Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2414
The Year 97
وِلَايَةِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الْمُهَلَّبِ خُرَاسَانَ وَفِي سنة سبع وتسعين وَلَّى سُلَيْمَانُ نِيَابَةَ خُرَاسَانَ لِيَزِيدَ بْنِ الْمُهَلَّبِ، مُضَافًا إِلَى مَا بِيَدِهِ مِنْ إِمْرَةِ الْعِرَاقِ، وَكَانَ السَّبَبُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ لَمَّا وَلَّى يَزِيدَ الْعِرَاقَ فَوَّضَ إِلَيْهِ حَرْبَهَا وَالصَّلَاةَ بِهَا وَخَرَاجَهَا، فَنَظَرَ يَزِيدُ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْعِرَاقَ قَدْ أَخْرَبَهَا الْحَجَّاجُ، وَأَنَا الْيَوْمَ رَجُلُ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ، وَمَتَى قَدِمْتُهَا وَأَخَذْتُ النَّاسَ بِالْخَرَاجِ وَعَذَّبْتُهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ صِرْتُ مِثْلَ الْحَجَّاجِ، وَأَعَدْتُ عَلَيْهِمُ السُّجُونَ، وَمَا عَافَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ، وَمَتَى لَمْ آتِ سُلَيْمَانَ بِمِثْلِ مَا كَانَ الْحَجَّاجُ أَتَى بِهِ لَمْ يَقْبَلْ مِنِّي. فَأَتَى يَزِيدُ سُلَيْمَانَ وَقَالَ: أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ بَصِيرٍ بِالْخَرَاجِ تَوَلِّيهِ إِيَّاهُ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: صَالِحُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مَوْلَى [ بَنِي ] تَمِيمٍ، فَوَلَّاهُ الْخَرَاجَ وَسَيَّرَهُ قَبْلَ يَزِيدَ، فَنَزَلَ وَاسِطًا، وَأَقْبَلَ يَزِيدُ، فَخَرَجَ النَّاسُ يَتَلَقَّوْنَهُ، وَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ صَالِحٌ حَتَّى قَرُبَ يَزِيدُ، فَخَرَجَ صَالِحٌ فِي الدُّرَّاعَةِ، بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ أَرْبَعُمِائَةٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ، فَلَقِيَ يَزِيدَ وَسَايَرَهُ، فَنَزَلَ يَزِيدُ، وَضَيَّقَ عَلَيْهِ صَالِحٌ فَلَمْ يُمَكِّنْهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ، وَاتَّخَذَ [ يَزِيدُ ] أَلْفَ خِوَانٍ يُطْعِمُ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا، فَأَخَذَهَا صَالِحٌ، فَقَالَ يَزِيدُ: اكْتُبْ ثَمَنَهَا عَلَيَّ. وَاشْتَرَى يَزِيدُ مَتَاعًا وَكَتَبَ صَكًّا بِثَمَنِهِ إِلَى صَالِحٍ، فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْهُ وَقَالَ لِيَزِيدَ: إِنَّ الْخَرَاجَ لَا يَقُومُ بِمَا تُرِيدُ وَلَا يَرْضَى بِهَذَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَتُؤْخَذُ بِهِ. فَضَاحَكَهُ يَزِيدُ، وَقَالَ: أَجْرِ هَذَا الْمَالَ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ وَلَا أَعُودُ. فَفَعَلَ صَالِحٌ. وَكَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ خُرَاسَانَ إِلَى يَزِيدَ، فَضَجِرَ يَزِيدُ مِنَ الْعِرَاقِ لِتَضْيِيقِ صَالِحٍ عَلَيْهِ، فَدَعَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ الْأَهْتَمِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُكَ لِأَمْرٍ قَدْ أَهَمَّنِي فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ تَكْفِيَنِيهِ. قَالَ: أَفْعَلُ. قَالَ: أَنَا فِيمَا تَرَى مِنَ الضِّيقِ وَقَدْ ضَجِرْتُ مِنْهُ، وَخُرَاسَانُ شَاغِرَةٌ بِرَجُلِهَا فَهَلْ مِنْ حِيلَةٍ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، سَرِّحْنِي إِلَى أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. قَالَ: فَاكْتُمْ مَا أَخْبَرْتُكَ. وَكَتَبَ إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ يُخْبِرُهُ بِحَالِ الْعِرَاقِ، وَأَثْنَى عَلَى ابْنِ الْأَهْتَمِ، وَذَكَرَ عِلْمَهُ بِهَا، وَسَيَّرَ ابْنَ الْأَهْتَمِ عَلَى الْبَرِيدِ. فَأَتَى سُلَيْمَانَ وَاجْتَمَعَ بِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ: إِنْ يَزِيدَ كَتَبَ إِلَيَّ يَذْكُرُ عِلْمَكَ بِالْعِرَاقِ وَخُرَاسَانَ، فَكَيْفَ عِلْمُكَ بِهَا ؟ قَالَ: أَنَا أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِهَا، بِهَا وُلِدْتُ وَبِهَا نَشَأَتْ، وَلِي بِهَا وَبِأَهْلِهَا خَبَرٌ وَعِلْمٌ. قَالَ: فَأَشِرْ عَلَيَّ بِرَجُلٍ أُوَلِّيهِ خُرَاسَانَ. قَالَ: أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ يُرِيدُ، فَإِنْ ذَكَرَ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا أَخْبَرْتُهُ بِرَأْيِي فِيهِ. فَسَمَّى رَجُلًا مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ مِنْ رِجَالِ خُرَاسَانَ. قَالَ: فَعَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ الْمُهَلَّبِ. قَالَ: لَا يَصْلُحُ فَإِنَّهُ يَصْبُوَا عَنْ هَذَا، فَلَيْسَ لَهُ مَكْرُ أَبِيهِ، وَلَا شَجَاعَةُ أَخِيهِ. حَتَّى عَدَّدَ رِجَالًا، وَكَانَ آخِرُ مَنْ ذَكَرَ وَكِيعُ بْنُ أَبِي سُودٍ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَكِيعٌ رَجُلٌ شُجَاعٌ صَارِمٌ رَئِيسٌ مِقْدَامٌ، وَمَا أَحَدٌ أَوْجَبُ شُكْرًا وَلَا أَعْظَمُ عِنْدِي يَدًا مِنْ وَكِيعٍ، لَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ بِثَأْرِي وَشَفَانِي مِنْ عَدُوِّي، وَلَكِنَّ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعْظَمُ حَقًّا وَالنَّصِيحَةُ لَهُ تَلْزَمُنِي، إِنَّ وَكِيعًا لَمْ تَجْتَمِعْ لَهُ مِائَةُ عِنَانٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا حَدَّثَ نَفْسَهُ بِغَدْرَةٍ، خَامِلٌ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ ثَابِتٌ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ، قَالَ: مَا هُوَ مِمَّنْ تَسْتَعِينُ بِهِ، فَمَنْ لَهَا وَيْحَكَ ؟ قَالَ: رَجُلٌ أَعْلَمُهُ لَمْ يُسِمِّهِ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. قَالَ: فَمَنْ هُوَ ؟ قَالَ: لَا أَذْكُرُهُ حَتَّى يَضْمَنَ لِي أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَتْرَ ذَلِكَ، وَأَنْ يُجِيرَنِي مِنْهُ إِنْ عَلِمَ. قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: يَزِيدُ بْنُ الْمُهَلَّبِ. قَالَ: الْعِرَاقُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ. قَالَ ابْنُ الْأَهْتَمِ: قَدْ عَلِمْتُ وَلَكِنْ تُكْرِهُهُ فَيَسْتَخْلِفُ عَلَى الْعِرَاقِ وَيَسِيرُ. قَالَ: أَصَبْتَ الرَّأْيَ. فَكَتَبَ عَهْدَ يَزِيدَ عَلَى خُرَاسَانَ، وَسَيَّرَهُ مَعَ ابْنِ الْأَهْتَمِ، فَأَتَى يَزِيدَ بِهِ، فَأَمَرَهُ بِالْجِهَازِ لِلْمَسِيرِ سَاعَتَهُ، وَقَدَّمَ ابْنَهُ مَخْلَدًا إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ مِنْ يَوْمِهِ، ثُمَّ سَارَ يَزِيدُ بَعْدَهُ، وَاسْتَخْلَفَ عَلَى وَاسِطَ الْجَرَّاحَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَكَمِيَّ، وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَى الْبَصْرَةِ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ هِلَالٍ الْكِلَابِيَّ، وَجَعَلَ أَخَاهُ مَرْوَانَ بْنَ الْمُهَلَّبِ عَلَى حَوَائِجِهِ وَأُمُورِهِ بِالْبَصْرَةِ، وَكَانَ أَوْثَقَ إِخْوَتِهِ عِنْدَهُ، وَاسْتَخْلَفَ بِالْكُوفَةِ حَرْمَلَةَ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ اللَّخْمِيَّ أَشْهُرًا ثُمَّ عَزَلَهُ، وَوَلَّى بَشِيرَ بْنَ حَيَّانَ النَّهْدِيَّ. وَكَانَتْ قَيْسُ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّ قُتَيْبَةَ لَمْ يَخْلَعْ، فَلَمَّا سَارَ يَزِيدُ إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ أَمَرَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ أَنْ يَسْأَلَ عَنْ قُتَيْبَةَ، فَإِنْ أَقَامَتْ قَيْسٌ الْبَيِّنَةَ أَنَّ قُتَيْبَةَ لَمْ يَخْلَعْ أَنْ يُقِيدَ وَكِيعًا بِهِ، وَلَمَّا وَصَلَ مَخْلَدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ مَرْوَ أَخَذَهُ، فَحَبَسَهُ وَعَذَّبَهُ، وَأَخَذَ أَصْحَابَهُ وَعَذَّبَهُمْ قَبْلَ قُدُومِ أَبِيهِ، وَكَانَتْ وِلَايَةُ وَكِيعٍ خُرَاسَانَ تِسْعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ أَوْ عَشْرَةَ أَشْهُرٍ. ثُمَّ قَدِمَ يَزِيدُ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ خُرَاسَانَ فَأَدْنَى أَهْلَ الشَّامِ وَقَوْمًا مِنْ أَهْلِ خُرَاسَانَ، فَقَالَ نَهَارُ بْنُ تَوْسِعَةَ فِي ذَلِكَ: وَمَا كُنَّا نُؤَمِّلُ مِنْ أَمِيرٍ كَمَا كُنَّا نُؤَمِّلُ مِنْ يَزِيدِ فَأَخْطَأَ ظَنُّنَا فِيهِ وَقِدَمًا زَهِدْنَا فِي مُعَاشَرَةِ الزَّهِيدِ إِذَا لَمْ يُعْطِنَا نَصَفًا أَمِيرٌ مَشَيْنَا نَحْوَهُ مَشْيَ الْأَسْوَدِ فَمَهْلًا يَا يَزِيدُ أَنِبْ إِلَيْنَا وَدَعْنَا مِنْ مُعَاشَرَةِ الْعَبِيدِ نَجِيءُ وَلَا نَرَى إِلَّا صُدُودًا عَلَى أَنَّا نُسَلِّمُ مِنْ بَعِيدِ وَنَرْجِعُ خَائِبِينَ بِلَا نَوَالٍ فَمَا بَالُ التَّجَهُّمِ وَالصُّدُودِ
