Book: Dalail an-Nubuwwah by Bayhaqi

باب [١] ما جاء في إخباره عن الحكمين اللذين بعثا في زمان علي - رضي الله عنه -

Chapter: Chapter [1] Regarding the report about the two judges who were appointed during the time of Ali - may God be pleased with him.

Volume: 6 (Page:423)

English:

Chapter: The Story of the Two Arbitrators Appointed in the Time of Ali

Narrated by Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Abdan, who reported from Ahmad ibn Ubayd al-Saffar, who narrated from Ismail ibn al-Fadl, who narrated from Qutaibah ibn Saeed, who narrated from Jarir, who narrated from Zakariya ibn Yahya, who reported from Abdullah ibn Yazid and Habib ibn Yasr, who narrated from Swayd ibn Ghafala:

Swayd ibn Ghafala said, "I used to walk with Ali along the banks of the Euphrates, and he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: 'The children of Israel disagreed among themselves, and their disagreement continued until they appointed two arbitrators, one of whom was rightly guided and the other one went astray. This Ummah will also differ among themselves, and their disagreement will continue until they appoint two arbitrators, one of whom is right and the other will go astray, and those who follow them will also go astray.'

Note: This chapter was omitted from the (K) version.

Zakariya ibn Yahya al-Kandi, according to Yahya ibn Ma'in, was not reliable. Al-Mizan (2:75).

This narration was related by the scholar Ibn Kathir in "Al-Bidayah wa An-Nihayah" (6:215-216), where he criticized the credibility of the narrator, highlighting that the two arbitrators were chosen to reconcile among people and find a solution with mercy towards Muslims, to preserve their lives. The only group that went astray due to their arbitration were the Khawarij, who rejected the arbitration of the two leaders, rebelled against them, and declared them as disbelievers. This led to a conflict where Ali ibn Abi Talib fought against them with the support of Ibn Abbas, causing most of them to be killed in various battles against them.

Arabic:

بَابُ [ (١) ] مَا جَاءَ فِي إِخْبَارِهِ عَنِ الْحَكَمَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ بُعِثَا فِي زَمَانِ عَلِيٍّ- رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ-أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ الصَّفَّارُ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ، حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ يَحْيَى [ (٢) ] ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، وَحَبِيبِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ سُوَيْدِ بْنِ غَفَلَةَ قَالَ إِنِّي لَأَمْشِي مَعَ عَلِيٍّ بِشَطِّ الْفُرَاتِ فَقَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اخْتَلَفُوا فَلَمْ يَزَلِ اخْتِلَافُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ حَتَّى بَعَثُوا حَكَمَيْنِ فَضَلَّا وَأَضَلَّا، وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ سَتَخْتَلِفُ فَلَا يَزَالُ اخْتِلَافُهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ حَتَّى يَبْعَثُوا حَكَمَيْنِ ضَلَّا وضلّ من اتّبعهما [ (٣) ] .[ (١) ] هذا الباب ساقط من نسخة (ك) .[ (٢) ] هو زكريا بن يحيى الكندي، قال يحيى بن معين: «ليس بشيء» . الميزان (٢: ٧٥) .[ (٣) ] نقله الحافظ ابن كثير في «البداية والنهاية» (٦: ٢١٥- ٢١٦) ، وقال:وهو حديث منكر جدا، وآفتة من زكريا بن يحيى هذا- وهو الكندي الحميري الأعمى- قال يحيى ابن معين: ليس بشيء، والحكمان كانا من خيار الصحابة، وهما عمرو بن العاص السهمي من جهة أهل الشام، والثاني ابو موسى عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ قَيْسِ الأشعري، من جهة اهل العراق، وإنما نصبا ليصلحا بين الناس ويتفقا على امر فيه رفق بالمسلمين، وحقن لدمائهم، وكذلك وقع ولم يضل بسببهما إلا فرقة الخوارج حيث أنكروا على الأميرين التحكيم، وخرجوا عليهما وكفروهما، حتى قاتلهم علي بن أبي طالب، وناظرهم ابن عباس، فرجع منهم شرذمة الى الحق، واستمر بقيتهم حتى قتل أكثرهم بالنهروان وغيره من المواقف المرذولة عليهم.

Vols: Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Chapters