Talut ibn Abdul Jabbar al-Ma'afiri was a student of Imam Malik ibn Anas. He lived in the city of Al-Andalus, which was ruled by the Umayyad Caliphate after they had been exiled from Arabia and Khurasan by the Abbasid Caliphate. The ruler of that time was Al-Hakam ibn Hisham, a strong and brave ruler but was infamous for his tyrannical ways. At first, he was a nice ruler, but his grandeur corrupted him and made him a tyrant.
A rebellion occured in Al-Andalus, and Al-Hakam ordered a full-scale hunt for those who supported the rebellion. One of these people was Imam Talut. Many people died. But a kind Jewish elderly man offered Imam Talut an opportunity to hide in his house. He accepted the offer, and stayed there for a year until the controversies and conflict were over. After all this had passed, he thanked the Jew and left, to visit his old friend, Abu Bassam, who was now the minister of the Umayyads.
Imam Talut was told by his friend that he was still on a 'Wanted' list. So, he asked Abu Bassam to intercede with Al-Hakam for him, hoping that Al-Hakam would forgive him and leave him alone. Abu Bassam agreed, and he left Talut at his home, guarded by a strong bodyguard. But when Abu Bassam reached Al-Hakam in his palace, the scene was different. Abu Bassam smiled and told Al-Hakam that he had brought a valuable gift for him. Al-Hakam inquired what it was, and Abu Bassam pointed at the palace doors on the left, exclaiming, “I have brought you the leader of the Munafiqeen, Talut ibn Abdul Jabbar!” Those doors opened, and Talut walked in, held firmly by the shoulder by a bodyguard.
Al-Hakam turned to Talut, saying that he would kill him as if he was the worst of killers, for violating his sanctity. Talut was taken aback, and he told Al-Hakam, “By Allah, I do not hate you, except for the sake of Allah alone when I realized you became deviant, and I did not do anything to you except for what Allah has commanded me to do.” The ruler calmed down upon hearing this, and said, “By Allah, I did not bring you, unless I had prepared for you all the torment of the world, but I tell you that the one for whom you hated me has turned me away from you, and I am not abandoning your righteousness. I wish that none of this had happened in the first place.” Al-Hakam then told Talut that he was officially pardoned.
Before he left, Al-Hakam told Talut about how he knew about him. Al-Hakam told him that Abu Bassam told him that he had brought the “king of the Munafiqeen” to him. In response, Talut said that he had went to Abu Bassam to ask the ruler to forgive him and intercede for him. When Al-Hakam heard this, he was infuriated, and he scolded Abu Bassam for his betrayal against Talut. Al-Hakam then wrote a letter of thanks to the Jew who helped Talut hide, and the Jew eventually converted to Islam upon reading it.
Abu Bassam was fired from his position, and he became extremely poor. He died in a state of poverty as well. As for Imam Talut ibn Abdul Jabbar, he was honoured by Al-Hakam and invited to many royal events as well, which he did not attend. Talut rose to prominence, becoming one of the leading Andalusian scholars. When he died, Al-Hakam attended his funeral and mourned for him.
Source:
Tarikh Iftitaah al-Andalus by Ibn al-Qutiyya
No comments:
Post a Comment