Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3689
The dismissal of al-Khaqani from the vizierate and the vizierate of 'Ali b. 'Isa
طَاعَةِ أَهْلِ صِقِلِّيَةَ لِلْمُقْتَدِرِ وَعَوْدِهِمْ إِلَى طَاعَةِ الْمَهْدِيِّ الْعَلَوِيِّ قَدْ ذَكَرْنَا سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ اسْتِعْمَالَ الْمَهْدِيِّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ عُمَرَ عَلَى صِقِلِّيَةَ، فَلَمَّا وَلِيَهَا كَانَ شَيْخًا لَيِّنًا، فَلَمْ يَرْضَ أَهْلُ صِقِلِّيَةَ بِسِيرَتِهِ، فَعَزَلُوهُ عَنْهُمْ، وَوَلَّوْا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَحْمَدَ بْنَ قَرْهَبَ، فَلَمَّا وَلِيَ سَيَّرَ سَرِيَّةً إِلَى أَرْضِ قِلُّورِيَةَ، فَغَنِمُوا مِنْهَا، وَأَسَرُوا مِنَ الرُّومِ وَعَادُوا. وَأَرْسَلَ سَنَةَ ثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ ابْنَهُ عَلِيًّا إِلَى قَلْعَةِ طَبَرْمِينَ الْمُحْدَثَةِ فِي جَيْشٍ، وَأَمَرَهُ بِحَصْرِهَا، وَكَانَ غَرَضُهُ إِذَا مَلَكَهَا أَنْ يَجْعَلَ بِهَا وَلَدَهُ وَأَمْوَالَهُ وَعَبِيدَهُ، فَإِذَا رَأَى مِنْ أَهْلِ صِقِلِّيَةَ مَا يَكْرَهُ امْتَنَعَ بِهَا، فَحَصَرَهَا ( ابْنُهُ سِتَّةَ ) أَشْهُرٍ، ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفَ الْعَسْكَرُ عَلَيْهِ، وَكَرِهُوا الْمُقَامَ، فَأَحْرَقُوا خَيْمَتَهُ، وَسَوَادَ الْعَسْكَرِ، وَأَرَادُوا قَتْلَهُ، فَمَنَعَهُمُ الْعَرَبُ. وَدَعَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ قَرْهَبَ النَّاسَ إِلَى طَاعَةِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، فَأَجَابُوهُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، فَخَطَبَ لَهُ بِصِقِلِّيَةَ، وَقَطَعَ خُطْبَةَ الْمَهْدِيِّ، وَأَخْرَجَ ابْنُ قَرْهَبَ جَيْشًا فِي الْبَحْرِ إِلَى سَاحِلِ إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ، فَلَقُوا هُنَاكَ أُسْطُولَ الْمَهْدِيِّ وَمُقَدَّمَهُ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ أَبِي خِنْزِيرٍ، فَأَحْرَقُوا الْأُسْطُولَ، وَقَتَلُوا الْحَسَنَ، وَحَمَلُوا رَأْسَهُ إِلَى ابْنِ قَرْهَبَ، وَسَارَ الْأُسْطُولُ الصِّقِلِّيُّ إِلَى مَدِينَةِ سَفَاقُسَ، فَخَرَّبُوهَا، وَسَارُوا إِلَى طَرَابُلُسَ، فَوَجَدُوا فِيهَا الْقَائِمَ بْنَ الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَعَادُوا. وَوَصَلَتِ الْخِلَعُ السُّودُ وَالْأَلْوِيَةُ إِلَى ابْنِ قَرْهَبَ مِنَ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، ثُمَّ أَخْرَجَ مَرَاكِبَ فِيهَا جَيْشٌ إِلَى قِلُّورِيَةَ، فَغَنِمَ جَيْشُهُ، وَخَرَّبُوا وَعَادُوا، وَسَيَّرَ أَيْضًا أُسْطُولًا إِلَى إِفْرِيقِيَّةَ، فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ أُسْطُولُ الْمَهْدِيِّ، فَظَفِرُوا بِالَّذِي لِابْنِ قَرْهَبَ وَأَخَذُوهُ، وَلَمْ يَسْتَقِمْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لِابْنِ قَرْهَبَ حَالٌ، وَأَدْبَرَ أَمْرُهُ، وَطَمِعَ فِيهِ النَّاسُ، وَكَانُوا يَخَافُونَهُ. وَخَافَ مِنْهُ أَهْلُ جَرْجَنْتَ، وَعَصَوْا أَمْرَهُ، وَكَاتَبُوا الْمَهْدِيَّ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ أَهْلُ الْبِلَادِ كَاتَبُوا الْمَهْدِيَّ أَيْضًا، وَكَرِهُوا الْفِتْنَةَ، وَثَارُوا بِابْنِ قَرْهَبَ، وَأَخَذُوهُ أَسِيرًا سَنَةَ ثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ وَحَبَسُوهُ، وَأَرْسَلُوهُ إِلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ مَعَ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنْ خَاصَّتِهِ، فَأَمَرَ بِقَتْلِهِمْ عَلَى قَبْرِ ابْنِ خِنْزِيرٍ، فَقُتِلُوا، وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَى صِقِلِّيَةَ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ مُوسَى بْنَ أَحْمَدَ، وَسَيَّرَ مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةً كَثِيرَةً مِنْ شُيُوخِ كُتَامَةَ، فَوَصَلُوا إِلَى طَرَابُنُشَ. وَسَبَبُ إِرْسَالِ الْعَسْكَرِ مَعَهُ أَنَّ ابْنَ قَرْهَبَ كَانَ قَدْ كَتَبَ إِلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ يَقُولُ لَهُ: إِنَّ أَهْلَ صِقِلِّيَةَ يُكْثِرُونَ الشَّغَبَ عَلَى أُمَرَائِهِمْ، وَلَا يُطِيعُونَهُمْ، وَيَنْهَبُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ، وَلَا يَزُولُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِعَسْكَرٍ يَقْهَرُهُمْ وَيُزِيلُ الرِّئَاسَةَ عَنْ رُؤَسَائِهِمْ، فَفَعَلَ الْمَهْدِيُّ ذَلِكَ، فَلَمَّا وَصَلَ مَعَهُ الْعَسْكَرُ خَافَ مِنْهُ أَهْلُ صِقِلِّيَةَ، فَاجْتَمَعَ عَلَيْهِ أَهْلُ جَرْجَنْتَ وَأَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ وَغَيْرُهَا، فَتَحَصَّنَ مِنْهُمْ أَبُو سَعِيدٍ وَعَمِلَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ سُورًا إِلَى الْبَحْرِ، وَصَارَ الْمَرْسَى مَعَهُ فَاقْتَتَلُوا، فَانْهَزَمَ أَهْلُ صِقِلِّيَةَ، وَقُتِلَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ رُؤَسَائِهِمْ، ( وَأُسِرَ جَمَاعَةٌ ) وَطَلَبَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ الْأَمَانَ، فَأَمَّنَهُمْ إِلَّا رَجُلَيْنِ هُمَا أَثَارَا الْفِتْنَةَ، فَرَضُوا بِذَلِكَ وَتَسَلَّمَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ، وَسَيَّرَهُمَا إِلَى الْمَهْدِيِّ بِإِفْرِيقِيَّةَ، وَتَسَلَّمَ الْمَدِينَةَ، وَهَدَمَ أَبْوَابَهَا، وَأَتَاهُ كِتَابُ الْمَهْدِيِّ يَأْمُرُهُ بِالْعَفْوِ عَنِ الْعَامَّةِ.
