Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3619
The beginning of the Qarmatians' affair in Bahrayn
ابْتِدَاءِ أَمْرِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ بِالْبَحْرَيْنِ وَفِي سنة ست وثمانين ومائتين ظَهَرَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَرَامِطَةِ يُعْرَفُ بِأَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيِّ بِالْبَحْرَيْنِ، وهو رَأْسِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ، قَبَّحَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَعَنَهُمْ وَهْمْ أَخْبَثُ مِنَ الزَّنْجِ وَأَشَدُّ فَسَادًا كَانَ ظُهُورُهُ فِي جُمَادَى الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ بِنَوَاحِي الْبَصْرَةِ فَاجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْأَعْرَابِ وَالْقَرَامِطَةِ، وَقَوِيَ أَمْرُهُ، فَقَتَلَ مَا حَوْلَهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى، ثُمَّ سَارَ إِلَى الْقَطِيفِ فَقَتَلَ [ مَنْ ] بِهَا، وَأَظْهَرَ أَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ الْبَصْرَةَ، فَكَتَبَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى الْوَاثِقِيُّ، وَكَانَ مُتَوَلِّيَ الْبَصْرَةِ، إِلَى الْمُعْتَضِدِ بِذَلِكَ، فَأَمَرَهُ بِعَمَلِ سُورٍ عَلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، وَكَانَ مَبْلَغُ الْخَرْجِ عَلَيْهِ أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ. وَكَانَ ابْتِدَاءُ الْقَرَامِطَةِ بِنَاحِيَةِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَنَّ رَجُلًا يُعْرَفُ بِيَحْيَى بْنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ قَصَدَ الْقَطِيفَ فَنَزَلَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ يُعْرَفُ بِعَلِيِّ بْنِ الْمُعَلَّى بْنِ حَمْدَانَ، مَوْلَى الزِّيَادِيِّينَ، وَكَانَ مُغَالِيًا فِي التَّشَيُّعِ، فَأَظْهَرَ لَهُ يَحْيَى أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ الْمَهْدِيِّ، وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ سَنَةَ إِحْدَى وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ خَرَجَ إِلَى شِيعَتِهِ فِي الْبِلَادِ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَمْرِهِ، وَأَنَّ ظُهُورَهُ قَدْ قَرُبَ ; فَوَجَّهَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمُعَلَّى إِلَى الشِّيعَةِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقَطِيفِ فَجَمَعَهُمْ، وَأَقْرَأَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي مَعَ يَحْيَى بْنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَأَجَابُوهُ، وَأَنَّهُمْ خَارِجُونَ مَعَهُ إِذَا أَظْهَرَ أَمْرَهُ، وَوَجَّهَ إِلَى سَائِرِ قُرَى الْبَحْرَيْنِ بِمِثْلِ ذَلِكَ فَأَجَابُوهُ. وَكَانَ فِيمَنْ أَجَابَهُ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيُّ، وَكَانَ يَبِيعُ لِلنَّاسِ الطَّعَامَ، وَيَحْسِبُ لَهُمْ بَيْعَهُمْ، ثُمَّ غَابَ عَنْهُمْ يَحْيَى بْنُ الْمَهْدِيِّ مُدَّةً، ثُمَّ رَجَعَ وَمَعَهُ كِتَابٌ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهُ مِنَ الْمَهْدِيِّ إِلَى شِيعَتِهِ، فِيهِ: قَدْ عَرَّفَنِي رَسُولِي يَحْيَى بْنُ الْمَهْدِيِّ مُسَارَعَتَكُمْ إِلَى أَمْرِي، فَلْيَدْفَعْ إِلَيْهِ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ سِتَّةَ دَنَانِيرَ وَثُلُثَيْنِ ; فَفَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ. ثُمَّ غَابَ عَنْهُمْ، وَعَادَ وَمَعَهُ كِتَابٌ فِيهِ أَنِ ادْفَعُوا إِلَى يَحْيَى خُمْسَ أَمْوَالِكُمْ، فَدَفَعُوا إِلَيْهِ الْخُمْسَ. وَكَانَ يَحْيَى يَتَرَدَّدُ فِي قَبَائِلِ قَيْسٍ، وَيُورِدُ إِلَيْهِمْ كُتُبًا يَزْعُمُ أَنَّهَا مِنَ الْمَهْدِيِّ، وَأَنَّهُ ظَاهِرٌ، فَكُونُوا عَلَى أُهْبَةٍ. وَحَكَى إِنْسَانٌ مِنْهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الصَّائِغُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عِنْدَ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيِّ، وَأَتَاهُ يَحْيَى، فَأَكَلُوا طَعَامًا، فَلَمَّا فَرَغُوا خَرَجَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ، وَأَمَرَ امْرَأَتَهُ أَنْ تَدْخُلَ إِلَى يَحْيَى، وَأَنْ لَا تَمْنَعَهُ إِنْ أَرَادَ، فَانْتَهَى هَذَا الْخَبَرُ إِلَى الْوَالِي، فَأَخَذَ يَحْيَى فَضَرَبَهُ، وَحَلَقَ رَأْسَهُ، وَلِحْيَتَهُ، وَهَرَبَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيُّ إِلَى جَنَّابَا، وَسَارَ يَحْيَى بْنُ الْمَهْدِيِّ إِلَى بَنِي كِلَابٍ، وَعُقَيْلٍ، وَالْخَرِيسِ، فَاجْتَمَعُوا مَعَهُ وَمَعَ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، فَعَظُمَ أَمْرُ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، وَكَانَ مِنْهُ مَا يَأْتِي ذِكْرُهُ.
