Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (15/160)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

so Jawhar set out, captured Sijilmāsa, then advanced until he reached the Great Sea, where fish were caught for him from its waters. He went on to seize the city of Fez, took its ruler and the ruler of Ceuta prisoner, and dispatched the two of them to his master.⦗1⦘

It is also said that he was unable to take Ceuta, for it belonged to the Marwānid ruler of al-Andalus.⦗2⦘

Al-Qifṭī relates: al-Muʿizz resolved to send his army to Egypt, but his mother asked him to postpone the expedition so that she might perform the pilgrimage in secret. He granted her request, and she performed the ḥajj. When she arrived, the ustādh Kāfūr—meaning the de facto ruler of Egypt—sensed her coming; he went to her, served her personally, presented her with gifts, and assigned troops to attend her. On her return she dissuaded her son from setting his sights on Egypt; but when Kāfūr died, al-Muʿizz dispatched his army, and they took the country.⦗3⦘

The author says: He placed Jawhar at their head, collected from the Berbers the taxes due—amounting to five hundred thousand dinars—and al-Muʿizz drew on the treasuries of his forefathers, providing five hundred loads of money. They marched out at the beginning of the year 358 AH with enormous preparations.⦗4⦘

Egypt was in the grip of famine; Jawhar took it, then seized Syria and the Ḥijāz as well, and he forwarded reports to his master confirming that affairs were now in order.⦗5⦘

A dinar was struck in Egypt bearing the legend: “There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger…”⦗6⦗

(1) Al-Kamil, vol. 8, pp. 524–525. (2) Al-Bayan al-Mughrib, vol. 1, p. 222. (3) See p. 145, note 8 in this volume. (4) Al-Nujum al-Zahira, vol. 4, p. 71. (5) Wafayat al-Ayan, vol. 5, p. 226. (6) Al-Kamil, vol. 8, pp. 590–592 and 612.

فَسَارَ فَافْتَتَحَ سِجِلْمَاسَة، وَسَارَ إِلَى أَنْ وَصل إِلَى البَحْر الأَعْظَم، وَصيد لَهُ مِنْ سمكه، وَافتَتَح مَدِيْنَة فَاس وَأَسر صَاحِبهَا وَصَاحِب سَبْتَة وَبَعَثَ بِهِمَا إِلَى أُسْتَاذه (١) . وَقِيْلَ: لَمْ يقدر عَلَى سبتَة وَكَانَتْ لصَاحِب الأَنْدَلُس المَرْوَانِي (٢) . قَالَ القِفْطِيُّ (٣) :عَزَمَ المعزُّ عَلَى بعثَ جَيْشه إِلَى مِصْرَ فَسَأَلته أُمّه أَنْ يُؤخّر ذَلِكَ لتَحُجَّ خفيَة فَأَجَابهَا، وَحجت فَأَحس بقدومهَا الأُسْتَاذ كَافُوْر - يَعْنِي صَاحِب مِصْر - فَحَضَرَ إِلَيْهَا وَخدمهَا وَحمل إِلَيْهَا تُحَفاً وَبَعَثَ فِي خِدْمَتهَا أَجنَاداً فَلَمَّا رجعت منعت ابْنهَا مِنْ قصد مِصْر فَلَمَّا مَاتَ كَافُوْر بعثَ المُعَزِّ جَيْشه فَأَخذُوا مِصْر (٤) . قُلْتُ: قَدَّمَ عَلَيْهِم جوهراً فجنَى مَا عَلَى الْبَرْبَر مِنَ الضرَائِب فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ خَمْس مائَة أَلْف دِيْنَار، وَعمد المُعَزِّ إِلَى خزَائِن آبَائِهِ فَبذل مِنْهَا خَمْس مائَة حمل مِنَ المَال وَسَارُوا فِي أَوَّلِ سَنَةِ ثَمَانٍ وَخَمْسِيْنَ فِي أُهبَة عَظِيْمَة (٥) . وكَانَتْ مِصْر فِي القَحط فَأَخَذَهَا جَوْهَر وَأَخَذَ الشَّام وَالحِجَازَ (٦) وَنفَّذَ مَا يُعَرِّف مَوْلاَهُ بَانتظَام الأَمْر. وَضربت السكَة عَلَى الدّينَار بِمِصْرَ وَهِيَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ الله مُحَمَّد رَسُوْل

(١) " الكامل ": ٨ / ٥٢٤ - ٢٥٥. (٢) " البيان المغرب ": ١ / ٢٢٢. (٣) انظر ص / ١٤٥ / تعليق / ٨ / من هذا الجزء. (٤) " النجوم الزاهرة ": ٤ / ٧١. (٥) " وفيات الأعيان ": ٥ / ٢٢٦. (٦) " الكامل ": ٨ / ٥٩٠ - ٥٩٢، ٦١٢.