Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4339
Then the year 363 AH began
ذِكْرُ الْحَرْبِ بَيْنَ الْمُعِزِّ لِدِينِ اللَّهِ الْعَلَوِيِّ وَالْقَرَامِطَةِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ سَارَ الْقَرَامِطَةُ، وَمُقَدَّمُهُمُ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ، مِنَ الْأَحْسَاءِ إِلَى دِيَارِ مِصْرَ فَحَصَرَهَا، وَلَمَّا سَمِعَ الْمُعِزُّ لِدِينِ اللَّهِ صَاحِبُ مِصْرَ بِأَنَّهُ يُرِيدُ قَصْدَ مِصْرَ كَتَبَ إِلَيْهِ كِتَابًا يَذْكُرُ فِيهِ فَضْلَ نَفْسِهِ وَأَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ، وَأَنَّ الدَّعْوَةَ وَاحِدَةٌ، وَأَنَّ الْقَرَامِطَةَ إِنَّمَا كَانَتْ دَعْوَتُهُمْ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِلَى آبَائِهِ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ، وَوَعَظَهُ وَبَالَغَ، وَتَهَدَّدَهُ، وَسَيَّرَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَيْهِ. فَكَتَبَ جَوَابَهُ: وَصَلَ كِتَابُكَ الَّذِي قَلَّ تَحْصِيلُهُ وَكَثُرَ تَفْضِيلُهُ، وَنَحْنُ سَائِرُونَ إِلَيْكَ عَلَى أَثَرِهِ، وَالسَّلَامُ. وَسَارَ حَتَّى وَصَلَ إِلَى مِصْرَ، فَنَزَلَ عَلَى عَيْنِ شَمْسٍ بِعَسْكَرِهِ، وَأَنْشَبَ الْقِتَالَ، وَبَثَّ السَّرَايَا فِي الْبِلَادِ يَنْهَبُونَهَا فَكَثُرَتْ جُمُوعُهُ، وَأَتَاهُ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ خَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ أَتَاهُ حَسَّانُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ الطَّائِيُّ، أَمِيرُ الْعَرَبِ بِالشَّامِ، وَمَعَهُ جَمْعٌ عَظِيمٌ. فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُعِزُّ كَثْرَةَ جُمُوعِهِ اسْتَعْظَمَ ذَلِكَ وَأَهَمَّهُ، وَتَحَيَّرَ فِي أَمْرِهِ، وَلَمْ يُقْدِمْ عَلَى إِخْرَاجِ عَسْكَرِهِ لِقِتَالِهِ، فَاسْتَشَارَ أَهْلَ الرَّأْيِ مِنْ نُصَحَائِهِ، فَقَالُوا: لَيْسَ حِيلَةٌ غَيْرَ السَّعْيِ فِي تَفْرِيقِ كَلِمَتِهِمْ، وَإِلْقَاءِ الْخُلْفِ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَلَا يَتِمُّ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِابْنِ الْجَرَّاحِ، فَرَاسَلَهُ ال?مُعِزُّ وَاسْتَمَالَهُ، وَبَذَلَ لَهُ مِائَةَ أَلْفَ دِينَارٍ إِنْ هُوَ خَالَفَ عَلَى الْقَرْمَطِيِّ، فَأَجَابَهُ ابْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ إِلَى مَا طَلَبَ مِنْهُ، فَاسْتَحْلَفُوهُ، فَحَلَفَ أَنَّهُ إِذَا وَصَلَ إِلَيْهِ الْمَالُ الْمُقَرَّرُ انْهَزَمَ بِالنَّاسِ. فَأَحْضَرُوا الْمَالَ، فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ اسْتَكْثَرُوهُ، فَضَرَبُوا أَكْثَرَهَا دَنَانِيرَ مِنْ صَفَرَ، وَأَلْبَسُوهَا الذَّهَبَ، وَجَعَلُوهَا فِي أَسْفَلِ الْأَكْيَاسِ، وَجَعَلُوا الذَّهَبَ الْخَاصَّ عَلَى رُءُوسِهَا، وَحُمِلَ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى الْمُعِزِّ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ فِي عَسْكَرِهِ يَوْمَ كَذَا وَيُقَاتِلُوهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْجِهَةِ الْفُلَانِيَّةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْهَزِمُ، فَفَعَلَ الْمُعِزُّ ذَلِكَ فَانْهَزَمَ وَتَبِعَهُ الْعَرَبُ كَافَّةً، فَلَمَّا رَآهُ الْحَسَنُ الْقَرْمَطِيُّ مُنْهَزِمًا تَحَيَّرَ فِي أَمْرِهِ، وَثَبَتَ، وَقَاتَلَ بِعَسْكَرِهِ إِلَّا أَنَّ عَسْكَرَ الْمُعِزِّ طَمِعُوا فِيهِ وَتَابَعُوا الْحَمَلَاتِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ كُلِّ جَانِبٍ، فَأَرْهَقُوهُ، فَوَلَّى مُنْهَزِمًا، وَاتَّبَعُوا أَثَرَهُ، وَظَفِرُوا بِمُعَسْكَرِهِ فَأَخَذُوا مَنْ فِيهِ أَسْرَى، وَكَانُوا نَحْوَ أَلْفٍ وَخَمْسِمِائَةِ أَسِيرٍ، فَضُرِبَتْ أَعْنَاقُهُمْ، وَنُهِبَ مَا فِي الْمُعَسْكَرِ. وَجُرِّدَ الْمُعِزُّ الْقَائِدُ أَبُو مُحَمَّدِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ فِي عَشَرَةِ آلَافِ رَجُلٍ، وَأَمَرَهُ بِاتِّبَاعِ الْقَرَامِطَةِ بِهِمْ، فَاتَّبَعَهُمْ، وَتَثَاقَلَ فِي سَيْرِهِ خَوْفًا أَنْ تَرْجِعَ الْقَرَامِطَةُ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَمَّا هُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ سَارُوا حَتَّى نَزَلُوا أَذْرِعَاتٍ، وَسَارُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَى بَلَدِهِمُ الْأَحْسَاءِ، وَيُظْهِرُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يَعُودُونَ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the war between al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh the ʿAlawī and the Qarāmiṭa In this year, the Qarāmiṭa, with their commander al-Ḥasan b. Aḥmad, marched from al-Aḥsāʾ to the lands of Egypt and besieged it. When al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh, the ruler of Egypt, heard that he intended to make for Egypt, he wrote him a letter in which he mentioned the excellence of himself and his household, that the call was one, and that the Qarāmiṭa's call had only been to him and to his forefathers before him. He admonished him, went to great lengths, threatened him, and sent the letter to him. He wrote in reply: Your letter has arrived, whose attainment is little and whose favor is much. We are marching to you on its heels. Peace. He marched until he reached Egypt and encamped at ʿAyn Shams with his army. He began fighting and sent out raiding parties into the lands to plunder them. His forces grew numerous, and many Arabs came to him. Among those who came to him was Ḥassān b. al-Jarrāḥ al-Ṭāʾī, the chief of the Arabs in Syria, with a great host. When al-Muʿizz saw the multitude of his forces, he deemed it grave and was distressed, and he was perplexed about his affair. He did not venture to send out his army to fight him. He consulted his sincere advisers, and they said: There is no device other than to strive to disperse their unity and to sow discord among them. That will only be accomplished through Ibn al-Jarrāḥ. So al-Muʿizz corresponded with him, won him over, and offered him one hundred thousand dinars if he would turn against the Qarmaṭī. Ibn al-Jarrāḥ agreed to what was asked of him, and they made him swear. He swore that when the stipulated money reached him, he would flee with the people. They brought the money, and when they saw it they deemed it too much. So they struck most of it as dinars of brass, coated them with gold, and placed them at the bottom of the bags, and they placed the pure gold on top of them. It was carried to him. He sent word to al-Muʿizz to come out with his army on such-and-such a day and to fight him, and that he would be on such-and-such a side and would flee. Al-Muʿizz did that, and he fled, and the Arabs all followed him. When al-Ḥasan the Qarmaṭī saw him fleeing, he was perplexed about his affair, but he stood firm and fought with his army. However, al-Muʿizz's army became emboldened against him and pressed attacks upon him from every side, overwhelming him. He turned and fled, and they pursued his track. They seized his camp and took those in it as captives, about one thousand five hundred captives, and their necks were struck, and what was in the camp was plundered. Al-Muʿizz dispatched the commander Abū Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm b. Jaʿfar with ten thousand men and ordered him to pursue the Qarāmiṭa with them. He pursued them, but he proceeded slowly in his march, fearing that the Qarāmiṭa might turn back upon him. As for them, they marched until they halted at Adhriʿāt, and then they marched to their land al-Aḥsāʾ, while making it appear that they would return.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording. Ask what scholars say about its grade