Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3809
Then the Year 320 AH of the Hijrah Began
ذِكْرُ خِلَافَةِ الْقَاهِرِ بِاللَّهِ لَمَّا قُتِلَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ بِاللَّهِ عَظُمَ قَتْلُهُ عَلَى مُؤْنِسٍ، وَقَالَ: الرَّأْيُ أَنْ نُنَصِّبَ وَلَدَهُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ ( أَحْمَدَ ) فِي الْخِلَافَةِ، فَإِنَّهُ تَرْبِيَتِي، وَهُوَ صَبِيٌّ عَاقِلٌ، وَفِيهِ دِينٌ وَكَرْمٌ، ( وَوَفَاءٌ بِمَا يَقُولُ )، فَإِذَا جَلَسَ فِي الْخِلَافَةِ سَمَحَتْ نَفْسُ جَدَّتِهِ، وَالِدَةُ الْمُقْتَدِرِ وَإِخْوَتِهِ، وَغِلْمَانِ أَبِيهِ بِبَذْلِ الْأَمْوَالِ، وَلَمْ يَنْتَطِحْ فِي قَتْلِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ عَنْزَانِ، فَاعْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِ أَبُو يَعْقُوبَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ النُّوبَخْتِيُّ، وَقَالَ: بَعْدَ الْكَدِّ وَالتَّعَبِ اسْتَرَحْنَا مِنْ خَلِيفَةٍ لَهُ أُمٌّ، وَخَالَةٌ، وَخَدَمٌ يُدَبِّرُونَهُ فَنَعُودُ إِلَى تِلْكَ الْحَالِ ! وَاللَّهِ لَا نَرْضَى إِلَّا بِرَجُلٍ كَامِلٍ، يُدَبِّرُ نَفْسَهُ، وَيُدَبِّرُنَا وَمَا زَالَ حَتَّى رَدَّ مُؤْنِسًا عَنْ رَأْيِهِ، وَذَكَرَ لَهُ أَبُو مَنْصُورٍ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ الْمُعْتَضِدِ فَأَجَابَهُ مُؤْنِسٌ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ النُّوبَخْتِيُّ فِي ذَلِكَ كَالْبَاحِثِ عَنْ حَتْفِهِ بِظِلْفِهِ فَإِنَّ الْقَاهِرَ قَتَلَهُ، كَمَا نَذْكُرُهُ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ. وَأَمَرَ مُؤْنِسٌ بِإِحْضَارِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُعْتَضِدِ، فَبَايَعُوهُ بِالْخِلَافَةِ لِلَيْلَتَيْنِ بَقِيَتَا مِنْ شَوَّالٍ، وَلَقَّبُوهُ الْقَاهِرَ بِاللَّهِ، وَكَانَ مُؤْنِسٌ كَارِهًا لِخِلَافَتِهِ، ( وَالْبَيْعَةِ لَهُ )، وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّنِي عَارِفٌ بِشَرِّهِ، وَسُوءِ نِيَّتِهِ، وَلَكِنْ لَا حِيلَةَ. وَلَمَّا بُويِعَ اسْتَحْلَفَهُ مُؤْنِسٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَلِحَاجِبِهِ بُلَيْقٍ، وَلِعَلِيِّ بْنِ بُلَيْقٍ وَأَخَذُوا خَطَّهُ بِذَلِكَ وَاسْتَقَرَّتِ الْخِلَافَةُ لَهُ، ( وَبَايَعَهُ النَّاسُ )، وَاسْتَوْزَرَ أَبَا عَلِيِّ بْنَ مُقْلَةَ، وَكَانَ بِفَارِسَ، فَاسْتَقْدَمَهُ، وَوَزَرَ لَهُ، وَاسْتَحْجَبَ الْقَاهِرُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ بُلَيْقٍ، وَتَشَاغَلَ الْقَاهِرُ بِالْبَحْثِ عَمَّنِ اسْتَتَرَ مِنْ أَوْلَادِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ وَحُرَمِهِ، وَبِمُنَاظَرَةِ وَالِدَةِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، وَكَانَتْ مَرِيضَةً قَدِ ابْتَدَأَ بِهَا الِاسْتِسْقَاءُ، وَقَدْ زَادَ مَرَضُهَا بِقَتْلِ ابْنِهَا، وَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ أَنَّهُ بَقِيَ مَكْشُوفَ الْعَوْرَةِ جَزِعَتْ جَزَعًا شَدِيدًا، وَامْتَنَعَتْ عَنِ الْمَأْكُولِ وَالْمَشْرُوبِ حَتَّى كَادَتْ تَهْلِكُ، فَوَعَظَهَا النِّسَاءُ حَتَّى أَكَلَتْ شَيْئًا يَسِيرًا مِنَ الْخُبْزِ وَالْمِلْحِ. ثُمَّ أَحْضَرَهَا الْقَاهِرُ عِنْدَهُ، وَسَأَلَهَا عَنْ مَالِهَا، فَاعْتَرَفَتْ لَهُ بِمَا عِنْدَهَا مِنَ الْمَصُوغِ وَالثِّيَابِ، وَلَمْ تَعْتَرِفْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَالِ وَالْجَوْهَرِ، فَضَرَبَهَا أَشَدَّ مَا يَكُونُ مِنَ الضَّرْبِ، وَعَلَّقَهَا بِرِجْلِهَا، وَضَرَبَ الْمَوَاضِعَ الْغَامِضَةَ مِنْ بَدَنِهَا، فَحَلَفَتْ أَنَّهَا لَا تَمْلِكُ غَيْرَ مَا أَطْلَعَتْهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَالَتْ: لَوْ كَانَ عِنْدِي مَالٌ لَمَا أَسْلَمْتُ وَلَدِي لِلْقَتْلِ، وَلَمْ تَعْتَرِفْ بِشَيْءٍ. وَصَادَرَ جَمِيعَ حَاشِيَةِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ وَأَصْحَابَهُ، وَأَخْرَجَ الْقَاهِرُ وَالِدَةَ الْمُقْتَدِرِ لِتُشْهِدَ عَلَى نَفْسِهَا الْقُضَاةَ وَالْعُدُولَ بِأَنَّهَا قَدْ حَلَّتْ أَوْقَافَهَا، وَوَكَّلَتْ فِي بَيْعِهَا، فَامْتَنَعَتْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ، وَقَالَتْ: قَدْ أَوْقَفْتُهَا عَلَى أَبْوَابِ الْبِرِّ وَالْقُرَبِ بِمَكَّةَ وَالْمَدِينَةِ وَالثُّغُورِ، وَعَلَى الضَّعْفَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ، وَلَا أَسْتَحِلُّ حِلَّهَا وَلَا بَيْعَهَا وَإِنَّمَا أُوَكِّلُ عَلَى بَيْعِ أَمْلَاكِي. فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ الْقَاهِرُ بِذَلِكَ أَحْضَرَ الْقَاضِيَ وَالْعُدُولَ، وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ أَنَّهُ قَدْ حَلَّ وُقُوفَهَا جَمِيعَهَا، وَوَكَّلَ فِي بَيْعِهَا، فَبِيعَ ذَلِكَ جَمِيعُهُ مَعَ غَيْرِهِ، وَاشْتَرَاهُ الْجُنْدُ مِنْ أَرْزَاقِهِمْ، وَتَقَدَّمَ الْقَاهِرُ بِكَبْسِ الدُّورِ الَّتِي سُعِيَ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ اخْتَفَى فِيهَا وَلَدُ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ كَذَلِكَ إِلَى أَنْ وَجَدُوا مِنْهُمْ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ الرَّاضِيَ، وَهَارُونَ، وَعَلِيًّا، وَالْعَبَّاسَ، وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَالْفَضْلَ، فَحُمِلُوا إِلَى دَارِ الْخَلِيفَةِ فَصُودِرُوا عَلَى مَالٍ كَثِيرٍ، وَسَلَّمَهُمْ عَلِيُّ بْنُ بُلَيْقٍ إِلَى كَاتِبِهِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ هَارُونَ فَأَحْسَنَ صُحْبَتَهُمْ. وَاسْتَقَرَّ أَبُو عَلِيِّ بْنُ مُقْلَةَ فِي الْوِزَارَةِ، ( وَعَزَلَ وَوَلَّى )، وَقَبَضَ عَلَى ( جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْعُمَّالِ، وَقَبَضَ عَلَى ) بَنِي الْبَرِيدِيِّ، وَعَزَلَهُمْ عَنْ أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَصَادَرَهُمْ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the Caliphate of al-Qāhir bi-llāh When al-Muqtadir bi-llāh was killed, his killing weighed heavily upon Muʾnis, and he said: "The right course is to appoint his son Abū al-ʿAbbās (Aḥmad) to the caliphate, for he is my protégé. He is an intelligent young boy who possesses religion, generosity, and faithfulness to what he says. If he sits in the caliphate, the heart of his grandmother, the mother of al-Muqtadir, and his brothers, and his father's servants, will yield to the giving of wealth, and no two goats will butt heads over the killing of al-Muqtadir." Abū Yaʿqūb Isḥāq b. Ismāʿīl al-Nūbakhtī objected to him, saying: "After struggle and fatigue we have gotten relief from a caliph who has a mother, a maternal aunt, and servants who manage him, and now we are to return to that state! By God, we will accept nothing but a complete man, who manages himself and manages us." He kept at it until he turned Muʾnis from his opinion. He mentioned to him Abū Manṣūr Muḥammad b. al-Muʿtaḍid, and Muʾnis consented to that. In that matter, al-Nūbakhtī was like one seeking his own death by his own hoof, for al-Qāhir killed him, as we shall mention. And perhaps you love a thing while it is evil for you. Muʾnis