Al-Faḍl (1) Abū Manṣūr, the Commander of the Faithful al-Mustarshid bi’Llāh (2): he was one of the best of the ʿAbbāsid caliphs—resolute (3) and courageous, personally taking part in warfare, as we have mentioned earlier. The Bāṭiniyyah assassinated him at the Gate of Marāgha on Thursday, the seventeenth of Dhū al-Qaʿdah of this year; his body was then carried to Baghdad where he was buried. May Allah have mercy on him, moisten his resting-place with His mercy, and make Paradise his station (4) and abode.

[Then the year 530 AH began]

In it: a dispute arose between the Caliph al-Rāshid and Sultan Masʿūd, because the latter sent to the Caliph demanding the sum—four hundred thousand dinars—his father al-Mustarshid had undertaken (5) to pay when he was taken captive. The Caliph refused (6) to hand over the money and declared, “There is nothing between us and you but the sword.” Thus enmity flared between them. The Sultan mustered the armies, while the Caliph roused the emirs. He dispatched to ʿImād al-Dīn Zankī (7), who came, and multitudes (8) flocked to him. Around the same time (9) Sultan Dāwud ibn Maḥmūd ibn Muḥammad ibn Malikshāh arrived; the Caliph had the Friday sermon delivered in his name in Baghdad, invested him with robes of honour, and pledged (10) allegiance to him as king. Consequently, the estrangement between the Sultan and the Caliph became very great.

The Caliph marched out to the outskirts of Baghdad, the army parading before him just as they had done (11) [for his father before him] (12). That took place on Wednesday, the last day of Shaʿbān. Sultan Dāwud set out from another direction. When they learned of the great host accompanying Sultan Masʿūd (13), ʿImād al-Dīn Zankī advised the Caliph to go with him (14) [to the lands of Mosul. Meanwhile, it so happened that Sultan] (15) Masʿūd entered Baghdad in their absence on (16) Monday.