your lofty ambition from ever stooping to mention a paltry figure.
For this very reason al-Maʾmūn removed his own son from the line of succession. The story goes that al-Maʾmūn passed by the chamber of his son al-ʿAbbās and overheard him saying to a servant, “Boy, I noticed some fine vegetables at the Rusāfa Gate. Take half a dirham, go to the gate, and bring me some.” Al-Maʾmūn called out, “From this moment I know that a dirham can be halved! You are unfit for the succession and for managing the realm; no soundness or success will ever come from you.”
Wisdom: In the Testament of Ardashīr to his son it is written, “If you wish to bestow something on one of your children, make sure the gift is never less than the revenue of a province, a village, or the value of a town or district—enough for the recipient to live in comfort, his need removed, and for his descendants to remain self-sufficient as long as they live. In this way the deed will be recorded among the accounts of the living, not the dead. And strive never to dabble in trade in any form, for that betrays the lowness of a king’s aspiration.”
Wisdom: It is said that King Hormizd son of Sābūr had a vizier who wrote to him: “Merchants have arrived by sea bringing pearls, rubies, and other priceless jewels. I have bought them for the royal treasury for one thousand dinars. Now a certain trader has come offering a large profit for the jewels; if our sovereign so wishes, let him command what he sees fit.” Hormizd replied, “A hundred thousand, and a hundred thousand more like them, mean nothing in our eyes. We desire none of it—not for you, nor for ourselves. Never repeat such words, and do not mix even a single dirham or a solitary dāniq of trading profit with our wealth, for that diminishes the value of the monarchy, tarnishes its good name, soils the purity of its foundations and customs, and harms its reputation both in life and after death.”
Story: It is related that the nobleman ʿImārah ibn Ḥamzah was once seated in the court of the caliph al-Manṣūr on a day set aside for hearing grievances. A man rose and said, “I have been wronged.” The caliph asked, “Who wronged you?” He replied, “ʿImārah ibn Ḥamzah has seized my estates and usurped my property and land.” Al-Manṣūr therefore ordered ʿImārah to leave his seat and stand on equal footing with his opponent so that the case might be tried.