Translation
✧ The beginning of the Qarmatians' affair in Bahrayn In the year two hundred and eighty-six, a man of the Qarmatians known as Abū Saʿīd al-Jannābī appeared in Bahrayn, and he is the head of the Qarmatians—may God disfigure them and curse them. They are filthier than the Zanj and more corrupt. His appearance was in Jumādā al-Ākhirah of this year in the environs of al-Baṣrah. A group of Bedouins and Qarmatians gathered to him, and his affair grew strong. He killed the people of the villages around him, then marched to al-Qaṭīf and killed those in it. He made it appear that he wanted al-Baṣrah. Aḥmad b. Muḥammad b. Yaḥyā al-Wāthiqī, who was governor of al-Baṣrah, wrote to al-Muʿtaḍid about that. He ordered him to build a wall around al-Baṣrah, and the cost expended on it was fourteen thousand dinars. The beginning of the Qarmatians in the region of Bahrayn was that a man known as Yaḥyā b. al-Mahdī headed for al-Qaṭīf. He stayed with a man known as ʿAlī b. al-Muʿallā b. Ḥamdān, a client of the Ziyādīs, who was extreme in Shīʿism. Yaḥyā showed him that he was a messenger of the Mahdī—that was in the year two hundred and eighty-one—and mentioned that he had gone out to his Shīʿa in the lands calling them to his cause, and that his appearance had drawn near. ʿAlī b. al-Muʿallā sent to the Shīʿa among the people of al-Qaṭīf and gathered them, and he read to them the letter that Yaḥyā b. al-Mahdī had with him to them from the Mahdī. They answered him, saying that they would go forth with him when he made his cause manifest. He sent to the rest of the villages of Bahrayn with the like of that, and they answered him. Among those who answered him was Abū Saʿīd al-Jannābī. He used to sell food to people and reckon their sales for them. Then Yaḥyā b. al-Mahdī absented himself from them for a period, then returned with a letter he claimed was from the Mahdī to his Shīʿa, saying: "My messenger Yaḥyā b. al-Mahdī has informed me of your hastening to my cause, so let every man among you hand over to him six dinars and two-thirds." They did that. Then he absented himself from them and returned with a letter stating: "Hand over to Yaḥyā a fifth of your wealth." They handed over the fifth to him. Yaḥyā used to go back and forth among the tribes of Qays, bringing them letters he claimed were from the Mahdī, and that he was appearing, so be ready. A man among them called Ibrāhīm al-Ṣāʾigh related that he was with Abū Saʿīd al-Jannābī when Yaḥyā came to him. They ate food. When they finished, Abū Saʿīd went out of his house and ordered his wife to go in to Yaḥyā and not to prevent him if he wanted. This report reached the governor, and he seized Yaḥyā and beat him, shaved his head and beard. Abū Saʿīd al-Jannābī fled to Jannābā, and Yaḥyā b. al-Mahdī went to Banū Kilāb, ʿUqayl, and al-Kharīs. They gathered with him and with Abū Saʿīd, and Abū Saʿīd's affair grew great. What happened from him will be mentioned later.
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