Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2583
The Year 123 AH
وَفَاةِ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ وَدُخُولِ بَلْجٍ الْأَنْدَلُسِ فِي سَنَةُ ثَلَاثٍ وَعِشْرِينَ وَمِائَةٍ تُوُفِّيَ عُقْبَةُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ السَّلُولِيُّ أَمِيرُ الْأَنْدَلُسِ، فَقِيلَ: بَلْ ثَارَ بِهِ أَهْلُ الْأَنْدَلُسِ فَخَلَعُوهُ وَوَلَّوْا بَعْدَهُ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ بْنَ قَطَنٍ، وَهِيَ وِلَايَتُهُ الثَّانِيَةُ، وَكَانَتْ وِلَايَتُهُ فِي صَفَرٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، وَكَانَتِ الْبَرْبَرُ قَدْ فَعَلَتْ بِإِفْرِيقِيَّةَ مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ سَنَةَ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ وَمِائَةٍ، وَقَدْ حَصَرُوا بَلْجَ بْنَ بِشْرٍ الْعَبْسِيَّ حَتَّى ضَاقَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى مَنْ مَعَهُ الْأَمْرُ وَاشْتَدَّ الْحَصْرُ، وَهُمْ صَابِرُونَ إِلَى هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ قَطَنٍ يَطْلُبُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَرَاكِبَ يَجُوزُ فِيهَا هُوَ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ إِلَى الْأَنْدَلُسِ، وَذَكَرَ مَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الشِّدَّةِ وَأَنَّهُمْ أَكَلُوا دَوَابَّهُمْ. فَامْتَنَعَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ مِنْ إِدْخَالِهِمُ الْأَنْدَلُسِ وَوَعَدَهُمْ بِإِرْسَالِ الْمَدَدِ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ. فَاتَّفَقَ أَنَّ الْبَرْبَرَ قَوِيَتْ بِالْأَنْدَلُسِ، فَاضْطُرَّ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ إِلَى إِدْخَالِ بَلْجٍ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ اسْتَشَارَ أَصْحَابَهُ فِي جَوَازِ بَلْجٍ فَخَوَّفُوهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: أَخَافُ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْ يَقُولَ: أَهْلَكْتَ جُنْدِي، فَأَجَازَهُمْ وَشَرَطَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يُقِيمُوا سَنَةً وَيَرْجِعُوا إِلَى إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ، فَأَجَابُوهُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، وَأَخَذَ رَهَائِنَهُمْ وَأَجَازَهُمْ. فَلَمَّا وَصَلُوا إِلَيْهِ رَأَى هُوَ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ مَا بِهِمْ مِنْ سُوءِ الْحَالِ وَالْفَقْرِ وَالْعُرْيِ لِشِدَّةِ الْحِصَارِ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَكَسَوْهُمْ وَأَحْسَنُوا إِلَيْهِمْ، وَقَصَدُوا جَمْعًا مِنَ الْبَرْبَرِ بِشَدُونَةَ فَقَاتَلُوهُمْ فَظَفِرُوا بِالْبَرْبَرِ فَأَهْلَكُوهُمْ وَغَنِمُوا مَالَهُمْ وَدَوَابَّهُمْ وَسِلَاحَهُمْ، فَصَلُحَتْ أَحْوَالُ أَصْحَابِ بَلْجٍ وَصَارَ لَهُمْ دَوَابٌّ يَرْكَبُونَهَا. وَرَجَعَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ قَطَنٍ إِلَى قُرْطُبَةَ وَقَالَ لِبَلْجٍ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ لِيَخْرُجُوا مِنَ الْأَنْدَلُسِ، فَأَجَابُوهُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، فَطَلَبُوا مِنْهُ مَرَاكِبَ يَسِيرُونَ فِيهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْخَضْرَاءِ لِئَلَّا يَلْقَوُا الْبَرَابِرَ الَّذِينَ حَصَرُوهُمْ. فَامْتَنَعَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ وَقَالَ: لَيْسَ لِي مَرَاكِبُ إِلَّا فِي الْجَزِيرَةِ. فَقَالُوا: إِنَّا لَا نَرْجِعُ نَتَعَرَّضُ إِلَى الْبَرْبَرِ وَلَا نَقْصِدُ الْجِهَةَ الَّتِي هُمْ فِيهَا لِأَنَّنَا نَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْتُلُونَا فِي بِلَادِهِمْ. فَأَلَحَّ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الْعَوْدِ، فَلَمَّا رَأَوْا ذَلِكَ ثَارُوا بِهِ وَقَاتَلُوهُ، فَظَفِرُوا بِهِ وَأَخْرَجُوهُ مِنَ الْقَصْرِ، وَذَلِكَ أَوَائِلَ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ. فَلَمَّا ظَفِرَ بَلْجٌ بِعَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ أَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ بِقَتْلِ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ، فَأَخْرَجَهُ مِنْ دَارِهِ وَكَأَنَّهُ فَرْخٌ لِكِبَرِ سِنِّهِ فَقَتَلَهُ وَصَلَبَهُ، وَوَلِيَ الْأَنْدَلُسَ، وَكَانَ عُمْرُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ تِسْعِينَ سَنَةً، وَهَرَبَ ابْنَاهُ قَطَنٌ وَأُمَيَّةُ، فَلَحِقَ أَحَدُهُمَا بِمَارِدَةَ وَالْآخَرُ بِسَرَقُسْطَةَ، وَكَانَ هَرَبُهُمَا قَبْلَ قَتْلِ أَبِيهِمَا، فَلَمَّا قُتِلَ فَعَلَا مَا نَذْكُرُهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى.