Translation
✧ The governorship of Yazīd b. al-Muhallab over Khurasan. In the year ninety-seven, Sulaymān appointed Yazīd b. al-Muhallab to the deputyship of Khurasan, in addition to the command of Iraq which was already in his hand. The reason for that was that when Sulaymān b. ʿAbd al-Malik appointed Yazīd over Iraq, he delegated to him its war, its prayer, and its land tax. Yazīd considered his own situation and said: "Al-Ḥajjāj has ruined Iraq, and today I am the man of the people of Iraq. If I go there and take the people to account for the land tax and torture them for it, I shall become like al-Ḥajjāj and bring back upon them the prisons from which God has spared them. But if I do not bring Sulaymān the like of what al-Ḥajjāj used to bring, he will not accept it from me." So Yazīd went to Sulaymān and said: "Shall I point you to a man skilled in the land tax, whom you may appoint over it?" He said: "Yes." He said: "Ṣāliḥ b. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, the client of [Banū] Tamīm." So he appointed him over the land tax and sent him ahead of Yazīd. He alighted at Wāsiṭ, and Yazīd approached. The people went out to meet him, but Ṣāliḥ did not go out until Yazīd drew near. Then Ṣāliḥ came out in a durrāʿa with four hundred men from Syria before him. He met Yazīd and rode alongside him. Yazīd alighted, but Ṣāliḥ constrained him and did not enable him to do anything. [Yazīd] had prepared a thousand tables on which to feed the people, but Ṣāliḥ took them away. Yazīd said: "Write their price against me." Yazīd bought goods and wrote a promissory note for their price to Ṣāliḥ, but he would not accept it and said to Yazīd: "The land tax cannot support what you want, and the Commander of the Faithful would not approve of this; you would be held accountable for it." Yazīd laughed with him and said: "Let this sum pass this once, and I will not do it again." So Ṣāliḥ did so. Sulaymān had not assigned Khurasan to Yazīd, and Yazīd grew weary of Iraq because of Ṣāliḥ's constraint upon him. So he summoned ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Ahtam and said to him: "I want you for a matter that has concerned me, and I would like you to take care of it for me." He said: "I will do it." He said: "I am in the constraint you see and have grown weary of it. Khurasan is vacant, without a man for it. Is there any stratagem?" He said: "Yes. Send me to the Commander of the Faithful." He said: "Then conceal what I have told you." He wrote to Sulaymān informing him of the state of Iraq, praised Ibn al-Ahtam, mentioned his knowledge of it, and sent Ibn al-Ahtam by the postal service. Ibn al-Ahtam went to Sulaymān and met with him. Sulaymān said to him: "Yazīd has written to me mentioning your knowledge of Iraq and Khurasan. How is your knowledge of it?" He said: "I am the most knowledgeable of people about it. There I was born and there I grew up, and I have experience and knowledge of it and its people." He