لا يملك الموت إلا أن يحجب الوجوه عن العيون، أما الوجوه التي سكنت القلوب فلا سلطان له عليها، تظل حاضرة بما غرس أصحابها من وفاء، وما خلّفوه من جميل الأثر، حتى ليُخيّل إلى من يستعيد ذكراهم أنهم لم يغيبوا، وإنما احتجبوا عن الأبصار، ومن هذه المعاني بدأت صلتي بالأديب محمد صالح البليهشي رحمه الله.
لم تبدأ هذه الصلة بلقاء، وإنما بدأت بمقال قرأته له عن الوالد الأستاذ علي الرابغي رحمه الله، فكان مقالاً صادق العاطفة، رفيع الوفاء، شعرت وأنا أقرأه أن صاحبه لا يكتب عن رجل غاب، وإنما يستعيد أيامًا جميلة عاشها مع صديق عزيز، فرفعت سماعة الهاتف لأشكره، فاستقبلني بخلق جم، وحديث هادئ، ثم قال في عفوية صادقة: يسرني أن تزورني في المدينة.
مضت الأيام حتى يسّر الله تلك الزيارة، فوقفت أمام منزله العامر في المدينة المنورة، على ساكنها أفضل الصلاة والسلام، ودخلت وأنا أتهيأ للقاء أديب طالما سمعت باسمه، فما إن جلست إليه حتى انقضت وحشة اللقاء الأول، وشعرت أن بيننا معرفة تمتد إلى سنوات، وأن الذي جمعنا لم يكن التعارف، وإنما الوفاء الذي بقي حيًا بعد رحيل الوالد علي الرابغي رحمه الله.
كان مجلسه هادئًا كهدوء نفسه، وحديثه عذبًا لا تكلّف فيه، فإذا تحدث أنصتَّ إليه في متعة، وإذا أنصت إليك شعرت أنك تحدث صديقًا يعرف قدر الكلمة، ويزنها بميزان الأدب، ورأيت فيه تواضعًا يرفع صاحبه، وبساطة تزيده مهابة، وخلقًا يجذب القلوب قبل العقول.
وبينما نحن نتجاذب أطراف الحديث، أطال النظر إليّ، ثم ارتسمت على محياه ابتسامة امتزج فيها الحنين بالمودة، وقال: كأن علي الرابغي رحمه الله أمامي.
كانت كلمات قليلة، لكنها حملت من المعاني ما تعجز عنه صفحات طوال، فقد شعرت أن الوالد عاد حاضرًا في ذاكرة صاحبه، وأن الوفاء الصادق لا يحفظ الأسماء فحسب، بل يحفظ الوجوه، والنبرات، والملامح، وأن السنين مهما امتدت لا تستطيع أن تمحو من القلب صورة من أحب.
في ذلك اللقاء أدركت أن ما يكتبه الإنسان ليس إلا صورة لما يسكن نفسه، فمن صدقت سريرته صدقت كلمته، ومن عمر قلبه بالمودة ظهرت في حديثه، وقد رأيت ذلك كله في محمد صالح البليهشي رحمه الله، فازددت له تقديرًا، ودعوت الله أن يجزيه خير الجزاء على وفائه، وحسن خلقه.
ثم زادني من كرمه هدية سأظل أعتز بها ما حييت، إذ أهداني ثلاثة من مؤلفاته، فتسلمتها بامتنان بالغ، ولم أر فيها ثلاثة كتب فحسب، بل رأيت خلاصة عمر قضاه بين القراءة والبحث والكتابة، وأثرًا كريمًا من رجل عاش للأدب، فغدت تلك المؤلفات من أعز ما تحتفظ به مكتبتي، لأنها تذكرني بصاحبها كلما وقعت عليها عيني، وتعيد إلى ذاكرتي ذلك المجلس العامر بالمودة.
حين هممت بالانصراف، قال لي في صدق لا يزال صداه يرافقني: لا تجعلها آخر زيارة، كرر زيارتك.
خرجت من منزله، ولم أشعر أنني ودعت رجلًا التقيته لأول مرة، بل شعرت أنني فارقت قريبًا عرفته منذ زمن، وعدت وأنا أحمد الله على ذلك اللقاء الذي جمعني برجل حفظ العهد، وصان الود، وأكرم ابن صديقه كما لو أنه يكرم صديقه نفسه.
