Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (12/538)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

the palace. When they reached Dar Najur they ushered al-Muhtadī inside, and he kept repeating, “Mūsā, fear Allah! Woe to you—what is it that you want?”

Mūsā replied, “By Allah, we only want what is good,” and he swore to him, “No harm shall come to you.” They in turn made the caliph swear that he would not side with Ṣāliḥ ibn Waṣīf; he swore, and they renewed their pledge of allegiance to him on the spot. They then went looking for Ṣāliḥ in order to interrogate him, but he disappeared. Al-Muhtadī bi-Allah was escorted back to his residence, and later Ṣāliḥ was killed in the most dreadful manner.

In Muharram of the year 256 AH it was reported that Sīyamā al-Sharābiyy claimed a woman had brought him a letter containing advice for the Commander of the Believers and saying, “If you wish to find me, I am in such-and-such a place.” He said that the woman was sought but could not be found.

He gathered the emirs and asked, “Do you recognize this script?” One man said, “Yes, it is Ṣāliḥ’s hand. In it he says he is hiding in Sāmarrāʾ and that al-Ḥasan ibn Makhlad knows where the money is.” The tone of the letter showed the man’s boldness.

Al-Muhtadī suggested a reconciliation, but Ibn Bugha and his followers distrusted him and opposed him; the next day they began talking about deposing him.

Bakiyāl said, “Woe to you! You killed the son of al-Mutawakkil and now you want to kill this fasting, devout man? If you do, I shall go off to Khurāsān and publicly denounce you!”

Al-Muhtadī then came out wearing white garments with a sword strapped on. He ordered that they be admitted to him and said, “I have heard what you are up to. I am not like al-Mustaʿīn or al-Muʿtazz. By Allah, I did not come out until I had had myself shrouded and made my last testament. This is my sword: as long as my hand can grip it I shall strike with it. Have you no religion, no sense of shame, no scruple (1)? How long will this rebellion against the caliphs and this brazenness before Allah continue?”

He then said, “I do not know where Ṣāliḥ is.”

They said, “Swear to us.”

He replied, “When Friday comes and I have performed the prayer, I will swear.” So they were satisfied.

= Al-Suyuti, Tarikh al-Khulafaʾ, 362. Al-Tabari’s Tarikh and Ibn al-Athir’s al-Kamil read: “They placed him on a mount belonging to the shakariyya (the caliphal cavalry).” Tarikh al-Khulafaʾ, however, says: “on a feeble horse.” (1) In Tarikh al-Khulafaʾ, 362, the word is misprinted as “daʿa.” The same report appears in al-Tabari, Tarikh, 9/442.

القصرَ. وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا دَارَ نَاجُور أَدخلُوا المُهْتَدِي إِلَيْهَا، وَهُوَ يَقُوْلُ: يَا مُوْسَى اتَّقِ اللهَ وَيْحَكَ مَا تُرِيْدُ؟ قَالَ: وَاللهِ مَا نُريدُ إِلاَّ خَيْراً، وَحلفَ لَهُ: لاَ نَالكَ سوءٌ، ثُمَّ حلَّفُوهُ أَنْ لاَ يُمَالِئ صَالِحَ بنَ وَصيفٍ، فحلَفَ لَهُم، فَبَايعُوهُ حِيْنَئِذٍ، ثُمَّ طلبُوا صَالِحاً ليحَاقِقُوهُ، فَاخْتَفَى، وَرُدَّ المُهْتَدِي بِاللهِ إِلَى دَارِهِ، ثُمَّ قُتِلَ صَالِحٌ شَرَّ قِتلَةٍ فِيْمَا بَعْد. وفِي المُحَرَّمِ مِنْ سنَةِ سِتٍّ ذُكِرَ أَنَّ سِيَمَا الشَّرَابِيَّ زَعَمَ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً جَاءت بِكِتَابٍ فِيْهِ نصيحَةٌ لأَمِيْرِ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ، وَإِنْ طلبتمونِي فَأَنَا فِي مَكَانِ كَذَا وَكَذَا. قَالَ: فَطُلِبَتْ، فلَمْ تَقَعْ. فجمعَ الأُمَرَاءَ وَقَالَ: هَذَا كِتَابٌ تَعْرِفونَهُ؟ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: نَعَمْ، هُوَ خطُّ صَالِحٍ، وَفِيْهِ يَذْكُرُ أَنَّهُ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِسَامَرَّاءَ، وَأَنَّ الأَمْوَالَ عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ الحَسَنِ بنِ مَخْلَدٍ، وَكَانَ كِتَابُهُ دَالاًّ عَلَى قُوَّةِ نَفْسِهِ. فَأَشَارَ المُهْتَدِي بِالصُّلْحِ، فَاتَّهَمَهُ ابْنُ بُغَا وَذَوُوهُ، وَنَافسُوهُ، ثُمَّ مِنَ الغَدِ تَكلَّمُوا فِي خَلْعِهِ. فَقَالَ بَاكيَال: وَيْحَكُم، قتلتُمُ ابْنَ المُتَوَكِّلِ، وَتُريدُوْنَ قتْلَ هَذَا الصَّوَّام الدَّيِّن! لَئِنْ فعلتُم لأَصيرَنَّ إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ، وَلأُشنِّعَنَّ عَلَيْكُم. ثُمَّ خَرَجَ المُهْتَدِي وَعَلَيْهِ ثِيَابٌ بيضٌ، وَتقلَّدَ سيفاً، وَأَمرَ بِإِدخَالِهِم إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: قَدْ بَلَغَنِي شأَنُكُم، وَلَسْتُ كَالمستعينِ وَالمُعْتَزِّ، وَاللهِ مَا خرجْتُ إِلاَّ وَأَنَا مُتَحَنِّطٌ، وَقَدْ أَوصَيْتُ، وَهَذَا سيفِي، فلأَضرِبَنَّ بِهِ مَا اسْتمسَكَ بِيَدِي، أَمَا دِيْنٌ، أَمَا حيَاءٌ، أَمَا رِعَةٌ (١) ؟ كم يَكُوْن الخلاَفُ عَلَى الخُلَفَاءِ، وَالجرأَةُ عَلَى اللهِ؟ ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَا أَعْلَمُ أَيْنَ هُوَ صَالِحٌ. قَالُوا: فَاحلِفْ لَنَا. قَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الجُمُعَةِ، وَصَلَّيْتُ، حلفْتُ. فرضُوا

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