Tarikh (al-Tabari) 349
the accounts of past peoples from the Israelites and others
كِتَابُ أُمِّ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ كَعْبُ الْأَحْبَارِ: إِنَّ أُمَّ ذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ كَانَتْ حَازِمَةً عَاقِلَةً، فَلَمَّا بَلَغَهَا أَنَّ ابْنَهَا قَدْ فَتَحَ الْمَدَائِنَ وَاسْتَعْبَدَ الرِّجَالَ، وَدَانَتْ لَهُ الْمُلُوكُ كَتَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ. بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. مِنْ رُوقَيَّةَ أُمُّ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ إِلَى الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ الْمَوْتَى لَهُ، الضَّعِيفُ الَّذِي بِقُوَّةِ رَبِّهِ قَوِيَ، وَبِقُدْرَتِهِ قَهَرَ، وَبِعِزَّتِهِ اسْتَعْلَى، يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تَدَعْ لِلْعُجْبِ فِيكَ مَسَاغًا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُرْدِيكَ، وَلَا تَدَعْ لِلْعَظَمَةِ فِيكَ مَطْمَعًا فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ يُضْعِفُكَ، يَا بُنَيَّ ذَلِّلْ نَفْسَكَ [لِلَّذِي رَفَعَكَ]. وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّكَ عَنْ قَلِيلٍ مُحَوَّلٌ عَمَّا أَنْتَ فِيهِ، يَا بُنَيَّ إِيَّاكَ وَالشُّحَّ؛ فَإِنَّ الشُّحَّ يُرْدِيكَ، وَيُزْرِي بِكَ، وَانْظُرْ هَذِهِ الْكُنُوزَ الَّتِي جَمَعْتَهَا أَنْ تُعَجِّلَ حَمْلَهَا إِلَيَّ كُلَّهَا مَعَ رَجُلٍ مُفْرَدٍ عَلَى فَرَسٍ أَجْرَدَ. فَلَمَّا وَرَدَ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابُ جَمَعَ النَّاسَ، فَقَالَ: انْظُرُوا فِيمَا كَتَبَتْ أُمِّي وَسَأَلَتْنِي فِيهِ: أَنْ أَرْسِلَ بِهَذِهِ الْأَمْوَالِ، فَقَالُوا: وَكَيْفَ السَّبِيلُ إِلَى حَمْلِهَا عَلَى فَرَسٍ؟ فَقَالَ: هَلْ عِنْدَكُمْ غَيْرُ هَذَا؟ قَالُوا: لَا، فَدَعَا كَاتِبَهُ فَقَالَ: اكْتُبْ كُلَّ مَالٍ جَمَعْتُهُ، فَأَحْصِهِ وَاجْعَلْهُ فِي كِتَابٍ وَبَيِّنْ مَوَاضِعَهَا وَعُدَّتَهَا، فَفَعَلَ الْكَاتِبُ ثُمَّ، خُتِمَ الْكِتَابُ، وَحَمَلَ رَجُلًا عَلَى فَرَسٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ: امْضِ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ إِلَى أُمِّي، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُمْ: إِنَّمَا سَأَلَتْنِي أُمِّي أَنْ أَبْعَثَ إِلَيْهَا بِعِلْمِ مَا لِي أَجْمَعَ وَمَوَاضِعِهَا. قَالَ: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ إِلَى الْيَوْمِ مَعْرُوفٌ بِالرُّومِ فِي بَيْتِ مَمْلَكَتِهِمْ وَبُيُوتِ أَمْوَالِهِمْ، يَجِدُونَ عِلْمَ ذَلِكَ فِي أَرْضِ كَذَا وَكُورَةِ كَذَا، وَمَوْضِعِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، وَمِنَ الْمَالِ كَذَا وَكَذَا، مِمَّا كَنَزَهُ الْإِسْكَنْدَرُ، وَكَانَ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحِرْصِ شَيْئًا، وَلَمْ يَجْمَعِ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَا كَانَ يَسُرُّ بِمَنْ مَعَهُ فَيُقَوِّيهِمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ مَسِيرُهُ ذَلِكَ رَحْمَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ.
Translation
✧ The Book of Alexander's Mother to Him Kaʿb al-Aḥbār said: The mother of Dhū al-Qarnayn was resolute and wise. When it reached her that her son had conquered the cities, enslaved men, and that kings had submitted to him, she wrote to him. In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. From Rūqayyah, the mother of Alexander, to Alexander, the dead who, by the strength of his Lord, became strong; by His power, he subdued; and by His might, he rose above. My son, leave no path for self-conceit in you, for that will destroy you; and leave no desire for greatness in you, for that will weaken you. My son, humble yourself [to the One who raised you]. Know that you will soon be moved from what you are in. My son, beware of greed, for greed destroys you and disparages you. Consider these treasures that you have gathered: hasten to send them all to me with a single man on a bald horse. When the letter reached him, he gathered the people and said: "Look at what my mother wrote and what she asked of me: that I send these riches." They said: "How is there a way to carry them on a horse?" He said: "Do you have anything other than this?" They said: "No." So he called his scribe and said: "Write down every bit of wealth I have gathered, enumerate it, put it in a book, and indicate its locations and quantities." The scribe did so, then the book was sealed, and a man was mounted on a horse. Then he said to him: "Go with this book to my mother." Then he said to them: "My mother only asked me to send her the knowledge of all my wealth and its locations." He said: "That remains known to this day among the Byzantines in the house of their kingdom and their treasuries. They find knowledge of that wealth in such-and-such a land, in such-and-such a province, in such-and-such a place, and of such-and-such an amount, from what Alexander had stored. God did not place in him any greed, and he did not amass worldly goods except what he used to please those with him, thereby strengthening them. His journey was a mercy to the believers."
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.