Asbagh b. Nubata

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Asbagh b. Nubata
Full NameAsbagha b. Nubata al-Mujasha'i al-Tamimi al-Hanzali
Companion ofImam Ali (a), Imam al-Hasan (a)
TeknonymAbu l-Qasim
LineageBanu Hanzala
Wellknown RelativesQasim (son)
Place(s) of ResidenceKufa


Aṣbagh b. Nubāta Al-Mujāshiʿī al-Tamīmī al-Ḥanẓalī (Arabic:اصبغ بن نباته المُجاشعي التَمیمي الحَنظلي) (First/Seventh century), was a close and loyal companion of Imam 'Ali (a). He was one of the members of Shurta al-Khamis (A group of elite and devoted soldiers of Imam 'Ali (a)).

Life

He was from the Mujashi' b. Darim's clan, one of the families of Banu Hanzalah tribe.[1] He was a Kufan and was one of most faithful companions of Imam 'Ali (a) at the time of his Caliphate.[2] Some narrations indicates the high position of Asbagh in the eyes of Imam 'Ali (a).[3]

As attested by Nasr b. Muzahim,[4] Asbagh was a pious old man and was a commander in Imam 'Ali's (a) army in the battle of Siffin.[5] He was member of the Shurta al-Khamis (a group of elite and devoted soldiers) who promised Imam 'Ali to fight for his cause to the death.[6] There are also some narrations quoted from him reporting the events of the battle of Jamal.[7]

Asbagh lived after Imam 'Ali (a) as also understood from his narration about the martyrdom of Imam 'Ali (a).[8] But the exact date of his death is not known and there are different views about it. This ambiguity is due to different narrations attributed to him in different sources. al-Shaykh al-Tusi mentioned him among the companions of Imam al-Hasan (a),[9] there are also some narrations that Asbagh has narrated from Imam al-Husayn (a),[10] and a work on Maqtal (any descriptive narration of the martyrdom of the Imam al-Husayn (a)) is attributed to him too. Even, in some sources, his death is reported to be after the first/seventh century. But the accuracy of some of these narrations have been doubted because of the undistinguished persons in the chain of narrators.[11]

Narrations

The main reason for Asbagh's fame among the companions of Imam 'Ali (a) was his narrations and Shi'a scholars of 'Ilm al-rijal regarded him as an outstanding and trustworthy narrator of hadith.[12]

His narrations are mainly about historical, jurisprudential and moral issues. Most famous narrations from him are the letter of Imam 'Ali (a) to Malik al-Ashtar and the Imam's advice to his son, Muhammad b. al-Hanafiyya.[13]

He also narrated from the following persons: Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, 'Ammar b. Yasir, and 'Umar b. Khattab.[14]

Abu al-Jarud, Khalid al-Nawfili, Muhammad b. Dawud Ghanawi, Ajlah b. Abdullah al-Kindi and Abu Hamza al-Thumali narrated hadith from Asbagh.[15]

Sunni Views about him

The majority of Sunni hadith scholars did not regard Asbagh as trustworthy.[16] It seems that this rejection is because of his zealous love for Imam 'Ali (a), so that they accused him of being a Rafidi and a ghali.[17] Nevertheless, al-'Ijli has considered Asbagh as trustworthy.[18]

Notes

  1. Ansari Talmisani, al-Jawhara, p. 186; Ibn Hazm, Jamharat ansab al-'arab, p. 231.
  2. Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-kubra, vol. 6, p. 225
  3. see: al-Tusi, Amali, vol. 1, p. 176.
  4. Nasr b. Muzahim, Waq'at siffin, p. 442-443.
  5. Khalifa, Tarikh, vol. 1, p. 231.
  6. al-Kashshi, Mu'arafat al-rijal, p. 103; Khoei, Mu'jam al-rijal, vol. 3, p. 222.
  7. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh-i Nahj al-balagha, vol. 1, p. 248-263.
  8. al-Mufid, Amali, p. 351.
  9. al-Tusi, Rijal, p. 66.
  10. see: Ibn Shahrashub, al-Manqib, vol. 4, p. 52.
  11. Khoei,'Mu'jam al-rijal, vol. 3, p. 222.
  12. See: al-Hilli, Rijal, p. 24; al-Hurr al-'Amili, Wasa'l al-shi'a, vol. 20, p. 142-143.
  13. al-Tusi, al-Fihrist, p. 62-63.
  14. al-Dhahabi, Mizan al-i'tidal, vol. 1, P. 271; Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, vol. 3, p. 308.
  15. Ibn Habban, al-Majruhin, vol. 1, p. 357; Mizzi, Tahdhib al-Kamal, vol. 3, p. 308.
  16. Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqa al-kubra, vol. 6, p. 225; Ibn Habban, al-Majruhin, vol. 1, p. 174
  17. ‌‌Basawi, al-Ma'rifat wa l-tarikh, vol. 3, p. 190; al-Dhahabi, al-Mughni, vol. 1, p. 93; 'Asqalani, Taqrib al-tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 81
  18. 'Ajli, Tarikh al-thiqat, p. 71

