—to his agent in Baghdad, saying: “A man has come to us bearing a letter which he claims is from Yaḥyā ibn Khālid, but I have misgivings about it. You must investigate the matter, determine whether the letter is genuine or forged, and inform me of the truth.”
When ʿAbdallāh’s message reached the agent, the latter mounted at once and rode to the gate of Yaḥyā ibn Khālid’s residence. He found Yaḥyā seated with his boon-companions and intimates, greeted him, and handed him the letter. Yaḥyā read it and then said to the agent, “Return tomorrow and I shall give you the reply.”
Turning to his companions he asked, “What punishment does one deserve who carries, in my name, a forged letter to my enemy?” Each proposed some form of torture, detailing one punishment after another. Yaḥyā said, “All of you are mistaken. What you have suggested springs from a base and ignoble nature. You know how close ʿAbdallāh is to the Commander of the Faithful, and you know the enmity that lies between him and me. Yet now God has made this man the means of reconciliation between us; through him He has opened a path to erase twenty years of rancor from our hearts and to set our affairs aright. I am therefore obliged to fulfill this man’s hopes, confirm his expectations, and write to ʿAbdallāh urging him to lavish honor, esteem, and respect upon him, and to recognize the loftiness of his spirit.”
He then called for paper and ink and, in his own hand, wrote to ʿAbdallāh:
“In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Compassionate. Your letter has reached me—may Allah prolong your life. I read it, understood it, and rejoiced at your wellbeing and rectitude. You suspected that the freeborn gentleman had forged a letter in my name and fabricated a message from me. Not so: I myself wrote the letter and dispatched it by his hand; it is no forgery. From your generosity and noble character I expect that you will meet this honorable man’s hopes, recognize the sanctity of his purpose, and single him out for overflowing kindness and abundant gratitude. Whatever you do for him, I shall count it as done for me and shall thank you for it.”
He addressed and sealed the letter, handed it to the agent, and the agent dispatched it to ʿAbdallāh. When ʿAbdallāh read it he was overjoyed at its contents, summoned the man, and asked, “Which of the two courses I mentioned do you prefer that I take with you?”
“The gift is dearer to me,” the man replied. So ʿAbdallāh ordered that he be given two hundred thousand dirhams, ten Arabian steeds—five with ornamented saddles and five with plain tack—twenty chests of garments, ten slave grooms to ride the horses, and such precious jewels as befitted the occasion.