Sirat Ibn Hisham 298
The bewilderment of al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah in how to describe the Qurʾān
تَحَيُّرُ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ فِيمَا يَصِفُ بِهِ الْقُرْآنَ [ اجْتِمَاعُهُ بِنَفَرِ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ لِيَبِيتُوا ضِدَّ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَاتِّفَاقُ قُرَيْشٍ أَنْ يَصِفُوا الرَّسُولَ ﷺ بِالسَّاحِرِ، وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ ] ثُمَّ إنَّ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ اجْتَمَعَ إلَيْهِ نَفَرٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، وَكَانَ ذَا سِنٍّ فِيهِمْ، وَقَدْ حَضَرَ الْمَوْسِمَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ، إنَّهُ قَدْ حَضَرَ هَذَا الْمَوْسِمُ، وَإِنَّ وُفُودَ الْعَرَبِ سَتَقْدَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيهِ، وَقَدْ سَمِعُوا بِأَمْرِ صَاحِبِكُمْ هَذَا، فَأَجْمِعُوا فِيهِ رَأْيًا وَاحِدًا، وَلَا تَخْتَلِفُوا فَيُكَذِّبَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا، وَيَرُدَّ قَوْلُكُمْ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا؛ قَالُوا: فَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ، فَقُلْ وَأَقِمْ لَنَا رَأْيًا نَقُولُ بِهِ، قَالَ: بَلْ أَنْتُمْ فَقُولُوا أَسْمَعْ؛ قَالُوا: نَقُولُ كَاهِنٌ، قَالَ: لَا وَاَللَّهِ مَا هُوَ بِكَاهِنِ، لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْكُهَّانَ فَمَا هُوَ بِزَمْزَمَةِ الْكَاهِنِ وَلَا سَجْعِهِ؛ قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: مَجْنُونٌ، قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِمَجْنُونِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْجُنُونَ وَعَرَفْنَاهُ، فَمَا هُوَ بِخَنْقِهِ، وَلَا تَخَالُجِهِ، وَلَا وَسْوَسَتِهِ، قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: شَاعِرٌ؛ قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِشَاعِرِ، لَقَدْ عَرَفْنَا الشِّعْرَ كُلَّهُ رَجَزَهُ وَهَزَجَهُ وَقَرِيضَهُ وَمَقْبُوضَهُ وَمَبْسُوطَهُ، فَمَا هُوَ بِالشِّعْرِ؛ قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: سَاحِرٌ؛ قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِسَاحِرِ، لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا السُّحَّارَ وَسِحْرَهُمْ، فَمَا هُوَ بِنَفْثِهِمْ وَلَا عَقْدِهِمْ؛ قَالُوا: فَمَا نَقُولُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ ؟ قَالَ: وَاَللَّهِ إنَّ لِقَوْلِهِ لَحَلَاوَةً، وَإِنَّ أَصْلَهُ لَعَذِقٌ، وَإِنَّ فَرْعَهُ لَجُنَاةٌ - قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: وَيُقَالُ لَغَدِقٌ - وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِقَائِلِينَ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا إلَّا عُرِفَ أَنَّهُ بَاطِلٌ، وَإِنَّ أَقْرَبَ الْقَوْلِ فِيهِ لَأَنْ تَقُولُوا سَاحِرٌ، جَاءَ بِقَوْلٍ هُوَ سِحْرٌ يُفَرِّقُ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَبِيهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَخِيهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجَتِهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَعَشِيرَتِهِ. فَتُفَرِّقُوا عَنْهُ بِذَلِكَ، فَجَعَلُوا يَجْلِسُونَ بِسُبُلِ النَّاسِ حِينَ قَدِمُوا الْمَوْسِمَ، لَا يَمُرُّ بِهِمْ أَحَدٌ إلَّا حَذَّرُوهُ إيَّاهُ، وَذَكَرُوا لَهُمْ أَمْرَهُ. فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ وَفِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ كَلَّا إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا أَيْ خَصِيمًا. قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: عَنِيدٌ: مُعَانِدٌ مُخَالِفٌ. قَالَ رُؤْبَةُ بْنُ الْعَجَّاجِ: وَنَحْنُ ضَرَّابُونَ رَأْسَ الْعُنَّدِ وَهَذَا الْبَيْتُ فِي أُرْجُوزَةٍ لَهُ. سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: بَسَرَ: كَرَّهَ وَجْهَهُ. قَالَ الْعَجَّاجُ: مُضَبَّرُ اللَّحْيَيْنِ بَسْرًا مِنْهَسَا يَصِفُ كَرَاهِيَةَ وَجْهِهِ. وَهَذَا الْبَيْتُ فِي أُرْجُوزَةٍ لَهُ: ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ فَقَالَ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ
Translation
✧ The perplexity of al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah concerning how he should describe the Qurʾān [his meeting with a group of Quraysh to oppose the Prophet ﷺ and the agreement of Quraysh that they should describe the Messenger ﷺ as a sorcerer, and what God revealed concerning them]. Then al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah gathered a group of Quraysh around him, and he was an elder among them. The season of pilgrimage was near, and he said to them: "O company of Quraysh, this season of pilgrimage is at hand, and the delegations of the Arabs will come to you during it. They have heard about the matter of this companion of yours, so agree on one opinion about him and do not disagree, lest some of you call others liars and your statements contradict one another." They said: "So you, O Abū ʿAbd Shams, speak and set for us an opinion that we may hold." He said: "No, you speak and I will listen." They said: "We will say he is a soothsayer." He said: "No, by God, he is not a soothsayer. We have seen soothsayers, and he is not like the muttering of a soothsayer or his rhymed speech." They said: "Then we will say he is possessed." He said: "He is not possessed. We have seen possession and know it, and he is not like its choking, its jerking, or its whispering." They said: "Then we will say he is a poet." He said: "He is not a poet. We have known poetry in all its forms—its rajaz, its hazaj, its qarīḍ, its curtailed, and its extended—and he is not that poetry." They said: "Then we will say he is a sorcerer." He said: "He is not a sorcerer. We have seen sorcerers and their sorcery, and he is not like their blowing on knots or their tying." They said: "Then what shall we say, O Abū ʿAbd Shams?" He said: "By God, his speech has sweetness, its root is laden with fruit, and its branches are abundant—Ibn Hishām said: it is also said 'abundant with moisture'—and whatever of this you say will be known to be false. The closest thing you can say about him is that he is a sorcerer who has brought words that are sorcery, by which he separates a man from his father, a man from his brother, a man from his wife, and a man from his clan." So they dispersed from him with that. Then they began to sit by the paths where people passed when they came to the season, and no one passed by them but that they warned him against him and mentioned his matter to them. So God—exalted is He—revealed concerning al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah and about that, from His words: "Leave Me with him whom I created alone, and to whom I gave abundant wealth, and sons before him, and made things smooth for him. Then he desires that I should add more. No! Indeed, he was stubborn toward Our signs—that is, an adversary." Ibn Hishām said: "ʿanīd means obstinate, opposing." Ruʾbah b. al-ʿAjjāj said: "And we are strikers of the heads of the obstinate." This verse is in a rajaz poem of his. "I will burden him with an ascent. Indeed, he thought and determined. May he be killed—how he determined! Again, may he be killed—how he determined! Then he looked, then he frowned and scowled." Ibn Hishām said: "basara means he made his face ugly." Al-ʿAjjāj said: "Compact-jawed, scowling, gourmand," describing the ugliness of his face. This verse is in a rajaz poem of his. "Then he turned his back and was arrogant, and said: 'This is nothing but sorcery handed down. This is nothing but the speech of a human being.'"
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.