Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4075
Then the year 339 AH began
ذِكْرُ أَخْبَارِ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ شَاهِينَ ، وَانْهِزَامِ عَسَاكِرِ مُعِزِّ الدَّوْلَةِ وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا حَالَ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ شَاهِينَ بَعْدَ مَسِيرِ الصَّيْمَرِيِّ عَنْهُ، وَأَنَّهُ زَادَ قُوَّةً وَجُرْأَةً، فَأَنْفَذَ مُعِزُّ الدَّوْلَةِ إِلَى قِتَالِهِ رُوزْبَهَانَ، وَهُوَ مِنْ أَعْيَانِ عَسْكَرِهِ، فَنَازَلَهُ وَقَاتَلَهُ، فَطَاوَلَهُ عِمْرَانُ، وَتَحَصَّنَ مِنْهُ فِي مَضَايِقِ الْبَطِيحَةِ، فَضَجَرَ رُوزْبَهَانُ وَأَقْدَمَ عَلَيْهِ طَالِبًا لِلْمُنَاجَزَةِ، فَاسْتَظْهَرَ عَلَيْهِ عِمْرَانُ وَهَزَمَهُ وَأَصْحَابَهُ، وَقَتَلَ مِنْهُمْ وَغَنِمَ جَمِيعَ مَا مَعَهُمْ مِنَ السِّلَاحِ وَآلَاتِ الْحَرْبِ، فَقَوِيَ بِهَا، وَتَضَاعَفَتْ قُوَّتُهُ، فَطَمِعَ أَصْحَابُهُ فِي السُّلْطَانِ، فَصَارُوا إِذَا اجْتَازَ بِهِمْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ السُّلْطَانِ، يَطْلُبُونَ مِنْهُ الْبَذْرَقَةَ وَالْخِفَارَةَ، فَإِنْ أَعْطَاهُمْ، وَإِلَّا ضَرَبُوهُ وَاسْتَخَفُّوا بِهِ وَشَتَمُوهُ. وَكَانَ الْجُنْدُ لَا بُدَّ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْعُبُورِ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَى ضَيَاعِهِمْ وَمَعَايِشِهِمْ بِالْبَصْرَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا، ثُمَّ انْقَطَعَ الطَّرِيقُ إِلَى الْبَصْرَةِ إِلَّا عَلَى الظَّهْرِ، فَشَكَا النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى مُعِزِّ الدَّوْلَةِ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَى الْمُهَلَّبِيِّ بِالْمَسِيرِ إِلَى وَاسِطَ لِهَذَا السَّبَبِ، وَكَانَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ، فَأَصْعَدَ إِلَيْهَا، وَأَمَدَّهُ مُعِزُّ الدَّوْلَةِ بِالْقُوَّادِ وَالْأَجْنَادِ وَالسِّلَاحِ، وَأَطْلَقَ يَدَهُ فِي الْإِنْفَاقِ، فَزَحَفَ إِلَى الْبَطِيحَةِ وَضَيَّقَ عَلَى عِمْرَانَ، وَسَدَّ الْمَذَاهِبَ عَلَيْهِ، فَانْتَهَى إِلَى الْمَضَايِقِ لَا يَعْرِفُهَا إِلَّا عِمْرَانُ وَأَصْحَابُهُ، وَأَحَبَّ رُوزْبَهَانُ أَنْ يُصِيبَ الْمُهَلَّبِيَّ مَا أَصَابَهُ مِنَ الْهَزِيمَةِ، وَلَا يَسْتَبِدَّ بِالظَّفَرِ وَالْفَتْحِ، وَأَشَارَ عَلَى الْمُهَلَّبِيِّ بِالْهُجُومِ عَلَى عِمْرَانَ، فَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ مِنْهُ، فَكَتَبَ إِلَى مُعِزِّ الدَّوْلَةِ يُعَجِّزُ الْمُهَلَّبِيَّ، وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ يُطَاوِلُ لِيُنْفِقَ الْأَمْوَالَ وَيَفْعَلَ مَا يُرِيدُ، فَكَتَبَ مُعِزُّ الدَّوْلَةِ بِالْعَتَبِ وَالِاسْتِبْطَاءِ، فَتَرَكَ الْمُهَلَّبِيُّ الْحَزْمَ، وَمَا كَانَ يُرِيدُ [ أَنْ ] يَفْعَلَهُ، وَدَخَلَ بِجَمِيعِ عَسْكَرِهِ، وَهَجَمَ عَلَى مَكَانِ عِمْرَانَ، وَكَانَ قَدْ جَعَلَ الْكُمَنَاءَ فِي تِلْكَ الْمَضَايِقِ، وَتَأَخَّرَ رُوزْبَهَانُ لِيَسْلَمَ عِنْدَ الْهَزِيمَةِ. فَلَمَّا تَقَدَّمَ الْمُهَلَّبِيُّ، خَرَجَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ الْكُمَنَاءُ، وَوَضَعُوا فِيهِمُ السِّلَاحَ، فَقُتِلُوا، وَغُرِّقُوا، وَأُسِرُوا، وَانْصَرَفَ رُوزْبَهَانُ سَالِمًا هُوَ وَأَصْحَابُهُ، وَأَلْقَى الْمُهَلَّبِيُّ نَفْسَهُ فِي الْمَاءِ فَنَجَا سِبَاحَةً، وَأَسَرَ عِمْرَانُ الْقَوَّادَ وَالْأَكَابِرَ، فَاضْطُرَّ مُعِزُّ الدَّوْلَةِ إِلَى مُصَالَحَتِهِ وَإِطْلَاقِ مَنْ عِنْدِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ عِمْرَانَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ، فَأَطْلَقَ عِمْرَانُ مَنْ فِي أَسْرِهِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُعِزِّ الدَّوْلَةِ، وَقَلَّدَهُ مُعِزُّ الدَّوْلَةِ الْبَطَائِحَ، فَقَوِيَ وَاسْتَفْحَلَ أَمْرُهُ.
