Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3106
The year 196 AH
ذِكْرُ وُثُوبِ الْجُنْدِ بِطَاهِرٍ وَالْأَمِينِ وَنُزُولِهِ بِبَغْدَاذَ وَأَقَامَ طَاهِرٌ بِصَرْصَرٍ مُشَمِّرًا فِي مُحَارَبَةِ الْأَمِينِ، وَكَانَ لَا يَأْتِيهِ جَيْشٌ إِلَّا هَزَمَهُ. وَبَذَلَ الْأَمِينُ الْأَمْوَالَ، فَاشْتَدَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ طَاهِرٍ، فَسَارَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُمْ نَحْوُ خَمْسَةِ آلَافٍ، فَسُرَّ بِهِمُ الْأَمِينُ، وَوَعَدَهُمْ وَمَنَّاهُمْ، وَفَرَّقَ فِيهِمْ مَالًا عَظِيمًا، وَغَلَّفَ لِحَاهُمْ بِالْغَالِيَةِ، فَسُمُّوا قُوَّادَ الْغَالِيَةِ، وَقَوَّدَ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْحَرْبِيَّةِ، وَوَجَّهَهُمْ إِلَى دَسْكَرَةِ الْمَلِكِ وَالنَّهْرَوَانِ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ بَيْنَهُمْ قِتَالٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَنَدَبَ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ قُوَّادِ بَغْدَاذَ، وَوَجَّهَهُمْ إِلَى الْيَاسِرِيَّةِ، وَالْكَوْثَرِيَّةِ، وَفَرَّقَ الْجَوَاسِيسَ فِي أَصْحَابِ طَاهِرٍ، وَدَسَّ إِلَى رُؤَسَاءِ الْجُنْدِ، فَأَطْمَعَهُمْ وَرَغَّبَهُمْ، فَشَغَّبُوا عَلَى طَاهِرٍ، وَاسْتَأْمَنَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى الْأَمِينِ، فَانْضَمُّوا إِلَى عَسْكَرِهِ، وَسَارُوا حَتَّى أَتَوْا صَرْصَرًا، فَعَبَّأَ طَاهِرٌ أَصْحَابَهُ كَرَادِيسَ، وَسَارَ فِيهِمْ يُمَنِّيهِمْ وَيُحَرِّضُهُمْ، وَيَعِدُهُمُ النَّصْرَ، ثُمَّ تَقَدَّمَ، فَاقْتَتَلُوا مَلِيًّا مِنَ النَّهَارِ، ثُمَّ انْهَزَمَ أَصْحَابُ الْأَمِينِ، وَغَنِمَ عَسْكَرُ طَاهِرٍ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ السِّلَاحِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ. وَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الْأَمِينَ فَأَخْرَجَ الْأَمْوَالَ وَفَرَّقَهَا، وَجَمَعَ أَهْلَ الْأَرْبَاضِ، وَقَوَّدَ مِنْهُمْ جَمَاعَةً، وَفَرَّقَ فِيهِمُ الْأَمْوَالَ، وَأَعْطَى كُلَّ قَائِدٍ مِنْهُمْ قَارُورَةَ غَالِيَةٍ، وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقْ فِي أَجْنَادِ الْقُوَّادِ وَأَصْحَابِهِمْ شَيْئًا. فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ طَاهِرًا فَرَاسَلَهُمْ، وَوَعَدَهُمْ وَاسْتَمَالَهُمْ، وَأَغْرَى أَصَاغِرَهُمْ بِأَكَابِرِهِمْ، فَشَغَبُوا عَلَى الْأَمِينِ فِي ذِي الْحِجَّةِ، فَصَعُبَ الْأَمْرُ عَلَيْهِ، فَأَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ بِاسْتِمَالَتِهِمْ وَالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ، وَأَمَرَ بِقِتَالِهِمْ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْمُسْتَأْمِنَةِ وَالْمُحْدَثِينَ، فَقَاتَلُوهُمْ، وَرَاسَلَهُمْ طَاهِرٌ وَرَاسَلُوهُ، وَأَخَذَ رَهَائِنَهُمْ عَلَى بَذْلِ الطَّاعَةِ، وَأَعْطَاهُمُ الْأَمْوَالَ. ثُمَّ تَقَدَّمَ، فَصَارَ إِلَى مَوْضِعِ الْبُسْتَانِ الَّذِي عَلَى بَابِ الْأَنْبَارِ فِي ذِي الْحِجَّةِ، فَنَزَلَ بِقُوَّادِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، وَنَزَلَ مَنِ اسْتَأْمَنَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ جُنْدِ الْأَمِينِ فِي الْبُسْتَانِ وَالْأَرْبَاضِ، وَأَضْعَفَ لِلْقُوَّادِ وَأَبْنَائِهِمْ وَالْخَوَاصِّ - الْعَطَاءَ، وَنَقَّبَ أَهْلُ السُّجُونِ السُّجُونَ، وَخَرَجُوا مِنْهَا، وَفُتِنَ النَّاسُ وَسَاءَتْ حَالُهُمْ، وَوَثَبَ الشُّطَّارُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الصَّلَاحِ، وَلَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ بِعَسْكَرِ طَاهِرٍ حَالٌ لِتَفَقُّدِهِ حَالَهُمْ، وَأَخْذِهِ عَلَى أَيْدِي السُّفَهَاءِ، وَغَادَى الْقِتَالَ وَرَاوَحَهُ، حَتَّى تَوَاكَلَ الْفَرِيقَانِ وَخَرِبَتِ الدِّيَارُ. وقد قَالَ بَعْضُ الْبَغَادِدَةِ في ذلك: قُلْ لِأَمِينِ اللَّهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ مَا شَتَّتَ الْجُنْدَ سِوَى الْغَالِيهْ وَطَاهِرٌ نَفْسِي تَقِي طَاهِرًا بِرُسْلِهِ وَالْعُدَّةِ الْكَافِيهْ أَضْحَى زِمَامُ الْمُلْكِ فِي كَفِّهِ مُقَاتِلًا لِلْفِئَةِ الْبَاغِيهْ يَا نَاكِثًا أَسْلَمَهُ نَكْثُهُ عُيُوبُهُ فِي جَيْشِهِ فَاشِيهْ قَدْ جَاءَكَ اللَّيْثُ بِشَدَّاتِهِ مُسْتَكْلِبًا فِي أُسُدٍ ضَارِيَهْ فَاهْرَبْ وَلَا مَهْرَبَ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ إِلَّا إِلَى النَّارِ أَوِ الْهَاوِيَهْ فَتَفَرَّقَ عَلَى الْأَمِينِ شَمْلُهُ، وَحَارَ فِي أَمْرِهِ، وَجَاءَ طَاهِرُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بِجُيُوشِهِ، فَنَزَلَ عَلَى بَابِ الْأَنْبَارِ يَوْمَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ لِثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً خَلَتْ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ، وَاشْتَدَّ الْحَالُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْبَلَدِ، وَأَخَذَتِ الدُّعَّارُ وَالشُّطَّارُ أَهْلَ الصَّلَاحِ، وَخُرِّبَتِ الدِّيَارُ، وَثَارَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ حَتَّى قَاتَلَ الْأَخُ أَخَاهُ، وَالِابْنُ أَبَاهُ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the troops' assault on Ṭāhir and al-Amīn, and his encamping at Baghdādh Ṭāhir remained at Ṣarṣar, girded for war against al-Amīn, and no army came to him but he routed it. Al-Amīn lavished money, and that weighed heavily on Ṭāhir's companions, so about five thousand of them went over to him. Al-Amīn rejoiced at them, promised them and gave them hopes, distributed among them a great amount of money, and perfumed their beards with ghāliyah, so they were called the commanders of the ghāliyah. He appointed a group from the Ḥarbiyyah as commanders and sent them to Daskarat al-Malik and al-Nahrawān, but there was not much fighting among them. He called up a group of Baghdādh's commanders and sent them to al-Yāsiriyyah and al-Kawthariyyah, dispersed spies among Ṭāhir's companions, and secretly approached the leaders of the troops, giving them hopes and enticing them, so they mutinied against Ṭāhir, and many of them sought safe-conduct from al-Amīn, joined his camp, and marched until they reached Ṣarṣar. Ṭāhir arrayed his companions in squadrons, went among them giving them hopes, inciting them, and promising them victory. Then he advanced, and they fought for a long while of the day, then al-Amīn's companions were defeated, and Ṭāhir's camp seized what they had of weapons, mounts, and other things. That reached al-Amīn, so he brought out the money and distributed it, gathered the people of the quarters, appointed a group of them as commanders, distributed money among them, and gave each commander among them a bottle of ghāliyah, but he distributed nothing among the soldiers of the commanders and their companions. That reached Ṭāhir, so he corresponded with them, promised them, won them over, and incited their low-ranking against their high-ranking, so they mutinied against al-Amīn in Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and the matter became difficult for him. His companions advised him to win them over and be kind to them, but he did not, and he ordered a group of those who had sought safe-conduct and the newly enrolled to fight them, so they fought them. Ṭāhir corresponded with them and they corresponded with him, and he took their hostages for pledging obedience and gave them money. Then he advanced and came to the place of the garden at Bāb al-Anbār in Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and encamped with his commanders and companions, and those who sought safe-conduct from al-Amīn's troops encamped in the garden and the quarters. He doubled the pay for the commanders, their sons, and the elite. The prisoners dug through the prisons and escaped from them, the people were put to trial, their condition worsened, and the riffraff assaulted the righteous. But nothing changed in Ṭāhir's camp, because he inspected their condition and restrained the fools. He alternated fighting morning and evening until both sides became weary and the houses were ruined. One of the Baghdādīs said about that: Say to the Amīn of Allah, in himself: Nothing scattered the troops but the ghāliyah. And Ṭāhir—my soul shields Ṭāhir— with his messengers and sufficient equipment. The reins of kingship have come to be in his hand, fighting the transgressing faction. O oath-breaker whom his oath-breaking betrayed, his faults in his army are widespread. The lion has come to you with his onslaughts, seeking prey among ravening lions. So flee, and there is no fleeing from one like him except to the Fire or the Abyss. Thus al-Amīn's affairs were scattered, and he was bewildered in his matter. Ṭāhir b. al-Ḥusayn came with his armies and encamped at Bāb al-Anbār on Tuesday, twelve nights having passed of Dhū al-Ḥijjah. The situation became severe for the people of the city, the thieves and riffraff seized the righteous, the houses were ruined, and strife arose among the people until brother fought brother and son fought father.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.