appointed him to the caliphate after me, and, after him, Yazīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. Therefore listen to him and obey; fear Allah and do not fall into discord, lest your enemy grow hopeful against you. (1)
He sealed the document and sent for Kaʿb ibn Ḥāmid al-ʿAbsī, the chief of police, and said to him, “Assemble the members of my household and order them to pledge allegiance to what is written in this sealed letter; whoever among them refuses—strike off his head.” (2)
They gathered, and some of them entered and greeted the Commander of the Believers. He said to them, “This letter is my covenant to you. Listen to it and obey, and give the oath of allegiance to the one I have named therein.” They then pledged, one man after another.
Rajāʾ said: When they dispersed, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz came to me and said, “I adjure you by Allah, and by the bond and affection between us, to tell me whether my name has been written in it, so that I may excuse myself now before a moment comes when I can no longer do so.” I replied, “By Allah, I will not tell you a single word.”
Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik also met me and said, “O Rajāʾ, there is a long-standing bond and affection between us. Tell me about this matter: if it is meant for me, I will know; and if it is for someone else, a man like me would not be kept back from it.” I said, “By Allah, I will not tell you a single word of what was entrusted to me.”
Rajāʾ continued: I entered upon Sulaymān and found him in the throes of death. Whenever the stupor of death overtook him I would turn him toward the qiblah, and when he regained consciousness he would say, “It is not time for that yet, O Rajāʾ.” When this happened a third time he said, “From now on, O Rajāʾ, if you wish to do anything, do it.” Then he declared, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.” I oriented him toward the qiblah and he passed away—may Allah have mercy on him.
I covered him with a green cloak, closed the door upon him, and sent word to Kaʿb ibn Ḥāmid, who gathered the people in the mosque of Dābiq. I said, “Pledge allegiance to whomever is named in this letter.” They said, “We have already pledged.” I said, “Pledge again,” and they did so. Then I said, “Rise to your leader, for he has died.” I read the letter to them, and when I reached the mention of ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz the faces of the Banū Marwān darkened; but when I read, “and after him Yazīd (3) ibn ʿAbd al-Malik,” they relaxed somewhat.
Hishām shouted, “We will never pledge to him!” I said, “By Allah, I will strike off your head—stand and pledge!” The people then went over to ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who was sitting at the back of the mosque. When he realized what had happened he said, “To Allah we belong and to Him we return.” His legs could not carry him, so they took hold of his arms and helped him up to the pulpit, where he remained silent for a while.
Rajāʾ ibn Ḥaywah said, “Will you not rise to the Commander of the Believers and pledge him your allegiance?” The people stood and pledged. Hishām then came forward, ascended the pulpit to pledge, saying, “To Allah we belong and to Him we return.” ʿUmar said, “Indeed—to Allah we belong and to Him we return—that you and I should now dispute over this matter.”
He then rose, delivered an eloquent address, and they pledged their allegiance to him. Among the words he spoke in his sermon were: “O people, I am not an innovator; rather, I am a follower. Those around you from…"