Tarikh (al-Tabari) 2989
The year 176 AH
وِلَايَةِ عُمَرَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ مِصْرَ . وَفِي سنة ست وسبعين ومائة عَزَلَ الرَّشِيدُ مُوسَى بْنَ عِيسَى عَنْ مِصْرَ، وَرَدَّ أَمْرَهَا إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدٍ، فَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهَا جَعْفَرٌ عُمَرَ بْنَ مِهْرَانَ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ عَزْلِهِ أَنَّ الرَّشِيدَ بَلَغَهُ أَنَّ مُوسَى عَازِمٌ عَلَى الْخَلْعِ، فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَا أَعْزِلُهُ إِلَّا بِأَخَسَّ مَنْ عَلَى بَابِي ! فَأَمَرَ جَعْفَرًا، فَأَحْضَرَ عُمَرَ بْنَ مِهْرَانَ، وَكَانَ أَحْوَلَ، مُشَوَّهَ الْخَلْقِ، وَكَانَ لِبَاسُهُ خَسِيسًا، وَكَانَ يُرْدِفُ غُلَامَهُ خَلْفَهُ، فَلَمَّا قَالَ لَهُ الرَّشِيدُ: أَتَسِيرُ إِلَى مِصْرَ أَمِيرًا ؟ قَالَ: أَتَوَلَّاهَا عَلَى شَرَائِطَ، إِحْدَاهَا أَنْ يَكُونَ إِذْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي، إِذَا أَصْلَحْتُ الْبِلَادَ انْصَرَفْتُ، فَأَجَابَهُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ. فَسَارَ، فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ إِلَيْهَا أَتَى دَارَ مُوسَى فَجَلَسَ فِي أُخْرَيَاتِ النَّاسِ، فَلَمَّا تَفَرَّقُوا قَالَ: أَلَكَ حَاجَةٌ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ ! ثُمَّ دَفَعَ إِلَيْهِ الْكُتُبَ، فَلَمَّا قَرَأَهَا قَالَ: هَلْ يَقْدَمُ أَبُو حَفْصٍ، أَبْقَاهُ اللَّهُ ؟ قَالَ: أَنَا أَبُو حَفْصٍ، قَالَ مُوسَى: لَعَنَ اللَّهُ فِرْعَوْنَ حَيْثُ قَالَ: ( أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ )، ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ لَهُ الْعَمَلَ. وَارْتَحَلَ عَنْهَا، وَأَقْبَلَ عُمَرُ بْنُ مِهْرَانَ عَلَى عَمَلِهِ، فَكَانَ لَا يَقْبَلُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْهَدَايَا إِلَّا مَا كَانَ ذَهَبًا أَوْ فِضَّةً أَوْ قُمَاشًا، وَيَكْتُبُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ اسْمَ مُهْدِيهِ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ طَالَبَ بِالْخَرَاجِ وَأَلَحَّ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَشَرَعَ بَعْضُهُمْ فِي مُمَاطَلَتِهِ، فَأَقْسَمَ لَا يُمَاطِلُهُ أَحَدٌ فَيَقْبِضَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا، وَإِنَّمَا يَبْعَثُهُ إِلَى بَغْدَادَ وَيَزِنُ خَرَاجَهُ بِهَا، وَيَأْتِي بِوَرَقَةِ الْقَبْضِ، وَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ بِبَعْضِ النَّاسِ فَتَأَدَّبَ بَقِيَّتُهُمْ، ثُمَّ جَبَاهُمُ الْقِسْطَ الثَّانِي، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الثَّالِثُ عَجَزَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ عَنِ الْأَدَاءِ، فَجَعَلَ يَسْتَحْضِرُ مَا كَانُوا أَهْدَوْا إِلَيْهِ; فَإِنْ كَانَ نَقْدًا أَدَّاهُ عَنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ كَانَ بُرًّا بَاعَهُ وَاعْتَدَّ بِهِ عَنْهُمْ، وَقَالَ: إِنِّي إِنَّمَا ادَّخَرْتُ هَذَا لَكْمْ إِلَى وَقْتِ حَاجَتِكُمْ. ثُمَّ أَكْمَلَ اسْتِخْرَاجَ جَمِيعَ الْخَرَاجِ بِدِيَارِ مِصْرَ، وَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَهُ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ عَنْهَا; لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ قَدْ شَرَطَ عَلَى الرَّشِيدِ أَنَّهُ إِذَا مَهَّدَ الْبِلَادَ وَجَبَى الْخَرَاجَ، فَذَاكَ إِذْنُهُ فِي الِانْصِرَافِ. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَهُ بِالدِّيَارِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ سِوَى مَوْلَاهُ أَبِي دُرَّةَ وَهُوَ حَاجِبُهُ، وَهُوَ مَنْفِذُ أُمُورِهِ.
Translation
✧ The governorship of ʿUmar b. Mihrān over Egypt. In the year 176 AH, al-Rashīd dismissed Mūsā b. ʿĪsā from Egypt and returned its affairs to Jaʿfar b. Yaḥyā b. Khālid, and Jaʿfar appointed over it ʿUmar b. Mihrān. The reason for his dismissal was that al-Rashīd had heard that Mūsā was resolved on renouncing allegiance. He said: "By God, I shall not dismiss him except by the most wretched of those at my gate!" So he ordered Jaʿfar, and he brought ʿUmar b. Mihrān, who was cross-eyed and misshapen in appearance, and his attire was shabby, and he used to mount his servant behind him. When al-Rashīd said to him: "Will you go to Egypt as governor?" he said: "I shall take charge of it on conditions, one of which is that my leave be at my own discretion: when I have set the country aright, I shall depart." He granted him that. So he set out, and when he arrived there, he came to Mūsā's house and sat among the last rows of the people. When they dispersed, he said: "Do you have a need?" He said: "Yes!" Then he handed him the letters. When he had read them, he said: "Is Abū Ḥafṣ coming, may God preserve him?" He said: "I am Abū Ḥafṣ." Mūsā said: "May God curse Pharaoh when he said: 'Is not the kingdom of Egypt mine?'" Then he handed over the office to him. He departed from it, and ʿUmar b. Mihrān devoted himself to his work. He would accept nothing of gifts except what was gold, silver, or cloth, and he would write on it the name of its giver. Then he demanded the land tax and insisted on it with them. Some of them began to delay payment, so he swore that no one who delayed him would receive anything from him; rather he would send him to Baghdad and weigh his tax there, and bring back the receipt slip. He did that with some of the people, and the rest of them became disciplined. Then he collected from them the second installment. When the third came, many of them were unable to pay, so he began to bring out what they had given him as gifts: if it was cash, he paid it on their behalf; and if it was wheat, he sold it and counted it as paid on their behalf, saying: "I only stored this up for you until the time of your need." Then he completed the collection of the entire land tax in the lands of Egypt, which none before him had done. Then he departed from it, because he had stipulated with al-Rashīd that when he had set the country in order and collected the land tax, that would be his leave to depart. And he had with him in the Egyptian lands none but his client Abū Durra, who was his chamberlain and the executor of his affairs.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.