Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3661
The death of Isma'il b. Ahmad al-Samani and the succession of his son Ahmad
وَفَاةِ الْمُكْتَفِي فِي سَنَةُ خَمْسٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ فِي ذِي الْقِعْدَةِ تُوُفِّيَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُكْتَفِي بِاللَّهِ ( أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمُعْتَضِدِ بِاللَّهِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْمُوَفَّقِ بْنِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ ) وَهَذِهِ تَرْجَمَتُهُ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَلِيٌّ ابْنُ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُعْتَضِدِ بِاللَّهِ أَبِي الْعَبَّاسِ أَحْمَدَ ابْنِ الْأَمِيرِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ الْمُوَفَّقِ بْنِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَصِمِ بْنِ الرَّشِيدِ هَارُونَ بْنِ الْمَهْدِيِّ بْنِ الْمَنْصُورِ - رَحِمَهُمُ اللَّهُ - وَأُمُّهُ أُمُّ وَلَدٍ تُرْكِيَّةٌ، اسْمُهَا جِيجَكْ وَبُويِعَ لَهُ بِالْخِلَافَةِ بَعْدَ أَبِيهِ - فِي حَيَاتِهِ - فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ لِإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ بَقِيَتْ مِنْ رَبِيعٍ الْآخَرِ سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَعُمُرُهُ نَحْوٌ مِنْ خَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً وَكَانَ رَبْعَةً مِنَ الرِّجَالِ جَمِيلًا رَقِيقَ اللَّوْنِ حَسَنَ الشِّعْرِ وَافِرَ اللِّحْيَةِ عَرِيضَهَا. وَكَانَ نَقْشُ خَاتَمِهِ: عَلَيٌّ مُتَوَكِّلٌ عَلَى رَبِّهِ وَكَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْوَلَدِ مُحَمَّدٌ وَجَعْفَرٌ وَعَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ وَمُوسَى وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَهَارُونُ وَالْفَضْلُ وَعِيسَى وَالْعَبَّاسُ وَعَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ. وَفِي أَيَّامِهِ فُتِحَتْ أَنْطَاكِيَةُ وَاسْتُنْقِذَتْ مِنْ أَيْدِي الرُّومِ وَكَانَ فِيهَا مِنْ أُسَارَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَشَرٌ كَثِيرٌ وَجَمٌّ غَفِيرٌ، وَأَخَذَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْ غَنَائِمِهِمْ شَيْئًا كَثِيرًا جِدًّا كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ، وَلَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ سَأَلَ عَنْ أَخِيهِ أَبِي الْفَضْلِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَضِدِ فَصَحَّ عِنْدَهُ أَنَّهُ بَالِغٌ فَأَحْضَرَهُ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ لِإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ لَيْلَةً خَلَتْ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، وَأَحْضَرَ الْقُضَاةَ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِأَنَّهُ قَدْ جَعَلَ الْخِلَافَةَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، وَلَقَّبَهُ بِالْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ. وَتُوُفِّيَ الْمُكْتَفِي بِاللَّهِ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ. وَقِيلَ: فِي آخِرِ يَوْمِ السَّبْتِ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ. وَقِيلَ: بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ لَيْلَةَ الْأَحَدِ لِاثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ خَلَتْ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ وَدُفِنَ فِي دَارِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ طَاهِرٍ عَنْ ثِنْتَيْنِ، وَقِيلَ: عَنْ ثَلَاثٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً. وَكَانَتْ خِلَافَتُهُ سِتَّ سِنِينَ وَسِتَّةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَتِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا. وَكَانَ مَرَضُهُ بِدَاءِ الْخَنَازِيرِ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ. وَلَمَّا احْتُضِرَ قَالَ لَهُ وَزِيرُهُ: ادْعُ بِأَلْفِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ فَفَرِّقْهَا فِي أُمَّهَاتِ أَوْلَادِكَ فَإِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَجْعَلُونَكَ مِنْهَا فِي حِلٍّ لِمَا وَفَّرْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ، فَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ لَا فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ حَسْبِي مَا احْتَقَبْتُ وَلِي عِنْدَ صَافِي وَالدَّايَةِ سِتُّمِائَةِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ جَمَعْتُهَا مُنْذُ كُنْتُ صَبِيًّا تُفَرِّقُ عَلَيْهِنَّ، فَإِنَّهَا تَكْفِيهِنَّ. قَالَ الصُّولِيُّ: (سَمِعْتُ الْمُكْتَفِيَ يَقُولُ فِي عِلَّتِهِ: وَاللَّهِ مَا آسَى إِلَّا عَلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ صَرَفْتُهَا مِنْ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي أَبْنِيَةٍ مَا احْتَجْتُ إِلَيْهَا، وَكُنْتُ مُسْتَغْنِيًا عَنْهَا، أَخَافُ أَنْ أُسْأَلَ عَنْهَا، وَإِنِّي أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ مِنْهَا ).
