Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3512
The Year 267 AH
اسْتِيلَاءِ الْمُوَفَّقِ عَلَى طَهْثَا لَمَّا فَرَغَ الْمُوَفَّقُ مِنَ الَّذِي يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ سَارَ عَنْ بَرْدُودَا إِلَى طَهْثَا لِعَشَرٍ بَقِينَ مِنْ رَبِيعٍ الْآخَرِ سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ وَسِتِّينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَكَانَ مَسِيرُهُ عَلَى الظُّهْرِ فِي خَيْلِهِ، وَانْحَدَرَتِ السُّفُنُ وَالْآلَاتُ، فَنَزَلَ بِقَرْيَةِ الْجَوْزِيَّةِ، وَعَقَدَ جِسْرًا، ثُمَّ غَدَا فَعَبَّرَ خَيْلَهُ عَلَيْهِ، ثُمَّ عَبَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، فَسَارَ حَتَّى نَزَلَ مُعَسْكَرًا عَلَى مِيلَيْنِ مِنْ طَهْثَا، فَأَقَامَ هُنَالِكَ يَوْمَيْنِ. وَمَطَرَتِ السَّمَاءُ مَطَرًا شَدِيدًا، فَشُغِلَ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ، ثُمَّ رَكِبَ لِيَنْظُرَ مَوْضِعًا لِلْحَرْبِ، فَانْتَهَى إِلَى قَرِيبٍ مِنْ سُورِ مَدِينَةِ سُلَيْمَانَ بِطَهْثَا، وَهِيَ الَّتِي سَمَّاهَا الْمَنْصُورُ، فَتَلَقَّاهُ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ كُمَنَاءُ مِنْ مَوَاضِعَ شَتَّى، وَاشْتَدَّتِ الْحَرْبُ، وَتَرَجَّلَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْفُرْسَانِ، وَقَاتَلُوا حَتَّى خَرَجُوا عَنِ الْمَضِيقِ الَّذِي كَانُوا فِيهِ، وَأَسَرُوا مِنْ غِلْمَانِ الْمُوَفَّقِ جَمَاعَةً. وَرَمَى أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ بْنُ الْمُوَفَّقِ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ هِنْدِيٍّ الْحَيَامِيَّ بِسَهْمٍ خَالَطَ دِمَاغَهُ، فَسَقَطَ وَحُمِلَ إِلَى الْعَلَوِيِّ، صَاحِبِ الزَّنْجِ، فَلَمْ يَلْبَثْ أَنْ مَاتَ، فَحَضَرَهُ الْخَبِيثُ، وَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ، وَعَظُمَتْ لَدَيْهِ الْمُصِيبَةُ بِمَوْتِهِ، إِذْ كَانَ أَعْظَمَ أَصْحَابِهِ ( غَنَاءً عَنْهُ ). وَانْصَرَفَ الْمُوَفَّقُ إِلَى عَسْكَرِهِ وَقْتَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَأَمَرَ أَصْحَابَهُ بِالتَّحَارُسِ لَيْلَتَهُمْ وَالتَّأَهُّبِ لِلْحَرْبِ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحُوا، وَذَلِكَ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ لِثَلَاثٍ بَقِينَ مِنْ رَبِيعٍ الْآخَرِ، عَبَّأَ الْمُوَفَّقُ أَصْحَابَهُ، وَجَعَلَهُمْ كَتَائِبَ يَتْلُو بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا، فُرْسَانًا وَرَجَّالَةً، وَأَمَرَ بِالشَّذَا وَالسُّمَيْرِيَّاتِ أَنْ يُسَارَ بِهَا إِلَى النَّهْرِ الَّذِي يَشُقُّ مَدِينَةَ سُلَيْمَانَ، وَهُوَ النَّهْرُ الْمَعْرُوفُ بِنَهْرِ الْمُنْذِرِ، وَرَتَّبَ أَصْحَابَهُ فِي الْمَوَاضِعِ الَّتِي يَخَافُ مِنْهَا، ثُمَّ نَزَلَ فَصَلَّى أَرْبَعَ رَكَعَاتٍ، وَابْتَهَلَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فِي النَّصْرِ، ثُمَّ لَبِسَ سِلَاحَهُ، وَأَمَرَ ابْنَهُ الْعَبَّاسَ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ إِلَى السُّورِ، فَتَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِ، فَرَأَى خَنْدَقًا، فَأَحْجَمَ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ، فَحَرَّضَهُمْ قُوَّادُهُمْ وَتَرَجَّلُوا مَعَهُمْ، فَاقْتَحَمُوهُ وَعَبَرُوهُ، وَانْتَهَوْا إِلَى الزَّنْجِ وَهُمْ عَلَى سُورِهِمْ. فَلَمَّا رَأَى الزَّنْجُ تَسَرُّعَهُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَّوْا مُنْهَزِمِينَ، وَاتَّبَعَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ، فَدَخَلُوا الْمَدِينَةَ، وَكَانَ الزَّنْجُ قَدْ حَصَّنُوهَا بِخَمْسَةِ خَنَادِقَ، وَجَعَلُوا أَمَامَ كُلِّ خَنْدَقٍ سُورًا، فَجَعَلُوا يَقِفُونَ عِنْدَ كُلِّ سُورٍ وَخَنْدَقٍ، فَكَشَفَهُمْ أَصْحَابُ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ، وَدَخَلَتِ الشَّذَا وَالسُّمَيْرِيَّاتُ الْمَدِينَةَ مِنَ النَّهْرِ، فَجَعَلَتْ تُغْرِقُ كُلَّ مَا مَرَّتْ لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ سُمَيْرِيَّةٍ وَشَذَاةٍ، وَقَتَلُوا مَنْ بِجَانِبَيِ النَّهْرِ وَأَسَرُوا حَتَّى أَجْلَوْهُمْ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَعَمَّا اتَّصَلَ بِهَا، وَكَانَ مِقْدَارُ الْعِمَارَةِ فِيهَا فَرْسَخًا. وَحَوَى الْمُوَفَّقُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ، وَأَفْلَتَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ جَامِعٍ وَنَفَرٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَكَثُرَ الْقَتْلُ فِيهِمْ وَالْأَسْرُ، وَاسْتَنْقَذَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ مِنْ نِسَاءِ أَهْلِ وَاسِطَ، وَالْكُوفَةِ، وَالْقُرَى، وَغَيْرِهَا، وَصِبْيَانِهِمْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفًا، فَأَمَرَ أَبُو أَحْمَدَ بِحَمْلِهِمْ إِلَى وَاسِطَ، وَدَفَعَهُمْ إِلَى أَهْلِيهِمْ ; وَأَحَذَ مَا كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ الذَّخَائِرِ، وَالْأَمْوَالِ، وَأَمَرَ بِصَرْفِهِ إِلَى الْأَجْنَادِ، وَأَسَرَ مِنْ نِسَاءِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَوْلَادِهِ عِدَّةً، وَتَخَلَّصَ مَنْ كَانَ أُخِذَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْمُوَفَّقِ، وَنَجَا جَمْعٌ كَثِيرٌ إِلَى الْآجَامِ فَأَمَرَ أَصْحَابَهُ بِطَلَبِهِمْ، فَأَقَامَ سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا، وَهَدَمَ سُورَ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَطَمَّ خَنَادِقَهَا، وَجَعَلَ لِكُلِّ مَنْ أَتَاهُ بِرَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ جُعْلًا، فَكَانَ إِذَا أُتِيَ بِالْوَاحِدِ مِنْهُمْ عَفَا عَنْهُ وَضَمَّهُ إِلَى قُوَّادِهِ وَغِلْمَانِهِ، لِمَا كَانَ دَبَّرَهُ مِنَ اسْتِمَالَتِهِمْ. وَأَرْسَلَ فِي طَلَبِ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ جَامِعٍ، حَتَّى بَلَغُوا دِجْلَةَ الْعَوْرَاءَ، فَلَمْ يَظْفَرُوا بِهِ، وَأَمَرَ زِيرَكَ بِالْمُقَامِ بِطَهَثَا لِيَتَرَاجَعَ إِلَى تِلْكَ النَّاحِيَةِ أَهْلُهَا وَيَأْمَنُوا.
