وَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ الْفَقِيهُ الْأَسْوَارِيُّ بِإِيلَاقَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مَكِّيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْبَرْذَعِيُّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الطَّرَسُوسِيَّ يَقُولُ وَ كَانَ قَدْ أَتَى عَلَيْهِ سَبْعٌ وَ تِسْعُونَ سَنَةً عَلَى بَابِ يَحْيَى بْنِ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ سَرْبَانَكَ مَلِكَ الْهِنْدِ فِي بَلْدَةٍ تُسَمَّى قَنُّوجَ فَسَأَلْنَاهُ كَمْ أَتَى عَلَيْكَ مِنَ السِّنِينَ فَقَالَ تِسْعُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَ خَمْسٌ وَ عِشْرُونَ سَنَةً وَ هُوَ مُسْلِمٌ وَ زَعَمَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ص أَنْفَذَ إِلَيْهِ عَشَرَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فِيهِمْ حُذَيْفَةُ بْنُ الْيَمَانِ وَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ وَ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ وَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ وَ صُهَيْبٌ الرُّومِيُّ وَ سَفِينَةُ وَ غَيْرُهُمْ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ فَأَجَابَ وَ أَسْلَمَ وَ قَبَّلَ كِتَابَ النَّبِيِّ ص فَقُلْتُ لَهُ كَيْفَ تُصَلِّي مَعَ هَذَا الضَّعْفِ فَقَالَ لِي قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِياماً وَ قُعُوداً وَ عَلى جُنُوبِهِمْ الْآيَةَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ وَ مَا طَعَامُكَ فَقَالَ آكُلُ مَاءَ اللَّحْمِ وَ الْكُرَّاثَ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ هَلْ يَخْرُجُ مِنْكَ شَيْءٌ فَقَالَ فِي كُلِّ أُسْبُوعٍ مَرَّةً شَيْءٌ يَسِيرٌ قَالَ وَ سَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَسْنَانِهِ فَقَالَ أَبْدَلْتُهَا عِشْرِينَ مَرَّةً وَ رَأَيْتُ لَهُ فِي إِصْطَبْلِهِ شَيْئاً مِنَ الدَّوَابِّ أَكْبَرَ مِنَ الْفِيلِ يُقَالُ لَهُ زَنْدَفِيلُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ وَ مَا تَصْنَعُ بِهَذَا قَالَ يُحْمَلُ بِهَا ثِيَابُ الْخَدَمِ إِلَى الْقَصَّارِ وَ مَمْلَكَتُهُ مَسِيرَةُ أَرْبَعِ سِنِينَ فِي مِثْلِهَا وَ مَدِينَتُهُ طُولُهَا خَمْسُونَ فَرْسَخاً فِي مِثْلِهَا وَ عَلَى كُلِّ بَابٍ مِنْهَا عَسْكَرٌ فِي مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ وَ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفاً إِذَا وَقَعَ فِي أَحَدٍ مِنْ تِلْكَ الْأَبْوَابِ حَدَثٌ خَرَجَتْ تِلْكَ الْفِرْقَةُ إِلَى الْحَرْبِ لَا يُسْتَعَانُ بِغَيْرِهَا وَ هُوَ فِي وَسَطِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ دَخَلْتُ الْمَغْرِبَ فَبَلَغْتُ إِلَى الرَّمْلِ رَمْلِ الْعَالِجِ وَ صِرْتُ إِلَى قَوْمِ مُوسَى ع فَرَأَيْتُ سُطُوحَ بُيُوتِهِمْ مُسْتَوِيَةً وَ بَيْدَرَ الطَّعَامِ خَارِجَ الْقَرْيَةِ يَأْخُذُونَ مِنْهُ الْقُوتَ وَ الْبَاقِي يَتْرُكُونَهُ هُنَاكَ وَ قُبُورُهُمْ فِي دُورِهِمْ وَ بَسَاتِينُهُمْ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ عَلَى فَرْسَخَيْنِ لَيْسَ فِيهِمْ شَيْخٌ وَ لَا شَيْخَةٌ وَ لَمْ أَرَ فِيهِمْ عِلَّةً وَ لَا يَعْتَلُّونَ إِلَى أَنْ يَمُوتُوا وَ لَهُمْ أَسْوَاقٌ إِذَا أَرَادَ إِنْسَانٌ مِنْهُمْ شِرَاءَ شَيْءٍ صَارَ إِلَى السُّوقِ فَوَزَنَ لِنَفْسِهِ وَ أَخَذَ مَا يُصِيبُهُ وَ صَاحِبُهُ غَيْرُ حَاضِرٍ وَ إِذَا أَرَادُوا الصَّلَاةَ حَضَرُوا فَصَلُّوا وَ انْصَرَفُوا لَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُمْ خُصُومَةٌ أَبَداً وَ لَا كَلَامٌ يُكْرَهُ إِلَّا ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ الصَّلَاةَ وَ ذِكْرَ الْمَوْتِ. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب رحمه الله فإذا كان جاز عند مخالفينا مثل هذه الحال لسربانك ملك الهند فينبغي أن لا يحيلوا مثل ذلك في حجة الله في التعمير و لا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
The report about people who lived to a long age was mentioned to us by Abul Hasan Ali bin Abdullah bin Ahmad Faqih Aswari in Ilaaq. He said: Narrated to us Makki bin Ahmad Barzai that he said: I heard Ishaq bin Ibrahim Tartoosi say:
“I reached the house of Yahya bin Mansur at the age of 97 years to see the Indian king of Kanauj, Sarbanik. We asked him his age. He said that his age was nine hundred and twenty-five years and that he was a Muslim. He narrated: The Messenger of Allah (S) sent ten of his companions to me, including Huzaifa bin Yaman, Amr bin Aas, Usamah bin Zaid, Abu Musa Ashari, Sahib Rumi and Safinah etc. They invited me to Islam and I accepted it. When he kissed the letters of the Holy Prophet (S) I asked him: In spite of your physical weakness, how do you sit for the ritual prayer? He replied: the Almighty Allah has said:
Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides
I asked him: What is your diet? He said: I need a little once a week. I asked him about his teeth and he said: They have changed twenty times. In his stable I saw an animal larger than an elephant which is called Zind Feel. I said: In what way do you make use of it? He replied: He carries the dirty clothes of the servants to the washer man.
The extent of his kingdom was having length and breadth of four years of travel and his capital was fifty farsakhs from all sides. On every gate there were 120000 troops so that if any attack is launched from there they may tackle it effectively without needing enforcements. The king himself stayed at the center of his capital. I heard him say: I reached a western country and saw a desert in which there was no vegetation. After traveling for sometime I reached the people of Musa 
the roof of their houses were equal in height and the store houses of rations were located outside the town.
They brought home some rations and left the rest in the store houses. The graves of their dead were inside their houses and their orchards were located at a distance of two farsakhs. None of them were old in age and I did not see any of them ill or on the verge of death.
There was a market also where one would go if one wanted anything and weigh and take whatever one liked without the shop owner being present there. When they wanted to pray they would come, pray and then go back. There were no fights among them ever; they spent all the time in prayers and never talked of anything except about God and death.”
The author (r.a.) says: If our opponents consider the life of Sarbanak, the king of India as possible they must not present any excuse with regard to the age of the Proof of Allah and there is no power and strength except by Allah.
