Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3725
The Year 307 AH
أَمْرِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ سَهْلٍ فِي سَنَةُ سَبْعٍ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ ظَفِرَ الْأَمِيرُ نَصْرُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ صَاحِبُ خُرَاسَانَ ( وَمَا وَرَاءَ النَّهْرِ ) بِأَحْمَدَ بْنِ سَهْلٍ، وَنَحْنُ نَذْكُرُ حَالَهُ مِنْ أَوَّلِهِ. كَانَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ هَذَا مِنْ كِبَارِ قُوَّادِ الْأَمِيرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ، وَوَلَدِهِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، وَوَلَدِهِ نَصْرِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ، وَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ تَقَدُّمِهِ عَلَى الْجُيُوشِ فِي الْحُرُوبِ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى عُلُوِّ مَنْزِلَتِهِ. وَهُوَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَهْلِ بْنِ هَاشِمِ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ ( بْنِ جَبَلَةَ ) بْنِ كَامْكَارَ بْنِ يَزْدَجِرْدَ بْنِ شَهْرَيَارَ الْمَلِكِ، وَكَانَ كَامْكَارُ دِهْقَانًا بِنُوَاحِي مَرْوَ، وَإِلَيْهِ يُنْسَبُ الْوَرْدُ الْكَامْكَارِيُّ، وَهُوَ الشَّدِيدُ الْحُمْرَةِ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُسَمَّى بِالرَّيِّ الْقَصْرَانِيَّ، وَبِالْعِرَاقِ وَالْجَزِيرَةِ وَالشَّامِ الْجُورِيَّ، يُنْسَبُ إِلَى قَصْرَانَ، وَهِيَ قَرْيَةٌ بِالرَّيِّ، وَإِلَى مَدِينَةِ جُورَ، وَهِيَ مِنْ مُدُنِ فَارِسَ. وَكَانَ لِأَحْمَدَ إِخْوَةٌ يُقَالُ لَهُمْ مُحَمَّدٌ، وَالْفَضْلُ، وَالْحُسَيْنُ، قُتِلُوا فِي عَصَبِيَّةِ الْعَرَبِ وَالْعَجَمِ بِمَرْوَ، وَكَانَ أَحْمَدُ خَلِيفَةَ عَمْرِو بْنِ اللَّيْثِ عَلَى مَرْوَ، فَقَبَضَ عَلَيْهِ عَمْرٌو، وَنَقَلَهُ إِلَى سِجِسْتَانَ، فَحَبَسَهُ بِهَا، فَرَأَى وَهُوَ فِي السِّجْنِ كَأَنَّ يُوسُفَ النَّبِيَّ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، عَلَى بَابِ السِّجْنِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: ادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُخَلِّصَنِي وَيُوَلِّيَنِي ! فَقَالَ لَهُ: قَدْ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ فِي خَلَاصِكَ، لَكِنَّكَ لَا تَلِي عَمَلًا بِرَأْسِكَ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَحْمَدَ طَلَبَ الْحَمَّامَ فَأُدْخِلُ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَخَذَ النُّورَةَ فَطَلَى بِهَا رَأْسَهُ وَلِحْيَتَهُ فَسَقَطَ شَعْرُهُ، وَخَرَجَ مِنَ الْحَمَّامِ وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْهُ أَحَدٌ، فَاخْتَفَى، فَطَلَبَهُ عَمْرٌو فَلَمْ يَظْفَرْ بِهِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ مِنْ سِجِسْتَانَ نَحْوَ مَرْوَ، فَقَبَضَ عَلَى خَلِيفَةِ عَمْرٍو وَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَيْهَا، وَاسْتَأْمَنَ إِلَى إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بِبُخَارَى، فَأَكْرَمَهُ، وَقَدَّمَهُ، وَرَفَعَ قَدْرَهُ، وَكَانَ عَاقِلًا كَتُومًا لِأَسْرَارِهِ. فَلَمَّا عَصَى الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ سَيَّرَ إِلَيْهِ أَحْمَدَ، فَظَفِرَ بِهِ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، وَضِمِنَ لَهُ الْأَمِيرُ نَصْرٌ أَشْيَاءَ لَمْ يَفِ لَهُ بِهَا، فَاسْتَوْحَشَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَأَتَاهُ يَوْمًا بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ صُعْلُوكٍ، فَحَادَثَهُ، فَأَنْشَدَهُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ حَالَهُ، وَأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَفُوا لَهُ بِمَا وَعَدُوهُ: سَتَقْطَعُ فِي الدُّنْيَا إِذَا مَا قَطَعْتَنِي يَمِينَكَ، فَانْظُرْ أَيَّ كَفَّيْكَ تُبْدِّلُ وَفِي النَّاسِ إِنْ رَثَّتْ حِبَالُكَ وَاصَلٌ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ عَنْ دَارِ الْعُلَى مُتَحَوَّلُ إِذَا أَنْتَ لَمْ تُنْصِفْ أَخَاكَ وَجَدْتَهُ عَلَى طَرَفِ الْهِجْرَانِ إِنْ كَانَ يَعْقِلُ وَتَرْكَبُ حَدَّ السَّيْفِ مِنْ أَنْ تُضِيمَهُ إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَنْ شَفْرَةِ السَّيْفِ مَرْحَلُ إِذَا انْصَرَفَتْ نَفْسِي عَنِ الشَّيْءِ لَمْ تَكَدْ - إِلَيْهِ بِوَجْهٍ، آخِرَ الدَّهْرِ، تُقْبِلُ قَالَ: فَعَلِمْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ أَضْمَرَ الْمُخَالَفَةَ، فَلَمْ تَمْضِ إِلَّا أَيَّامٌ حَتَّى خَالَفَهُ بِنَيْسَابُورَ ( وَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَيْهَا ) وَأَسْقَطَ خُطْبَةَ السَّعِيدِ نَصْرِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ، وَأَنْفَذَ رَسُولًا إِلَى بَغْدَاذَ يَخْطُبُ لَهُ أَعْمَالَ خُرَاسَانَ. وَسَارَ مِنْ نَيْسَابُورَ إِلَى جُرْجَانَ وَبِهَا قُرَاتِكِينُ، فَحَارَبَهُ، وَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَيْهَا، ( وَأَخْرَجَ قُرَائِكِينَ عَنْهَا، ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى خُرَاسَانَ، وَقَصَدَ مَرْوَ فَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَيْهَا )، وَبَنَى عَلَيْهَا سُورًا وَتَحَصَّنَ بِهَا، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ السَّعِيدُ نَصْرٌ الْجُيُوشَ مَعَ حَمُّوَيْهِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ مِنْ بُخَارَى، فَوَافَى مَرْوَ الرُّوذَ، فَأَقَامَ بِنَوَاحِيهَا لِيَخْرُجَ إِلَيْهِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ سَهْلٍ مِنْهَا، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ. وَدَخَلَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ أَحْمَدَ عَلَيْهِ يَوْمًا، وَهُوَ يُفَكِّرُ بَعْدَ نُزُولِ حَمُّوَيْهِ عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ: لَا شَكَّ أَنَّ الْأَمِيرَ مَشْغُولُ الْقَلْبِ لِهَذَا الْخَطْبِ، فَمَا هُوَ رَأْيُ الْأَمِيرِ ؟ فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ بِي مَا تَظُنُّ، وَلَكِنْ ذَكَرْتُ رُؤْيَا رَأَيْتُهَا فِي حَبْسِ سِجِسْتَانَ، وَذَكَرَ قَوْلَ يُوسُفَ الصِّدِّيقِ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: إِنَّكَ لَا تَلِي عَمَلًا بِرَأْسِكَ. قَالَ: فَقُلْتُ لَهُ: إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ يَغْتَنِمُونَ سِلْمَكَ، وَيُعْطُونَكَ مَا تُرِيدُ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ أَنْ يَتَوَسَّطَ الْحَالُ فَعَلْنَا، فَأَنْشَدَ: سَأَغْسِلُ عَنِّي الْعَارَ بِالسَّيْفِ جَالِبًا عَلَيَّ قَضَاءُ اللَّهِ مَا كَانَ جَالِبًا وَلَمَّا رَأَى حَمُّوَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ مَرْوَ عَمِلَ الْحِيلَةَ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ: قَدْ أَدْخَلْتُ ابْنَ سَهْلٍ فِي جُحْرِ فَأْرٍ، وَسَدَدْتُ عَلَيْهِ وُجُوهَ الْفِرَارِ، وَأَشْبَاهَ هَذَا الْكَلَامِ لِيَغْضَبَ أَحْمَدُ فَيَخْرُجَ، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ، فَحِينَئِذٍ أَمَرَ حَمُّوَيْهِ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ ثِقَاتِ قُوَّادِهِ، فَكَاتَبُوا أَحْمَدَ بْنَ سَهْلٍ سِرًّا، وَأَظْهَرُوا لَهُ الْمَيْلَ، وَدَعَوْهُ إِلَى