Gardens of the Righteous — Page 53
RIYADH AS-SALIHIN 53 recourse to my Master and implore His help. I did not understand what he meant and asked: Father, who is your Master? He said: Allah. Whenever I faced a difficulty in discharging any portion of his debt, I would supplicate: O. Master of Zubair, discharge his debt; and He discharged it. Zubair was killed. . He left no cash, but he left certain lands, one of them in Ghabah, eleven houses in Medina, two in Basra, one in Kufa and one in Egypt. The cause of his indebtedness was that a person would come to him asking him to keep something of his in trust for him. Zubair would not agree to accept it as a trust, apprehending it might be lost, but would take it as a loan. He never accepted a governorship, or revenue office, or any public office. He fought along with the. Holy Prophet, and Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman. . I prepared a statement of his debts and they amounted to two million and two hundred thousand. Hakim ibn Hizam met me and asked me: Nephew, how much is due from my brother as debt? I concealed the real state of affairs and said: A hundred thousand. Hakim said: I do not think your assets will cover that much. I said: What would you think if the amount were two million and two hundred thousand? He said: I would not think that this would be within your capacity. Should you be unable to discharge any portion of it call upon me for help. . Zubair had purchased the land in Ghabah for a hundred and seventy thousand. Abdullah sold it for a million and six hundred thousand, and announced that whoso had a claim against Zubair should meet him in Ghabah. . Abdullah ibn Ja'far came to him and said: Zubair owed me four hundred thousand, but I would release the debt if you wish. Abdullah said: No. Ibn Ja'far said: If you would wish for postponement I would postpone recovery of it. . Abdullah said: No. Ibn Ja'far then said: In that case measure out a plot for me. . Abdullah marked out a plot. Thus he sold the land and discharged his father's debt. There remained out of the land four and a half sahms (i. e. sixteenths). He then visited Mu'awiah who had with him at the time Amr ibn Uthman, Munzir ibn Zubair and Ibn Zam'ah. Mu'awiah asked Abdullah: What price did you put on the land in Ghabah? He said: One hundred thousand for a sahm (one sixteenth). Mu'awiah inquired: How much of it is left? Abdullah said: Four and a half sahms. Munzir ibn Zubair said: I take one sahm for a hundred thousand. . Amr ibn Uthman said: I take one sahm for a hundred thousand. Ibn Zam'ah said: I take one sahm for a hundred thousand. Then Mu'awiah asked: How much of it is now left? Abdullah said: One and a half sahms. Mu'awiah said: I take it for one hundred and fifty thousand. Later, Abdullah ibn Ja'far sold to. Mu'awiah his share for six hundred thousand. . When Abdullah ibn Zubair had completed the administration of the whole affair the heirs of Zubair said to him: Now distribute the inheritance among us. . He said: I will not do that till after I have announced during four successive. Pilgrimage seasons: Let him who has a claim against Zubair come forward and we shall discharge it. He made this announcement during four seasons and then distributed the inheritance among the heirs of Zubair according to his '