In the year sixty-eight (268 AH) the wretch’s detachments kept defecting to al-Muwaffaq, who received them with courtesy and generosity.

Jaʿfar al-Sajjān, the wretch’s confidant, also came over; al-Muwaffaq rewarded him with a large sum of gold. Jaʿfar then boarded a boat, sailed until he drew level with the wretch’s palace, and cried out, “How long will you go on putting up with that lying wretch?” He exposed what he had discovered of the man’s falsehood and impiety, and a great many people asked for safe-conduct.

Al-Muwaffaq next advanced against the city, breached several sections of its wall, and his troops poured in from every quarter. Grown overconfident, they were counter-attacked by the Zanj; many were struck down and large numbers drowned.

Al-Muwaffaq withdrew to his own base, repaired its deficiencies, and cut the wretch off from all supplies. Matters grew so desperate that the wretch’s followers ate dogs and carrion. Many of them fled; when al-Muwaffaq questioned the refugees, they said, “For a whole year we have not seen bread.” Bahbūd, the greatest of the wretch’s commanders, was killed, and the wretch himself slew his own son because the young man had been on the point of going over to al-Muwaffaq. Ahmad al-Khujistānī was attacked and killed by his own slaves, and, under the command of Khalaf the Turk, people campaigned against the Byzantines, killing a dozen-odd thousand of them.

In the year sixty-nine (269 AH) al-Muwaffaq stormed al-Mukhtāra by force, proclaimed an amnesty, and the wretch’s household fought desperately on his behalf. Al-Muwaffaq seized the wretch’s treasuries and set fire to parts of the city. He was wounded by an arrow, yet appeared for battle the next morning; although the wound pained him, the enemy were frightened and withdrew until he had recovered (1), whereupon the wretch set about repairing his ruined town.

That same year the caliph al-Muʿtamid left Sāmarrāʾ intending to join the ruler of Egypt, Ahmad ibn Ṭūlūn, who was then in Damascus. When word reached al-Muwaffaq, he incited their associate Ishāq ibn Kundāj to intercept him. Ishāq met al-Muʿtamid between Mosul and al-Ḥadītha and said, “O Commander of the Faithful! What is this? Your brother is facing the enemy while you abandon the citadel of your power! As soon as the foe learns of this, he will cease resisting your enemy and the rebel will overrun the lands of your forefathers. And here is your brother’s letter.”