Tarikh (al-Tabari) 303
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
زهد وحياة يحيى عليه السلام وَقَدْ ذَكَرُوا أَنَّ يَحْيَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، كَانَ كَثِيرَ الِانْفِرَادِ مِنَ النَّاسِ، إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَأْنَسُ إِلَى الْبَرَارِي، وَيَأْكُلُ مِنْ وَرَقِ الْأَشْجَارِ، وَيَرِدُ مَاءَ الْأَنْهَارِ، وَيَتَغَذَّى بِالْجَرَادِ فِي بَعْضِ الْأَحْيَانِ، وَيَقُولُ: مَنْ أَنْعَمُ مِنْكَ يَا يَحْيَى. وَرَوَى ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ، أَنَّ أَبَوَيْهِ خَرَجَا فِي تَطَلُّبِهِ، فَوَجَدَاهُ عِنْدَ بُحَيْرَةِ الْأُرْدُنِّ، فَلَمَّا اجْتَمَعَا بِهِ أَبْكَاهُمَا بُكَاءً شَدِيدًا ; لِمَا هُوَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ وَالْخَوْفِ مِنَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. وَعَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، قَالَ: كَانَ طَعَامُ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا الْعُشْبَ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَبْكِي مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ، حَتَّى لَوْ كَانَ الْقَارُ عَلَى عَيْنَيْهِ لَحَرَقَهُ. وَعَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ: جَلَسْتُ يَوْمًا إِلَى أَبِي إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلَانِيِّ وَهُوَ يَقُصُّ، فَقَالَ: أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَنْ كَانَ أَطْيَبَ النَّاسِ طَعَامًا ؟ فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّاسَ قَدْ نَظَرُوا إِلَيْهِ قَالَ: إِنَّ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا، كَانَ أَطْيَبَ النَّاسِ طَعَامًا ; إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَأْكُلُ مَعَ الْوَحْشِ ; كَرَاهَةَ أَنْ يُخَالِطَ النَّاسَ فِي مَعَايِشِهِمْ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ وُهَيْبِ بْنِ الْوَرْدِ، قَالَ: فَقَدَ زَكَرِيَّا ابْنَهُ يَحْيَى ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، فَخَرَجَ يَلْتَمِسُهُ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ، فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدِ احْتَفَرَ قَبْرًا وَأَقَامَ فِيهِ يَبْكِي عَلَى نَفْسِهِ. فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ أَنَا أَطْلُبُكَ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ، وَأَنْتَ فِي قَبْرٍ قَدِ احْتَفَرْتَهُ، قَائِمٌ تَبْكِي فِيهِ ؟! فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَتِ، أَلَسْتَ أَنْتَ أَخْبَرْتَنِي أَنَّ بَيْنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ مَفَازَةً لَا تُقْطَعُ إِلَّا بِدُمُوعِ الْبَكَّائِينَ ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ: ابْكِ يَا بُنَيَّ. فَبَكَيَا جَمِيعًا. وَرَوَى ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ عَنْهُ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ لَا يَنَامُونَ لِلَذَّةِ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ مِنَ النَّعِيمِ، فَكَذَا يَنْبَغِي لِلصِّدِّيقِينَ أَنْ لَا يَنَامُوا ; لِمَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مِنْ نَعِيمِ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: كَمْ بَيْنَ النَّعِيمَيْنِ وَكَمْ بَيْنَهُمَا. وَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ كَانَ كَثِيرَ الْبُكَاءِ، حَتَّى أَثَّرَ الْبُكَاءُ فِي خَدَّيْهِ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ دُمُوعِهِ.
Translation
✧ The asceticism and life of Yaḥyā ﷺ They have mentioned that Yaḥyā, ﷺ, was often in seclusion from people, taking comfort only in the open wilderness, eating from the leaves of trees, drinking from river water, and feeding on locusts on some occasions, and saying: Who is more favored than you, O Yaḥyā. Ibn ʿAsākir narrated that his parents went out searching for him and found him at the Lake of Jordan. When they came together with him, he made them weep bitterly because of the devotion and fear of God, Mighty and Majestic, in which he was engaged. From Mujāhid, he said: The food of Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā was grass, and he would weep out of fear of God until, had tar been on his eyes, it would have burned them. From Ibn Shihāb, he said: One day I sat with Abū Idrīs al-Khawlānī while he was relating stories, and he said: Shall I not tell you who had the purest food of all people? When he saw that the people looked at him, he said: Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā had the purest food of all people; he would eat with the wild animals, out of dislike for mixing with people in their livelihoods. Ibn al-Mubārak said, from Wuhaib b. al-Ward, he said: Zakariyyā missed his son Yaḥyā for three days, so he went out looking for him in the wilderness, and there he was, having dug a grave and standing in it weeping over himself. He said: O my son, I have been seeking you for three days, and you are in a grave that you have dug, standing and weeping in it?! He replied: O my father, did you not tell me that between Paradise and the Fire there is a desert expanse that cannot be crossed except by the tears of weepers? So he said to him: Weep, my son. Then they both wept together. Ibn ʿAsākir narrated from him that he said: The people of Paradise do not sleep because of the delight they experience in bliss; likewise, it behooves the sincerely truthful not to sleep because of the bliss of love for God, Mighty and Majestic, in their hearts. Then he said: How great is the difference between the two delights and how great is the difference between them. They have mentioned that he wept so much that weeping left its mark on his cheeks from the abundance of his tears.
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