and ʿĪsā ibn Aḥmad al-Balkhī (1).
And Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam al-Miṣrī (2), the Mālikī jurist, who kept the company of al-Shāfiʿī and narrated from him.

[Then the year 269 AH began]

In this year al-Muwaffaq—may Allah grant him success—applied himself to demolishing the wall of the city held by the leader of the Zanj. He destroyed a large portion of it (3), enabling the armies to cross into the town. While he was thus engaged, however, an arrow shot by a Byzantine named Qirṭās struck him in the chest and nearly killed him. He steadied himself, bore up bravely, and still took part in the fighting. He remained in his own town, al-Muwaffaqiyya, for several days undergoing treatment. Conditions grew chaotic and the people were greatly afraid of the leader of the Zanj. They urged al-Muwaffaq to withdraw to Baghdad, but he refused, and his illness intensified. Then Allah granted him recovery in Shaʿbān, at which the Muslims rejoiced exceedingly. He hastened back to the siege and found that the villain had repaired much of what al-Muwaffaq had previously destroyed; he therefore ordered that section and everything around it to be demolished again. He kept up the siege and did not let up until he captured the western quarter of the city. He devastated the palaces of the Zanj leader and the houses of his commanders, seizing an immense amount of their wealth—beyond count or description. He captured women of the Zanj and rescued many Muslim women and children, ordering that they be returned to their families with honor.

The Zanj leader had meanwhile moved to the eastern side and had built a bridge and causeways to prevent the river barges (samariyyāt) from reaching him. Al-Muwaffaq ordered these to be destroyed and the bridges cut. The siege continued throughout the year, and he did not cease until he had taken the eastern sector, together with its depots and treasure. The wretch fled in headlong flight, abandoning his wives, children, and stores, which al-Muwaffaq seized—praise and gratitude belong to Allah.

To recount all this in detail would be exceedingly lengthy; Ibn Jarīr (4) recorded it at full length, Ibn al-Athīr (5) produced a summary, and Ibn Kathīr (6) an even briefer account. Allah is the One who guides to what is right; to Him is the return and the final resort.

When the caliph al-Muʿtamid saw that his brother had seized control of the caliphate’s affairs and had become the sole ruler, commanding and forbidding at will,