Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/371)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Muʿṣab ibn ʿAbd Allah said: My father, together with al-Zubayr ibn Khubayb, narrated to us and said:

Ibn al-Zubayr related: “Jurjir charged against us with one hundred and twenty thousand men, surrounding us while we were only twenty thousand—the Ifriqiyan contingent. The troops then fell into disagreement with Ibn Abī Sarḥ, so he withdrew into his pavilion. I noticed an opening on Jurjir’s side: I caught sight of him behind his ranks, riding a dapple-gray mount, with two slave-girls shading him with peacock feathers. A wide, white plain lay between him and his army. I went to our commander Ibn Abī Sarḥ, and he called for volunteers. I selected thirty horsemen and told the rest, ‘Remain in your positions.’

“I charged, saying to them, ‘Protect my rear.’ I broke through the lines until I reached Jurjir, advancing straight toward him while he and his men assumed I was merely a messenger. When I drew near, he sensed the danger and his mount balked (1) and turned to flee. I caught up with him, thrust my spear into him, and he fell. Then I severed his head, fixed it on my spear, and proclaimed the takbīr. The Muslims advanced, the enemy ranks collapsed, and Allah delivered their backs to us (2).

Maʿmar narrated from Hishām ibn ʿUrwah: Ibn al-Zubayr was carried out from among the slain on the Day of the Camel with more than forty wounds—cuts and stabs alike (3).

It is also said that on that day ʿĀʾishah gave ten thousand coins to the person who brought her news of his safety.

ʿUrwah reported: After the Messenger of Allah, no one was dearer to ʿĀʾishah than Abu Bakr; after him, Ibn al-Zubayr (4).

(1) Nasab Quraysh reads: “fa-qabbala baradhunahu muliya,” while Tarikh al-Islam, 3/170, has: “fa-tabadara baradhunahu muliya.” The same work, 2/79, records: “fa-wathaba ala baradhunihi wa walla mudbiran,” and Tadhhib Ibn Asakir, 7/402, gives: “fa-thanna baradhunahu muliya.” (2) A more extensive version of this report appears in Nasab Quraysh, pp. 237–238. The conquest of Ifriqiya took place in 27 AH; see the author’s Tarikh al-Islam, 2/78 and 2/80. (3) Tadhhib Ibn Asakir, 7/402. (4) This and the preceding reference are both found in Tadhhib Ibn Asakir, 7/402.

مُصْعَبُ بنُ عَبْدِ اللهِ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، وَالزُّبَيْرُ بنُ خُبَيْبٍ، قَالاَ: قَالَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ: هَجَمَ عَلَيْنَا جُرْجِيْرُ فِي عِشْرِيْنَ وَمائَةٍ أَلْفٍ، فَأَحَاطُوا بِنَا وَنَحْنُ فِي عِشْرِيْنَ أَلْفاً -يَعْنِي: نَوْبَةَ إِفْرِيْقِيَةَ -. قَالَ: وَاختَلَفَ النَّاسُ عَلَى ابْنِ أَبِي سَرْحٍ، فَدَخَلَ فُسْطَاطَهُ، فَرَأَيتُ غِرَّةً مِنْ جُرْجِيْرَ؛ بَصُرْتُ بِهِ خَلْفَ عَسَاكِرِهِ عَلَى بِرْذَوْنٍ أَشْهَبَ، مَعَهُ جَارِيَتَانِ تُظَلِّلاَنِ عَلَيْهِ بِرِيشِ الطَّوَاوِيْسِ، بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ جَيْشِهِ أَرْضٌ بَيْضَاءُ، فَأَتَيتُ أَمِيْرَنَا ابْنَ أَبِي سَرْحٍ، فَنَدَبَ لِيَ النَّاسَ، فَاختَرتُ ثَلاَثِيْنَ فَارِساً، وَقُلْتُ لِسَائِرِهِم: الْبَثُوا عَلَى مَصَافِّكُم. وَحَمَلتُ، وَقُلْتُ لَهُم: احْمُوا ظَهْرِي. فَخَرَقْتُ الصَّفَّ إِلَى جُرْجِيْرَ، وَخَرجْتُ صَامِداً، وَمَا يَحْسِبُ هُوَ وَلاَ أَصْحَابُهُ إِلاَّ أَنِّي رَسُولٌ إِلَيْهِ، حَتَّى دَنَوْتُ مِنْهُ، فَعَرَفَ الشَّرَّ، فَثَابَرَ (١) بِرْذَوْنُهُ مُوَلِّياً، فَأَدْركْتُهُ، فَطَعَنْتُهُ، فَسَقَطَ، ثُمَّ احْتَزَزْتُ رَأْسَهُ، فَنَصَبْتُهُ عَلَى رُمْحِي، وَكَبَّرْتُ، وَحَمَلَ المُسْلِمُوْنَ، فَارْفَضَّ العَدُوُّ، وَمَنَحَ اللهُ أَكْتَافَهُم (٢) . مَعْمَرٌ: عَنْ هِشَامِ بنِ عُرْوَةَ، قَالَ: أُخِذَ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ مِنْ وَسْطِ القَتْلَى يَوْمَ الجَمَلِ، وَبهِ بِضْعٌ وَأَرْبَعُوْنَ ضَرْبَةً وَطَعْنَةً (٣) . وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ عَائِشَةَ أَعْطَتْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِمَنْ بَشَّرَهَا بِسَلاَمَتِهِ عَشْرَةَ آلاَفٍ. وَعَنْ عُرْوَةَ، قَالَ: لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ أَحبَّ إِلَى عَائِشَةَ بَعْدَ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ مِنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَبَعْدَهُ ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ (٤) .

(١) في " نسب قريش ": فقبل برذونه موليا، وفي " تاريخ الإسلام " ٣ / ١٧٠: فتبادر برذونه موليا، وفيه أيضا ٢ / ٧٩: فوثب على برذونه وولى مدبرا، وفي " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٧ / ٤٠٢: فثنى برذونه موليا. (٢) الخبر بأطول مما هنا في " نسب قريش ": ٢٣٧، ٢٣٨. وفتح إفريقية كان في سنة سبع وعشرين هـ. انظر " تاريخ الإسلام " ٢ / ٧٨، ٨٠ للمؤلف. (٣) " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٧ / ٤٠٢. (٤) هو والذي قبله في " تهذيب ابن عساكر " ٧ / ٤٠٢.