Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (14/268)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Then came the year 571 AH.

In it:
The Franks asked Sultan Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn—who had taken up residence (1) in Damascus at Marj al-Ṣuffar—for a truce, and he granted it [for Syria was suffering a drought, so he found himself in need of such an arrangement] (2).

He sent his army, together with al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil, to Egypt so that they might collect the revenues and then return, while he himself resolved to remain in Syria. He therefore relied on his secretary al-ʿImād as a substitute for [the most eloquent of God’s servants in those lands—al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil, exemplar of scholars and nobles, destination of seekers, adornment of assemblies, the ornament of Islam, whose tongue is sharper than a sword’s edge. Yet the sultan had to dispatch him to Egypt to serve as his eye and his aid there, and as an eloquent spokesman on his behalf; thus he was obliged to find someone to replace him, and no one was dearer or more beloved to him than al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil] (3).

[From the ṭawīl meter]
It was not by choice that Sulaymā took Laylā’s place—
but necessity, after all, issues its own decrees.

The sultan’s decision to remain in the Syrian lands (4) was the height of prudence, planning, and inspired foresight, so that he might safeguard the newly acquired provinces, fearing for them the assault (5) that lurked there.

When he had sent the armies to Egypt and stayed behind with only a small detachment (6) of his forces—while Allah had guaranteed him victory—the lord of Mosul, Sayf al-Dīn Ghāzī (7), nephew of Nūr al-Dīn, wrote to the people of Aleppo rebuking them for the reconciliation that had taken place between them and King Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn. At that very moment he was occupied with besieging his brother ʿImād al-Dīn Zangī (8) at Sinjār—hardly a righteous deed, for the sole reason he had taken up arms against his brother was that the latter had refused obedience to (9) King al-Nāṣir and his kin. When he perceived the might of al-Nāṣir and those who stood with him, he made peace with his brother. Thereafter he incited the Aleppans to break their covenants and fling them back at him (10); they therefore sent him the very treaties they had concluded with the sultan and invited him to act upon them. He sought the help of Allah

(1) In T: “and he resides in Marj al-Suffar.” (2) Not found in A. (3) In T: “al-Qadi,” and there was none dearer to him. (4) Not found in T. (5) In B: “min.” (6) In T: “a small group.” (7) His biography was previously given in the notes for the year 570 of this volume. (8) In T: “engaged in fighting and besieging his brother, Imad al-Din Zanki, at Sinjar.” (9) In A and B: read “except his refusal” (in A: “his allegiance”) to obeying al-Malik al-Nasir. (10) In A and B: “on renouncing the treaties with al-Malik Salah al-Din.”

ثم دخلت سنة إِحدى وسبعين وخمسمائة فيها: طلب الفرنج من السلطان صلاح الدين، وكان قد أقام (١) بدمشق في مرج الصُّفَّر، أن يهادنهم فأجابهم إِلى ذلك، [لأن الشام كان مجدبًا فاحتاج إِلى ذلك] (٢) ، وأرسل جيشه صحبة القاضي الفاضل إِلى الديار المصرية، ليستغلوا المغل، ثم يقبلوا، وعزم على المقام بالشام، واعتمد على كاتبه العماد عوضًا عن [أفصح العباد، بتلك البلاد، وهو القاضي الفاضل، قدوة العلماء والأماثل، ورحلة الطالبين، وزين المحافل، زين الإسلام، ومَنْ لسانه أحدّ من حسام، ولكن احتاج السلطان إِلى إِرساله إِلى الديار المصرية ليكون عينًا وعونًا له بها، ولسانًا فصيحًا يعبّر عنها، فاحتاج أن يتعوض عنه، ولم يكن أحد أعز عليه ولا أحبّ إِليه منه] (٣) . [من الطويل] وَمَا عَنْ رِضَىً كَانَتْ سُلَيْمَى بَديلةً … بِلَيْلَى ولَكِنْ للضَّروراتِ أَحْكامُ وكانت إِقامة [السلطان ببلاد] (٤) الشام، هو غاية الحزم والتدبير والإلهام، ليحفظ ما استجد من الممالك، خوفًا عليه من سطوة ما (٥) هنالك. ولما أرسل الجيوش إِلى مصر، وبقي في طائفة (٦) قليلة من عسكره، والله قد تكفل له بالنصر، كتب صاحب الموصل سيف الدين غازي (٧) ابن أخي نور الدين، إِلى جماعة الحلبيين، يلومهم على ما وقع بينهم وبين الملك صلاح الدين من المصالحة، وقد كان إِذ ذاك مشغولًا بمحاصرة أخيه عماد الدين زنكي (٨) بسنجار، وليست هذه بفعلة صالحة، وما كان سبب قتاله لأخيه إِلا لكونه أبى طاعةَ (٩) الملك الناصر وذويه، فاصطلح مع أخيه حين عرف قوة الناصر وناصريه، ثم حرَّض الحلبيين على نقض العهود، ونبذها إِليه (١٠) ، فأرسلوا إِليه بالعهود التي عاهدوه عليها، ودعوه إِليها. فاستعان بالله

(١) ط: وهو مقيم بمرج الصفر. (٢) ليس في أ. (٣) مكانهما في ط: القاضي، ولم يكن أحد أعز عليه منه. (٤) ليس في ط. (٥) ب: من. (٦) ط: طائفة يسيرة. (٧) تقدمت ترجمته في حواشي سنة ٥٧٠ من هذا الجزء. (٨) ط: مشغولًا بمحاربة أخيه ومحاصرته وهو عماد الدين زنكي بسنجار. (٩) أ، ب: إِلا إِباؤه -في أ: انتماؤه- إِلى طاعة الملك الناصر. (١٠) أ، ب: على نبذ العهود إِلى الملك صلاح الدين.