Account of the war between al-Muʿizz the Fatimid and al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad the Qarmati (1)

When al-Muʿizz the Fatimid had firmly established himself in Egypt, founding Cairo and the two palaces there and consolidating his rule, al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad the Qarmati set out against him from al-Aḥsāʾ with a large host of his followers. He was joined by the leader of the Arab tribes in Syria, Ḥassān b. al-Jarrāḥ al-Ṭāʾī, together with the whole body of the Syrian Arabs. When al-Muʿizz learned of their approach, he was struck with dismay at their numbers. He therefore wrote to the Qarmati to win him over, saying:

‘The daʿwah of your forefathers was in ancient times addressed to my forefathers, and so our summons is one and the same.’ He then praised his own excellence and that of his ancestors. The answer came back to him (2):

‘Your letter has reached us—abundant in praise, scant in substance. We are coming right behind it (3). Peace.’

When they entered Egyptian territory, they spread devastation—killing, looting, and sowing corruption. Al-Muʿizz was at a loss, for the Qarmati’s forces were vast and his own army too weak to resist them. He therefore resorted to stratagem and deceit: he corresponded with Ḥassān b. al-Jarrāḥ, promising him one hundred thousand dinars if he would abandon the Qarmati amid the fighting. Ḥassān replied (4):

‘Send me what you have promised and come forward with your troops; once we engage I shall flee with my men, leaving the Qarmati without strength, and you may seize him as you wish (5).’

Al-Muʿizz accordingly dispatched to him one hundred thousand dinars in sacks, but he adulterated most of them (6): he struck copper coins, plated them with gold, placed them at the bottoms of the sacks, and put the genuine dinars on top. After sending the money, he set out in its wake with his army. The two sides met; once they faced one another and battle was joined, Ḥassān b. al-Jarrāḥ fled with the Arabs. The Qarmati’s position crumbled, while al-Muʿizz the Fatimid gained the upper hand and routed him. The Qarmatians retreated before him to Adhruʿāt in utter humiliation (7). Al-Muʿizz sent in pursuit the commander Abū al-Maḥmūd b. Ibrāhīm b. Jaʿfar with ten thousand cavalry to cut off their strength (8).

[Al-Muʿizz the Fatimid seizes Damascus, wresting it from the Qarmatians]
After the Qarmati and his followers had been defeated, al-Muʿizz dispatched a detachment under Ẓālim b. Marhūb al-ʿUqaylī, appointing him governor of Damascus,