Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3624
The killing of Abu Thabit, amir of Tarsus, and the appointment of b. al-A'rabi
أَمْرِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ، وَانْهِزَامِ الْعَبَّاسِ الْغَنَوِيِّ مِنْهُمْ فِي سنة سبع وثمانين ومائتين، فِي رَبِيعٍ الْآخِرِ، عَظُمَ أَمْرُ الْقَرَامِطَةِ بِالْبَحْرَيْنِ، وَأَغَارُوا عَلَى نَوَاحِي هَجَرَ، وَقَرُبَ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ نَوَاحِي الْبَصْرَةِ، فَكَتَبَ أَحْمَدُ الْوَاثِقِيُّ يَسْأَلُ الْمَدَدَ، فَسَيَّرَ إِلَيْهِ سُمَيْرِيَّاتٍ فِيهَا ثَلَاثُمِائَةِ رَجُلٍ، وَأَمَرَ الْمُعْتَضِدُ بِاخْتِيَارِ رَجُلٍ يُنْفِذُهُ إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، وَعَزَلَ الْعَبَّاسَ بْنَ عَمْرٍو الْغَنَوِيَّ عَنْ بِلَادِ فَارِسَ، وَأَقْطَعَهُ الْيَمَامَةَ وَالْبَحْرَيْنِ، وَأَمَرَهُ بِمُحَارَبَةِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ وَضَمَّ إِلَيْهِ زُهَاءَ أَلْفَيْ رَجُلٍ، فَسَارَ إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، وَاجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِ جَمْعٌ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمُتَطَوِّعَةِ وَالْجُنْدِ، وَالْخَدَمِ. ثُمَّ سَارَ مِنْهَا إِلَى أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيِّ، فَلَقُوهُ مَسَاءً، وَتَنَاوَشُوا الْقِتَالَ، وَحَجَزَ بَيْنَهُمُ اللَّيْلُ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ اللَّيْلُ انْصَرَفَ عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ مَنْ كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ أَعْرَابِ بَنِي ضَبَّةَ، وَكَانُوا ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ، إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ، وَتَبِعَهُمْ مُطَّوِّعَةُ الْبَصْرَةِ، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ الْعَبَّاسُ بَاكَرَ الْحَرْبَ، فَاقْتَتَلُوا قِتَالًا شَدِيدًا. ثُمَّ حَمَلَ نَجَاحٌ غُلَامُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ الشَّيْخِ مِنْ مَيْسَرَةِ الْعَبَّاسِ فِي مِائَةِ رَجُلٍ عَلَى مَيْمَنَةِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، فَوَغَلُوا فِيهِمْ، فَقُتِلُوا عَنْ آخِرِهِمْ، وَحَمَلَ الْجَنَّابِيُّ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ الْعَبَّاسِ، فَانْهَزَمُوا وَأُسِرَ الْعَبَّاسُ، وَاحْتَوَى الْجَنَّابِيُّ عَلَى مَا كَانَ فِي عَسْكَرِهِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنَ الْغَدِ أَحْضَرَ الْجَنَّابِيُّ الْأَسْرَى فَقَتَلَهُمْ جَمِيعًا وَحَرَّقَهُمْ، وَهَذَا عَجِيبٌ جِدًّا وَهُوَ عَكْسُ وَاقِعَةِ عَمْرِو بْنِ اللَّيْثِ، فَإِنَّهُ أُسِرَ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَصْحَابِهِ وَكَانُوا خَمْسِينَ أَلْفًا وَكَانَتِ الْوَقْعَةُ آخِرَ شَعْبَانَ. ثُمَّ سَارَ الْجَنَّابِيُّ إِلَى هَجَرَ بَعْدَ الْوَقْعَةِ، فَدَخَلَهَا وَأَمَّنَ أَهْلَهَا، وَانْصَرَفَ مَنْ سَلِمَ مِنَ الْمُنْهَزِمِينَ، وَهُمْ قَلِيلٌ نَحْوَ الْبَصْرَةِ بِغَيْرِ زَادٍ، فَخَرَجَ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ نَحْوُ أَرْبَعِمِائَةِ رَجُلٍ عَلَى الرَّوَاحِلِ، وَمَعَهُمُ الطَّعَامُ، وَالْكِسْوَةُ وَالْمَاءُ، فَلَقُوا بِهَا الْمُنْهَزِمِينَ، فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِمْ بَنُو أَسَدٍ، وَأَخَذُوا الرَّوَاحِلَ وَمَا عَلَيْهَا، وَقَتَلُوا مَنْ سَلِمَ مِنَ الْمَعْرَكَةِ، فَاضْطَرَبَتِ الْبَصْرَةُ لِذَلِكَ، وَعَزَمَ أَهْلُهَا عَلَى الِانْتِقَالِ مِنْهَا، فَمَنَعَهُمُ الْوَاثِقِيُّ. وَبَقِيَ الْعَبَّاسُ عِنْدَ الْجَنَّابِيِّ أَيَّامًا ثُمَّ أَطْلَقَهُ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: امْضِ إِلَى صَاحِبِكَ، وَعَرِّفْهُ مَا رَأَيْتَ، وَحَمَلَهُ عَلَى رَوَاحِلَ، فَوَصَلَ إِلَى بَعْضِ السَّوَاحِلِ وَرَكِبَ الْبَحْرَ فَوَافَى الْأُبُلَّةَ، ثُمَّ سَارَ مِنْهَا إِلَى بَغْدَاذَ فَوَصَلَهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى الْمُعْتَضِدِ فَخَلَعَ عَلَيْهِ. بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ عُبَيْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ طَاهِرٍ قَالَ: عَجَائِبُ الدُّنْيَا ثَلَاثٌ: جَيْشُ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو يُؤْسَرُ وَحْدَهُ، وَيَنْجُو وَحْدَهُ، وَيُقْتَلُ جَمِيعُ جَيْشِهِ ; وَجَيْشُ عَمْرِو بْنِ الصَّفَّارِ ( يُؤْسَرُ وَحْدَهُ، وَيَسْلَمُ ) جَمِيعُ جَيْشِهِ ; وَأَنَا أَنْزِلُ فِي بَيْتِي، وَتَوَلِّي ابْنِي أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْجِسْرَيْنِ بِبَغْدَاذَ. وَلَمَّا أَطْلَقَ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الْعَبَّاسَ أَعْطَاهُ دَرَجًا مُلْصَقًا وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَوْصِلْهُ إِلَى الْمُعْتَضِدِ فَإِنَّ لِي فِيهِ أَسْرَارًا. فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ الْعَبَّاسُ عَلَى الْمُعْتَضِدِ ( عَاتَبَهُ الْمُعْتَضِدُ ) فَأَوْصَلَ إِلَيْهِ الْعَبَّاسُ الْكِتَابَ، فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَيْسَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، وَإِنَّمَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُعْلِمَنِي أَنِّي أَنْفَذْتُكَ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْعَدَدِ الْكَثِيرِ، فَرَدَّكَ فَرْدًا ; وَفَتَحَ الْكِتَابَ وَإِذَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ. وَفِيهَا، فِي ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ أَوْقَعَ بَدْرٌ غُلَامُ الطَّائِيِّ الْقَرَامِطَةَ، عَلَى غِرَّةٍ مِنْهُمْ، بِنَوَاحِي مَيْسَانَ، وَغَيْرِهَا، وَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ مَقْتَلَةً، ثُمَّ تَرَكَهُمْ خَوْفًا أَنْ تُخَرَّبَ السَّوَادُ، وَكَانُوا فَلَّاحِيَّةً، وَطَلَبَ رُؤَسَاءَهُمْ فَقَتَلَ مَنْ ظَفِرَ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ.
