Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (6/69)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

to him so that I may ask him to grant you safe-conduct: either a full pardon, or death with dignity—before you taste the humiliation and disgrace that will come from your own army, who will either kill you or deliver you up.’

Envoys therefore shuttled between him and al-Manṣūr, seeking an assurance of safety. When it was granted, he proceeded to al-Madāʾin. Abū Jaʿfar ordered that he be met, so they went out to receive him and admitted him. He entered on horseback; the caliph welcomed him, embraced him, and said, ‘Return to your lodgings, change your clothes, and take a bath.’

All the while Abū Jaʿfar was waiting for the right moment. For several days Abū Muslim continued to visit him, and each day he was shown an honor greater than the day before. Then the caliph began to bring accusations against him. Abū Muslim went to the prince ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā and said, ‘Ride with me to the Commander of the Faithful, for I intend to remonstrate with him.’

ʿĪsā replied, ‘Go on ahead; I will follow.’

Abū Muslim said, ‘I am afraid of him.’

He answered, ‘You are under my protection.’

So Abū Muslim set off, but when he reached the inner portico he was told, ‘The Commander of the Faithful is performing his ablution; please sit.’ ʿĪsā tarried, and Abū Jaʿfar had already stationed ʿUthmān ibn Nahīk with a detachment, saying to them, ‘When you see him and my voice is raised, he is yours.’

Naftaweih relates: Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Manṣūrī told us that when Abū Jaʿfar killed Abū Muslim he said, ‘May Allah have mercy on you, Abū Muslim! You pledged allegiance to us and we to you; you made covenants with us and we with you; you were loyal to us and we to you. Yet we also pledged that anyone who rose against us we would kill, and you rose against us—so we killed you.’

It is also said that he told the men, ‘When you hear me clap my hands, strike him.’ Shabīb ibn Wāj struck the first blow, followed by the other commanders. Then ʿĪsā entered—he had earlier pleaded with al-Manṣūr on Abū Muslim’s behalf—and when he saw the corpse he uttered the istirjaʿ: ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.’

Another report states that after the slaying, Jaʿfar ibn Ḥanẓala entered and asked, ‘What is your judgment concerning Abū Muslim?’ Al-Manṣūr replied, ‘If you have seized even a single hair of his, then kill him.’ Jaʿfar said, ‘May Allah guide you—there he lies on the carpet, slain.’

He added, ‘O Commander of the Faithful, count this as the first day of your caliphate.’

Al-Manṣūr then recited:

إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى أَسْأَلَه لَكَ الأَمَانَ، فَإِمَّا صَفْحٌ، وَإِمَّا قَتْلٌ عَلَى عِزٍّ، قَبْلَ أَنْ تَرَى المَذَلَّةَ وَالصَّغَارَ مِنْ عَسْكَرِكَ، إِمَّا قَتَلُوكَ، وَإِمَّا أَسْلَمُوكَ. قَالَ: فَسفَرَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ المَنْصُوْرِ السُّفرَاءُ، وَطَلبُوا لَهُ أَمَاناً، فَأَتَى المَدَائِنَ، فَأَمرَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، فَتَلَقَّوْهُ، وَأَذنَ لَهُ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى فَرَسِه، وَرَحَّبَ بِهِ، وَعَانَقَهُ، وَقَالَ: انْصَرَفْ إِلَى مَنْزِلِك، وَضَعْ ثِيَابَك، وَادْخُلِ الحَمَّامَ. وَجَعَلَ يَنْتَظِرُ بِهِ الفُرصَ، فَأَقَام أَيَّاماً يَأْتِي أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ، فَيَرَى كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِنَ الإِكرَامِ مَا لَمْ يَرهُ قَبْلُ. ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى التَّجنِّي عَلَيْهِ، فَأَتَى أَبُو مُسْلِمٍ الأَمِيْرَ عِيْسَى بنَ مُوْسَى، فَقَالَ: ارْكبْ مَعِي إِلَى أَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، فَإِنِّي قَدْ أَرَدْتُ عِتَابَهُ. قَالَ: تَقدَّمْ، وَأَنَا أَجِيْءُ. قَالَ: إِنِّي أَخَافُهُ. قَالَ: أَنْتَ فِي ذِمَّتِي. قَالَ: فَأَقْبَلَ، فَلَمَّا صَارَ فِي الرّوَاقِ الدَّاخِلِ، قِيْلَ لَهُ: أَمِيْرُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَتَوَضَّأُ، فَلَوْ جَلَستَ. وَأَبْطَأَ عَلَيْهِ عِيْسَى، وَقَدْ هَيَّأَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ عُثْمَانَ بنَ نَهِيْكٍ فِي عِدَّةٍ، وَقَالَ: إِذَا عَاينْتُهُ وَعَلاَ صَوْتِي، فَدُونَكُمُوْهُ. قَالَ نَفْطَوَيْه: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو العَبَّاسِ المَنْصُوْرِيُّ، قَالَ: لَمَّا قَتَلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ أَبَا مُسْلِمٍ، قَالَ: رَحمَكَ اللهُ أَبَا مُسْلِمٍ! بَايعتَنَا وَبَايعنَاكَ، وَعَاهدَتَنَا وَعَاهَدْنَاكَ، وَوَفَّيْتَ لَنَا وَوَفَّيْنَا لَكَ، وَإِنَّا بَايَعنَا عَلَى أَلاَّ يَخْرُجَ عَلَيْنَا أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ قَتَلنَاهُ، فَخَرَجتَ عَلَيْنَا، فَقَتَلنَاكَ. وَقِيْلَ: قَالَ لأُوْلَئِكَ: إِذَا سَمِعْتُم تَصفِيْقِي، فَاضْرِبُوْهُ. فَضرَبَهُ شَبِيْبُ بنُ وَاجٍ، ثُمَّ ضَرَبَهُ القُوَّادُ، فَدَخَلَ عِيْسَى، وَكَانَ قَدْ كلَّمَ المَنْصُوْرَ فِيْهِ، فَلَمَّا رَآهُ قَتِيْلاً، اسْتَرْجَعَ. وَقِيْلَ: لَمَّا قَتَلَهُ وَدَخَلَ جَعْفَرُ بنُ حَنْظَلَةَ، فَقَالَ: مَا تَقُوْلُ فِي أَمرِ أَبِي مُسْلِمٍ؟ قَالَ: إِنْ كُنْتَ أَخَذتَ مِنْ شِعْرِهِ، فَاقتُلْهُ. فَقَالَ: وَفَّقكَ اللهُ، هَا هُوَ فِي البِسَاطِ قَتِيْلاً. فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ! عُدَّ هَذَا اليَوْمَ أَوَّلَ خِلاَفَتِكَ. وَأَنْشَدَ المَنْصُوْرُ: