Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4287
Then the year 359 AH began
ذِكْرُ قَتْلِ نَقْفُورَ مَلِكِ الرُّومِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ قُتِلَ نَقْفُورُ مَلِكُ الرُّومِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ دُمُسْتُقًا، وَالدُّمُسْتُقُ عِنْدَهُمُ الَّذِي كَانَ يَلِي بِلَادَ الرُّومِ الَّتِي هِيَ شَرْقِيَّ خَلِيجِ الْقُسْطَنْطِينِيَّةِ، وَأَكْثَرُهَا الْيَوْمَ بِيَدِ أَوْلَادِ فَلْجَ أَرْسِلَانَ، وَكَانَ كُلُّ مَنْ يَلِيهَا يُلَقَّبُ بِالدُّمُسْتُقِ، وَكَانَ نَقْفُورُ هَذَا شَدِيدًا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَخَذَ حَلَبَ أَيَّامَ سَيْفِ الدَّوْلَةِ فَعَظُمَ شَأْنُهُ عِنْدَ الرُّومِ، وَهُوَ أَيْضًا الَّذِي فَتَحَ طَرَسُوسَ، وَالْمِصِّيصَةَ، وَأَذَنَةَ، وَعَيْنَ زَرْبَةَ، وَغَيْرَهَا. وَلَمْ يَكُنْ نَصْرَانِيَّ الْأَصْلِ، وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مَنْ وَلَدِ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ طَرَسُوسَ يُعْرَفُ بِابْنِ الْفَقَّاسِ تَنَصَّرَ، وَكَانَ ابْنُهُ هَذَا شَهْمًا، شُجَاعًا، حَسَنَ التَّدْبِيرِ لِمَا يَتَوَلَّاهُ. فَلَمَّا عَظُمَ أَمْرُهُ وَقَوِيَ شَأْنُهُ قَتَلَ الْمَلِكَ الَّذِي كَانَ قَبْلَهُ، وَمَلَكَ الرُّومَ بَعْدَهُ. وَقَدْ ذَكَرْنَا هَذَا جَمِيعَهُ. فَلَمَّا مَلَكَ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةَ الْمَلِكِ الْمَقْتُولِ عَلَى كُرْهٍ مِنْهَا، وَكَانَ لَهَا مِنَ الْمَلِكِ الْمَقْتُولِ ابْنَانِ، وَجَعَلَ نَقْفُورُ هِمَّتَهُ قَصْدَ بِلَادِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَالِاسْتِيلَاءَ عَلَيْهَا، وَتَمَّ لَهُ مَا أَرَادَ بِاشْتِغَالِ مُلُوكِ الْإِسْلَامِ بَعْضِهِمْ بِبَعْضٍ، فَدَوَّخَ الْبِلَادَ وَكَانَ قَدْ بَنَى أَمْرَهُ عَلَى أَنْ يَقْصِدَ سَوَادَ الْبِلَادِ فَيَنْهَبَهُ وَيُخَرِّبَهُ، فَيُضْعِفَ الْبِلَادَ فَيَمْلِكُهَا، وَغَلَبَ عَلَى ثُغُورِ الْجَزَرِيَّةِ وَالشَّامِيَّةِ وَسَبَى، وَأَسَرَ مَا يَخْرُجُ عَنِ الْحَصْرِ، وَهَابَهُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ هَيْبَةً عَظِيمَةً، وَلَمْ يَشُكُّوا فِي أَنَّهُ يَمْلِكُ جَمِيعَ الشَّامِ، وَمِصْرَ، وَالْجَزِيرَةِ وَدِيَارَ بَكْرٍ لِخُلُوِّ الْجَمِيعِ مِنْ مَانِعٍ. فَلَمَّا اسْتَفْحَلَ أَمْرُهُ أَتَاهُ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَحْتَسِبْ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ عَزَمَ عَلَى أَنْ يُخْصِيَ ابْنَيِ الْمَلِكِ الْمَقْتُولِ لِيَنْقَطِعَ نَسْلُهُمَا، وَلَا يُعَارِضَ أَحَدٌ أَوْلَادَهُ فِي الْمُلْكِ، فَلَمَّا عَلِمَتْ أُمُّهُمَا ذَلِكَ قَلِقَتْ مِنْهُ، وَاحْتَالَتْ عَلَى قَتْلِهِ، فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَى ابْنِ الشَّمْشَقِيقِ، وَهُوَ الدُّمُسْتُقُ حِينَئِذٍ، وَوَافَقَتْهُ عَلَى أَنْ يَصِيرَ إِلَيْهَا فِي زِيِّ النِّسَاءِ وَمَعَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ، وَقَالَتْ لِزَوْجِهَا إِنَّ نِسْوَةً مِنْ أَهْلِهَا قَدْ زَارُوهَا، فَلَمَّا صَارَ إِلَيْهَا هُوَ وَمَنْ مَعَهُ جَعَلَهُمْ فِي بَيْعَةٍ تَتَّصِلُ بِدَارِ الْمُلْكِ، وَكَانَ الشَّمْشَقِيقُ شَدِيدَ الْخَوْفِ مِنْهُ لِعِظَمِ هَيْبَتِهِ، فَاسْتَجَابَ لِلْمَرْأَةِ إِلَى مَا دَعَتْهُ إِلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا كَانَ لَيْلَةُ الْمِيلَادِ مِنْ هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ نَامَ، وَاسْتَقَلَّ فِي نَوْمِهِ، فَفَتَحَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ الْبَابَ وَدَخَلُوا إِلَيْهِ فَقَتَلُوهُ، وَثَارَ بِهِمْ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ وَخَاصَّتِهِ، فَقُتِلَ مِنْهُمْ نَيِّفٌ وَسَبْعُونَ رَجُلًا، وَأُجْلِسَ فِي الْمُلْكِ الْأَكْبَرُ مِنْ وَلَدَيِ الْمَلِكِ الْمَقْتُولِ، وَصَارَ الْمُدَبِّرُ لَهُ ابْنَ الشَّمْشَقِيقِ، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّ نَقْفُورَ مَا بَاتَ قَطُّ إِلَّا بِسِلَاحٍ إِلَّا تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ لِمَا يُرِيدُهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ قَتْلِهِ وَفَنَاءِ أَجَلِهِ.
Translation
✧ Account of the killing of Naqfur, king of the Byzantines In this year Naqfur, king of the Byzantines, was killed. He was not of the royal house, but rather a domesticus, and the domesticus among them is the one who governs the Byzantine lands east of the Gulf of Constantinople, most of which is today in the hands of the sons of Falj Arslān. Everyone who governs those lands is titled domesticus. This Naqfur was harsh upon the Muslims. He it was who seized Aleppo in the days of Sayf al-Dawlah, and thus his standing became great among the Byzantines. He it was also who conquered Tarsus, al-Maṣṣīṣah, Adhanah, ʿAyn Zarbah, and others. He was not originally a Christian; rather he was the son of a Muslim man of the people of Tarsus known as Ibn al-Faqqās who became a Christian. This son was shrewd, brave, and of sound judgment in what he undertook. When his affair became great and his standing strong, he killed the king who was before him and ruled the Byzantines after him. We have already mentioned all this. When he became king, he married the wife of the slain king against her will. She had two sons by the slain king. Naqfur directed his efforts toward the lands of Islam and sought to conquer them. What he wanted came about because of the Muslim kings' preoccupation with one another. He subdued the lands, and he had built his policy upon raiding the cultivated regions, plundering and destroying them, thereby weakening the lands so he could conquer them. He gained mastery over the frontier fortresses of the Jazīrah and Syria, took captives and prisoners beyond count. The Muslims feared him greatly and had no doubt that he would take all of Syria, Egypt, the Jazīrah, and Diyār Bakr, since all were devoid of anyone to defend them. When his affair became formidable, God's command came to him from whence he did not expect. He resolved to castrate the two sons of the slain king so that their line would be cut off and none would oppose his own children for the throne. When their mother learned of this, she was distressed and plotted to kill him. She sent to Ibn al-Shamshiq, who was the domesticus at that time, and agreed with him that he should come to her dressed as a woman, accompanied by a group. She told her husband that women of her family had come to visit her. When he and his companions came to her, she placed them in a church adjoining the royal palace. Al-Shamshiq was in great fear of him because of his tremendous awe, but he answered the woman's call. On Christmas night of this year he slept and was sound in his sleep. His wife opened the door, and they entered upon him and killed him. A group of his family and close associates rose against them, and more than seventy men of them were killed. The elder of the two sons of the slain king was seated in kingship, and Ibn al-Shamshiq became his chief administrator. It is said that Naqfur never spent a night without weapons except that night, because God Most High willed his killing and the end of his appointed term.
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