Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3046
The year 187 AH
مَنْ تُوُفِّيَ فِي سنة سبع وثمانين ومائة مِنَ الْأَعْيَانِ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدِ بْنِ بَرْمَكَ أَبُو الْفَضْلِ الْبَرْمَكِيُّ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدِ بْنِ بَرْمَكَ أَبُو الْفَضْلِ الْبَرْمَكِيُّ الْوَزِيرُ ابْنُ الْوَزِيرِ، وَقَدْ وَلَّاهُ الرَّشِيدُ الشَّامَ وَغَيْرَهَا مِنَ الْبِلَادِ، وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ أَنَّ الرَّشِيدَ بَعَثَهُ إِلَى دِمَشْقَ لَمَّا ثَارَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ بَيْنِ الْعِشْرَيْنِ بَحُورَانَ بَيْنَ قَيْسٍ وَيَمَنٍ، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ أَوَّلَ مَا أَنْشَئُوهُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، كَانَ خَامِدًا فَأَثَارُوهُ فِي هَذَا الْأَوَانِ، فَلِمَا قَدِمَ جَعْفَرٌ بِجَيْشِهِ خَمَدَتِ الشُّرُورُ وَظَهَرَ السُّرُورُ، وَقِيلَتْ فِي ذَلِكَ أَشْعَارٌ حِسَانٌ قَدْ ذَكَرَهَا فِي تَرْجَمَتِهِ مِنْ " تَارِيخِهِ " فَمِنْهَا: لَقَدْ أُوقِدَتْ فِي الشَّامِ نِيرَانُ فِتْنَةٍ فَهَذَا أَوَانُ الشَّامِ تُخْمَدُ نَارُهَا إِذَا جَاشَ مَوْجُ الْبَحْرِ مِنْ آلِ بَرْمَكٍ عَلَيْهَا خَبَتْ شُهْبَانُهَا وَشِرَارُهَا رَمَاهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِجَعْفَرٍ وَفِيهِ تَلَاقَى صَدْعُهَا وَانْجِبَارُهَا رَمَاهَا بِمَيْمُونِ النَّقِيبَةِ مَاجِدٍ تَرَاضَى بِهِ قَحْطَانُهَا وَنِزَارُهَا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْمَأْمُولُ لِلَّبِرِّ وَالتُّقَى وَصَوْلَاتُهُ لَا يُسْتَطَاعُ خِطَارُهَا وَزِيرُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَسَيْفُهُ وَمُدْيَتُهُ وَالْحَرْبُ تَدْمَى شِفَارُهَا وَمَنْ تُطْوَ أَسْرَارُ الْخَلِيفَةِ دُونَهُ فَعِنْدَكَ مَأْوَاهَا وَأَنْتَ قَرَارُهَا إِذَا مَا ابْنُ يَحْيَى جَعْفَرٌ قَصَدَتْ لَهُ مُلِمَّاتُ خَطْبٍ لَمْ تَرُعْهُ كِبَارُهَا لَقَدْ نَشَأَتْ بِالشَّامِ مِنْكَ غَمَامَةٌ يُؤْمَلُ جَدْوَاهَا وَيُخْشَى دَمَارُهَا وَهِيَ قَصِيدَةٌ طَوِيلَةٌ، اقْتَصَرْنَا مِنْهَا عَلَى هَذَا الْقَدْرِ، وَكَانَتْ لَهُ فَصَاحَةٌ وَبَلَاغَةٌ وَكَرَمٌ زَائِدٌ، كَانَ أَبُوهُ قَدْ ضَمَّهُ إِلَى الْقَاضِي أَبِي يُوسُفَ، فَتَفَقَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَصَارَ لَهُ اخْتِصَاصٌ بِالرَّشِيدِ، وَقَدْ وَقَّعَ لَيْلَةً بِحَضْرَةِ الرَّشِيدِ زِيَادَةً عَلَى أَلْفِ تَوْقِيعٍ فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْهَا عَنْ مُوجَبِ الْفِقْهِ. وَقَدْ رَوَى الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ بسنده عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ كَاتِبِ الْوَحْيِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: " إِذَا كَتَبْتَ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ فَبَيِّنِ السِّينَ فِيهِ ". رَوَاهُ الْخَطِيبُ وَابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ وَقَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ بَحْرٍ الْجَاحِظُ: قَالَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ يَحْيَى لِلرَّشِيدِ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَ لِي أَبِي يَحْيَى: إِذَا أَقْبَلَتِ الدُّنْيَا عَلَيْكَ فَأَعْطِ ; فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَفْنَى، وَإِذَا أَدْبَرَتْ عَنْكَ فَأَعْطِ ; فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَبْقَى. قَالَ جَعْفَرٌ: وَأَنْشَدَنَا أَبِي: لَا تَبْخَلَنَّ لِدُنْيَا وَهْيَ مُقْبِلَةٌ فَلَيْسَ يَنْقُصُهَا التَّبْذِيرُ وَالسَّرَفُ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّتْ فَأَحْرَى أَنْ تَجُودَ بِهَا فَالْحَمْدُ مِنْهَا إِذَا مَا أَدْبَرَتْ خَلَفُ مكانة جعفر البرمكي عند الرشيد قَالَ الْخَطِيبُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ: وَقَدْ كَانَ جَعْفَرٌ مِنْ عُلُوِّ الْقَدْرِ وَنَفَاذِ الْأَمْرِ وَعِظَمِ الْمَحَلِّ وَجَلَالَةِ الْمَنْزِلَةِ عِنْدَ الرَّشِيدِ بِحَالَةٍ انْفَرَدَ بِهَا، وَلَمْ يُشَارَكْ فِيهَا، وَكَانَ سَمْحَ الْأَخْلَاقِ، طَلْقَ الْوَجْهِ، ظَاهِرَ الْبِشْرِ. فَأَمَّا جُودُهُ وَسَخَاؤُهُ وَبَذْلُهُ وَعَطَاؤُهُ فَأَشْهَرُ مِنْ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ وَأَبْيَنُ مِنْ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ، وَكَانَ أَيْضًا مِنْ ذَوِي الْفَصَاحَةِ الْمَذْكُورِينَ وَالْبَلَاغَةِ. وَقَدْ رَوَى ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ، عَنْ مُهَذَّبٍ حَاجِبِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، صَاحِبِ قَطِيعَةِ الْعَبَّاسِ وَالْعَبَّاسِيَّةِ، أَنَّهُ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَائِقَةٌ، وَأَلَحَّ عَلَيْهِ الْمُطَالِبُونَ، وَعِنْدَهُ سَفَطٌ فِيهِ جَوْهَرٌ شِرَاؤُهُ عَلَيْهِ أَلْفُ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ، فَحَمَلَهُ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ لِيَبِيعَهُ مِنْهُ، فَاشْتَرَاهُ بِثَمَنِهِ وَوَزَنَ لَهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفٍ، وَقَبَضَ مِنْهُ السَّفَطَ وَأَجْلَسَهُ مَعَهُ فِي تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ إِذَا السَّفَطُ قَدْ سَبَقَهُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ غَدَا إِلَيْهِ لِيَشْكُرَهُ، فَوَجَدَهُ مَعَ أَخِيهِ الْفَضْلِ عَلَى بَابِ الرَّشِيدِ يَسْتَأْذِنَانِ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ جَعْفَرٌ: إِنِّي قَدْ ذَكَرْتُ أَمْرَكَ لِلْفَضْلِ، وَقَدْ أَمَرَ لَكَ بِأَلْفِ أَلْفٍ، وَمَا أَظُنُّهَا إِلَّا قَدْ سَبَقَتْكَ إِلَى أَهْلِكَ، وَسَأُفَاوِضُ فِيكَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ ذَكَرَ أَمْرَهُ وَمَا لَحِقَهُ مِنَ الدُّيُونِ، فَأَمَرَ لَهُ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ. وَكَانَ جَعْفَرٌ لَيْلَةً فِي سَمَرِهِ وَعِنْدَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَجَاءَتِ الْخُنْفُسَاءُ، حَتَّى رَكِبَتْ ثِيَابَ الرَّجُلِ، فَأَلْقَاهَا عَنْهُ جَعْفَرٌ. وَقَالَ: إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ مَنْ قَصَدَتْهُ الْخُنْفُسَاءُ يُبَشَّرُ بِمَالٍ يُصِيبُهُ. فَأَمَرَ لَهُ جَعْفَرٌ بِأَلْفِ دِينَارٍ. ثُمَّ عَادَتِ الْخُنْفُسَاءُ، فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ، فَأَمَرَ لَهُ بِأَلْفِ دِينَارٍ أُخْرَى. وَحَجَّ مَرَّةً مَعَ الرَّشِيدِ، فَلَمَّا كَانُوا بِالْمَدِينَةِ قَالَ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ: انْظُرْ جَارِيَةً أَشْتَرِيهَا تَكُونُ فَائِقَةً فِي جَمَالِهَا وَغِنَائِهَا وَذَكَائِهَا. فَفَتَّشَ الرَّجُلُ فَوَجَدَ جَارِيَةً عَلَى النَّعْتِ، فَطَلَبَ سَيِّدُهَا فِيهَا مَالًا كَثِيرًا عَلَى أَنْ يَرَاهَا جَعْفَرٌ، فَذَهَبَ جَعْفَرٌ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ سَيِّدِهَا، فَلَمَّا رَآهَا أُعْجِبَ بِهَا، فَلَمَّا غَنَّتْهُ أَعْجَبَتْهُ أَكْثَرَ، فَسَاوَمَ صَاحِبَهَا فِيهَا، وَقَالَ: قَدْ أَحْضَرْنَا مَالًا فَإِنْ أَعْجَبَكَ وَإِلَّا زِدْنَاكَ. فَقَالَ لَهَا سَيِّدُهَا: إِنِّي كُنْتُ فِي نِعْمَةٍ، وَكُنْتِ عِنْدِي فِي غَايَةِ السُّرُورِ وَالسِّعَةِ، وَإِنَّهُ قَدِ انْقَبَضَ عَلَيَّ حَالِي، وَقَدْ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَبِيعَكَ لِهَذَا الْمَلِكِ، لِتَكُونِي عِنْدَهُ كَمَا كُنْتِ عِنْدِي. فَقَالَتْ: يَا سَيِّدِي، وَاللَّهِ لَوْ مَلَكْتُ مِنْكَ مَا مَلَكْتَ مِنِّي لَمْ أَبِعْكَ بِالدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا، وَأَيْنَ مَا كُنْتَ عَاهَدْتَنِي أَنْ لَا تَبِيعَنِي، وَلَا تَأْكُلَ ثَمَنِي؟! فَقَالَ سَيِّدُهَا لِجَعْفَرٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ: أُشْهِدُكُمْ أَنَّهَا حُرَّةٌ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَأَنِّي قَدْ تَزَوَّجْتُهَا. فَلَمَّا قَالَ ذَلِكَ نَهَضَ جَعْفَرٌ، وَقَامَ أَصْحَابُهُ، وَأَمَرُوا الْحَمَّالَ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ الدَّرَاهِمَ، فَقَالَ جَعْفَرٌ: وَاللَّهِ لَا تَتْبَعُنِي. وَقَالَ لِلرَّجُلِ: قَدْ مَلَّكْتُكَهَا. فَأَنْفِقْهَا عَلَى أَهْلِكَ. وَذَهَبَ وَتَرَكَهُ. هَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَ يُبَخَّلُ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى أَخِيهِ الْفَضْلِ، إِلَّا أَنَّ الْفَضْلَ كَانَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ مَالًا. وَرَوَى ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الدَّارَقُطْنِيِّ بِسَنَدِهِ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا