبَبَ فِي قَتْلِهِ أَنَّ إِبْلِيسَ جَاءَ إِلَى مَجَالِسِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقَذَفَ زَكَرِيَّاءَ بِمَرْيَمَ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: مَا أَحْبَلَهَا غَيْرُهُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَانَ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا، فَطَلَبُوهُ فَهَرَبَ. وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَتِ الرِّوَايَةُ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، هَلْ مَاتَ زَكَرِيَّا، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، مَوْتًا، أَوْ قُتِلَ قَتْلًا ؟ عَلَى رِوَايَتَيْنِ ; فَرَوَى عَبْدُ الْمُنْعِمِ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: هَرَبَ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، فَدَخَلَ شَجَرَةً فَجَاءُوا فَوَضَعُوا الْمِنْشَارَ عَلَيْهَا، فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ الْمِنْشَارُ إِلَى أَضْلَاعِهِ أَنَّ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ: لَئِنْ لَمْ يَسْكُنْ أَنِينُكَ لَأَقْلِبَنَّ الْأَرْضَ وَمَنْ عَلَيْهَا. فَسَكَنَ أَنِينُهُ حَتَّى قُطِعَ بِاثْنَتَيْنِ. وَعَنْ وَهْبٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: الَّذِي انْصَدَعَتْ لَهُ الشَّجَرَةُ هُوَ أَشْعِيَا، فَأَمَّا زَكَرِيَّا فَمَاتَ مَوْتًا. فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.
Translation
✧ The death of Zakariyyā ﷺ When Yaḥyā was killed and his father heard of his killing, he fled and entered a garden near Bayt al-Maqdis in which there were trees. The king sent in search of him. Zakariyyā passed by a tree, and it called to him: "Come to me, O Prophet of Allah!" When he came to it, it split open, and he entered it, and it closed upon him, and he remained in its midst. Then the enemy of Allah, Iblīs, came and took hold of the fringe of his cloak and drew it out of the tree so that they would believe him when he told them. He said to them: "What do you want?" They said: "We are looking for Zakariyyā." He said: "He bewitched this tree, and it split open for him, and he entered it." They said: "We do not believe you!" He said: "I have a sign by which you will believe me." He showed them the edge of his cloak. So they took axes and cut the tree in two, and they split it with a saw, and Zakariyyā died within it. Then Allah set over them the wickedest people on earth, and He took vengeance on them by means of them. It is said: The reason for his killing was that Iblīs came to the assemblies of the Children of Israel and slandered Zakariyyā concerning Maryam, and said to them: "None made her pregnant but he, and he is the one who used to enter upon her." So they sought him, and he fled. The reports from Wahb b. Munabbih differ as to whether Zakariyyā ﷺ died a natural death or was killed. According to two versions: ʿAbd al-Munʿim b. Idrīs b. Sinān reported from his father, from Wahb b. Munabbih, that he said: He fled from his people and entered a tree. They came and placed a saw upon it. When the saw reached his ribs, he groaned. So Allah revealed to him: "If your groaning does not cease, I will overturn the earth and those upon it." So his groaning ceased until he was cut in two. And from Wahb it is reported that he said: The one for whom the tree split was Ishʿiyā (Isaiah), whereas Zakariyyā died a natural death. And Allah knows best.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.