Nu'man b. 'Ajlan al-Zuraqi

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Nu'man b. 'Ajlan al-Zuraqi
Personal Information
Full NameNu'man b. 'Ajlan al-Zuraqi al-Ansari
LineageBanu Zurayq
Muhajir/AnsarAnsar
Religious Information
Presence at ghazwasHe was present in the battles of Jamal and Siffin
Known forJoining to Mu'awiya


Al-Nuʿmān b. ʿAjlān al-Zuraqī al-Anṣārī (Arabic: النُعْمان بن عَجْلان الزُرَقي الأنصاري) initially served as Imam 'Ali's (a) appointed ruler in Bahrain and Oman. Nevertheless, he later chose to depart from his allegiance to the Imam (a) and align himself with Mu'awiya.

Nu'man, a companion of the Prophet (s), was among the transmitters of Hadith al-Ghadir. He also served as a member of Imam 'Ali's (a) armies during the battles of Jamal and Siffin, providing support through the poems he composed. While ruling Bahrain, he distributed funds from the public treasury to the Banu Zurayq tribe, prompting the Imam (a) to write a letter cautioning him against such actions. Upon receiving the Imam's (a) letter and facing scrutiny for the misuse of the treasury, Nu'man ultimately aligned himself with Mu'awiya.

Introduction and Status

Imam 'Ali's (a) letter to Nu'man b. 'Ajlan:

"Anyone who neglects the duty of safeguarding entrusted responsibilities, leans towards betrayal, and neglects the purification of one's soul and faith, inflicts harm upon oneself in this world. The consequences awaiting them later [in the afterlife] will be more bitter, enduring, severe, and prolonged. Therefore, be conscious of God. You belong to a righteous tribe, so let your behavior be that I hold positive thoughts about you; however, if the reports I have received are accurate, take the opportunity to alter my perception. Scrutinize the taxes in your jurisdiction, correspond with me, and I will share my opinion with you, God willing."[1]

Nu'man b. 'Ajlan al-Zuraqi belonged to the Ansar, specifically the Banu Zaurayq tribe.[2] As a companion of the Prophet (s)[3] and Imam 'Ali (a), he served as Imam 'Ali's (a) appointed ruler of Bahrain and Oman for a period.[4] Nu'man held a revered status among the Ansar.[5] Notably, he married Khawla bt. Qays, the widow of Hamza b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, following Hamza's martyrdom.[6] In the book Ansab al-Ashraf, dating back to the third/nineth century, Nu'man is described as a staunch supporter of Ahl al-Bayt (a) against Mu'awiya.[7] Additionally, 'Allama Amini includes him in the list of individuals who transmitted Hadith al-Ghadir.[8] Nu'man actively participated in the battles of Jamal[9] and Siffin as a member of Imam Ali's army. Al-Minqari, in his book Waq'a Siffin, identifies Nu'man as one of the witnesses to the events surrounding the Arbitration.[10]

Abandoning Imam Ali (a)

Following the Battle of Siffin, Imam 'Ali (a) designated Nu'man as the ruler of Bahrain and Oman.[11] However, during his tenure in Bahrain, Nu'man distributed gifts from the public treasury to the Banu Zurayq, his own tribe.[12] The historian al-Ya'qubi, from the third/nineth century, reports that Imam 'Ali (a) addressed him in a letter, advising against such actions. Upon receiving the Imam's letter and facing scrutiny for misusing the treasury, Nu'man chose to forsake his allegiance to the Imam (a) and aligned himself with Mu'awiya.[13]

Poems in Support of Imam Ali (a)

Nu'man was a poet[14] who expressed his support for Imam 'Ali (a) through his poetic compositions, both during the Event of Saqifa[15] and the Battle of Siffin:[16]

Our yearning was for 'Ali, and he is وَ كانَ هَوانا في عَليّ وَ إنَّهُ
Worthy of it, as you understand and as you don't لَاَهْلٌ لَها مِنْ حَيْثُ تَدْري وَ لا تَدْري
The successor of the chosen Prophet, his close kin وَصيُّ النَّبيِّ الْمُصْطَفى وَ ابْنُ عَمِّهِ
Vanquisher of the riders of misguidance and disbelief[17] وَ قاتِلُ فُرْسانِ الضَّلالَةِ وَ الْكُفْرِ

Ibn Abi l-Hadid in his commentary on Nahj al-balagha mentions that this poem by Nu'man was crafted as a response to a poem composed by 'Amr b. al-'As during the event of Saqifa. Ibn Abi al-Hadid further includes the following verse:

Here he beckons towards guidance with God's support فذاک بعون الله یدعو إلی الهدی
And forbids indecent deeds, rebellion, and all ills.[18] و ینهی عن الفحشاء و البغی و النکر

Notes

  1. ↑ Yaʿqūbī, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, vol. 2, p. 201.
  2. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, p. 83.
  3. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, vol. 5, p. 334.
  4. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, p. 83.
  5. ↑ Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-ghāba, vol. 5, p. 334.
  6. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba, vol. 6, p. 351.
  7. ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 5, p. 30.
  8. ↑ Amīnī, al-Ghadīr, vol. 1, p. 142,
  9. ↑ Mufīd, al-Jumal wa al-nuṣra, p. 101- 105.
  10. ↑ Minqarī, Waqʿat Ṣiffīn, vol. 1, p. 380, 507.
  11. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, p. 83.
  12. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba, vol. 6, p. 352.
  13. ↑ Yaʿqūbī, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, vol. 2, p. 201.
  14. ↑ Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣāba, vol. 6, p. 351.
  15. ↑ Ḥusaynī, Maṣādir Nahj al-balāgha, vol. 3, p. 334.
  16. ↑ Minqarī, Waqʿat Ṣiffīn, p. 380.
  17. ↑ Minqarī, Waqʿat Ṣiffīn, vol. 1, p. 380.
  18. ↑ Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha,vol. 6, p. 30- 31.

References

  • Amīnī, ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn. Al-Ghadīr fī al-kitāb wa al-sunna wa al-ʾadab. Qom: Markaz al-Ghadīr li-l-Dirāsāt al-Islāmiyya, 1416 AH.
  • Balādhurī, Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-. Ansāb al-ashrāf. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1417 AH.
  • Ḥusaynī, ʿAbd al-Zahrāʾ. Maṣādir Nahj al-balāgha wa asānīduh. Beirut: Dār al-Zahrāʾ, 1409 AH.
  • Ibn Abī l-Ḥadīd, ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd b. Hibat Allāh. Sharḥ Nahj al-balāgha. Qom: Maktabat Āyat Allāh al-Marʿashī, 1404 AH.
  • Ibn al-Athīr al-Jazarī, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Usd al-ghāba fī maʿrifat al-ṣaḥāba. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1970.
  • Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, Aḥmad b. ʿAlī. Al-Iṣāba fī tamyīz al-ṣaḥāba. 1st edition. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyya,1415 AH.
  • Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Al-Jumal wa al-nuṣra li sayyid al-ʿitra fī ḥarb al-Baṣra. Qom: Kungira-yi Shaykh Mufīd, 1413 AH.
  • Minqarī, Naṣr b. Muzāhim. Waqʿat Ṣiffīn. 2nd edition. Qom: Maktabat Āyatullāh Marʿashī al-Najafī, 1404 AH.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥaasn al-. Rijāl al-Ṭūsī. 3rd edition. Tehran: Daftar-i Nashr-i Islāmī (Jāmiʿat al-Mudarrisīn), 1373 Sh.
  • Yaʿqūbī, Aḥmad b. Abī Yaʿqūb al-. Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī. Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, n.p.
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