Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (18/596)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Alfonso—may God curse him—then wrote a letter, all thunder and lightning,1 and al-Muzaffar answered:

“A missive has reached the Victorious King from the ‘great one of the Romans,’ a document that presumes to tamper with destiny. It rumbles and flashes, now gathering, now scattering, and it threatens with plentiful troops. Yet he is unaware that God has armies with whom He has honoured Islam and made manifest the religion of our Prophet, may blessings and peace be upon him—men who fight in God’s cause and fear no critic’s reproach.

“As for your taunts against the Muslims concerning the weakness that has overtaken some of their affairs, it is the result of sins we have ridden and of stricken, divided ranks. Were our word to become one, you would learn the blow we would make you taste, just as your fathers tasted at the hands of ours. Only yesterday the tribute exacted by al-Manṣūr lay upon your forefather, who sent his daughter to him together with the treasures that came to him every year.

“Though our numbers be few and no created being supplies us with reinforcement, nothing stands between us and you—no sea to cross, no rugged pass to tame—save swords whose edges your people’s necks will testify to, and combat you shall behold on your appointed day. By God and His angels we garner strength against you; we seek none but Him and flee to none other. And what do you await from us but one of the two splendid outcomes: martyrdom or a noble victory.”

When al-Muzaffar died, sometime after 470 AH2 or slightly before, the throne passed to his son, styled al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh, Abū Ḥafṣ ʿUmar3 ibn al-Afṭas, lord of Badajoz, Yabra4, Santarém, and Lisbon. He resembled his father in courage, prowess, learning, and eloquence, and he remained so until the Almoravid troops

(1) That is, he was issuing threats and warnings. (2) Al-Wafi bi-l-wafayat, 3/323, and Ibn Khaldun, Tarikh, 4/160, state that he died in the year 460. (3) For his biography, consult: al-Maghrib 1/364; Aamal al-i‘lam, p. 214; Qalaid al-iqyan, p. 36; al-Rayat, p. 29; al-Dhakhira, part 2, section 2, pp. 646-652; al-Hulla al-sirāʾ, 2/96-107; Fawat al-wafayat, 3/155-156; Nafh al-tayyib, 1/663-666; al-Kharida, 3/356. (4) According to Yaqut, it is a town located in the western region of al-Andalus.

فَكَتَبَ أَذفونش - لَعنه الله - يُرْعِدُ وَيُبْرِقُ (١) ، فَأَجَابَ: وَصل إِلَى الْملك المُظَفَّر مِنْ عَظِيْم الرُّوْم كِتَابٌ مُدَّع فِي المقَادِير، يُرْعِدُ وَيُبْرِقُ، وَيَجمعُ تَارَةً وَيُفَرِّق، وَيهدد بِالجُنُوْد الوَافرَة، وَلَمْ يَدر أَن للهِ جُنُوْداً أَعزَّ بِهِم الإِسْلاَم، وَأَظهر بِهِم دينَ نَبِيّنَا ﵊، يُجَاهدُوْنَ فِي سَبِيْلِ اللهِ، وَلاَ يَخَافُوْنَ لُوْمَة لاَئِم، فَأَمَّا تَعييرُك لِلمُسْلِمِيْنَ فِيمَا وَهَنَ مِنْ أَحْوَالِهم، فَبالذُّنُوبِ المركوبَة، وَالفِرَقِ المنكوبَة، وَلَوِ اتَّفَقت كلِمتُنَا علمتَ أَيَّ صَائِبٍ أَذَقْنَاك، كَمَا كَانَتْ آبَاؤُك مَعَ آبَائِنَا، وَبَالأَمسِ كَانَتْ قطيعَةُ المَنْصُوْر عَلَى سَلَفِك، أَهدَى ابْنتَه إِلَيْهِ مَعَ الذّخَائِر الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَفِدُ فِي كُلّ عَام عَلَيْهِ، وَنَحْنُ فَإِنْ قلَّت أَعدَادُنَا، وَعُدِمَ مِنَ المَخلوقين اسْتمدَادُنَا، فَمَا بَيْنَنَا وَبينك بحرٌ تَخُوضهُ، وَلاَ صَعب تَروضه، إِلاَّ سيوفٌ يَشْهَد بَحَدِّهَا رقَابُ قَوْمك، وَجِلاَدٌ تُبصره فِي يَوْمك، وَبَالله وَمَلاَئِكتِه نَتقوَّى عَلَيْك، لَيْسَ لَنَا سِوَاهُ مطلب، وَلاَ إِلَى غَيْره مَهْرب، وَهل تَرَبَّصُوْنَ بِنَا إِلاَّ إِحْدَى الحُسْنَيَيْنِ، شهَادَةٌ، أَوْ نَصْرٌ عزِيز. وَلَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ المُظَفَّر بَعْد السَّبْعِيْنَ وَأَرْبَعِ مائَة (٢) أَوْ قَبْلَهَا، قَامَ فِي المُلك بَعْدَهُ وَلدُه المُلَقَّب بِالمُتَوَكِّل عَلَى اللهِ أَبُو حَفْصٍ عُمَرُ (٣) بنُ الأَفْطَس صَاحِبُ بَطَلْيَوس وَيَابُرَة (٤) وَشَنْتَرِيْنَ وَأُشْبُونَة، فَكَانَ نَحْواً مِنْ أَبِيْهِ فِي الشَّجَاعَة وَالبرَاعَة وَالأَدب وَالبلاغَة، فَبَقِيَ إِلَى أَنْ قَتله المرَابطُوْنَ جُنْد

(١) أي يتهدد ويتوعد. (٢) في " الوافي بالوفيات " ٣ / ٣٢٣، و" تاريخ " ابن خلدون ٤ / ١٦٠ أنه توفي سنة (٤٦٠) . (٣) انظر ترجمته في " المغرب " ١ / ٣٦٤، أعمال الاعلام: ٢١٤، قلائد العقيان: ٣٦، الرايات: ٢٩، الذخيرة ق ٢ / م ٢ / ٦٤٦ - ٦٥٢، الحلة السيراء ٢ / ٩٦ - ١٠٧، فوات الوفيات ٣ / ١٥٥ - ١٥٦، نفح الطيب ١ / ٦٦٣ - ٦٦٦، الخريدة ٣ / ٣٥٦. (٤) قال ياقوت: هي بلدة في غربي الأندلس.