Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3453
The Year 258 AH
عَوْدِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ إِلَى وَاسِطَ وَفِي سنة ثمان وخمسين ومائتين انْحَازَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ مِنْ مَوْضِعِهِ إِلَى وَاسِطَ ; وَكَانَ سَبَبُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا سَارَ إِلَى نَهْرِ أَبِي الْأَسَدِ كَثُرَتِ الْأَمَرَاضُ فِي أَصْحَابِهِ، وَكَثُرَ فِيهِمُ الْمَوْتُ، فَرَجَعَ إِلَى بَاذَاوَرْدَ فَأَقَامَ بِهَا، وَأَمَرَ بِتَجْدِيدِ الْآلَاتِ، وَإِعْطَاءِ الْجُنْدِ أَرْزَاقَهُمْ، وَإِصْلَاحِ السُّمَيْرِيَّاتِ وَالشَّذَا، وَشَحَنَهَا بِالْقُوَّادِ، وَعَادَ إِلَى عَسْكَرِ صَاحِبِ الزَّنْجِ، وَأَمَرَ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ قُوَّادِهِ بِقَصْدِ مَوَاضِعَ سَمَّاهَا مِنْ نَهْرِ أَبِي الْخَصِيبِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَبَقِيَ مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ، فَمَالَ أَكْثَرُ الْخَلْقِ، حِينَ الْتَقَى النَّاسُ وَنَشِبَتِ الْحَرْبُ، إِلَى نَهْرِ أَبِي الْخَصِيبِ، وَبَقِيَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ فِي قِلَّةِ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عَنْ مَوْضِعِهِ خَوْفًا أَنْ يَطْمَعَ الزَّنْجُ. وَلَمَّا رَأَى الزَّنْجُ قِلَّةَ مَنْ مَعَهُ طَمِعُوا فِيهِ، وَكَثُرُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَاشْتَدَّتِ الْحَرْبُ عِنْدَهُ، وَكَثُرَ الْقَتْلُ وَالْجِرَاحُ، وَأَحْرَقَ أَصْحَابُ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ مَنَازِلَ الزُّنُوجِ، وَاسْتَنْقَذُوا مِنَ النِّسَاءِ جَمْعًا كَثِيرًا، ثُمَّ أَلْقَى الزَّنْجُ جِدَّهُمْ نَحْوَهُ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى أَبُو أَحْمَدَ ذَلِكَ عَلِمَ أَنَّ الْحَزْمَ فِي الْمُحَاجَزَةِ، فَأَمَرَ أَصْحَابَهُ بِالرُّجُوعِ إِلَى سُفُنِهِمْ عَلَى مَهَلٍ وَتُؤَدَةٍ. ( وَاقْتَطَعَ الزَّنْجُ ) طَائِفَةً مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَقَاتَلُوهُمْ، فَقَتَلُوا مِنَ الزَّنْجِ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا، ثُمَّ قُتِلُوا جَمِيعُهُمْ، وَحُمِلَتْ رُءُوسُهُمْ إِلَى قَائِدِ الزَّنْجِ، وَهِيَ مِائَةُ رَأْسٍ وَعَشْرَةُ أَرْؤُسٍ، فَزَادَ ذَلِكَ فِي عُتُوِّهِ. وَنَزَلَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ فِي عَسْكَرِهِ بِبَاذَاوَرْدَ، فَأَقَامَ يُعَبِّئُ أَصْحَابَهُ لِلرُّجُوعِ إِلَى الزَّنْجِ، فَوَقَعَتْ نَارٌ فِي أَطْرَافِ عَسْكَرِهِ، فِي يَوْمِ رِيحٍ عَاصِفٍ، فَاحْتَرَقَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُ، فَرَحَلَ مِنْهَا إِلَى وَاسِطَ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ وَاسِطَ تَفَرَّقَ عَنْهُ عَامَّةُ أَصْحَابِهِ، فَسَارَ مِنْهَا إِلَى سَامَرَّا، وَاسْتَخْلَفَ عَلَى وَاسِطَ، لِحَرْبِ الْعَلَوِيِّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْمُوَلَّدِ.
Translation
✧ Return of Abū Aḥmad to Wāsiṭ In the year two hundred and fifty-eight, Abū Aḥmad withdrew from his position to Wāsiṭ. The reason for that was that when he marched to Nahr Abī al-Asad, illnesses became frequent among his companions, and death increased among them, so he returned to Bādhāward and stayed there. He ordered the renewal of equipment, the giving of the troops their stipends, and the repair of the sumayriyyāt and shadhā vessels, and he loaded them with commanders. He returned to the camp of the lord of the Zanj and ordered a group of his commanders to head for places he named on Nahr Abī al-Khaṣīb and elsewhere. A group remained with him. When the people met and battle was joined, most of the people inclined toward Nahr Abī al-Khaṣīb, and Abū Aḥmad remained with few of his companions. He did not leave his position for fear that the Zanj would become emboldened. When the Zanj saw how few were with him, they became emboldened against him and increased their numbers against him. The fighting intensified around him, and killing and wounding increased. Abū Aḥmad's companions burned the dwellings of the Zanj and rescued a large number of women. Then the Zanj directed their effort toward him. When Abū Aḥmad saw that, he knew that prudence lay in disengagement, so he ordered his companions to return to their ships slowly and deliberately. The Zanj cut off a party of his companions and fought them. They killed many of the Zanj, then they were all killed. Their heads were carried to the leader of the Zanj, and they were one hundred and ten heads. That increased his insolence. Abū Aḥmad alighted in his camp at Bādhāward and stayed there, marshaling his companions to return against the Zanj. A fire broke out on the outskirts of his camp on a day of violent wind, and much of it burned. So he departed from there to Wāsiṭ. When he halted at Wāsiṭ, most of his companions dispersed from him, so he marched from there to Sāmarrāʾ and appointed Muḥammad b. al-Muwallad as his deputy over Wāsiṭ to fight the ʿAlawī.
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