said: "Then advise me of a man whom I may appoint over Khurasan." He said: "The Commander of the Faithful knows best whom he wants. If he mentions anyone among them, I will tell him my opinion of him." He named a man from Quraysh, and he said: "He is not one of the men of Khurasan." He said: "Then ʿAbd al-Malik b. al-Muhallab." He said: "He is not suitable, for he is too frivolous for this. He has neither the cunning of his father nor the courage of his brother." Thus he went through a number of men. The last one he mentioned was Wakīʿ b. Abī Sūd, and he said: "O Commander of the Faithful, Wakīʿ is a brave, resolute, leading, daring man. None is more deserving of gratitude or has greater claim upon me than Wakīʿ. He obtained my blood revenge and satisfied me against my enemy. But the Commander of the Faithful has a greater right, and giving him sincere counsel is incumbent upon me. Wakīʿ has never had a hundred reins assembled for him without meditating treachery. He is obscure in the community and steadfast in dissension." He said: "He is not one whose help you would seek. Who then is fit for it, woe to you?" He said: "A man I know, whom the Commander of the Faithful has not named." He said: "Who is he?" He said: "I will not mention him until the Commander of the Faithful guarantees me concealment of it and grants me protection from him if he learns of it." He said: "Yes." He said: "Yazīd b. al-Muhallab." He said: "Iraq is dearer to him than Khurasan." Ibn al-Ahtam said: "I know, but you may compel him, and he will appoint a deputy over Iraq and depart." He said: "You have hit upon the right opinion." So he wrote the covenant of Yazīd over Khurasan and sent it with Ibn al-Ahtam. He brought it to Yazīd, and Yazīd ordered him to prepare for departure at once. He sent his son Makhld ahead to Khurasan that very day; then Yazīd departed after him. He appointed al-Jarrāḥ b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥakamī as his deputy over Wāsiṭ, appointed ʿAbd Allāh b. Hilāl al-Kilābī over al-Baṣra, and made his brother Marwān b. al-Muhallab in charge of his needs and affairs in al-Baṣra; he was the most trusted of his brothers with him. He appointed Ḥarmala b. ʿUmayr al-Lakhmī as his deputy in al-Kūfa for some months, then dismissed him and appointed Bashīr b. Ḥayyān al-Nahdī. Qays used to claim that Qutayba had not renounced allegiance. When Yazīd departed for Khurasan, Sulaymān commanded him to inquire about Qutayba: if Qays produced clear evidence that Qutayba had not renounced allegiance, he was to exact retaliation from Wakīʿ for him. When Makhld b. Yazīd reached Marw, he seized Wakīʿ, imprisoned him and tortured him, and seized his companions and tortured them before his father's arrival. Wakīʿ's governorship of Khurasan had lasted nine months or ten months. Then Yazīd arrived in Khurasan in this year, and he brought near the people of Syria and a group of the people of Khurasan. Nahār b. Tawsiʿa said about that: We never hoped from any commander as we hoped from Yazīd, but our expectation of him missed, and long before, if a commander does not give us fairness, we renounce the company of the base. So gently, O Yazīd, turn to us; we walk toward him as the lion walks. we come and see nothing but aversion; leave us from the company of slaves. though we surrender from afar, and return disappointed without gifts. So what is the matter with the frowning and the aversion?
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