They said, “Then swear to us on that.”

He replied, “As for the oath, I am ready to give it to you (1); yet I shall reserve it until tomorrow, after I have performed the Friday prayer, in the presence of the Hāshimites, the judges, the certified witnesses, and the dignitaries.” It seemed that this proposal softened them somewhat (2).

When Sunday came, with eight days of Ṣafar remaining, they captured Ṣāliḥ ibn Wāṣif, killed him, and brought his head to al-Muhtadī billah just after he had finished the Maghrib prayer. He only said, “Hide it,” and then resumed his glorification and remembrance of Allah. At dawn on Monday the head was hoisted upon a spear and a crier proclaimed throughout the city, “This is the recompense of one who kills his master.” The situation, however, remained turbulent until the disorder swelled and the calamity grew grave.

Account of the deposition of al-Muhtadī and the accession of al-Muʿtamid Aḥmad ibn al-Mutawakkil, together with a mention of some of al-Muhtadī’s virtues

When word reached Mūsā ibn Bugha that Masāwir al-Shārī was laying waste to that region, he set out against him with a large army, accompanied by Mufliḥ and Baykbak (3) the Turk. They fought Masāwir the rebel but gained nothing; he outmaneuvered them, escaped, and put them to shame, having already committed atrocious acts before their arrival. The point is that the caliph al-Muhtadī billah wished to sow dissension among the Turks. He therefore wrote to Baykbak, ordering him to take command of the army from Mūsā ibn Bugha, to become commander over the troops, and to lead them to Sāmarrā’.

When the letter reached him, Baykbak read it to Mūsā ibn Bugha, whereupon Mūsā’s anger toward al-Muhtadī flared. The two of them joined forces against the caliph, set out for Sāmarrā’, and abandoned the campaign they had been pursuing. When this reached al-Muhtadī, he immediately mustered troops from among the Maghribīs, the Faraʿinah, the Ashrusaniyyah, the Arzaksiyyah, and the Turks as well, and rode forth with a sizable army. On hearing of this, Mūsā ibn Bugha turned back toward the Khurāsān road, while Baykbak professed obedience. On the twelfth of Rajab he entered the caliph’s presence, declaring full submission. Once he was brought before him, with the commanders and notables of the Banū Hāshim surrounding them, the caliph sought their counsel regarding his fate.

Ṣāliḥ ibn ʿAlī ibn Yaʿqūb ibn Abī Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr said, “Commander of the Faithful, none of the caliphs has matched the courage and daring you have shown. Abū Muslim al-Khurāsānī was more wicked than this man and commanded more troops, yet when Abū Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr killed him, the revolt died down and the cries of his followers were silenced.”

Thereupon al-Muhtadī billah ordered Baykbak’s beheading and flung his head to the Turks. When they saw this, they held him in awe; yet the next morning they gathered around Baykbak’s brother Ṭughūtiyā. The caliph marched out against him with those who remained at his side; but when the two forces met, the Turks who had been with the caliph defected to their comrades and became a single, united force.