Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2564
The Year 120 AH from the Prophetic Emigration
وَفَاةِ أَسَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي سَنَةُ عِشْرِينَ وَمِائَةٍ فِي رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ تُوُفِّيَ أَسَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْقَسْرِيُّ بِمَدِينَةِ بَلْخٍ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ مَوْتِهِ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِهِ دُبَيْلَةٌ [ فِي جَوْفِهِ ] فَأَصَابَهُ مَرَضٌ، ثُمَّ أَفَاقَ مِنْهُ، فَخَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَأُتِيَ بِكُمَّثْرَى أَوَّلَ مَا جَاءَ، فَأَطْعَمَ النَّاسَ مِنْهُ وَاحِدَةً وَاحِدَةً، وَأَخَذَ كُمَّثْرَاةً فَرَمَى بِهَا إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ دِهْقَانَ هَرَاةَ فَانْقَطَعَتِ الدُّبَيْلَةُ فَهَلَكَ، وَاسْتَخْلَفَ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ حَنْظَلَةَ الْبَهْرَانِيَّ، فَعَمِلَ أَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ عَهْدُ نَصْرِ بْنِ سَيَّارٍ بِالْعَمَلِ فِي رَجَبٍ. وَكَانَ هَذَا خُرَاسَانَ دِهْقَانِ هَرَاةَ خِصِّيصًا بِأَسَدٍ، فَقَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ فِي الْمِهْرَجَانِ وَمَعَهُ مِنَ الْهَدَايَا وَالتُّحَفِ مَا لَمْ يَحْمِلْ غَيْرُهُ مِثْلَهُ، وَكَانَتْ قِيمَةُ الْهَدِيَّةِ أَلْفَ أَلْفٍ. وَقَالَ لِأَسَدٍ: إِنَّا مَعْشَرَ الْعَجَمِ أَكَلْنَا الدُّنْيَا أَرْبَعَمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ بِالْحِلْمِ وَالْعَقْلِ وَالْوَقَارِ، وَكَانَ الرِّجَالُ فِينَا ثَلَاثَةً: مَيْمُونُ النَّقِيبَةِ، أَيْنَمَا تَوَجَّهَ فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَالَّذِي يَلِيهِ رَجُلٌ تَمَّتْ مُرُوَّتُهُ فِي بَيْتٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ رَحَّبَ وَحَيَّا، وَرَجُلٌ رَحُبَ صَدْرُهُ وَبَسَطَ يَدَهُ، فَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ قَدَّمَ وَقَوَّدَ، وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ صِفَاتِ هَؤُلَاءِ فِيكَ، فَمَا نَعْلَمُ [ أَحَدًا ] هُوَ أَتَمُّ كَتْخُدَانِيَّةً مِنْكَ، إِنَّكَ عَزِيزٌ، ضَابِطٌ أَهْلَ بَيْتِكَ وَحَشَمَكَ وَمَوَالِيَكَ، فَلَيْسَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَعْتَدِيَ عَلَى صَغِيرٍ وَلَا كَبِيرٍ، ثُمَّ بَنَيْتَ الْإِيوَانَاتِ فِي الْمَفَاوِزِ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ مَا عُمِلَ، وَمِنْ يُمْنِ نَقِيبَتِكَ أَنَّكَ لَقِيتَ خَاقَانَ وَهُوَ فِي مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ، وَمَعَهُ الْحَارِثُ بْنُ سُرَيْجٍ فَهَزَمْتَهُ وَفَلَلْتَهُ وَقَتَلَتْ أَصْحَابَهُ وَأَبَحْتَ عَسْكَرَهُ، وَأَمَّا رُحْبُ صَدْرِكَ وَبَسْطُ يَدِكَ فَإِنَّا لَا نَدْرِي أَيُّ الْمَالَيْنِ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ، أَمَالٌ قَدِمَ عَلَيْكَ أَمْ مَالٌ خَرَجَ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ؟ بَلْ أَنْتَ بِمَا خَرَجَ أَقَرُّ عَيْنًا. فَضَحِكَ أَسَدٌ وَقَالَ: أَنْتَ خَيْرُ دَهَاقِينِنَا، وَفَرَّقَ جَمِيعَ الْهَدِيَّةِ بَيْنَ أَصْحَابِهِ. رثاء أسد بن عبد الله القسري وَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَسَدٌ رَثَاهُ ابْنُ عُرْسٍ الْعَبْدِيُّ فَقَالَ: نَعَى أَسَدَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ نَاعِ فَرِيعَ الْقَلْبُ لِلْمَلِكِ الْمُطَاعِ بِبَلْخٍ وَافَقَ الْمِقْدَارُ يُسْرِي وَمَا لِقَضَاءِ رَبِّكَ مِنْ دِفَاعِ فَجُودِي عَيْنُ بِالْعَبَرَاتِ سَحًّا أَلَمْ يُحْزِنْكِ تَفْرِيقُ الْجِمَاعِ فِي أَبْيَاتٍ غَيْرِهَا. وَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَسَدٌ كَتَبَ مَسْلَمَةُ بْنُ هِشَامِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ، وَهُوَ أَبُو شَاكِرٍ، إِلَى خَالِدٍ الْقَسْرِيِّ: أَرَاحَ مِنْ خَالِدٍ فَأَهْلَكَهُ رَبٌّ أَرَاحَ الْعِبَادَ مِنْ أَسَدِ أَمَّا أَبُوهُ فَكَانَ مُؤْتَشِبًا عَبْدًا لَئِيمًا لِأَعْبُدٍ فَقَدِ يَرَى الزِّنَى وَالصَّلِيبَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْخِنْزِيرَ حِلًّا وَالْغَيَّ كَالرَّشَدِ وَأُمُّهُ هَمُّهَا وَبُغْيَتُهَا هَمُّ الْإِمَاءِ الْعَوَاهِرِ الشُّرَدِ كَافِرَةٌ بِالنَّبِيِّ مُؤْمِنَةٌ بِقَسِّهَا وَالصَّلِيبِ وَالْعُمَدِ يَعْنِي الْمَعْمُودِيَّةَ. فَلَمَّا قَرَأَ خَالِدٌ الْكِتَابَ قَالَ: يَا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ مَنْ رَأَى كَهَذِهِ تَعْزِيَةَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ؟ وَكَانَ مَا بَيْنَ خَالِدٍ وَأَبِي شَاكِرٍ مُبَاعَدَةٌ، وَسَبَبُهَا أَنَّ هِشَامًا يُرَشِّحُ ابْنَهُ أَبَا شَاكِرٍ لِلْخِلَافَةِ، فَقَالَ الْكُمَيْتُ: إِنَّ الْخِلَافَةَ كَائِنٌ أَوْتَادُهَا بَعْدَ الْوَلِيدِ إِلَى ابْنِ أُمِّ حَكِيمِ يَعْنِي أَبَا شَاكِرٍ، وَأُمَّهُ أُمَّ حَكِيمٍ، فَبَلَغَ الشِّعْرُ خَالِدًا فَقَالَ: أَنَا كَافِرٌ بِكُلِّ خَلِيفَةٍ يُكَنَّى أَبَا شَاكِرٍ، فَسَمِعَهَا أَبُو شَاكِرٍ فَحَقَدَهَا عَلَيْهِ.
