Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (15/140)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

Al-Qāʾim himself was a man of virtue, concerned for the welfare of his subjects and eager to see their needs met.

It is reported that while he remained a prisoner among the Bedouin he composed a written plea and sent it to the Sacred House of Allah, seeking redress against his oppressor. It read:
“To Allah the Mighty, from His poor servant: O Allah, You are the Knower of what is hidden, fully aware of the secrets of hearts. O Allah, by Your knowledge and Your encompassing sight You have no need of any statement from me. This servant of Yours has shown ingratitude for Your favors and failed to thank You; Your forbearance emboldened him until he wronged us in tyranny. O Allah, helpers are few and the oppressor has grown strong, yet You are the All-Aware, the Judge. By You we seek strength against him, to You we flee from his grasp. We have brought him before You for judgment (1); we rely on You alone to grant us justice, we have delivered our grievance to Your Sanctuary, and we trust in Your generosity to remove it. So judge between us in truth, for You are the best of judges (2).”

As for Toghril Beg, he captured his brother and killed him (3). He then wrote to the governor of ʿĀnah (4) concerning the return of al-Qāʾim to his seat of honour (5).

Another report states that al-Basāsīrī himself decided on that step when news reached him of the sultan Toghril Beg. Accordingly, he placed al-Qāʾim in the capital on the twenty-fifth of Dhū al-Qaʿdah in the year 451 AH (6).

Toghril Beg then dispatched an army; they fought al-Basāsīrī, killed him, and his head was carried in procession (7).

Thus, the Friday sermon in Baghdad was delivered in the name of al-Mustanṣir for a full year.

(1) The original manuscript reads: Hakimna. (2) Ibn al-Jawzi, al-Muntazam, vol. 8, pp. 195–196. (3) Al-Muntazam, vol. 8, p. 202. (4) A well-known town located between Raqqa and Hit, administratively part of al-Jazira; it overlooks the Euphrates near Haditha al-Nura and contains a formidable fortress (Yaqut, Muʿjam al-Buldan, vol. 4, p. 72). (5) Al-Muntazam, vol. 8, pp. 203–204. (6) Al-Muntazam, vol. 8, p. 208. (7) Al-Muntazam, vol. 8, p. 210.

وَكَانَ القَائِمُ فِيْهِ خَيْرٌ وَاهتمَام بِالرَّعيَة، وَقضَاءٌ لِلْحَوَائِجِ. وَقِيْلَ: أَنَّهُ لمَا بَقِيَ مُعتقلاً عِنْد العَرَبِ كتبَ قِصَّةً، وَبَعَثَ بِهَا إِلَى بَيْتِ اللهِ مستَعْدِياً مِمَّن ظَلَمَهُ وَهِيَ: إِلَى اللهِ العَظِيْمِ مِنَ المِسْكِيْنِ عَبده: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّك العَالِمُ بِالسَّرَائِر، المطَّلِعُ عَلَى الضَّمَائِر. اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّك غَنِيٌ بِعِلْمِكَ وَاطِّلاعِكَ عليَّ عَنْ إِعلاَمِي، هَذَا عبدُكَ قَدْ كَفَر نِعَمَكَ وَمَا شَكَرهَا، أَطْغَاهُ حِلْمُكَ حَتَّى تعدَّى عَلَيْنَا بَغْياً. اللَّهَّم قَلَّ النَّاصِر وَاعتزَّ الظَالِمُ، وَأَنْتَ المطَّلِعُ الحَاكِم، بِكَ نعتز عَلَيْهِ، وَإِليك نهرُب مَنْ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَدْ حَاكَمْنَاهُ (١) إِلَيْكَ، وَتوكلْنَا فِي إِنصَافِنَا مِنْهُ عَلَيْكَ، وَرفَعْنَا ظُلاَمَتَنَا إِلَى حَرَمك، وَوثِقْنَا فِي كَشْفهَا بكَرَمِك. فَاحكمْ بَيْنَنَا بِالْحَقِّ، وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الحَاكمِين (٢) . وَأَمَّا مَا كَانَ مِنْ طُغْرُلْبَك، فَإِنَّهُ ظَفِرَ بِأَخِيْهِ وَقَتَله (٣) . ثُمَّ كَاتِب مُتَوَلِّي عَانَة (٤) فِي أَنْ يَرُدَّ القَائِمَ إِلَى مَقرِّ عزّه (٥) . وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ البَسَاسِيرِيَّ عَزَمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَمَّا بَلَغَه السُّلْطَان طُغْرُلْبَك، فَحَصَّلَ القَائِمَ فِي مقرّ دَوْلته فِي الخَامِس وَالعِشْرِيْنَ مِنْ ذِي القَعْدَةِ، سَنَةَ إِحْدَى وَخَمْسِيْنَ (٦) . ثمَّ جهَّز طُغْرُلْبَك عَسْكَراً قَاتلُوا البَسَاسِيرِيَّ فَقُتل وَطيف بِرَأْسِهِ (٧) . فكَانَتِ الخُطْبَة لِلْمستنصر بِبَغْدَادَ سنَةً كَامِلَة.

(١) في الأصل: حاكمنا. (٢) " المنتظم ": ٨ / ١٩٥ - ١٩٦. (٣) " المنتظم ": ٨ / ٢٠٢. (٤) بلد مشهور بين الرقة وهيت، يعد في أعمال الجزيرة، وهي مشرفة على الفرات قرب حديثة النورة، وفيها قلعة حصينة. " معجم البلدان ": ٤ / ٧٢. (٥) " المنتظم ": ٨ / ٢٠٣ - ٢٠٤. (٦) " المنتظم ": ٨ / ٢٠٨. (٧) " المنتظم ": ٨ / ٢١٠.