أُصِيبَ جَعْفَرٌ وَجَدُوا لَهُ فِي جَرَّةٍ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ، زِنَةُ كُلِّ دِينَارٍ مِائَةُ دِينَارٍ، مَكْتُوبٌ عَلَى صَفْحَةِ الدِّينَارِ الْوَاحِدَةُ جَعْفَرٌ، وَالْأُخْرَى: وَأَصْفَرَ مِنْ ضَرْبِ دَارِ الْمُلُوكِ يَلُوحُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ جَعْفَرُ يَزِيدُ عَلَى مِائَةٍ وَاحِدًا مَتَى تُعْطِهِ مُعْسِرًا يُوسِرُ وَقَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمُعَلَّى الرَّاوِيَةُ: كَتَبَتْ عِنَانُ جَارِيَةُ النَّاطِفِيِّ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ تَطْلُبُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِأَبِيهِ يَحْيَى أَنْ يُشِيرَ عَلَى الرَّشِيدِ بِشِرَائِهَا، وَكَتَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ بِهَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتِ مِنْ شَعْرِهَا فِي جَعْفَرٍ: يَا لَائِمِي جَهْلًا أَلَا تُقْصِرُ مَنْ ذَا عَلَى حَرِّ الْهَوَى يَصْبِرُ لَا تَلْحَنِي إِذَا شَرِبْتُ الْهَوَى صَرْفًا فَمَمْزُوجُ الْهَوَى سُكْرُ أَحَاطَ بِيَ الْحُبُّ فَخَلْفِي لَهُ بَحْرٌ وَقُدَّامِي لَهُ أَبْحُرُ تُخْفِقُ رَايَاتِ الْهَوَى بِالرَّدَى فَوْقِي وَحَوْلِي لِلْهَوَى عَسْكَرُ سِيَّانَ عِنْدِي فِي الْهَوَى لَائِمٌ أَقَلَّ فِيهِ وَالَّذِي يَكْثُرُ أَنْتَ الْمُصَفَّى مِنْ بَنِي بَرْمَكٍ يَا جَعْفَرَ الْخَيْرَاتِ يَا جَعْفَرُ لَا يَبْلُغُ الْوَاصِفُ فِي وَصْفِهِ مَا فِيكَ مِنْ فَضْلٍ وَلَا يَعْشُرُ مَنْ وَفَّرَ الْمَالَ بِأَعْرَاضِهِ فَجَعْفَرٌ أَعْرَاضُهُ أَوْفَرُ دِيبَاجَةُ الْمُلْكِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ وَفِي يَدَيْهِ الْعَارِضُ الْمُمْطِرُ سَحَّتْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْهُمَا دِيمَةٌ يَنْهَلُّ مِنْهَا الذَّهَبُ الْأَحْمَرُ لَوْ مَسَحَتْ كَفَّاهُ جُلْمُودَةً أَنْضَرَ فِيهَا الْوَرَقُ الْأَخْضَرُ لَا يَسْتَتِمُّ الْمَجْدُ إِلَّا فَتًى يَصْبِرُ لِلْبَذْلِ كَمَا يَصْبِرُ يَهْتَزُّ تَاجُ الْمُلْكِ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ فَخْرًا وَيُزْهِي تَحْتَهُ الْمِنْبَرُ أَشْبَهَهُ الْبَدْرُ إِذَا مَا بَدَا أَوْ غُرَّةٌ فِي وَجْهِهِ تُزْهِرُ وَاللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي أَبَدْرُ الدُّجْى فِي وَجْهِهِ أَمْ وَجْهُهُ أَنْوَرُ يَسْتَمْطِرُ الزُّوَّارُ مِنْكَ النَّدَى وَأَنْتَ بِالزُّوَّارِ تَسْتَبْشِرُ وَكَتَبَتْ تَحْتَ أَبْيَاتِهَا حَاجَتَهَا، فَرَكِبَ مِنْ فَوْرِهِ إِلَى أَبِيهِ، فَأَدْخَلَهُ عَلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ، فَأَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ بِشِرَائِهَا، فَقَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ لَا أَشْتَرِيهَا وَقَدْ قَالَ فِيهَا الشُّعَرَاءُ فَأَكْثَرُوا، وَاشْتَهَرَ أَمْرُهَا، وَهِيَ الَّتِي يَقُولُ فِيهَا أَبُو نُوَاسٍ: إِنَّ عِنَانَ النِّطَافَ جَارِيَةٌ أَصْبَحَ حِرُّهَا لِلنَّيْكِ مَيْدَانَا لَا يَشْتَرِيهَا إِلَّا ابْنُ زَانِيَةٍ أَوْ قَلْطَبَانٌ يَكُونُ مَنْ كَانَا وَعَنْ ثُمَامَةَ بْنِ أَشْرَسَ قَالَ: بِتُّ لَيْلَةً مَعَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدٍ، فَانْتَبَهَ مِنْ مَنَامِهِ يَبْكِي مَذْعُورًا، فَقُلْتُ: مَا شَأْنُكَ؟ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ شَيْخًا جَاءَ فَأَخَذَ بِعِضَادَتَيْ هَذَا الْبَابِ وَقَالَ: كَأَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بَيْنَ الْحَجُونِ إِلَى الصَّفَا أَنِيسٌ وَلَمْ يَسْمُرْ بِمَكَّةَ سَامِرُ قَالَ فَأَجَبْتُهُ: بَلَى نَحْنُ كُنَّا أَهْلَهَا فَأَبَادَنَا صُرُوفُ اللَّيَالِي وَالْجُدُودُ الْعَوَاثِرُ قَالَ ثُمَامَةُ بْنُ أَشْرَسَ: فَلَمَّا كَانَتِ اللَّيْلَةُ الْمُقْبِلَةُ قَتَلَهُ الرَّشِيدُ، وَنَصَبَ رَأَّسَهُ عَلَى الْجِسْرِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ الرَّشِيدُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ، فَتَأَمَّلَهُ ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ: تَقَاضَاكَ دَهْرُكَ مَا أَسْلَفَا وَكَدَّرَ عَيْشَكَ بَعْدَ الصَّفَا فَلَا تَعْجَبَنَّ فَإِنَّ الزَّمَانَ رَهِينٌ بِتَفْرِيقِ مَا أَلَّفَا قَالَ: فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ، وَقُلْتُ: أَمَا لَئِنْ أَصْبَحْتَ آيَةً، فَلَقَدْ كُنْتُ فِي الْخَيْرِ غَايَةً. قَالَ: فَنَظَرَ إِلَيَّ الرَّشِيدُ كَأَنَّهُ جَمَلٌ صَئُولٌ، ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ: مَا يُعْجِبُ الْعَالَمَ مِنْ جَعْفَرٍ مَا عَايَنُوهُ فَبِنَا كَانَا مَنْ جَعْفَرٌ أَوْ مَنْ أَبُوهُ وَمَنْ كَانَتْ بَنُو بَرْمَكٍ لَوْلَانَا ثُمَّ حَوَّلَ وَجْهَ فَرَسِهِ وَانْصَرَفَ. وعن عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ الْإِسْكَافِيَّ قَالَ: كَانَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْجُنَيْدِ الْإِسْكَافِيُّ وَكَانَ أَخَصَّ النَّاسِ بِجَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَى الْبَرْمَكِيِّ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ يَقْصِدُونَهُ فِي حَوَائِجِهِمْ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ، وَإِنَّ رِقَاعَ النَّاسِ كَثُرَتْ فِي خُفِّ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْجُنَيْدِ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذَلِكَ إِلَى أَنْ تَهَيَّأَتْ لَهُ الْخَلْوَةُ بِجَعْفَرٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ: جَعَلَنِي اللَّهُ فَدَاكَ، قَدْ كَثُرَتْ رِقَاعُ النَّاسِ مَعِي وَأَشْغَالُكَ كَثِيرَةٌ، وَأَنْتَ الْيَوْمَ خَالٍ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ تَنْظُرَ فِيهَا. فَقَالَ لَهُ جَعْفَرٌ: عَلَى أَنْ تُقِيمَ عِنْدِي الْيَوْمَ. فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَصَرَفَ دَوَابَّهُ وَأَقَامَ، فَلَمَّا تَغَدَّوْا جَاءَهُ بِالرِّقَاعِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ جَعْفَرٌ: هَذَا وَقْتُ ذَا دَعْنَا الْيَوْمَ، فَأَمْسَكَ عَنْهُ وَانْصَرَفَ وَلَمْ يَنْظُرْ فِي الرِّقَاعِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ خَلَا بِهِ، فَأَذْكَرَهُ [الرِّقَاعَ ]، فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، عَلَى أَنْ تُقِيمَ عِنْدِي الْيَوْمَ. فَأَقَامَ عِنْدَهُ، فَفَعَلَ بِهِ مِثْلَ الْفِعْلِ الْأَوَّلِ، حَتَّى فَعَلَ بِهِ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثًا، فَلَمَّا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي آخِرِ يَوْمٍ أَذْكَرَهُ فَقَالَ: دَعْنِي السَّاعَةَ. وَنَامَا، فَانْتَبَهَ جَعْفَرٌ قَبْلَ أَحْمَدَ، فَقَالَ لِخَادِمٍ لَهُ: اذْهَبْ إِلَى خُفِّ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْجُنَيْدِ فَجِئْنِي بِكُلِّ رُقْعَةٍ فِيهِ، وَانْظُرْ لَا يَعْلَمُ أَحْمَدُ. فَذَهَبَ الْغُلَامُ، وَجَاءَ بِالرِّقَاعِ، فَوَقَّعَ فِيهَا جَعْفَرٌ عَنْ آخِرِهَا بِخَطِّهِ بِمَا أَحَبَّ أَصْحَابُهَا، وَوَكَّدَ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ أَمَرَ الْغُلَامَ أَنْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى الْخُفِّ، فَرَدَّهَا، فَانْتَبَهَ أَحْمَدُ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ فِيهَا شَيْئًا، وَانْصَرَفَ أَحْمَدُ، فَرَكِبَ يُعَلِّلُ أَصْحَابَ الرِّقَاعِ بِهَا أَيَّامًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ لِكَاتِبٍ لَهُ: وَيْحَكَ هَذِهِ الرِّقَاعُ قَدْ أَخْلَقَتْ فِي خُفِّي، وَهَذَا لَيْسَ يَنْظُرُ فِيهَا، فَخُذْهَا فَتَصَفَّحْهَا، وَجَدِّدْ مَا أَخْلَقَ مِنْهَا. فَأَخَذَهَا الْكَاتِبُ، فَنَظَرَ فِيهَا، فَوَجَدَ الرِّقَاعَ مُوَقَّعًا فِيهَا بِمَا سَأَلَ أَصْحَابُهَا، فَتَعَجَّبَ مِنْ كَرَمِهِ وَنُبْلِ أَخْلَاقِهِ، وَمِنْ أَنَّهُ قَضَى حَاجَتَهُ وَلَمْ يُعْلِمْهُ بِهَا لِئَلَّا يَظُنَّ أَنَّهُ اعْتَدَّ بِهَا عَلَيْهِ. وفاة جعفر البرمكي وَقَدْ كَانَ مَقْتَلُ جَعْفَرٍ فِي لَيْلَةِ السَّبْتِ مُسْتَهَلَّ صَفَرٍ مِنْ سَنَةِ سَبْعٍ وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَةٍ، وَكَانَ عُمْرُهُ سَبْعًا وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَ لَهُمْ فِي الْوِزَارَةِ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً. وَقَدْ دَخَلَتْ عُبَادَةُ أُمُّ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَى أُنَاسٍ فِي يَوْمِ عِيدِ أَضْحَى تَسْتَمْنِحُ مِنْهُمْ جِلْدَ شَاةٍ تَتَدَفَّأُ بِهِ، وَسَأَلُوهَا عَنْ أَمْرِهِمْ: فَقَالَتْ: أَذْكُرُ أَصْبَحْتُ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْيَوْمِ وَإِنَّ عَلَى رَأْسِي أَرْبَعَمِائَةِ وَصِيفَةٍ، وَإِنِّي لَأَقُولُ: إِنَّ ابْنِي جَعْفَرًا عَاقٌّ بِي. وَرَوَى الْخَطِيبُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ أَنَّ سُفْيَانَ بْنَ عُيَيْنَةَ لَمَّا بَلَغَهُ قَتْلُ الرَّشِيدِ جَعْفَرًا، وَمَا أَحَلَّ بِالْبَرَامِكَةِ مِنَ النِّقْمَةِ اسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ وَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ جَعْفَرًا كَانَ قَدْ كَفَانِي مَئُونَةَ الدُّنْيَا فَاكْفِهِ مَئُونَةَ الْآخِرَةِ. وقَالَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ الرَّيَاحِيُّ: كُنْتُ قَاعِدًا عِنْدَ خَشَبَةِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَى الْبَرْمَكِيِّ أَتَفَكَّرُ فِي زَوَالِ مُلْكِهِ، وَحَالِهِ الَّتِي صَارَ إِلَيْهَا إِذْ أَقْبَلَتِ امْرَأَةٌ رَاكِبَةٌ لَهَا رِوَاءٌ وَهَيْئَةٌ، فَوَقَفَتْ عَلَى جَعْفَرٍ فَبَكَتْ فَأَحْزَنَتْ، وَتَكَلَّمَتْ فَأَبْلَغَتْ، وَقَالَتْ: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ أَصْبَحْتَ فِي النَّاسِ آيَةً، لَقَدْ بَلَغْتَ فِيهِمُ الْغَايَةَ، وَلَئِنْ زَالَ مُلْكُكَ، وَخَانَكَ دَهْرُكَ، وَلَمْ يَطُلْ بِكَ عُمْرُكَ، لَقَدْ كُنْتَ الْمَغْبُوطَ حَالًا، النَّاعِمَ بَالًا، يَحْسُنُ بِكَ الْمُلْكُ، فَاسْتَعْظَمَ النَّاسُ فَقْدَكَ إِذْ لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفُوا مَلِكًا بَعْدَكَ، فَنَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الصَّبْرَ عَلَى عَظِيمِ الْفَجِيعَةِ وَجَلِيلِ الرَّزِيَّةِ الَّتِي لَا تُسْتَعَاضُ بِغَيْرِكَ، وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ وَدَاعَ غَيْرِ قَالٍ وَلَا نَاسٍ لِذِكْرِكَ، ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَتْ تَقُولُ: الْعَيْشُ بَعْدَكَ مُرٌّ غَيْرُ مَحْبُوبٍ وَمُذْ صُلِبْتَ وَمَقْنَا كُلَّ مَصْلُوبٍ أَرْجُو لَكَ اللَّهَ ذَا الْإِحْسَانِ إِنَّ لَهُ فَضْلًا عَلَيْنَا وَعَفْوًا غَيْرَ مَحْسُوبٍ ثُمَّ سَكَتَتْ سَاعَةً وَتَأَمَّلَتْهُ، ثُمَّ أَنْشَأَتْ تَقُولُ: عَلَيْكَ مِنَ الْأَحِبَّةِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَلَامُ اللَّهِ، مَا ذُكِرَ السَّلَامُ لَئِنْ أَمْسَى صَدَاكَ بِرَأْيِ عَيْنٍ عَلَى خَشَبٍ حَبَاكَ بِهَا الْإِمَامُ فَمِنْ مُلْكٍ إِلَى مَلَكٍ بِرَغْمٍ مِنَ الْأَمْلَاكِ أَسْلَمَكَ الْحِمَامُ الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ وَمِمَّنْ تُوُفِّيَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْأَعْيَانِ: الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ ، أَبُو عَلِيٍّ التَّمِيمِيُّ، أَحَدُ أَئِمَّةِ الْعُبَّادِ، وَعَلَمُ الزُّهَّادِ، وَوَاحِدُ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْأَوْلِيَاءِ، وُلِدَ بِخُرَاسَانَ بِكَوْرَةِ أَبِيوَرْدَ، وَقَدِمَ الْكُوفَةَ وَهُوَ كَبِيرٌ، فَسَمِعَ الْأَعْمَشَ، وَمَنْصُورَ بْنَ الْمُعْتَمِرِ وَعَطَاءَ بْنَ السَّائِبِ، وَحُصَيْنَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَغَيْرَهُمْ، ثُمَّ انْتَقَلَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ فَتَعَبَّدَ بِهَا، وَكَانَ حَسَنَ تِلَاوَةِ الْقُرْآنِ، كَثِيرَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ، وَكَانَ سَيِّدًا كَبِيرَ الشَّأْنِ، ثِقَةً مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الرِّوَايَةِ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، وَرَضِيَ عَنْهُ، وَلَهُ مَعَ الرَّشِيدِ قِصَّةُ مَوْعِظَتِهِ لَهُ، وَقَدْ رُوِّينَا ذَلِكَ مُطَوَّلًا فِي كَيْفِيَّةِ دُخُولِ الرَّشِيدِ عَلَيْهِ مَنْزِلَهُ، وَمَا قَالَ لَهُ الْفُضَيْلُ، وَعَرْضِ الرَّشِيدِ عَلَيْهِ الْمَالَ، فَأَبَى ذَلِكَ وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا، وَكَانَتْ وَفَاتُهُ بِمَكَّةَ فِي هَذَا الْعَامِ، فِي الْمُحَرَّمِ مِنْهُ. وَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ كَانَ شَاطِرًا يَقْطَعُ الطَّرِيقَ، وَكَانَ يَتَعَشَّقُ جَارِيَةً، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ يَتَسَوَّرُ عَلَيْهَا جِدَارًا إِذْ سَمِعَ قَارِئًا يَقْرَأُ: أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ [ الْحَدِيدِ: 61 ]. فَقَالَ: بَلَى يَا رَبِّ. وَأَقْلَعَ عَمَّا هُوَ فِيهِ، وَرَجَعَ إِلَى خَرِبَةٍ، فَبَاتَ بِهَا فَسَمِعَ سِفَارًا يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ فُضَيْلًا أَمَامَكُمْ يَقْطَعُ الطَّرِيقَ. فَأَمَّنَهُمْ، وَاسْتَمَرَّ عَلَى تَوْبَتِهِ، حَتَّى كَانَ مِنْهُ مَا كَانَ مِنَ السِّيَادَةِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ وَالزَّهَادَةِ، ثُمَّ صَارَ عَلَمًا يُقْتَدَى بِهِ وَيُهْتَدَى بِكَلَامِهِ وَفِعَالِهِ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ. قَالَ الْفُضَيْلُ: لَوْ أَنَّ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا حَلَالٌ لَا أُحَاسَبُ بِهَا، لَكُنْتُ أَتَقَذَّرُهَا كَمَا يَتَقَذَّرُ أَحَدُكُمُ الْجِيفَةَ إِذَا مَرَّ بِهَا أَنْ تُصِيبُ ثَوْبَهُ. وَقَالَ: الْعَمَلُ لِأَجْلِ النَّاسِ شِرْكٌ، وَتَرْكُ الْعَمَلِ لِأَجْلِ النَّاسِ رِيَاءٌ، وَالْإِخْلَاصُ أَنْ يُعَافِيَكَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمَا. وَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّشِيدُ يَوْمًا: مَا أَزْهَدَكَ! فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ أَزْهَدُ مِنِّي ; لِأَنِّي زَهِدْتُ فِي الدُّنْيَا الْفَانِيَةِ، وَأَنْتَ زَهِدْتَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ. وَمِنْ كَلَامِهِ: لَوْ أَنَّ لِي دَعْوَةً مُسْتَجَابَةً لَدَعَوْتُ بِهَا لِإِمَامِ عَامَّةٍ ; فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا صَلَحَ أَمِنَتِ الْبِلَادُ وَالْعِبَادُ. وَقَالَ: إِنِّي لَأَعْصِي اللَّهَ فَأَعْرِفُ ذَلِكَ فِي خُلِقِ حِمَارِي وَخَادِمِي. وَقَالَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا [ الْمُلْكِ: 2 ]. قَالَ: يَعْنِي أَخْلَصَهُ وَأَصْوَبَهُ ;إِنَّ الْعَمَلَ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَالِصًا لِلَّهِ، وَصَوَابًا عَلَى مُتَابَعَةِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ. وعن إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ: كَانَتْ قِرَاءَةُ الْفُضَيْلِ حَزِينَةً شَهِيَّةً بَطِيئَةً مُتَرَسِّلَةً، كَأَنَّهُ يُخَاطِبُ إِنْسَانًا، وَكَانَ إِذَا مَرَّ بِآيَةٍ فِيهَا ذِكْرُ الْجَنَّةِ تَرَدَّدَ فِيهَا وَسَأَلَ، وَكَانَ يُلْقَى لَهُ حَصِيرٌ بِاللَّيْلِ فِي مَسْجِدِهِ، فَيُصَلِّي مِنْ أَوَّلِ اللَّيْلِ سَاعَةً حَتَّى تَغْلِبُهُ عَيْنَاهُ فَيَنَامُ عَلَى الْحَصِيرِ، فَيَنَامُ قَلِيلًا، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ، فَإِذَا غَلَبَهُ النَّوْمُ نَامَ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ، هَكَذَا حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ. وَسَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: إِذَا لَمْ تَقْدِرْ عَلَى قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ وَصِيَامِ النَّهَارِ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ مَحْرُومٌ مُكَبَّلٌ، كَبَّلَتْكَ خَطِيئَتُكَ. وعن الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ قَالَ: حَجَّ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَأَتَانِي فَخَرَجْتُ مُسْرِعًا، فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَوْ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيَّ أَتَيْتُكَ. فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ ! قَدْ حَكَّ فِي نَفْسِي شَيْءٌ، فَانْظُرْ لِي رَجُلًا أَسْأَلُهُ. فَقُلْتُ: هُنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ. فَقَالَ: امْضِ بِنَا إِلَيْهِ. فَأَتَيْنَاهُ فَقَرَعْتُ الْبَابَ، فَقَالَ: مَنْ ذَا ؟ قُلْتُ: أَجِبْ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. فَخَرَجَ مُسْرِعًا، فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لَوْ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيَّ أَتَيْتُكَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: خُذْ لِمَا جِئْنَاكَ لَهُ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. فَحَدَّثَهُ سَاعَةً، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: عَلَيْكَ دَيْنٌ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ، اقْضِ دَيْنَهُ. فَلَمَّا خَرَجْنَا قَالَ: مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّي صَاحِبُكَ شَيْئًا، انْظُرْ لِي رَجُلًا أَسْأَلُهُ. قُلْتُ: هُنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ بْنُ هَمَّامٍ. قَالَ: امْضِ بِنَا إِلَيْهِ. فَأَتَيْنَاهُ، فَقَرَعْتُ الْبَابَ فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا ؟ قُلْتُ: أَجِبْ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. فَخَرَجَ مُسْرِعًا فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لَوْ أَرْسَلْتَ إِلَيَّ أَتَيْتُكَ. قَالَ: خُذْ لِمَا جِئْنَاكَ لَهُ. فَحَادَثَهُ سَاعَةً، ثُمَّ قَالَ: هَلْ عَلَيْكَ دَيْنٌ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: أَبَا عَبَّاسٍ، اقْضِ دَيْنَهُ. فَلَمَّا خَرَجْنَا قَالَ: مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّي صَاحِبُكَ شَيْئًا، انْظُرْ لِي رَجُلًا أَسْأَلُهُ. قُلْتُ: هُنَا الْفُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ. قَالَ: مُرَّ بِنَا إِلَيْهِ. فَأَتَيْنَاهُ، فَإِذَا هُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي، يَتْلُو آيَةً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، يُرَدِّدُهَا، فَقَالَ: اقْرَعِ الْبَابَ. فَقَرَعْتُ الْبَابَ. فَقَالَ: مَنْ هَذَا ؟ فَقُلْتُ: أَجِبْ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. فَقَالَ: مَا لِي وَلِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. فَقُلْتُ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، أَمَا عَلَيْكَ طَاعَةٌ، أَلَيْسَ قَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "لَيْسَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ أَنْ يُذِلَّ نَفْسَهُ " ؟ فَنَزَلَ فَفَتَحَ الْبَابَ ثُمَّ ارْتَقَى إِلَى الْغُرْفَةِ، فَأَطْفَأَ الْمِصْبَاحَ، ثُمَّ الْتَجَأَ إِلَى زَاوِيَةٍ مِنْ زَوَايَا الْبَيْتِ، فَدَخَلْنَا فَجَعَلْنَا نَجُولُ عَلَيْهِ بِأَيْدِينَا، فَسَبَقَتْ كَفُّ هَارُونَ قَبْلِي إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: يَا لَهَا مِنْ كَفٍّ، مَا أَلْيَنَهَا، إِنْ نَجَتْ غَدًا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. فَقُلْتُ فِي نَفْسِي: لَيُكَلِّمَنَّهُ اللَّيْلَةَ بِكَلَامٍ مِنْ قَلْبٍ نَقِيٍّ. فَقَالَ لَهُ: خُذْ لِمَا جِئْنَاكَ لَهُ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. قَالَ: إِنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ لَمَّا وُلِّيَ الْخِلَافَةَ دَعَا سَالِمَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، وَمُحَمَّدَ بْنَ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيَّ، وَرَجَاءَ بْنَ حَيْوَةَ. فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: إِنِّي قَدِ ابْتُلِيتُ بِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ فَأَشِيرُوا عَلَيَّ. فَقَالَ سَالِمُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنْ أَرَدْتَ النَّجَاةَ غَدًا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَصُمْ [عَنِ ] الدُّنْيَا، وَلْيَكُنْ إِفْطَارُكَ فِيهَا الْمَوْتَ. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ: إِنْ أَرَدْتَ النَّجَاةَ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ فَلْيَكُنْ كَبِيرُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عِنْدَكَ أَبًا، وَأَوْسَطُهُمْ أَخًا، وَأَصْغَرُهُمْ عِنْدَكَ وَلَدًا، فَوَقِّرْ أَبَاكَ، وَأَكْرِمْ أَخَاكَ، وَتَحَنَّنْ عَلَى وَلَدِكَ. وَقَالَ لَهُ رَجَاءُ بْنُ حَيْوَةَ: إِنْ أَرَدْتَ النَّجَاةَ غَدًا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَأَحِبَّ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ مَا تُحِبُّ لِنَفْسِكَ، وَاكْرَهْ لَهُمْ مَا تَكْرَهُ لِنَفْسِكَ، ثُمَّ مُتْ إِذَا شِئْتَ، وَإِنِّي أَقُولُ لَكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ أَشَدَّ الْخَوْفِ، يَوْمًا تَزِلُّ فِيهِ الْأَقْدَامُ، فَهَلْ مَعَكَ - رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ - مَنْ يُشِيرُ عَلَيْكَ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا ؟ فَبَكَى بُكَاءً شَدِيدًا حَتَّى غُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ: ارْفُقْ بِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَا بْنَ أُمِّ الرَّبِيعِ، تَقْتُلُهُ أَنْتَ وَأَصْحَابُكَ وَأَرْفُقُ أَنَا بِهِ، ثُمَّ أَفَاقَ فَقَالَ لَهُ: زِدْنِي رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ عَامِلًا لِعُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ شَكَى إِلَيْهِ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ عُمَرُ: يَا أَخِي، أُذَكِّرُكَ اللَّهَ طُولَ سَهَرِ أَهْلِ النَّارِ فِي النَّارِ مَعَ خُلُودِ الْأَبَدِ، وَإِيَّاكَ أَنْ يَنْصَرِفَ بِكَ مَنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ فَيَكُونَ آخِرَ الْعَهْدِ مِنْكَ وَانْقِطَاعَ الرَّجَاءِ. فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ الْكِتَابَ طَوَى الْبِلَادَ حَتَّى قَدِمَ عَلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ فَقَالَ: مَا أَقْدَمَكَ ؟ قَالَ: خَلَعْتَ قَلْبِي بِكِتَابِكَ، لَا أَعُودُ إِلَى وِلَايَةٍ حَتَّى أَلْقَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَالَ: فَبَكَى هَارُونُ بُكَاءً شَدِيدًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: زِدْنِي رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، إِنَّ الْعَبَّاسَ عَمَّ الْمُصْطَفَى ﷺ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَمِّرْنِي عَلَى إِمَارَةٍ. فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "إِنَّ الْإِمَارَةَ حَسْرَةٌ وَنَدَامَةٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ لَا تَكُونَ أَمِيرًا فَافْعَلْ ". قَالَ: فَبَكَى هَارُونُ بُكَاءً شَدِيدًا، وَقَالَ لَهُ: زِدْنِي رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. قَالَ: يَا حَسَنَ الْوَجْهِ أَنْتَ الَّذِي يَسْأَلُكَ اللَّهُ عَنْ هَذَا الْخَلْقِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَقِيَ هَذَا الْوَجْهَ مِنَ النَّارِ فَإِيَّاكَ أَنْ تُصْبِحَ وَتُمْسِيَ وَفِي قَلْبِكَ غِشٌّ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ رَعِيَّتِكَ، فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: "مَنْ أَصْبَحَ غَاشًّا لِرَعِيَّتِهِ لَمْ يَرَحْ رَائِحَةَ الْجَنَّةِ ". فَبَكَى هَارُونُ وَقَالَ لَهُ: عَلَيْكَ دَيْنٌ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، دَيْنٌ لِرَبِّي لَمْ يُحَاسِبْنِي عَلَيْهِ، فَالْوَيْلُ لِي إِنْ سَأَلَنِي، وَالْوَيْلُ لِي إِنْ نَاقَشَنِي، وَالْوَيْلُ لِي إِنْ لَمْ أُلْهَمْ حُجَّتِي. قَالَ: أَعْنِي مِنْ دَيْنِ الْعِبَادِ. قَالَ: إِنَّ رَبِّيَ لَمْ يَأْمُرْنِي بِهَذَا، أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُوَحِّدَهُ وَأُطِيعَ أَمْرَهُ، فَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنْسَ إِلا لِيَعْبُدُونِ مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ. فَقَالَ لَهُ: هَذِهِ أَلْفُ دِينَارٍ خُذْهَا أَنْفِقْهَا عَلَى عِيَالِكَ، وَتَقَوَّ بِهَا عَلَى عِبَادَتِكَ. فَقَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، أَنَا أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى طَرِيقِ النَّجَاةِ وَأَنْتَ تُكَافِئُنِي بِمِثْلِ هَذَا ؟ سَلَّمَكَ اللَّهُ وَوَفَّقَكَ. ثُمَّ صَمَتَ، فَلَمْ يُكَلِّمْنَا، فَخَرَجْنَا مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، فَلَمَّا صِرْنَا عَلَى الْبَابِ قَالَ: أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ، إِذَا دَلَلْتِنِي عَلَى رَجُلٍ فَدُلَّنِي عَلَى مِثْلِ هَذَا، هَذَا سَيِّدُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. فَدَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ نِسَائِهِ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: يَا هَذَا، قَدْ تَرَى مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِنْ ضِيقِ الْحَالِ، فَلَوْ قَبِلْتَ هَذَا الْمَالَ فَانْفَرَجْنَا بِهِ. فَقَالَ لَهَا: مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُكُمْ كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ كَانَ لَهُمْ بَعِيرٌ يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ كَسْبِهِ، فَلَمَّا كَثُرَ نَحَرُوهُ فَأَكَلُوا لَحْمَهُ. فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ هَارُونُ هَذَا الْكَلَامَ قَالَ: تَدْخُلُ فَعَسَى يَقْبَلُ الْمَالَ، فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ الْفُضَيْلُ خَرَجَ فَجَلَسَ عَلَى السَّطْحِ عَلَى بَابِ الْغُرْفَةِ، فَجَلَسَ هَارُونُ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ، فَجَعَلَ يُكَلِّمُهُ فَلَا يُجِيبُهُ، فَبَيْنَا نَحْنُ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ خَرَجَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ فَقَالَتْ: يَا هَذَا، قَدْ أَذَيْتَ الشَّيْخَ مُنْذُ اللَّيْلَةِ، فَانْصَرِفْ رَحِمَكَ اللَّهُ. فَانْصَرَفْنَا. وَفِيهَا تُوُفِّيَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْمُفَضَّلِ، وَعَبْدُ السَّلَامِ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الدَّرَاوَرْدِيُّ، وَعَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَمِّيُّ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ عِيسَى الْأَمِيرُ بِبِلَادِ الرُّومِ مَعَ الْقَاسِمِ ابْنِ الرَّشِيدِ فِي الصَّائِفَةِ، وَمُعْتَمِرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ الْبَرَاثِيُّ أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ الْبَرَاثِيُّ الْعَابِدُ . عن مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْجُنَيْدَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يَقُولُ: كَانَ أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ الْبَرَاثِيُّ أَوَّلَ مَنْ سَكَنَ بَرَاثَا فِي كُوخٍ يَتَعَبَّدُ فِيهِ، فَمَرَّتْ بِكُوخِهِ جَارِيَةٌ مِنْ بَنَاتِ الْكِبَارِ مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا كَانَتْ رُبِّيَتْ فِي قُصُورِ الْمُلُوكِ، فَنَظَرَتْ إِلَى أَبِي شُعَيْبٍ فَاسْتَحْسَنَتْ حَالَهُ، فَصَارَتْ كَالْأَسِيرِ لَهُ، فَعَزَمَتْ عَلَى التَّجَرُّدِ عَنِ الدُّنْيَا وَالِاتِّصَالِ بِأَبِي شُعَيْبٍ، فَجَاءَتْ إِلَيْهِ وَقَالَتْ: أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَكُونَ لَكَ خَادِمَةً. فَقَالَ لَهَا: إِنْ أَرَدْتِ ذَلِكَ فَغَيِّرِي مِنْ هَيْئَتِكِ وَتَجَرَّدِي عَمَّا أَنْتِ فِيهِ حَتَّى تَصْلُحِي لِمَا أَرَدْتِ. فَتَجَرَّدَتْ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا تَمْلِكُهُ وَلَبِسَتْ لُبْسَةَ النُّسَّاكِ وَحَضَرَتْهُ فَتَزَوَّجَهَا، فَلَمَّا دَخَلَتِ الْكُوخَ رَأَتْ قِطْعَةَ خَصَافٍ وَكَانَ يَجْلِسُ عَلَيْهَا أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ تَقِيهِ مِنَ النَّدَى، فَقَالَتْ: مَا أَنَا بِمُقِيمَةٍ فِيهَا حَتَّى تُخْرِجَ مَا تَحْتَكَ، لِأَنِّي سَمِعْتُكَ تَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ تَقُولُ لِابْنِ آدَمَ: تَجْعَلُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ حِجَابًا وَأَنْتَ غَدًا فِي بَطْنِي، فَمَا كُنْتُ لِأَجْعَلَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهَا حِجَابًا، فَأَخَذَ أَبُو شُعَيْبٍ الْخَصَافَ فَرَمَى بِهِ، فَمَكَثَتْ مَعَهُ سِنِينَ كَثِيرَةً يَتَعَبَّدَانِ أَحْسَنَ عِبَادَةٍ، وَتُوُفِّيَا عَلَى ذَلِكَ مُتَعَاوِنَيْنِ. [قَالَ الْمُصَنِّفُ: ] وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا فِيمَا تَقَدَّمَ أَنَّ جَوْهَرَةَ زَوْجَةَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَرَاثِيِّ جَرَى لَهَا نَحْوُ هَذَا. وَعُمَرُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الطَّنَافِسِيُّ الْكُوفِيُّ. وَفِيهَا تُوُفِّيَ أَبُو مُسْلِمٍ مُعَاذُ الْهَرَّاءُ النَّحْوِيُّ، وَقِيلَ: كُنْيَتُهُ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ. وَعَنْهُ أَخَذَ الْكِسَائِيُّ النَّحْوَ، ( وَوُلِدَ أَيَّامَ يَزِيدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ ).
Translation
✧ Those prominent figures who died in the year one hundred and eighty-seven AH Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā b. Khālid b. Barmak, Abū al-Faḍl al-Barmakī Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā b. Khālid b. Barmak, Abū al-Faḍl al-Barmakī, the vizier son of the vizier. Al-Rashīd had appointed him over Syria and other regions. Ibn ʿAsākir mentioned that al-Rashīd sent him to Damascus when the conflict between the two factions stirred in Ḥawrān between Qays and Yaman, and that was the first time they had kindled it in Islam; it had been dormant, and they stirred it up at this time. When Jaʿfar arrived with his army, the evils subsided and joy appeared. Beautiful poems were recited about that, which he mentioned in his biography in his "History". Among them: Fires of discord were kindled in Syria, so this is the time for Syria's fire to be extinguished, When the waves of the sea surge from the family of Barmak, Upon it its flames and sparks died down. The Commander of the Faithful hurled Jaʿfar at it, In him its fracture and its mending meet. He hurled at it one of auspicious ancestry, a noble man, With whom its Qaḥṭān and Nizār are pleased. He is the king hoped for for piety and righteousness, And his assaults cannot be withstood in their danger. The vizier of the Commander of the Faithful and his sword, And his blade while war makes its edges bleed. And he before whom the secrets of the caliph are folded, With you is their refuge, and you are their settling place. When Ibn Yaḥyā Jaʿfar is intended By grave calamities, their great ones do not frighten him. A cloud has risen in Syria from you, Whose generosity is hoped for and whose destruction is feared. It is a long ode; we have limited ourselves to this much of it. He possessed eloquence, rhetoric, and exceeding generosity. His father had attached him to the judge Abū Yūsuf, so he studied jurisprudence under him, and he came to have a special connection with al-Rashīd. One night in the presence of al-Rashīd he signed more than a thousand decrees, and in none of them did he depart from the requirements of jurisprudence. He related hadith from his father with his chain of transmission from Zayd b. Thābit, the scribe of revelation, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "When you write Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm, make the sīn in it distinct." Al-Khaṭīb and Ibn ʿAsākir related it. ʿAmr b. Baḥr al-Jāḥiẓ said: Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā said to al-Rashīd: O Commander of the Faithful, my father Yaḥyā told me: When the world turns toward you, give, for it does not perish; and when it turns away from you, give, for it does not remain. Jaʿfar said: My father recited to us: Do not be stingy with the world while it approaches, For extravagance and excess do not diminish it. If it turns away, it is more fitting that you be generous with it, For praise from it when it has turned away is a successor. The status of Jaʿfar al-Barmakī with al-Rashīd Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī said: Jaʿfar had attained such a level of high rank, effective authority, great position, and majestic standing with al-Rashīd that he was unique in it and unshared. He was easy-going in character, cheerful of face, and manifestly affable. As for his generosity, liberality, giving, and bestowal, they are too famous to be mentioned and too evident to be shown. He was also among those noted for eloquence and rhetoric. Ibn ʿAsākir related from Muhadhdhab, the chamberlain of al-ʿAbbās b. Muḥammad, the owner of the qaṭīʿa of al-ʿAbbās and al-ʿAbbāsiyya, that he fell into straitened circumstances, and creditors pressed him. He had a casket containing jewels whose purchase had cost him a million dirhams. He carried it to Jaʿfar to sell it to him. Jaʿfar bought it at its price and weighed out for him a million, and took the casket from him and seated him with him that night. When he returned to his house, behold, the casket had preceded him to his home. When morning came, he went to him to thank him, and found him with his brother al-Faḍl at the gate of al-Rashīd seeking permission to enter. Jaʿfar said to him: I have mentioned your matter to al-Faḍl, and he has ordered a million for you; I think it has already preceded you to your family. And I will discuss your case with the Commander of the Faithful. When he entered, he mentioned his matter and the debts that had befallen him, so he ordered for him three hundred thousand dinars. One night Jaʿfar was in his night gathering, and a man of his companions was with him, when a beetle came and climbed onto the man's clothes. Jaʿfar brushed it off him and said: People say that one whom a beetle heads toward is given glad tidings of wealth that will befall him. So Jaʿfar ordered for him a thousand dinars. Then the beetle returned and went back to the man, so he ordered for him another thousand dinars. He once performed the hajj with al-Rashīd, and when they were in Madinah he said to a man of his companions: Look