Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2848
Then the year 151 AH began
ذِكْرُ بِنَاءِ الرُّصَافَةِ لِلْمَهْدِيِّ وَفِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ قَدِمَ الْمَهْدِيُّ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ فِي شَوَّالٍ، فَقَدِمَ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ مِنَ الشَّامِ وَالْكُوفَةِ وَالْبَصْرَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا، فَهَنَّأُوهُ بِمَقْدَمِهِ، فَأَجَازَهُمْ وَحَمَلَهُمْ وَكَسَاهُمْ، وَفَعَلَ بِهِمُ الْمَنْصُورُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، وَبَنَى لَهُ الرُّصَافَةَ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ بِنَائِهَا أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْجُنْدِ شَغَبُوا عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ وَحَارَبُوهُ عَلَى بَابِ الذَّهَبِ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ قُثَمُ بْنُ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَهُوَ شَيْخُهُمْ، وَلَهُ الْحُرْمَةُ وَالتَّقَدُّمُ عِنْدَهُمْ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَنْصُورُ: أَمَا تَرَى مَا نَحْنُ فِيهِ مِنِ الْتِيَاثِ الْجُنْدِ عَلَيْنَا ؟ وَقَدْ خِفْتُ أَنْ تُجْمَعَ كَلِمَتُهُمْ فَيَخْرُجَ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ مِنْ أَيْدِينَا، فَمَا تَرَى ؟ قَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، عِنْدِي رَأْيٌ إِنْ أَظْهَرْتُهُ لَكَ فَسَدَ، وَإِنْ تَرَكْتَنِي أُمْضِيهِ صَلُحَتْ [ لَكَ ] خِلَافَتُكَ وَهَابَكَ جُنْدُكَ. قَالَ لَهُ: أَفَتُمْضِي فِي خِلَافَتِي شَيْئًا لَا أَعْلَمُهُ ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنْ كُنْتُ عِنْدَكَ مُتَّهَمًا فَلَا تُشَاوِرْنِي، وَإِنْ كُنْتُ مَأْمُونًا عَلَيْهَا فَدَعْنِي أَفْعَلْ رَأْيِي. قَالَ لَهُ الْمَنْصُورُ: فَأَمْضِهِ. فَانْصَرَفَ قُثَمُ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ، فَدَعَا غُلَامًا لَهُ فَقَالَ [ لَهُ ]: إِذَا كَانَ غَدًا فَتَقَدَّمْنِي وَاجْلِسْ فِي دَارِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَإِذَا رَأَيْتَنِي قَدْ دَخَلْتُ وَتَوَسَّطْتُ أَصْحَابَ الْمَرَاتِبِ فَخُذْ بِعِنَانِ بَغْلَتِي فَاسْتَحْلِفْنِي بِحَقِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، ( وَبِحَقِّ الْعَبَّاسِ )، وَبِحَقِّ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَّا مَا وَقَفْتُ لَكَ، وَسَمِعْتُ مَسْأَلَتَكَ، وَأَجَبْتُكَ عَنْهَا، فَإِنِّي سَأَنْتَهِرُكَ وَأُغْلِظُ لَكَ [ الْقَوْلَ ] فَلَا تَخَفْ وَعَاوِدَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ، فَإِنِّي سَأَضْرِبُكَ فَعَاوِدْ وَقُلْ لِي: أَيُّ الْحَيَّيْنِ أَشْرَفُ، الْيَمَنُ أَمْ مُضَرُ ؟ فَإِذَا أَجَبْتُكَ فَاتْرُكِ الْبَغْلَةَ وَأَنْتَ حُرٌّ. فَفَعَلَ الْغُلَامُ مَا أَمَرَهُ، وَفَعَلَ قُثَمُ بِهِ مَا قَالَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مُضَرُ أَشْرَفُ لِأَنَّ مِنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَفِيهَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ، وَفِيهَا بَيْتُ اللَّهِ، وَمِنْهَا خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ. فَامْتَعَضَتْ لِذَلِكَ الْيَمَنُ إِذْ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ لَهُمْ شَيْئًا [ مِنْ شَرَفِهِمْ ]، وَقَالَ بَعْضُ قُوَّادِهِمْ: لَيْسَ الْأَمْرُ كَذَلِكَ مُطْلَقًا بِغَيْرِ فَضِيلَةٍ لِلْيَمَنِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لِغُلَامٍ لَهُ: قُمْ إِلَى بَغْلَةِ الشَّيْخِ فَاكْبَحْهَا. فَفَعَلَ حَتَّى كَادَ يُقْعِيهَا، فَامْتَعَضَتْ مُضَرُ وَقَالُوا: أَيُفْعَلُ هَذَا بِشَيْخِنَا ! فَأَمَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ غُلَامَهُ فَضَرَبَ يَدَ ذَلِكَ الْغُلَامِ فَقَطَعَهَا، فَنَفَرَ الْحَيَّانِ. وَدَخَلَ قُثَمُ عَلَى الْمَنْصُورِ فَافْتَرَقَ الْجُنْدُ، فَصَارَتْ مُضَرُ فِرْقَةً، وَرَبِيعَةُ فِرْقَةً، وَالْخُرَاسَانِيَّةُ فِرْقَةً. فَقَالَ قُثَمُ لِلْمَنْصُورِ: قَدْ فَرَّقْتُ بَيْنَ جُنْدِكَ وَجَعَلْتُهُمْ أَحْزَابًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ مِنْهُمْ يَخَافُ أَنْ يُحْدِثَ [ عَلَيْكَ ] حَدَثًا فَتَضْرِبَهُ بِالْحِزْبِ الْآخَرِ. وَقَدْ بَقِيَ عَلَيْكَ فِي التَّدْبِيرِ بَقِيَّةٌ، وَهِيَ أَنْ تَعْبُرَ بِابْنِكَ فَتُنْزِلَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْجَانِبِ، وَتُحَوِّلَ مَعَهُ قِطْعَةً مِنْ جَيْشِكَ فَيَصِيرُ ذَلِكَ بَلَدًا وَهَذَا بَلَدًا، فَإِنْ فَسَدَ عَلَيْكَ أُولَئِكَ ضَرَبْتَهُمْ بِهَؤُلَاءِ، وَإِنْ فَسَدَ عَلَيْكَ هَؤُلَاءِ ضَرَبْتَهُمْ بِأُولَئِكَ، وَإِنْ فَسَدَ عَلَيْكَ بَعْضُ الْقَبَائِلِ ضَرَبْتَهُمْ بِالْقَبِيلَةِ الْأُخْرَى. فَقَبِلَ رَأْيَهُ وَاسْتَقَامَ مُلْكُهُ وَبَنَى الرُّصَافَةَ، وَتَوَلَّى صَالِحٌ صَاحِبُ الْمُصَلَّى ذَلِكَ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the building of al-Ruṣāfah for al-Mahdī In this year al-Mahdī arrived from Khurāsān in Shawwāl. His family came to him from Syria, al-Kūfah, al-Baṣrah, and elsewhere, and congratulated him on his arrival. He rewarded them, gave them mounts, and clothed them, and al-Manṣūr did the like for them. He built al-Ruṣāfah for him. The reason for its building was that some of the troops rioted against al-Manṣūr and fought him at the Gate of Gold. Qutham b. al-ʿAbbās b. ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbbās entered upon him—he being their elder, enjoying veneration and precedence among them. Al-Manṣūr said to him: 'Do you not see the confusion of the troops against us? I fear that their word may unite and this affair may pass out of our hands. What do you think?' He said: 'O Commander of the Faithful, I have an idea; if I reveal it to you it will be spoiled, but if you let me carry it out, your caliphate will be sound and your troops will hold you in awe.' He said to him: 'Would you carry out something in my caliphate that I do not know?' He replied: 'If I am suspect in your eyes, then do not consult me; but if I am trusted with it, then let me do what I think.' Al-Manṣūr said to him: 'Carry it out.' Qutham went back to his house and summoned a servant of his and said to him: 'Tomorrow go ahead of me and sit in the residence of the Commander of the Faithful. When you see that I have entered and taken my place amid the men of rank, take hold of the rein of my mule and adjure me by the right of the Messenger of God ﷺ, by the right of al-ʿAbbās, and by the right of the Commander of the Faithful, that I stop for you, hear your question, and answer it. I will rebuke you and speak harshly to you, but do not be afraid; repeat the question. I will strike you; repeat it and say to me: "Which of the two tribes is nobler, al-Yaman or Muḍar?" When I answer you, let go of the mule and you are free.' The servant did as he commanded him, and Qutham did to him what he had said. Then he said: 'Muḍar is nobler, because from it is the Messenger of God ﷺ, in it is the Book of God, in it is the House of God, and from it is the Caliph of God.' Al-Yaman were angered by that, since he did not mention anything of their nobility. One of their commanders said: 'The matter is not so unconditionally, without any excellence for al-Yaman.' Then he said to a servant of his: 'Go to the old man's mule and rein it back.' The servant did so until he almost made it sit down on its haunches. Muḍar were angered and said: 'Is this done to our elder?' One of them ordered his servant, and he struck that servant's hand and cut it off. Thus the two tribes took sides. Qutham entered upon al-Manṣūr, and the troops separated: Muḍar became one faction, Rabīʿah another faction, and the Khurāsānīs another faction. Qutham said to al-Manṣūr: 'I have divided your troops and made them parties, each party fearing to commit an offense against you lest you strike it with another party. There remains for you one further measure in the scheme: cross over with your son and have him dwell on that side, and move with him a detachment of your army, so that this becomes one city and that another. If those on the other side become corrupt against you, you strike them with these; if these become corrupt against you, you strike them with those; and if some tribes become corrupt against you, you strike them with another tribe.' He accepted his counsel, his dominion became stable, and he built al-Ruṣāfah, and Ṣāliḥ, the overseer of the prayer place, took charge of that.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.