Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1268
حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ الْقَاضِي، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ الْوَصَّافِيُّ، عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كَانَ عَلِيٌّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْ بَابِ الْقَصْرِ، فَرَأَى أَصْحَابَ النَّرْدِ انْطَلَقَ بِهِمْ فَعَقَلَهُمْ مِنْ غُدْوَةٍ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُعْقَلُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ. قَالَ: وَكَانَ الَّذِي يُعْقَلُ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ يُعَامِلُونَ بِالْوَرِقِ، وَكَانَ الَّذِي يُعْقَلُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ الَّذِينَ يَلْهُونَ بِهَا، وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَنْ لا يُسَلِّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Ubayd Allah ibn Sa‘id related to us, from al-Qasim ibn al-Hakam al-Qadi, who said: ‘Ubayd Allah ibn al-Walid al-Wassafi informed us, from al-Fudayl ibn Muslim, from his father, who said: ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when he left the palace gate and saw people playing nard, would take them away and detain them from morning until night. Some were detained only until midday. Those detained until night were the ones who played for money; those detained until midday were the ones who played it for amusement. He also ordered that people not greet them.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source distinguishes people who played for silver/money from those who played for amusement, and gives different detention periods.
The verb يعقلهم here is rendered as detain/hold in custody; the exact historical procedure is not specified.
فَرَأَى أَصْحَابَ النَّرْدِ انْطَلَقَ بِهِمْ فَعَقَلَهُمْ مِنْ غُدْوَةٍ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ
The report’s verb for what ‘Ali did to the players is context-dependent; it is rendered as detaining them, but does not explain the exact procedure.
Should the verb يعقلهم be translated as detention, restraint, or another form of custody?