Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2854
Then the year 151 AH began
وَفِيهَا: وَلَّى أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ مَعْنَ بْنَ زَائِدَةَ سَجِسْتَانَ، وَحُمَيْدَ بْنَ قُحْطُبَةَ خُرَاسَانَ، وَقَدْ كَانَ الْمَنْصُورُ طَلَبَ مَعْنًا لِيُهْلِكَهُ ثُمَّ أَمَّنَهُ وَوَلَّاهُ. أَنْبَأَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي طَاهِرٍ الْبَزَّازُ قَالَ: أَنْبَأَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي عَلِيٍّ الْبَصْرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْفَرَجِ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ الْقُرَشِيُّ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي حَبِيبُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ الْمُهَلَّبِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي سَعْدٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ نُعَيْمٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ قَالَ: حَدَّثَ مَرْوَانُ بْنُ أَبِي حَفْصَةَ قَالَ: كَانَ الْمَنْصُورُ قَدْ طَلَبَ مَعْنَ بْنَ زَائِدَةَ الشَّيْبَانِيَّ طَلَبًا شَدِيدًا، وَجَعَلَ فِيهِ مَالًا، فَحَدَّثَنِي مَعْنٌ بِالْيَمَنِ أَنَّهُ اضْطُرَّ لِشِدَّةِ الطَّلَبِ حَتَّى قَامَ فِي الشَّمْسِ حَتَّى لَوَّحَتْ وَجْهَهُ، وَخَفَّفَ عَارِضَهُ وَلِحْيَتَهُ، وَلَبِسَ جُبَّةَ صُوفٍ غَلِيظَةً، وَرَكِبَ حَمَلًا مِنْ حِمَالِ النَّقَّالَةِ، وَخَرَجَ لِيَمْضِيَ إِلَى الْبَادِيَةِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبْلَى فِي حَرْبٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عُمَرَ بْنِ هُبَيْرَةَ بَلَاءً عَظِيمًا، فَغَاظَ الْمَنْصُورُ فِي طَلَبِهِ قَالَ مَعْنٌ: فَلَمَّا خَرَجَتْ مِنْ بَابِ حَرْبٍ تَبِعَنِي أَسْوَدُ مُتَقَلِّدٌ سَيْفًا حَتَّى إِذَا غِبْتُ عَنِ الْحَرَسِ قَبَضَ عَلَى خِطَامِ الْجَمَلِ فَأَنَاخَهُ، وَقَبَضَ عَلَيَّ، فَقُلْتُ: مَا لَكَ؟ فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ طِلْبَةُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَقُلْتُ: وَمَنْ أَنَا حَتَّى يَطْلُبَنِي أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، فَقَالَ: أَنْتَ مَعْنُ بْنُ زَائِدَةَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا هَذَا اتَّقِ اللَّهَ، وَأَيْنَ أَنَا مِنْ مَعْنِ بْنِ زَائِدَةَ، فَقَالَ: دَعْ ذَا عَنْكَ فَأَنَا وَاللَّهِ أَعْرَفُ بِكَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنْ كَانَ كَمَا تَقُولُ فَهَذَا جَوْهَرُ حَمْلَتِهِ مَعِي بِأَضْعَافِ مَا بَذَلَهُ الْمَنْصُورُ لِمَنْ جَاءَ بِي، فَخُذْهُ وَلَا تَسْفِكْ دَمِي، قَالَ: هَاتِهِ، فَأَخْرَجْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ سَاعَةً وَقَالَ: صَدَقْتَ فِي قِيمَتِهِ وَلَسْتَ نَائِلَهُ حَتَّى أَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ شَيْءٍ، فَإِنْ صَدَقْتَنِي أَطْلَقْتُكَ، قُلْتُ: قُلْ، قَالَ: فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ وَصَفُوكَ بِالْجُودِ، فَأَخْبِرْنِي هَلْ وَهَبْتَ قَطُّ مَالَكَ كُلَّهُ، قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَنَصِفَهُ، قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: فَثُلُثَهُ قُلْتُ: لَا، حَتَّى بَلَغَ الْعُشْرَ فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ، فَقُلْتُ: أَظُنُّ أَنِّي قَدْ فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: مَا أَرَاكَ فَعَلْتَهُ أَنَا وَاللَّهِ رَجُلٌ رَاجِلٌ رِزْقِي مَعَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عِشْرُونَ دِرْهَمًا، وَهَذَا الْجَوْهَرُ قِيمَتُهُ آلَافُ دَنَانِيرَ، وَقَدْ وَهَبْتُهُ لَكَ وَوَهَبْتُكَ نَفْسَكَ لِجُودِكَ الْمَأْثُورِ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، وَلِتَحْتَقِرَ بَعْدَ هَذَا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ تَفْعَلُهُ وَلَا تَتَوَقَّفُ فِي مَكْرُمَةٍ، ثُمَّ رَمَى بِالْعِقْدِ فِي حِجْرِي وَخَلَّى خِطَامَ الْبَعِيرِ وَانْصَرَفَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا هَذَا، قَدْ وَاللَّهِ فَضَحْتَنِي، وَلَسَفْكُ دَمِي أَهْوَنُ عَلَيَّ مِمَّا فَعَلْتَهُ، فَخُذْ مَا دَفَعْتُهُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنِّي غَنِيٌّ عَنْهُ، فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ: أَرَدْتُ أَنْ تُكَذِّبْنِي فِي مَقَامِي هَذَا، وَاللَّهِ لَا آخُذُهُ وَلَا أَتَّخِذُ لِمَعْرُوفٍ ثَمَنًا أَبَدًا، وَمَضَى، فَوَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ طَلَبْتَهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَمَّنْتَ وَبَذَلْتَ لِمَنْ جَاءَنِي بِهِ مَا شَاءَ، فَمَا عَرَفْتُ لَهُ خَبَرًا.
