Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (3/542)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

its counterpart. Uncover this!’

They removed the cloths, whereupon the Sabaʾiyyah (1) leapt up, raising their hands. Shabath ibn Ribʿī denounced the spectacle, so he was struck.

When they had triumphed over ʿUbayd Allah, they were bewitched by the chair and went to extremes concerning it. I exclaimed, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah,’ and I regretted it. When the gossip intensified, the chair was hidden away.

Mukhtār held his followers fast with impossibilities and lies, and won their allegiance by killing the Nawāṣib (2).

Al-Shaʿbī reports: ‘My father and I set out with Mukhtār, and he said to us, “Rejoice! Allah’s special guard have already struck them down with the sword near (3) Nisibin.” We entered al-Madāʾin, and—by Allah—while he was addressing us the tidings of victory arrived. He said, “Did I not give you glad news of this?”

They replied, “Indeed.”

A man of Hamdān said to me, “Do you believe now?”

I asked, “In what?”

He answered, “That Mukhtār knows the unseen; did he not tell us they had been routed?”

I said, “He only claimed it happened at Nisibin, whereas it actually took place at al-Khāzir (4) near Mosul.”

He retorted, “By Allah, O Shaʿbī, you will not believe until you taste the painful punishment.”

It was further said that a man used to proclaim, “Revelation has been bestowed upon us today the like of which no one has ever heard; it contains news of what will occur.”

Mūsā ibn ʿĀmir narrated: “It was only ʿAbd Allah ibn Nawf who concocted it for them, saying, ‘Mukhtār ordered me to do so,’ while Mukhtār disowned the deed.”

Suraqah al-Bāriqī recited:

(1) The printed edition mistakenly reads “al-Sabasaba.” The Sabaʾiyya are the followers of Abd Allah b. Sabaʾ. (2) The author also records the report in his Taʾrikh, vol. 2, p. 373, with the isnad: Ibn al-Mubarak → Ishaq b. Yahya b. Talha → Maʿbad b. Khalid → Tufayl b. Jadaʿa b. Hubayra. (3) The printed text erroneously reads “fafarraqat.” (4) According to Yaqut, al-Khazir (the letter zay bears a kasra) is a river situated first between Arbil and Mosul and then between the Upper Zab and Mosul. Near it a battle took place in 67 AH between Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad and Ibrahim b. Malik al-Ashtar al-Nakhai during the uprising of al-Mukhtar. For details, see the author’s Taʾrikh al-Islam, vol. 2, p. 375 ff.

مِثْلَهُ، اكْشِفُوا هَذَا. فَكَشَفُوا الأَثْوَابَ، وَقَامَتِ السَّبَائِيَّةُ (١) ، فَرَفَعُوا أَيْدِيَهُم، فَأَنْكَرَ شَبَثُ بنُ رِبْعِيٍّ، فَضُرِبَ. فَلَمَّا انْتَصَرُوا عَلَى عُبَيْدِ اللهِ، افْتُتِنُوا بِالكُرْسِيِّ، وَتغَالَوْا فِيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ: إِنَّا للهِ، وَنَدِمْتُ. فَلَمَّا زَادَ كَلاَمُ النَّاسِ، غُيِّبَ. وَكَانَ المُخْتَارُ يَرْبِطُهُم بِالمُحَالِ وَالكَذِبِ، وَيَتَأَلَّفُهُم بِقَتْلِ النَّوَاصِبِ (٢) . عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ، قَالَ: خَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبِي مَعَ المُخْتَارِ، فَقَالَ لَنَا: أَبْشِرُوا، فَإِنَّ شُرطَةَ اللهِ قَدْ حَسُّوهُم بِالسُّيُوْفِ بِقُرْبِ (٣) نَصِيْبِيْنَ. فَدَخَلْنَا المَدَائِنَ، فَوَاللهِ إِنَّهُ لَيَخْطُبُنَا، إِذْ جَاءتْهُ البُشْرَى بِالنَّصْرِ، فَقَالَ: أَلَمْ أُبَشِّرْكُم بِهَذَا؟ قَالُوا: بَلَى. فَقَالَ لِي هَمْدَانِيٌّ: أَتُؤْمِنُ الآنَ؟ قُلْتُ: بِمَاذَا؟ قَالَ: بِأَنَّ المُخْتَارَ يَعْلَمُ الغَيْبَ، أَلَمْ يَقُلْ لَنَا: إِنَّهُم هُزِمُوا؟ قُلْتُ: إِنَّمَا زَعَمَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ بِنَصِيْبِيْنَ، وَإِنَّمَا وَقَعَ ذَلِكَ بِالخَازِرِ (٤) مِنَ المَوْصِلِ. قَالَ: وَاللهِ لاَ تُؤْمِنُ يَا شَعْبِيُّ حَتَّى تَرَى العَذَابَ الأَلِيْمَ. وَقِيْلَ: كَانَ رَجُلٌ يَقُوْلُ: قَدْ وُضِعَ لَنَا اليَوْمَ وَحْيٌ، مَا سَمِعَ النَّاسُ بِمِثْلِهِ؛ فِيْهِ نَبَأُ مَا يَكُوْنُ. وَعَنْ مُوْسَى بنِ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ: إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَضَعُ لَهُم عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ نَوْفٍ، وَيَقُوْلُ: إِنَّ المُخْتَارَ أَمَرَنِي بِهِ، وَيَتَبَرَّأُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ المُخْتَارُ. فَقَالَ سُرَاقَةُ البَارِقِيُّ:

(١) تحرف في المطبوع إلى " السباسبة " والسبائية: أتباع عبد الله بن سبأ. (٢) أورده المؤلف في " تاريخه " ٢ / ٣٧٣ من طريق ابن المبارك، عن إسحاق بن يحيى بن طلحة، حدثتي معبد بن خالد، حدثني طفيل بن جعدة بن هبيرة.. (٣) تحرف في المطبوع إلى " ففرقت ". (٤) قال ياقوت: الخازر: بعد الالف زاي مكسورة، وهو نهر بين إربل والموصل، ثم بين الزاب الأعلى والموصل، وهو موضع كانت عنده وقعة بين عبيد الله بن زياد، وإبراهيم بن مالك الاشتر النخعي في أيام المختار في سنة ٦٧ هـ. وانظر تفصيلها في " تاريخ الإسلام " ٢ / ٣٧٥ وما بعدها للمؤلف.