Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3481
The Year 262 AH
وَقْعَةٍ لِلزَّنْجِ عَظِيمَةٍ انْهَزَمُوا فِيهَا وَفِي سَنَةُ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسِتِّينَ ومائتين كَانَتْ وَقْعَةٌ لِلزُّنُوجِ مَعَ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ لَيْثَوَيْهِ ; وَكَانَ سَبَبُهَا أَنَّ مَسْرُورًا الْبَلْخِيَّ وَجَّهَ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ لَيْثَوَيْهِ إِلَى كُوَرِ الْأَهْوَازِ، فَنَزَلَ السُّوسَ، وَكَانَ يَعْقُوبُ الصَّفَّارُ قَدْ قَلَّدَ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ هَزَارْمَرْدَ الْكُرْدِيَّ كُوَرَ الْأَهْوَازِ، فَكَاتَبَ مُحَمَّدًا قَائِدَ الزَّنْجِ يُطْمِعُهُ فِي الْمَيْلِ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَوْهَمَهُ أَنَّهُ يَتَوَلَّى لَهُ كُوَرَ الْأَهْوَازِ. وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ يُكَاتِبُهُ قَدِيمًا، وَعَزَمَ عَلَى مُدَارَاةِ الصَّفَّارِ، وَقَائِدِ الزَّنْجِ، حَتَّى يَسْتَقِيمَ الْأَمْرُ فِيهَا، فَكَاتَبَهُ صَاحِبُ الزَّنْجِ يُجِيبُهُ إِلَى مَا طَلَبَ عَلَى أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ الْمُتَوَلِّيَ لِلْبِلَادِ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ يَخْلُفُهُ عَلَيْهَا، فَقَبِلَ مُحَمَّدٌ ذَلِكَ، فَوَجَّهَ إِلَيْهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ جَيْشًا كَثِيرًا، وَأَمَدَّهُمْ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، فَسَارُوا نَحْوَ السُّوسِ، فَمَنَعَهُمْ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ لَيْثَوَيْهِ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ مِنْ جُنْدِ الْخَلِيفَةِ عَنْهَا، وَقَاتَلَهُمْ فَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا، وَأَسَرَ جَمَاعَةً. وَسَارَ أَحْمَدُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ سَابُورَ، وَسَارَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ مِنَ الْأَهْوَازِ مُمِدًّا مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَى أَحْمَدَ بْنِ لَيْثَوَيْهِ، فَلَقِيَهُ مُحَمَّدٌ فِي جَيْشٍ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَكْرَادِ، وَالصَّعَالِيكِ، وَدَخَلَ مُحَمَّدٌ تَسْتُرَ، فَانْتَهَى إِلَى أَحْمَدَ بْنِ لَيْثَوَيْهِ الْخَبَرُ بِتَضَافُرِهِمَا عَلَى قِتَالِهِ، فَخَرَجَ عَنْ جَنْدِيْسَابُورَ إِلَى السُّوسِ. وَكَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ قَدْ وَعَدَ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبَانٍ أَنْ يَخْطُبَ لِصَاحِبِهِ قَائِدِ الزَّنْجِ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ عَلَى مِنْبَرِ تَسْتُرَ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ خَطَبَ لِلْمُعْتَمِدِ، وَلِلصَّفَّارِ، فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ ذَلِكَ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى الْأَهْوَازِ، وَهَدَمَ قَنْطَرَةً كَانَتْ هُنَاكَ لِئَلَّا تَلْحَقَهُ الْخَيْلُ، فَانْتَهَى أَصْحَابُ عَلِيٍّ إِلَى عَسْكَرِ مُكْرَمٍ فَنَهَبُوهَا، وَكَانَتْ دَاخِلَةً فِي سِلْمِ الْخَبِيثِ، فَغَدَرُوا بِهَا وَسَارُوا إِلَى الْأَهْوَازِ. فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ أَحْمَدُ ذَلِكَ أَقْبَلَ إِلَى تَسْتُرَ، فَوَاقَعَ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ، فَانْهَزَمَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، وَدَخَلَ أَحْمَدُ تَسْتُرَ. وَأَتَتِ الْأَخْبَارُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبَانٍ بِأَنَّ أَحْمَدَ عَلَى قَصْدِكَ، فَسَارَ إِلَى لِقَائِهِ وَمُحَارَبَتِهِ، فَالْتَقَيَا، وَاقْتَتَلَ الْعَسْكَرَانِ، فَاسْتَأْمَنَ إِلَى أَحْمَدَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ الَّذِينَ مَعَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبَانٍ، فَانْهَزَمَ بَاقِي أَصْحَابِ عَلِيٍّ، وَثَبَتَ مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ يَسِيرَةٌ، وَاشْتَدَّ الْقِتَالُ، وَتَرَجَّلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبَانٍ، وَبَاشَرَ الْقِتَالَ رَاجِلًا، فَعَرَفَهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ أَحْمَدَ فَأَنْذَرَ النَّاسُ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا عَرَفُوهُ انْصَرَفَ هَارِبًا، وَأَلْقَى نَفْسَهُ فِي الْمَسْرُقَانِ، فَأَتَاهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ بِسُمَيْرِيَّةٍ، فَرَكِبَ فِيهَا وَنَجَا مَجْرُوحًا، وَقُتِلَ مِنْ أَبْطَالِ أَصْحَابِهِ جَمَاعَةٌ كَثِيرَةٌ.
