Ahmad Naasir the Shaheed, who said "the Qur’an is not created".

Asalaam alaikum warahmatulah wabarakatuh

Ahmad Naasir the Shaheed, who said “the Qur’an is not created”.

He is Al-Khuza’y, The Imam, The Martyr, Abu Abdulla, Ahmad ibn Nasr ibn Malik ibn Al-Haytham Al-Khuza’y Al-Marwazy and then the Baghdadi (d 231 H) [i].

Imam Al-Dhahabi (d 748 H) described him as: “He was a commander of Good, Speaker of Truth” [ii].

And even though he had all the books of Hashim, and narrations from Imam Malik he did not narrate much, and used to say out of his humbleness: “I have not reached that level yet” [iii].

The story of his Death was narrated in many books. Here is what was narrated by Imam Ibn Katheer (d 774 H) [May Allah shower him with Mercy] in “Al-Bidaya wa Al-Nihaya”:

The translation was taken (with some alterations) from At-Tibyan Publications’ – ‘Al-Imam Ahmad Ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’i A Leader of Scholars, A Leader of Martyrs (available online).

In the events of the Year 231 H:

And in this year was the killing of Ahmad ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’y, May Allah have mercy upon him, and make his abode noble.

And the reason for this man being killed, meaning Ahmad ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’y ibn Malik ibn Al-Haytham Al-Khuza’i, and his grandfather Malik ibn Al-Haytham was one of the greatest campaigners of the state of Ban Al-‘Abbas (i.e. the Abbasids), those who killed this son of his.

And Ahmad ibn Nasr had prestige and leadership, and his father Nasr ibn Malik used to be surrounded by the Ahl Al-Hadith.

Ahmad ibn Nasr was from amongst the people of knowledge, piety and justice, righteous deeds, and striving in doing good; and he was from amongst the Imams of Ahl Al-Sunnah, those who would command the good, and forbid the evil, and he was amongst those who called towards the saying that the Quran is the Word of Allah, sent down, uncreated.

Al-Wathiq (the Caliph at the time) was one of the most severe people in insisting the claim that the Quran is created. He used to call to it day and night, publicly and privately, based upon what his father and his uncle Al-Mamun were upon, void of any evidence or proof, argument or explanation, from neither the Sunnah nor Quran.

So this Ahmad ibn Nasr stood up, calling towards Allah, and to the Commanding of the Good and the Forbiddance of the Evil, and to the statement that the Quran is the Uncreated Word of Allah, and he called the people to much good.

Thus, a Jama’ah (group) gathered under him from amongst the people of Baghdad, and thousands of people joined him. Two men were appointed in propagating the Da’wah of Ahmad ibn Nasr, and they were Abu Harun as-Siraj, who called the people of the Eastern Province, and another man named Talib, who called the people of the Western Province – thus, many thousands of people and abundant crowds united under him.

So when it was the month of Sha’ban of this year, the Bay’ah was organized for Ahmad ibn Nasr al-Khuza’i in secrecy, upon Commanding the Good and Forbidding the Evil, and to rebel against the Sultan due to his bid’ah and his calling to the claim of “Khalq al-Qur’an” (Creation of the Qur’an), and due to what he, his authorities and his entourage were perpetrating of sins and immorality, and such. So they agreed on a time, that on the third night of Sha’ban – on the night of Jumu’ah – a drum would be beaten in the night, and then those who had given Bay’ah would gather together in a place which they had agreed on beforehand – and (after the agreement) Talib and Abu Harun distributed many Dinars amongst the companions. From amongst the crowd who recieved the money, were two men from Banu Ashras, and these two men used to drink wine.

So when Thursday night came, these two men drank wine amongst a group of the companions, and the two men thought it was the night of the plan to be executed – which in reality wa a night before the planned night, so the two men began to beat the drum in the night so that the people would gather with them both – but no one came. The disarray overtook the organized plan, and the guards hear this in the night time, so they notified the deputy of his borhter, Ish’haq ibn Ibrahim, due to his absence from Baghdad… and the people became hysteric and the deputy of the Sultan did his utmost to capture those two men (who beat the drum.) So when he caputed them, he tortured them until they confessed about Ahmad ibn Nasr. So they searched for him, until they wre able to capture a servant of his – and they held him (and tortured him) until he confessed with the same confession as the two men.

