Tarikh (al-Tabari) 306
The story of Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā (peace be upon them both)
ذِكْرُ سَبَبِ قَتْلِ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: بَعَثَ عِيسَى بْنُ مَرْيَمَ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا فِي اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ، وَكَانَ فِيمَا نَهَوْهُمْ عَنْهُ نِكَاحُ ابْنَةِ الْأَخِ، وَكَانَ لِمَلِكِهِمُ ابْنَةُ أَخٍ تُعْجِبُهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا، وَكَانَ لَهَا كُلَّ يَوْمٍ حَاجَةٌ يَقْضِيهَا، فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ أُمَّهَا، فَقَالَتْ لَهَا: إِذَا دَخَلْتِ عَلَى الْمَلِكِ فَسَأَلَكِ مَا حَاجَتُكِ، فَقُولِي: حَاجَتِي أَنْ تَذْبَحَ لِي يَحْيَى، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: فَقَالَ: سَلِي غَيْرَ هَذَا، قَالَتْ: مَا أَسْأَلُ غَيْرَهُ. فَدَعَا يَحْيَى وَدَعَا بِطَسْتٍ فَذَبَحَهُ، فَنَدَرَتْ قَطْرَةٌ مِنْ دَمِهِ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ، فَلَمْ تَزَلْ تَغْلِي حَتَّى بَعَثَ اللَّهُ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ [ عَلَيْهِمْ ] فَجَاءَتْهُ عَجُوزٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَدَلَّتْهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الدَّمَ، فَأَلْقَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي قَلْبِهِ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَسْكُنَ، فَقَتَلَ سَبْعِينَ أَلْفًا [ مِنْهُمْ ] فَسَكَنَ. وعن الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: كَانَتْ لِلْمَلِكِ ابْنَةٌ شَابَّةٌ، فَكَانَتْ تَأْتِي أَبَاهَا فَتُغَنِّي عِنْدَهُ، حَتَّى إِذَا أَرَادَتِ الرُّجُوعَ، قَالَ لَهَا: سَلِي حَاجَتَكِ ؟ وَأَنَّ أُمَّهَا رَأَتْ يَحْيَى قَدْ أُعْطِيَ حُسْنًا وَجَمَالًا، فَأَرَادَتْهُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ، فَأَبَى عَلَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: إِنِّي قَاتِلَتُكَ أَوْ تَأْتِي حَاجَتِي، فَقَالَ: مَعَاذَ اللَّهِ. فَقَالَتْ لِابْنَتِهَا: إِذَا أَتَيْتِ أَبَاكِ اللَّيْلَةَ فَقَالَ: سَلِي حَاجَتَكِ، فَقُولِي: أَسْأَلُكَ رَأْسَ يَحْيَى. فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ وَقَالَ: سَلِي حَاجَتَكِ، قَالَتْ: رَأْسَ يَحْيَى، فَقَالَ: ارْجِعِي إِلَى أُمِّكِ فَتَأْمُرُكِ بِمَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكِ مِنْ هَذَا. فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَى أُمِّهَا فَحَدَّثَتْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: لَا تَسْأَلِيهِ إِلَّا رَأْسَ يَحْيَى. فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ فَغَنَّتْهُ، قَالَ: سَلِي حَاجَتَكِ، قَالَتْ: رَأْسَ يَحْيَى. فَقَالَ: ارْجِعِي إِلَى أُمِّكِ فَتَأْمُرُكِ بِمَا هُوَ أَنْفَعُ لَكِ مِنْ هَذَا، فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: لَا تَسْأَلِيهِ إِلَّا رَأْسَ يَحْيَى. فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ فِي اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ فَغَنَّتْهُ، قَالَ: سَلِي حَاجَتَكِ، قَالَتْ: رَأْسَ يَحْيَى، فَقَالَ: ارْجِعِي إِلَى أُمِّكِ فَتَأْمُرُكِ بِمَا هُوَ أَنْفَعُ لَكِ مِنْ هَذَا. فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ: لَا تَسْأَلِيهِ إِلَّا رَأْسَ يَحْيَى. فَقَالَ: لَكِ مَا سَأَلْتِ، فَرَجَعَتْ إِلَى أُمِّهَا فَرِحَةً فَأَخْبَرَتْهَا. فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَى يَحْيَى، فَقَالَتْ: إِنِّي [ قَدْ ] أُعْطِيتُ رَأْسَكَ إِنْ لَمْ تَأْتِ حَاجَتِي، فَأَبَى عَلَيْهَا، فَقَالَتْ [ لَهُ ] إِنِّي ذَابِحَتُكَ. فَذَبَحَتْهُ ثُمَّ نَدِمَتْ، وَجَعَلَتْ تُنَادِي: وَيْلٌ لَهَا، وَيْلٌ لَهَا. حَتَّى مَاتَتْ، فَهِيَ أَوَّلُ امْرَأَةٍ تَدْخُلُ النَّارَ ، وَأَنَّ الدَّمَ صَارَ يَغْلِي وَلَا يَسْكُنُ، وَإِنَّ بُخْتَ نَصَّرَ جَازَ عَلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ، فَقَالُوا: هَذَا دَمُ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا قَتَلَتْهُ امْرَأَةُ خِيَارِهِمْ. وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَابْنِ عُمَرَ ؓ: أَنَّ امْرَأَةً يُقَالُ لَهَا: " رَبَّةٌ " قَتَلَتْ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا، فَأُتِيَتْ بِرَأْسِهِ فِي طَسْتٍ، فَأُمِرَتِ الْأَرْضُ فَأَخَذَتْهَا. وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ: وَقَتَلَتْ تِلْكَ الْمَرْأَةُ فِي يَوْمٍ سَبْعِينَ نَبِيًّا، وَهِيَ مَكْتُوبَةٌ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ: مُقَتِّلَةُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَأَنَّهَا عَلَى مِنْبَرٍ فِي النَّارِ [ يَسْمَعُ صُرَاخَهَا