Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/184)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

al-Ashʿath would usually carry the day. The war dragged on for several months, and great numbers were killed on both sides. In the end the army of Ibn al-Ashʿath was routed, and he fled to King Rutbīl, seeking his protection.

ʿAlqamah ibn ʿAmr said to him, “I fear for you. I can almost see al-Ḥajjāj’s letter reaching Rutbīl, alternately enticing and intimidating him; once it does, he will either hand you over or kill you. Yet here are five hundred fighters who have pledged among themselves to enter a fortified town, defend it, and fight until we are granted safe-conduct or die with honor.”

Ibn al-Ashʿath refused, and kept the five hundred in place until ʿUmārah ibn Tamīm arrived. They fought him, and he granted them security and kept his promise.

After that, letters from al-Ḥajjāj poured in upon Rutbīl demanding Ibn al-Ashʿath; Rutbīl surrendered him on condition that he be allowed to retain the ḥiml (annual tribute) (1) for seven years.

Some said that Ibn al-Ashʿath contracted tuberculosis and died, whereupon his head was severed and sent to al-Ḥajjāj.

Others said that al-Ḥajjāj wrote to Rutbīl: “I have dispatched ʿUmārah at the head of thirty thousand men to seize Ibn al-Ashʿath.” Rutbīl refused to deliver him. With Ibn al-Ashʿath was ʿUbayd ibn Abī Subayʿ; Ibn al-Ashʿath sent him to Rutbīl, which put the king at ease and won him over.

Ibn al-Ashʿath’s brother al-Qāsim said to him, “I do not trust Rutbīl’s treachery; kill him”—meaning ʿUbayd—so he considered doing so. ʿUbayd sensed this and grew afraid; someone informed Rutbīl of it and warned him of al-Ḥajjāj’s threat. ʿUbayd then slipped away secretly to ʿUmārah and immediately demanded one million dirhams for handing over Ibn al-Ashʿath.

ʿUmārah wrote about this to al-Ḥajjāj, who replied: “Give ʿUbaydah and Rutbīl whatever they have requested.” ʿUbaydah set further conditions, they were granted, and he sent for Ibn al-Ashʿath and thirty members of his household. Chains and iron fetters had been prepared for them; they were shackled and dispatched to ʿUmārah, who set off with them.

When Ibn al-Ashʿath drew near to Iraq, they lodged him atop a ruined fortress. He threw himself down and died. Some said that he jumped together with al-Ḥurr, who was chained to him, both of them fettered at the ankles, and the two of them perished. That occurred in the year 84 AH.

(1) ḥiml: an annual tribute or levy.

(1) This is the reading in the base manuscript—and it is grammatically possible—but the more likely word is al-sulh (the settlement), for al-Tabari, 6/390, states: “and he relinquished to him the settlement he had been taking from him for seven years.” The editor of Tarikh al-Islam emended it to al-ja‘l (the monetary reward), but we do not find that persuasive.

