Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (12/542)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

In 258 AH a battle broke out between the Zanj and the government army; the army was routed and its commander Manṣūr was killed. Abu Aḥmad al-Muwaffaq and Mufliḥ then advanced with an exceedingly large force to fight the vile rebel, but their troops were beaten. Muwaffaq regrouped, mustered fresh forces, and marched again, and a mighty engagement took place the like of which had never been heard.

The Muslims at first gained the upper hand, but their vanguard commander Mufliḥ (1) was slain; the ranks collapsed, the Zanj overran them, and al-Muwaffaq fled to al-Ubulla, after which the scattered troops reassembled around him.

He met the Zanj once more and this time prevailed, capturing their tyrant Yaḥyā, whom he sent to Sāmarrāʾ, where he was put to death. Then plague struck and multitudes perished.

Al-Muwaffaq faced the Zanj yet again but was defeated; many of his soldiers were killed, and he withdrew with a small detachment as the calamity worsened.

The depraved wretch all but seized control of the whole land. He was a mendacious charlatan—crafty, daring, and calculating—who claimed prophethood, rejected the true Message, and even pretended to know the unseen, may Allah curse him.

When the year 259 AH began, al-Muwaffaq reviewed his army at Wāsiṭ, while the villain entered the marshes, breached the surrounding canals, and fortified himself. Al-Muwaffaq stormed his position, burning and killing among them, freed the captives, and returned to Baghdad. The Zanj leader then marched on Ahwaz, put the populace to the sword, killing about fifty thousand and taking forty thousand captives. Mūsā b. Bugha set out against him; the two sides fought for some thirteen months, and countless souls from both armies fell beneath the sword—indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we return.

That same year Kangjūr (2) rose in rebellion; several amirs marched against him, and he was taken prisoner and beheaded (3).

The Byzantines advanced, besieging Malatya and Samosata. Qābūs sallied forth with the people of Malatya; the Byzantines were routed and their commander was killed (4).

(1) See al-Tabari, History, vol. 9, p. 492, for the report of his death. (2) In Ibn al-Athir’s al-Kamil it is spelled “Kijur.” (3) See al-Tabari, History, vol. 9, p. 502. (4) He is Nasr al-Iqritishi, a Byzantine patrician; he was killed by Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Qabus (see al-Tabari, History, vol. 9, p. 506).

وَفِي سَنَةِ ٢٥٨ جرت وَقعَة بَيْنَ الزَّنجِ، وَبَيْنَ العَسْكَر، فَانهزم العَسْكَر، وَقُتِلَ قَائِدهُم مَنْصُوْر، ثُمَّ نَهَضَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ الموفّق وَمفلح فِي عَسْكَر عَظِيْم إِلَى الغَايَة لِحَرْب الخَبِيْث، فَانهزم جَيْشه، ثُمَّ تَهَيَّأَ وَجَمَع الجُيُوش، وَأَقبلَ فَتمّت ملحمَة لَمْ يُسْمَعْ بِمثلهَا. وَظهر المُسْلِمُوْنَ، ثُمَّ قُتل مقدَّمُهُم مُفْلِح (١) ، فَانهزم النَّاس، وَاسْتبَاحهُم الزَّنج، وَفَرَّ الموفّق إِلَى الأُبُلَّةِ، وَترَاجعت إِلَيْهِ العَسَاكِر. ثُمَّ الْتَقَى الزَّنجَ فَانتصر، وَأَسرَ طَاغيتهُم يَحْيَى، وَبَعَثَ بِهِ إِلَى سَامَرَّاء فَذبح، وَوَقَعَ الوبَاء، فَمَاتَ خَلاَئِق. ثُمَّ الْتَقَى الموفَّقُ الزَّنجَ فَانكسر، وَقُتِلَ خَلْقٌ مِنْ جَيْشه، وَتحيَّز هُوَ فِي طَائِفَة، وَعظُم البلاَء. وَكَادَ الخَبِيْث أَنْ يملك الدُّنْيَا، وَكَانَ كذَّاباًَ مُمَخرِقاً مَاكراً شُجَاعاً دَاهِيَةً، ادَّعَى أَنَّهُ بُعِثَ إِلَى الخَلْق، فردَّ الرِّسَالَة، وَكَانَ يدّعِي عِلمَ الْغَيْب - لَعنه الله -. وَدخلت سنَة تِسْع، فَعَرض الموفّق جَيْشه بِوَاسِطَ، وَأَمَّا الخَبِيْث فَدَخَلَ البطَائِح، وَبثق حَوْلَهُ الأَنهَار وَتحصَّن، فَهجم عَلَيْهِ الموفّق، وَأَحرق وَقَتَلَ فِيْهِم، وَاسْتنقذ مِنَ السّبايَا، وَردّ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ، فَسَارَ خَبِيْث الزَّنج إِلَى الأَهْوَاز، فَوَضَع السَّيْف، وَقَتَلَ نَحْواً مِنْ خَمْسِيْنَ أَلْفاً، وَسبَى أَرْبَعِيْنَ أَلفاً، فَسَارَ لِحَرْبِهِ مُوْسَى بن بغَا، فَتحَاربا بَضْعَة عشر شَهْراً، وَذَهَبَ تَحْتَ السَّيْف خَلاَئِق مِنَ الفَرِيْقَيْنِ - فَإِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُون -. وَفِيْهَا عصَى كَنْجُور (٢) ، فَسَارَ لِحَرْبِهِ عِدَّة أُمرَاء، فَأَسر وَذبح (٣) . وَأَقبلت الرُّوْم، فَنَازلُوا ملطيَة وَسُمَيسَاط، فَبرز القَابوس بِأَهْل ملطيَة، فَهُزم الرُّوْمُ، وَقُتِلَ مُقدَّمهُم (٤) .

(١) راجع خبر مقتله في " تاريخ الطبري " ٩ / ٤٩٢. (٢) في " الكامل " لابن الأثير: كيجور. (٣) انظر " تاريخ الطبري " ٩ / ٥٠٢. (٤) وهو نصر الاقريطشي بطريق البطارقة، قتله أحمد بن محمد القابوس راجع " تاريخ الطبري " ٩ / ٥٠٦.