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When Sultan Ṭughril Beg—may Allah aid him—escaped from his siege in Hamadhān, fought his brother Ibrāhīm, captured and killed him, gained full control of affairs, felt at ease, and no rival remained for him in those lands, he wrote to Quraysh ibn Badrān, the Bedouin chieftain, ordering him to return the caliph to his homeland and residence as before, threatening him with severe punishment should he refuse.
Quraysh replied in conciliatory tones, seeking peace and saying:
“I stand with you against al-Basāsirī with everything I can muster until Allah grants us power over him. I only fear that I might act hastily in a way that would harm the caliph, or that someone might strike him first and the blame would fall on me. Nevertheless, I shall do all I can to carry out your command, and I will arrange for the caliph’s esteemed consort, the noble Arslān Khātūn, to be restored to her house and rightful place.”
He then corresponded with al-Basāsirī, advising him to return the caliph to his residence and warning him about Sultan Ṭughril Beg. Among the things he wrote were:
“You have summoned us to obey al-Mustanṣir, the ruler of Egypt, yet six hundred farsakhs separate us from him. No envoy or messenger has come to us from his side, nor has he given any thought to what we sent him. Meanwhile, this sultan is lying in wait behind us, close at hand.
A letter has reached me from Sultan Ṭughril Beg, bearing the superscription:
‘To the illustrious prince ʿAlam al-Dīn Abū al-Maʿālī Quraysh ibn Badrān, client of the Commander of the Faithful, from the exalted Shāhanshāh, King of East and West, Ṭughril Beg Abū Ṭālib Muḥammad ibn Mīkāʾīl ibn Saljūq.’
At the top of the letter was the regal seal in the sultan’s own hand: ḥasbi Allāh wa-niʿma al-wakīl (Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs).
The letter said:
‘Now destiny has driven us to fight every enemy of religion and of the realm. Of all pressing matters nothing remains for us but to serve our master and lord, the Commander of the Faithful al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh, and to seat the splendor of his Imamate upon the throne of his might. This duty is incumbent upon us, and there is no room to neglect it ⦗1⦘ for even an hour. We have already advanced with the horses and armies of the East for this great purpose. We therefore wish the illustrious prince ʿAlam al-Dīn to exert himself fully in this, for that is the successful endeavor to which he has been granted special favor.
He is to fulfill his trust and service at the gate of our master, the Imam al-Qāʾim bi-Amr Allāh, the Commander of the Faithful, in one of two ways:
Either he brings him to the nest of his glory—the abode of his Imamate and the station of his caliphate in the City of Peace—standing before him to oversee his affairs, execute his commands, and wield his sword and pen. This is our desire. In that mandated service he will be our deputy. Though that service constitutes only part of what is due to him, it will grant him authority over all Iraq; the watering places of its land and sea will be his alone, and no hoof of Arab or non-Arab horse shall tread a span of that kingdom save at his request to aid and support him.
Or he may safeguard the caliph’s precious person by moving him from the citadel to his own camp—or else keep him in the citadel until we arrive to serve him—pledging to restore him. In that case the illustrious prince is free either to rely on us or to remain…’
(The text breaks off here.)