So he captured a number of the leaders of the companions of Ahmad ibn Nasr, along with him, and sent them to the Khalifah, – pleasing those who saw them (i.e. the captured rebels led by Ahmad ibn Nasr) in such a state – and this took place at the end of Sha’ban. So he assembled a group of spectators and the Qadhi, Ahmad ibn Abi Du’ad al Mu’tazili attended, and Ahmad ibn Nasr was brought forth – but he (Al Mu’tazili) did not display any rebuke upon Ahmad ibn Nasr. And when Ahmad ibn Nasr was made to stand in front of al-Wathiq, he did not rebuke him for anything to do with the Bay’ah which he took from the populace upon Commanding the Good and Forbidding the Evil and such – Rather, he skipped over all of that and interrogated;

A number of the leaders of the companions of Ahmad ibn Nasr, along with him were captured, and sent to the Khalifah. This took place at the end of Sha’ban.

A group of spectators were assembled, and the Qadhi, Ahmad ibn Abi Duad Al-Mu’tazili attended.

Ahmad ibn Nasr was brought forth but he (ibn Abi Duad Al-Mu’tazili) did not display any rebuke upon Ahmad ibn Nasr. And when Ahmad ibn Nasr was made to stand in front of Al-Wathiq, he did not rebuke him for anything to do with the Bay’ah which he took from the populace upon commanding the Good and Forbidding the Evil and such. Rather, he skipped over all of that, and asked him:

What do you say regarding the Quran?

He replied: It is the Word of Allah.

Al-Wathiq asked: Is it created (Makhluq)?

He said: It is the Word of Allah.

Indeed, Ahmad had just faced death without fear, and sold himself, and actually, he came wearing Hanut (i.e. a mixture of musk and camphor which is applied to a dead body before burial), and he looked fiercely radiant, and he had tightened that which was covering his private parts (so that it does not get revealed in case of torture).

Al-Wathiq again asked: What do you say about your Lord? Will you see Him on the Day of Resurrection?

So he replied: O Amir Al-Mu’mineen, that is how it has come in the Quran and the narrations, as Allah has said: {(Some) faces, that Day, will be radiant; Looking at their Lord} [Al-Qiyamah: 22-23], And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, you will see your Lord, just as you see this moon, you will not be impaired in viewing him” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. So we are upon what we have been notified (by Allah and His Messenger).

And Al-Khatib (Al-Baghdadi) added that Al-Wathiq said: Woe to you! Will He be seen as a limited body is seen?! And He will be encompassed in a place, and the spectator will be able to behold him!? I disbelieve in a Lord with such attributes!

[Ibn Kathir - May Allah have Mercy on him - comments saying]: What Al-Wathiq said, is neither permissible, nor [is what he concluded] necessary, nor can it be used to refute the authentic narrations, and Allah knows best.

Ahmad ibn Nasr replied to Al-Wathiq: Sufyan narrated to me a Hadith which he raises (Yarfa’uh) that: “The heart of the son of Adam is in between two fingers from the Fingers of Allah, He turns it however He Wills”. And the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) used to say: “O Turner of the Hearts! Make my heart firm upon Your Deen”.

So Ishaq ibn Ibrahim said to him: Woe to you! Look at what you are saying!

He replied by saying: You ordered me to say that.

Ishaq was startled at that, and remarked: I ordered you?!

So he replied: Yes, you ordered me to give sincere advice to him.

Finally, Al-Wathiq said to those around him: So what do you say about this man (i.e. Ahmad ibn Nasr). Hence, they said many things about him.

Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq, who was the Qadhi of the WesternProvince until he retired, and had been a friend of Ahmad ibn Nasr before this event, said: O Amir Al-Mu’mineen, his blood is Halal.

Abu Abdillah Al-Armini, the companion of Ahmad ibn Abi Duad, said: Give me a drink from his blood, O Amir Al-Mu’mineen.

