Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (20/369)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

ʿAbd al-Wāḥid al-Marrākushī (1), author of al-Muʿjib, relates:

“Shortly before his death Ibn Tūmart summoned the men known as al-Jamāʿa and Ahl al-Khamsīn (2), together with the three—ʿUmar Artāj (3), ʿUmar Intī, and ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sulaymān. After praising God he said:

‘Indeed God—exalted is He, and to Him belongs all praise—has favored you, O company, with His support and has singled you out for the reality of His tawḥīd (monotheism). He raised up for you one who found you astray, unable to find guidance, blind, unable to see. Innovations had spread among you and falsehoods had enticed you, so God guided you through him, gave you victory, gathered you after division, and lifted from you the rule of those renegades. He will bequeath to you their land and their dwellings; that is because of what their own hands have earned.

So renew for God the sincerity of your intentions, and show Him gratitude in word and deed so that He may bless your striving. Beware of discord, and be a single hand against your enemy; if you do that people will stand in awe of you and hasten to obey you, but if you do not, humiliation will engulf you and the common folk will despise you. Temper compassion with severity and gentleness with force.

We have chosen for you a man from among yourselves and appointed him amir (leader) after testing him and finding him steadfast in his religion and clear-sighted in his affairs—this man,’ and he pointed to ʿAbd al-Muʾmin, ‘so listen to him and obey him so long as he obeys his Lord. If he should change, there is still blessing and good among the Muwaḥḥidūn (Almohads), and the command is God’s; He entrusts it to whom He wills.’

The assembly then swore allegiance to ʿAbd al-Muʾmin, and Ibn Tūmart prayed for them.

Ibn Khallikān (4) remarks: ‘He did not formally appoint him; he merely indicated him.’ He continues: ‘The first thing he took from …’

(1) Al-Muʿjib, pp. 285–287. (2) Al-Muʿjib notes that these people were, as already mentioned, scattered tribes linked only by the collective label al-Masamida. See al-Istiqsa, 2/95–96, for Ibn Tumart’s internal hierarchy—such as the ahl al-dar, ahl al-jamaʿa, ahl khamsin, and others—and the specific tasks assigned to each group. (3) In the base manuscript the word is vocalised with an unpointed ra and a final ta; Al-Muʿjib, however, reads it as Aznaj, with zay and nun. (4) Wafayat al-Aʿyan, 3/239.

وَقَالَ صَاحِب (الْمُعْجب) عَبْد الوَاحِدِ المَرَّاكُشِيُّ (١) : اسْتدعَى ابْن تُوْمَرْت قَبْل مَوْته الرِّجَال المُسَمَّين بِالجَمَاعَة وَأَهْلَ الخَمْسِيْنَ (٢) وَالثَّلاَثَةَ عُمَر أَرتَاج (٣) ، وَعُمَر إِيْنْتِي، وَعَبْدَ اللهِ بنَ سُلَيْمَانَ، فَحَمِدَ الله، ثُمَّ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللهَ - سُبْحَانَهُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمد - مَنَّ عَلَيْكُم أَيَّتُهَا الطَّائِفَة بتَأْيِيْدِه، وَخصكم بِحقيقَةِ تَوحيدِه، وَقيض لَكُم منْ أَلفَاكُم ضُلاَّلاً لاَ تَهتدُوْنَ، وَعُمياً لاَ تُبصرُوْنَ، قَدْ فَشت فِيْكُم البِدَع، وَاسْتهوتكُم الأَبَاطيل، فَهدَاكُم الله بِهِ وَنَصَركُم، وَجَمَعكُم بَعْد الفُرقَة، وَرَفَعَ عَنْكُم سُلْطَان هَؤُلاَءِ المَارقينَ، وَسَيُورِّثُكُم أَرْضَهُم وَدِيَارَهُم، ذَلِكَ بِمَا كسبت أَيدِيهِم، فَجَدَّدُوا للهِ خَالِصَ نِيَّاتِكُم، وَأَرُوهُ مِنَ الشّكر قَوْلاً وَفعلاً مِمَّا يُزكِي بِهِ سعيكُم، وَاحذرُوا الفرقَة، وَكونُوا يَداً وَاحِدَة عَلَى عَدُوّكُم، فَإِنَّكُم إِنْ فَعَلتُم ذَلِكَ، هَابكُمُ النَّاس، وَأَسرعُوا إِلَى طَاعتكُم، وَإِنْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا شَمَلكُم الذُّلّ، وَاحتقرتكُم العَامَّة، وَعليكُم بِمَزجِ الرَّأْفَة بِالغلظَة، وَاللينِ بِالعُنفِ، وَقَدِ اخْترنَا لَكُم رَجُلاً مِنْكُم، وَجَعَلْنَاهُ أَمِيْراً بَعْدَ أَنْ بلونَاهُ، فَرَأَينَاهُ ثَبْتاً فِي دِيْنِهِ، مُتَبَصِّراً فِي أَمره، وَهُوَ هَذَا - وَأَشَارَ إِلَى عَبْدِ المُؤْمِنِ - فَاسْمَعُوا لَهُ، وَأَطيعُوا مَا أَطَاع رَبّهُ، فَإِنْ بدل فَفِي المُوَحِّدِيْن بركَة وَخير، وَالأَمْر أَمر الله يُقلده مَنْ يَشَاء. فَبَايَع القَوْمُ عَبْد المُؤْمِنِ، وَدَعَا لَهُم ابْن تُوْمَرْت. وَقَالَ ابْنُ خَلِّكَانَ (٤) : مَا اسْتَخلَفَه، بَلْ أَشَارَ بِهِ. قَالَ: فَأَوّل مَا أَخَذَ مِنَ

(١) " المعجب ": ٢٨٥ - ٢٨٧. (٢) قال في " المعجب ": وهم كما ذكرنا من قبائل متفرقة لا يجمعهم إلا اسم المصامدة. وانظر في " الاستقصا " ٢ / ٩٥، ٩٦ كيف رتب ابن تومرت قومه، فمنهم أهل الدار، وأهل الجماعة، وأهل خمسين..الخ ووظيفة كل قسم منهم. (٣) كذا ضبط في الأصل بالراء المهملة والتا المثناة الفوقية. وفي " المعجب ": أزناج، بالزاي والنون. (٤) في " وفيات الأعيان " ٣ / ٢٣٩.