Translation
✧ The death of al-Muktafī In the year two hundred and ninety-five, in Dhū al-Qaʿdah, the Commander of the Faithful al-Muktafī bi-llāh (Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī b. al-Muʿtaḍid bi-llāh Abī al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad b. al-Muwaffaq b. al-Mutawakkil) died. This is his biography. Abū Muḥammad ʿAlī, son of the Commander of the Faithful al-Muʿtaḍid bi-llāh Abī al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad, son of the prince Abū Aḥmad al-Muwaffaq b. al-Mutawakkil b. al-Muʿtaṣim b. al-Rashīd Hārūn b. al-Mahdī b. al-Manṣūr—may God have mercy on them—his mother was a Turkish umm walad named Jījak. He was given the oath of allegiance to the caliphate after his father—during his lifetime—on Friday, eleven nights remaining of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir in the year two hundred and eighty-nine, when he was about twenty-five years old. He was of medium height among men, handsome, fair-complexioned, with fine hair, a full and wide beard. The inscription on his seal was: ʿAlī puts his trust in his Lord. He had children: Muḥammad, Jaʿfar, ʿAbd al-Ṣamad, Mūsā, ʿAbd Allāh, Hārūn, al-Faḍl, ʿĪsā, al-ʿAbbās, and ʿAbd al-Malik. During his days Antioch was conquered and recovered from the hands of the Byzantines; it contained a great many and a vast number of Muslim captives, and the Muslims took a very great amount of booty from them, as previously mentioned. When death came to him, he asked about his brother Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar b. al-Muʿtaḍid, and it was confirmed to him that he was of age, so he brought him on Friday, eleven nights having passed of Dhū al-Qaʿdah of this year, and he brought the judges and made them witness against himself that he had made the caliphate to him after him, and he gave him the title al-Muqtadir bi-llāh. Al-Muktafī bi-llāh died three days later, may God have mercy on him. It is said: at the end of Saturday, between noon and afternoon. It is said: after sunset on the night of Sunday, twelve nights having passed of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, and he was buried in the house of Muḥammad b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Ṭāhir at the age of thirty-two, or it is said thirty-three. His caliphate lasted six years, six months, and nineteen days. His illness was scrofula, may God have mercy on him. When he was dying, his vizier said to him: Call for a million dinars and distribute them among the mothers of your children, for the Muslims will absolve you of what you have saved from their wealth. He said: By God, I will not do that; what I have amassed is enough for me. I have six hundred thousand dinars with Ṣāfī and the nurse, which I have collected since I was a boy; distribute it among them, for it will suffice them. Al-Ṣūlī said: I heard al-Muktafī say during his illness: By God, I regret nothing except seven hundred thousand dinars which I spent from the wealth of the Muslims on buildings I did not need and could have done without. I fear that I will be asked about it, and I seek God's forgiveness for it.
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