—the king, son of Sābūr Dhī al-Aktāf, the Persian. This is the lineage cited by the amir Abū Naṣr Ibn Mākūlā in his book ⦗1⦘.
They came to be called the Diylamah only because they lived among the Daylam people for a time. Their father, Abū Shujāʿ Būyah, was destitute: he earned a living by catching fish, while his sons carried firewood on their heads. His wife died and left him these three boys, and he sorrowed over her. One day, while he was sitting with a friend of his—Shahriyār ibn Rustam the Daylamite—an astrologer passed by. They summoned the man, and Abū Shujāʿ said, “I have had a strange dream—and I would like you to interpret it for me ⦗2⦘. I dreamed that I was urinating, and from my member there issued a great fire that almost reached the sky. It then split into three branches, and each branch spread into many others until the whole world was lit by that fire; I saw lands and peoples humbled before it.”
The astrologer replied, “That is a momentous dream; I will not interpret it unless I am paid a large sum.” Abū Shujāʿ said, “By Allah, I have nothing to give you; I possess nothing but this horse of mine.” The astrologer said, “It means that three kings will descend from your loins, and from the line of each of them many other kings will arise.” Abū Shujāʿ retorted, “Woe to you—are you mocking me?” He ordered his sons to slap the man and gave him ten dirhams. The astrologer said, “Remember this when I come to you and you are kings,” and then left them.
What happened afterwards is truly remarkable. The three brothers were at the court of a ruler named Mā Kān ibn Kālī in Ṭabaristān. When Mardāwīj overpowered him, Mā Kān grew weak, and the brothers sought his permission to depart, hoping their fortunes might improve. They left him with a number of commanders and went over to Mardāwīj, who honored them and appointed them to various posts. He gave ʿImād al-Dawlah ʿAlī ibn Būyah the deputy-governorship of al-Karaj ⦗3⦘. There he governed admirably; the people gathered around him and loved him. Mardāwīj envied him, sent orders dismissing him and summoning him, but ʿImād al-Dawlah refused to appear and headed for Isfahan. The city’s deputy fought him, yet ʿImād al-Dawlah defeated him and seized the city. He had set out with only seven hundred cavalry but returned at the head of ten thousand, and his stature rose in people’s eyes.
When news of this reached Mardāwīj he became uneasy and dispatched an army against him; they forced him out of Isfahan. He then marched to Arrajān ⦗4⦘, seized it from its deputy, and amassed a vast fortune. After that he captured many towns; his fame spread far and wide, and his governance was praiseworthy—people flocked to him out of love and reverence ⦗5⦘. A great host of soldiers gathered under his banner until, eventually, they seized Baghdad from the Abbasid caliphs. In the city it was they who had the power to bestow and withhold, to appoint and to dismiss; revenues were brought to them, and all matters were referred back to them, as we shall relate in detail. Allah’s help is sought, and He is praised in every circumstance.