Translation
✧ A great battle of the Zanj in which they were defeated In the year two hundred and sixty-two AH there was a battle of the Zanj against Aḥmad b. Laythawayh. Its cause was that Masrūr al-Balkhī dispatched Aḥmad b. Laythawayh to the districts of al-Ahwāz, and he camped at al-Sūs. Yaʿqūb al-Ṣaffār had appointed Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh b. Hazārmard al-Kurdī over the districts of al-Ahwāz. So he corresponded with Muḥammad, the leader of the Zanj, enticing him to incline toward him, and giving him the impression that he would take charge of the districts of al-Ahwāz for him. Muḥammad had corresponded with him in the past, and he resolved to humor al-Ṣaffār and the leader of the Zanj until matters should be set straight there. The master of the Zanj corresponded with him, answering his request on condition that ʿAlī b. Abān be the governor of the lands, and that Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh act as his deputy over them. Muḥammad accepted that, so ʿAlī b. Abān dispatched a numerous army to him, and Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh reinforced them. They marched toward al-Sūs, but Aḥmad b. Laythawayh and those with him of the caliph's troops prevented them from reaching it. He fought them, killed a great number of them, and took a group captive. Aḥmad marched on until he camped at Sābūr, and ʿAlī b. Abān marched from al-Ahwāz to reinforce Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh against Aḥmad b. Laythawayh. Muḥammad met him with a large army of Kurds and brigands, and Muḥammad entered Tustar. News reached Aḥmad b. Laythawayh that the two had joined forces to fight him, so he left Jundīsābūr for al-Sūs. Muḥammad had promised ʿAlī b. Abān that he would deliver the Friday sermon for his master, the leader of the Zanj, from the pulpit of Tustar. But when Friday came, he preached for al-Muʿtamid and for al-Ṣaffār. When ʿAlī b. Abān learned of that, he departed for al-Ahwāz and demolished a bridge that was there so that the cavalry could not overtake him. The companions of ʿAlī reached ʿAskar Mukram and plundered it, although it was included in the peace of the villain, so they acted treacherously toward it and marched on to al-Ahwāz. When Aḥmad learned of that, he advanced to Tustar and engaged Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh and those with him. Muḥammad b. ʿUbayd Allāh was defeated, and Aḥmad entered Tustar. News reached ʿAlī b. Abān that Aḥmad intended to come after him, so he marched to meet and fight him. They met, and the two armies fought. A group of the Bedouins who were with ʿAlī b. Abān sought safe conduct from Aḥmad, and the rest of ʿAlī's companions were defeated. Only a small group remained steadfast with him, and the fighting intensified. ʿAlī b. Abān dismounted and fought on foot. Some of Aḥmad's companions recognized him and alerted the people to him. When they recognized him, he turned and fled, throwing himself into the Masruqān. One of his companions brought him a sumayriyyah (small boat), and he boarded it and escaped wounded, while a great number of the heroes among his companions were killed.
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