ordered Muḥammad b. al-Muʿtaḍid to be brought, and they pledged allegiance to him as caliph with two nights remaining of Shawwāl, and they titled him al-Qāhir bi-llāh. Muʾnis disliked his caliphate and his pledge of allegiance to him, and he would say: "Surely I know his evil and his ill intent, but there is no recourse." When he received allegiance, Muʾnis made him swear an oath for himself, for his chamberlain Bulayq, and for ʿAlī b. Bulayq, and they took his written undertaking to that effect. The caliphate was settled for him, and the people pledged allegiance to him. He appointed as vizier Abū ʿAlī b. Muqlah, who was in Fārs; he summoned him and he served as his vizier. Al-Qāhir appointed ʿAlī b. Bulayq as chamberlain. Al-Qāhir occupied himself with searching for those of the sons of al-Muqtadir and his women who had gone into hiding, and with interrogations of the mother of al-Muqtadir. She was ill, and dropsy had begun to afflict her; her illness had increased because of the killing of her son. When she heard that he had remained with his private parts uncovered, she grieved intensely and refrained from food and drink until she nearly perished. The women admonished her until she ate a little bread and salt. Then al-Qāhir brought her before him and asked her about her wealth. She admitted to him what she had of jewelry and clothing, but she did not admit to any money or gems. He beat her with the harshest beating there can be, hung her by her leg, and struck the delicate parts of her body. She swore that she owned nothing other than what she had disclosed to him, and she said: "If I had money, I would not have handed over my son to be killed." She did not admit to anything. He confiscated the property of all of al-Muqtadir's entourage and companions. Al-Qāhir brought out the mother of al-Muqtadir to have her testify against herself before the judges and notaries that she had dissolved her endowments and authorized their sale. She refused that, saying: "I endowed them for the gates of piety and nearness to God in Makkah and Madinah and the frontier fortresses, and for the weak and the poor. I do not deem it lawful to dissolve them or sell them; I only authorize the sale of my own properties." When al-Qāhir learned of that, he summoned the judge and the notaries and had them bear witness against himself that he had dissolved all her endowments and authorized their sale. All of that was sold along with other things, and the soldiers bought it from their stipends. Al-Qāhir ordered that the houses be raided where it was reported to him that the sons of al-Muqtadir were hiding. This continued until they found among them Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Rāḍī, Hārūn, ʿAlī, al-ʿAbbās, Ibrāhīm, and al-Faḍl. They were carried to the caliphal palace and were mulcted for a great deal of money. ʿAlī b. Bulayq handed them over to his scribe al-Ḥasan b. Hārūn, who treated them well in his company. Abū ʿAlī b. Muqlah was established in the vizierate, and he dismissed and appointed. He seized a group of tax collectors, and he seized the Banū al-Barīdī, dismissed them from their offices, and mulcted them.
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