Literary Story

بخش ۳۸ - ذکر حمدون قصار قدس الله روحه العزیز / Section 38 - Mention of Hamdun al-Qassar, May Allah Sanctify His Glorious Soul

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آن یگانه قیامت آن نشانهٔ ملامت آن پیر ارباب ذوق آن شیخ اصحاب شوق آن موزون ابرار حمدون قصار رحمةالله علیه از کبار مشایخ بود و موصوف بود بورع و تقوی و در فقه و علم حدیث درجه عالی داشت و در عیوب نفس دیدن صاحب نظری عجب بود و مجاهده و معامله بغایت داشت و کلامی در دل ها مؤثر و عالی و مذهب ثوری داشت و مرید بوتراب بود و پیر عبدالله مبارک بود و بملامت خلق مبتلا بود و مذهب ملامتیان در نیشابور از او منتشر شد و در طریقت مجتهد و صاحب مذهب است وجمعی از این طایفه بدو تولی کنند و ایشان را قصاریان گویند و در تقوی چنان بود که شبی بر بالین دوستی بود در حالت نزع چون آن دوست وفات کرد چراغ بنشاند وگفت: این ساعت این چرغ وارث راست ما را روا نباشد سوختن آن.
و گفت: روزی در جویبار حیر به نشابور می رفتم عیاری بود به فتوت معروف نوح نام پیش آمد گفتم یا نوح جوان مردی چیست گفت: جوانمردی من یا جوانمردی تو گفتم هر دو گفت: جوان مردی من آن است که قبا بیرون کنم و مرقع درپوشم و معاملت مرقع گیرم تا صوفی شوم و از شرم خلق در آن جامه از معصیت پرهیز کنم و جوان مردی تو آن است که مرقع بیرون کنی تا تو به خلق و خلق به تو فریفته نگردد پس جوانمردی من حفظ شریعت بود بر اظهار و آن تو حفظ حقیقت بر اسرار و این اصلی عظیم است.

نقلست که چون کار او عالی شد و کلمات او منتشر شد ایمه و اکابر نشابور بیامدند و وی را گفتند که ترا سخن باید گفت: که سخن تو فایده دلها بود گفت: مرا سخن گفتن روا نیست گفتند چرا گفت: از آنکه دل من هنوز در دنیا و جاه بسته است سخن من فایده ندهد و در دلها اثر نکند و سخنی که در دلها مؤثر نبود گفتن آن بر علم استهزاء کردن بود و بر شریعت استخفاف کردن بود و سخن گفتن آنکس را مسلم بود که به خاموشی او دین باطل شود و چون بگوید خلل برخیزد.
وگفت: نشاید هیچکس را که در علم سخن گوید چون همان سخن را کسی دیگر گوید و نیابت می دارد و روا نبود که سخن گوید تا نه بیند که فرضی واجب است بروی سخن گفتن تا او را صلاحیت آن بود گفتند نشان صلاحیت آن چیست گفت: آنکه هر سخنی که گفته باشد هرگزش حاجت نباشد بار دیگرگفتن و دروی تدبیر آن نبود که بعد از این چه خواهم گفت: و سخن او از غیب بود چندان که از غیب برومی آید می گوید و خود را در میانه نه بیند.

پرسیدند که چرا سخن سلف نافع تر است دلها را گفت: بجهت آنکه ایشان سخن از برای عز اسلام می گفتند و از جهت نجات نفس و از بهر رضاء حق و ما از بهر عز نفس و طلب دنیا و قبول خلق می گوئیم.
و گفت: باید که علم حق تعالی به تو نیکوتر از آن باشد که علم خلق یعنی با حق در خلا معاملت بهتر از آن کنی که در ملا.

و گفت: هر که محقق بود درحال خود از حال خود خبر نتواند داد.
و گفت: فاش مگردان برهیچ کس آنچه واجب است که از تو نیز پنهان بود و گفت: هرچه خواهی که پوشیده بود بر کس آشکارا مکن.

و گفت: در هر که خصلتی بینی از خیر ازو جدائی مجوی که زود بود که از برکات او خیری بتو رسد.
و گفت: من شما را بدو چیز وصیت می کنم صحبت علما و احتمال کردن از جهال.

و گفت: صحبت با صوفیان کنید که زشتی ها را به نزدیک ایشان عذرها بود و نیکی را بس خطری نباشد تا ترا بدان بزرگ دارند تا تو بدان در غلط افتی.
و گفت: هر که در سیرتهاء سلف نظر کند تقصیر خود بداند و باز پس ماندن خویش از درجهٔ مردان بیند.

و گفت: بسنده است آنچه به تو می رساند به آسانی بی رنجی اما رنج که هست در طلب زیادت است.
و گفت: شکر نعمت آنست که خود را طفیلی بینی.

و گفت: هر که تواند که کور نبود از دیدن نقصان نفس گو کور مباش.
و گفت: هر که پندارد که نفس او بهتر است از نفس فرعون کبر آشکار کرده است.

و گفت: هرگاه که مستی را بینی که میخسبد نگر تا وی را ملامت نکنی که نباید که بهمان بلا مبتلا گردی.
و گفت: ملامت ترک سلامت است.

