Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2692
Then the Year 132 AH Began
ذِكْرُ وِلَايَةِ يَحْيَى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَوْصِلَ وَمَا قِيلَ فِيهَا وَفِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ اسْتَعْمَلَ السَّفَّاحُ أَخَاهُ يَحْيَى بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَى الْمَوْصِلِ عِوَضَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ صُولٍ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْمَوْصِلِ امْتَنَعُوا مِنْ طَاعَةِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ صُولٍ، وَقَالُوا: يَلِي عَلَيْنَا مَوْلَى الْخَثْعَمِ، وَأَخْرَجُوهُ عَنْهُمْ. فَكَتَبَ إِلَى السَّفَّاحِ بِذَلِكَ، وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخَاهُ يَحْيَى بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَسَيَّرَهُ إِلَيْهَا فِي اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ رَجُلٍ. فَنَزَلَ قَصْرَ الْإِمَارَةِ مُجَانِبَ مَسْجِدِ الْجَامِعِ، وَلَمْ يُظْهِرْ لِأَهْلِ الْمَوْصِلِ شَيْئًا يُنْكِرُونَهُ، وَلَمْ يَعْتَرِضْهُمْ فِيمَا يَفْعَلُونَهُ، ثُمَّ دَعَاهُمْ فَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمُ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا، فَنَفَرَ أَهْلُ الْبَلَدِ وَحَمَلُوا السِّلَاحَ، فَأَعْطَاهُمُ الْأَمَانَ، وَأَمَرَ فَنُودِيَ: مَنْ دَخَلَ الْجَامِعَ فَهُوَ آمِنٌ، فَأَتَاهُ النَّاسُ يُهْرَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَقَامَ يَحْيَى الرِّجَالَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْجَامِعِ، فَقَتَلُوا النَّاسَ قَتْلًا ذَرِيعًا أَسْرَفُوا فِيهِ، فَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ قَتَلَ فِيهِ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ أَلْفًا مِمَّنْ لَهُ خَاتَمٌ وَمِمَّنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ خَاتَمٌ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا. فَلَمَّا كَانَ اللَّيْلُ سَمِعَ يَحْيَى صُرَاخَ النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي قُتِلَ رِجَالُهُنَّ، فَسَأَلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الصَّوْتِ، فَأُخْبِرَ بِهِ، فَقَالَ: إِذَا كَانَ الْغَدُ فَاقْتُلُوا النِّسَاءَ وَالصِّبْيَانَ. فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ، وَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَكَانَ فِي عَسْكَرِهِ قَائِدٌ مَعَهُ أَرْبَعَةُ آلَافِ زِنْجِيٍّ، فَأَخَذُوا النِّسَاءَ قَهْرًا. فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ يَحْيَى مِنْ قَتْلِ أَهْلِ الْمَوْصِلِ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّالِثِ رَكِبَ الْيَوْمَ الرَّابِعَ، وَبَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ الْحِرَابُ وَالسُّيُوفُ الْمَسْلُولَةُ، فَاعْتَرَضَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ وَأَخَذَتْ بِعِنَانِ دَابَّتِهِ، فَأَرَادَ أَصْحَابُهُ قَتْلَهَا فَنَهَاهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: أَلَسْتَ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ ؟ أَلَسْتَ ابْنَ عَمِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ؟ أَمَا تَأْنَفُ لِلْعَرَبِيَّاتِ الْمُسْلِمَاتِ أَنْ يَنْكِحَهُنَّ الزِّنْجُ ؟ فَأَمْسَكَ عَنْ جَوَابِهَا، وَسَيَّرَ مَعَهَا مَنْ يُبْلِغُهَا مَأْمَنَهَا، وَقَدْ عَمِلَ كَلَامُهَا فِيهِ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ جَمَعَ الزِّنْجَ لِلْعَطَاءِ، فَاجْتَمَعُوا، فَأَمَرَ بِهِمْ فَقُتِلُوا عَنْ آخِرِهِمْ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ السَّبَبُ فِي قَتْلِ أَهْلِ الْمَوْصِلِ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ مَحَبَّةِ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، وَكَرَاهَةِ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ، وَأَنَّ امْرَأَةً غَسَلَتْ رَأْسَهَا وَأَلْقَتِ الْخِطْمِيَّ مِنَ السَّطْحِ فَوَقَعَ عَلَى رَأْسِ بَعْضِ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّةِ، فَظَنَّهَا فَعَلَتْ ذَلِكَ تَعَمُّدًا، فَهَاجَمَ الدَّارَ، وَقَتَلَ أَهْلَهَا، فَثَارَ أَهْلُ الْبَلَدِ وَقَتَلُوهُ، وَثَارَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ. وَفِيمَنْ قُتِلَ مَعْرُوفُ بْنُ أَبِي مَعْرُوفٍ، وَكَانَ زَاهِدًا عَابِدًا، وَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَرَوَى عَنْهُمْ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the appointment of Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad over al-Mawṣil and what was said about it In this year, al-Saffāḥ appointed his brother Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad over al-Mawṣil in place of Muḥammad b. Ṣūl. The reason for that was that the people of al-Mawṣil refused to obey Muḥammad b. Ṣūl, and they said: “A mawlā of Khathʿam rules over us,” and they expelled him from among them. So he wrote to al-Saffāḥ about that, and he appointed over them his brother Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad and sent him there with twelve thousand men. He alighted at the palace of the emirate, beside the congregational mosque, and he did not show the people of al-Mawṣil anything they disapproved of, nor did he interfere with them in what they were doing. Then he summoned them and killed twelve of their men. The people of the town took flight and bore arms, so he granted them amnesty, and ordered a proclamation: “Whoever enters the congregational mosque is safe.” The people came hastening to him, and Yaḥyā stationed men at the gates of the mosque, and they killed the people with a swift killing in which they went to excess. It was said that he killed in it eleven thousand of those who had a signet ring, and of those who had no signet ring a great multitude. When night came, Yaḥyā heard the cries of the women whose men had been killed, and he asked about that sound and was told of it. He said: “When tomorrow comes, kill the women and the children.” They did that, and he killed among them for three days. In his army there was a commander with four thousand Zanj, and they seized the women by force. When Yaḥyā had finished killing the people of al-Mawṣil on the third day, on the fourth day he rode out with lances and drawn swords before him. A woman confronted him and took hold of his mount’s bridle. His companions wanted to kill her, but he forbade them from that. She said to him: “Are you not of the Banū Hāshim? Are you not the cousin of the Messenger of God ﷺ? Do you not disdain that Arab Muslim women should be married by the Zanj?” He refrained from answering her, and sent with her someone to convey her to her place of safety. Her words had an effect on him. On the morrow he gathered the Zanj for the stipend, and they assembled, and he gave orders concerning them, and they were killed to the last man. It was said: The reason for the killing of the people of al-Mawṣil was what appeared from them of love for the Banū Umayyah and dislike of the Banū al-ʿAbbās; and that a woman washed her head and threw the marshmallow from the roof, and it fell on the head of one of the Khurasanians. He thought she had done that deliberately, so he attacked the house and killed its people. The people of the town rose up and killed him, and the strife broke out. Among those killed was Maʿrūf b. Abī Maʿrūf, who was an ascetic and a devoted worshipper. He had met many of the Companions and transmitted from them.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.