Al-Wathiq replied, saying: Definitely, what you desire will come about.

Ahmad ibn Abi Duad said: He is a kafir, he should be asked to repent. Maybe he has a disease, or loss of intellect.

So Al-Wathiq said: When you see me getting up (going) towards him, then do not stand with me, for I want to be rewarded for the steps I take (going towards to killing him).

Then he got up with a saber which was a sword belonging to ‘Amr ibn Mu’idd Yukrab Az-Zubayd, and it was given as a gift to Musa Al-Hadi during his Khilafah. There was a witchcraft inscription attached with nails at the bottom of it.

When he reached him, he struck him a blow upon his shoulder, while he was tied with ropes and standing upon a leather mat (special for executions) and then he struck him again with a blow to his head, and then he thrust the saber into his belly. He fell down dead, may Allah have mercy upon him.

Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed, to Him we will return, may Allah have mercy upon him, and pardon him.

Then the Damascene unsheathed his sword, and struck his neck, and separated his head, and hoisted it in display, till it was brought to the field which had Babak Al-Khurrami, and he was crucified therein, while his two legs were still shackled, and he was wearing a dress and trousers.

His head was carried to Baghdad, and was set and displayed in the EasternProvince for a number of days, and in the WesternProvince for a number of days, and it had guards around watching over it day and night. And attached to his head was a message, and written on it was:

“This is the head of the deviant pagan infidel, Ahmad ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’y, from amongst those who were killed at the hands of ‘Abdullah ibn Harun, the Imam, Al-Wathiq Billah, Amir Al-Mu’mineen, after he had established the argument against him regarding the Creation of the Quran and the Negation of Anthropomorphism, and he gave him the chance to repent and enabled him to return to the Truth, but he refused except to stubbornly oppose and declare openly otherwise. So all praise belongs to Allah, Who hastened him to the Fire and his Painful Torment due to his kufr; for which Amir Al-Mu’mineen permitted his blood and cursed him.

Afterwards, Al-Wathiq ordered the prosecution of the leaders of Ahmad’s companions, and captured about twenty nine men. They were sent to prisons, and they were branded as the unjust [transgressors] (ظلمة). They were prevented from being visited by anyone, and they were restrained with iron shackles, and they were not given any rations (of food) which were given to the other prisoners, and [truly] this is a great injustice.

And this Ahmad ibn Nasr was one of the great scholars, active in establishing the Commanding of the Good and the Forbidding of the Evil. He had heard Hadith from Hammad ibn Zayd and Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah and Hushim ibn Bashir and he had all of his writings. And he also heard a great number of traditions from Imam Malik ibn Anas.

Yahy ibn Ma’een mentioned him one day, and prayed for Allah’s mercy to be upon him, and said: Allah granted him Shahadah as an ending, and he used not to narrate traditions, and used to say I am not of that level yet [out of his humbleness].

And Yahya ibn Ma’een excelled very much in praising Ahmad ibn Nasr.

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal mentioned him one day, and said: May Allah have mercy upon him, how generous he was with his soul for Allah! He sacrificed himself for His sake.

Ja’far ibn Muhammad As-Saaigh narrated: My two eyes witnessed and if they did not, may they be gouged out, and my two ears heard and if they did not, may they go deaf: Ahmad ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’y, when he was beheaded, his head was saying: La Ilaha Illa Allah; And some people had heard him while he was crucified on the tree trunk, his (separated) head reciting: {Alif, Lam, Meem. Do people think they will be left alone, just because they say, We believe, without being tested?} [Al-‘Ankabout: 1-2]. My skin trembled.

- End of the translation taken from At-Tibyan publications.

(to be continued later)

[i] Siyar A’laam Al-Nubala – Imam Al-Dhahabi

[ii] Siyar A’laam Al-Nubala – Imam Al-Dhahabi

[iii] Siyar A’laam Al-Nubala – Imam Al-Dhahabi

continued…

Ibn Abi Ya’la says in Tabaqat Al-Hanabilah: And he was an old man, with white hair and a white beard.

