Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (22/266)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

and he was an exemplary caliph—humble and submissive before his Lord, just with his subjects, constantly increasing in righteousness during the little time that remained to him, and ever eager to extend beneficence (1).

Abu Shama said: “He was fair-skinned, handsome of face, tinged with redness, sweet-mannered, and powerfully built; he was installed as caliph at the age of fifty-two.

He was asked, ‘Will you not take some recreation? (2)’ He replied, ‘The crop has already withered (3).’

After that he excelled: he distributed wealth, abolished the customs dues, and removed injustices.

Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi (4) relates that he once entered the treasury, where an attendant remarked, ‘In your days it will be filled.’ He answered, ‘Treasuries were not made to be filled but to be emptied and spent in the path of Allah; hoarding is the occupation of merchants!’

Ibn Wasil (5) said: ‘Al-Zahir made justice manifest, abolished the muks (illicit levy), and presented himself openly to the people, whereas his father was seldom seen.’

Ibn al-Saʿi recounted: ‘Those who first offered him the bayʿa were his household and the sons of the former caliphs, followed by the deputy of the vizierate, Muʾayyad al-Din al-Qummi; ʿAḍud al-Dawla ibn al-Dahhak, the Master of the Palace; the chief judge, Muḥyī al-Din ibn Faḍlan; and the naqib of the ashraf, al-Qawwām al-Mūsawī. On the day of ʿId al-Fiṭr he sat to receive the oath wearing white garments and a light mantle, with the Prophetic cloak draped over his shoulder. The wording of the allegiance was: “I pledge allegiance to our lord, the imam whose obedience is obligatory, Abū Naṣr Muḥammad al-Zahir bi-Amr Allah, upon the Book of Allah, the sunnah of His Prophet, the ijtihad of the Commander of the Believers, and the affirmation that there is no caliph besides him.” A few days later

(1) Dhayl al-Rawdatayn, p. 145, in the entry on his father al-Nasir. (2) Dhayl al-Rawdatayn reads “alla yatafassaḥ” (“that he should not stroll about”); al-Dhahabi alters the wording, as noted more than once. (3) al-laqas: scabies. Dhayl al-Rawdatayn instead has “qad fata al-zar‘” (“the time for sowing has passed”). (4) Mirat al-Zaman, 8/643. (5) Mufarrij al-Kurub, 4/193.

وَكَانَ نِعْمَ الخَلِيْفَةِ خُشوعاً وَخُضوعاً لرَبِّهِ، وَعدلاً فِي رعيَّتِهِ، وَازديَاداً فِي وَقتٍ مِنَ الخَيْرِ، وَرغبَةً فِي الإِحسَانِ (١) . قَالَ أَبُو شَامَةَ: كَانَ أَبْيَضَ، جَمِيْلَ الصُّوْرَةِ، مُشْرَباً حُمْرَةً، حُلوَ الشَّمَائِلِ، شَدِيدَ القوَى، اسْتُخْلِفَ وَلَهُ اثْنَتَانِ وَخَمْسُوْنَ سَنَةً. فَقِيْلَ لَهُ: أَلاَ تَتَنَزَّهُ (٢) ؟ قَالَ: قَدْ لَقَسَ (٣) الزَّرْعُ. ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَحْسَنَ وَفرَّقَ الأَمْوَالَ، وَأَبطلَ المُكُوسَ، وَأَزَالَ المظَالِمَ. وَقَالَ سِبْطُ الجَوْزِيِّ (٤) : حُكِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ إِلَى الخَزَائِنِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ خَادمٌ: فِي أَيَّامِكَ تَمتلَئُ. قَالَ: مَا عُمِلَتِ الخَزَائِنُ لِتُمْلأَ، بَلْ لِتُفْرَغَ، وَتُنفَقَ فِي سَبِيْلِ اللهِ، إِنَّ الجمعَ شُغْلُ التُّجَّارِ! وَقَالَ ابْنُ وَاصِلٍ (٥) : أَظهرَ الظَّاهِرُ العَدْلَ، وَأَزَالَ المَكْسَ، وَظهرَ لِلنَّاسِ، وَكَانَ أَبُوْهُ لاَ يظهرُ إِلاَّ نَادراً. قَالَ ابْنُ السَّاعِي: بَايَعَهُ أَوَّلاً أَهْلُهُ، وَأَوْلاَدُ الخُلَفَاءِ، ثُمَّ نَائِبُ الوزَارَةِ مُؤَيَّدُ الدِّيْنِ القُمِّيُّ، وَعضدُ الدَّوْلَةِ ابْنُ الضَّحَّاكِ أُسْتَاذُ الدَّارِ، وَقَاضِي القُضَاةِ مُحْيِي الدِّيْنِ ابْنُ فَضلاَنَ، وَنقيبُ الأَشْرَافِ القَوَّامُ المُوْسَوِيُّ، وَجَلَسَ يَوْمَ الفطرِ لِلبَيْعَةِ بثِيَابٍ بِيْضٍ، بِطَرْحَةٍ، وَعَلَى كَتِفِهِ البُرْدُ النَّبَوِيُّ، وَلفظُ البَيْعَةِ: أُبَايِعُ مَوْلاَنَا الإِمَامُ المُفْتَرَضُ الطَّاعَة، أَبَا نَصْرٍ مُحَمَّداً الظَّاهِرَ بِأَمْرِ اللهِ عَلَى كِتَابِ اللهِ وَسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّهِ، وَاجْتِهَادِ أَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، وَأَنْ لاَ خَلِيْفَةَ سِوَاهُ. وَبعدَ أَيَّامٍ

(١) في ترجمة أبيه الناصر من ذيل الروضتين: ١٤٥. (٢) في ذيل الروضتين: " ألا يتفسح "، والذهبي يتصرف كما ذكرنا غير مرة. (٣) اللقس: الجرب. وفي ذيل الروضتين: " قد فات الزرع ". (٤) مرآة الزمان: ٨ / ٦٤٣ (٥) مفرج الكروب: ٤ / ١٩٣.