Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3808
Then the Year 320 AH of the Hijrah Began
وَهَذِهِ تَرْجَمَةُ الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ هُوَ جَعْفَرٌ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ بِاللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُعْتَضِدِ بِاللَّهِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي أَحْمَدَ الْمُوَفَّقِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُعْتَصِمِ بْنِ هَارُونَ الرَّشِيدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَهْدِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْمَنْصُورِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ يُكَنَّى أَبَا الْفَضْلِ الْعَبَّاسِيَّ، مَوْلِدُهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْجُمُعَةِ لِثَمَانٍ بَقِينَ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ سَنَةَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَثَمَانِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَأُمُّهُ أُمُّ وَلَدٍ اسْمُهَا شَغَبُ، وَلُقِّبَتْ فِي خِلَافَةِ وَلَدِهَا بِالسَّيِّدَةِ، بُويِعَ لَهُ بِالْخِلَافَةِ بَعْدَ أَخِيهِ الْمُكْتَفِي يَوْمَ الْأَحَدِ لِأَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ مَضَتْ مِنْ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ، سَنَةَ خَمْسٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَهُوَ يَوْمَئِذٍ ابْنُ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةٍ وَشَهْرٍ وَأَيَّامٍ ; وَلِهَذَا أَرَادَ الْجُنْدُ خَلْعَهُ فِي رَبِيعٍ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ سَنَةِ سِتٍّ وَتِسْعِينَ مُحْتَجِّينَ بِصِغَرِهِ وَعَدَمِ بُلُوغِهِ، وَتَوْلِيَةَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَزِّ، فَلَمْ يَتِمَّ ذَلِكَ، وَانْتَقَضَ الْأَمْرُ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا. ثُمَّ لَمَّا كَانَ شَهْرُ اللَّهِ الْمُحَرَّمُ مِنْ سَنَةِ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، أَحْضَرَهُ مُؤْنِسٌ وَاجْتَمَعَ الْأُمَرَاءُ وَالْقُوَّادُ وَأَلْزَمُوهُ بِخَلْعِ نَفْسِهِ، وَأَحْضَرُوا أَخَاهُ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْمُعْتَضِدِ، فَبَايَعُوهُ بِالْخِلَافَةِ وَلَقَّبُوهُ الْقَاهِرَ، فَلَمْ يَتِمَّ ذَلِكَ سِوَى يَوْمَيْنِ، ثُمَّ رَجَعَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ إِلَى الْخِلَافَةِ كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا. وَقَدْ كَانَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ بِاللَّهِ رَبْعَةً مِنَ الرِّجَالِ، حَسَنَ الْوَجْهِ وَالْعَيْنَيْنِ، بَعِيدَ مَا بَيْنَ الْمَنْكِبَيْنِ، حَسَنَ الشَّعْرِ، مُدَوَّرَ الْوَجْهِ، مُشْرَبًا بِحُمْرَةٍ، حَسَنَ الْخُلُقِ، قَدْ شَابَ رَأْسُهُ وَعَارِضَاهُ، وَقَدْ كَانَ كَرِيمًا جَوَادًا مُمَدَّحًا، لَهُ عَقْلٌ جَيِّدٌ وَفَهْمٌ وَافِرٌ وَذِهْنٌ صَحِيحٌ. وَقَدْ كَانَ كَثِيرَ التَّحَجُّبِ وَالتَّوَسُّعِ فِي النَّفَقَاتِ، وَزَادَ فِي رُسُومِ الْخِلَافَةِ وَأُمُورِ الرِّيَاسَةِ، وَمَا زَادَ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا نَقَصَ. كَانَ فِي دَارِهِ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ أَلْفِ خَادِمٍ خَصِيٍّ، غَيْرَ الصَّقَالِبَةِ وَالرُّومِ وَالسُّودَانِ، وَكَانَ لَهُ دَارٌ يُقَالُ لَهَا: دَارُ الشَّجَرَةِ، فِيهَا مِنَ الْأَثَاثِ وَالْأَمْتِعَةِ شَيْءٌ كَثِيرٌ جِدًّا، كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ فِي سَنَةِ خَمْسٍ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ حِينَ قَدِمَ رَسُولُ مَلِكِ الرُّومِ. وَقَدْ رَكِبَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ يَوْمًا فِي حَرَّاقَةٍ، وَجَعَلَ يَسْتَعْجِلُ الطَّعَامَ فَأَبْطَئُوا بِهِ، فَقَالَ لِمَلَّاحِ حَرَّاقَتِهِ: وَيْلَكَ ! أَعِنْدَكَ شَيْءٌ نَأْكُلُهُ ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَأَتَاهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ لَحْمِ الْجَدْيِ وَخُبْزٍ حَسَنٍ وَمُلُوحَاتٍ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، فَأَعْجَبَهُ، ثُمَّ اسْتَدْعَاهُ، فَقَالَ: هَلْ عِنْدَكَ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْحَلْوَاءِ ; فَإِنِّي لَا أُحِسُّ بِالشِّبَعِ حَتَّى آكُلَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْحَلْوَاءِ ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنَّمَا حَلَاوَتُنَا التَّمْرُ وَالْكَسْبُ. فَقَالَ: هَذَا شَيْءٌ لَا أُطِيقُهُ. ثُمَّ جِيءَ بِطَعَامِهِ، فَأَكَلَ مِنْهُ وَأُتِيَ بِالْحَلْوَاءِ، فَأَكَلَ وَأَطْعَمَ الْمَلَّاحِينَ، وَأَمَرَ بِتَرْتِيبِ حَلَاوَةٍ تُعْمَلُ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ تَكُونُ فِي الْحَرَّاقَةِ بِنَحْوِ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ، إِذَا اتَّفَقَ رُكُوبُهُ فِيهَا يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا، فَكَانَ الْمَلَّاحُ يَأْخُذُ ذَلِكَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مُدَّةَ سِنِينَ مُتَعَدِّدَةٍ، وَلَمْ يَتَّفِقْ رُكُوبُ الْمُقْتَدِرِ فِيهَا مَرَّةً أُخْرَى. وَقَدْ أَرَادَ بَعْضُ خَوَاصِّهِ أَنْ يُطَهِّرَ وَلَدَهُ، فَعَمِلَ أَشْيَاءَ هَائِلَةً، ثُمَّ طَلَبَ مِنْ أُمِّ الْخَلِيفَةِ أَنْ يُعَارَ الْقَرْيَةَ الَّتِي عُمِلَتْ فِي طُهُورِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ; لِيَرَاهَا النَّاسُ فِي هَذَا الْمُهِمِّ، فَتَلَطَّفَتْ أُمُّ الْمُقْتَدِرِ عِنْدَهُ حَتَّى أَطْلَقَهَا لَهُ بِالْكُلِّيَّةِ، وَكَانَتْ صِفَةَ قَرْيَةٍ مِنَ الْقُرَى كُلُّهَا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ، بُيُوتُهَا، وَأَهَالِيهَا، وَأَبْقَارُهَا، وَأَغْنَامُهَا، وَجِمَالُهَا، وَخُيُولُهَا، وَزُرُوعُهَا، وَثِمَارُهَا، وَأَنْهَارُهَا، وَمَا يَتْبَعُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يَكُونُ فِي الْقُرَى، الْجَمِيعُ مِنْ فِضَّةٍ مُصَوَّرٌ، وَأَمَرَ بِنَقْلِ سِمَاطِهِ إِلَى دَارِ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ، وَأَنْ لَا يُكَلَّفَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْمَطَاعِمِ سِوَى سَمَكٍ طَرِيٍّ فَاشْتَرَى الرَّجُلُ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ سَمَكًا، وَكَانَ جُمْلَةُ مَا أُنْفَقَ الرَّجُلُ عَلَى سِمَاطِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ يَوْمَئِذٍ أَلْفًا وَخَمْسَمِائَةِ دِينَارٍ. وَكَانَ كَثِيرَ الصَّدَقَةِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْحَرَمَيْنِ وَأَرْبَابِ الْوَظَائِفِ، وَكَانَ كَثِيرَ التَّنَفُّلِ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالصَّوْمِ وَالْعِبَادَةِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ كَانَ مُؤْثِرًا لِشَهَوَاتِهِ، مُطِيعًا لِحَظِيَّاتِهِ، كَثِيرَ التَّلَوُّنِ وَالْوِلَايَةِ وَالْعَزْلِ، وَمَا زَالَ ذَلِكَ دَأْبَهُ حَتَّى كَانَ هَلَاكُهُ عَلَى يَدَيْ مُؤْنِسٍ الْخَادِمِ كَمَا ذَكَرْنَا، فَقُتِلَ عِنْدَ بَابِ الشَّمَّاسِيَّةِ لِلَيْلَتَيْنِ بَقِيَتَا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ - أَعْنِي سَنَةَ عِشْرِينَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ - وَلَهُ مِنَ الْعُمُرِ ثَمَانٍ وَثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً وَشَهْرٌ وَخَمْسَةُ أَيَّامٍ، وَكَانَتْ مُدَّةُ خِلَافَتِهِ أَرْبَعًا وَعِشْرِينَ سَنَةً وَأَحَدَ عَشَرَ شَهْرًا وَأَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا، فَكَانَ أَكْثَرَ مُدَّةً مِمَّنْ تَقَدَّمَهُ مِنَ الْخُلَفَاءِ.
