Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3897
Then the Year 326 AH Began
ذِكْرُ قَطَعِ يَدِ ابْنِ مُقْلَةَ وَلِسَانِهِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ فِي مُنْتَصَفِ شَوَّالٍ قُطِعَتْ يَدُ الْوَزِيرِ أَبِي عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُقْلَةَ. وَكَانَ سَبَبُ قَطْعِهَا أَنَّ الْوَزِيرَ أَبَا الْفَتْحِ بْنَ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ الْفُرَاتِ لَمَّا عَجَزَ عَنِ الْوِزَارَةِ وَسَارَ إِلَى الشَّامِ، اسْتَوْزَرَ الْخَلِيفَةُ الرَّاضِي بِاللَّهِ أَبَا عَلِيِّ بْنَ مُقْلَةَ، وَلَيْسَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ، إِنَّمَا الْأَمْرُ جَمِيعُهُ إِلَى ابْنِ رَائِقٍ، وَكَانَ ابْنُ رَائِقٍ قَبَضَ أَمْوَالَ ابْنِ مُقْلَةَ وَأَمْلَاكَهُ، وَأَمْلَاكَ ابْنِهِ، فَخَاطَبَهُ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّهَا، فَاسْتَمَالَ أَصْحَابَهُ، وَسَأَلَهُمْ مُخَاطَبَتَهُ فِي رَدِّهَا، فَوَعَدُوهُ، فَلَمْ يَقْضُوا حَاجَتَهُ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ، سَعَى بِابْنِ رَائِقٍ، فَكَاتَبَ بُجْكُمَ يُطَمِّعُهُ فِي مَوْضِعِ ابْنِ رَائِقٍ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى وَشْمَكِيرَ بِمِثْلِ ذَلِكَ وَهُوَ بِالرَّيِّ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى الرَّاضِي يُشِيرُ عَلَيْهِ بِالْقَبْضِ عَلَى ابْنِ رَائِقٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، وَيَضْمَنُ أَنَّهُ يَسْتَخْرِجُ مِنْهُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ آلَافِ أَلْفِ دِينَارٍ، وَأَشَارَ عَلَيْهِ بِاسْتِدْعَاءِ بُجْكُمَ وَإِقَامَتِهِ مَقَامَ ابْنِ رَائِقٍ، فَأَطْمَعَهُ الرَّاضِي وَهُوَ كَارِهٌ لِمَا قَالَهُ، فَعَجَّلَ ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ، وَكَتَبَ إِلَى بُجْكُمَ يُعَرِّفُهُ إِجَابَةَ الرَّاضِي، وَيَسْتَحِثُّهُ عَلَى الْحَرَكَةِ وَالْمَجِيءِ إِلَى بَغْدَاذَ. وَطَلَبَ ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ مِنَ الرَّاضِي أَنْ يَنْتَقِلَ وَيُقِيمَ عِنْدَهُ بِدَارِ الْخِلَافَةِ إِلَى أَنْ يُتِمَّ عَلَى ابْنِ رَائِقٍ مَا اتَّفَقَا عَلَيْهِ، فَأَذِنَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَحَضَرَ مُتَنَكِّرًا آخِرَ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْقَمَرَ تَحْتَ الشُّعَاعِ، وَهُوَ يَصْلُحُ لِلْأَسْرَارِ، فَكَانَ عُقُوبَتُهُ حِينَ نَظَرَ إِلَى غَيْرِ اللَّهِ أَنْ ذَاعَ سِرُّهُ وَشَهُرَ أَمْرُهُ، فَلَمَّا حَصَلَ بِدَارِ الْخَلِيفَةِ لَمْ يُوصِلْهُ الرَّاضِي إِلَيْهِ، وَاعْتَقَلَهُ فِي حُجْرَةٍ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ الْغَدُ، أَنْفَذَ إِلَى ابْنِ رَائِقٍ يُعَرِّفُهُ الْحَالَ، وَيَعْرِضُ عَلَيْهِ خَطَّ ابْنِ مُقْلَةَ، فَشَكَرَ الرَّاضِي، وَمَا زَالَتِ الرُّسُلُ تَتَرَدَّدُ بَيْنَهُمَا فِي مَعْنَى ابْنِ مُقْلَةَ إِلَى مُنْتَصَفِ شَوَّالٍ، فَأُخْرِجَ ابْنُ مُقْلَةَ مِنْ مَحْبَسِهِ، وَقُطِعَتْ يَدُهُ ثُمَّ عُولِجَ فَبَرَأَ، فَعَادَ يُكَاتِبُ الرَّاضِيَ، وَيَخْطُبُ الْوِزَارَةَ، وَيَذْكُرُ [ أَنَّ ] قَطْعَ يَدِهِ لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مِنْ عَمَلِهِ، وَكَانَ يَشُدُّ الْقَلَمَ عَلَى يَدِهِ الْمَقْطُوعَةِ وَيَكْتُبُ. فَلَمَّا قَرُبَ بُجْكُمُ مِنْ بَغْدَاذَ، سَمِعَ الْخَدَمَ يَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِذَلِكَ، فَقَالَ: إِنْ وَصَلَ بُجْكُمُ فَهُوَ يَسْتَخْلِصُنِي، وَأُكَافِئُ ابْنَ رَائِقٍ، وَصَارَ يَدْعُو عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَهُ وَقَطَعَ يَدَهُ، فَوَصَلَ خَبَرُهُ إِلَى الرَّاضِي وَإِلَى ابْنِ رَائِقٍ، فَأَمَرَا بِقَطْعِ لِسَانِهِ، ثُمَّ نُقِلَ إِلَى مَحْبِسٍ ضَيِّقٍ، ثُمَّ لَحِقَهُ ذَرَبٌ فِي الْحَبْسِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مَنْ يَخْدِمُهُ، فَآلَ الْحَالُ إِلَى أَنْ كَانَ يَسْتَقِي الْمَاءَ مِنَ الْبِئْرِ بِيَدِهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَيُمْسِكُ الْحَبْلَ بِفِيهِ، وَلَحِقَهُ شَقَاءٌ شَدِيدٌ إِلَى أَنْ مَاتَ، وَدُفِنَ بِدَارِ الْخَلِيفَةِ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ أَهْلَهُ سَأَلُوا فِيهِ، فَنُبِشَ وَسُلِّمَ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَدَفَنُوهُ فِي دَارِهِ، ثُمَّ نُبِشَ فَنُقِلَ إِلَى دَارٍ أُخْرَى. وَمِنَ الْعَجَبِ أَنَّهُ وَلِيَ الْوِزَارَةَ ثَلَاثَ دَفَعَاتٍ، وَوَزَرَ لِثَلَاثَةِ خُلَفَاءَ، وَسَافَرَ ثَلَاثَ سَفَرَاتٍ: اثْنَتَيْنِ مَنْفِيًّا إِلَى شِيرَازَ، وَوَاحِدَةً فِي وِزَارَتِهِ إِلَى الْمَوْصِلِ، وَدُفِنَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، وَخُصَّ بِهِ مَنْ خَدَمَهُ ثَلَاثَةٌ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the cutting off of Ibn Muqlah’s hand and his tongue In this year, in the middle of Shawwāl, the hand of the vizier Abū ʿAlī b. Muqlah was cut off. The reason for its cutting off was that when the vizier Abū al-Fatḥ b. Jaʿfar b. al-Furāt proved incapable of the vizierate and departed to Syria, the caliph al-Rāḍī bi-llāh appointed Abū ʿAlī b. Muqlah as vizier, but he had no authority in any matter; rather, all authority belonged to Ibn Rāʾiq. Ibn Rāʾiq had seized the wealth of Ibn Muqlah and his estates, as well as the estates of his son. Ibn Muqlah approached him about it, but he did not return them. So Ibn Muqlah won over his companions and asked them to intercede with Ibn Rāʾiq for the return of his property, and they promised him, but they did not fulfill his need. When he saw that, he plotted against Ibn Rāʾiq, corresponding with Bajkam, enticing him with Ibn Rāʾiq’s position, and he wrote to Washmgīr similarly while he was at al-Rayy. He also wrote to al-Rāḍī advising him to arrest Ibn Rāʾiq and his companions, guaranteeing that he could extract from them three million dinars, and he advised him to summon Bajkam and install him in Ibn Rāʾiq’s place. Al-Rāḍī gave him hope, though he disliked what he said. Ibn Muqlah acted quickly and wrote to Bajkam informing him of al-Rāḍī’s consent, urging him to move and come to Baghdad. Ibn Muqlah asked al-Rāḍī to let him move and stay with him in the caliphal palace until he completed what they had agreed upon regarding Ibn Rāʾiq. Al-Rāḍī permitted him that, so he arrived in disguise on the last night of Ramaḍān, saying, “The moon is under the rays, and it is suitable for secrets.” His punishment for looking to other than God was that his secret was divulged and his affair became public. When he got to the caliph’s palace, al-Rāḍī did not admit him to his presence, but detained him in a chamber. The next morning, al-Rāḍī sent to Ibn Rāʾiq informing him of the situation and showing him Ibn Muqlah’s letter. Ibn Rāʾiq thanked al-Rāḍī, and messengers kept going back and forth between them regarding Ibn Muqlah until the middle of Shawwāl. Then Ibn Muqlah was brought out of his prison, and his hand was cut off. Then he was treated and recovered, and he resumed writing to al-Rāḍī, seeking the vizierate and mentioning that the cutting off of his hand did not prevent him from his work; he would tie the pen to his severed hand and write. When Bajkam drew near to Baghdad, Ibn Muqlah heard the servants talking about that, so he said, “If Bajkam arrives, he will deliver me, and I will reward Ibn Rāʾiq.” He began to curse those who had wronged him and cut off his hand. His words reached al-Rāḍī and Ibn Rāʾiq, so they ordered that his tongue be cut off. Then he was moved to a narrow prison, and he was afflicted with diarrhea in prison, and there was no one to serve him. Matters reached the point where he would draw water from the well with his left hand, holding the rope with his mouth. He suffered severe hardship until he died, and he was buried in the caliph’s palace. Then his family asked about him, so he was exhumed and handed over to them, and they buried him in his house. Then he was exhumed again and moved to another house. Among the wonders is that he held the vizierate three times, served as vizier for three caliphs, and traveled three journeys: two as an exile to Shiraz and one during his vizierate to Mosul. And he was buried three times after his death, and he was distinguished by serving three individuals.
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