Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3335
The Year 232 AH
بَابُ خِلَافَةِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ اسمه ونسبه وَاسْمُهُ: جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ هَارُونَ الرَّشِيدِ، وَيُكَنَّى أَبَا الْفَضْلِ، وَأُمُّهُ أُمُّ وَلَدٍ، اسْمُهَا شَجَاعُ، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ وَمِائَتَيْنِ بِفَمِ الصُّلْحِ، وَنَزَلَ سَامُرَّاءَ، وَكَانَ أَسْمَرَ حَسَنَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ، خَفِيفَ الْعَارِضَيْنِ، نَحِيفًا إِلَى الْقِصَرِ، وَلَا تُعْرَفُ امْرَأَةٌ رَأَتِ ابْنَهَا خَلِيفَةً وَهُوَ جَدٌّ وَلَهُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَوْلَادٍ وُلَاةِ عُهُودٍ إِلَّا أُمَّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ، وَكَانَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ جَدًّا وَمَا كَمُلَ لَهُ ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً. وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْمُتَوَكِّلِ بِالْخِلَافَةِ ثَمَانِيَةٌ كُلُّهُمُ ابْنُ خَلِيفَةٍ: مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْوَاثِقِ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْمُعْتَصِمِ، وَمُوسَى بْنُ الْمَأْمُونِ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْأَمِينِ، وَأَبُو أَحْمَدَ بْنُ الرَّشِيدِ، وَالْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْهَادِي، وَمَنْصُورُ بْنُ الْمَهْدِيِّ، وَالْمَنْصُورُ بْنُ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ. ذِكْرُ بَيْعَةِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ [وَشَيْءٍ مِنْ سِيرَتِهِ ] قَالَ مَيْمُونٌ عَنْ جَمَاعَةٍ سَمَّاهُمْ، أَنَّ الْوَاثِقَ لَمَّا مَاتَ اجْتَمَعَ وَصِيفٌ التُّرْكِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ أَبِي دُؤَادٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ الْمَعْرُوفُ بِأَبِي الْوَزِيرِ وَعُمَرُ بْنُ فَرَجٍ، فَعَزَمَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ عَلَى تَوْلِيَةِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْوَاثِقِ، فَأَحْضَرُوهُ وَهُوَ غُلَامٌ أَمْرَدٌ قَصِيرٌ، فَقَالَ [أَحْمَدُ ] بْنُ أَبِي دُؤَادٍ: أَمَا تَتَّقُونَ اللَّهَ، كَيْفَ [تُوَلُّونَ مِثْلَ ] هَذَا الْخِلَافَةَ ؟ فَأَرْسَلُوا بَغَا الشَّرَابِيَّ إِلَى جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَصِمِ فَأَحْضَرُوهُ، فَقَامَ ابْنُ أَبِي دُؤَادٍ فَأَلْبَسَهُ الطَّوِيلَةَ وَدُرَّاعَةً، وَعَمَّمَهُ بِيَدِهِ عَلَى الطَّوِيلَةِ، وَقَبَّلَ بَيْنِ عَيْنَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. ثُمَّ غُسِّلَ الْوَاثِقُ، وَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ وَدُفِنَ. قَالَ مَيْمُونٌ: فَحَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدٌ الصَّغِيرُ قَالَ: كَانَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ قَدْ رَأَى فِي مَنَامِهِ كَأَنَّ سُكَّرًا سُلَيْمَانِيًّا قَدْ نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَكْتُوبٌ عَلَيْهِ: "جَعْفَرٌ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ عَلَى اللَّهِ". قَالَ مَيْمُونٌ: فَلَمَّا صَلَّى عَلَى الْوَاثِقِ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ: نُسَمِّيهِ الْمُنْتَصِرَ، وَخَاضَ النَّاسُ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَحَدَّثَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ أَبِي دُؤَادٍ بِمَا رَأَى [فِي مَنَامِهِ ] فَوَجَدَهُ مُوَافِقًا، فَأَمْضَى وَكَتَبَ [بِهِ ] إِلَى الْآفَاقِ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى: أَنَّهُمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ صَارُوا إِلَى دَارِ الْعَامَّةِ فَبَايَعُوا حِينَ زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمَ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ لِسِتٍّ بَقِينَ مِنْ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَثَلَاثِينَ، وَكَتَبَ لَهُ بِالْبَيْعَةِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ الزَّيَّاتُ وَهُوَ إِذْ ذَاكَ عَلَى دِيوَانِ الرَّسَائِلِ، وَسِنُّهُ إِذْ ذَاكَ سِتَّةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ سَنَةً. وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ الْجَهْمُ: وَجَّهَ إِلَيَّ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ، فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي: يَا عَلِيُّ، رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لِي: تَقُومُ إِلَيَّ وَأَنْتَ خَلِيفَةٌ ؟ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: أَبْشِرْ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَمَّا قِيَامُكَ إِلَيْهِ فَقِيَامُكَ بِالسُّنَّةِ، وَقَدْ عَدَّكَ مِنَ الْخُلَفَاءِ. فَسُرَّ بِذَلِكَ. وَقَالَ أَبُو رَوْقٍ الْهَزَّانِيُّ: سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ خَلَفٍ يَقُولُ: كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ التَّيْمِيُّ قَاضِي الْبَصْرَةِ يَقُولُ: الْخُلَفَاءُ ثَلَاثَةٌ، أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ قَاتِلُ أَهْلِ الرِّدَّةِ حَتَّى اسْتَجَابُوا، وَعُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ رَدَّ مَظَالِمَ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، وَالْمُتَوَكِّلُ مَحَا الْبِدَعَ [وَأَظْهَرَ السُّنَّةَ ]. وَقَالَ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ يَحْيَى: أَنَّهُ كَانَتْ عِنْدَهُ [كُلُّ ] نَوْبَةٍ مِنْ نُوَبِ الْفَرَّاشِينَ فِي دَارِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ عَلَى [اللَّهِ ] أَرْبَعَةَ آلَافِ فَرَّاشٍ قَالَا: فَذَهَبَ عَنَّا أَنْ نَسْأَلَهُ كَمْ نَوْبَةً كَانُوا. وَقَالَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ يَحْيَى بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْمُنَجِّمُ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ: خَرَجْنَا مَعَ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ إِلَى دِمَشْقَ فَلَحِقْنَا ضِيقَةً بِسَبَبِ الْمُؤَنِ وَالنَّفَقَاتِ الَّتِي كَانَتْ تَلْزَمُنَا، قَالَ: فَبَعَثْتُ إِلَى بَخْتِيشُوعَ وَكَانَ [لِي ] صَدِيقًا [أَسْأَلُهُ ] أَنْ يُقْرِضَنِي عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، قَالَ: فَأَقْرَضَنِيهَا، فَلَمَّا كَانَ بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ أَوْ يَوْمَيْنِ دَخَلْتُ مَعَ الْجُلَسَاءِ إِلَى الْمُتَوَكِّلِ، فَلَمَّا جَلَسْنَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ قَالَ: يَا عَلِيُّ، لَكَ عِنْدِي ذَنْبٌ وَهُوَ عَظِيمٌ، قُلْتُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، وَمَا هُوَ، فَإِنِّي لَا أَعْرِفُ لِي ذَنْبًا وَلَا جِنَايَةً ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، أَضَقْتَ فَاسْتَقْرَضْتَ مِنْ بَخْتِيشُوعَ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، أَفَلَا أَعْلَمْتَنِي ؟ قُلْتُ: يَا مَوْلَايَ، صِلَاتُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عِنْدِي مُتَوَاتِرَةٌ، وَأَرْزَاقُهُ وَأَنْزَالُهُ عَلَيَّ دَارَةٌ، فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ مَعَ مَا قَدْ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ [هَذَا ] التَّفَضُّلِ أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ، قَالَ: وَلِمَ ؟ إِيَّاكَ أَنْ تَسْتَحِيَ فِي مَسْأَلَتِي أَوِ الطَّلَبِ مِنِّي، وَأَنْ تُعَاوِدَ مِثْلَ مَا كَانَ مِنْكَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مِائَةُ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ - بِغَيْرِ صُرُوفٍ - فَأَحْضَرْتُ عَشْرَ بَدْرٍ، فَقَالَ: خُذْهَا وَاتَّسِعْ بِهَا. وَقَالَ مُحْرِزٌ الْكَاتِبُ: اعْتَلَّ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ خَاقَانَ فَأَمَرَ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ الْفَتْحَ أَنْ يَعُودَهُ، فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ: أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَسْأَلُ عَنْ عِلَّتِكَ، فَقَالَ عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ: عَلِيلٌ مِنْ مَكَانَيْنِ مِنَ الْأَسْقَامِ وَالدِّينِ وَفِي هَذَيْنِ لِي شُغْلٌ وَحَسَبِي شُغْلُ هَذَيْنِ فَأَمَرَ لَهُ الْمُتَوَكِّلُ بِأَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ. قَالَ الْأَعْثَمُ: دَخَلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْجَهْمِ عَلَى جَعْفَرٍ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ وَبِيَدِهِ دُرَّتَانِ يُقَلِّبُهُمَا، فَأَنْشَدَهُ قَصِيدَتَهُ الَّتِي يَقُولُ فِيهَا: وَإِذَا مَرَرْتَ بِبِئْرِ عُرْوَةَ فَاسْقِنِي مِنْ مَائِهَا قَالَ: فَدَحَا بِالدُّرَّةِ الَّتِي فِي يَمِينِهِ، فَقَلَبْتُهَا فَقَالَ [لِي ]: تَسْتَنْقِصُ بِهَا ؟ هِيَ وَاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ، قُلْتُ: لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا اسْتَنْقَصْتُ بِهَا، وَلَكِنْ فَكَّرْتُ فِي أَبْيَاتٍ أَعْمَلُهَا لِآخُذَ الَّتِي فِي يَسَارِكَ، فَقَالَ: قُلْ. فَأَنْشَأْتُ أَقُولُ: بِسُرَّ مَنْ رَأَى إِمَامٌ عَدْلٌ تَغْرِفُ مِنْ بَحْرِهِ الْبِحَارُ يُرْجَى وَيُخْشَى لِكُلِّ خَطْبٍ كَأَنَّهُ جَنَّةٌ وَنَارُ الْمُلْكُ فِيهِ وَفِي بَنِيهِ مَا اخْتَلَفَ اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ يَدَاهُ فِي الْجُودِ ضَرَّتَانِ عَلَيْهِ كِلْتَاهُمَا تَغَارُ لَمْ تَأْتِ مِنْهُ الْيَمِينُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا أَتَتْ مِثْلُهَا الْيَسَارُ قَالَ: فَدَحَا [إِلَيْهِ ] بِالَّتِي فِي يَسَارِهِ [وَقَالَ: خُذْهَا لَا بَارَكَ اللَّهُ لَكَ فِيهَا ]. [قَالَ الْمُصَنِّفُ ]: وَقَدْ رَوَيْتُ هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتَ لِلْبُحْتُرِيِّ فِي الْمُتَوَكِّلِ. قَالَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ الْمُؤَدِّبُ: سَمِعْتُ الْفَتْحَ بْنَ خَاقَانَ يَقُولُ: دَخَلْتُ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْمُتَوَكِّلِ فَرَأَيْتُهُ مُطْرِقًا يَتَفَكَّرُ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: مَا هَذَا الْكُفْرُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ؟ فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ أَطْيَبُ مِنْكَ عَيْشًا وَلَا أَنْعَمَ أَمْنِكَ بَالًا، فَقَالَ: يَا فَتْحُ، أَطْيَبُ عَيْشًا مِنِّي رَجُلٌ لَهُ دَارٌ وَاسِعَةٌ، وَزَوْجَةٌ صَالِحَةٌ، وَمَعِيشَةٌ حَاضِرَةٌ، لَا يَعْرِفُنَا فَنُؤْذِيهِ، وَلَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْنَا فَنَزْدَرِيهِ.
Translation
✧ The Chapter on the Caliphate of al-Mutawakkil His Name and Lineage His name was Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad b. Hārūn al-Rashīd, and his kunya was Abū al-Faḍl. His mother was an umm walad named Shujāʿ. He was born in the year 207 AH at Famm al-Ṣilḥ, and he took up residence in Sāmarrāʾ. He was brown-skinned, with beautiful eyes, light sideburns, lean and tending toward shortness. No woman is known to have seen her son become caliph while she was a grandmother and he had three sons who were heirs apparent, except the mother of al-Mutawakkil. Al-Mutawakkil was a grandfather before he had completed thirty years. Eight men, each the son of a caliph, greeted al-Mutawakkil with the salutation of the caliphate: Muḥammad b. al-Wāthiq, Aḥmad b. al-Muʿtaṣim, Mūsā b. al-Maʾmūn, ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Amīn, Abū Aḥmad b. al-Rashīd, al-ʿAbbās b. al-Hādī, Manṣūr b. al-Mahdī, and al-Manṣūr b. al-Mutawakkil. Account of the Oath of Allegiance to al-Mutawakkil [and Something of His Conduct] Maymūn reported from a group he named that when al-Wāthiq died, Waṣīf al-Turkī, Aḥmad b. Abī Duʾād, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Malik, Aḥmad b. Khālid, known as Abū al-Wazīr, and ʿUmar b. Faraj gathered. Most of them resolved to appoint Muḥammad b. al-Wāthiq, so they brought him while he was a beardless, short youth. Then [Aḥmad] b. Abī Duʾād said: "Do you not fear God? How can you appoint [someone like] this to the caliphate?" So they sent Bughā al-Sharābī to Jaʿfar b. al-Muʿtaṣim and brought him. Ibn Abī Duʾād stood up and dressed him in the ṭawīla and a durrāʿa, and with his own hand turbaned him over the ṭawīla, and kissed him between the eyes, and said: "Peace be upon you, O Commander of the Faithful." Then al-Wāthiq was washed, and al-Mutawakkil prayed over him, and he was buried. Maymūn said: Saʿīd al-Ṣaghīr related to me, saying: Al-Mutawakkil had seen in a dream as if a Suleimānī sugar had descended upon him from the sky, on which was written: "Jaʿfar al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh." Maymūn said: When he had prayed over al-Wāthiq, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Malik said: "Let us name him al-Muntaṣir," and the people plunged into debate over that. Then al-Mutawakkil told Aḥmad b. Abī Duʾād what he had seen [in his dream], and he found it suitable, so he ratified it and wrote [of it] to the horizons. In another version: That after that they proceeded to the Dār al-ʿĀmma and gave the oath of allegiance when the sun had declined that day, and that was Wednesday, six nights remaining of Dhū al-Ḥijja in the year 232. Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Malik al-Zayyāt wrote for him the covenant of allegiance, and he was at that time over the Dīwān al-Rasāʾil. His age then was twenty-six years. ʿAlī al-Jahm said: The Commander of the Faithful al-Mutawakkil summoned me, so I went to him, and he said to me: "O ʿAlī, I saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream, and I stood up for him. He said to me: 'Do you stand up for me while you are caliph?'" I said to him: "Rejoice, O Commander of the Faithful. As for your standing up for him, that is your upholding of the Sunnah, and he has counted you among the caliphs." He was delighted by that. Abū Rawq al-Hazzānī said: I heard Muḥammad b. Khalaf say: Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad al-Taymī, the qāḍī of al-Baṣra, used to say: "The caliphs are three: Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq, who fought the people of apostasy until they submitted; ʿUmar b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who restored the injustices of the Umayyads; and al-Mutawakkil, who obliterated innovations [and manifested the Sunnah]." And Abū al-Qāsim ʿAlī b. Yaḥyā said: That with him, in every shift of the bedding servants in the palace of al-Mutawakkil ʿalā [Allāh], there were four thousand bed-makers. They said: "It escaped us to ask him how many shifts they were." Abū Aḥmad Yaḥyā b. ʿAlī al-Munajjim said: My father related to me, saying: We went out with al-Mutawakkil to Damascus, and we encountered straitened circumstances because of the provisions and expenses that were incumbent upon us. He said: So I sent to Bukhtīshūʿ, and he was [a] friend [of mine], asking him to lend me twenty thousand dirhams. He said: He lent them to me. Then after a day or two I entered with the boon companions into al-Mutawakkil's presence, and when we sat before him he said: "O ʿAlī, you have with me a great offense." I said: "O my master, what is it? For I know of no offense or crime of mine." He said: "Yes, you were in straits and borrowed twenty thousand dirhams from Bukhtīshūʿ. Would you not have informed me?" I said: "O my lord, the gifts of the Commander of the Faithful come to me continuously, and his provisions and allowances flow to me abundantly. I was ashamed, along with the bounty God has bestowed upon us of [this] favor, to ask him." He said: "And why? Beware of being ashamed in asking me or requesting from me, and of repeating anything like what you did." Then he said: "One hundred thousand dirhams—without exchange—so I brought ten purses." And he said: "Take them and be at ease with them." Muḥriz al-Kātib said: ʿUbayd Allāh b. Yaḥyā b. Khāqān fell ill, and al-Mutawakkil ordered al-Fatḥ to visit him. He went to him and said: "The Commander of the Faithful asks about your illness." ʿUbayd Allāh said: "Ill from two places: from sickness and from debt, and in these two I have occupation. Sufficient for me is the occupation with these two." And al-Mutawakkil ordered for him a thousand dirhams. Al-Aʿtham said: ʿAlī b. al-Jahm entered upon Jaʿfar al-Mutawakkil while he had two pearls in his hand, turning them over. He recited to him his ode in which he says: "And when you pass by Biʾr ʿUrwa, then give me to drink from its water." He said: He cast the pearl in his right hand, and I turned it over. Then he said [to me]: "Do you deem it deficient? By God, it is better than a hundred thousand." I said: "No, by God, I did not deem it deficient, but I was thinking of verses I might compose to obtain the one in your left hand." He said: "Speak." So I began to say: "By Surra man raʾā is a just imam, from whose sea the seas scoop. He is hoped and feared for every affair, as if he were a garden and a fire. Kingship is in him and in his sons, as long as night and day alternate. His two hands in generosity are co-wives, each of them jealous over him. The right hand never brings anything but the left brings its like." He said: He cast [to him] the one in his left hand [and said: "Take it, may God not bless you in it."] [The compiler said]: I have transmitted these verses for al-Buḥturī regarding al-Mutawakkil. Aḥmad b. Yazīd al-Muʾaddib said: I heard al-Fatḥ b. Khāqān say: One day I entered upon al-Mutawakkil and saw him bowed in thought. I said to him: "What is this disbelief, O Commander of the Faithful? By God, there is no one on earth with a more pleasant life than you, nor more serene of security and mind." He said: "O Fatḥ, more pleasant in life than me is a man who has a spacious house, a righteous wife, and a present livelihood; who does not know us that we may harm him, and does not need us that we may disdain him."
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