The body of Imam Ahmad ibn Nasr was left hanging for 6 years until Al-Mutawakil [a good sunni abbasid caliph] became the Caliph.

Imam Ibn Kathir narrates: And on the day of Eid Al-Fitr, Al-Mutawakil ordered the body of Ahmad ibn Nasr Al-Khuza’iy to be taken down, and sent with his head to his family.

The people were very pleased with this, and a lot of people gathered for his Janazah.

Then Al-Mutawakil wrote to all the land forbidding people from speaking about the matter of the Speech, and forbidding anyone from saying that the Quran is created. He also wrote that whoever learns ‘Ilm Al-Kalam and spoke in it then he would be imprisoned until he dies. He ordered the people to busy themselves with the Quran and the Sunnah and nothing else [1].

He also released all the people who were imprisoned because of their refusal to say that the Quran is created [2].

It is narrated that ‘Abdulaziz ib Yahya Al-Makiy told Al-Mutawakil, after he became a Caliph, O Amir Al-Mu’mineen I did not see anything stranger than the killing of Al-Wathiq to Ahmad ibn Nasr whose tongue kept reciting the Quran until he was buried.

Al-Mutawakil was saddened by what he heard of his brother, when the Minister Muhammad ibn ‘Abdulmalik ibn Al-Zayat entered. So Al-Mutawakil told him: “In my heart is something, from the killing of Ahmad ibn Nasr”.

So [ibn Al-Zayat] said: O Amir Al-Mu’mineen, May Allah cause me to be burned by fire, if Amir Al-Mu’mineen Al-Wathiq did not kill him as a Kafir.

Then Hirthimah entered, and Al-Mutawakil told him as he told ibn Al-Zayat.

So Hirthimah said: May Allah cause me to be cut into pieces if he was not killed as a Kaffir.

Then the Judge Ibn Abi Duad entered, and Al-Mutawakil told him the same thing.

So he said: May Allah cause me to get Al-Falij (Hemiplegia), if Al-Wathiq did not kill him as a Kafir.

Al-Mutawakil later narrates:

As for ibn Al-Zayaat, I burned him myself, and as for Hirthimah he escaped until he reached a place where the tribe of Khuza’ah resided. He was recognized by one of them who said: O people of Khuza’ah, that is the one that killed your cousin Ahmad ibn Nasr, so they took him and cut him into pieces. As for ibn Abu Duad, Allah imprisoned him in his own skin (since he was paralyzing by Al-Falij) until he died [3].

Some of his sayings:

1) Ahmad ibn Ibrahim said: I heard Ahmad ibn Nasr the Martyr saying:

I passed one day on a man in a state of Sara’ (epilepsy), So I came to recite Quran at his ears, but then I heard a voice saying: [Do not recite] and let me kill him, since that man claims the Quran is created [4].

2) Ibrahim Al-Harbi said in what was authentically attributed to him:

Ahmad ibn Nasr said, when asked about the Knowledge of Allah: Allah is with us by His Knowledge, and he is over his ‘Arsh (Throne).

Then he was asked about the Quran, so he replied: It is the Word of Allah. He was told: Created? He replied: No [5].

Ibn Al-Qayim [May Allah shower him with Mercy] says in his Nuniyah [6]:

ولأجله قتل ابن نصر أحمدا **ذاك الخزاعي العظيم الشان
إذ قال ذا القرآن نفس كلامه **ما ذاك مخلوق من الأكوان

And for that [reason] the son of Nasr, Ahmad was killed. ** That Khuza’I of the Great Status

When he said that the Quran is [the All-Mighty’s] Speech ** And is not a creation from among the Beings

May Allah shower him with Mercy

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[1] Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah – ibn Katheer
[2] Tareekh Al-Islam – Al-Dhahabi
[3] Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah – ibn Katheer
[4] I’tiqad Ahl Al-Sunnah – Al-Lalakaey
[5] Al-‘Uloou – Al-Dhahabi
[6] Nuniyat Ibn Al-Qayim

Ahmad ibn Nasr (The Imam & The Martyr) – Multaqa Ahl al-Hadeeth
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