Tarikh (al-Tabari) 304
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
أفضلية يحيى عليه السلام على غيره من الأنبياء ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا هَذِهِ الْأَوْقَاتُ الثَّلَاثَةُ أَشَدُّ مَا تَكُونُ عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ ; فَإِنَّهُ يَنْتَقِلُ فِي كُلٍّ مِنْهَا، مِنْ عَالَمٍ إِلَى عَالَمٍ آخَرَ فَيَفْقِدُ الْأَوَّلَ بَعْدَ مَا كَانَ أَلِفَهُ وَعَرَفَهُ، وَيَصِيرُ إِلَى الْآخَرِ وَلَا يَدْرِي مَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ; وَلِهَذَا يَسْتَهِلُّ صَارِخًا إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْنِ الْأَحْشَاءِ وَفَارَقَ لِينَهَا وَضَمَّهَا، وَيَنْتَقِلُ إِلَى هَذِهِ الدَّارِ لِيُكَابِدَ هُمُومَهَا وَغُمُومَهَا، وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا فَارَقَ هَذِهِ الدَّارَ، وَانْتَقَلَ إِلَى عَالَمِ الْبَرْزَخِ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ دَارِ الْقَرَارِ، وَصَارَ بَعْدَ الدُّورِ وَالْقُصُورِ، إِلَى عَرْصَةِ الْأَمْوَاتِ سُكَّانِ الْقُبُورِ، وَانْتَظَرَ هُنَاكَ النَّفْخَةَ فِي الصُّوَرِ لِيَوْمِ الْبَعْثِ وَالنُّشُورِ، فَمِنْ مَسْرُورٍ وَمَحْبُورٍ، وَمِنْ مَحْزُونٍ وَمَثْبُورٍ، وَمَا بَيْنَ جَبِيرٍ وَمَكْسُورٍ، وَفَرِيقٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٍ فِي السَّعِيرِ. وَلَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بَعْضُ الشُّعَرَاءِ حَيْثُ قَالَ: وَلَدَتْكَ أُمُّكَ بَاكِيًا مُسْتَصْرِخًا وَالنَّاسُ حَوْلَكَ يَضْحَكُونَ سُرَورًا فَاحْرِصْ لِنَفْسِكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ إِذَا بَكَوْا فِي يَومِ مَوْتِكَ ضَاحِكًا مَسْرُورًا وَلَمَّا كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الْمَوَاطِنُ الثَّلَاثَةُ أَشَقَّ مَا تَكُونُ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ سَلَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى يَحْيَى فِي كُلِّ مَوْطِنٍ مِنْهَا، فَقَالَ: وَسَلَامٌ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمَ وُلِدَ وَيَوْمَ يَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ يُبْعَثُ حَيًّا وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَرُوبَةَ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ قَالَ: إِنْ يَحْيَى وَعِيسَى الْتَقَيَا فَقَالَ لَهُ عِيسَى: اسْتَغْفِرْ لِي، أَنْتَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي. فَقَالَ لَهُ الْآخَرُ: اسْتَغْفِرْ لِي، أَنْتَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي. فَقَالَ لَهُ عِيسَى: أَنْتَ خَيْرٌ مِنِّي ; سَلَّمْتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي، وَسَلَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ. فَعَرَفَ وَاللَّهِ فَضْلَهَا. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ فِي الْآيَةِ الْأُخْرَى: وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا وَنَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ فَقِيلَ: الْمُرَادُ بِالْحَصُورِ، الَّذِي لَا يَأْتِي النِّسَاءَ. وَقِيلَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ. وَهُوَ أَشْبَهُ ; لِقَوْلِهِ: هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِنْ وَلَدِ آدَمَ إِلَّا وَقَدْ أَخْطَأَ أَوْ هَمَّ بِخَطِيئَةٍ لَيْسَ يَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا ، وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَقُولَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ يُونُسَ بْنِ مَتَّى. وَعَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ: خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ يَوْمًا وَهُمْ يَتَذَاكَرُونَ فَضْلَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: مُوسَى كَلِيمُ اللَّهِ. وَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: عِيسَى رُوحُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ. وَقَائِلٌ يَقُولُ: إِبْرَاهِيمُ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ. فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَهُمْ يَذْكُرُونَ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ الشَّهِيدُ، أَيْنَ الشَّهِيدُ يَلْبَسُ الْوَبَرَ، وَيَأْكُلُ الشَّجَرَ، مَخَافَةَ الذَّنْبِ قَالَ ابْنُ وَهْبٍ: يُرِيدُ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا. . وَعَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ، حَدَّثَنِي ابْنُ الْعَاصِ: أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: كُلُّ ابْنِ آدَمَ يَأْتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَهُ ذَنْبٌ، إِلَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا. وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ: مَا أَحَدٌ إِلَّا يَلْقَى اللَّهَ بِذَنْبٍ، إِلَّا يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا. ثُمَّ تَلَا: وَسَيِّدًا وَحَصُورًا ثُمَّ رَفَعَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا مِثْلُ هَذَا، ثُمَّ ذُبِحَ ذَبْحًا. وَعَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: الْحَسَنُ وَالْحُسَيْنُ سَيِّدَا شَبَابِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا ابْنَيِ الْخَالَةِ يَحْيَى، وَعِيسَى عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ. وَعَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ، وَيَحْيَى بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا ابْنَيْ خَالَةٍ، وَكَانَ عِيسَى يَلْبَسُ الصُّوفَ، وَكَانَ يَحْيَى يَلْبَسُ الْوَبَرَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِوَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا دِينَارٌ وَلَا دِرْهَمٌ، وَلَا عَبْدٌ وَلَا أَمَةٌ، وَلَا مَا يَأْوِيَانِ إِلَيْهِ، أَيْنَمَا جَنَّهُمَا اللَّيْلُ أَوَيَا، فَلَمَّا أَرَادَا أَنْ يَتَفَرَّقَا قَالَ لَهُ يَحْيَى: أَوْصِنِي. قَالَ: لَا تَغْضَبْ. قَالَ: لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ إِلَّا أَنْ أَغْضَبَ. قَالَ: فَلَا تَقْتَنِ مَالًا. قَالَ: أَمَّا هَذِهِ فَعَسَى.