Translation
✧ The obedience of the people of Sicily to al-Muqtadir and their return to the obedience of al-Mahdī the ʿAlid We have mentioned in the year 297 the appointment of al-Mahdī of ʿAlī b. ʿUmar over Sicily. When he took charge of it, he was an elderly, mild man, so the people of Sicily were not satisfied with his conduct, and they removed him from over themselves and appointed over themselves Aḥmad b. Qarhab. When he took charge, he sent a raiding party to the land of Calabria, and they seized booty from it, took captives from the Byzantines, and returned. In the year 300 he sent his son ʿAlī to the newly built fortress of Taormina with an army, and ordered him to besiege it. His aim was, if he took possession of it, to place in it his son, his wealth, and his slaves, so that if he saw from the people of Sicily what he disliked, he might hold out in it. His son besieged it for six months, then the army turned against him and disliked remaining, so they burned his tent and the army’s baggage, and they wanted to kill him, but the Arabs prevented them. Aḥmad b. Qarhab summoned the people to obedience to al-Muqtadir, and they answered him to that effect, so he had the khuṭbah proclaimed for him in Sicily and cut off the khuṭbah of al-Mahdī. Ibn Qarhab sent out an army by sea to the coast of Ifrīqiya, and there they met the fleet of al-Mahdī, whose commander was al-Ḥasan b. Abī Khinzīr. They burned the fleet, killed al-Ḥasan, and carried his head to Ibn Qarhab. The Sicilian fleet proceeded to the city of Sfax, and they destroyed it, then they proceeded to Tripoli and found in it al-Qāʾim b. al-Mahdī, so they returned. The black robes of honor and banners reached Ibn Qarhab from al-Muqtadir. Then he sent out ships with an army to Calabria, and his army took booty, destroyed, and returned. He also sent a fleet to Ifrīqiya, and the fleet of al-Mahdī went out against it, and they prevailed over the one belonging to Ibn Qarhab and captured it. After that, Ibn Qarhab’s situation did not remain stable, his affairs declined, and people coveted him after having feared him. The people of Agrigento feared him, disobeyed his command, and corresponded with al-Mahdī. When the people of the other towns saw that, they corresponded with al-Mahdī as well, disliked the strife, rose up against Ibn Qarhab, seized him as a prisoner in the year 300, imprisoned him, and sent him to al-Mahdī together with a group of his close associates. He ordered them to be executed at the grave of Ibn Khinzīr, and they were executed. He appointed over Sicily Abū Saʿīd Mūsā b. Aḥmad and sent with him a large group of the elders of Kutāma, and they reached Trapani. The reason for sending the army with him was that Ibn Qarhab had written to al-Mahdī, saying to him: “The people of Sicily are constantly rebellious against their commanders, do not obey them, and plunder their wealth. This will not cease except with an army that subdues them and removes the leadership from their chiefs.” So al-Mahdī did that. When the army arrived with him, the people of Sicily feared him, and the people of Agrigento, the people of the city, and others gathered against him. Abū Saʿīd fortified himself against them and built for himself a wall extending to the sea, and the anchorage came to be with him. They fought, and the people of Sicily were defeated, and a group of their chiefs were killed, and a group were taken captive. The people of the city sought amnesty, and he granted them amnesty except for two men who had stirred up the strife. They agreed to that, and he received the two men and sent them to al-Mahdī in Ifrīqiya. He took possession of the city and demolished its gates. Then a letter from al-Mahdī came to him commanding him to pardon the common people.
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