الْخُرُوجِ مِنْ مَرْوَ لِيُسَلِّمُوا إِلَيْهِ حَمُّوَيْهِ، فَأَجَابَهُمْ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، لِمَا فِي نَفْسِهِ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ عَلَى حَمُّوَيْهِ، فَخَرَجَ عَنْ مَرْوَ نَحْوَ حَمُّوَيْهِ، فَالْتَقَوْا عَلَى مَرْحَلَةٍ مِنْ مَرْوِ الرُّوذِ فِي رَجَبٍ سَنَةَ سَبْعٍ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، فَانْهَزَمَ أَصْحَابُ أَحْمَدَ، وَحَارَبَ هُوَ إِلَى أَنْ عَجَزَتْ دَابَّتُهُ، فَنَزَلَ عَنْهَا وَاسْتَأْمَنَ، فَأَخَذُوهُ أَسِيرًا، وَأَنْفَذُوهُ إِلَى بُخَارَى، فَمَاتَ بِهَا فِي الْحَبْسِ فِي ذِي الْحِجَّةِ مِنْ سَنَةِ سَبْعٍ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ. وَكَانَ الْأَمِيرُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ يَقُولُ: لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحْمَدَ بْنِ سَهْلٍ أَنْ يَغِيبَ عَنْ بَابِ السُّلْطَانِ، فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ غَابَ عَنْهُ أَثَارَ شُغْلًا عَظِيمًا، كَأَنَّهُ يَتَوَسَّمُ فِيهِ مَا فَعَلَ، فَهَكَذَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تَكُونَ فِرَاسَةُ الْمَلِكِ.
Translation
✧ The affair of Aḥmad b. Sahl In the year 307 AH, the amīr Naṣr b. Aḥmad, lord of Khurāsān (and what lies beyond the river), seized Aḥmad b. Sahl, and we shall relate his story from its beginning. This Aḥmad b. Sahl was one of the senior commanders of the amīr Ismāʿīl b. Aḥmad, and of his son Aḥmad b. Ismāʿīl, and of his son Naṣr b. Aḥmad. What has preceded in mentioning his leadership of armies in wars indicates his high standing. He was Aḥmad b. Sahl b. Hāshim b. al-Walīd (b. Jabala) b. Kāmkār b. Yazdajird b. Shahryār the king. Kāmkār was a dihqān in the districts of Marw, and to him is attributed the Kāmkārī rose, which is of intense redness, and which in al-Rayy is called al-Qaṣrānī, and in Iraq, the Jazīra, and Syria al-Jūrī, attributed to Qaṣrān, a village near al-Rayy, and to the city of Jūr, one of the cities of Fārs. Aḥmad had brothers, named Muḥammad, al-Faḍl, and al-Ḥusayn; they were killed in the ʿaṣabiyya of Arabs and non-Arabs at Marw. Aḥmad was the deputy of ʿAmr b. al-Layth over Marw; ʿAmr seized him and transferred him to Sijistān, where he imprisoned him. While in prison he saw, as if in a dream, Joseph the prophet, ﷺ, at the prison gate. He said to him: “Pray to God that He deliver me and appoint me!” Joseph replied: “God has granted your deliverance, but you will not hold an office by your own head.” Then Aḥmad asked for the bath and was admitted to it. He took depilatory paste and applied it to his head and beard, so his hair fell out. He left the bath and no one recognized him; he hid. ʿAmr sought him but did not catch him. Then he left Sijistān for Marw, seized ʿAmr's deputy, and took control of it. He sought protection from Ismāʿīl b. Aḥmad at Bukhārā; Ismāʿīl honored him, advanced him, and raised his standing. He was intelligent and kept his secrets. When al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī rebelled, he sent Aḥmad against him, and Aḥmad defeated him as we have mentioned. The amīr Naṣr promised him things that he did not fulfill, so Aḥmad became estranged because of that. One day one of the companions of Abū Jaʿfar Ṣuʿlūk came to him and conversed with