Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3771
Then the Year 316 AH Began
ذِكْرُ عَزْلِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عِيسَى وَوِزَارَةِ أَبِي عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُقْلَةَ فِي سَنَةُ سِتَّ عَشْرَةَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ عُزِلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ عِيسَى عَنْ وِزَارَةِ الْخَلِيفَةِ، وَرُتِّبَ فِيهَا أَبُو عَلِيِّ بْنُ مُقْلَةَ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ عَلِيًّا لَمَّا رَأَى نَقْصَ الِارْتِفَاعِ، وَاخْتِلَالَ الْأَعْمَالِ بِوِزَارَةِ الْخَاقَانِيِّ وَالْخَصِيبِيِّ، وَزِيَادَةَ النَّفَقَاتِ، وَأَنَّ الْجُنْدَ لَمَّا عَادُوا مِنَ الْأَنْبَارِ زَادَهُمُ الْمُقْتَدِرُ فِي أَرْزَاقِهِمْ مِائَتَيْ أَلْفٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ فِي السَّنَةِ، وَرَأَى أَيْضًا كَثْرَةَ النَّفَقَاتِ لِلْخَدَمِ وَالْحُرَمِ، لَا سِيَّمَا وَالِدَةُ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، هَالَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَعَظُمَ عَلَيْهِ. ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ رَأَى نَصْرًا الْحَاجِبَ يَقْصِدُهُ، وَيَنْحَرِفُ عَنْهُ لِمَيْلِ مُؤْنِسٍ إِلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ نَصْرًا كَانَ يُخَالِفُ مُؤْنِسًا فِي جَمِيعِ مَا يُشِيرُ بِهِ، فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ اسْتَعْفَى مِنَ الْوِزَارَةِ، وَاحْتَجَّ بِالشَّيْخُوخَةِ، وَقِلَّةِ النَّهْضَةِ، فَأَمَرَهُ الْمُقْتَدِرُ بِالصَّبْرِ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: أَنْتَ عِنْدِي بِمَنْزِلَةِ وَالِدِي الْمُعْتَضِدِ، فَأَلَحَّ عَلَيْهِ فِي الِاسْتِعْفَاءِ، فَشَاوَرَ مُؤْنِسًا فِي ذَلِكَ، وَأَعْلَمَهُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ سُمِّيَ لِلْوِزَارَةِ ثَلَاثَةُ نَفَرٍ: الْفَضْلُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْفُرَاتِ الَّذِي أُمُّهُ حَنْزَانَةُ، وَأُخْتُهُ زَوْجَةُ الْمُحَسِّنِ بْنِ الْفُرَاتِ، وَأَبُو عَلِيِّ بْنُ مُقْلَةَ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ النِّيرَمَانِيُّ الَّذِي كَانَ وَزِيرَ ابْنِ أَبِي السَّاجِ، فَقَالَ مُؤْنِسٌ: أَمَّا الْفَضْلُ فَقَدْ قَتَلْنَا عَمَّهُ الْوَزِيرَ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ، وَابْنَ عَمِّهِ زَوْجَ أُخْتِهِ الْمُحَسِّنَ ابْنَ الْوَزِيرِ، وَصَادَرْنَا أُخْتَهُ ( فَلَا نَأْمَنُهُ، وَأَمَّا ) ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ فَحَدَثٌ غِرٌّ لَا تَجْرِبَةَ لَهُ بِالْوِزَارَةِ، وَلَا يَصْلُحُ لَهَا، وَأَمَّا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ فَجَاهِلٌ مُتَهَوِّرٌ لَا يُحْسِنُ شَيْئًا، وَالصَّوَابُ مُدَارَاةُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عِيسَى. ثُمَّ لَقِيَ مُؤْنِسٌ عَلِيَّ بْنَ عِيسَى، وَسَكَّنَهُ، فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ: لَوْ كُنْتَ مُقِيمًا لَاسْتَعَنْتُ بِكَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ سَائِرٌ إِلَى الرَّقَّةِ ثُمَّ إِلَى الشَّامِ. وَبَلَغَ الْخَبَرُ أَبَا عَلِيِّ بْنَ مُقْلَةَ، فَجَدَّ فِي السَّعْيِ، وَضَمِنَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الضَّمَانَاتِ، وَشَاوَرَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ نَصْرًا الْحَاجِبَ فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الثَّلَاثَةِ، فَقَالَ: أَمَّا الْفَضْلُ بْنُ الْفُرَاتِ فَلَا يُدْفَعُ عَنْ صِنَاعَةِ الْكِتَابَةِ، وَالْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَالْكِفَايَةِ، وَلَكِنَّكَ بِالْأَمْسِ قَتَلْتَ عَمَّهُ وَابْنَ عَمِّهِ وَصِهْرَهُ، وَصَادَرْتَ أُخْتَهُ وَأُمَّهُ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ بَنِي الْفُرَاتِ يَدِينُونَ بِالرَّفْضِ، وَيُعْرَفُونَ بِوَلَاءِ آلِ عَلِيٍّ وَوَلَدِهِ، وَأَمَّا أَبُو عَلِيِّ بْنُ مُقْلَةَ فَلَا هَيْبَةَ لَهُ فِي قُلُوبِ النَّاسِ، وَلَا يَرْجِعُ إِلَى كِفَايَةٍ، وَلَا تَجْرِبَةٍ، وَأَشَارَ بِمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَلَفٍ لِمَوَدَّةٍ كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَنَفَرَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ مِنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَلَفٍ لِمَا عَلِمَهُ مِنْ جَهْلِهِ وَتَهَوُّرِهِ، وَوَاصَلَ ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ إِلَى نَصْرٍ الْحَاجِبِ، فَأَشَارَ عَلَى الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِهِ، فَاسْتَوْزَرَهُ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ لَمَّا قَرُبَ الْهَجَرِيُّ مِنَ الْأَنْبَارِ قَدْ أَنْفَذَ صَاحِبًا لَهُ مَعَهُ خَمْسُونَ طَائِرًا، وَأَمَرَهُ بِالْمُقَامِ بِالْأَنْبَارِ، وَإِرْسَالِ الْأَخْبَارِ إِلَيْهِ وَقْتًا بِوَقْتٍ، ( فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ )، فَكَانَتْ الْأَخْبَارُ تَرِدُ مِنْ جِهَتِهِ إِلَى الْخَلِيفَةِ عَلَى يَدِ نَصْرٍ الْحَاجِبِ، فَقَالَ نَصْرٌ: هَذَا فِعْلُهُ فِيمَا لَا يَلْزَمُهُ، فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ إِذَا اصْطَنَعْتَهُ ! فَكَانَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَقْوَى الْأَسْبَابِ فِي وِزَارَتِهِ. وَتَقَدَّمَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ فِي مُنْتَصَفِ رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ بِالْقَبْضِ عَلَى الْوَزِيرِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عِيسَى، وَأَخِيهِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَخَلَعَ عَلَى أَبِي عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُقْلَةَ، وَتَوَلَّى الْوِزَارَةَ، وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَرِيدِيُّ لِمَوَدَّةٍ كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُمَا.
