Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (4/305)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

One day he sat down, a spark flashing in his eyes, (1) so I looked at him and said, “Commander, I know what you wish to do.”

He asked, “And who are you?”

I replied, “I adjure you—do not ask me that.”

Realizing that I was someone concealing his identity, he called for a tablet and said, “Write out a copy.”

I said, “You have no need of it.” I then began to dictate to him while he watched until the dispatch on the conquest was finished.

He had me mounted on a mule, sent me bolts of silk, (2) and I occupied the very best station with him. One evening, while I was dining in his company, the courier of al-Ḥajjāj arrived bearing a letter that read:

“When you set eyes on this letter of mine, know that the bearer of your correspondence is ʿĀmir al-Shaʿbī. If he slips through your hands, I shall sever your hand along with your foot and dismiss you from office.”

He turned to me and said, “I did not recognize you until this moment. Go wherever you wish on earth; by Allah, I shall swear every oath to him.”

I said, “Commander, a man like me cannot remain hidden.”

He replied, “You know best.”

He then sent me off to al-Ḥajjāj, instructing the escort, “When you reach the green outskirts of Wāsiṭ, shackle him and then bring him before al-Ḥajjāj.”

As I approached Wāsiṭ, Ibn Abī Muslim came out to meet me and said, “Abū ʿAmr, I am loath to see you killed. When you enter upon the governor, say such-and-such and such-and-such.”

When I was ushered into al-Ḥajjāj’s presence and he saw me, he said, “No welcome and no greeting! You come to me without high rank among your people and not even as their spokesman. You did what you did, and then you rose up against me.”

I remained silent. He said, “Speak!”

I said, “May Allah set the governor right: everything you have said is true. Yet after you we have blackened our eyes with sleeplessness and wrapped ourselves in fear, (3) and with all that we have been neither god-fearing saints nor forceful sinners. This, then, is the time for you to spare my blood and accept my repentance.”

He said, “I have done so.” (4)

= Haytal lies in the direction of the sunrise, to the right of anyone travelling toward the lands of the Turks. End of citation from Muʿjam al-Buldan. (1) barq: to be bewildered. (2) al-saraq (sing. sarqa): a segment cut from a thick plaited rope. (3) See the next page, 306, note (1). (4) Ibn ʿAsakir quotes the report at length (ʿAsim ʿAyyidh, p. 208 ff.); the passage in brackets is taken from his version.

فَجَلَسَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَقَدْ بَرِقَ (١) ، فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ، فَقُلْتُ: أَيُّهَا الأَمِيْرُ، عِنْدِي عِلْمُ مَا تُرِيْدُ. فَقَالَ: وَمَنْ أَنْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: أُعِيْذُكَ أَلاَّ تَسْأَلَ عَنْ ذَاكَ. فَعَرَفَ أَنِّي مِمَّنْ يُخْفِي نَفْسَهُ، فَدَعَا بِكِتَابٍ، فَقَالَ: اكْتُبْ نُسْخَةً. قُلْتُ: لاَ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ. فَجَعَلْتُ أُمِلُّ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَنْظُرُ، حَتَّى فَرَغَ مِنْ كِتَابِ الفَتْحِ. قَالَ: فَحَمَلَنِي عَلَى بَغْلَةٍ، وَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ بِسَرَقٍ (٢) مِنْ حَرِيْرٍ، وَكُنْتُ عِنْدَهُ فِي أَحْسَنِ مَنْزِلَةٍ، فَإِنِّي لَيْلَةً أَتَعَشَّى مَعَهُ، إِذَا أَنَا بِرَسُوْلِ الحَجَّاجِ بِكِتَابٍ فِيْهِ: إِذَا نَظَرْتَ فِي كِتَابِي هَذَا، فَإِنَّ صَاحِبَ كِتَابِكَ عَامِرٌ الشَّعْبِيُّ، فَإِنْ فَاتَكَ، قَطَعْتُ يَدَكَ عَلَى رِجْلِكَ، وَعَزَلْتُكَ. قَالَ: فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ، وَقَالَ: مَا عَرَفْتُكَ قَبْلَ السَّاعَةِ، فَاذْهَبْ حَيْثُ شِئْتَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ، فَوَاللهِ لأَحْلِفَنَّ لَهُ بِكُلِّ يَمِيْنٍ. فَقُلْتُ: أَيُّهَا الأَمِيْر، إِنَّ مِثْلِي لاَ يَخْفَى. فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ. قَالَ: فَبَعَثَنِي إِلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: إِذَا وَصَلْتُمْ إِلَى خَضْرَاءِ وَاسِطَ، فَقَيِّدُوْهُ، ثُمَّ أَدْخِلُوْهُ عَلَى الحَجَّاجِ. فَلَمَّا دَنَوْتُ مِنْ وَاسِطٍ، اسْتَقْبَلَنِي ابْنُ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا عَمْرٍو، إِنِّي لأَضِنُّ بِكَ عَنِ القَتْلِ، إِذَا دَخَلْتَ عَلَى الأَمِيْرِ، فَقُلْ كَذَا، وَقُلْ كَذَا. فَلَمَّا أُدْخِلْتُ عَلَيْهِ، وَرَآنِي، قَالَ: لاَ مَرْحَباً وَلاَ أَهْلاً، جِئْتَنِي وَلَسْتَ فِي الشَّرَفِ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ، وَلاَ عرِيْفاً، فَفَعَلْتَ وَفَعَلْتَ، ثُمَّ خَرَجْتَ عَلَيَّ. وَأَنَا سَاكِتٌ، فَقَالَ: تَكَلَّمْ. فَقُلْتُ: أَصْلَحَ اللهُ الأَمِيْرَ، كُلُّ مَا قُلْتَهُ حَقٌّ، وَلَكِنَّا قَدِ اكْتَحَلْنَا بَعْدَكَ السَّهَرَ، وَتَحَلَّسْنَا (٣) الخَوْفَ، وَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَعَ ذَلِكَ بَرَرَةً أَتْقِيَاءَ، وَلاَ فَجَرَةً أَقْوِيَاءَ، فَهَذَا أَوَانُ حَقَنْتَ لِي دَمِي، وَاسْتَقْبَلْتَ بِيَ التَّوْبَةَ. قَالَ: قَدْ فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ (٤) .

= هيطل من جهة مطلع الشمس على يمين القاصد لبلاد الترك. اه. معجم البلدان. (١) برق: تحير. (٢) السرق: مفردها سرقة، وهي القطعة من جيد الجرير. (٣) انظر الصفحة التالية ٣٠٦ حاشية (١) . (٤) أورد ابن عساكر الخبر مطولا (عاصم عايذ) ٢٠٨ وما بعدها، وما بين الحاصرتين منه.