Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3179
The Year 204 AH
ثُمَّ دَخَلَتْ سَنَةُ أَرْبَعٍ وَمِائَتَيْنِ فِيهَا كَانَ قُدُومُ الْمَأْمُونِ أَرْضَ الْعِرَاقِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ مَرَّ بِجُرْجَانَ فَأَقَامَ بِهَا شَهْرًا، ثُمَّ سَارَ مِنْهَا، وَكَانَ يَنْزِلُ فِي الْمَنْزِلِ يَوْمًا أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ، ثُمَّ جَاءَ إِلَى النَّهْرَوانِ فَأَقَامَ بِهَا ثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَقَدْ كَانَ كَتَبَ إِلَى طَاهِرِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَهُوَ بِالرَّقَّةِ أَنْ يُوَافِيَهُ إِلَى النَّهْرَوانِ فَوَافَاهُ بِهَا وَتَلَقَّاهُ رُءُوسُ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ وَالْقُوَّادُ، وَجُمْهُورُ الْجَيْشِ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ السَّبْتِ الْآخَرِ دَخَلَ بَغْدَادَ ارْتِفَاعَ النَّهَارِ، لِأَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً بَقِيَتْ مِنْ صَفَرٍ، فِي أُبَّهَةٍ عَظِيمَةٍ وَجَيْشٍ عَظِيمٍ، وَعَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أَصْحَابِهِ وَقُبَابِهِمْ وَجَمِيعِ لِبَاسِهِمُ الْخُضْرَةَ فَلَبِسَ أَهْلُ بَغْدَادَ وَبَنُو هَاشِمٍ أَجْمَعُونَ الْخُضْرَةَ، وَنَزَلَ الْمَأْمُونُ بِالرُّصَافَةِ ثُمَّ تَحَوَّلَ إِلَى قَصْرِهِ عَلَى دِجْلَةَ، وَجَعَلَ الْأُمَرَاءُ، وَوُجُوهُ الدَّوْلَةِ يَتَرَدَّدُونَ إِلَى دَارِهِ عَلَى الْعَادَةِ، وَقَدْ تَحَوَّلَ لِبَاسُ الْبَغَادِدَةِ إِلَى الْخُضْرَةِ، وَجَعَلُوا يَحْرِقُونَ كُلَّ مَا يَجِدُونَهُ مِنَ السَّوَادِ فَمَكَثُوا بِذَلِكَ ثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ. ثُمَّ اسْتَعْرَضَ حَوَائِجَ طَاهِرِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ فَكَانَ أَوَّلَ حَاجَةٍ سَأَلَهَا أَنْ يَرْجِعَ إِلَى لِبَاسِ السَّوَادِ فَإِنَّهُ لِبَاسُ آبَائِهِ مِنْ دَوْلَةِ وَرَثَةِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ. فَلَمَّا كَانَ السَّبْتُ الْآخَرُ وَهُوَ الثَّالِثُ وَالْعِشْرُونُ مِنْ صَفَرٍ جَلَسَ الْمَأْمُونُ لِلنَّاسِ وَعَلَيْهِ الْخُضْرَةُ، ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِخِلْعَةٍ سَوْدَاءَ، فَأَلْبَسَهَا طَاهِرًا، ثُمَّ أَلْبَسَ بَعْدَهُ جَمَاعَةً مِنَ الْأُمَرَاءِ السَّوَادَ فَلَبِسَ النَّاسُ السَّوَادَ وَعَادُوا إِلَى ذَلِكَ، بَعْدَ مَا عَلِمَ مِنْهُمُ الطَّاعَةَ وَالْمُوَافَقَةَ، وَقَدْ قِيلَ: إِنَّ الْمَأْمُونَ مَكَثَ يَلْبَسُ الْخُضْرَةَ بَعْدَ قُدُومِهِ بَغْدَادَ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ يَوْمًا. فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. وَلَمَّا جَاءَ إِلَيْهِ عَمُّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْمَهْدِيِّ بَعْدَ اخْتِفَائِهِ سِتَّ سِنِينَ وَشُهُورًا، قَالَ لَهُ الْمَأْمُونُ: أَنْتَ الْخَلِيفَةُ الْأَسْوَدُ. فَأَخَذَ فِي الِاعْتِذَارِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لِلْمَأْمُونِ: أَنَا الَّذِي مَنَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالْعَفْوِ. وَأَنْشَدَ الْمَأْمُونَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ: لَيْسَ يُزْرِي السَّوَادُ بِالرَّجُلِ الشَّهْ مِ وَلَا بِالْفَتَى الْأَدِيبِ الْأَرِيبِ إِنْ يَكُنْ لِلسَّوَادِ مِنْكَ نَصِيبُ فَبَيَاضُ الْأَخْلَاقِ مِنْكَ نَصِيبِي قَالَ الْقَاضِي ابْنُ خِلِّكَانَ: وَقَدْ نَظَمَ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى بَعْضُ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ، وَهُوَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ بْنُ قَلَاقِسَ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِيُّ فَقَالَ: رُبَّ سَوْدَاءَ وَهِيَ بَيْضَاءُ فِعْلِ حَسَدَ الْمِسْكَ عِنْدَهَا الْكَافُورُ مِثْلُ حَبِّ الْعُيُونِ يَحْسَبُهُ النَّا سُ سَوَادًا وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ نُورُ وَكَانَ الْمَأْمُونُ قَدْ شَاوَرَ فِي قَتْلِ عَمِّهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الْوَزِيرُ الْأَحْوَلُ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، إِنْ قَتَلْتَهُ فَلَكَ نُظَرَاءُ، وَإِنْ عَفَوْتَ عَنْهُ فَمَا لَكَ نَظِيرٌ.