الأَشْعَثِ. وَدَامَ الحَرْبُ أَشْهُراً، وَقُتِلَ خَلْقٌ مِنَ الفَرِيْقَيْنِ، وَفِي آخِرِ الأَمْرِ انْهَزَمَ جَمْعُ ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ، وَفَرَّ هُوَ إِلَى المَلِكِ رُتْبِيْلَ مُلْتَجِئاً إِلَيْهِ. فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلْقمَةُ بنُ عَمْرٍو: أَخَافُ عَلَيْكَ، وَكَأَنِّي بِكِتَابِ الحَجَّاجِ قَدْ جَاءَ إِلَى رُتْبِيْلَ يُرْغِبُهُ وَيُرْهِبُهُ، فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ بَعَثَ بِكَ أَوْ قَتَلَكَ، وَلَكِن هَا هُنَا خَمْسُ مائَةِ مُقَاتِلٍ قَدْ تَبَايَعْنَا عَلَى أَنْ نَدْخُلَ مَدِيْنَةً نَتَحَصَّنُ بِهَا، وَنُقَاِتُلُ حَتَّى نُعْطَى أَمَاناً، أَوْ نَمُوْتَ كِرَاماً. فَأَبَى عَلَيْهِ، وَأَقَامَ الخَمْسَ مائَةٍ حَتَّى قَدِمَ عُمَارَةُ بنُ تَمِيْمٍ، فَقَاتَلُوْهُ، حَتَّى أَمَّنَهُم، وَوَفَى لَهُم. ثُمَّ تَتَابَعَتْ كُتُبُ الحَجَّاجِ إِلَى رُتْبِيْلَ بِطَلَبِ ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ، فَبَعَثَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ عَلَى أَنْ تَرَكَ لَهُ الحِمْلَ (١) سَبْعَةَ أَعْوَامٍ. وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ ابْنَ الأَشْعَثِ أَصَابَهُ السِّلُّ، فَمَاتَ، فَقُطِعَ رَأْسُهُ، وَنُفِذَ إِلَى الحَجَّاجِ. وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ الحَجَّاجَ كَتَبَ إِلَى رُتْبِيْلَ: إِنِّي قَدْ بَعَثْتُ إِلَيْكَ عُمَارَةَ فِي ثَلاَثِيْنَ أَلْفاً يَطْلُبُوْنَ ابْنَ الأَشْعَثِ. فَأَبَى أَنْ يُسْلِمَهُ، وَكَانَ مَعَ ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ عُبَيْدُ بنُ أَبِي سُبَيْعٍ، فَأَرْسَلَهُ إِلَى رُتْبِيْلَ، فَخَفَّ عَنْ رُتْبِيْلَ، وَاخْتَصَّ بِهِ. قَالَ لابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ أَخُوْهُ القَاسِمُ: لاَ آمَنُ غَدْرَ رُتْبِيْلَ، فَاقْتُلْهُ -يَعْنِي: عُبَيْداً- فَهَمَّ بِهِ. فَفَهِمَ ذَلِكَ، وَخَافَ، فَوُشِيَ بِهِ إِلَى رُتْبِيْلَ، وَخَوَّفَهُ مِنْ غَائِلَةِ الحَجَّاجِ، وَهَرَبَ سِرّاً إِلَى عُمَارَةَ، فَاسْتَعْجَلَ فِي ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ. فَكَتَبَ بِذَلِكَ عُمَارَةُ إِلَى الحَجَّاجِ، فَكَتَبَ: أَنْ أَعْطِ عُبَيْدَةَ وَرُتْبِيْلَ مَا طَلَبَا. فَاشْتَرَطَ أُمُوْراً، فَأُعْطِيَهَا، وَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى ابْنِ الأَشْعَثِ وَإِلَى ثَلاَثِيْنَ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ، وَقَدْ هَيَّأَ لَهُم القُيُوْدَ وَالأَغْلاَلَ، فَقَيَّدَهُم، وَبَعَثَ بِهِم إِلَى عُمَارَةَ، وَسَارَ بِهِم. فَلَمَّا قَرُبَ ابْنُ الأَشْعَثِ مِنَ العِرَاقِ، أَلْقَى نَفْسَهُ مِنْ قَصْرٍ خَرَابٍ أَنْزَلُوْهُ فَوْقَهُ، فَهَلَكَ. فَقِيْلَ: أَلْقَى نَفْسَهُ وَالحُرَّ مَعَهُ الَّذِي هُوَ مُقَيَّدٌ مَعَهُ، وَالقَيْدُ فِي رِجْلَيِ الاثْنَيْنِ، فَهَلَكَا، وَذَلِكَ فِي سَنَةِ أَرْبَعٍ وَثَمَانِيْنَ.

(١) كذا الأصل - وهو محتمل - ولعلها (الصلح) فقد جاءت عبارة الطبري ٦ / ٣٩٠ هكذا: " وترك له الصلح الذي كان يأخذه منه سبع سنين " وقد صححها محقق تاريخ الإسلام، ب (الجعل) ولا نراه.