Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3451
The Year 258 AH
مَسِيرِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ إِلَى الزَّنْجِ وَقَتْلِ مُفْلِحٍ وَفِي سنة ثمان وخمسين ومائتين، فِي رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ، عَقَدَ الْمُعْتَمِدُ لِأَخِيهِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ عَلَى دِيَارِ مِصْرَ، وَقِنَّسْرِينَ، وَالْعَوَاصِمِ، وَخَلَعَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى مُفْلِحٍ فِي رَبِيعٍ الْآخِرِ، وَسَيَّرَهُمَا إِلَى حَرْبِ الزَّنْجِ بِالْبَصْرَةِ، وَرَكِبَ الْمُعْتَمِدُ مَعَهُ يُشَيِّعُهُ، وَسَارَ نَحْوَ الْبَصْرَةِ، وَنَازَلَ الْعَلَوِيَّ وَقَاتَلَهُ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ تَسْيِيرِهِ مَا فَعَلَهُ بِالْبَصْرَةِ، وَأَكْبَرَ النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ، وَتَجَهَّزُوا إِلَيْهِ وَسَارُوا فِي عُدَّةٍ حَسَنَةٍ كَامِلَةٍ، وَصَحِبَهُ مِنْ سُوقَةِ بَغْدَاذَ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ. وَكَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ بِجَيٍّ، عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَا، وَسَارَ يَحْيَى بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَحْرَانِيُّ إِلَى نَهْرِ الْعَبَّاسِ، وَمَعَهُ أَكْثَرُ الزُّنُوجِ، فَبَقِيَ صَاحِبُهُمْ فِي قِلَّةٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ، وَأَصْحَابِهِ يُغَادُونَ الْبَصْرَةَ وَيُرَاوِحُونَهَا لِنَقْلِ مَا نَالُوهُ مِنْهَا، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ عَسْكَرُ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ بِنَهْرِ مَعْقِلٍ، احْتَفَلَ مَنْ فِيهِ مِنَ الزُّنُوجِ إِلَى صَاحِبِهِمْ مَرْعُوبِينَ، وَأَخْبَرُوهُ بِعُظْمِ الْجَيْشِ وَأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَرِدْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِثْلُهُ، وَأَحْضَرَ رَئِيسَيْنِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَسَأَلَهُمَا عَنْ قَائِدِ الْجَيْشِ فَلَمْ يَعْرِفَاهُ، فَجَزِعَ، وَارْتَاعَ. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ إِلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبَانٍ يَأْمُرُهُ بِالْمَسِيرِ إِلَيْهِ فِيمَنْ مَعَهُ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْأَرْبِعَاءِ لِاثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ بَقِيَتْ مِنْ جُمَادَى الْأُولَى أَتَاهُ بَعْضُ قُوَّادِهِ، فَأَخْبَرَهُ بِمَجِيءِ الْعَسْكَرِ وَتَقَدُّمِهِمْ، وَأَنَّهُمْ لَيْسَ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مَنْ يَرُدُّهُمْ مِنَ الزُّنُوجِ، وَكَذَّبَهُ، وَسَبَّهُ، وَأَمَرَ فَنُودِيَ فِي الزُّنُوجِ بِالْخُرُوجِ إِلَى الْحَرْبِ، فَخَرَجُوا، فَرَأَوْا مُفْلِحًا قَدْ أَتَاهُمْ فِي عَسْكَرٍ لِحَرْبِهِمْ، فَقَاتَلَهُمْ، فَبَيْنَمَا مُفْلِحٌ يُقَاتِلُهُمْ إِذْ أَتَاهُ سَهْمُ غَرْبٍ لَا يُعْرَفُ مَنْ رَمَى بِهِ، فَأَصَابَهُ، فَرَجَعَ وَانْهَزَمَ أَصْحَابُهُ، وَقَتَلُوا فِيهِمْ قَتْلًا ذَرِيعًا، وَحَمَلُوا الرُّءُوسَ إِلَى الْعَلَوِيِّ، وَاقْتَسَمَ الزَّنْجُ ( لُحُومَ الْقَتْلَى ). وَأُتِيَ بِالْأَسْرَى، فَسَأَلَهُمْ عَنْ قَائِدِ الْجَيْشِ، فَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّهُ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ، وَمَاتَ مُفْلِحٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ السَّهْمِ، وَحُمِلَتْ جُثَّتُهُ إِلَى سَامَرَّا وَدُفِنَ بِهَا. فَلَمْ يَلْبَثِ الْعَلَوِيُّ إِلَّا يَسِيرًا حَتَّى وَافَاهُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَبَا أَحْمَدَ رَحَلَ نَحْوَ الْأُبُلَّةِ لِيَجْمَعَ مَا فَرَّقَتْهُ الْهَزِيمَةُ، ثُمَّ سَارَ إِلَى نَهْرِ أَبِي الْأَسَدِ، وَلَمَّا عَلِمَ الْخَبِيثُ كَيْفَ قُتِلَ مُفْلِحٌ، وَلَمْ يَرَ أَحَدًا يَدَّعِي قَتْلَهُ، زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ هُوَ الَّذِي قَتَلَهُ، وَكَذَبَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَحْضُرْهُ.
