Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3040
The year 187 AH
الْقَبْضِ عَلَى عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ وَفِي سنة سبع وثمانين ومائة غَضِبَ الرَّشِيدُ عَلَى عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ بْنِ صَالِحِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ. وَكَانَ سَبَبَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَهُ وَلَدٌ اسْمُهُ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَبِهِ كَانَ يُكَنَّى، وَكَانَ مِنْ رُحَّالِ النَّاسِ، فَسَعَى بِأَبِيهِ هُوَ وَقُمَامَةُ كَاتِبُ أَبِيهِ، وَقَالَا لِلرَّشِيدِ: إِنَّهُ يَطْلُبُ الْخِلَافَةَ، وَيَطْمَعُ فِيهَا. فَأَخَذَهُ وَحَبَسَهُ عِنْدَ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ، وَأَحْضَرَهُ يَوْمًا حِينَ سَخِطَ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَكُفْرًا بِالنِّعْمَةِ، وَجُحُودًا لِجَلِيلِ الْمِنَّةِ وَالتَّكْرِمَةِ ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لَقَدْ بُؤْتُ إِذًا بِالنَّدَمِ، وَتَعَرَّضْتُ لِاسْتِحْلَالِ النِّقَمِ، وَمَا ذَاكَ إِلَّا بَغْيُ حَاسِدِنَا، فَنَسِيَ فِيكَ مَوَدَّةَ الْقَرَابَةِ وَتَقْدِيمَ الْوِلَايَةِ، إِنَّكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، خَلِيفَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى أُمَّتِهِ، وَأَمِينُهُ عَلَى عِتْرَتِهِ، لَكَ عَلَيْهَا فَرْضُ الطَّاعَةِ، وَأَدَاءُ النَّصِيحَةِ، وَلَهَا عَلَيْكَ الْعَدْلُ فِي حُكْمِهَا، وَالْغُفْرَانُ لِذُنُوبِهَا، وَالتَّثَبُّتُ فِي حَادِثِهَا. فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّشِيدُ: أَتَضَعُ [ لِي ] مِنْ لِسَانِكَ، وَتَرْفَعُ [ لِي ] مِنْ جَنَانِكَ ؟ هَذَا كَاتِبُكَ قُمَامَةُ يُخْبِرُ بِغِلِّكَ وَفَسَادِ نِيَّتِكَ، فَاسْمَعْ كَلَامَهُ. فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ: أَعْطَاكَ مَا لَيْسَ فِي عِقْدِهِ، وَلَعَلَّهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَعْضَهَنِي أَوْ يَبْهَتَنِي بِمَا لَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ مِنِّي. فَأُحْضِرَ قُمَامَةُ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّشِيدُ: تَكَلَّمْ غَيْرَ هَائِبٍ وَلَا خَائِفٍ ! فَقَالَ: أَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ عَازِمٌ عَلَى الْغَدْرِ بِكَ وَالْخِلَافِ عَلَيْكَ. فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ: كَيْفَ لَا يَكْذِبُ عَلَيَّ مِنْ خَلْفِي [ وَهُوَ ] يَبْهَتُنِي فِي وَجْهِي ؟ فَقَالَ الرَّشِيدُ: فَهَذَا ابْنُكَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ يُخْبِرُنِي بِعُتُوِّكَ، وَفَسَادِ نِيَّتِكَ، وَلَوْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَحْتَجَّ عَلَيْكَ لَمْ أَجِدْ أَعْدَلَ مِنْ هَذَيْنِ الِاثْنَيْنِ لَكَ، فَلِمَ تَدْفَعُهُمَا عَنْكَ ؟ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ: هُوَ مَأْمُورٌ، أَوْ عَاقٌّ مَجْبُورٌ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مَأْمُورًا فَمَعْذُورٌ، وَإِنْ كَانَ عَاقًّا فَفَاجِرٌ كَفُورٌ، أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - بِعَدَاوَتِهِ، وَحَذَّرَ مِنْهُ بِقَوْلِهِ: إِنَّ مِنْ أَزْوَاجِكُمْ وَأَوْلَادِكُمْ عَدُوًّا لَكُمْ فَاحْذَرُوهُمْ فَنَهَضَ الرَّشِيدُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: مَا أَمْرُكَ إِلَّا قَدْ وَضَحَ، وَلَكِنِّي لَا أَعْجَلُ، حَتَّى أَعْلَمَ الَّذِي يُرْضِي اللَّهَ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - فِيكَ، فَإِنَّهُ الْحَكَمُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ. فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ: رَضِيتُ بِاللَّهِ حَكَمًا، وَبِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ حَاكِمًا، فَإِنِّي أَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْثِرَ هَوَاهُ عَلَى رِضَى رَبِّهِ. وَأَحْضَرَهُ الرَّشِيدُ يَوْمًا آخَرَ، فَكَانَ مِمَّا قَالَ لَهُ: أُرِيدُ حَيَاتَهُ وَيُرِيدُ قَتْلِي عَذِيرَكَ مِنْ خَلِيلِكَ مِنْ مُرَادِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى شُؤْبُوبِهَا قَدْ هَمَعَ، وَعَارَضِهَا قَدْ لَمَعَ، وَكَأَنِّي بِالْوَعِيدِ قَدْ أَوْرَى زِنَادًا يَسْطَعُ، فَأَقْلَعَ عَنْ بَرَاجِمَ بِلَا مَعَاصِمَ، وَرُءُوسٍ بِلَا غَلَاصِمَ، فَمَهْلًا مَهْلًا بَنِي هَاشِمٍ، فَبِي وَاللَّهِ سُهِّلَ لَكُمُ الْوَعِرُ، وَصَفَا لَكُمُ الْكَدِرُ، وَأَلْقَتْ إِلَيْكُمُ الْأُمُورُ أَزِمَّتَهَا، فَنَذَارِ لَكُمْ نَذَارِ قَبْلَ حُلُولِ دَاهِيَةٍ، خَبُوطٍ بِالْيَدِ، لَبُوطٍ بِالرِّجْلِ. فَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ: اتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِيمَا وَلَّاكَ مِنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ الَّتِي اسْتَرْعَاكَ، وَلَا تَجْعَلِ الْكُفْرَ مَكَانَ الشُّكْرِ، وَلَا الْعِقَابَ مَوْضِعَ الثَّوَابِ، فَقَدْ نَخَلْتُ لَكَ النَّصِيحَةَ، وَمَحَضْتُ لَكَ الطَّاعَةَ، وَشَدَدْتُ أَوَاخِيَ مُلْكِكَ بِأَثْقَلَ مِنْ رُكْنَيْ يَلَمْلَمَ، وَتَرَكْتُ عَدُوَّكَ مُشْتَغِلًا، فَاللَّهَ اللَّهَ ( فِي ذِي رَحِمِكَ أَنْ تَقْطَعَهُ بَعْدَ أَنْ وَصَلْتَهُ، بِظَنٍّ أَفْصَحَ الْكِتَابُ [ لِي ] بِعِضَهِهِ، أَوْ بِبَغْيِ بَاغٍ يَنْهَسُ اللَّحْمَ، وَيَلِغُ الدَّمَ، فَقَدْ وَاللَّهِ سَهَّلْتُ لَكَ الْوُعُورَ، وَذَلَّلْتُ لَكَ الْأُمُورَ، وَجَمَعْتُ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ الْقُلُوبَ فِي الصُّدُورِ، فَكَمْ [ مِنْ ] لَيْلِ تَمَامٍ فِيكَ كَابَدْتُهُ، وَمَقَامٍ ضَيِّقٍ [ لَكَ ] قُمْتُهُ، كُنْتُ [ فِيهِ ] كَمَا قَالَ أَخُو بَنِي جَعْفَرِ بْنِ كِلَابٍ - يَعْنِي لَبِيدًا -: وَمَقَامٍ ضَيِّقٍ فَرَّجْتُهُ بِبَيَانٍ وَلِسَانٍ وَجَدَلْ لَوْ يَقُومُ الْفِيلُ أَوْ فَيَّالُهُ زَلَّ عَنْ مِثْلِ مَقَامِي وَزَحَلْ فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّشِيدُ: وَاللَّهِ لَوْلَا إِبْقَائِي عَلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ لَضَرَبْتُ عُنُقَكَ. ثُمَّ أَعَادَهُ إِلَى مَحْبِسِهِ. فَدَخَلَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَالِكٍ عَلَى الرَّشِيدِ، وَكَانَ عَلَى شُرْطَتِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: وَاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا عَلِمْتُ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ إِلَّا نَاصِحًا، فَعَلَامَ حَبَسْتَهُ ؟ فَقَالَ: بَلَغَنِي عَنْهُ مَا أَوْحَشَنِي، وَلَمْ آمَنْهُ أَنْ يَضْرِبَ بَيْنَ ابْنَيَّ هَذَيْنِ - يَعْنِي الْأَمِينَ وَالْمَأْمُونَ - فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَرَى أَنْ نُطْلِقَهُ مِنَ الْحَبْسِ أَطْلَقْنَاهُ. فَقَالَ: أَمَا إِذْ حَبَسْتَهُ، فَلَسْتُ أَرَى فِي قُرْبِ الْمُدَّةِ أَنْ تُطْلِقَهُ، وَلَكِنْ تَحْبِسُهُ مَحْبَسًا كَرِيمًا. قَالَ: فَإِنِّي أَفْعَلُ. فَأَمَرَ الْفَضْلَ بْنَ الرَّبِيعِ أَنْ يَمْضِيَ إِلَيْهِ، وَيَنْظُرَ مَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ فَيُوَظِّفَهُ لَهُ، فَفَعَلَ. وَلَمْ يَزَلْ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ مَحْبُوسًا حَتَّى مَاتَ الرَّشِيدُ، فَأَخْرَجَهُ الْأَمِينُ وَاسْتَعْمَلَهُ عَلَى الشَّامِ، فَأَقَامَ بِالرَّقَّةِ، وَجَعَلَ لِمُحَمَّدٍ الْأَمِينِ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ لَئِنْ قُتِلَ وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يُعْطِي الْمَأْمُونَ طَاعَةً أَبَدًا، فَمَاتَ قَبْلَ الْأَمِينِ، وَكَانَ مَا قَالَ لِلْأَمِينِ: إِنْ خِفْتَ فَالْجَأْ إِلَيَّ فَوَاللَّهِ لَأَصُونَنَّكَ. وَقَالَ الرَّشِيدُ يَوْمًا لِعَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ: مَا أَنْتَ لِصَالِحٍ ! قَالَ: فَلِمَنْ أَنَا ؟ قَالَ: لِمَرْوَانَ الْجَعْدِيِّ. قَالَ: مَا أُبَالِي أَيُّ الْفَحْلَيْنِ غَلَبَ عَلَيَّ. وَأَرْسَلَ الرَّشِيدُ يَوْمًا إِلَى يَحْيَى بْنِ خَالِدِ بْنِ بَرْمَكَ: إِنَّ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ أَرَادَ الْخُرُوجَ عَلَيَّ وَمُنَازَعَتِي فِي الْمُلْكِ، وَعَلِمْتُ ذَلِكَ، فَأَعْلِمْنِي مَا عِنْدَكَ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ صَدَقْتَنِي أَعَدْتُكَ إِلَى حَالِكِ. فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا اطَّلَعْتُ مِنْ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ هَذَا، وَلَوِ اطَّلَعْتُ عَلَيْهِ لَكُنْتُ صَاحِبَهُ دُونَكَ، لِأَنَّ مُلْكَكَ كَانَ مُلْكِي، وَسُلْطَانَكَ كَانَ سُلْطَانِي، وَالْخَيْرُ وَالشَّرُّ كَانَ فِيهِ عَلَيَّ وَلِيَّ، وَكَيْفَ يَطْمَعُ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ فِي ذَلِكَ مِنِّي، وَهَلْ كَانَ إِذَا فَعَلْتُ بِهِ ذَلِكَ، يَفْعَلُ مَعِي أَكْثَرَ مِنْ فِعْلِكَ ؟ وَأُعِيذُكَ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ تَظُنَّ بِي هَذَا الظَّنَّ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ رَجُلًا مُحْتَمَلًا يَسُرُّنِي أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي أَهْلِكَ مِثْلُهُ، فَوَلَّيْتَهُ لَمَّا حَمِدْتَ أَثَرَهُ وَمَذْهَبَهُ، وَمِلْتَ إِلَيْهِ لِأَدَبِهِ وَاحْتِمَالِهِ. فَلَمَّا أَتَاهُ الرَّسُولُ بِهَذَا أَعَادَهُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنْ أَنْتَ لَمْ تُقِرَّ عَلَيْهِ قَتَلْتُ الْفَضْلَ ابْنَكَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَنْتَ مُسَلَّطٌ عَلَيْنَا، فَافْعَلْ مَا أَرَدْتَ. فَأَخَذَ الرَّسُولُ الْفَضْلَ فَأَقَامَهُ، فَوَدَّعَ أَبَاهُ وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَلَسْتَ رَاضِيًا عَنِّي ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، فَ ؓ. فَفَرَّقَ بَيْنَهُمَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، فَلَمَّا لَمْ يَجِدْ عِنْدَهُمَا فِي ذَلِكَ شَيْئًا جَمَعَهُمَا.
Translation
✧ The arrest of ʿAbd al-Malik b. Ṣāliḥ In the year one hundred and eighty-seven, al-Rashīd became angry with ʿAbd al-Malik b. Ṣāliḥ b. ʿAlī b. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbbās. The reason for that was that he had a son named ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, by whom he was given the kunya, and he was one of the people's travelers. He and Qumāma, the scribe of his father, slandered his father to al-Rashīd. They said: "He seeks the caliphate and covets it." So he seized him and imprisoned him with al-Faḍl b. al-Rabīʿ. One day he brought him out when he was angry with him and said to him: "Is it ingratitude for the blessing, and denial of the great favor and honor?" He replied: "O Commander of the Faithful, then I would have incurred regret and exposed myself to the invoking of punishments. This is nothing but the wrongdoing of one who envies us, who forgot in your case the affection of kinship and the precedence of authority. You, O Commander of the Faithful, are the successor of the Messenger of God ﷺ over his community and his trustee over his