Tarikh (al-Tabari) 301
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
ذِكْرُ مَا عُوقِبَ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ لِقَتْلِهِمْ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا [ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: مِنْ هَوَانِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى أَنَّ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا قَتَلَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ ]. زَعَمَ السُّدِّيُّ، عَنْ أَشْيَاخِهِ: أَنَّ رَجُلًا رَأَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنَّ خَرَابَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَهَلَاكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى يَدَيْ غُلَامٍ يَتِيمٍ ابْنِ أَرْمَلَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَابِلَ يُدْعَى " بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ "، فَأَقْبَلَ يَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ عَلَى أُمِّهِ وَهِيَ تَحْتَطِبُ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ حُزْمَةُ حَطَبٍ أَلْقَاهَا ثُمَّ قَعَدَ فِي الْبَيْتِ، فَكَلَّمَهُ ثُمَّ أَعْطَاهُ ثَلَاثَةَ دَرَاهِمَ، فَاشْتَرَى بِهَا طَعَامًا وَشَرَابًا، فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّانِي فَعَلَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ، وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: إِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ تَكْتُبَ لِي أَمَانًا إِنْ أَنْتَ مَلَكَتْ يَوْمًا مِنَ الدَّهْرِ. قَالَ: تَسْخَرُ بِي ؟ !. قَالَ: لَا، وَلَكِنْ مَا عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَتَّخِذَ عِنْدِي بِهَا يَدًا. قَالَتْ لَهُ أُمُّهُ: وَمَا عَلَيْكَ إِنْ كَانَ، وَإِلَّا لَمْ يَنْقُصْكَ شَيْئًا. فَكَتَبَ لَهُ أَمَانًا، فَقَالَ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ جِئْتُ وَالنَّاسُ حَوْلَكَ قَدْ حَالُوا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ ؟ فَاجْعَلْ لِي آيَةً تَعْرِفُنِي بِهَا. قَالَ: تَرْفَعُ صَحِيفَتَكَ عَلَى قَصَبَةٍ فَأَعْرِفُكَ بِهَا، فَكَسَاهُ وَأَعْطَاهُ. فَلَمَّا قُتِلَ يَحْيَى أَصْبَحَ دَمُهُ يَغْلِي، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُلْقَى عَلَيْهِ التُّرَابُ وَيَغْلِي إِلَى أَنْ بَلَغَ سُورَ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَخَرَجَ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ مِنْ قِبَلِ صِيحَائِينَ الْمَلِكِ، فَتَحَصَّنَ الْقَوْمُ مِنْهُ فِي مَدَائِنِهِمْ، فَلَمَّا اشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْمُقَامُ هَمَّ بِالرُّجُوعِ، فَخَرَجَتْ إِلَيْهِ عَجُوزٌ مِنْ عَجَائِزِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَقَالَتْ: إِنْ فَتَحْتُ لَكَ الْمَدِينَةَ، أَتُعْطِينِي مَا أَسْأَلُكَ فَتَقْتُلُ مَنْ آمُرُكَ بِقَتْلِهِ، وَتَكُفُّ إِذَا أَمَرْتُكَ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَتْ: إِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَاقْسِمْ جُنْدَكَ أَرْبَعَةَ أَرْبَاعٍ، ثُمَّ أَقِمْ عَلَى كُلِّ زَاوِيَةٍ رُبْعًا، ثُمَّ ارْفَعُوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَنَادُوا: إِنَّا نَسْتَفْتِحُكِ بِاللَّهِ بِدَمِ يَحْيَى [ ابْنِ زَكَرِيَّا، فَإِنَّهَا سَوْفَ تَتَسَاقَطُ. فَفَعَلُوا فَتَسَاقَطَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ، وَدَخَلُوا مِنْ جَوَانِبِهَا، فَقَالَتِ: اقْتُلْ عَلَى هَذَا الدَّمِ حَتَّى يَسْكُنَ، فَقَتَلَ سَبْعِينَ أَلْفًا، فَلَمَّا سَكَنَ الدَّمُ، قَالَتْ: كُفَّ يَدَكَ، فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا قُتِلَ نَبِيٌّ لَمْ يَرْضَ اللَّهُ حَتَّى يُقْتَلَ مَنْ قَتَلَهُ، وَمَنْ رَضِيَ قَتْلَهُ. فَأَتَاهُ صَاحِبُ الصَّحِيفَةِ بِصَحِيفَةٍ فَكَفَّ عَنْهُ وَعَنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ، وَخَرَّبَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ، وَأَمَرَ أَنْ يُطْرَحَ فِيهِ الْجِيَفُ، وَقَالَ: مَنْ طَرَحَ فِيهِ جِيفَةً فَلَهُ جِزْيَتُهُ تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ، وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَى إِخْرَابِهِ الرُّومُ مِنْ أَجْلِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِذْ قَتَلُوا يَحْيَى. فَلَمَّا خَرَّبَهُ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ ذَهَبَ مَعَهُ بِوُجُوهِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، مِنْهُمْ: دَانْيَالُ، فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ أَرْضَ بَابِلَ وَجَدَ صِيحَائِينَ قَدْ مَاتَ، فَمَلَكَ مَكَانَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَجُوسُ: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَدِمْتَ بِهِمْ دَانْيَالُ وَأَصْحَابُهُ، لَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَهَكَ، وَلَا يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ ذَبِيحَتِكَ، [ فَدَعَاهُمْ، فَسَأَلَهُمْ، فَقَالُوا: أَجَلْ [ إِنَّ ] لَنَا رَبًّا نَعْبُدُهُ وَلَا نَأْكُلُ مِنْ ذِبْحَتِكُمْ ] فَأَمَرَ بِخَدٍّ فَخُدَّ لَهُمْ، فَأُلْقُوا فِيهِ وَهُمْ سِتَّةٌ، وَأُلْقِيَ مَعَهُمْ سَبْعٌ ضَارٍ لِيَأْكُلَهُمْ، فَلَمَّا رَاحُوا إِلَيْهِمْ وَجَدُوهُمْ جُلُوسًا، وَالسَّبْعُ مُفْتَرِشٌ ذِرَاعَيْهِ، وَوَجَدُوا مَعَهُمْ رَجُلًا فَعَدُّوهُمْ فَوَجَدُوهُمْ سَبْعَةً، فَقَالُوا: إِنَّمَا كَانُوا سِتَّةً، فَخَرَجَ السَّابِعُ وَكَانَ مَلَكًا فَلَطَمَ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ لَطْمَةً، فَصَارَ فِي الْوَحْشِ، فَكَانَ فِيهِمْ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ. قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ: وَقَوْلُ مَنْ قَالَ إِنَّ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ هُوَ الَّذِي غَزَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عِنْدَ قَتْلِهِمْ يَحْيَى غَلَطٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِأُمُورِ الْمَاضِينَ، لِأَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعُوا عَلَى أَنَّ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ إِنَّمَا غَزَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عِنْدَ قَتْلِهِمْ نَبِيَّهُمْ شَعْيَاءَ فِي عَهْدِ إِرْمِيَاءَ، وَبَيْنَ أَرْمِيَاءَ وَتَخْرِيبِ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ إِلَى مَوْلِدِ يَحْيَى أَرْبَعُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَإِحْدَى وَسِتُّونَ سَنَةً، وَهَذَا مِمَّا يَتَّفِقُ عَلَيْهِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى، وَيَذْكُرُونَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ فِي أَسْفَارِهِمْ مُبَيَّنٌ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ يَعُدُّونَ مِنْ لَدُنِ تَخْرِيبِ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ إِلَى حِينِ عُمْرَانِهَا فِي عَهْدِ كِيرَشَ أَصْبَهْبَذِ بَابِلَ مِنْ قِبَلِ بَهْمَنَ، ثُمَّ مِنْ قِبَلِ خَمَّانِي سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ مِنْ بَعْدِ عُمْرَانِهِ إِلَى ظُهُورِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ عَلَيْهَا وَحِيَازَةِ مُمْلَكِهَا إِلَى مَمْلَكَتِهِ ثَمَانِيًا وَثَمَانِينَ سَنَةً، ثُمَّ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَمْلَكَةِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ إِلَى مَوْلِدِ يَحْيَى ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثَ سِنِينَ، فَذَلِكَ عَلَى قَوْلِهِمْ أَرْبَعُمِائَةٍ وَإِحْدَى وَسِتُّونَ سَنَةً. وَأَمَّا الْمَجُوسُ: فَإِنَّهَا تُوَافِقُ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى فِي مُدَّةِ خَرَابِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَأَمْرِ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ، وَمَا كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ وَأَمْرِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ [ إِلَى غَلَبَةِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ عَلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَالشَّامِ وَهَلَاكِ دَارَا، وَتُخَالِفُهُمْ فِي مُدَّةِ مَا بَيْنَ مِلْكِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ ] وَمَوْلِدِ يَحْيَى، فَتَزْعُمُ أَنَّ مُدَّةَ ذَلِكَ إِحْدَى وَخَمْسُونَ سَنَةً. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: لَمَّا رَجَعَ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ بَابِلَ إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ، مَا زَالُوا يُحْدِثُونَ الْأَحْدَاثَ، وَيُبْعَثُ إِلَيْهِمُ الرُّسُلُ، فَرِيقًا يُكَذِّبُونَ وَفَرِيقًا يَقْتُلُونَ، حَتَّى كَانَ مِنْ آخِرِ مَنْ بُعِثَ إِلَيْهِمْ زَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَى وَعِيسَى، وَكَانُوا مِنْ بَيْتِ آلِ دَاوُدَ، فَلَمَّا رَفَعَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عِيسَى، وَقَتَلُوا يَحْيَى - وَبَعْضُ [ النَّاسِ ] يَقُولُ: وَقَتَلُوا زَكَرِيَّا - ابْتَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمْ مَلِكًا مِنْ مُلُوكِ بَابِلَ [ يُقَالُ لَهُ: خُرْدُوسُ، فَسَارَ إِلَيْهِمْ بِأَهْلِ بَابِلَ ]، حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ [ الشَّامَ ]، فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِ شُرْطَتِهِ: إِنِّي كُنْتُ حَلَفْتُ بِإِلَهِي: لَئِنْ أَنَا ظَهَرْتُ عَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ لَأَقْتُلَنَّهُمْ حَتَّى تَسِيلَ دِمَاؤُهُمْ فِي وَسَطِ عَسْكَرِي، إِلَى أَلَّا أَجِدَ أَحَدًا أَقْتُلُهُ، فَدَخَلَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ، فَوَجَدَ دَمًا يَغْلِي، فَقَالَ: مَا بَالُ هَذَا الدَّمِ يَغْلِي ؟ فَقَالُوا: هَذَا دَمُ قُرْبَانٍ قَرَّبْنَاهُ فَلَمْ يُقْبَلْ مِنَّا. فَقَالَ: مَا صَدَقْتُمُونِي. فَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا عَلَى ذَلِكَ الدَّمِ فَلَمْ يَسْكُنْ. فَقَالَ: وَيْلَكُمُ اصْدُقُونِي قَبْلَ أَلَّا أَتْرُكَ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدًا، فَقَالُوا: هَذَا دَمُ نَبِيٍّ مِنَّا قَتَلْنَاهُ، فَقَالَ: لِهَذَا يَنْتَقِمُ مِنْكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ، فَأَمَرَ وَذَبَحَ مِنَ الْخَيْلِ وَالْبَقَرِ وَالْبِغَالِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَتَّى سَالَ الدَّمُ إِلَى خُرْدُوسَ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ: حَسْبُكَ. وَهَذِهِ الْوَقْعَةُ الْأَخِيرَةُ الَّتِي قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِيهَا: فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ لِيَسُوءُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ. فَكَانَتِ الْوَقْعَةُ الْأُولَى بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ وَجُنُودَهُ، ثُمَّ رَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُ الْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ، ثُمَّ كَانَتِ الْوَقْعَةُ الْأَخِيرَةُ خُرْدُوسَ وَجُنُودَهُ، وَهِيَ كَانَتْ أَعْظَمَ الْوَقْعَتَيْنِ، فِيهَا كَانَ خَرَابُ بِلَادِهِمْ، وَقَتْلُ رِجَالِهِمْ، وَسَبْيُ ذَرَارِيهِمْ وَنِسَائِهِمْ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيرًا.
Translation
✧ Mention of how the Children of Israel were punished for killing Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā The Prophet ﷺ said: “Among the ways the world is insignificant to God Almighty is that Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā was killed by a woman.” Al-Suddī claimed, on the authority of his shaykhs: that a man saw in a dream that the destruction of Jerusalem and the ruin of the Children of Israel would be at the hands of a young orphan, the son of a widow from the people of Babylon, called “Bukht Naṣṣar” (Nebuchadnezzar). He set out asking about him until he came to his mother while she was gathering firewood. When he came with a bundle of firewood on his head, he threw it down and sat in the house. He spoke with him, then gave him three dirhams, with which he bought food and drink. On the second day he did the same with him, and likewise on the third day. Then he said to him: “I would like you to write me a guarantee of safety, in case you ever come to rule one day.” He said: “Are you mocking me?!” He said: “No, but what harm is it for you to grant me a favor in return for this?” His mother said to him: “What harm is it to you if it happens? If not, it will not diminish you in anything.” So he wrote him a guarantee of safety. He said: “What if I come to you while people are around you and have come between me and you? Make me a sign by which you will know me.” He said: “Raise your document on a reed and I will know you by it.” So he clothed him and gave him. When Yaḥyā was killed, his blood began to boil in the morning. Dust was continually thrown on it, and it kept boiling until it reached the wall of the city. Bukht Naṣṣar came out from before Ṣīḥāʾīn the king. The people fortified themselves against him in their cities. When the siege became prolonged for him, he was about to turn back. Then an old woman from among the old women of the Children of Israel came out to him and said: “If I open the city for you, will you give me whatever I ask of you, that you kill whom I command you to kill, and that you refrain when I command you?” He said: “Yes.” She said: “When morning comes, divide your army into four quarters, and station a quarter at each corner. Then raise your hands to heaven and call out: ‘We seek victory through God by the blood of Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā,’ for it will then collapse.” They did so, and the city collapsed, and they entered from its sides. She said: “Kill for the sake of this blood until it subsides.” So he killed seventy thousand. When the blood subsided, she said: “Restrain your hand, for when a prophet is killed, God is not satisfied until the one who killed him and those who approved of his killing are killed.” Then the man with the document came to him with the document, and he refrained from him and from his household. He destroyed Jerusalem and ordered that carcasses be thrown into it. He said: “Whoever throws a carcass into it shall have his tribute for that year.” The Romans helped him in its destruction because of the Children of Israel, since they had killed Yaḥyā. When Bukht Naṣṣar destroyed it, he took with him the notables of the Children of Israel, among them Dāniyāl. When he arrived in the land of Babylon, he found that Ṣīḥāʾīn had died, so he became king in his place. The