for a slave girl for me to buy who is outstanding in her beauty, singing, and intelligence. The man searched and found a slave girl matching the description. Her master asked a large sum for her on condition that Jaʿfar see her. Jaʿfar went to her master's house, and when he saw her he was impressed by her; when she sang to him, she pleased him even more. He bargained with her owner over her and said: We have brought money; if it pleases you, good, otherwise we will increase it. Her master said to her: I used to be in comfort, and you were with me in the utmost delight and ease, but my situation has become constrained, and I would like to sell you to this king so that you may be with him as you were with me. She said: O my master, by Allah, if I owned of you what you own of me, I would not sell you for the world and all it contains. Where are the promises you made me that you would not sell me or consume my price? Her master said to Jaʿfar and his companions: I call you to witness that she is free for the sake of Allah Almighty, and that I have married her. When he said that, Jaʿfar rose, and his companions stood, and they ordered the porter to carry the dirhams. Jaʿfar said: By Allah, it will not follow me. And he said to the man: I have given her to you in ownership. Spend it on your family. And he went and left it. All this while he could be considered miserly in comparison to his brother al-Faḍl, except that al-Faḍl had more wealth than him. Ibn ʿAsākir related by way of al-Dāraquṭnī with his chain of transmission that when Jaʿfar was killed, they found in a jar a thousand dinars, the weight of each dinar being a hundred dinars. On one side of the dinar was written Jaʿfar, and on the other: And a yellow one from the mint of the abode of kings, On its face Jaʿfar shines. It exceeds a hundred by one; When you give it to a poor man, he becomes rich. Aḥmad b. al-Muʿallā the transmitter said: ʿInān, the slave girl of al-Nāṭifī, wrote to Jaʿfar asking him to tell his father Yaḥyā to suggest to al-Rashīd that he buy her. She wrote to him these verses from her poetry about Jaʿfar: O you who blame me in ignorance, will you not desist? Who can endure the heat of passion? Do not blame me if I drink passion Pure, for mixed passion is intoxication. Love has encompassed me, and behind me for it Is a sea, and before me for it are seas. The banners of passion flutter with destruction Above me, and around me for passion is an army. Equal to me in passion is a blamer Who says little about it and one who says much. You are the chosen one of the sons of Barmak, O Jaʿfar of all good, O Jaʿfar. No describer reaches in his description A tenth of the excellence that is in you. Whoever stores up wealth at the expense of his honor, Jaʿfar's honors are more abundant. The brocade of kingship is on his face, And in his hands is the rain-giving cloud. A downpour has poured upon us from them, From which red gold streams. If his palms wiped a boulder, Green leaves would flourish in it. Glory is only complete in a youth Who endures giving as he endures. The crown of kingship sways above him In pride, and beneath him the pulpit shines. The full moon resembles him when it appears, Or a blaze on his face that gleams. By Allah, I do not know whether the moon of darkness Is in his face, or his face is more radiant. Visitors seek rain of generosity from you, And you rejoice in visitors. She wrote her request beneath her verses. He mounted at once and went to his father, who brought him before the caliph and suggested that he buy her. He said: No, by Allah, I will not buy her when poets have spoken about her and multiplied, and her affair has become famous. She is the one about whom Abū Nuwās says: Indeed ʿInān al-Niṭāf is a slave girl Whose vulva has become a field for copulation. No one would buy her except a son of an adulteress Or a pimp, whoever he may be. From Thumāma b. Ashras, who said: I spent a night with Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā b. Khālid. He awoke from his sleep weeping in terror. I said: What is the matter with you? He said: I saw an old man who came and took hold of the two doorposts of this door and said: As if there had never been between al-Ḥajūn and al-Ṣafā Any companion, and no night-talker talked at night in Makkah. He said: I answered him: Yes, we were its people, but the turns of nights And stumbling fortunes destroyed us. Thumāma b. Ashras said: On the following night al-Rashīd killed him and set his head on the bridge. Then al-Rashīd came out to look at it, gazed at it, and then began to say: Your time demanded of you what it had lent, And muddied your life after clarity. Do not wonder, for time Is pledged to separate what it has joined. He said: I looked at Jaʿfar and said: Though you have become a sign, you were the utmost in good. He said: Al-Rashīd looked at me like a raging camel, then began to say: The world is not amazed by Jaʿfar; What they witnessed was through us. Who is Jaʿfar, or who is his father, or who Were the Banū Barmak but for us? Then he turned his horse's head and departed. From ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Iskāfī, who said: Aḥmad b. al-Junayd al-Iskāfī was the closest of people to Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā al-Barmakī, and people would seek him out for their needs to Jaʿfar. The petitions of the people multiplied in the shoe of Aḥmad b. al-Junayd, and it remained so until he managed to be alone with Jaʿfar. He said to him: May Allah make me your ransom, the people's petitions with me have become many, and your occupations are numerous, and today you are free; if you see fit to look into them. Jaʿfar said to him: On condition that you stay with me today. He said: Yes. So he sent away his mounts and stayed. When they had lunched, he brought him the petitions. Jaʿfar said to him: This is the time for that; leave us today. He held back from him and departed without looking into the petitions. After some days he was alone with him and reminded him of the petitions. He said: Yes, on condition that you stay with me today. He stayed with him, and he did to him the same as the first time, until he did that to him three times. On the last day he reminded him, and he said: Leave me for this hour. They slept, and Jaʿfar woke before Aḥmad. He said to a servant of his: Go to the shoe of Aḥmad b. al-Junayd and bring me every petition in it, and make sure Aḥmad does not know. The boy went and brought the petitions. Jaʿfar signed all of them to the last with his own hand with what their owners desired, and he confirmed that. Then he ordered the boy to return them to the shoe, and he returned them. Aḥmad woke and said nothing about them. Aḥmad departed and spent days giving hope to the owners of the petitions because of them. Then he said to a scribe of his: Woe to you, these petitions have worn out in my shoe, and this man is not looking into them. Take them, examine them, and renew what has worn out. The scribe took them and looked into them, and found the petitions signed with what their owners had asked. He marveled at his generosity and nobility of character, and at the fact that he had fulfilled his need without informing him of it, lest he think that he was counting it as a favor upon him. The death of Jaʿfar al-Barmakī The killing of Jaʿfar took place on Saturday night, the first of Ṣafar in the year one hundred and eighty-seven. He was thirty-seven years old. They had held the vizierate for seventeen years. ʿUbāda, the mother of Jaʿfar, entered upon some people on the day of the Feast of Sacrifice asking them for a sheepskin to warm herself with. They asked her about their affair, and she said: I remember that on a day like this I woke with four hundred slave girls at my head, and I used to say: My son Jaʿfar is undutiful to me. Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī related that when Sufyān b. ʿUyayna heard of al-Rashīd's killing of Jaʿfar and the punishment he brought upon the Barmakids, he faced the qibla and said: O Allah, Jaʿfar used to suffice me the burden of this world, so suffice him the burden of the hereafter. Abū Yazīd al-Riyāḥī said: I was sitting by the stake of Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā al-Barmakī, reflecting on the passing of his kingship and the state he had come to, when a woman approached on a mount, of fine appearance and bearing. She stopped at Jaʿfar and wept, causing sorrow, and spoke, and was eloquent. She said: By Allah, though you have become a sign among the people, you reached the utmost among them. Though your kingship has passed, your time has betrayed you, and your life has not been prolonged, you were the envied in state, the comfortable in mind. Kingship suited you. People deemed your loss immense since they have not appointed a king after you. We ask Allah for patience over the great calamity and the momentous affliction that cannot be replaced by other than you. Peace be upon you, a farewell of one who does not hate and does not forget your mention. Then she began to recite: Life after you is bitter, not beloved, And since you were crucified, we detest every crucified one. I hope for you from Allah, the Beneficent, for He has Grace upon us and pardon beyond reckoning. Then she was silent for a while and gazed at him, then began to recite: Upon you from the beloved ones every day Be the peace of Allah, as long as peace is mentioned. Though your echo has become, before the eye, On wood with which the Imam has favored you, From kingship to possession, in spite of The kings, death has surrendered you. Al-Fuḍayl b. ʿIyāḍ Among the prominent figures who died in that year: Al-Fuḍayl b. ʿIyāḍ, Abū ʿAlī al-Tamīmī, one of the imams of the devout, the emblem of the ascetics, and a unique scholar among the saints. He was born in Khurāsān in the district of Abīward. He came to Kufa as an adult and heard from al-Aʿmash, Manṣūr b. al-Muʿtamir, ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib, Ḥuṣayn b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, and others. Then he moved to Makkah and devoted himself to worship there. He was excellent in reciting the Qur'an, abundant in prayer and fasting. He was a master of great importance, trustworthy among the imams of transmission, may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him. He had with al-Rashīd the story of his admonition to him. We have related that at length concerning the manner of al-Rashīd's entering his house, what al-Fuḍayl said to him, and al-Rashīd's offering him money, which he refused and would not accept anything from him. His death was in Makkah in this year, in Muḥarram of it. And they mentioned that he was a scoundrel who cut off the road, and he was in love with a slave girl. While he was one night scaling a wall over to her, he heard a reciter reciting: 'Has the time not come for those who believe that their hearts should humble themselves to the remembrance of God?' [al-Ḥadīd: 16]. He said: 'Yes, O Lord.' And he desisted from what he was doing, and returned to a ruin, and spent the night there. He heard some travelers saying: 'Indeed Fuḍayl is ahead of you, cutting off the road.' So he reassured them, and persisted in his repentance until he attained the leadership, worship, and asceticism that he attained. Then he became a sign to be followed and to be guided by his words and his deeds, may God have mercy on him. Al-Fuḍayl said: 'If the whole world were lawful and I were not to be called to account for it, I would still find it loathsome, just as one of you finds a carcass loathsome when he passes by it lest it touch his garment.' And he said: 'Acting for the sake of people is polytheism, and abandoning action for the sake of people is showing off; sincerity is when God protects you from both.' Al-Rashīd said to him one day: 'How ascetic you are!' He replied: 'You are more ascetic than I, because I have renounced this perishable world, while you have renounced the everlasting hereafter.' Among his sayings: 'If I had a supplication that would be answered, I would make it for the ruler of the common people; for when he is upright, the lands and the servants are safe.' And he said: 'Indeed I disobey God and I recognize that in the character of my donkey and my servant.' Regarding the words of the Exalted: 'That He may test you, which of you is best in deed' [al-Mulk: 2], he said: 'It means the most sincere and the most correct of it; indeed, the deed must be purely for God, and correct in following the Prophet ﷺ.' On the authority of Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm, who said: 'Al-Fuḍayl's recitation was mournful, sweet, slow, and measured, as if he were addressing a person. When he came upon a verse mentioning Paradise, he would repeat it and ask. A mat would be laid out for him at night in his mosque, and he would pray for a while from the beginning of the night until his eyes overcame him, and he would sleep on the mat. He would sleep a little, then get up; when sleep overcame him he slept, then got up; like this until morning.' And I heard him say: 'If you are not able to stand at night and fast during the day, then know that you are deprived and shackled; your error has shackled you.' On the authority of al-Fuḍayl b. al-Rabīʿ, who said: 'The Commander of the Faithful performed the pilgrimage, and came to me. I went out quickly and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, if you had sent for me I would have come to you." He said: "Woe to you! Something has been gnawing at me. Find me a man to ask." I said: "Here is Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah." He said: "Take us to him." We came to him and I knocked on the door. He said: "Who is it?" I said: "Answer the Commander of the Faithful." He came out quickly and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, if you had sent for me I would have come to you." He said to him: "Attend to what we have come about, may God have mercy on you." He spoke with him for a while, then said: "Do you have a debt?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Abū al-ʿAbbās, pay off his debt." When we came out, he said: "Your companion did not help me at all. Find me a man to ask." I said: "Here is ʿAbd al-Razzāq b. Hammām." He said: "Take us to him." We came to him and I knocked on the door. He said: "Who is this?" I said: "Answer the Commander of the Faithful." He came out quickly and said: "O Commander of the Faithful, if you had sent for me I would have come to you." He said: "Attend to what we have come about." He conversed with him for a while, then said: "Do you have a debt?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Abū ʿAbbās, pay off his debt." When we came out, he said: "Your companion did not help me at all. Find me a man to ask." I said: "Here is al-Fuḍayl b. ʿIyāḍ." He said: "Take us to him." We came to him and there he was standing in prayer, reciting a verse of the Qur'an and repeating it. He said: "Knock on the door." I knocked on the door. He said: "Who is this?" I said: "Answer the Commander of the Faithful." He said: "What do I have to do with the Commander of the Faithful?" I said: "Glory be to God! Is not obedience due from you? Was it not narrated from the Prophet ﷺ that he said: 'It is not for a believer to humiliate himself'?" So he came down and opened the door, then climbed up to the upper room, extinguished the lamp, and took refuge in a corner of the corners of the house. We entered and began groping for him with our hands. Hārūn's palm preceded mine to him, and he said: "What a palm this is! How soft it is! If it is saved tomorrow from the punishment of God Most High." I said to myself: 'He will surely speak to him tonight with words from a pure heart.' He said to him: "Attend to what we have come about, may God have mercy on you." He said: "When ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz was appointed to the caliphate, he summoned Sālim b. ʿAbd Allāh, Muḥammad b. Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, and Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywah. He said to them: 'I have been tried with this affair, so advise me.' Sālim b. ʿAbd Allāh said: 'If you want salvation tomorrow from the punishment of God Almighty, then fast from this world, and let your breaking of the fast in it be death.' Muḥammad b. Kaʿb said: 'If you want salvation from the punishment of God, then let the eldest of the Muslims be to you a father, the middle of them a brother, and the youngest of them a son. Honor your father, be generous to your brother, and show compassion to your son.' Rajāʾ b. Ḥaywah said to him: 'If you want salvation tomorrow from the punishment of God Almighty, then love for the Muslims what you love for yourself, and hate for them what you hate for yourself, then die whenever you wish. And I tell you that I fear for you the most intense fear, a day in which feet will slip. Do you have with you, may God have mercy on you, anyone who advises you like this?' He wept bitterly until he fainted. I said: 'Be gentle with the Commander of the Faithful, O son of Umm al-Rabīʿ; you are killing him, you and your companions, while I am being gentle with him.' Then he regained consciousness and said to him: 'Give me more, may God have mercy on you.' He said: 'O Commander of the Faithful, it has reached me that a governor of ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz complained to him, and ʿUmar wrote to him: O my brother, I remind you of God, the length of the sleeplessness of the people of the Fire in the Fire with everlasting eternity. Beware lest the one with whom God is should turn away from you, so that it becomes the last covenant with you and the cutting off of hope.' When he read the letter, he folded up the regions until he came to ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz. He said: 'What brought you here?' He said: 'Your letter tore out my heart. I will not return to any governorship until I meet God Almighty.'" He said: 'Hārūn wept bitterly, then said: "Give me more, may God have mercy on you." He said: "O Commander of the Faithful, indeed al-ʿAbbās, the uncle of the Chosen One ﷺ, came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: 'O Messenger of God, appoint me to a command.' The Prophet ﷺ said to him: 'Indeed leadership is regret and remorse on the Day of Resurrection. If you are able not to be a leader, then do so.'" He said: 'Hārūn wept bitterly, and said to him: "Give me more, may God have mercy on you." He said: "O you of beautiful face! You are the one whom God will ask about this creation on the Day of Resurrection. If you can protect this face from the Fire, then beware lest you wake up and spend the evening while there is deceit in your heart toward any one of your subjects. For the Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever wakes up as a deceiver of his subjects will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.'" Hārūn wept and said to him: "Do you have a debt?" He said: "Yes, a debt to my Lord for which He has not yet called me to account. Woe to me if He asks me, and woe to me if He disputes with me, and woe to me if I am not inspired with my argument." He said: "I mean a debt to the servants." He said: "My Lord has not commanded me about that. He commanded me to declare His oneness and obey His command. He, Almighty and Majestic, said: 'And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, it is God who is the Provider, the Possessor of firm strength.'" So he said to him: "Here are a thousand dinars. Take them and spend them on your family, and use them to strengthen yourself in your worship." He said: "Glory be to God! I guide you to the path of salvation, and you reward me with something like this? May God keep you safe and grant you success." Then he fell silent and did not speak to us. We left his presence. When we reached the door, he said: "Abū al-ʿAbbās, when you show me a man, show me one like this. This is the master of the Muslims." A woman from among his wives entered upon him and said to him: "O you, you see the straitened circumstances we are in. If only you had accepted this wealth so that we might find relief through it." He said to her: "My example and yours is like the example of a people who had a camel whose earnings they used to eat. When it grew old, they slaughtered it and ate its meat." When Hārūn heard this speech, he said: "Let us go in, perhaps he will accept the money." When al-Fuḍayl knew, he came out and sat on the roof at the door of the upper room. Hārūn sat beside him and began to speak to him, but he did not answer him. While we were thus, a black slave girl came out and said: "O you, you have annoyed the old man since last night. Leave, may God have mercy on you." So we left. In this year died Bishr b. al-Mufaḍḍal, ʿAbd al-Salām b. Ḥarb, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Muḥammad al-Darāwardī, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-ʿAmmī, and ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā the commander in the lands of the Romans with al-Qāsim, son of al-Rashīd, in the summer expedition, and Muʿtamir b. Sulaymān, and Abū Shuʿayb al-Barāthī, the worshipper. On the authority of Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm, who said: 'I heard al-Junayd b. Muḥammad say: "Abū Shuʿayb al-Barāthī was the first to dwell in Barāthā, in a hut where he worshipped. A slave girl from among the daughters of the great, from the children of this world, who had been raised in the palaces of kings, passed by his hut. She looked at Abū Shuʿayb and admired his state, and she became like a captive to him. She resolved to divest herself of the world and attach herself to Abū Shuʿayb. She came to him and said: 'I want to be a servant to you.' He said to her: 'If you want that, then change your appearance and divest yourself of what you are in, so that you may be fit for what you intend.' So she divested herself of everything she owned and wore the clothing of ascetics, and came to him, and he married her. When she entered the hut, she saw a piece of palm-leaf matting on which Abū Shuʿayb used to sit to protect himself from the dampness. She said: 'I will not stay in it until you remove what is beneath you, because I heard you say: "The earth says to the son of Adam: You place a barrier between me and you, and tomorrow you will be in my belly." So I will not place a barrier between me and it.' Abū Shuʿayb took the mat and threw it away. She remained with him for many years, and they worshipped with the best worship, and they died upon that, helping one another." [The compiler said:] We have already mentioned earlier that Jawharah, the wife of ʿAbd Allāh al-Barāthī, had something similar happen to her. And ʿUmar b. ʿUbayd al-Ṭanāfisī al-Kūfī. In this year died Abū Muslim Muʿādh al-Harrāʾ the grammarian. It is said his kunyah was Abū ʿAlī. Al-Kisāʾī took grammar from him, and he was born in the days of Yazīd b. ʿAbd al-Malik.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.