Translation
✧ Then the year 204 AH commenced. In it was the arrival of al-Maʾmūn to the land of Iraq; that is, he passed through Jurjān and stayed there for a month, then departed from it. He would halt at each station for a day or two, then he came to al-Nahrawān and stayed there for eight days. He had written to Ṭāhir b. al-Ḥusayn while he was at al-Raqqah to come to meet him at al-Nahrawān, so he met him there, and the chiefs of his household, the commanders, and the bulk of the army received him. When Saturday came, the latter part of the day, he entered Baghdad at the rising of the day, with fourteen nights remaining of Ṣafar, in great pomp and with a great army. Upon him, upon all his companions, upon their domes, and upon all their clothing was green. So the people of Baghdad and Banū Hāshim all wore green. Al-Maʾmūn alighted at al-Ruṣāfah, then he moved to his palace on the Tigris. The commanders and notables of the state kept frequenting his residence as was customary. The clothing of the people of Baghdad changed to green, and they began burning any black clothing they found. They remained in that state for eight days. Then he reviewed the requests of Ṭāhir b. al-Ḥusayn. The first request he asked was that they return to wearing black clothing, for it was the clothing of his forefathers, from the dynasty of the heirs of the prophets. When the next Saturday came, which was the twenty-third of Ṣafar, al-Maʾmūn sat for the people wearing green. Then he ordered a black robe of honor and he clothed Ṭāhir with it. Then after him he clothed a group of commanders in black, and the people wore black and returned to that, after he had come to know obedience and compliance from them. It has been said: al-Maʾmūn continued wearing green for twenty-seven days after his arrival in Baghdad. And Allah knows best. When his uncle Ibrāhīm b. al-Mahdī came to him after hiding for six years and some months, al-Maʾmūn said to him, "You are the black caliph." He began to apologize and ask forgiveness, then said to al-Maʾmūn, "I am the one upon whom you have bestowed pardon, O Commander of the Faithful." Al-Maʾmūn recited at that: Black does not disgrace the noble man, nor the accomplished, sagacious youth; if black has from you a share, then whiteness of character is my share from you. The judge Ibn Khillikān said: Some later writers composed the same meaning; it is Naṣr Allāh b. Qalāqis al-Iskandarī, who said: Many a black one whose deeds are white; camphor envies her musk. Like the pupil of the eye, people deem it black, but it is but light. Al-Maʾmūn had consulted about killing his uncle Ibrāhīm b. al-Mahdī, and the vizier Aḥmad b. Khālid al-Aḥwal said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, if you kill him, you have peers; but if you pardon him, you have no peer."
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.