أَقْصَى أَهْلِ النَّارِ ]. وَرَوَتْ فَاطِمَةُ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: " أَنَّ يَحْيَى بْنَ زَكَرِيَّا عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ مَكَثَ فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً ". قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: قُتِلَ بِدِمَشْقَ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the reason for the killing of Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā From Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: ʿĪsā b. Maryam sent Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā with twelve of the disciples to teach the people. Among the things they forbade them was marriage to a brother's daughter. Their king had a brother's daughter who pleased him and whom he wanted to marry. She had a need each day that he fulfilled. That reached her mother, and she said to her: When you enter upon the king and he asks you what your need is, say: My need is that you slaughter Yaḥyā for me. So she said that to him, and he said: Ask for something other than this. She said: I ask for nothing else. So he summoned Yaḥyā and called for a basin and slaughtered him. A drop of his blood fell on the ground and did not cease boiling until God sent Bukht Naṣṣar [against them]. An old woman of the Children of Israel came to him and pointed him to that blood. God, Mighty and Majestic, cast into his heart that he should kill on account of it until it became still. So he killed seventy thousand [of them], and it became still. And from al-Rabīʿ b. Anas, who said: The king had a young daughter. She used to come to her father and sing for him, until when she wanted to return, he said to her: Ask your need. Her mother had seen Yaḥyā, who had been given beauty and comeliness, and she desired him for herself, but he refused her. So she said to him: I will kill you unless you fulfill my need. He said: God forbid. So she said to her daughter: When you go to your father tonight and he says: Ask your need, say: I ask you for the head of Yaḥyā. When she came and he said: Ask your need, she said: The head of Yaḥyā. He said: Go back to your mother so that she may command you with what is better for you than this. She went back to her mother and told her. She said: Do not ask him for anything but the head of Yaḥyā. When she came the second night and sang for him, he said: Ask your need. She said: The head of Yaḥyā. He said: Go back to your mother so that she may command you with what is more beneficial for you than this. She went back to her, and she said: Do not ask him for anything but the head of Yaḥyā. When she came the third night and sang for him, he said: Ask your need. She said: The head of Yaḥyā. He said: Go back to your mother so that she may command you with what is more beneficial for you than this. She went back to her, and she said: Do not ask him for anything but the head of Yaḥyā. He said: You shall have what you asked. She went back to her mother joyful and told her. She sent to Yaḥyā and said: I have been given your head if you do not fulfill my need. He refused her. She said to him: I will slaughter you. So she slaughtered him. Then she regretted and began crying out: Woe to her, woe to her, until she died. She is the first woman to enter the Fire. The blood began to boil and would not become still. Bukht Naṣṣar passed by it and asked about it, and they said: This is the blood of Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā, whom the wife of their best one killed. And from Abū Hurayrah and Ibn ʿUmar ؓ: A woman called "Rabbah" killed Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā. His head was brought to her in a basin, and the earth was commanded and it swallowed her. And ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar said: That woman killed seventy prophets in one day. She is written in the Torah as the killer of the prophets. She is on a pulpit in the Fire, [the farthest of the people of the Fire hears her screaming]. Fāṭimah reported from the Prophet ﷺ: "Yaḥyā b. Zakariyyā (peace be upon them both) remained among the Children of Israel for forty years." Qatādah said: He was killed in Damascus.
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No grade is recorded for this wording.