Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3748
Then the Year 312 AH Began
قَتْلِ ابْنِ الْفُرَاتِ وَوَلَدِهِ الْمُحَسِّنَ وَكَانَ الْمُحَسِّنُ ابْنُ الْوَزِيرِ ابْنِ الْفُرَاتِ مُخْتَفِيًا، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا، وَكَانَ عِنْدَ حَمَاتِهِ حُزَانَةَ، وَهِيَ وَالِدَةُ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْفُرَاتِ، وَكَانَتْ تَأْخُذُهُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ إِلَى الْمَقْبَرَةِ، وَتَعُودُ بِهِ إِلَى الْمَنَازِلِ الَّتِي يَثِقُ بِأَهْلِهَا عِشَاءً وَهُوَ فِي زِيِّ امْرَأَةٍ، فَمَضَتْ يَوْمًا إِلَى مَقَابِرِ قُرَيْشٍ، وَأَدْرَكَهَا اللَّيْلُ، فَبَعُدَ عَلَيْهَا الطَّرِيقُ، فَأَشَارَتْ عَلَيْهَا امْرَأَةٌ مَعَهَا أَنْ تَقْصِدَ امْرَأَةً صَالِحَةً تَعْرِفُهَا بِالْخَيْرِ، تَخْتَفِي عِنْدَهَا، فَأَخَذَتِ الْمُحَسِّنَ وَقَصَدَتْ تِلْكَ الْمَرْأَةَ وَقَالَتْ لَهَا: مَعَنَا صَبِيَّةٌ بِكْرٌ نُرِيدُ بَيْتًا نَكُونُ فِيهِ فَأَمَرَتْهُمْ بِالدُّخُولِ إِلَى دَارِهَا، وَسَلَّمَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ قُبَّةً فِي الدَّارِ، فَأَدْخَلْنَ الْمُحَسِّنَ إِلَيْهَا، وَجَلَسَتِ النِّسَاءُ اللَّاتِي مَعَهُ فِي صُفَّةٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ بَابِ الْقُبَّةِ، فَجَاءَتْ جَارِيَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ، فَرَأَتِ الْمُحَسِّنَ فِي الْقُبَّةِ، فَعَادَتْ إِلَى مَوْلَاتِهَا، فَأَخْبَرَتْهَا أَنَّ فِي الدَّارِ رَجُلًا، فَجَاءَتْ صَاحِبَتُهَا فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ عَرَفَتْهُ. وَكَانَ الْمُحَسِّنُ قَدْ أَخَذَ زَوْجَهَا لِيُصَادِرَهُ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى النَّاسَ فِي دَارِهِ يُجْلَدُونَ، وَيُشَقَّصُونَ، وَيُعَذَّبُونَ مَاتَ فَجْأَةً، فَلَمَّا رَأَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْمُحَسِّنَ وَعَرَفَتْهُ رَكِبَتْ فِي سَفِينَةٍ، وَقَصَدَتْ دَارَ الْخِلَافَةِ، وَصَاحَتْ: مَعِي نَصِيحَةٌ لِأَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ! فَأَحْضَرَهَا نَصْرٌ الْحَاجِبُ، فَأَخْبَرَتْهُ بِخَبَرِ الْمُحَسِّنِ، فَانْتَهَى ذَلِكَ إِلَى الْمُقْتَدِرِ، فَأَمَرَ نَازُوكَ، صَاحِبَ الشُّرْطَةِ، أَنْ يَسِيرَ مَعَهَا وَيُحْضِرَهُ، فَأَخَذَهَا مَعَهُ ( إِلَى مَنْزِلِهَا )، وَدَخَلَ الْمَنْزِلَ، وَأَخَذَ الْمُحَسِّنَ وَعَادَ بِهِ إِلَى الْمُقْتَدِرِ، فَرَدَّهُ إِلَى دَارِ الْوَزِيرِ، فَعُذِّبَ بِأَنْوَاعِ الْعَذَابِ لِيُجِيبَ إِلَى مُصَادَرَةٍ يَبْذُلُهَا، فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُمْ إِلَى دِينَارٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَقَالَ: لَا أَجْمَعُ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ نَفْسِي وَمَالِي، وَاشْتَدَّ الْعَذَابُ عَلَيْهِ بِحَيْثُ امْتَنَعَ عَنِ الطَّعَامِ. فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ ذَلِكَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ أَمَرَ بِحَمْلِهِ مَعَ أَبِيهِ إِلَى دَارِ الْخِلَافَةِ، فَقَالَ الْوَزِيرُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ لِمُؤْنِسٍ، وَهَارُونَ بْنِ غَرِيبِ الْخَالِ، وَنَصْرٍ الْحَاجِبِ: إِنْ يُنْقَلِ ابْنُ الْفُرَاتِ إِلَى دَارِ الْخِلَافَةِ بَذَلَ أَمْوَالَهُ، وَأَطْمَعَ الْمُقْتَدِرَ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا، وَضَمِنَنَا مِنْهُ، وَتَسَلَّمَنَا فَأَهْلَكَنَا، فَوَضَعُوا الْقُوَّادَ وَالْجُنْدَ، حَتَّى قَالُوا لِلْخَلِيفَةِ: إِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ قَتْلِ ابْنِ الْفُرَاتِ وَوَلَدِهِ، فَإِنَّنَا لَا نَأْمَنُ عَلَى أَنْفُسِنَا مَا دَامَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ. وَتَرَدَّدَتِ الرَّسَائِلُ فِي ذَلِكَ، وَأَشَارَ مُؤْنِسٌ، وَهَارُونُ بْنُ غَرِيبٍ، وَنَصْرٌ الْحَاجِبُ بِمُوَافَقَتِهِمْ وَإِجَابَتِهِمْ إِلَى مَا طَلَبُوا، فَأَمَرَ نَازُوكَ بِقَتْلِهِمَا، فَذَبَحَهُمَا كَمَا يُذْبَحُ الْغَنَمُ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ الْفُرَاتِ قَدْ أَصْبَحَ يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ صَائِمًا، فَأُتِيَ بِطَعَامٍ فَلَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ، فَأُتِيَ أَيْضًا بِطَعَامٍ لِيُفْطِرَ عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمْ يُفْطِرْ، وَقَالَ: رَأَيْتُ أَخِي الْعَبَّاسَ فِي النَّوْمِ يَقُولُ لِي: أَنْتَ وَوَلَدُكَ عِنْدَنَا يَوْمَ الْإِثْنَيْنِ، وَلَا شَكَّ أَنَّنَا نُقْتَلُ، فَقُتِلَ ابْنُهُ الْمُحَسِّنُ يَوْمَ الْإِثْنَيْنِ لِثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ خَلَتْ مِنْ رَبِيعٍ الْآخَرِ، وَحُمِلَ رَأْسُهُ إِلَى أَبِيهِ، فَارْتَاعَ لِذَلِكَ شَدِيدًا، ثُمَّ عُرِضَ أَبُوهُ عَلَى السَّيْفِ فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ إِلَّا السَّيْفُ، رَاجِعُوا فِي أَمْرِي، فَإِنَّ عِنْدِي أَمْوَالًا جَمَّةً، وَجَوَاهِرَ كَثِيرَةً، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: جَلَّ الْأَمْرُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ ! وَقُتِلَ وَكَانَ عُمْرُهُ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ سَنَةً، وَعُمْرُ وَلَدِهِ الْمُحَسِّنِ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، فَلَمَّا قُتِلَا حُمِلَ رَأْسَاهُمَا إِلَى الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ، فَأَمَرَ بِتَغْرِيقِهِمَا. وَقَدْ كَانَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ الْفُرَاتِ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْمُقْتَدِرَ بِاللَّهِ يَقْتُلُنِي، فَصَحَّ قَوْلُهُ، فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ عَادَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ يَوْمًا، وَهُوَ مُفَكِّرٌ كَثِيرُ الْهَمِّ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَمَا خَاطَبْتُهُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ إِلَّا قَالَ لِي نَعَمْ، فَقُلْتُ لَهُ الشَّيْءَ وَضِدَّهُ، فَفِي كُلِّ ذَلِكَ يَقُولُ نَعَمْ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: هَذَا لِحُسْنِ ظَنِّهِ بِكَ، وَثِقَتِهِ بِمَا تَقُولُ، وَاعْتِمَادِهِ عَلَى شَفَقَتِكَ، فَقَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ أُذُنٌ لِكُلِّ قَائِلٍ، وَمَا يَؤْمِنِّي أَنْ يُقَالَ لَهُ بِقَتْلِ الْوَزِيرِ، فَيَقُولَ نَعَمْ وَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ قَاتِلِي ! وَلَمَّا قُتِلَ رَكِبَ هَارُونُ بْنُ غَرِيبٍ مُسْرِعًا إِلَى الْوَزِيرِ الْخَاقَانِيِّ، وَهَنَّأَهُ بِقَتْلِهِ، فَأُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ، حَتَّى ظَنَّ هَارُونُ وَمَنْ هُنَاكَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ، وَصَرَخَ أَهْلُهُ وَأَصْحَابُهُ عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ مِنْ غَشْيَتِهِ لَمْ يُفَارِقْهُ هَارُونُ حَتَّى أَخَذَ مِنْهُ أَلْفَيْ دِينَارٍ. وَأَمَّا أَوْلَادُهُ ( سِوَى الْمُحَسِّنِ ) فَإِنَّ مُؤْنِسًا الْمُظَفَّرَ شَفَعَ فِي ابْنَيْهِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَبِي نَصْرٍ، فَأُطْلِقَا لَهُ فَخَلَعَ عَلَيْهِمَا، وَوَصَلَهُمَا بِعِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ، وَصُودِرَ ابْنُهُ الْحَسَنُ عَلَى عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ، وَأُطْلِقَ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ. وَكَانَ الْوَزِيرُ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ الْفُرَاتِ كَرِيمًا، ذَا رِئَاسَةٍ وَكِفَايَةٍ فِي عَمَلِهِ حَسَنَ السُّؤَالِ وَالْجَوَابِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ سَيِّئَةٌ إِلَّا وَلَدَهُ الْمُحَسِّنَ. وَمِنْ مَحَاسِنِهِ أَنَّهُ جَرَى ذِكْرُ أَصْحَابِ الْأَدَبِ، وَطَلْبَةِ الْحَدِيثِ، وَمَا هُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْفَقْرِ وَالتَّعَفُّفِ، فَقَالَ: أَنَا أَحَقُّ مَنْ أَعَانَهُمْ، وَأَطْلَقَ لِأَصْحَابِ الْحَدِيثِ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، وَلِلشُّعَرَاءِ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، وَلِأَصْحَابِ الْأَدَبِ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، وَلِلْفُقَهَاءِ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، وَلِلصُّوفِيَّةِ عِشْرِينَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ، فَذَلِكَ مِائَةُ أَلْفِ دِرْهَمٍ. وَكَانَ إِذَا وَلِيَ الْوِزَارَةَ ارْتَفَعَتْ أَسْعَارُ الثَّلْجِ، وَالشَّمْعِ، وَالسُّكَّرِ، وَالْقَرَاطِيسِ، لِكَثْرَةِ مَا كَانَ يَسْتَعْمِلُهَا وَيُخْرِجُ مِنْ دَارِهِ لِلنَّاسِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ مَا يُعَابُ بِهِ إِلَّا أَنَّ أَصْحَابَهُ كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُرِيدُونَ، وَيَظْلِمُونَ، فَلَا يَمْنَعُهُمْ، فَمِنْ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ ظَلَمَ امْرَأَةً فِي مِلْكٍ لَهَا، فَكَتَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ تَشْكُو مِنْهُ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ، وَهُوَ لَا يَرُدُّ لَهَا جَوَابًا، فَلَقِيَتْهُ يَوْمًا، وَقَالَتْ لَهُ: أَسْأَلُكَ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ تَسْمَعَ ( مِنِّي كَلِمَةً ) فَوَقَفَ لَهَا فَقَالَتْ: قَدْ كَتَبْتُ إِلَيْكَ فِي ظُلَامَتِي غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ، وَلَمْ تُجِبْنِي، وَقَدْ تَرَكْتُكَ وَكَتَبْتُهَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَلَمَّا ( كَانَ بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ )، وَرَأَى تَغَيُّرَ حَالِهِ، قَالَ لِمَنْ مَعَهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ: ( مَا أَظُنُّ ) إِلَّا جَوَابَ رُقْعَةِ تِلْكَ الْمَرْأَةِ الْمَظْلُومَةِ ( قَدْ خَرَجَ )، فَكَانَ كَمَا قَالَ.
