The Garden of the Wise and the Excursion of the Virtuous by Ibn Hibban

Forward the حافظ أبو حاتم محمد حبان البستى comment on it طارق بن عبد الواحد بن عليمقدمة by pen فضيلة الشيخ أبي محمد عبد الرحمن فودة In the name of الرحمن الرحيم Introduction by pen فضيلة الشيخ: أبي محمد عبد الرحمن فودة - حفظه الله تعالى - Praise be to الله who created man and taught him expression, and blessed him with the blessing of العقل so he distinguished him from الحيوان so he praised in his الحكيم كتاب أولي الألباب ﴿Indeed, in that is a reminder for أولي الألباب﴾ الزمر ۲۱, ﴿Indeed, in that are آيات for قوم يتفكرون﴾ الرعد ٣, and displayed those who do not عقلون. And الصلاة والسلام on نبينا محمد, and his آل and صحبه الكرام. And after: What makes the Muslim happy and pleased is that he belongs to the أمة الإسلام; this great and generous الأمة since the بعثة of النبي الله until الله inherits the الأرض and what is عليها, and what distinguishes this الأمة is that it is أمة العلم, and the first what descended from كتاب الله تعالى on قلب الحبيب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم is his تعالى: اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق [العلق], which urges العلم and طلبه and فضله, and it responded as the الآيات followed that the Muslim أجيال - منذ عهد الصحابة الكرام رضي الله عنهم جميعًا - to this day, and they competed in طلب العلم and نشره in أرجاء المعمورة, and العلوم diversified that علماء الأمة excelled in, and they appeared in علوم تفسير لكتاب الله تعالى, to جمع الأحاديث النبي, and شرحها, and deepened in فقه الكتاب والسنة, and other العلوم; some of which are called «المُلَح والمنثورات», and الأدب - نثرا وشعرا -, which غالبًا ما يتأدَّبُ بها المتأدبون, and Muslims relax themselves بها. And perhaps among the most important what was authored in this regard is what الإمام ابن الجوزي presented in صيد الخاطر, and في أخبار الأذكياء - and others, but he was preceded by what حافظ أبو حاتم محمد بن حِبَّانَ البُسْتي, who died in (٣٥٤ هـ) - in his wonderful book «روضة العقلاء، ونزهة الفضلاء» which came in a simple, enjoyable style, neither too long nor too brief, and included what is considered من تجارب العقلاء وحِكَمِهم المأثورة, and دُرَرِهم المنثورة, which we should take as a beacon to guide us in the darkness of misguided passions, and the فتنة that became like the قطـع الليل المظلم; as a relief for the نفس, and a calming for it, and insight into a bitter واقع that the الأمة lives. This book - روضة العقلاء ونُزهة الفضلاء - has been printed in many editions; I looked at some of them and found many printing errors and many omissions that spoil the context and diminish the benefit, and most of them came in a poor form; except for one edition - which the concerned person pointed to in this copy before us - and therefore many readers did not pay attention to this book, and the hoped benefit was not achieved from it; so this edition is presented by الأخ الكريم أبو شعيب طارق بن عبد الواحد - حفظه الله and guided his steps on the طريق الخير والحق. I have reviewed الأخ «طارق» efforts in this book and others he served, whether by اهتمام, or تهذيب, or تلخيص, or تأليف, and I found him fulfilling the purpose. So the edition - in my opinion - is sound and pure, and it came in a fine appearance and a splendid dress, as he carefully checked its نص, and clarified the meanings of obscure words, and thoroughly extracted الأحاديث, bringing the book closer to the readers, and refined it to them, making it beloved to them. May الله reward him خيرًا for what he presented, and I ask الله for acceptance, and for his book to benefit and guide all عباد; indeed, تبارك وتعالى is the ولي ذلك والقادر عليه. Written by عبد الرحمن إبراهيم فودة مدرس البلاغة والنقد بكلية دار العلوم جامعة القاهرة ٢٥ صفر ١٤٣١ هـ Conclusion روضة العقلاء ونزهة الفضلاء Abu حاتم said: We have mentioned a little of many آثار, and a little of the serious of الأخبار - in this كتاب - hoping that the seeker of the طريق of ذوي الحجي, and the traveler of the مقصد of أولي النهى: will find in it غنية - if he reflects upon it and uses it. Although we avoided طرق المسانيد, and إخراج الحكايات والأناشيد, except what we found necessary to إخراج, such as الإيماء إلى الشيء, and الإشارة إلى القصد. May الله make us among those whose تباشير التوفيق called them to حقيقة التحقيق; to enable them to رحمته and to seek الوصول إلى محِلِّ أهل ولايته. It is the غاية عند رجاء المؤمنين, and the منة على أوليائه بمنازل المقربين. And صلى الله على محمد خاتم النبيين, وعلى آله الطاهرين الطيبين, and many blessings and السلامة, and الحمد لله رب العالمين. In the original copy, it was signed as: Finished from his copy - with God's help and mercy - the humble servant إلى عفور ربه: أحمد بن محمد بن سالم بن جناب المنيجي in «الرُّها المحروسة», on Tuesday, the eleventh of المحرم, in the year 1286 AH. May الله seal his خير and his parents' and all المسلمين.