Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3301
The Year 218 AH
ذِكْرُ طَرَفٍ مِنْ أَخْبَارِهِ وَسِيرَتِهِ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَاهِرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: ذَكَرَ ابْنُ أَبِي دُؤَادَ الْمُعْتَصِمَ يَوْمًا فَأَسْهَبَ فِي ذِكْرِهِ، وَأَكْثَرَ مِنْ وَصْفِهِ، وَأَطْنَبَ فِي فَضْلِهِ، وَذَكَرَ مِنْ سَعَةِ أَخْلَاقِهِ وَكَرَمِ أَعْرَاقِهِ، وَلِينِ جَانِبِهِ، وَكَرَمِ جَمِيلِ عِشْرَتِهِ، قَالَ: وَقَالَ لِي يَوْمًا وَقَدْ كُنَّا بِعَمُّورِيَّةَ: مَا تَقُولُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فِي الْبُسْرِ؟ فَقُلْتُ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، نَحْنُ بِبِلَادِ الرُّومِ وَالْبُسْرُ بِالْعِرَاقِ، قَالَ: [وَقَدْ] وُجِّهْتُ إِلَى مَدِينَةِ السَّلَامِ فَجَاءُونِي بِكَبَّاسَتَيْنِ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ تَشْتَهِيهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا إِيتَاخُ، هَاتِ إِحْدَى الْكَبَّاسَتَيْنِ. فَجَاءَ بِكَبَّاسَةِ بُسْرٍ، فَمَدَّ ذِرَاعَهُ وَقَبَضَ عَلَيْهَا بِيَدِهِ، وَقَالَ: كُلْ بِحَيَاتِي عَلَيْكَ مِنْ يَدِي. فَقُلْتُ: جَعَلَنِي اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، بَلْ بَعْضُهَا، فَآكُلُ كَمَا أُرِيدُ. قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ إِلَّا مِنْ يَدِي. فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا زَالَ حَاسِرًا ذِرَاعَهُ، وَمَادًّا يَدَهُ وَأَنَا أَجْتَنِي مِنَ الْعَذْقِ حَتَّى رَمَى بِهِ خَالِيًا مَا فِيهِ بُسْرَةٌ. قَالَ: وَكُنْتُ كَثِيرًا مَا أُزَامِلُهُ فِي سَفَرِهِ ذَلِكَ إِلَى أَنْ قُلْتُ لَهُ يَوْمًا: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لَوْ زَامَلَكَ بَعْضُ مَوَالِيكَ وَبِطَانَتِكَ وَاسْتَرَحْتَ مِنِّي إِلَيْهِمْ مَرَّةً، وَمِنْهُمْ إِلَيَّ أُخْرَى، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَنْشَطُ لِقَلْبِكَ، وَأَطْيَبُ لِنَفْسِكَ وَأَرْشَدُ لِرَاحَتِكَ؟ قَالَ: فَإِنَّ سِيَّمَا الدِّمَشْقِيَّ يُزَامِلُنِي الْيَوْمَ، فَمَنْ يُزَامِلُكَ أَنْتَ؟ قُلْتُ: الْحَسَنُ بْنُ يُونُسَ. قَالَ: فَأَنْتَ وَذَاكَ. قَالَ: فَدَعَوْتُ بِالْحَسَنِ فَزَامَلَنِي، وَتَهَيَّأَ أَنْ رَكِبَ بَغْلًا، فَاخْتَارَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُنْفَرِدًا، قَالَ: وَجَعَلَ يَسِيرُ بِسَيْرِ بَعِيرِي، فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَنِي رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ، وَإِذَا أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أُكَلِّمَهُ خَفَضْتُ رَأْسِي، فَانْتَهَيْنَا إِلَى وَادٍ [لَمْ] نَعْرِفْ غَوْرَ مَائِهِ، وَقَدْ خَلَّفْنَا الْعَسْكَرَ وَرَاءَنَا، فَقَالَ لِرِحَالِي: مَكَانَكَ حَتَّى [أَتَقَدَّمَ] فَأَعْرِفَ غَوْرَ الْمَاءِ، وَأَطْلُبَ قُلَّتَهُ، وَاتَّبِعْ أَنْتَ مَسِيرِي. قَالَ: وَتَقَدَّمَ رَجُلٌ فَدَخَلَ الْوَادِيَ، وَجَعَلَ يَطْلُبُ [قُلَّةَ] الْمَاءِ وَتَبِعَهُ الْمُعْتَصِمُ، فَمَرَّةً يَنْحَرِفُ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَأُخْرَى عَنْ شِمَالِهِ، وَتَارَةً يَمْضِي لِسُنَنِهِ وَنَتْبَعُ أَثَرَهُ حَتَّى قَطَعْنَا الْوَادِيَ. قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي دُؤَادَ: كَانَ الْمُعْتَصِمُ يُخْرِجُ سَاعِدَهُ إِلَيَّ، وَيَقُولُ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عُضَّ سَاعِدِي بِأَكْثَرِ قُوَّتِكَ. فَأَقُولُ: [وَاللَّهِ] يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا تَطِيبُ نَفْسِي بِذَلِكَ. فَيَقُولُ افْعَلْ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَضُرُّنِي. فَأَرُومُ ذَلِكَ، فَإِذَا هُوَ لَا تَعْمَلُ فِيهِ الْأَسِنَّةُ [فَضْلًا عَنِ الْأَسْنَانِ] وَانْصَرَفَ يَوْمًا مِنْ دَارِ الْمَأْمُونِ إِلَى دَارِهِ، وَكَانَ شَارِعُ الْمَيْدَانِ مُنْتَظِمًا بِالْخِيَمِ فِيهَا الْجُنْدُ، فَمَرَّ الْمُعْتَصِمُ بِامْرَأَةٍ تَبْكِي وَتَقُولُ: ابْنِي ابْنِي. وَإِذَا بَعْضُ الْجُنْدِ قَدْ أَخَذَ ابْنَهَا. فَدَعَاهُ الْمُعْتَصِمُ وَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَرُدَّ ابْنَهَا عَلَيْهَا، فَأَبَى، فَاسْتَدْنَاهُ فَدَنَا مِنْهُ، فَقَبَضَ عَلَيْهِ بِيَدِهِ، فَسَمِعَ صَوْتَ عِظَامِهِ، ثُمَّ أَطْلَقَهُ مِنْ يَدِهِ فَسَقَطَ وَأَمَرَ بِإِخْرَاجِ الصَّبِيِّ إِلَى أُمِّهِ.. أَوَقَدْ بَلَغَنَا أَنَّ امْرَأَةً مُسْلِمَةً بِبِلَادِ الرُّومِ أُسِرَتْ فِي حَرْبٍ جَرَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ [وَبَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ]، فَجَعَلَتْ تُنَادِي: وَا مُعْتَصِمَاهُ. فَلَمَّا بَلَغَهُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ عَلَى فَوْرِهِ: لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ. وَتَقَدَّمَ فَرَكِبَ مِنْ سَاعَتِهِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ. فَلَحِقَهُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى دَخَلَ أَرْضَ الرُّومِ، وَأَنْقَذَ الْمَرْأَةَ وَنَكَأَ فِي الرُّومِ. قَالَ الْفَضْلُ بْنُ مَرْوَانَ: لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الْمُعْتَصِمِ أَنْ يَلْتَذَّ بِتَزْيِينِ الْبِنَاءِ وَكَانَ غَايَتَهُ فِيهِ إِحْكَامٌ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ بِالنَّفَقَةِ فِي شَيْءٍ أَسْمَحُ مِنْهُ بِالنَّفَقَةِ فِي الْحَرْبِ.
