وَإِنْAnd ifذَكَرُواthey mentionedمِيلَادَthe birthشَيْءٍof somethingأَوْorقُدُومَthe arrivalإِنْسَانٍof a personقَالَhe said
And if they mentioned the birth of something, or the arrival of a person, he would say:
كَانَIt wasذَلِكَthatبَعْدَafterأَهْدَيْتُهَاI gifted itلَكَto youبِسَنَةٍby a year
That was a year after I gifted it to you.
وَمَاAnd notكَانَwasبَيْنَbetweenقُدُومِthe arrivalفُلَانٍof so-and-soوَبَيْنَand betweenالْبِعْثَةِthe sendingبِتِلْكَwith thatالدَّجَاجَةِhenإِلَّاexceptيَوْمٌa day
And between the arrival of so-and-so and the sending of that hen, there was only a day.
وَكَانَتْAnd it wasمَثَلًاan exampleفِيinكُلِّeverythingشَيْءٍthingوَتَارِيخًاand a dateفِيinكُلِّeverythingشَيْءٍthing
And it was an example in everything, and a date in everything.
وَأَقْبَلَAnd he turnedمَرَّةًonceعَلَىtoمُحَمَّدِMuhammadابْنِson ofالْجَهْمِ1al-Jahm
And he turned once to Muhammad ibn al-Jahm [1]
وَأَنَاand Iوَأَصْحَابُنَاand our companionsعِنْدَهُwith himفَقَالَand he said
while I and our companions were with him, and he said:
إِنِّيIndeed Iرَجُلٌa manمُنْخَرِقُtornالْكَفَّيْنِ2the two palms
I am a man with torn palms [2]
لَاnotأَلِيقُI am fit forشَيْئًاanything
I am not fit for anything.
وَيَدِيAnd my handهَذِهِthisصَنَاعٌskillfulفِيinالْكَسْبِearningوَلَكِنَّهَاbut itفِيinالْإِنْفَاقِspendingخَرْقَاءُclumsy
And this hand of mine is skillful in earning, but it is clumsy in spending.
كَمْHow manyتَظُنُّdo you thinkمِنْofمِائَةِa hundredأَلْفِthousandدِرْهَمٍdirhamsقَسَمْتُهَاI divided themعَلَىamongالْإِخْوَانِthe brothersفِيinمَجْلِسٍa gathering
How many hundred thousand dirhams do you think I divided among the brothers in a gathering?
أَبُوAbuعُثْمَانَUthmanيَعْلَمُknowsذَلِكَthat
Abu Uthman knows that.
أَسْأَلُكَI ask youبِاللَّهِby GodيَاOأَبَاAbuعُثْمَانَUthmanهَلْDoتَعْلَمُyou knowذَلِكَ؟that?
I ask you by God, O Abu Uthman, do you know that?
فَقُلْتُSo I said
So I said:
يَاOأَبَاAbuهُذَيْلٍHudhaylمَاnotنَشُكُّwe doubtفِيمَاin whatتَقُولُyou say
O Abu Hudhayl, we do not doubt what you say.
فَلَمْAnd notيَرْضَhe was satisfiedبِإِحْضَارِيwith my presenceهَذَاthisلِكَلَامٍfor speechحَتَّىuntilاسْتَشْهَدَنِي3he asked me to testify
And he was not satisfied with my presence for this speech until he asked me to testify [3]
وَلَمْAnd notيَرْضَhe was satisfiedبِاسْتِشْهَادِيwith my testimonyحَتَّىuntilاسْتَحْلَفَنِيhe made me swear
And he was not satisfied with my testimony until he made me swear.
[[أَبُوAbuسَعِيدٍSa'idالْمُدَائِنِي:al-Mada'ini:
[Abu Sa'id al-Mada'ini:]
كَانَWasأَبُوAbuسَعِيدٍSa'idالْمُدَائِنِيُّal-Mada'iniإِمَامًاan imamفِيinالْبُخْلِmiserlinessعِنْدَنَاwith usبِالْبَصْرَةِin Basra
Abu Sa'id al-Mada'ini was an imam in miserliness with us in Basra.
وَكَانَAnd he wasمِنْamongكِبَارِthe great onesالْمُعَيِّنِينَthe designated onesوَمَيَاسِيرِهِمْand their wealthy
And he was among the great of the designated ones and their wealthy.
وَكَانَAnd he wasشَدِيدَstrongالْعَقْلِof mindشَدِيدَstrongالْعَارِضَةِ4of eloquence
And he was strong of mind, strong of eloquence [4]
حَاضِرَpresentالْحُجَّةِ5of proofبَعِيدَfarالرَّوِيَّةِof deliberation
present of proof [5], far of deliberation.
وَكُنْتُAnd I wasأَتَعَجَّبُI marvelمِنْatتَفْسِيرِthe interpretationأَصْحَابِنَاof our companionsلِقَوْلِof the sayingالْعَرَبِof the Arabsفِيaboutلُؤْمِthe basenessاللَّئِيمِof the meanالرَّاضِعِthe suckling
And I used to marvel at the interpretation of our companions of the saying of the Arabs about the baseness of the mean suckling.
قَالَThey saidأَصْحَابُنَاour companions
Our companions said:
كُلُّEveryلَئِيمٍmean personبَخِيلٌis miserly
Every mean person is miserly
وَلَيْسَand notكُلُّeveryبَخِيلٍmiserlyلَئِيمًاmean
and not every miserly person is mean.
لِأَنَّBecauseاسْمَthe nameاللَّئِيمِmeanيَقَعُappliesعَلَىtoالْبُخْلِmiserlinessوَعَلَىand toقِلَّةِlackالشُّكْرِof gratitudeوَعَلَىand toمَهَانَةِhumiliationالنَّفْسِof the soulوَعَلَىand to
Because the name 'mean' applies to miserliness, and to lack of gratitude, and to humiliation of the soul, and to
Footnotes
- 1.مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْجَهْمِ: أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، مِنْ رِجَالِ الْحَدِيثِ، وَكَانَ أَدِيبًا شَاعِرًا.
Muhammad ibn al-Jahm: Abu Abdullah, a hadith narrator, and he was a literary man and a poet.
- 2.الْمُنْخَرِقُ الْكَفَّيْنِ: كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ السَّخَاءِ وَبَذْلِ الْمَالِ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَالَ يَنْفُذُ مِنْ يَدِهِ كَمَا يَنْفُذُ الْمَاءُ مِنَ الثَّوْبِ الْمُنْخَرِقِ.
Torn palms: a metaphor for generosity and spending wealth; because wealth passes through his hand as water passes through a torn garment.
- 3.اسْتَشْهَدَنِي: طَلَبَ مِنِّي أَنْ أَشْهَدَ بِذَلِكَ، أَيْ أُصَدِّقَهُ فِيمَا يَقُولُ.
He asked me to testify: he asked me to witness to that, i.e., to confirm him in what he says.
- 4.الْعَارِضَةُ: الْبَيَانُ وَالْفَصَاحَةُ.
Al-'aridah: eloquence and clarity.
- 5.حَاضِرُ الْحُجَّةِ: يُحَاجُّ بِالْبَيِّنَةِ الْوَاضِحَةِ.
Present of proof: he argues with clear evidence.