Magians said to him: “Those whom you have brought with you, Dāniyāl and his companions, do not worship your god and do not eat from your sacrifice.” So he summoned them and questioned them. They said: “Yes, we have a Lord whom we worship, and we do not eat from your sacrifice.” So he ordered a trench to be dug for them. They were thrown into it, six of them, and seven fierce beasts were thrown in with them to devour them. When they returned to them, they found them sitting, and the beast was lying with its forelegs stretched out. They found with them a man, and when they counted them they found seven. They said: “They were only six.” Then the seventh came out – he was an angel – and slapped Bukht Naṣṣar with a slap, and he became among the wild beasts. He remained among them for seven years. Abū Jaʿfar Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī said: The statement of the one who says that Bukht Naṣṣar is the one who raided the Children of Israel when they killed Yaḥyā is an error according to the people of knowledge of the affairs of the past, because they agree that Bukht Naṣṣar only raided the Children of Israel when they killed their prophet Shaʿyāʾ in the time of Irmiyāʾ. Between Irmiyāʾ and Bukht Naṣṣar's destruction of Jerusalem until the birth of Yaḥyā is four hundred and sixty-one years. This is something on which the Jews and the Christians agree, and they mention that it is made clear in their scriptures. That is because they reckon from Bukht Naṣṣar's destruction of Jerusalem until its rebuilding in the time of Kīrish (Cyrus), governor of Babylon on behalf of Bahman, then on behalf of Khammanī, seventy years. Then from its rebuilding until Alexander's appearing against it and his taking possession of its kingdom into his own kingdom is eighty-eight years. Then from Alexander's kingdom until the birth of Yaḥyā is three hundred and three years. So according to their statement, that is four hundred and sixty-one years. As for the Magians, they agree with the Jews and the Christians regarding the duration of the destruction of Jerusalem and the affair of Bukht Naṣṣar, and what was of his affair and the affair of the Children of Israel up to Alexander's domination over Jerusalem and Syria and the destruction of Dārā. But they disagree with them about the duration between Alexander's kingdom and the birth of Yaḥyā, claiming that this duration is fifty-one years. Muḥammad b. Isḥāq said: When the Children of Israel returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, they kept committing offenses, and messengers were sent to them; some they denied and some they killed, until the last of those sent to them were Zakariyyā, Yaḥyā, and ʿĪsā, who were from the house of Āl Dāwūd. When God, Mighty and Majestic, raised ʿĪsā and they killed Yaḥyā – and some people say and they killed Zakariyyā – God sent against them a king from among the kings of Babylon called Khurdūs. He marched against them with the people of Babylon until he entered upon them in Syria. He said to his chief of police: “I swore by my god that if I conquer the people of Jerusalem, I will kill them until their blood flows in the middle of my camp, until I find no one left to kill.” He entered Jerusalem and found blood boiling. He said: “What is the matter with this blood, boiling?” They said: “This is the blood of a sacrifice which we offered and which was not accepted from us.” He said: “You have not told me the truth.” He then killed many people on account of that blood, but it did not subside. He said: “Woe to you! Tell me the truth before I leave none of you alive.” They said: “This is the blood of a prophet of ours whom we killed.” He said: “For this your Lord takes vengeance on you.” So he commanded, and they slaughtered horses, cattle, mules, and sheep until the blood flowed to Khurdūs. Then he sent to him: “That is enough for you.” This is the last calamity about which God Almighty said: “So when the promise of the latter came, to sadden your faces and to enter the mosque as they entered it the first time.” The first calamity was Bukht Naṣṣar and his troops. Then God gave him a return against them. Then the last calamity was Khurdūs and his troops, and it was the greater of the two calamities. In it was the ruin of their lands, the killing of their men, and the captivity of their children and women. God Almighty says: “And to utterly ruin what they had ascended.”
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