Translation
✧ This is the biography of al-Muqtadir bi-Allāh, Commander of the Faithful. He is Jaʿfar, Commander of the Faithful al-Muqtadir bi-Allāh, son of al-Muʿtaḍid bi-Allāh Aḥmad, son of Abī Aḥmad al-Muwaffaq, son of Jaʿfar al-Mutawakkil, son of Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim, son of Hārūn al-Rashīd, son of Muḥammad al-Mahdī, son of ʿAbd Allāh Abī Jaʿfar al-Manṣūr, son of Muḥammad, son of ʿAlī, son of ʿAbd Allāh, son of ʿAbbās. His kunyah was Abū al-Faḍl al-ʿAbbāsī. He was born on Friday night, eight nights remaining in Ramaḍān, in the year two hundred eighty-two. His mother was an umm walad named Shaghab, and she was given the title al-Sayyidah during her son's caliphate. He was given the oath of allegiance as caliph after his brother al-Muktafī on Sunday, fourteen days having passed of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, in the year two hundred ninety-five. On that day he was thirteen years, one month, and some days old. For this reason, the troops wanted to depose him in Rabīʿ al-Awwal of the year two hundred ninety-six, arguing that he was a minor and had not reached puberty, and to appoint ʿAbd Allāh b. al-Muʿtazz instead. But that did not come to pass, and the matter was reversed on that day, as we have mentioned. Then, when the sacred month of al-Muḥarram of the year three hundred seventeen came, Muʾnis brought him, and the commanders and military leaders assembled and compelled him to abdicate. They brought his brother Muḥammad b. al-Muʿtaḍid and gave him the oath of allegiance as caliph, titling him al-Qāhir. But that lasted only two days; then al-Muqtadir returned to the caliphate, as we have mentioned. Al-Muqtadir bi-Allāh was of medium height among men, handsome of face and eyes, broad-shouldered, with beautiful hair, a round face tinged with redness, and good character. His head and sideburns had turned gray. He was generous, munificent, and praiseworthy, with sound intellect, abundant understanding, and a healthy mind. He was very fond of seclusion and of lavish expenditure. He increased the ceremonial trappings of the caliphate and the affairs of leadership. And nothing increased without something else decreasing. In his palace there were eleven thousand eunuch servants, apart from the Slavs, Byzantines, and Sudanese. He had a palace called Dār al-Shajarah (the House of the Tree), containing a great amount of furnishings and goods, as we mentioned in the year three hundred five when the envoy of the Byzantine emperor arrived. One day al-Muqtadir rode in a ḥarrāqah (a kind of boat), and he became impatient for food, but they were slow in bringing it. He said to the sailor of his ḥarrāqah: "Woe to you! Do you have anything for us to eat?" He said: "Yes." He brought him some kid meat, good bread, salted foods, and other things. He was pleased. Then he summoned him and said: "Do you have any sweets? For I do not feel full until I eat some sweets." He said: "O Commander of the Faithful, our sweets are dates and date-paste." He said: "This is something I cannot endure." Then his food was brought, and he ate from it. The sweets were brought, and he ate and fed the sailors. He ordered that sweets be prepared daily, to be kept in the ḥarrāqah, at a cost of about two hundred dirhams, so that if he happened to ride in it, he could eat from them. The sailor took that amount every day for several years, but al-Muqtadir never happened to ride in it again. One of his close associates wanted to circumcise his son, and he made awe-inspiring preparations. Then he asked the caliph's mother to lend him the village that had been made of silver for al-Muqtadir's circumcision, so that people could see it at this important occasion. Al-Muqtadir's mother interceded with him until he released it to him entirely. It was in the form of a village, all of silver: its houses, its inhabitants, its cows, its sheep, its camels, its horses, its crops, its fruits, its rivers, and all that pertains to villages, all of it fashioned of silver. He ordered his dining table to be moved to that man's house and that he not be burdened with any food except fresh fish. The man bought fish for three hundred dinars. The total the man spent on al-Muqtadir's table that day was one thousand five hundred dinars. He was very charitable and benevolent to the people of the two holy cities and to those holding offices. He performed many supererogatory prayers, fasts, and acts of worship. But he was inclined to his desires, obedient to his whims, and frequently changing in appointing and dismissing officials. He continued in this manner until his death at the hands of the servant Muʾnis, as we have mentioned. He was killed near the Gate of al-Shammāsiyyah with two nights remaining of Shawwāl of this year—meaning the year three hundred twenty—at the age of thirty-eight years, one month, and five days. The length of his caliphate was twenty-four years, eleven months, and fourteen days, making it longer than that of any previous caliph.
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