You have repented of killing the Illustrious (1) son of Muslim—
yet when you meet Allah, your remorse will be deeper still.
You once shared in the spoils of his campaigns,
but today you are the very booty of those you face.
He has attained the maidens of Paradise,
while Hell, heavy with affliction, will close in upon you.
He (the author) continued:
Among his sons and descendants several held the governorship of various provinces. One of them was ʿAmr (2) ibn Saʿīd ibn Qutaybah ibn Muslim, a man of celebrated generosity. When he died, Abū ʿAmr Ashjaʿ ibn ʿAmr al-Sulamī al-Marī (3), then residing in Basra, composed this elegy for him:
The son of Saʿīd has departed to that realm
where no East or West remains without a panegyrist for him.
I never grasped the full bounty of his open hand toward mankind
until the blades (4) concealed him from our sight.
He now lies in a narrow niche of earth,
though, when alive, even wide plains seemed too small for him.
I shall weep for you so long as my tears flow; and if they cease,
then what the breast (5) conceals will suffice as proof of my grief.
Though my calamity—great as it is—does not drive me to frenzy,
yet no joy shall ever gladden me after your death.
It is as though no living soul had died but you,
and as though the dirges rose for no one else.
If the elegies composed for you are fair indeed,
the praises sung of you before them were fairer still.
Ibn Khallikān (6) remarked: “This is one of the finest elegies, and it is included in the Ḥamāsa (7).” He then spoke about the tribe of Bāhila, noting that it is regarded with contempt among the Arabs.
He related: I found in one compilation that al-Ashʿath ibn Qays asked, “O Messenger of Allah, are our blood-wergilds equivalent?” He replied, “Yes! And if you were to kill a man from Bāhila, I would kill you in retaliation.”
It was said to one Bedouin, “Would you be pleased to enter Paradise as a Bāhili?” He answered, “On the condition that the people of Paradise never find out.”
A Bedouin once asked a man, “Of which people are you?” He replied, “Of Bāhila.” The Bedouin began to commiserate with him. The man added, “And let me add that I am not of their original stock; I am merely one of their clients.” The Bedouin thereupon started kissing his hands and feet. The man asked, “Why are you doing this?” He answered, “Because Allah, Exalted is He, would not have afflicted you with such a calamity in this world except to reward you with Paradise in the Hereafter (8).”