and Hulagu returned with the captives and the spoils to Azerbaijan. Lu’lu’ came down to wait upon him; the Khan clothed him in a robe of honor and sent him back to Mosul. Ibn Salaya likewise presented himself, whereupon Hulagu struck off his head. He then dispatched troops who laid siege to Mayyafariqin, and he sent an envoy to al-Nasir together with a letter that read:

“To the service of King al-Nasir—may his life be prolonged. We have conquered Baghdad and uprooted both its king and its kingdom. Because he withheld his wealth and stinted on men, he imagined that his rule would remain secure. His rank was exalted and his fame had spread, yet at the height of its perfection his full moon sank:

When a matter is thought complete, its decline appears;
Expect its passing whenever it is said, ‘It is complete.’

We are intent on continual increase for all eternity. Therefore disclose what you harbor in your breast, answer the summons of the King of the Earth: you will be safe from his harm and will receive his favor. Make haste to him and do not detain our messenger. Peace.”

Jamal al-Din Sulayman ibn Ratlayn al-Hanbali relates:

“Hulagu arrived with something like two hundred thousand troops. He then demanded the Caliph. About seven hundred persons—the judges and the notables—set out with him but were turned back. The Caliph was brought with seventeen others—my father (1) among them—and Hulagu had the remainder beheaded. The Caliph was lodged in one tent and the seventeen in another.

My father said: The Caliph would come to us at night and say, ‘Pray for me.’

He added: A bird alighted on his tent, so Hulagu summoned him and asked, ‘What business has this bird, and what did it say to you?’

After an exchange between them, Hulagu ordered that the Caliph and his son Abu Bakr be trampled until they died. The seventeen were released and each was given a single arrow, yet two of them were killed.”