Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (14/335)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

well-attended and much remarked upon, as is the habit of kings on such occasions. He met with al-Qadi al-Fadil, visited him and invited him in return, conversed with him and sought his counsel (1). He would decide nothing without first consulting him, nor did he hide from him what lay concealed within his heart—his innermost thoughts and intentions (2).

The Sultan then installed his son al-Afdal ‘Ali as ruler of Damascus (3). Al-‘Adil Abu Bakr relinquished Aleppo to his son-in-law—the husband of his daughter—al-Malik al-Zahir Ghazi, son of the Sultan (4).

The Sultan also dispatched his brother al-‘Adil, together with his own son ‘Imad al-Din ‘Uthman, known as al-Malik al-‘Aziz, to assume the sovereignty of Egypt. Al-‘Adil was to act as his atabeg and was granted an exceedingly large fief (5). The previous deputy there, Taqi al-Din ‘Umar (6), was removed from office, whereupon he resolved to march into Ifriqiyah. The Sultan continued to correspond with him, gently persuading and showing him every kindness (7) until he approached with his troops. The Sultan honoured and esteemed him, granting him Ḥamāh and many surrounding districts—lands he had held two years earlier—and in addition bestowed upon him the city of Mayyāfāriqīn (8).

Al-‘Imad al-Kātib praised him in a splendid sīniyyah ode, cited in al-Rawḍatayn (9)(10).

In this same year (11), the Count of Tripoli (12) entered into a truce with the Sultan, made peace with him and became his ally to the extent that he fought the Frankish kings with great ferocity, taking their women and children captive (13). He very nearly embraced Islam, but his devil held him back and cast him

(1) Manuscript A reads: “al-Nasir’s entry into Damascus after his recovery, and he visited the qadi and consulted him.” (2) Not in manuscript A. (3) Manuscript A reads: “and he was appointed to the vice-governorship of Damascus.” (4) Manuscript A reads: “ibn al-Nasir.” (5) Manuscript A reads: “kabirah.” (6) Manuscripts A and B read: “niyabatihā.” (7) Manuscript A reads: “al-Nasir continued to treat him with courtesy and compassion.” (8) Manuscript A reads: “and he increased [his favor] for him.” (9) Manuscripts A and B read: “he mentioned it.” (10) In al-Rawdatayn (vol. 2, p. 71), al-Imad wrote: “I extolled Taqi al-Din with a qasidah of lofty elegance, whose near and salvific couplets number 140; he recited it to me on the third of Ramadan this year in Damascus. I have quoted some of it, the opening of which—cited in al-Tawil—is: ‘May Allah forgive you, those burdened with longing; grant them relief… for hearts and souls among us have perished.’ I note that Abu Shamah preserved 27 couplets of this poem in his Diwan of al-Imad (pp. 236–239), which match exactly those cited by Abu Shamah.” (11) Manuscript A reads: “wa-fihā” (and therein). (12) al-Qumis (the priest), whose name was Raymond ibn Raymond al-Sanjeli; his biography appears in Ibn al-Athir (vol. 9, p. 174), al-Rawdatayn (vol. 2, pp. 74–75), and Wafayat al-A’yan (vol. 7, pp. 175–76, 183). (13) Manuscript A reads: “an-nisa’ wa-as-sibyan” (women and children).

مشهودًا، كما جرت بمثل ذلك عادات الملوك، واجتمع بالقاضي الفاضل، وزاره واستزاره، وفاوضه واستشاره] (١) ، وكان لا يقطع أمرًا دونه، [ولا يخفي عنه مكنونه ولا ضميره ومضمونه] (٢) . ثم قرر السلطان في مُلْك دمشق (٣) ولده الأفضل علي. ونزل العادل أبو بكر عن حلب لصهره زوج ابنته الملك الظاهر غازي بن السلطان (٤) . وأرسل السلطان أخاه العادل صحبة ولده عماد الدين عثمان الملك العزيز على ملك مصر، ويكون العادل أتابكه، وله إِقطاع عظيم (٥) جدًا، وعزل عنها نائبها (٦) تقي الدين عمر، فعزم على الدخول إِلى إِفريقية، [فلم يزل السلطان يكاتبه، ويتلطّف به، ويترفّق له] (٧) ، حتى أقبل بجنوده نحوه، فأكرمه واحترمه، وعظَّمه وأقطعه حماة وبلادًا كثيرة معها، وقد كانت له قبل ذلك بسنتين، وزاده (٨) على ذلك مدينة ميّافارقين. وامتدحه العماد الكاتب بقصيدة سينيَّة سنيَّة مذكورة (٩) في "الروضتين" (١٠) . [وفي هذه السنة] (١١) هادن قومص (١٢) طرابلس السلطان، وصالحه، وصافاه، حتى كان يقاتل ملوك الفرنج أشدّ القتال، ويسبي منهم النساء والأطفال (١٣) ، وكاد أن يُسْلِم، ولكن صدّه شيطانه، ورماه

(١) ط: دخول الناصر دمشق بعد عافيته وزار القاضي واستشاره. (٢) ليس في ط. (٣) ط: وقرر في نيابة دمشق. (٤) ط: ابن الناصر. (٥) ط: كبيرة. (٦) ط، ب: نيابتها. (٧) ط: فلم يزل الناصر يتلطف به ويترفق له. (٨) ط: وزاد له. (٩) ط، ب: ذكرها. (١٠) في الروضتين (٢/ ٧١): قال العماد: ومدحت تقي الدين بقصيدة سينية سنية، قطوفها دانية نجية، تشتمل على مئة وأربعين بيتًا، أنشدته إِياها في ثالث شهر رمضان من هذه السنة بدمشق، وأوردت بعضها، ومطلعها: [من الطويل] عفا اللّه عنكم عن ذوي الشوق نَفِّسوا … فقد تلفَتْ منا قلوبٌ وأنفسُ قلت: وأورد أبو شامة من هذه القصيدة سبعة وعشرين بيتًا. ديوان العماد (٢٣٦ - ٢٣٩) وفيه الأبيات الواردة عند أبي شامة ذاتها. (١١) ط: وفيها. (١٢) القومص واسمه رموند بن ريموند الصنجيلي، أخباره في ابن الأثير (٩/ ١٧٤) والروضتين (٢/ ٧٤ - ٧٥) ووفيات الأعيان (٧/ ١٧٥ و ١٧٦ و ١٨٣). (١٣) ط: النساء والصبيان.