Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (13/130)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

by cloaking himself in affiliation with them; in truth, however, the man was a dahrī (materialist), a would-be philosopher, an irreligious zindīq.

He first appeared in Basra (1), beguiled the slaves and the city’s riff-raff, and soon every thief and suspect character flocked to him until their numbers swelled. With that rabble he fell upon the people of Basra, prevailed, plundered the town, enslaved its children, and seized control. Al-Muʿtamid’s army was mobilised against him; the two forces met, yet the villain carried the day. His calamity grew, he swept through the provinces, annihilated their inhabitants, and nearly captured Baghdad itself. Several pitched battles (2) took place between him and the caliphal troops. He even founded a city he named al-Mukhtārah, a fortress of the highest security, and his army exceeded one hundred thousand. Had it not been for his flagrant heresy and apostasy, he would have conquered whole kingdoms.

I have already recounted something of his rebellion during the reign of al-Muʿtamid; his turmoil lasted fourteen years.

Al-Niftawayh said: He was first in Wāsiṭ and would occasionally write protective charms. Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAwn arrested him, imprisoned him, and then released him. No sooner was he free than he enticed the Zanj—that is, the slaves and those who sweep the streets and collect dung (3)—and events took their course. Even the caliphs feared him, until Allah granted them victory after battles that turn young men’s forelocks grey.

He was killed—praise be to Allah—in Ṣafar of the year 270 AH, at the age of forty-eight.

Were I to set down all his exploits and incidents, they would fill a whole volume. He was excessively brave,

(1) His first appearance dates to the year 255 AH. See: Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil, vol. 7, p. 205 ff. (2) The verb saffa al-jaysh (to draw up the army) and safahu fa-huwa musaf mean to arrange one’s ranks opposite the enemy’s lines. The term al-masaf (with an open m and a doubled f) is the plural of masf and designates the battlefield where these ranks are formed. (3) al-kasah means sweeping; al-kasaha refers to what is swept away. The phrase yuzab-bilun denotes improving the soil with zabala (manure).

بِالانْتِمَاءِ إِلَيْهِم، وَإِلاَّ فَالرَّجُلُ دَهْرِيٌّ فَيْلَسُوفٌ زِنْدِيْقٌ. ظَهَرَ بِالبَصْرَةِ (١) ، وَاسْتغوَى عَبِيْدَ النَّاسِ وَأَوبَاشَهُم، فَتَجَمَّعَ لَهُ كُلُّ لِصٍّ وَمُرِيْبٍ وَكَثُرُوا، فَشَدَّ بِهِم عَلَى أَهْلِ البَصْرَةِ، وَتَمَّ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَاسْتبَاحُوا البَلَدَ، وَاسْتَرَقُّوا الذُّرِّيَّةَ، وَمَلَكُوا، فَانْتُدِبَ لِحَرْبِهِم عَسْكَرُ المُعْتَمِدِ، فَالْتَقَى الفَرِيقَانِ، وَانْتَصَرَ الخَبِيْثُ، وَاسْتَفْحَلَ بَلاَؤُهُ، وَطَوَى البِلاَدَ، وَأَبَادَ العِبَادَ، وَكَادَ أَنْ يَمْلِكَ بَغْدَادَ، وَجَرَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الجَيْشِ عِدَّةُ مَصَافَّاتٍ (٢) ، وَأَنْشَأَ مَدِينَةً سَمَّاهَا: المُخْتَارَةَ، فِي غَايَةِ الحَصَانَةِ، وَزَادَ جَيْشُهُ عَلَى مائَةِ أَلْفٍ، وَلَوْلاَ زَنْدَقَتُهُ وَمُرُوْقُهُ لاَسْتَوْلَى عَلَى المَمَالِكِ. وَقَدْ سُقْتُ مِنْ فِتْنَتِهِ فِي دَوْلَةِ المُعْتَمِدِ، وَكَانَتْ أَيَّامُهُ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً. قَالَ نِفْطَوَيْه: كَانَ أَوَّلاً بِوَاسِطَ، وَرُبَّمَا كَتَبَ العُوَذَ، فَأَخَذَهُ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ أَبِي عَوْنٍ، فَحَبَسَهُ، ثُمَّ أَطْلَقَهُ، فَمَا لَبِثَ أَنْ خَرَجَ وَاسْتَغْوَى الزِّنْجَ -يَعْنِي: عَبِيْدَ النَّاسِ وَالَّذِيْنَ يَكْسَحُوْنَ وَيَزْبِلُوْنَ (٣) - فَصَارَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ مَا صَارَ، وَخَافَتْهُ الخُلَفَاءُ، ثُمَّ أَظْفَرَهُمُ اللهُ بِهِ بَعْدَ حُرُوبٍ تُشَيِّبُ النَّوَاصِي. وَقُتِلَ - وَللهِ الحَمْدُ -: فِي سَنَةِ سَبْعِيْنَ وَمائَتَيْنِ، فِي صَفَرٍ، وَلَهُ ثَمَانٌ وَأَرْبَعُوْنَ سَنَةً. وَلَوْ أَفْرَدْتُ أَخْبَارَهُ وَوقَائِعَهُ لَبَلَغْتُ مُجَلَّداً. وَكَانَ مُفْرِطَ الشَّجَاعَةِ،

(١) كان أول ظهوره سنة (٢٥٥ هـ) . انظر: " الكامل " لابن الأثير: ٧ / ٢٠٥، وما بعد. (٢) يقال: صف الجيش يصفه صفا، وصافه فهو مصاف: إذا رتب صفوفه في مقابل صفوف العدو. والمصاف، بفتح الميم، وتشديد الفاء: جمع مصف: وهو موضع الحرب الذي يكون فيه الصفوف. (٣) الكسح: الكنس. والكساحة: الكناسة. ويزبلون، أي: يصلحون الأرض بالزبل.