And, after glory, they were brought down from (1) their strongholds,
And made to dwell (2) in pits—what a wretched lodging they found!
A crier (3) called to them after they had been buried:
Where are the couches (4), crowns, and splendid robes?
Where are the faces once nurtured in luxury,
Before which screens and canopies were hung?
The grave spoke plainly for them when they were questioned (5):
Those faces are covered by worms battling over them (6).
For ages on end they ate, and they drank (7);
Then, after so long consuming, they themselves were consumed.”

Al-Mutawakkil wept until his tears soaked his beard.”

To this it may be said:

This account is of the same kind as those preceding it. He has not established any virtue with sound evidence; rather, he has related something the scholars know to be false (8). In the account, he claimed that the governor of Baghdad was Ishāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Tā’ī. This stems from his ignorance (9), for this Ishāq ibn Ibrāhīm was a well-known Khuzā’ī, as were the members of his household; they belonged to Khuzā‘a. Indeed (10), he was Ishāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Husayn ibn Mus‘ab. His cousin, Abd Allah ibn Tāhir ibn al-Husayn ibn Mus‘ab, was the celebrated governor of Khurāsān, whose career was well known (11). The latter’s son, Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Tāhir, served as deputy governor of Baghdad during the caliphate of