descendants. To you is due the duty of obedience from them and the rendering of sincere counsel, and to them from you is justice in their governance, forgiveness of their sins, and deliberation in their affairs." Al-Rashīd said to him: "Do you place [for me] from your tongue while withholding [from me] from your heart? This is your scribe Qumāma, who reports your rancor and the corruption of your intention. Listen to his words." ʿAbd al-Malik said: "He has given you what is not in his own mind, and perhaps he cannot slander me or accuse me falsely of what he does not know about me." Qumāma was brought in. Al-Rashīd said to him: "Speak without fear or dread." He said: "I say that he is resolved to betray you and rebel against you." ʿAbd al-Malik said: "How could he not lie about me behind my back when he slanders me to my face?" Al-Rashīd said: "Here is your son ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who tells me of your arrogance and the corruption of your intention. If I wanted to produce evidence against you, I would find no one more just than these two against you. Why do you reject them?" ʿAbd al-Malik said: "He is either commanded, or an undutiful son compelled. If he is commanded, then he is excused; if he is undutiful, then he is a wicked ingrate. God—mighty and glorious—has informed of his enmity and warned against him with His saying: 'Indeed, among your spouses and your children there is an enemy to you, so beware of them.'" Al-Rashīd rose, saying: "Your affair has indeed become clear, but I will not hasten until I know what pleases God—mighty and glorious—regarding you, for He is the judge between me and you." ʿAbd al-Malik said: "I accept God as judge and the Commander of the Faithful as ruler, for I know that he will never prefer his whim over the pleasure of his Lord." Another day al-Rashīd brought him out, and among what he said to him was: "I desire his life, and he desires my killing—your excuse from your friend from Murād." Then he said: "By God, it is as if I see its downpour already dripping, and its cloud already flashing, and as if the threat has struck a fire that blazes, and it will sever fingers without wrists and heads without throats. Gently, gently, Banū Hāshim! By God, through me the rugged was made smooth for you, and the turbid became clear for you, and affairs cast their reins to you. Beware for yourselves, beware, before a calamity arrives that strikes with the hand and kicks with the foot." ʿAbd al-Malik said: "Fear God, O Commander of the Faithful, regarding the flock He has entrusted to you and made you shepherd over. Do not make ingratitude in place of gratitude, nor punishment in place of reward. I have sifted sincere counsel for you, and given you pure obedience, and I have fastened the pegs of your kingdom with something heavier than the two pillars of Yalamlam, and I left your enemy distracted. So God, God, regarding your kinsman, that you should cut him off after you have joined him, because of a suspicion whose slander the Book has made clear [for me], or because of the wrongdoing of a wrongdoer who gnaws flesh and laps blood. By God, I have made the rugged smooth for you, and made affairs submissive for you, and gathered hearts upon obedience to you within breasts. How