Translation
✧ The superiority of Yaḥyā ﷺ over other prophets Then He said: And ﷺ the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive. These three times are the most severe upon a person; for indeed he transitions in each of them from one world to another world, so he loses the first after he had grown accustomed to it and known it, and he moves to the other and does not know what lies before him; and for this reason he cries out wailing when he comes forth from between the inward parts and separates from their softness and their embrace, and moves to this abode to endure its anxieties and its sorrows. Likewise when he departs this abode and moves to the world of the barzakh between it and the abode of settlement, and after the dwellings and palaces he comes to the open space of the dead, the inhabitants of the graves, and awaits there the blast of the trumpet for the day of resurrection and rising, some joyful and delighted, some grieving and bereft, and between one set aright and one broken, a party in the Garden and a party in the Blaze. And indeed one of the poets did well where he said: Your mother bore you weeping, crying out for help, while the people around you laugh in joy, So strive for yourself that you may be, when they weep on the day of your death, laughing and joyful. And since these three stations are the hardest that befall a son of Ādam, Allah granted peace to Yaḥyā in each station of them, so He said: And ﷺ the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive. And Saʿīd b. Abī ʿArūbah said from Qatādah, that al-Ḥasan said: Yaḥyā and ʿĪsā met, and ʿĪsā said to him: Seek forgiveness for me; you are better than I. The other said to him: Seek forgiveness for me; you are better than I. Then ʿĪsā said to him: You are better than I; I pronounced peace upon myself, and Allah pronounced peace upon you. So by Allah he recognized its excellence. As for His saying in the other verse: And a nobleman and a ḥaṣūr and a prophet from among the righteous, it is said: the meaning of al-ḥaṣūr is one who does not approach women. And it is said other than that. And it is more fitting; because of His saying: Grant me from You a goodly offspring. And from Ibn ʿAbbās, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: There is no one among the children of Ādam but has erred or thought of an error except Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā, and it is not fitting for anyone to say: I am better than Yūnus b. Mattā. And from Ibn Shihāb, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out one day to his companions while they were recounting the excellence of the prophets. One said: Mūsā is the one to whom Allah spoke. Another said: ʿĪsā is the spirit of Allah and His word. Another said: Ibrāhīm is the friend of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ came out while they were mentioning that, and he said: Where is the witness, where is the witness who wears coarse wool and eats from trees, out of fear of sin? Ibn Wahb said: He means Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā. . And from Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib, Ibn al-ʿĀṣ narrated to me that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: Every son of Ādam will come on the Day of Resurrection with a sin, except what was of Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā. And from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmr he said: There is no one but will meet Allah with a sin, except Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā. Then he recited: And a nobleman and a ḥaṣūr. Then he lifted something from the ground and said: He had nothing with him except the like of this, then he was slaughtered with a slaughtering. And from Abū Saʿīd, he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn are the two lords of the youths of the people of the Garden except the two cousins Yaḥyā and ʿĪsā (peace be upon them). And from Khaythamah he said: ʿĪsā b. Maryam and Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā were two cousins, and ʿĪsā used to wear wool, and Yaḥyā used to wear coarse hair, and neither of them had a dinar or a dirham, nor a slave or a slave woman, nor anything to which they repaired; wherever night overtook them, they sheltered. When they were about to part, Yaḥyā said to him: Counsel me. He said: Do not become angry. He said: I cannot but become angry. He said: Then do not acquire wealth. He said: As for this one, perhaps so.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.