Translation
✧ Mention of the dismissal of ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā and the vizierate of Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla In the year three hundred and sixteen, ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā was dismissed from the vizierate of the caliph, and Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla was appointed in it. The reason for that was that when ʿAlī saw the decrease in revenue, the disruption of the administrative offices during the vizierate of al-Khāqānī and al-Khaṣībī, and the increase in expenditures, and that when the troops returned from al-Anbār, al-Muqtadir had increased their stipends by two hundred and forty thousand dinars per year, and he also saw the abundance of expenditures for the servants and the women of the household, especially the mother of al-Muqtadir, that alarmed him and weighed heavily upon him. Then he saw that Naṣr the chamberlain was turning against him and inclining away from him because of Muʾnis's inclination towards him, for Naṣr used to oppose Muʾnis in all that he suggested. When that became clear to him, he asked to be excused from the vizierate, pleading old age and lack of energy. Al-Muqtadir ordered him to have patience and said to him: "You are to me in the position of my father al-Muʿtaḍid." But he persisted in asking to be excused. So he consulted Muʾnis about that and informed him that three persons had been named for the vizierate: al-Faḍl b. Jaʿfar b. al-Furāt, whose mother was Ḥanzāna and whose sister was the wife of al-Muḥassin b. al-Furāt; Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla; and Muḥammad b. Khalaf al-Nīramānī, who had been vizier of Ibn Abī al-Sāj. Muʾnis said: "As for al-Faḍl, we have killed his paternal uncle the vizier Abū al-Ḥasan and his cousin the husband of his sister al-Muḥassin son of the vizier, and we confiscated the property of his sister, so we do not feel safe with him. As for Ibn Muqla, he is a young, inexperienced man with no familiarity with the vizierate, and he is not suitable for it. As for Muḥammad b. Khalaf, he is an ignorant, reckless man who does nothing well. The right course is to placate ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā." Then Muʾnis met ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā and calmed him down. ʿAlī said: "If you were staying, I would seek your help, but you are going to al-Raqqa and then to Syria." The news reached Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla, and he exerted himself in seeking the post and undertook to make guarantees. Al-Muqtadir consulted Naṣr the chamberlain about these three. He said: "As for al-Faḍl b. al-Furāt, his skill in secretarial work, knowledge, and competence is not to be denied, but only yesterday you killed his paternal uncle, his cousin, and his brother-in-law, and you confiscated the property of his sister and his mother. Moreover, the Banū al-Furāt profess Shīʿism and are known for loyalty to the family of ʿAlī and his descendants. As for Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla, he has no awe in people's hearts, and he does not possess competence or experience." He recommended Muḥammad b. Khalaf because of friendship between them. But al-Muqtadir was averse to Muḥammad b. Khalaf because of what he knew of his ignorance and recklessness. Ibn Muqla continued to send gifts to Naṣr the chamberlain, and so Naṣr recommended him to al-Muqtadir, who appointed him vizier. When al-Hajarī approached al-Anbār, Ibn Muqla had sent a companion of his with fifty carrier pigeons, and ordered him to stay in al-Anbār and send reports to him from time to time. He did so, and the reports came from that direction to the caliph through Naṣr the chamberlain. Naṣr said: "This is his action in what is not even required of him, so how will he be when you favor him!" That was one of the strongest reasons for his vizierate. In the middle of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, al-Muqtadir ordered the arrest of the vizier ʿAlī b. ʿĪsā and his brother ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, and he invested Abū ʿAlī b. Muqla with the robe of honor, and he assumed the vizierate. Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Barīdī assisted him in it because of friendship between them.
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