Translation
✧ The killing of Ibn al-Furāt and his son al-Muḥassin Al-Muḥassin, son of the vizier Ibn al-Furāt, was in hiding, as we have mentioned. He was with his mother-in-law Ḥuzānah, who was the mother of al-Faḍl b. Jaʿfar b. al-Furāt. She would take him every day to the cemetery and return with him to the houses whose owners she trusted at night, while he was in the guise of a woman. One day she went to the cemetery of Quraysh, and night overtook her, so the road became long for her. A woman with her suggested that she should head to a righteous woman whom she knew for her goodness, to hide with her. So she took al-Muḥassin and headed to that woman and said to her: "We have with us a virgin girl; we want a room where we can stay." The woman ordered them to enter her house and handed over to them a dome-shaped chamber in the house. They brought al-Muḥassin into it, and the women with him sat in a portico in front of the door of the chamber. A black slave girl came and saw al-Muḥassin in the chamber, so she returned to her mistress and informed her that there was a man in the house. Her mistress came, and when she saw him, she recognized him. Al-Muḥassin had taken her husband to have him fined. When the man saw people being beaten, cut, and tortured in his house, he died suddenly. When the woman saw al-Muḥassin and recognized him, she rode in a boat and headed to the caliphal palace, crying out: "I have a piece of advice for the Commander of the Faithful!" Naṣr the chamberlain brought her in, and she informed him of al-Muḥassin's affair. That reached al-Muqtadir, and he ordered Nāzūk, the chief of police, to go with her and bring him. So he took her with him to her house, entered the house, seized al-Muḥassin, and returned with him to al-Muqtadir. He sent him back to the house of the vizier, where he was tortured with various kinds of torment in order to make him agree to a fine that he would offer, but he did not answer them to the extent of a single dinar. He said: "I will not combine for you my life and my wealth." The torture on him became so severe that he refused food. When al-Muqtadir learned of that, he ordered that al-Muḥassin be carried with his father to the caliphal palace. The vizier Abū al-Qāsim said to Muʾnis, Hārūn b. Gharīb al-Khāl, and Naṣr the chamberlain: "If Ibn al-Furāt is transferred to the caliphal palace, he will give up his wealth, make al-Muqtadir covet our wealth, guarantee us against him, and hand us over, thus destroying us." So they incited the commanders and the troops, until they said to the caliph: "It is necessary to kill Ibn al-Furāt and his son, for we do not feel safe for our lives as long as they remain alive." Messages went back and forth about that. Muʾnis, Hārūn b. Gharīb, and Naṣr the chamberlain advised agreeing with them and granting their request. So he ordered Nāzūk to kill them both, and he slaughtered them as sheep are slaughtered. Ibn al-Furāt had begun Sunday fasting. Food was brought to him, but he did not eat. Food was again brought to him so that he could break his fast, but he did not break it. He said: "I saw my brother al-ʿAbbās in a dream saying to me: 'You and your son will be with us on Monday.' There is no doubt that we will be killed." His son al-Muḥassin was killed on Monday, the thirteenth of Rabīʿ al-Ākhir, and his head was carried to his father, who was greatly alarmed by that. Then his father was brought to the sword, and he said: "There is nothing but the sword. Reconsider my affair, for I have abundant wealth and many jewels." It was said to him: "The matter has gone beyond that!" He was killed. He was seventy-one years old, and his son al-Muḥassin was thirty-three years old. When they were killed, their heads were carried to al-Muqtadir billāh, who ordered them to be thrown into the water. Abū al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Furāt had been saying: "Al-Muqtadir billāh will kill me," and his statement proved true. One day he returned from him thoughtful and very distressed. He was asked about that, and he said: "I was with the Commander of the Faithful, and no matter what I said to him, he would say to me 'yes.' I said one thing to him and then its opposite, and in all of it he said 'yes.'" It was said to him: "That is because of his good opinion of you, his trust in what you say, and his reliance on your compassion." He said: "No, by God! Rather, he is an ear for every speaker. I am not safe from it being said to him, 'Kill the vizier,' and he will say 'yes.' By God, he is my killer!" When he was killed, Hārūn b. Gharīb rode quickly to the vizier al-Khāqānī and congratulated him on his killing. He fainted, so that Hārūn and those there thought he had died, and his family and companions cried out over him. When he recovered from his swoon, Hārūn did not leave him until he took two thousand dinars from him. As for his children other than al-Muḥassin, Muʾnis al-Muẓaffar interceded for his two sons ʿAbd Allāh and Abū Naṣr, and they were released to him. He bestowed robes of honor on them and gave them twenty thousand dinars. His son al-Ḥasan was fined twenty thousand dinars and released to his house. The vizier Abū al-Ḥasan Ibn al-Furāt was generous, possessed leadership and competence in his work, and was excellent in asking and answering. He had no fault except his son al-Muḥassin. Among his good deeds was that when mention was made of men of letters, students of hadith, and their poverty and abstemiousness, he said: "I am the most deserving to help them," and he granted twenty thousand dirhams to the scholars of hadith, twenty thousand dirhams to the poets, twenty thousand dirhams to the men of letters, twenty thousand dirhams to the jurists, and twenty thousand dirhams to the Sufis. That made one hundred thousand dirhams. When he held the vizierate, the prices of snow, candles, sugar, and paper rose because of the great quantities he used and distributed from his house to the people. There was nothing blameworthy in him except that his associates did whatever they wanted and acted unjustly, and he did not prevent them. For instance, one of them wronged a woman concerning property she owned. She wrote to him complaining more than once, but he did not answer her. One day she met him and said to him: "I ask you by God to listen to one word from me." He stopped for her, and she said: "I have written to you about my grievance more than once, and you did not answer me. I have left you and written it to God Almighty." A few days later, when he saw the change in his situation, he said to those of his companions with him: "I think nothing but that the answer to that wronged woman's note has come forth." And it was as he said.
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