Translation
✧ The death of Asad b. ʿAbd Allāh In the year one hundred and twenty, in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, Asad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Qasrī died in the city of Balkh. The cause of his death was that he had an abscess [in his belly], and he fell ill, then recovered from it. One day he went out, and pears were brought to him as the first of the season. He fed the people one by one from them, and he took a pear and threw it to the Khurasan dihqān of Herat, and the abscess burst, and he perished. He appointed Jaʿfar b. Ḥanẓalah al-Bahrānī as his successor, who served for four months, then the appointment of Naṣr b. Sayyār to the post came in Rajab. This Khurasan dihqān of Herat was a particular favorite of Asad. He came to him at the Mihrajān festival bearing gifts and rarities the like of which no one else had brought; the value of the gift was a million. He said to Asad: "We Persians have consumed the world for four hundred years through forbearance, intellect, and dignity. Among us men were of three kinds: one of auspicious leadership, wherever he turned God granted him victory; next to him a man whose manliness was completed in his house, and if he was so he welcomed and greeted; and a man whose breast was spacious and whose hand was open, and if he was so he offered and led. God has combined the qualities of these in you, and we know no one more perfect in household management than you. You are mighty, restraining your household, your retinue, and your clients, so that none of them can transgress against small or great. Then you built the arcades in the deserts, among the finest ever made. And of the good fortune of your leadership is that you met the Khāqān when he was in a hundred thousand, with him al-Ḥārith b. Surayj, and you routed him and broke him, killed his companions, and allowed plunder of his camp. As for the spaciousness of your breast and the openness of your hand, we do not know which of the two properties is dearer to you: property that comes to you, or property that leaves from you? Nay, you are more delighted by what goes out." Asad laughed and said: "You are the best of our dihqāns," and he distributed all the gift among his companions. Elegy for Asad b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Qasrī When Asad died, Ibn ʿUrs al-ʿAbdī mourned him and said: A herald announced Asad b. ʿAbd Allāh, and the heart was startled for the obeyed king. In Balkh fate agreed to hasten, and for the decree of your Lord there is no repelling. So weep, eye, with pouring tears; did not the sundering of the assembly grieve you? And other verses besides. When Asad died, Maslamah b. Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik, who is Abū Shākir, wrote to Khālid al-Qasrī: A Lord who gave rest to the servants from Asad gave rest from Khālid and destroyed him. As for his father, he was a lowly man, a vile slave to vile slaves; he regards fornication, the cross, wine, and the pig as lawful, and error as right guidance. And his mother, her concern and desire is the concern of adulterous runaway slave women, a disbeliever in the Prophet, a believer in her priest, the cross, and the pillars, meaning baptism. When Khālid read the letter, he said: "O servants of God, who has seen such consolation of a man for his brother?" And there was estrangement between Khālid and Abū Shākir, its cause being that Hishām was promoting his son Abū Shākir for the caliphate. Al-Kumayt said: The caliphate's tent-pegs will be, after al-Walīd, for the son of Umm Ḥakīm, meaning Abū Shākir, whose mother was Umm Ḥakīm. The verse reached Khālid, and he said: "I disbelieve in every caliph who is called Abū Shākir." Abū Shākir heard it and bore a grudge against him.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.