Another rebel arose in the Mosul region, and a thousand men rallied to him. He laid siege to the people of Nasībīn; they sallied forth, a battle ensued, and he killed one hundred of them and took a thousand captive. He then sold them back their lives and exacted four hundred thousand dirhams from the townsfolk. Nāṣir al-Dawlah ibn Ḥamdān was commissioned to deal with him; he engaged him, defeated him, captured him, and sent him on to Baghdad as well—praise be to Allah.

In the same year the Caliph bestowed robes of honour upon his son Hārūn. The vizier and the army rode with him, and he was appointed deputy governor of Fārs, Kirmān, Sijistān, and Makrān (1). Robes were likewise conferred upon his son Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Rāḍī, whom he made viceroy over the Maghrib, Egypt, and Syria, with Muʾnis al-Khādim charged with managing their affairs.

That year the pilgrimage was led by ʿAbd al-Samīʿ ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Hāshimī. The pilgrims travelled under escort and armed protection (2) and, by Allah’s grace, went and returned unharmed by the Qarmatians.

[Among the notable persons who died this year]

Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq (3) ibn al-Bahlūl ibn Ḥassān ibn Sinān (4), Abū Jaʿfar al-Tanūkhī, the Ḥanafī judge—upright, trustworthy, and esteemed.

He was a noble, reliable jurist who had heard a vast number of hadiths; from Abū Kurayb he transmitted a single report. Learned in grammar, eloquent of speech, a fine poet, and commendable in his judicial rulings.

It so happened that the Lady, mother of al-Muqtadir, established a waqf (charitable endowment) and the judge placed a copy of the deed in the court archives. Later she wished to annul that endowment, so she summoned the judge and asked him to bring the document so that she might destroy it.

When he appeared behind the curtain and grasped her intent, he said, “That is impossible, for I am the trustee of the Muslims’ interests. Either you dismiss me from the judiciary and appoint someone else over this matter, or you abandon what you intend—there is no other way.”

She complained of him to her son al-Muqtadir and sought his intercession. The judge explained the situation to the Caliph, who then returned to his mother and said, “This is a man whose services are to be desired; there is no way to remove him or trifle with him.” The Lady accepted this, sent to thank the judge for his stand, and he replied:

“Whoever puts Allah’s command before the command of His servants, Allah will shield him from their harm (5) [and grant him the best they have to offer] (6).”