Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3627
The killing of Abu Thabit, amir of Tarsus, and the appointment of b. al-A'rabi
وِلَايَةِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ صِقِلِّيَةَ كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ابْنُ الْأَمِيرِ أَحْمَدَ أَمِيرِ إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ قَدِ اسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَى صِقِلِّيَةَ أَبَا مَالِكٍ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، فَاسْتَضْعَفَهُ، فَوَلَّى بَعْدَهُ ابْنَهُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْأَغْلَبِ، فَوَصَلَ إِلَيْهَا غُرَّةَ شَعْبَانَ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ فِي مِائَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ مَرْكَبًا، وَأَرْبَعِينَ حَرْبِيٍّ، وَحَصَرَ طَرَابُلُسَ. وَاتَّصَلَ خَبَرُهُ بِعَسْكَرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِمَدِينَةِ بَلَرْمَ [ وَهُمْ ] يُقَاتِلُونَ أَهْلَ جَرْجَنْتَ، فَعَادُوا إِلَى بَلَرْمَ، وَأَرْسَلُوا جَمَاعَةً مِنْ شُيُوخِهِمْ إِلَيْهِ بِطَاعَتِهِمْ، وَاعْتَذَرُوا مِنْ قَصْدِهِمْ جَرْجَنْتَ، وَوَصَلَ إِلَيْهِ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ جَرْجَنْتَ، وَشَكَوْا مِنْهُمْ وَأَخْبَرُوهُ أَنَّهُمْ مُخَالِفُونَ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَنَّهُمْ إِنَّمَا سَيَّرُوا مَشَايِخَهُمْ خَدِيعَةً وَمَكْرًا، وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا أَيْمَانَ لَهُمْ وَلَا عَهْدَ ; وَإِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ مِصْدَاقَ هَذَا فَاطْلُبْ إِلَيْكَ مِنْهُمْ فُلَانًا وَفُلَانًا. فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِمْ يَطْلُبُهُمْ فَامْتَنَعُوا عَنِ الْحُضُورِ عِنْدَهُ، وَخَالَفُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَأَظْهَرُوا ذَلِكَ، فَاعْتَقَلَ الشُّيُوخَ الْوَاصِلِينَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْهُمْ، وَاجْتَمَعَ أَهْلُ بَلَرْمَ وَسَارُوا إِلَيْهِ مُنْتَصَفَ شَعْبَانَ، وَمُقَدَّمُهُمْ مَسْعُودٌ الْبَاجِيُّ، وَأَمِيرُ السُّفَهَاءِ مِنْهُمْ رَكْمَوَيْهِ، وَصَحِبَهُمْ ثَمَّ أُسْطُولٌ فِي الْبَحْرِ نَحْوُ ثَلَاثِينَ قِطْعَةً، فَهَاجَ الْبَحْرُ عَلَى الْأُسْطُولِ، فَعَطِبَ أَكْثَرُهُ، وَعَادَ الْبَاقِي إِلَى بَلَرْمَ. وَأَمَّا الْعَسْكَرُ الَّذِينَ فِي الْبَرِّ فَإِنَّهُمْ وَصَلُوا إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ عَلَى طَرَابُلُسَ، فَاقْتَتَلُوا أَشَدَّ الْقِتَالِ، فَقُتِلَ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ جَمَاعَةٌ وَافْتَرَقُوا، ثُمَّ عَاوَدُوا الْقِتَالَ فِي الثَّانِي وَالْعِشْرِينَ، فَانْهَزَمَ أَهْلُ بَلَرْمَ وَقْتَ الْعَصْرِ، وَتَبِعَهُمْ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ إِلَى بَلَرْمَ بَرًّا وَبَحْرًا فَعَاوَدُوا قِتَالَهُ عَاشِرَ رَمَضَانَ مِنْ بُكْرَةٍ إِلَى الْعَصْرِ، فَانْهَزَمَ أَهْلُ الْبَلَدِ، وَوَقَعَ الْقَتْلُ فِيهِمْ إِلَى الْمَغْرِبِ، وَاسْتُعْمِلَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ عَلَى أَرْبَاضِهَا، وَنُهِبَتِ الْأَمْوَالُ، وَهَرَبَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ إِلَى طَبَرْمِينَ، وَهَرَبَ رَكْمَوَيْهِ وَأَمْثَالُهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ الْحَرْبِ إِلَى بِلَادِ النَّصْرَانِيَّةِ، كَالْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةِ وَغَيْرِهَا، وَمَلَكَ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْمَدِينَةَ، وَدَخَلَهَا، وَأَمَّنَ أَهْلَهَا، وَأَخَذَ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ وُجُوهِ أَهْلِهَا فَوَجَّهَهُمْ إِلَى أَبِيهِ بِإِفْرِيقِيَّةَ. ثُمَّ رَحَلَ إِلَى طَبَرْمِينَ، فَقَطَعَ كُرُومَهَا، وَقَاتَلَهُمْ، ثُمَّ رَحَلَ إِلَى قَطَانِيَةَ فَحَصَرَهَا، فَلَمْ يَنَلْ مِنْهَا غَرَضًّا، فَرَجَعَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَقَامَ إِلَى أَنْ دَخَلَتْ سَنَةُ ثَمَانٍ وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ فَتَجَهَّزَ لِلْغَزْوِ، وَطَابَ الزَّمَانُ، وَعَمَّرَ الْأُسْطُولَ وَسَيَّرَهُ أَوَّلَ رَبِيعٍ الْآخِرِ وَنَزَلَ عَلَى دَمَنْشَ، وَنَصَبَ عَلَيْهَا الْمَجَانِيقَ، وَأَقَامَ أَيَّامًا. ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَسِّينِي، وَجَازَ فِي الْحَرْبِيَّةِ إِلَى رِيُّو، وَقَدِ اجْتَمَعَ بِهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الرُّومِ، فَقَاتَلَهُمْ عَلَى بَابِ الْمَدِينَةِ، وَهَزَمَهُمْ، ( وَمَلَكَ الْمَدِينَةَ ) بِالسَّيْفِ فِي رَجَبٍ، وَغَنِمَ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ مَا لَا يُحَدُّ، وَشَحَنَ الْمَرَاكِبَ بِالدَّقِيقِ، وَالْأَمْتِعَةِ، وَرَجَعَ إِلَى مَسِّينِي وَهَدَمَ سُورَهَا، وَوَجَدَ بِهَا مَرَاكِبَ قَدْ وَصَلَتْ مِنَ الْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةِ، فَأَخَذَ مِنْهَا ثَلَاثِينَ مَرْكَبًا وَرَجَعَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَقَامَ إِلَى سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ وَثَمَانِينَ [ وَمِائَتَيْنِ ]، فَأَتَاهُ كِتَابُ أَبِيهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ يَأْمُرُهُ بِالْعَوْدِ إِلَى إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ، فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهَا جَرِيدَةً فِي خَمْسِ قِطَعٍ شَوَانِي، وَتَرَكَ الْعَسْكَرَ مَعَ وَلَدَيْهِ أَبِي مُضَرَ، وَأَبِي مَعَدٍّ. فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ إِلَى إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ أَبُوهُ بِهَا، وَسَارَ هُوَ إِلَى صِقِلِّيَةَ مُجَاهِدًا، عَازِمًا عَلَى الْحَجِّ بَعْدَ الْجِهَادِ، فَوَصَلَهَا فِي رَجَبٍ سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ.
Translation
✧ The governorship of Abu al-ʿAbbās over Sicily Ibrāhīm, son of the amīr Aḥmad, amīr of Ifrīqiya, had appointed over Sicily Abū Mālik Aḥmad b. ʿUmar b. ʿAbd Allāh, but he found him weak, so he appointed after him his son Abū al-ʿAbbās b. Ibrāhīm b. Aḥmad b. al-Aghlab. He arrived there at the beginning of Shaʿbān of this year with one hundred and twenty transport vessels and forty warships, and laid siege to Ṭarābulus. His news reached the Muslim army at the city of Balarm, while they were fighting the people of Jarjant, so they returned to Balarm and sent a group of their elders to him offering their obedience and apologizing for their campaign against Jarjant. A group from the people of Jarjant came to him and complained about them, telling him that they were in opposition to him, and that they had only sent their elders as a trick and a deception, and that they had neither oaths nor covenants; and if you wish to know the truth of this, demand from them so-and-so and so-and-so. He sent to them demanding those men, but they refused to appear before him and rebelled against him, making that public. So he detained the elders who had come to him from them. The people of Balarm assembled and marched against him in the middle of Shaʿbān, their commander being Masʿūd al-Bājī, and the leader of their rabble Rakmawayh, accompanied by a fleet at sea of about thirty vessels. The sea became stormy against the fleet, and most of it was wrecked; the remainder returned to Balarm. As for the army on land, they reached him while he was besieging Ṭarābulus, and they fought a fierce battle. A number from both sides were killed and they separated. Then they returned to battle on the twenty-second, and the people of Balarm were defeated at the time of ʿaṣr. Abū al-ʿAbbās pursued them to Balarm by land and sea, and they fought him again on the tenth of Ramaḍān from early morning until ʿaṣr. The people of the city were defeated, and killing fell upon them until sunset. Abū al-ʿAbbās was appointed over its suburbs, properties were plundered, and many men and women fled to Ṭabarmīn. Rakmawayh and the like of him among the warriors fled to the lands of the Christians, such as Constantinople and elsewhere. Abū al-ʿAbbās took possession of the city, entered it, granted safety to its people, and seized a group of its notables and sent them to his father in Ifrīqiya. Then he departed to Ṭabarmīn and cut down its vineyards and fought them. Then he departed to Qaṭāniya and besieged it, but he achieved no goal there. He returned to the city and stayed until the year two hundred and eighty-eight began. He prepared for a raid, the season was favorable, he fitted out the fleet and dispatched it at the beginning of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir. He landed at Damanash, set up mangonels against it, and stayed for some days. Then he departed to Massīnī and crossed with the warships to Riyyū, where many Romans had gathered. He fought them at the gate of the city and defeated them, and took the city by the sword in Rajab. He gained from gold and silver an incalculable amount, loaded the ships with flour and goods, and returned to Massīnī and demolished its wall. He found there ships that had arrived from Constantinople and took thirty ships from them. He returned to the city and stayed until the year two hundred and eighty-nine, when a letter came from his father Ibrāhīm ordering him to return to Ifrīqiya. He returned there with a small detachment in five galleys, leaving the army with his two sons Abū Muḍar and Abū Maʿadd. When he reached Ifrīqiya, his father appointed him as his deputy there, and he himself marched to Sicily as a warrior, resolved to perform the pilgrimage after the jihād. He arrived there in Rajab of the year two hundred and eighty-seven.
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