Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (22/335)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Mosul. He was reputed for extraordinary physical strength, lived to a ripe old age, and performed the pilgrimage together with the emir Asad al-Din Shirkuh ibn Shadhi. He died in 563 AH, leaving behind several endowments, charitable works, and a madrasa in Mosul.

When he passed away, Irbil fell to this son of his while the boy was scarcely out of adolescence. Mujāhid al-Din Qaymaz became his atabeg, but soon moved against him: Qaymaz drafted a formal document declaring the young ruler unfit for kingship, arrested him, and installed his brother Zayn al-Din Yusuf in his place. Muẓaffar al-Din thereupon headed for Baghdad, but the authorities paid him no attention. He then made his way to Mosul and its ruler, Saif al-Din Ghazi ibn Mawdūd, who granted him the fief of Harran. After residing there for some time, he entered the service of Sultan Saladin, campaigned at his side, won his full confidence and affection, received Edessa in addition to his holdings, and married Saladin’s sister Rabiʿah, the woman who endowed the Ṣāḥibiyyah foundation.

Muẓaffar al-Din displayed conspicuous bravery on the day of Ḥaṭṭīn. Later, his brother—the lord of Irbil—came to Saladin’s aid but fell ill and died at Acre. The Sultan then bestowed upon Muẓaffar al-Din the cities of Irbil and Shahrazur, while reclaiming Harran and Edessa from him.

He loved charity: every day he distributed large quantities of bread, and each year he clothed great numbers of people, giving them one or two dinars apiece. He built four hospices for the chronically ill and disabled, and every Monday and Thursday he would visit them, ask each patient about his condition, look after him, speak with him amicably, and joke with him. He erected a house for women, another for orphans, and a third for foundlings, complete with wet-nurses. He made regular rounds among the patients of the bimaristan. A guesthouse received every traveller, who was given whatever he required.

He also built a madrasa for both the Shāfiʿīs and the Ḥanafīs, maintained a public table there, and frequently attended samāʿ (spiritual music) sessions—nothing else pleased him as much. He barred every reprehensible practice from entering his realm, built two ribāṭs for the Sufis, and would join them in their samāʿ gatherings.

Each year he ransomed large numbers of captives, financed a caravan for the pilgrimage, sent five thousand dinars to the residents of the Holy Precincts, and brought running water to ʿArafāt.

المَوْصِل، وَكَانَ يُوْصَف بِقُوَّةٍ مُفْرِطَةٍ، وَطَالَ عُمُرُهُ، وَحَجَّ هُوَ وَالأَمِيْرُ أَسَدُ الدِّيْنِ شِيرْكُوْهُ بنُ شَاذِي، وَتُوُفِّيَ فِي سَنَةِ ثَلاَثٍ وَسِتِّيْنَ وَخَمْسِ مائَةٍ، وَلَهُ أَوقَافٌ وَبِرٌّ وَمَدْرَسَة بِالمَوْصِلِ. فَلَمَّا مَاتَ، تَملك إِرْبِل ابْنه هَذَا وَهُوَ مُرَاهِق، وَصَارَ أَتَابَكه مُجَاهِد الدِّيْنِ قَيْمَاز، فَعمل عَلَيْهِ قَيْمَاز، وَكَتَبَ مَحضراً بِأَنَّهُ لاَ يَصلُح لِلمُلْك، وَقبضَ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَلَّكَ أَخَاهُ زَيْن الدِّيْنِ يُوْسُف، فَتوجّه مُظَفَّر الدِّيْنِ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ، فَمَا الْتَفَتُوا عَلَيْهِ، فَقَدِمَ المَوْصِلَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا سَيْفِ الدِّيْنِ غَازِي بنِ مَوْدُوْدٍ، فَأَقطعه حَرَّان، فَبقِي بِهَا مُدَيْدَة، ثُمَّ اتَّصل بِخدمَة السُّلْطَان صَلاَح الدِّيْنِ، وَغَزَا مَعَهُ، وَتَمَكَّنَ مِنْهُ، وَأَحَبّه، وَزَاده الرُّهَا، وَزَوَّجَهُ بِأُخْته رَبِيْعَةَ وَاقِفَةِ الصَّاحبيَّةِ. وَأَبَان مُظَفَّر الدِّيْنِ عَنْ شجَاعَة يَوْم حِطِّين، وَبَيَّنَ، فَوَفَدَ أَخُوْهُ صَاحِب إِرْبِل عَلَى صَلاَح الدِّيْنِ نَجدَة، فَتمرض، وَمَاتَ عَلَى عَكَّا، فَأَعْطَى السُّلْطَان مُظَفَّر الدِّيْنِ إِرْبِل وَشهرزور، وَاسْترد مِنْهُ حَرَّان وَالرُّهَا. وَكَانَ مُحِبّاً لِلصَّدقَة، لَهُ كُلّ يَوْم قنَاطير خُبْز يُفرِّقهَا، وَيَكسو فِي العَامِ خلقاً وَيُعْطِيهُم دِيْنَاراً وَدِيْنَارَيْنِ، وَبَنَى أَرْبَع خَوَانك لِلزَّمْنَى وَالأَضرَّاء، وَكَانَ يَأْتيهِم كُلّ اثْنَيْنِ وَخَمِيْس، وَيَسْأَل كُلّ وَاحِد عَنْ حَالِه، وَيَتفقَّده، وَيُبَاسِطه، وَيَمزح مَعَهُ. وَبَنَى دَاراً لِلنِّسَاءِ، وَدَاراً لِلأَيتَامِ، وَدَاراً لِلُّقطَاءِ، وَرتَّبَ بِهَا المَرَاضِعَ. وَكَانَ يَدُور عَلَى مَرْضَى البيمَارستَان. وَلَهُ دَارٌ مُضِيف يَنْزِلهَا كُلّ وَارد، وَيُعْطَى كُلّ مَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ. وَبَنَى مَدْرَسَةً لِلشَّافِعِيَّة وَالحَنَفِيَّة، وَكَانَ يَمدّ بِهَا السِّمَاط، وَيَحضر السَّمَاع كَثِيْراً، لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ لَذَّة فِي شَيْءٍ غَيْره. وَكَانَ يَمْنَع مِنْ دُخُوْلِ مُنْكَرٍ بَلَدَهُ، وَبَنَى لِلصُّوْفِيَة رِبَاطَينِ، وَكَانَ يَنْزِل إِلَيْهِم لأَجْل السَّمَاعَات. وَكَانَ فِي السَّنَةِ يَفْتَكُّ أَسرَى بِجُملَةٍ، وَيُخْرِجُ سَبِيلاً لِلْحَجِّ، وَيَبعثَ لِلمُجَاوِرِيْنَ بِخَمْسَةِ آلاَف دِيْنَارٍ، وَأَجرَى المَاء إِلَى عرفَات.