References

  • 'Ajli, Ahmad b. 'Abd Allah. Tarikh al-thiqat. Ed. 'Abd al-Mu'i Qal'aji. Beirut: 1984.
  • Ansari Talmisani, Muhammad b. Abu Bakr. Al-Jawhara fi al-nasab al-Nabi wa ashabahu al-'asharah. Ed. Muhammad Tunji. Riyadh: 1983-1403AH.
  • 'Asqalani, Ibn Hajar al-. Taqrib al-tahdhib. Ed. 'Abd al-Wahhab 'Abd al-Latif. Beirut: 1975-1395AH.
  • Basawi, Ya'qub b. Sufyan al-. Ma'rifa wa al-tarikh. Ed. Akram Diya' 'Umari. Baghdad: 1979-1396AH.
  • Dhahabi, Muhammad b. Ahmad al-. al-Mughni. Ed. Nur al-Din 'Itr. Aleppo: 1971-1391AH.
  • Dhahabi, Muhammad b. Ahmad al-. Mizan al-i'tidal fi naqd al-rijal. Ed. 'Ali Muhammad Bijawi. cairo: 1963.
  • Hilli, Hasan b. Yusuf al-. Rijal. Ed. Muhammad Sadiq Bahr al-'Ulum. Najaf: 1961.
  • Hurr al-'Amili, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-. Wasa'il al-Shi'a. Ed. Muhammad Radi. Beirut: 1389AH.
  • Ibn Abi al-Hadid. Sharh Nahj al-balagha. Ed. Muhammad Ibrahim. Cairo: 1959-1378AH.
  • Ibn Hazm, 'Ali b. Ahad b. Sa'id. Jamharat ansab al-'arab. Beirut: 1983-1403AH.
  • Ibn Hibban, Muhammad. Al-Majruhin min al-Muhaddisin wa al-du'afa wa al-marukin. Ed. Mahmud Ibrahim Za'id. Cairo: 1959-1378AH.
  • Ibn Shahrashub, Muhammad b. 'Ali. Manaqib al Abi Talib. Qom: Mat'abat al-'Ilmiyya.
  • Kashshi, Muhammad b. 'Umar al-. Ikhtiyar Mu'arafat al-rijal. Ed. Hasan ustafawi. Mashhad: Hasan Mustafawi 1348Sh.
  • Khalifat b. Khayyat. Tarikh. Ed. Suhiyl Zakar. Damascus: 1967.
  • Khoei, Abu l-Qasim al-. Mu'jam rijal al-hadith wa tafsil tabaqat al-ruwat. Beirut: 1403AH.
  • Mizzi, Jamal al-Din Yusuf. Tahdhib al-Kamal fi asma' al-rijal. Ed. Bashshar 'Awad Ma'ruf. Beirut: 1991-1413AH.
  • Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad -al. Amali. Ed. Husayn Ustad Wali wa 'Ali Akbar Ghaffari. Qom: 1403AH.
  • Muhammad b. Sa'd. Al-Tabaqat al-kubra. Beirut: Dar Sadir.
  • Nasr b. Muzahim. Waqa't siffin. Ed. 'Abd al-Sala Harun. Cairo: 1382AH.
  • Tusi, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-. Al-Fihrist. Ed. Mahmud Ramyar. Mashhad: 1351Sh.
  • Tusi, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-. Amali. Ed. Muhammad Sadiq Bahr al-Ulum. Najaf: 1964.
  • Tusi, Muhammad b. al-Hasan al-. Rijal. Najaf: 1961.