He said: What is the matter with you? May Allah kill you! No one should hear this from you![^5] Fakhr al-Din al-Razi in his Tafsir Mafatih al-Ghayb narrates the following from Shu’bi: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْحَجَّاجِ، فَأُتِيَ بِيَحْيَى بْن يَعْمَر، فَقِيْهُ خُرَاسَان، مِنْ بَلْخ، مُكَبَّلاً بِِالْحَدِيْدِ فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَجَّاج: أَنْتَ زَعَمْتَ: أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ؟ فَقَالَ: بَلَى.
إِلىَ قَوْلِهِ: وَزَكَرِيَّا، وَيَحْيَى، وَعِيْسَى. فَمَنْ كَانَ أَبُوْ عِيْسَى، وَقَدْ أُلْحِقَ بِذُرِّيَّةِ نُوْحٍ ؟!. قَالَ : فَأَطرَقَ الْحَجَّاجُ مَلِيّاً، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ فَقَالَ: كَأَنِّيْ لَمْ أَقْرَأْ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ مِنْ كِتابِ اللهِ حُلُّوا وِثَاقَهُ .. إلخ I was with Hajjaj [bin Yusuf al-Thaqafi] and Yahya bin Ya’mar, the jurisprudent of Khurasan, was brought from Balkh shackled with iron.
Hajjaj said to him: You think that Hasan and Husayn are from the progeny of the Holy Prophet (S)? He said: Of course yes. Thereupon Hajjaj said: You must bring me a clear exposition for that from the Book of Allah or I surely will cut your body into parts. He said: I will bring for you a clear exposition from the Book of Allah, O Hajjaj.
Shu’bi says: I was surprised at his audacity in responding with the [concluding] words, “O Hajjaj!” Thereupon Hajjaj said to him: But do not bring for me the verse “ let us call our sons...
” (3:61) He said: I will bring you a clear exposition from the Book of Allah, and that is Allah’s speech “...And Noah We had guided before, and from his offspring, David and Solomon up to the phrase [in the next verse] “...and Zechariah, John, Jesus...(84-85) Who then was the father of Jesus, while he is attached to the progeny of Noah? Shu’bi says: Thereupon Hajjaj lowered his head for some time, and then raised it and said: It is as if I have not read this verse from the Book of Allah.