Translation
✧ Al-Muwaffaq's seizure of Ṭahthā When al-Muwaffaq had finished what he needed, he marched from Bardūdā to Ṭahthā with ten nights remaining of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir in the year two hundred and sixty-seven. His march was at noon with his cavalry, while the boats and war machines went down by water. He encamped at the village of al-Jawziyyah and built a bridge. Then he set out early and crossed his cavalry over it. After that he himself crossed, and he marched until he encamped two miles from Ṭahthā, where he stayed for two days. The sky rained a heavy rain, so he was diverted from fighting. Then he rode out to inspect a position for battle and came close to the wall of the city of Sulaymān at Ṭahthā—the city al-Manṣūr had so named. A great crowd met him, and ambushers came out against them from various places. The fighting intensified, and a group of horsemen dismounted and fought until they broke out of the narrow pass they were in. They captured a group of al-Muwaffaq's pages. Abū al-ʿAbbās b. al-Muwaffaq shot Aḥmad b. Hindī al-Ḥayāmī with an arrow that entered his brain. He fell and was carried to the ʿAlawī, the leader of the Zanj, but he did not remain long before he died. The wicked one attended him and prayed over him. The loss of his death was great for him, since he was the most effective of his companions in his service. Al-Muwaffaq returned to his camp at sunset and ordered his men to keep watch that night and prepare for battle. When morning came, which was Saturday, with three nights remaining of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir, al-Muwaffaq arrayed his men and formed them into battalions following one another, cavalry and infantry. He ordered that the shadhā and sumayriyyah boats be taken to the river that cuts through the city of Sulaymān, the river known as Nahr al-Mundhir. He stationed his men in the places he feared. Then he dismounted and prayed four rakʿahs, humbly beseeching God Almighty for victory. Then he put on his armor and ordered his son al-ʿAbbās to advance to the wall. He advanced to it and saw a trench, and the men held back from it. Their commanders urged them on and dismounted with them, and they plunged into it and crossed it. They reached the Zanj while they were on their wall. When the Zanj saw their rush toward them, they fled in defeat, and Abū al-ʿAbbās's men pursued them and entered the city. The Zanj had fortified it with five trenches and had placed a wall in front of each trench. They made a stand at each wall and trench, and Abū al-ʿAbbās's men dislodged them. The shadhā and sumayriyyah boats entered the city from the river and sank every sumayriyyah and shadhāh of theirs they passed. They killed and captured those on both sides of the river until they drove them out of the city and what adjoined it. The extent of the built-up area within it was a farsakh. Al-Muwaffaq seized all of that. Sulaymān b. Jāmiʿ and a few of his companions escaped. Killing and capture among them were heavy. Abū Aḥmad rescued from the women of the people of Wāsiṭ, al-Kūfah, the villages, and elsewhere, and their children, more than twenty thousand. Abū Aḥmad ordered that they be taken to Wāsiṭ and handed over to their families. He took what was in it of stores and wealth and ordered that it be distributed to the troops. He captured several of Sulaymān's women and children. Those of al-Muwaffaq's men who had been seized were freed. A great many fled to the reed thickets, so he ordered his men to seek them. He stayed seventeen days, demolished the city wall, filled in its trenches, and set a reward for everyone who brought him one of them. Whenever one of them was brought to him, he pardoned him and attached him to his commanders and pages, because of the plan he had devised to win them over. He sent men in pursuit of Sulaymān b. Jāmiʿ until they reached Dijlat al-ʿAwrāʾ, but they did not catch him. He ordered Zīrak to remain at Ṭahthā so that the people of that area might return and feel secure.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording. Ask what scholars say about its grade