Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (13/9)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

5 – Ibn Khāqān, Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā the Turk

The grand vizier, Abū al-Ḥasan ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Yaḥyā ibn Khāqān, originally a Turk and later of Baghdad.

He served as vizier for al-Mutawakkil and, after him, for al-Muʿtamid, and many episodes are related about him.

Al-Mustaʿīn banished him to Barqah; five years later he returned to Baghdad and was appointed vizier once more in 256 AH.

Muḥriz the secretary reports that ʿUbayd Allāh fell ill, so his uncle al-Fath visited him and said, “The Commander of the Faithful is asking after your condition.” He replied:

I suffer on two fronts— from sickness and from debt;
These two alone preoccupy me, and they suffice for all my cares. (1)

Al-Mutawakkil thereupon endowed him with one million.

Al-Ṣūlī relates that al-Mutawakkil once said, “I am weary of presenting old men; find me a youth instead.” They summoned ʿUbayd Allāh. When the caliph addressed him, he was struck by the young man’s poise and ordered him to write something; his handwriting also pleased him.

His uncle al-Fath remarked, “What he has written is better still.” “And what did he write?” asked the caliph. He replied with the verse, “Indeed, We have granted you a clear victory” (Q 48:1), adding, “I took this as a good omen.”

The caliph therefore placed him in charge of the ʿarḍ (military muster), and he enjoyed high favor with al-Mutawakkil.

He was open-handed and exceedingly generous.

(*) Al-Tabari, Tarikh (History), vol. 9, pp. 258, 354, 474, 532; vol. 11, p. 246. Ibn Abi Ya‘la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila, vol. 1, p. 204. Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, MS: vol. 10, fols. 377b–379a. Ibn al-Jawzi, Al-Muntazam, vol. 5, p. 45. Ibn al-Athir, Al-Kamil, vol. 7, p. 310. Al-Dhahabi, ‘Ibar al-Mu‘tathir, vol. 2, p. 26. Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya wa-l-Nihaya, vol. 11, p. 36. Ibn al-‘Imad, Shadharat al-Dhahab, vol. 2, p. 147. (1) Al-Basa’ir wa-l-Dhakha’ir, vol. 1, p. 49, under the phrase “min al-iflas …”; see also Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq, MS: vol. 10, fol. 377b.

٥ - ابْنُ خَاقَانَ أَبُو الحَسَنِ عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بنُ يَحْيَى التُّرْكِيُّ * الوَزِيْرُ الكَبِيْرُ، أَبُو الحَسَنِ عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بنُ يَحْيَى بنِ خَاقَانَ التُّرْكِيُّ، ثُمَّ البَغْدَادِيُّ. وَزَرَ لِلْمُتَوَكِّلِ، وَلِلْمُعْتَمِدِ. وَجَرَتْ لَهُ أُمُوْرٌ. وَقَدْ نَفَاهُ المُسْتَعِيْنُ إِلَى بَرْقَةَ، ثُمَّ قَدِمَ بَغْدَادَ بَعْدَ خَمْسِ سِنِيْنَ، ثُمَّ وَزَرَ سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَخَمْسِيْنَ. ذَكَرَ مُحْرِزٌ الكَاتِبُ أَنَّ عُبَيْدَ اللهِ مَرِضَ، فَعَادَهُ عَمُّهُ الفَتْحُ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ أَمِيْرَ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَسْأَلُ عَنْ عِلَّتِكَ. فَقَالَ: عَلِيْلٌ مِنْ مَكَانَيْنِ ... مِنَ الأَسْقَامِ وَالدَّيْنِ وَفِي هَذَيْنِ لِي شُغْلٌ ... وَحَسْبِيْ شُغْلُ هَذَيْنِ (١) فَوَصَلَهُ المُتَوَكِّلُ بِأَلْفِ أَلْفٍ. وَرَوَى الصُّوْلِيُّ: أَنَّ المُتَوَكِّلَ قَالَ: قَدْ مَلِلْتُ عَرْضَ الشُّيُوْخِ، فَابْغُوْنِي حَدَثاً. ثُمَّ طَلَبَ عُبَيْدَ اللهِ، فَلَمَّا خَاطَبَهُ، أَعْجَبَتْهُ حَرَكَتُهُ، فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ، فَأَعْجَبَهُ خَطُّهُ. فَقَالَ عَمُّهُ الفَتْحُ: وَالَّذِي كَتَبَ أَحْسَنُ. قَالَ: وَمَا كَتَبَ؟ قَالَ: ﴿إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحاً مُبِيْناً﴾ [الفَتْحُ: ١] ، وَقَدْ تَفَاءَلْتُ بِذَلِكَ. فَوَلاَّهُ العَرْضَ، وَحَظِيَ عِنْدَ المُتَوَكِّلِ. وَكَانَ سَمْحاً جَوَاداً.

(*) تاريخ الطبري: ٩ / ٢٥٨، ٣٥٤، ٤٧٤، ٥٣٢، و١١ / ٢٤٦، طبقات الحنابلة: ١ / ٢٠٤، تاريخ ابن عساكر: خ: ١٠ / ٣٧٧ ب - ٣٧٩ أ، المنتظم: ٥ / ٤٥، الكامل لابن الأثير: ٧ / ٣١٠، عبر المؤلف: ٢ / ٢٦، البداية والنهاية: ١١ / ٣٦، شذرات الذهب: ٢ / ١٤٧. (١) البصائر والذخائر: ١ / ٤٩، وفيه من الافلاس ... " وتاريخ دمشق " لابن عساكر: خ: ١٠ / ٣٧٧ ب.