Maʿānī al-ʾAkhbār

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله قال: حدثنا أحمد بن محمد، عن علي بن الحكم، عن سيف عن عبد الأعلى بن أعين قال: قال أبو عبد اللهعن آبائه عليهم السلام قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: إن أعظم الكبر غمص الخلق وسفه الحق. قلت: وما غمص الخلق وسفه الحق؟ قال: يجهل الحق ويطعن على أهله ومن فعل ذلك فقد نازع الله عز وجل رداءه.

5. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, that he said: We were told by Ahmad bin Muhammed, from Ali bin Hakam, from Saif, from Abdul-A’la bin A’yan, that he said: Abu Abdillah said (narrating) from his fathers, peace be upon them: The Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, said: Indeed, the greatest arrogance is disdaining of the creation and stultification of the truth. I said: And what is it to disdain the creation and stultify the truth? He said: That one who is ignorant of the truth and vilifies its people. The one who does that, has certainly challenged the Vesture of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He.

حدثنا محمد بن علي ماجيلويه - رضي الله عنه - عن عمه محمد بن أبي القاسم، عن محمد بن علي الكوفي، عن ابن بقاح، عن سيف بن عميرة، عن عبد الملك، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من دخل مكة مبرءا عن الكبر غفر ذنبه. قلت: وما الكبر؟ قال: غمص الخلق وسفه الحق. قلت: وكيف ذاك. قال: يجهل الحق ويطعن على أهله.

6. We were told by Muhammed bin Ali Majilawayh, may Allah be pleased with him, from his paternal uncle, Muhammed bin Abi’l-Qasem, from Muhammed bin Ali al-Kufi, from Ibn Baqqah, from Saif bin ‘Umayra, from Abdul-Malik, from Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, that he said: The one who enters Mecca free from arrogance, his sin will be forgiven. I said: And what is arrogance? He said: To disdain the creation and stultify the truth. I said: And how is that? He said: That one is ignorant of the truth and vilifies its people.

قال مصنف هذا الكتاب - رضي الله عنه -: في كتاب الخليل بن أحمد يقول: فلان غمص الناس وغمص النعمة إذا تهاون بها وبحقوقهم، ويقال: إنه لمغموص عليه في دينه أي مطعون عليه، وقد غمص النعمة. والعافية إذا لم يشكرها. وقال أبو عبيد في قوله عليه السلام: " سفه الحق " أن يرى الحق سفها وجهلا وقال الله تبارك وتعالى: " ومن يرعب عن ملة إبراهيم إلا من سفه نفسه ". وقال بعض المفسرين: " إلا من سفه نفسه " يقول سفهها. وأما قوله: " غمص الناس " فإنه الاحتقار لهم والازدراء بهم وما أشبه ذلك. قال: وفيه لغة أخرى في غير هذا الحديث. وغمص بالصاد غير معجمة وهو معنى غمط، والغمص في العين، والقطعة سنة غمصة، والغميصاء: كوكب ، والغمص في المعاء: غلظة وتقطيع ووجع.

The compiler of this book, may Allah be pleased with him, said: In the book of Khalil bin Ahmad, he says: Such-a-person disdains people. Disdaining the grace would be if he takes it lightly, and so with their rights. It is said: «He is disdained with regards to his religion» meaning that he is condemned. One would have disdained a grace and a (state of) comfort if one does not thank (for) it. Abu Ubaid said with regards to the saying of him, peace be upon him: «stultifies the truth» that one sees the truth as foolishness and ignorance. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: «And who desires other than the Religion of Ibrahim except for the one who fools himself?» (2:130) Some exegetes said: «except for the one who fools himself» says that one (in this case) declares himself as being foolish. As for his saying: «disdains people» it is to despise them, spurn them and similar. He said: There is another language to it in other than this narration. Ghamasa [1] with the Ssaad is not non-Arabic, and it is by the meaning of understating. Ghams is performed with regards to a physical object, and a part of it is (referred to as) ghamsa. Ghumaisa is a planet. Ghams with regards to entrails is roughness, cutting and pain.

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن يعقوب بن يزيد، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن جميل بن دراج قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن قول الله عز وجل: " فلا تزكوا أنفسكم هو أعلم بمن اتقى " قال: قول الانسان: " صليت البارحة " و " صمت أمس " ونحو هذا. ثم قال عليه السلام: إن قوما كانوا يصبحون فيقولون صلينا البارحة، وصمنا أمس، فقال علي عليه السلام: لكني أنام الليل والنهار ولو أجد بينهما شيئا لنمته.

1. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, from Ya’qoub bin Yazid, from Muhammed bin Abi ‘Umayr, from Jameel bin Darraj, that he said: I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He: «So do not perform self-righteousness of yourselves. He is more knowledgeable of who is the godfearing.» (53:32) He said: It is (like) the saying of a person: «I prayed yesterday» and «I fasted yesterday» and the like of this. Then he, peace be upon him, said: Indeed, a people used to wake up and say: «We prayed yesterday», and: «We fasted yesterday», to which Ali, peace be upon him, said: However, I, indeed, sleep at night and day, and if I was to find anything (of free time) between them, I would have slept during it.

حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد بن الحسين بن أبي الخطاب، عن علي بن أسباط، عن أحمد بن عمر الحلال عن علي بن سويد المديني، عن أبي الحسن موسى عليه السلام قال سألته عن العجب الذي يفسد العمل، فقال: العجب درجات، منها أن يزين للعبد سوء عمله فيراه حسنا فيعجبه ويحسب أنه يحسن صنعا، ومنها أن يؤمن العبد بربه فيمن على الله تبارك وتعالى ولله تعالى عليه فيه المن.

1. We were told by Muhammed bin Hasan bin Ahmad bin Waleed, may Allah grant him mercy, that he said: We were told by Muhammed bin Hasan al-Saffar, from Muhammed bin Hussain bin Abi’l-Khattab, from Ali bin Asbat, from Ahmad bin Umar al-Hallal, from Ali bin Suwayd al-Madeeni, from Abu’l-Hasan, Musa, peace be upon him, that he said: I asked him about the veils which invalidate deeds. He said: The veils are (different) ranks: among them is what beautifies for a servant his evil deed, by which he sees it as good, admires it and assumes that he is doing good; and among them is that a servant believes in his Lord, by which he (assumes that he) performs a favor upon Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, whereas Allah, Exalted is He, is the One who granted him a favor.

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن بعض أصحابه رفعه إلى أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: من لا يعرف لأحد الفضل فهو المعجب برأيه.

2. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, from Ahmad bin Muhammed, from some of his companions, that he ascribed it to Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, that he said: The one who does not recognize for anyone a virtue (by having granted him a favor), is one who admires his own belief.

حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد - رضي الله عنه - قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن العباس بن معروف، عن سعدان بن مسلم، عن أبي بصير، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام أنه سئل عن الحسد فقال: لحم ودم يدور في الناس حتى إذا إنتهى إلينا يئس وهو الشيطان.

1. We were told by Muhammed bin Hasan bin Ahmad bin Waleed, may Allah grant him mercy, that he said: We were told by Muhammed bin Hasan al-Saffar, from Abbas bin Ma’ruf, from Sa’dan bin Muslim, from Abu Baseer, from Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, that he was asked about jealousy, to which he said: It is flesh and blood that circles among people, until it reaches us, and (when it does so) it despairs. That is Shaytan.

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن أبي عبد الله، عن بعض أصحابنا بلغ به سعد بن طريف، عن الأصبغ بن نباتة، عن الحارث الأعور، قال: كان فيما سأل عنه علي بن أبي طالب ابنه الحسن عليهما السلام، أنه قال له: ما الفقر؟ قال: الحرص والشره.

1. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, from Ahmad bin Abi Abdillah, from some of our companions to whom Sa’d bin Turaif informed, from Asbagh bin Nubata, from Harith, the half-blinded, that he said: Among the things that Ali bin Abi Talib asked his son, Hasan, peace be upon them both, is that he said to him: What is poverty? He said: Greed and gluttony.

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن القاسم بن محمد الأصبهاني، عن سليمان بن داود المنقري، عن الفضيل بن عياض، قال: قال أبو عبد الله عليه السلام: أتدري من الشحيح؟ فقلت: هو البخيل؟ فقال: الشحيح أشد من البخيل إن البخيل يبخل بما في يديه وإن الشحيح يشح بما في أيدي الناس وعلى ما في يديه حتى لا يرى في أيدي الناس شيئا إلا تمنى أن يكون له بالحل والحرام، ولا يشبع ولا يقنع بما رزقه الله تعالى.

1. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Sa’d bin Abdullah, from Qasem bin Muhammed al-Esbahani, from Sulayman bin Dawud al-Manqari, from Fudail bin ‘Ayyadh, that he said: Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, said: Do you know who the avaricious is? I said: Is he the stingy? He said: The avaricious is worse than the stingy. Indeed, a stingy person is stingy with what is in his own hand, and the avaricious person is avaricious with what is in the hands of people as well as what is in his own hand, until he does not see in the hands of people anything except that he wishes for it to be his, (regardless if it is earned) through (the) lawful and the forbidden. He does not become satisfied, nor is he content, with what Allah, Exalted is He, has sustained him.

أبي - رحمه الله - قال: حدثنا أحمد بن إدريس، عن أحمد بن محمد، عن أبيه، عن النضر بن سويد، عن عبد الأعلى الأرجاني، عن عبد الأعلى بن أعين، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: إن البخيل من كسب مالا من غير حلة وأنفقه في غير حقه.

2. My father, may Allah grant him mercy, said: We were told by Ahmad bin Idrees, from Ahmad bin Muhammed, from his father, from Nadhr bin Suwayd, from Abdul-A’la al-Arjani,from Abdul-A’la bin A’yan, from Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, that he said: Indeed, the stingy is the one who acquires a property from other than its lawful method and spends it in other than its right.