Translation
✧ The affair of the Qarāmiṭa, and the rout of al-ʿAbbās al-Ghanawī from them In the year 287 AH, in Rabīʿ al-Ākhir, the affair of the Qarāmiṭa in al-Baḥrayn became grave. They raided the districts of Hajar, and some of them approached the districts of al-Baṣra. Aḥmad al-Wāthiqī wrote requesting reinforcements, so sumayriyyāt boats were sent to him containing three hundred men. Al-Muʿtaḍid ordered the selection of a man to send to al-Baṣra. He dismissed al-ʿAbbās b. ʿAmr al-Ghanawī from the lands of Fārs, granted him al-Yamāma and al-Baḥrayn as fiefs, and ordered him to fight the Qarāmiṭa, attaching to him about two thousand men. He marched to al-Baṣra, and a large gathering of volunteers, troops, and servants joined him. Then he marched from there against Abū Saʿīd al-Jannābī. They met him in the evening and engaged in skirmishing, and night separated them. When night fell, those with al-ʿAbbās from the Bedouin of Banū Ḍabba, who numbered three hundred, departed for al-Baṣra, followed by the volunteers of al-Baṣra. When morning came, al-ʿAbbās began the battle early, and they fought a fierce fight. Then Najāḥ, the slave of Aḥmad b. ʿĪsā b. al-Shaykh, charged from al-ʿAbbās's left wing with one hundred men against Abū Saʿīd's right wing, and they penetrated into them and were all killed to the last man. Al-Jannābī and those with him charged against al-ʿAbbās's men, and they were routed. Al-ʿAbbās was taken prisoner, and al-Jannābī seized what was in his camp. On the morrow, al-Jannābī brought out the prisoners and killed them all and burned them. This is most astonishing and is the reverse of the incident of ʿAmr b. al-Layth, for he was captured alone from among his companions while they were fifty thousand. The battle took place at the end of Shaʿbān. Then al-Jannābī marched to Hajar after the battle and entered it, granting safety to its people. Those of the routed who survived, and they were few, turned toward al-Baṣra without provisions. About four hundred men went out from al-Baṣra on riding camels, carrying food, clothing, and water, and they met the routed men there. Then Banū Asad fell upon them, seized the riding camels and what was on them, and killed those who had survived the battle. Al-Baṣra was thrown into turmoil at that, and its people resolved to move away from it, but al-Wāthiqī prevented them. Al-ʿAbbās remained with al-Jannābī for some days, then he released him and said to him: "Go to your master and tell him what you have seen." He mounted him on riding camels, and he reached one of the coasts, boarded a ship, and arrived at al-Ubulla. Then he marched from there to Baghdādh and reached it in Ramaḍān. He entered upon al-Muʿtaḍid, who bestowed a robe of honor upon him. It has reached me that ʿUbayd Allāh b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Ṭāhir said: "The wonders of the world are three: the army of al-ʿAbbās b. ʿAmr—he alone was captured, he alone escaped, and all his army was killed; the army of ʿAmr b. al-Ṣaffār—he alone was captured, and all his army was safe; and I staying in my house while my son Abū al-ʿAbbās is governor of the two bridges in Baghdādh." When Abū Saʿīd released al-ʿAbbās, he gave him a sealed scroll and said to him: "Deliver it to al-Muʿtaḍid, for I have secrets in it." When al-ʿAbbās entered upon al-Muʿtaḍid, al-Muʿtaḍid reproached him. Al-ʿAbbās delivered the letter to him, and he said: "By God, there is nothing in it. He only wanted to let me know that I sent you to him with a great number, and he sent you back alone." He opened the letter, and indeed there was nothing in it. In this year, in Dhū al-Qaʿda, Badr, the slave of al-Ṭāʾī, fell upon the Qarāmiṭa by surprise in the districts of Maysān and elsewhere, and inflicted a great slaughter upon them. Then he left them for fear that the Sawād would be ruined, as they were peasants. He sought their leaders and killed those of them whom he captured.
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