him. Aḥmad b. Sahl recited to him, mentioning his condition and that they had not kept their promises to him: “You will sever in this world, when you sever me, your right hand, so consider which of your palms you will replace. Among people, if your ropes are worn, there is one who joins; and in the earth there is a place to move away from the abode of eminence. If you do not treat your brother fairly, you will find him on the edge of separation, if he is sensible. And he will ride the edge of the sword rather than be wronged, if there is no departure from the blade of the sword. If my soul turns away from a thing, it will hardly— —turn to it again, to the end of time.” He said: I realized that he had resolved on rebellion. Only a few days passed before he rebelled at Naysābūr, seized it, removed the khuṭba of the fortunate Naṣr b. Aḥmad, and sent a messenger to Baghdād to request for himself the governorship of Khurāsān. He marched from Naysābūr to Jurjān, where Qarātikīn was. He fought him and seized the city (and expelled Qarātikīn from it). Then he returned to Khurāsān and headed for Marw, which he seized. He built a wall around it and fortified himself there. The fortunate Naṣr sent armies under Ḥammūya b. ʿAlī from Bukhārā. He arrived at Marw al-Rūdh and stayed in its vicinity so that Aḥmad b. Sahl might come out to him, but he did not. One day one of Aḥmad's companions entered upon him while he was thinking after Ḥammūya had encamped against him. He said to his companion: “No doubt the amīr is troubled by this affair. What is the amīr's opinion?” Aḥmad replied: “It is not what you think; rather, I remembered a vision I had in the prison of Sijistān.” He mentioned the words of Joseph the Truthful, ﷺ: “You will not hold an office by your own head.” He said: I said to him: “The people would welcome peace with you, and would give you what you want. If you see fit to settle matters, we will do so.” Then he recited: “I will wash away the shame with the sword, bringing upon me God's decree, whatever was coming.” When Ḥammūya saw that he would not come out to him from Marw, he devised a stratagem. He began to say: “I have put Ibn Sahl into a mouse hole, and closed off the ways of escape,” and similar words, to anger Aḥmad so that he would come out, but he did not. Then Ḥammūya ordered a group of his trusted commanders to correspond secretly with Aḥmad b. Sahl, to show him inclination, and to invite him to come out from Marw so that they might hand over Ḥammūya to him. He agreed to that, because of the rage in his heart against Ḥammūya. So he marched out from Marw toward Ḥammūya. They met one stage from Marw al-Rūdh in Rajab of the year 307 AH. Aḥmad's companions were routed, and he himself fought until his mount gave out. He dismounted and sought quarter. They took him prisoner and sent him to Bukhārā, where he died in prison in Dhū al-Ḥijja of the year 307 AH. The amīr Aḥmad b. Ismāʿīl b. Aḥmad used to say: “It is not fitting for Aḥmad b. Sahl to be absent from the sultan's gate, for if he is absent from it, he will stir up great trouble.” It is as if he discerned in him what he did. Thus ought the discernment of a king to be.
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