Translation
✧ An account of some of his reports and conduct From ʿUbayd Allāh b. Abī Ṭāhir, from his father, who said: Ibn Abī Duʾād mentioned al-Muʿtaṣim one day and spoke at length about him, describing him abundantly, extolling his virtue at length, and mentioning the breadth of his character, the nobility of his lineage, the gentleness of his disposition, and the graciousness of his fine companionship. He said: One day, when we were at ʿAmmūriyya, he said to me: “What do you say, O Abū ʿAbd Allāh, about unripe dates?” I said: “O Commander of the Faithful, we are in the lands of the Byzantines, and unripe dates are in Iraq.” He said: “[They] have been sent to the City of Peace, and they brought me two date clusters, and I knew that you desired it.” Then he said: “O Ītākh, bring one of the two clusters.” He came with a cluster of unripe dates, stretched out his arm, grasped it with his hand, and said: “Eat, by my life upon you, from my hand.” I said: “May God make me your ransom, O Commander of the Faithful; rather some of it, so I may eat as I wish.” He said: “No, by God, except from my hand.” By God, he did not cease with his arm bared and his hand extended while I plucked from the branch until he threw it away empty, with not a single unripe date left in it. He said: I often used to ride alongside him on that journey, until one day I said to him: “O Commander of the Faithful, if only one of your clients and close associates rode with you, and you rested from me in their company once, and from them in mine another time, for that would be more invigorating for your heart, more pleasant for your soul, and more conducive to your comfort.” He said: “Sīmā al-Dimashqī will ride with me today; who will ride with you?” I said: “Al-Ḥasan b. Yūnus.” He said: “You and that one, then.” He said: I summoned al-Ḥasan, and he rode with me. He prepared to mount a mule, and chose to be alone. He said: He proceeded to travel at the pace of my camel, so that when he wanted to speak to me he raised his head, and when I wanted to speak to him I lowered my head. We reached a valley [whose] water depth we did not know, and we had left the army behind us. He said to my camel driver: “Stay where you are until [I go ahead] and determine the depth of the water, seek out its shallowest ford, and you follow my course.” He said: A man went ahead and entered the valley, probing for [the shallowest part of] the water, and al-Muʿtaṣim followed him. Sometimes he turned aside to his right, other times to his left, and at times he kept straight ahead, and we followed his track until we crossed the valley. Ibn Abī Duʾād said: Al-Muʿtaṣim used to extend his forearm to me and say: “O Abā ʿAbd Allāh, bite my forearm with all your strength.” I would say: “[By God,] O Commander of the Faithful, my soul does not consent to that.” He would say: “Do it, for it does not harm me.” I would attempt that, and found that spearheads would have no effect on it, [let alone teeth]. One day he departed from al-Maʾmūn's residence to his own palace. The avenue of the parade ground was lined with tents in which the troops were stationed. Al-Muʿtaṣim passed by a woman weeping and saying: “My son, my son!” It turned out that one of the soldiers had taken her son. Al-Muʿtaṣim summoned him and ordered him to return her son to her, but he refused. He beckoned him to come closer, and when he drew near, he seized him with his hand, and the sound of his bones could be heard. Then he released him from his grip, and he fell. He ordered the boy to be returned to his mother. It has also reached us that a Muslim woman in the lands of the Byzantines was taken captive in a war that took place between them [and the Muslims], and she began calling out: “O Muʿtaṣim!” When that reached him, he said immediately: “At your service, at your service.” He went forward, mounted at once, and kept saying: “At your service, at your service.” The people caught up with him until he entered Byzantine territory, rescued the woman, and inflicted wounds upon the Byzantines. Al-Faḍl b. Marwān said: Al-Muʿtaṣim had no inclination to take pleasure in adorning buildings; his utmost aim in them was solid construction. In nothing was he more liberal in spending than in war.
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