Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 15525

Al-Dahhak bin Muzahim al-Hilali narrates: Nafi' bin al-Azraq and Najdah bin Uwaymir went out with a group of the leaders of the Khawarij, searching out knowledge and seeking it, until they reached Makkah. There they found Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) sitting near Zamzam, wearing a red cloak of his and a shirt, and there were people standing asking him about tafsir (Qur'anic exegesis), saying: O Abu Abbas, what do you say about such-and-such? And he would say: It is such-and-such. Nafi' said to him: How bold you are, O Ibn Abbas, in what you have been declaring since this morning! Ibn Abbas said to him: May your mother lose you and be bereft of you! Shall I not tell you who is bolder than I am? He said: Who is he, O Ibn Abbas? He said: A man who speaks about that of which he has no knowledge, or a man who conceals knowledge that he has. He said: You have spoken the truth, O Ibn Abbas; I have come to you to ask you questions. He said: Come then, O Ibn al-Azraq, and ask. He said: Tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "There will be sent against you both a flame (shuwaz) of fire and smoke". What is shuwaz? He said: The flame that has no smoke in it. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Umayyah bin Abi al-Salt: "Who will carry from me to Hassan a message that travels far, making its way to Ukaz: was your father not a blacksmith among us, frequenting the singing-girls, worthless in guarding honour, a Yemeni who would keep stoking a furnace and ceaselessly blowing on the flame of the shuwaz?" He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about His saying: "and smoke (nuhas), and you will not be able to defend yourselves". He said: Smoke that has no flame in it. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard al-Nabighah of Banu Dhubyan saying: "It gives light like the light of an oil-lamp in which Allah has placed no nuhas." He meant smoke. He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah: "from a mingled drop (amshaj), that We may test him". He said: The water of the man and the water of the woman: when the two come together in the womb, it becomes mashij (mingled). He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Abu Dhu'ayb al-Hudhali, when he says: "As though the arrowhead and its two notches, between the feathers, had been mixed with mashij." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah Almighty: "and the leg is wrapped around the leg". What is the leg wrapped around the leg? He said: War. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Abu Dhu'ayb: "A brother of war: if war bites him, he bites it back, and if war bares its leg, he girds himself up too." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "sons and grandsons (hafadah)". What are banin and hafadah? He said: As for your sons, they are those who attend to you; and as for your hafadah, they are your servants. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Umayyah bin Abi al-Salt: "The slave-girls bustle about them, and into their palms the reins of the laden camels have been cast." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "You are only one of the musahharin". Who are the musahharun? He said: Those who are created. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Umayyah bin Abi al-Salt al-Thaqafi, when he says: "If you ask us what we are made of, we are sparrows of this created (musahhar) mankind." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "So We cast them into the sea, while he was blameworthy (mulim)". What is mulim? He said: The sinner. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Umayyah bin Abi al-Salt, when he says: "Far from afflictions, you are not deserving of them; rather it is the wrongdoer who is blameworthy (mulim)." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak (falaq)". What is falaq? He said: It is the morning. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Labid bin Rabi'ah, when he says: "The reliever of distress, whose hosts are freely given, just as the daybreak (falaq) parts the darkness with light." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "so that you do not grieve (ta'saw) over what has escaped you, nor exult over what He has given you". What is asah? He said: Do not be sad. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Labid bin Rabi'ah: "Little in grief (asa) over what time has brought upon him, noble in praise, sweet in disposition, admired." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "He thought that he would never return (yahur)". What is yahur? He said: Returns. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Labid bin Rabi'ah: "Man is nothing but like a meteor and its light: it turns back (yahur) into ashes after it had been blazing." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "They will go round between it and boiling water, intensely hot (an)". What is an? He said: That whose heat has reached its utmost. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of al-Nabighah of Banu Dhubyan: "If Abu Qubays seizes you, death will bring you down in disgrace, and will dye a beard that betrayed and was treacherous with red, intensely hot (an) blood from the belly." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and it became like al-sarim". What is al-sarim? He said: The dark night. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of al-Nabighah of Banu Dhubyan: "Do not try to drive back a scowling one who has no equal, like the night that mingles dark stretches with dark stretches." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "until the ghasaq of the night". What is the ghasaq of the night? He said: When it grows dark. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of al-Nabighah: "As though the earnestness of what they said and what they promised were a mirage (al) enclosed by pitch-black darkness (ghasaq)." Abu Khalifah said: al-al is the mirage. He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and Allah is Muqit over all things". What is Muqit? He said: Able. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of al-Nabighah: "Many a rancorous man I have held my rancour back from, though I am well able (muqit) to do him harm." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "By the night as it approaches (as'as)". He said: The advance of its darkness. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Imru' al-Qays: "It drew on in darkness (as'as), until, had he wished, he would have come near, as though he had a firebrand from the glow of its light." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and I am guarantor (za'im) for it". He said: Al-za'im is the guarantor (kafil). He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Imru' al-Qays: "And I am guarantor (za'im), if I return as a king, of a march in which you will see the noble youths turning aside." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and its fum". What is fum? He said: Wheat. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Abu Dhu'ayb al-Hudhali: "I used to consider myself like the richest of delegations that ever came to the city from the cultivation of fum." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and the azlam". What are azlam? He said: Divining arrows (qidah). He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of al-Hutay'ah: "He does not draw omens from birds when they pass him from the right, nor is a divining arrow cast for him among the azlam." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about His saying, Exalted is He: "And the companions of the mash'amah: what are the companions of the mash'amah?". He said: The companions of the left (shimal). He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma, where he says: "Grey hair has settled on the left side (shimal), close at hand, and al-mururat, near and paltry." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "And when the seas are set flowing (sujjirat)". He said: Their water is mixed with the water of the earth. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma: "Rabi'ah among Judham has come to know, and Ka'b her maternal uncle and the two sons of Dirar: you have contended with an ancient lineage, and their seas have flowed (sajarat) into my seas." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "By the sky with its pathways (hubuk)". What are hubuk? He said: Tracks (tara'iq). He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma: "Crowned with the roots of the stars, woven by the north wind, over an open expanse in which there are tracks (hubuk)." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and that exalted is the majesty (jadd) of our Lord; He has taken no wife". He said: The greatness of our Lord is exalted. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Tarafah bin al-Abd to al-Nu'man bin al-Mundhir: "To a king who strikes down the mail-clad warriors, from whom grey hair has not taken away even a sandal-strap: does it raise your majesty (jadd) that I am a man whom enemies have made drink bucket after bucket?" He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "until you become harad". He said: Al-harad is the worn-out. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Tarafah bin al-Abd: "Is it from remembering Layla, now that a far distance has taken her away, that I am counted as wasting away (harid), with sleep forbidden to me?" He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "while you are samidun". He said: Heedlessly amusing yourselves. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Hazilah bint Bakr, as she wept for Ad: "I have announced the death of Ad, and Sa'd came as a fugitive; it was said: Rise and look at them, then leave off your heedless amusement (sumud)." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "when it becomes full (ittasaq)". What is its ittisaq? He said: When it gathers together. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Abu Sirmah al-Ansari: "We have young she-camels, plump ones, gathered together (mustawsiqat), if only they could find a driver." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "al-Ahad, al-Samad". As for al-Ahad, we know it; so what is al-Samad? He said: The One to whom recourse is made in all matters. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of the Asadi woman: "Lo, the announcer of death came early with news of Banu Asad: of Amr bin Mas'ud and of the master, the samad." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about His saying, Exalted is He: "he will meet atham". What is atham? He said: Recompense. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Bishr bin Abi Hazim al-Asadi: "Our standing invokes against them, in the valley of Dhu al-Majaz; it has a recompense (atham)." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "and he was kazim". He said: The silent one. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Zuhayr bin Khuzaymah al-Absi: "If you are silent (kazim) over the calamity of Shas, then today I am free of tongue." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "or hear from them any rikz". What is rikz? He said: A sound. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Khirash bin Zuhayr: "If you hear of horsemen coming down from a height or into the hollow of rugged ground, then hide every sound (rikz) and keep yourselves concealed." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "when you were slaying them (tahussunahum) by His permission". He said: When you were killing them by His permission. He said: Did the Arabs know that before the Book was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes; have you not heard the saying of Utbah al-Laythi: "We slay them (nahussuhum) with white blades, until it is as though we were splitting colocynths from their skulls." He said: You have spoken the truth. Then tell me about the saying of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic: "O Prophet, when you divorce women". Was divorce known in the Jahiliyyah? He said: Yes, an irrevocable divorce, three times. Have you not heard the saying of A'sha bin Qays bin Tha'labah when his in-laws seized him out of protective jealousy and said: You have harmed our kinswoman, and we swear by Allah that we will not lift the stick from you unless you divorce her. When he saw that they were in earnest and that they would do him harm, he said: "O my wife, depart, for you are divorced; such are the affairs of people, some coming by morning and some by night." They said: By Allah, you shall make the divorce final for her, or we will not lift the stick from you. So he said: "Then depart, chaste and not unsightly, beloved by us just as you are loving." They said: By Allah, we will make the divorce final for her, or we will not lift the stick from you. So he said: "Then depart, for parting is better than the stick, and better than its continuing to flash above your head." So he separated from her with three pronouncements of divorce.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains Juwaybir, who is da'if (weak).