Translation
✧ The death of ʿUqbah b. al-Ḥajjāj and the entry of Balj into al-Andalus In the year one hundred and twenty-three, ʿUqbah b. al-Ḥajjāj al-Salūlī, the governor of al-Andalus, died. It was said: rather, the people of al-Andalus rose against him, deposed him, and appointed after him ʿAbd al-Malik b. Qaṭan—this being his second term—and his appointment took place in Ṣafar of this year. The Berbers had done in Ifrīqiyah what we have mentioned in the year one hundred and seventeen. They had besieged Balj b. Bishr al-ʿAbsī until the situation became dire for him and those with him, and the siege intensified, while they remained patient until this year. He sent to ʿAbd al-Malik b. Qaṭan requesting that he send him ships by which he and those with him could cross to al-Andalus, and he mentioned the hardship that had befallen them and that they had eaten their riding animals. ʿAbd al-Malik refused to admit them into al-Andalus and promised to send them reinforcements, but he did not do so. It happened that the Berbers gained strength in al-Andalus, so ʿAbd al-Malik was compelled to admit Balj and those with him. It was said: ʿAbd al-Malik consulted his companions about allowing Balj to cross, and they warned him against that, but he said: I fear the Commander of the Faithful might say: You have destroyed my army. So he allowed them to cross, on condition that they stay for one year and then return to Ifrīqiyah. They agreed to that, and he took hostages from them and allowed them to cross. When they reached him, he and the Muslims saw the poor condition, poverty, and nakedness they were in because of the severity of the siege upon them. So they clothed them and were kind to them. They headed for a gathering of Berbers at Shadhūnah and fought them, and they triumphed over the Berbers, destroying them and seizing their wealth, riding animals, and weapons. Thus the condition of Balj’s companions improved, and they acquired riding animals to mount. ʿAbd al-Malik b. Qaṭan returned to Cordoba and told Balj and those with him to leave al-Andalus. They agreed to that, but they asked him for ships to travel in from other than al-Jazīrah al-Khaḍrāʾ so that they would not encounter the Berbers who had besieged them. ʿAbd al-Malik refused and said: I have no ships except at al-Jazīrah. They said: We will not return and expose ourselves to the Berbers, nor head toward the region where they are, for we fear they will kill us in their lands. He insisted that they depart, and when they saw that, they rose against him and fought him, and they overpowered him and expelled him from the palace. That was in the first days of Dhū al-Qaʿdah of this year. When Balj overpowered ʿAbd al-Malik, his companions advised him to kill ʿAbd al-Malik. So he had him brought out of his house, and he was like a fledgling because of his advanced age, and he killed him and crucified him. He then became governor of al-Andalus. ʿAbd al-Malik’s age was ninety years. His two sons, Qaṭan and Umayyah, fled; one of them went to Māridah and the other to Saraqustah, and their flight occurred before the killing of their father. When he was killed, what we shall mention happened, if God Almighty wills.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.