Translation
✧ In this year, Abu Jaʿfar appointed Maʿn b. Zāʾidah over Sijistān, and Ḥumayd b. Quḥṭubah over Khurāsān. Al-Manṣūr had sought Maʿn in order to destroy him, then granted him safety and appointed him. Muḥammad b. Abī Ṭāhir al-Bazzāz informed us, saying: ʿAlī b. Abī ʿAlī al-Baṣrī informed us, on the authority of his father, who said: Abū al-Faraj b. ʿAlī b. al-Ḥusayn al-Qurashī informed us, saying: Ḥabīb b. Naṣr al-Muhallabī informed me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Saʿd narrated to us, saying: Muḥammad b. Nuʿaym al-Balkhī narrated to us, saying: Marwān b. Abī Ḥafṣah narrated, saying: Al-Manṣūr had sought Maʿn b. Zāʾidah al-Shaybānī with a severe search, and placed a reward of money for him. Maʿn narrated to me in al-Yaman that he was compelled, due to the severity of the search, to stand in the sun until it scorched his face, to trim his sideburns and beard, to wear a thick woolen jubbah, to ride a pack camel of the carriers' camels, and to go out to the desert. He had previously performed great feats in battle before ʿUmar b. Hubayrah, which enraged al-Manṣūr in seeking him. Maʿn said: When I went out from the gate of Ḥarb, a black man girded with a sword followed me until, when I was out of sight of the guards, he seized the camel's nose-rein, made it kneel, and seized me. I said: What is the matter with you? He said: You are the sought one of the Commander of the Faithful. I said: And who am I that the Commander of the Faithful should seek me? He said: You are Maʿn b. Zāʾidah. I said: O man, fear God. How could I be Maʿn b. Zāʾidah? He said: Leave that aside, for by God, I know you better than you know yourself. I said to him: If it is as you say, then this jewel I am carrying is worth many times what al-Manṣūr has offered to whoever brings me. Take it and do not shed my blood. He said: Hand it over. I took it out and gave it to him. He looked at it for a while and said: You are truthful about its value, but you will not obtain it until I ask you about something. If you tell me the truth, I will release you. I said: Speak. He said: People have described you with generosity. Tell me, have you ever given away all your wealth? I said: No. He said: Half of it? I said: No. He said: A third of it? I said: No, until he reached a tenth. I felt ashamed and said: I think I have done that. He said: I do not think you have done it. I am, by God, a foot soldier whose provision with Abū Jaʿfar is twenty dirhams, and this jewel is worth thousands of dinars. I have given it to you and given you your life because of your generosity that is renowned among the people, so that after this you may deem insignificant everything you do and not hesitate in any noble deed. Then he threw the necklace into my lap, released the camel's nose-rein, and went away. I said: O man, by God, you have put me to shame, and shedding my blood would be easier for me than what you have done. Take what I gave you, for I have no need of it. He laughed and said: You want me to contradict myself in this station? By God, I will not take it, and I will never take a price for a good deed. And he went on. By God, after you granted safety and offered to whoever brought him to you whatever he wished, I sought him but found no trace of him.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.