Translation
✧ Account of the affairs of ʿImrān b. Shāhīn and the rout of the armies of Muʿizz al-Dawlah We have already mentioned the situation of ʿImrān b. Shāhīn after al-Ṣaymarī departed from him, and that he increased in strength and boldness. Muʿizz al-Dawlah sent Rūzbahān, who was one of the notables of his army, to fight him. He encamped against him and fought him, but ʿImrān prolonged the affair against him and fortified himself from him in the narrow passes of the marsh. Rūzbahān became exasperated and advanced upon him seeking a decisive battle. ʿImrān gained the upper hand over him and routed him and his companions, killing some of them and seizing as booty all the weapons and implements of war they had with them. Thus he was strengthened by them and his power was doubled. His followers became covetous of the sultan's authority, so that whenever anyone from the sultan's entourage passed by them, they would demand from him a safe-conduct toll and protection money. If he gave it to them, well and good; otherwise they beat him, showed contempt for him, and reviled him. The soldiers had no choice but to pass by them to their estates and livelihoods in al-Baṣrah and elsewhere. Then the road to al-Baṣrah was cut off except by land. The people complained of that to Muʿizz al-Dawlah, so he wrote to al-Muhallabī ordering him to proceed to Wāsiṭ for this reason. He was in al-Baṣrah, so he went up to it. Muʿizz al-Dawlah reinforced him with commanders, troops, and weapons, and gave him free rein in spending. He marched to the marsh and tightened the pressure on ʿImrān, and blocked the routes against him. He reached the narrow passes that no one knew except ʿImrān and his companions. Rūzbahān wanted al-Muhallabī to suffer what he had suffered of defeat, and not to have sole possession of victory and conquest. He advised al-Muhallabī to assault ʿImrān, but he did not accept that from him. So he wrote to Muʿizz al-Dawlah accusing al-Muhallabī of incompetence, saying: 'He is prolonging matters in order to spend the money and do as he pleases.' Muʿizz al-Dawlah wrote back with reproach and criticism of his slowness. So al-Muhallabī abandoned prudence and what he had intended to do, and entered with all his army. He attacked ʿImrān's position, but ʿImrān had placed men in ambush in those narrow passes, while Rūzbahān held back so that he might escape safely when the rout occurred. When al-Muhallabī advanced, the men in ambush came out against him and his companions and set upon them with weapons. They were killed, drowned, and taken prisoner. Rūzbahān withdrew safely, he and his companions. Al-Muhallabī threw himself into the water and escaped by swimming. ʿImrān captured the commanders and the leading men. Muʿizz al-Dawlah was compelled to make peace with him and to release those of ʿImrān's family and brothers whom he held. So ʿImrān released those of Muʿizz al-Dawlah's men who were in his captivity, and Muʿizz al-Dawlah invested him with the marshes. Thus he grew strong and his affair became formidable.
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