رحم الله الأديب محمد صالح البليهشي، فقد كان وفيًّا في مودته، متواضعًا في مجلسه، كريمًا في عطائه، وترك في نفسي ذكرى ستبقى ما بقيت الأيام، كما أيقنت بعد لقائه أن أجمل ما يخلّفه الإنسان بعد رحيله علمٌ ينتفع به، وخُلقٌ يقتدى به، ووفاءٌ يبقى حيًّا في قلوب من عرفوه.
Death can only hide faces from the eyes, but the faces that reside in hearts are beyond its dominion. They remain present through the loyalty their owners planted and the beautiful impact they left behind, to the extent that those who recall their memories might feel that they have not truly departed, but merely concealed themselves from sight. From these meanings, my connection with the writer Muhammad Saleh Al-Balhayshi, may Allah have mercy on him, began.
This connection did not start with a meeting, but rather with an article I read by him about my father, Professor Ali Al-Rabghi, may Allah have mercy on him. It was an article filled with sincere emotion and high loyalty. As I read it, I felt that the author was not writing about a man who had passed away, but rather recalling beautiful days spent with a dear friend. I picked up the phone to thank him, and he greeted me with great kindness and calm conversation, then said with genuine spontaneity: "I would be pleased if you visit me in the city."
Days passed until Allah facilitated that visit, and I found myself standing in front of his welcoming home in Medina, may the best prayers and peace be upon its resident. I entered, preparing to meet a writer whose name I had long heard. As soon as I sat with him, the awkwardness of our first meeting dissipated, and I felt that we shared a familiarity that stretched back years, and that what brought us together was not merely acquaintance, but the loyalty that remained alive after the departure of my father, Ali Al-Rabghi, may Allah have mercy on him.
His gathering was as calm as his soul, and his conversation was sweet and unforced. When he spoke, you listened to him with pleasure, and when he listened to you, you felt you were speaking to a friend who understands the value of words and weighs them with the scale of literature. I saw in him a humility that elevates its bearer, a simplicity that adds to his awe, and a character that attracts hearts before minds.
While we were exchanging conversation, he gazed at me for a long moment, then a smile appeared on his face, blending nostalgia with affection, and he said: "It feels as if Ali Al-Rabghi, may Allah have mercy on him, is right in front of me."
His words were few, but they carried meanings that could fill long pages. I felt that my father had returned, present in the memory of his friend, and that true loyalty does not only preserve names but also retains faces, tones, and features. No matter how many years pass, they cannot erase from the heart the image of someone beloved.
In that meeting, I realized that what a person writes is merely a reflection of what resides in their soul. Those whose intentions are sincere have words that resonate truthfully, and those who fill their hearts with affection reveal it in their speech. I saw all of this in Muhammad Saleh Al-Balhayshi, may Allah have mercy on him, and my appreciation for him grew. I prayed to Allah to reward him abundantly for his loyalty and good character.
Then, he further honored me with a gift that I will cherish for as long as I live, as he presented me with three of his works. I received them with immense gratitude, and I did not see just three books in them; I saw the essence of a lifetime spent in reading, research, and writing, and a noble legacy from a man who lived for literature. Those works became some of the most treasured items in my library, as they remind me of their owner every time my eyes fall upon them, bringing back memories of that gathering filled with affection.
As I was about to leave, he said to me with sincerity that still resonates with me: "Don't let this be your last visit; repeat your visit."
I left his home feeling that I had not bid farewell to a man I met for the first time, but rather that I had parted from a close relative I had known for a long time. I returned, praising Allah for that meeting which brought me together with a man who kept his promises, preserved friendships, and honored the son of his friend as if he were honoring his friend himself.
May Allah have mercy on the writer Muhammad Saleh Al-Balhayshi; he was loyal in his affection, humble in his gatherings, generous in his giving, and he left in my heart a memory that will endure as long as days remain. After meeting him, I became certain that the most beautiful legacy a person can leave behind after their departure is knowledge that benefits others, character that is emulated, and loyalty that remains alive in the hearts of those who knew them.