و پرسیدند از ملامت گفت: راه این بر خلق دشوار است و مغلق اما طرفی بگویم رجاء مرجیان و خوف قدریان صفت ملامت بود یعنی در رجا چندان برفته باشد که مرجیان تا بدان سبب همه کس ملامتش می کنند و در خوف چندان سلوک کرده باشد که قدریان تا از آن جهت همه خلق ملامتش می کنند تا او در همه حال نشانهٔ تیر ملامت بود.
و گفت: من نیکخوئی را ندانم مگر در سخاوت و بدخوئی را نشناسم الا در بخل.

و گفت: هرکه خود را ملکی داند بخیل بود.
و گفت: حال فقیر در تواضع بود چون به فقر خویش تکبر کند بر جمله اغنیا در تکبر زیادت آید.

و گفت: تواضع آن باشد که کس را به خود محتاج نه بینی نه در این جهان ونه در آن جهان.
و گفت: منصب حق فقیر را چندان بود که او متواضع بود هرگاه که تواضع ترک کرد جمله خیرات ترک کرد.

و گفت: میراث زیرکی و عجب است و از آنست که مشایخ و بزرگان بیشتر زیرکان را از این طریق دور داشته اند.
و گفت: اصل همه دردها بسیار خوردن است و آفت دین بسیار خوردن.

و گفت: هر که را مشغول گرداند به طلب دنیا از آخرت ذلیل و خوار گشت یا در دنیا یا در آخرت.
و گفت: خواردار دنیا را تا بزرگ نمائی در چشم اهل دنیا و دنیا دار.

و عبدالله مبارک گفت: حمدون مرا وصیت کرد که تا توانی از بهر دنیا خشم مگیر.
پرسیدند که بنده کیست گفت: آنکه نپرستد و دوست ندارد که او را پرستند.

و گفتند زهد چیست گفت: نزدیک من زهد آنست که بدانچه در دست تو است ساکن دل تر باشی از آنچه در ضمان خداوند است.
پرسیدند از توکل گفت توکل آنست که اگر ده هزار درم ترا وام بود چشم بر هیچ نداری نومید نباشی ا زحق تعالی بگزاردن آن.

و گفت: توکل دست بخدای زدن است.
و گفت: اگر توانی که کار خود به خدای بازگذاری بهتر از آنکه به حیله تدبیر مشغول شوی.

و گفت: جزع نکند در مصیبت مگر کسی که خدای را متهم داشته بود.
و گفت: ابلیس و یاران او بهیچ چیز چنان شاد نشود که به سه چیز یکی آنکه مؤمنی مؤمنی را بکشد ودوم آنکه بر کفر بمیرد سوم از دلی که در وی بیم درویشی بود.

عبدالله مبارک گفت: حمدون بیمار شد او را گفتند فرزندان را وصیتی کن گفت: من بر ایشان از توانگری بیش می ترسم که از درویشی.
و عبدالله را گفت: در حال نزع که مرا در میان زنان مگذار رحمةالله علیه.

English translation

That unique one of the Resurrection, that sign of blame, that elder of the masters of taste, that sheikh of the companions of desire, that balanced one of the righteous, Hamdun al-Qassar, may Allah have mercy on him, was among the great sheikhs. He was characterized by piety and devotion, held a high degree in jurisprudence (fiqh) and the science of Hadith, and possessed a marvelous insight in identifying the defects of the soul. He performed extreme self-struggle and spiritual transactions, and his words were highly effective and sublime in hearts. He followed the Sufyan al-Thawri school of jurisprudence, was a disciple of Abu Turab, and was the master of Abdullah bin al-Mubarak. He was subject to the blame (malama) of people, and the path of the Malamatis (the people of blame) was spread in Nishapur by him. In the path, he was a mujtahid (independent jurist) and master of his own school, and a group of this sect pledge allegiance to him and are called the Qassaris. In piety, he was such that one night he was at the bedside of a friend in the throes of death. When the friend passed away, he extinguished the lamp and said: 'At this hour, this lamp belongs to the heir; it is not permissible for us to burn it.'

And he said: 'One day, I was walking along the stream of Hayr in Nishapur. An ayyar (chivalrous knave) famous for futuwwah (chivalry) named Nuh (Noah) came forward. I said, "O Nuh, what is chivalry?" He replied, "My chivalry or your chivalry?" I said, "Both." He said, "My chivalry is that I take off the cloak, put on the patched robe (muraqqa'), and adopt the conduct of the patched robe so that I may become a Sufi and, out of shame before the people, refrain from sin in that garment. Your chivalry is that you take off the patched robe so that you do not deceive the people and the people do not deceive you. Therefore, my chivalry is the preservation of the Sharia (Islamic law) in public, and yours is the preservation of the Truth (Haqiqah) in secret." And this is a great principle.'