many a full night in your service I have endured, and how many a narrow station [for you] I have stood in, being [there] as the brother of Banū Jaʿfar b. Kilāb—meaning Labīd—said: And a narrow station I relieved by eloquence, tongue, and disputation— Were the elephant or its driver to stand there, he would slip from the like of my station and stumble." Al-Rashīd said to him: "By God, were it not for my mercy toward Banū Hāshim, I would strike your neck." Then he returned him to his prison. ʿAbd Allāh b. Mālik entered upon al-Rashīd—he was over his shurṭa—and said to him: "By God the Almighty, O Commander of the Faithful, I know ʿAbd al-Malik only as a sincere counselor. Why have you imprisoned him?" He said: "There has reached me about him what made me uneasy, and I did not feel safe from him sowing discord between these two sons of mine—meaning al-Amīn and al-Maʾmūn. If you think we should release him from prison, we will release him." He said: "Since you have imprisoned him, I do not think you should release him after such a short time, but imprison him in a dignified confinement." He said: "I will do that." He ordered al-Faḍl b. al-Rabīʿ to go to him and see what he needed and allot it to him, and he did so. ʿAbd al-Malik remained imprisoned until al-Rashīd died. Al-Amīn then released him and appointed him over Syria. He stayed at al-Raqqa and gave Muḥammad al-Amīn a covenant before God that if he were killed while he was alive, he would never give obedience to al-Maʾmūn. He died before al-Amīn, and what he had said to al-Amīn was: "If you fear, take refuge with me, for by God I will protect you." One day al-Rashīd said to ʿAbd al-Malik: "You are not for Ṣāliḥ!" He said: "Then for whom am I?" He said: "For Marwān al-Jaʿdī." He said: "I do not care which of the two stallions prevails over me." One day al-Rashīd sent to Yaḥyā b. Khālid b. Barmak: "ʿAbd al-Malik intended to rebel against me and dispute the kingdom with me, and I have learned of that. Inform me what you know about it, for if you speak truly to me, I will restore you to your former state." He said: "By God, I have not observed in ʿAbd al-Malik any of this, and had I observed it, I would have been his companion rather than yours, because your kingdom was my kingdom, and your authority was my authority, and good and evil in it would have been upon me as well. How could ʿAbd al-Malik hope for that through me? And if I did that to him, would he do more with me than you have done? I seek refuge with God that you should think this of me. But he was a man of forbearance, and it would please me that there be someone like him among your family. You appointed him when you praised his trace and his way, and you inclined to him for his refinement and forbearance." When the messenger brought him this, he repeated it to him and said: "If you do not confess against him, I will kill al-Faḍl, your son." He said: "You have power over us, so do what you wish." The messenger took al-Faḍl and made him stand. He bade farewell to his father and said: "Are you not pleased with me?" He said: "Yes." And he said: "May God reward you." Then he separated them for three days, and when he found nothing from them in this matter, he reunited them.
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