Translation
✧ The march of Abū Aḥmad against the Zanj and the killing of Mufliḥ In the year two hundred and fifty-eight AH, in Rabīʿ al-Awwal, al-Muʿtamid invested his brother Abū Aḥmad with the lands of Egypt, Qinnasrīn, and the ʿAwāṣim, and bestowed robes of honour upon him and upon Mufliḥ in Rabīʿ al-Ākhir, and dispatched them both to war against the Zanj at al-Baṣrah. Al-Muʿtamid rode out with him to see him off, and he marched towards al-Baṣrah, encamped against al-ʿAlawī, and fought him. The reason for dispatching him was what he had done at al-Baṣrah. The people regarded that as a grave matter, equipped themselves against him, and marched out in full and excellent readiness. A great multitude of the common people of Baghdādh accompanied him. ʿAlī b. Abān was at Jayy, as we have mentioned, and Yaḥyā b. Muḥammad al-Baḥrānī marched to Nahr al-ʿAbbās with most of the Zanj. Their leader remained with only a few men, while his companions kept raiding al-Baṣrah morning and evening to carry away what they had obtained from it. When Abū Aḥmad's army encamped at Nahr Maʿqil, the Zanj who were there gathered to their leader in terror and informed him of the great size of the army, saying that nothing like it had ever come against them. He summoned two of his chief men and asked them about the commander of the army, but they did not know him, and he became distressed and alarmed. Then he sent to ʿAlī b. Abān ordering him to march to him with the men he had. On Wednesday, twelve nights remaining of Jumādā al-Ūlā, one of his commanders came to him and told him of the army's approach and advance, and that among the Zanj there was no one who could repel them. He called him a liar and insulted him, and ordered a call to be made among the Zanj to go out to battle. They went out and saw Mufliḥ coming against them with an army to fight them, and he fought them. While Mufliḥ was fighting them, a stray arrow came to him, no one knowing who shot it, and struck him. He withdrew and his companions fled, and they killed a great slaughter among them. They carried the heads to al-ʿAlawī, and the Zanj divided up the flesh of the slain. Prisoners were brought to him, and he asked them about the commander of the army. They told him that it was Abū Aḥmad. Mufliḥ died from that arrow, and his body was carried to Sāmarrā and buried there. Al-ʿAlawī had waited only a short while when ʿAlī b. Abān came to him. Then Abū Aḥmad moved towards al-Ubullah to gather those whom the defeat had scattered. Then he marched to Nahr Abī al-Asad. When the wicked one learned how Mufliḥ had been killed, and saw that no one claimed to have killed him, he alleged that he himself had killed him. He lied, for he had not been present.
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