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Party-Crashers from among the Notables, the Noble, the Learned, and the Cultured
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42 Party-Crashers from among the Notables, the Noble, the Learned, and the Cultured 85 Al-Hasan ibn Abu Bakr told me, Abu al-Fadl ‘Isa ibn Musa ibn Abu Muhammad ibn al-Mutawakkil ‘Ali Allah told us, Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn al-Marzuban said, al-‘Abbas ibn Hisham told this story on the authority of his brother Unayf ibn Hisham, who heard it from his father, who heard it from someone from Medina, who said: ‘Abd Allah ibn Ja‘far and a number of his friends passed the house of a man who had just gotten married.1 1. ‘Abd Allah ibn Ja‘far (d. 699) was “the most generous man in Islam.” Tatfil (1999), 83n. He also has the honor of Party Crashers from among the Notables 43 When they passed, suddenly a singing-girl said, Tell the noblemen there at the door to come in— to behave like a child while you’re young is no sin! “Go in,” ‘Abd Allah said to his friends. “We were just invited to the party.” So he got off his horse, and his friends got off as well, and they went in. When the owner of the house saw the arrivals, he seated them all on a mat. “How much did you pay for your banquet?” ‘Abd Allah asked the man. “A hundred dinars,” he said. “And how much was your dowry?” he asked. The man told him the amount. ‘Abd Allah ordered a hundred dinars and the amount of the man’s dowry to be given to him, along with a hundred extra dinars to back it up. Then he apologized and departed. 86 Al-Hasan ibn al-Husayn ibn al-‘Abbas al-Ni‘ali told us, Abu al-Faraj ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Isbahani told being the only party-crasher in this collection with a guilty conscience. [54.227.136.157] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 07:02 GMT) The Art of Party-Crashing 44 us, Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz told us, al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali related to me, ‘Ali ibn Sa‘id al-Kindi told us, I heard Abu Bakr ‘Ayyash say: I was told that Dhu al-Rumma was a partycrasher who went to weddings.2 87 Abu Sa‘id Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Fadl ibn Shadhan al-Sayrafi told us, I heard Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub al-Asamm say, I heard al- ‘Abbas ibn Muhammad al-Duri say, I heard Yahya ibn Ma‘in say: Zakariyya ibn Manzur was a party-crasher.3 88 ‘Ali ibn al-Muhassin al-Tanukhi told us, I found written in a book of my grandfather, Harami ibn 2. Dhu al-Rumma was a nickname for Ghaylan ibn ‘Uqba, a famous poet who lived in the eighth century. 3. Zakariyya ibn Manzur was a transmitter of hadith whose transmissions were not considered trustworthy. Ibid., 84n. Party Crashers from among the Notables 45 Abu al-‘Ala’ told us, Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Aban al-Nakha‘i told us, al-Qahdhami related to me: Raqaba would sit in the mosque, and when he left in the evening he would seek out some table companions in the houses neighboring the mosque. He would visit every man of them in their houses one after another, and he would eat. “Would that the nighttime would last and last, until the Day of Resurrection!” he would say.4 89 Abu Talib Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Bakir told us, the judge Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali al-Hamadhani told us, Ahmad ibn al-Harith ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Karim told us, my grandfather Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Karim al-‘Abdi told us, al-Haytham ibn ‘Adi told us: Raqaba ibn Masqala al-‘Abdi went to see Mis‘ar ibn Kidam and threw himself on his back. “What’s the matter?” Mis‘ar asked him. 4. Raqaba was a trusted hadith transmitter who also liked jokes. Ibid., 85n. The Art of Party-Crashing 46 “I’ve been struck down by faludhaj,”5 he said. “We were in a man’s house who was acting as a judge for a group of people, and arbitrating between the disagreeing parties, and Walid ibn Harb ibn al-Harith ibn Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari invited us to a banquet. They produced a table as big as a crater. Then they produced thin bread that was like an elephant’s ears, and then watercress like the...