Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (18/109)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

rebelled against him, so the land was left to the Seljuks, who surged forth and wrought havoc.(1)

All the while the two brothers, Tughril Beg and Chaghri Beg, were in their own territory on the fringes of Bukhara. A fierce engagement then erupted between the Seljuks and the governor of Bukhara, and many on both sides were killed. They subsequently dispatched an envoy to the sultan, but he imprisoned him and readied his army to fight them. When the two forces met, the house of Seljuk was routed and humbled. They offered obedience to Masʿūd and pledged to seize Khwarazm for him; he was appeased and allowed himself to be deceived.

The brothers then mustered their troops, crossed into Khurasan, and were joined by others until their numbers swelled. A series of events—too lengthy to detail—unfolded until they gained mastery over the realms. They captured Rayy in 429 AH, Nishapur in 430, and Balkh and other territories as well.(2)

Masʿūd could no longer resist them and withdrew to Ghazna. At first the Seljuks continued to have the Friday sermon proclaimed in his name until they had consolidated their power. The caliph al-Qaʾim then opened negotiations with them, sending the Chief Judge Abū al-Hasan al-Māwardī. In time the aforesaid Tughril Beg’s dominion became vast; he absorbed province after province and took control of Iraq in 447 AH.(3) He endeared himself to the populace with a justice tinged with oppression, and he was said to possess innate forbearance and generosity. Reports add that he was diligent in attending the congregational prayer and that he fasted on Mondays and Thursdays,(4) built mosques, and gave alms.

He also dispatched his envoy, Nāṣir ibn Ismāʿīl the Alid, to the queen of the Christians. Nāṣir sought her permission for a congregation to hold the Friday prayer in the Great Mosque of Constantinople; she consented, and the khuṭbah was delivered there in the name of the caliph al-Qaʾim. The envoy of the Egyptian caliph al-Mustanṣir was present and objected to this.(5)

(1) See Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-ayan, vol. 5, pp. 63–65; and Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 9, pp. 477–479. (2) See Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 9, pp. 479–484. (3) See Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-ayan, vol. 5, pp. 65–66; and Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 9, pp. 609–610. (4) See Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 10, p. 28. (5) See Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-ayan, vol. 5, p. 66.

خَرَجُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَخلتِ البِلاَد لِلسَلْجُوْقيَّة، فَهَاجُوا وَأَفسدُوا (١) . هَذَا كُلُّه وَالأَخَوَان طُغْرُلْبَك وَجَغْرِيْبَك فِي أَرْضهم بِأَطرَاف بُخَارَى، ثُمَّ جرت ملحمَةٌ بَيْنَ السَّلْجُوْقيَّة وَبَيْنَ مُتَوَلِّي بُخَارَى، قُتِلَ فِيْهَا خلقٌ مِنَ الفِئَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ نَفّذُوا رَسُوْلاً إِلَى السُّلْطَانِ، فَحَبَسَهُ، وَجَهَّزَ جَيْشه لحرَبّهُم، فَالتَقَوا، فَانْكَسَرَ آلُ سَلْجُوْق، وَذلُّوا، وَبذلُوا الطَّاعَة لمَسْعُوْد، وَضمنُوا لَهُ أَخَذَ خُوَارَزْم، فَطَيَّبَ قُلُوبَهُم، وَانخدع لَهُم، ثُمَّ حشد الأَخَوَانِ وَعَبَرُوا إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ، وَانضمَّ الآخرُوْنَ إِلَيْهِم وَكَثُرُوا، وَجَرَتْ لَهم أُمُوْرٌ يَطولُ شرحهَا إِلَى أَنِ اسْتولَوا عَلَى الممَالِك، فَأَخذُوا الرَّيَّ فِي سَنَةِ تِسْعٍ وَعِشْرِيْنَ وَأَرْبَع مائَة، وَأَخَذُوا نَيْسَابُوْر فِي سَنَةِ ثَلاَثِيْنَ، وَأَخَذُوا بَلخ وَغَيْرَ ذَلِكَ (٢) ، وَضَعُفَ عَنْهم مَسْعُوْد، وَتحيَّز إِلَى غَزْنَة، وَبقُوا فِي أَوَائِل الأَمْر يَخطبُوْنَ لَهُ حَتَّى تَمكنُوا، فَرَاسلهم القَائِمُ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ بقَاضِي القُضَاة أَبِي الحَسَنِ المَاوردي، ثُمَّ إِنَّ طُغْرُلْبَك المَذْكُوْر عَظُم سُلْطَانُه، وَطوَى الممَالِك، وَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَى العِرَاقِ فِي سَنَةِ سَبْعٍ وَأَرْبَعِيْنَ (٣) ، وَتَحَبَّبَ إِلَى الرَّعِيَّةِ بَعْدلٍ مشوبٍ بِجَوْر، وَكَانَ فِي نَفْسِهِ يَنطوِي عَلَى حلم وَكرم، وَقِيْلَ: كَانَ يُحَافِظُ عَلَى الجَمَاعَة، وَيَصُوْمُ الخَمِيْس وَالاَثْنَيْن (٤) ، وَيَبنِي المَسَاجِد، وَيَتَصَدَّقُ، وَقَدْ جهَّزَ رَسُوْلَه نَاصِرَ بن إِسْمَاعِيْلَ العَلَوِيّ إِلَى مَلِكَة النَّصَارَى، فَاسْتَأذنهَا نَاصِرٌ فِي الصَّلاَةِ بِجَامِع قُسْطَنْطِيْنِيَّة جَمَاعَةٌ يَوْم جُمُعَة، فَأَذنت لَهُ، فَخطب لِلْخَلِيْفَة القَائِم، وَكَانَ هُنَاكَ رَسُوْلُ خَلِيْفَة مِصْر المُسْتنصر، فَأَنْكَر ذَلِكَ (٥) .

(١) انظر " وفيات الأعيان " ٥ / ٦٣ - ٦٥، و" الكامل ": ٩ / ٤٧٧ - ٤٧٩. (٢) انظر " الكامل ": ٩ / ٤٧٩ - ٤٨٤. (٣) انظر " وفيات الأعيان " ٥ / ٦٥ - ٦٦، و" الكامل " ٩ / ٦٠٩ - ٦١٠. (٤) انظر " الكامل " ١٠ / ٢٨. (٥) انظر " وفيات الأعيان " ٥ / ٦٦.