It is related that when his reputation rose high and his words spread, the leaders and elders of Nishapur came and said to him: 'You must speak, for your words would benefit hearts.' He said: 'It is not permissible for me to speak.' They asked, 'Why?' He said: 'Because my heart is still attached to the world and status. My words will not benefit and will have no effect on hearts. And to speak words that have no effect on hearts is to mock knowledge and to make light of the Sharia. Speaking is only permissible for him who, if he remains silent, religion would be invalidated, and when he speaks, the disorder is removed.'

And he said: 'No one should speak on knowledge when someone else is already saying the same thing and acting as a deputy. It is not permissible for him to speak until he sees that speaking has become an obligatory duty upon him, and that he has the competence for it.' They asked: 'What is the sign of competence?' He said: 'It is that whatever word he speaks, he will never need to say it again, and he does not plan in advance what he will say next. His speech comes from the Unseen; as much as comes to him from the Unseen, he speaks, and he does not see himself in the middle of it.'

They asked him: 'Why is the speech of the predecessors more beneficial to hearts?' He said: 'Because they spoke for the glory of Islam, the salvation of the soul, and the pleasure of the Truth (God), while we speak for the glory of the self, the pursuit of the world, and the acceptance of the people.'

And he said: 'God Almighty's knowledge of you must be more beautiful to you than the people's knowledge of you; meaning, you should behave better with the Truth in private than you do in public.'

And he said: 'Whoever is truly realized in his state cannot report on his own state.'

And he said: 'Do not reveal to anyone that which is obligatory to remain hidden even from yourself.' And he said: 'Whatever you wish to keep concealed, do not make it manifest to anyone.'

And he said: 'In whomever you see a good quality, do not separate yourself from him, for it is likely that some good will reach you from his blessings.'

And he said: 'I bequeate two things to you: keeping company with scholars, and bearing with the ignorant.'

And he said: 'Keep company with the Sufis, for in their eyes there are excuses for bad deeds, and good deeds are not of such great consequence that they would aggrandize you for them, causing you to fall into error.'

And he said: 'Whoever looks into the lives of the predecessors will recognize his own shortcomings and see how far behind he has remained from the level of true men.'

And he said: 'That which reaches you easily and without toil is sufficient; the only toil that exists is in seeking more.'

And he said: 'Gratitude for a blessing is that you see yourself as a parasite.'

And he said: 'Whoever is able not to be blind to seeing the defects of the soul, tell him: do not be blind.'

And he said: 'Whoever thinks that his soul is better than Pharaoh's soul has manifested pride.'

And he said: 'Whenever you see a drunkard sleeping, take care not to blame him, lest you be afflicted with the same trial.'

And he said: 'Blame is the abandonment of safety.'

They asked him about blame (malama). He said: 'This path is difficult and closed to people, but I will tell you a part of it. The hope of the Murji'ites and the fear of the Qadarites is the description of blame. That is, one goes so far in hope like the Murji'ites that everyone blames him for it, and one travels so far in fear like the Qadarites that all people blame him for it, so that in all states he remains the target of the arrow of blame.'

And he said: 'I do not know good character except in generosity, and I do not recognize bad character except in avarice.'

And he said: 'Whoever considers himself a king is stingy.'

And he said: 'The state of the poor man lies in humility. If he acts proudly due to his poverty, his pride will exceed that of all the wealthy.'

And he said: 'Humility is that you do not see anyone in need of you, neither in this world nor in the hereafter.'

And he said: 'The poor man's true rank is proportional to his humility; whenever he abandons humility, he abandons all good deeds.'

And he said: 'The inheritance of cleverness is self-conceit, and it is for this reason that the sheikhs and elders have mostly kept the clever away from this path.'

And he said: 'The root of all illnesses is eating too much, and the bane of religion is eating too much.'

And he said: 'Whoever is distracted by the pursuit of the world from the hereafter is humiliated and debased, either in the world or in the hereafter.'

And he said: 'Hold the world in contempt, so that you may appear great in the eyes of the worldly and those who possess the world.'

And Abdullah bin al-Mubarak said: 'Hamdun advised me: As much as you can, do not get angry for the sake of the world.'

They asked, 'Who is a servant?' He said: 'He who does not worship [other than God] and does not like to be worshipped.'

And they asked: 'What is asceticism (zuhd)?' He said: 'According to me, asceticism is that you are more at peace in heart with what is in your hand than with what is in God's guarantee.'

They asked about trust in God (tawakkul). He said: 'Trust in God is that if you owe ten thousand dirhams of debt, you do not look to anyone else for help, nor are you hopeless that God Almighty will pay it off.'

And he said: 'Trust in God is clinging to God.'

And he said: 'If you can leave your affairs to God, it is better than occupying yourself with devious planning.'

And he said: 'No one despairs in calamity except one who suspects God.'

And he said: 'Iblis (Satan) and his companions are not pleased by anything as much as they are by three things: first, that a believer kills another believer; second, that a person dies in disbelief; and third, a heart in which there is fear of poverty.'

Abdullah bin al-Mubarak said: 'Hamdun fell ill. They said to him, "Make a bequest to your children." He said: "I fear wealth for them more than I fear poverty."'

And at the moment of death, he said to Abdullah: 'Do not leave me among the women.' May Allah have mercy on him.

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Updated 2026-07-02

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