Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4381
Then the year 368 AH began
ذِكْرُ وِلَايَةِ قَسَّامٍ دِمَشْقَ لَمَّا فَارَقَ الْفَتْكِينُ دِمَشْقَ كَمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، تَقَدَّمَ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا قَسَّامٌ، وَكَانَ سَبَبُ تَقَدُّمِ قَسَّامٍ أَنَّ الْفَتْكِينَ قَرَّبَهُ وَوَثِقَ إِلَيْهِ، وَعَوَّلَ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنْ أُمُورِهِ عَلَيْهِ، فَعَلَا ذِكْرُهُ وَصِيتُهُ، وَكَثُرَ أَتْبَاعُهُ مِنَ الْأَحْدَاثِ، فَاسْتَوْلَى عَلَى الْبَلَدِ وَحَكَمَ فِيهِ. وَكَانَ الْقَائِدُ أَبُو مَحْمُودٍ قَدْ عَادَ إِلَى الْبَلَدِ عَلَيْهِ وَالِيًا عَلَيْهِ لِلْعَزِيزِ، فَلَمْ يَتِمَّ لَهُ مَعَ قَسَّامٍ أَمْرٌ، وَكَانَ لَا حُكْمَ لَهُ، وَلَمْ يَزَلْ أَمْرُ قَسَّامٍ عَلَى دِمَشْقَ نَافِذًا، وَهُوَ يَدْعُو لِلْعَزِيزِ بِاللَّهِ الْعَلَوِيِّ. وَوَصَلَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو تَغْلِبَ بْنُ حَمْدَانَ، صَاحِبُ الْمَوْصِلِ، مُنْهَزِمًا كَمَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ، فَمَنَعَهُ قَسَّامٌ مِنْ دُخُولِ دِمَشْقَ، وَخَافَهُ عَلَى الْبَلَدِ أَنْ يَتَوَلَّاهُ، إِمَّا غَلَبَةً، وَإِمَّا بِأَمْرِ الْعَزِيزِ، فَاسْتَوْحَشَ ( أَبُو تَغْلِبَ ) وَجَرَى بَيْنَ أَصْحَابِهِ وَأَصْحَابِ أَبِي تَغْلِبَ شَيْءٌ مِنْ قِتَالٍ، فَرَحَلَ أَبُو تَغْلِبَ إِلَى طَبَرِيَةَ. وَوَرَدَ مِنْ عِنْدِ الْعَزِيزِ قَائِدٌ اسْمُهُ الْفَضْلُ فِي جَيْشٍ، فَحَصَرَ قَسَّامًا بِدِمَشْقَ، فَلَمْ يَظْفَرْ بِهِ، فَعَادَ عَنْهُ، وَبَقِيَ قَسَّامٌ كَذَلِكَ إِلَى سَنَةِ تِسْعٍ وَسِتِّينَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، فَسَيَّرَ مِنْ مِصْرَ أَمِيرًا إِلَى دِمَشْقَ اسْمُهُ سَلْمَانُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ فَلَاحٍ، فَوَصَلَ إِلَيْهَا، فَنَزَلَ بِظَاهِرِهَا، وَلَمْ يَتَمَكَّنْ مِنْ دُخُولِهَا، وَأَقَامَ فِي غَيْرِ شَيْءٍ، فَنَهَى النَّاسَ عَنْ حَمْلِ السِّلَاحِ، فَلَمْ يَسْمَعُوا مِنْهُ، وَوَضَعَ قَسَّامٌ أَصْحَابَهُ عَلَى سَلْمَانَ، فَقَاتَلُوهُ وَأَخْرَجُوهُ مِنَ الْمَوْضِعِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِيهِ. وَكَانَ قَسَّامٌ بِالْجَامِعِ، وَالنَّاسُ عِنْدَهُ، فَكَتَبَ مَحْضَرًا وَسَيَّرَهُ إِلَى الْعَزِيزِ يَذْكُرُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ بِالْجَامِعِ عِنْدَ هَذِهِ الْفِتْنَةِ، وَلَمْ يَشْهَدْهَا، وَبَذَلَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ أَنَّهُ إِنْ قَصَدَهُ عَضُدُ الدَّوْلَةِ بْنُ بُوَيْهٍ أَوْ عَسْكَرٌ لَهُ قَاتَلَهُ، ( وَمَنَعَهُ مِنَ الْبَلَدِ، فَأَغْضَى الْعَزِيزُ لِقَسَّامٍ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْحَالِ لِأَنَّهُ يَخَافُ أَنْ يَقْصِدَ عَضُدُ الدَّوْلَةِ الشَّامَ، فَلَمَّا فَارَقَ سَلْمَانُ دِمَشْقَ عَادَ إِلَيْهَا الْقَائِدُ أَبُو مَحْمُودٍ، وَلَا حُكْمَ لَهُ، وَالْحُكْمُ جَمِيعُهُ لِقَسَّامٍ )، ( فَدَامَ ذَلِكَ ). وَأَمَّا قَسَّامٌ - وَهُوَ الْحَارِثِيُّ ، وَأَصْلُهُ مِنْ بَنِي الْحَارِثِ بْنِ كَعْبٍ مِنَ الْيَمَنِ - فَأَقَامَ بِالشَّامِ يَسُدُّ خَلَلَهَا، وَيَقُومُ بِمَصَالِحِهَا مُدَّةَ سِنِينَ عَدِيدَةٍ، وَكَانَ مَجْلِسُهُ بِالْجَامِعِ، وَيَجْتَمِعُ النَّاسُ عِنْدَهُ فَيَأْمُرُهُمْ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ، وَيَقُومُ فَيَمْتَثِلُونَ مَا يَرْسُمُ بِهِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَسَاكِرَ: أَصْلُهُ مِنْ قَرْيَةِ تَلْفِيتَا وَكَانَ تَرَّابًا. قُلْتُ: وَالْعَامَّةُ يَقُولُونَ: اسْمُهُ قُسَيْمٌ الزَّبَّالُ، وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ قَسَّامٌ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ زَبَّالًا بَلْ تَرَّابًا مِنْ قَرْيَةِ تَلْفِيتَا بِالْقُرْبِ مِنْ قَرْيَةِ مَنِينَ، وَكَانَ بُدُوَّ أَمْرِهِ أَنَّهُ انْتَمَى إِلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَحْدَاثِ دِمَشْقَ يُقَالُ لَهُ: أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْجَسْطَارِ، فَكَانَ مِنْ حِزْبِهِ، ثُمَّ اسْتُحْوِذَ عَلَى الْأُمُورِ، وَغُلِبَ عَلَى الْوُلَاةِ وَالْأُمَرَاءِ، وَصَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ أَزْمَةُ الْأَحْكَامِ، إِلَى أَنْ قَدِمَ بُلُكِّينُ التُّرْكِيُّ مِنْ مِصْرَ فِي يَوْمِ الْخَمِيسِ السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْمُحَرَّمِ سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَسَبْعِينَ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، فَأَخَذَهَا مِنْهُ وَدَخَلَهَا، وَاخْتَفَى قَسَّامٌ التَّرَّابُ مُدَّةً، ثُمَّ ظَهَرَ، فَأَخَذَهُ أَسِيرًا وَأَرْسَلَهُ مُقَيَّدًا إِلَى الدِّيَارِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ، فَأُطْلِقَ وَأُحْسِنَ إِلَيْهِ وَأَقَامَ بِهَا أَيْضًا مُكَرَّمًا، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.
Translation
✧ Mention of Qassām’s governorship of Damascus When al-Fatkīn left Damascus as we have mentioned, Qassām took charge of its people. The reason for Qassām’s advancement was that al-Fatkīn brought him close and trusted him, and relied upon him in many of his affairs. Thus his mention and reputation rose, and his followers among the youth became numerous, so he took control of the city and ruled in it. The commander Abū Maḥmūd had returned to the city as governor over it for al-ʿAzīz, but he could accomplish nothing against Qassām, and he had no authority. Qassām’s rule over Damascus remained effective, and he invoked blessings for al-ʿAzīz bi-llāh al-ʿAlawī. Abū Taghlib b. Ḥamdān, lord of Mosul, reached him in flight, as we have mentioned, but Qassām prevented him from entering Damascus, fearing for the city that he might take it over, either by force or by al-ʿAzīz’s command. So (Abū Taghlib) felt alienated, and some fighting occurred between his companions and Abū Taghlib’s companions, so Abū Taghlib departed to Tiberias. A commander named al-Faḍl came from al-ʿAzīz with an army and besieged Qassām in Damascus, but he did not prevail over him, so he withdrew from him. Qassām remained thus until the year 369, when an emir named Salmān b. Jaʿfar b. Fallāḥ was sent from Egypt to Damascus. He reached it and encamped outside it, but could not enter it, and he stayed without achieving anything. He forbade the people from carrying weapons, but they did not heed him. Qassām set his companions upon Salmān, and they fought him and expelled him from the place where he was. Qassām was in the mosque, with the people around him, so he wrote a report and sent it to al-ʿAzīz, mentioning that he was in the mosque at the time of this disturbance and did not witness it, and he offered that if ʿAḍud al-Dawla b. Būyah or an army of his should aim for him, he would fight him and prevent him from the city. So al-ʿAzīz overlooked Qassām’s situation because he feared that ʿAḍud al-Dawla might aim for Syria. When Salmān left Damascus, the commander Abū Maḥmūd returned to it, but he had no authority, and all authority was Qassām’s, and that continued. As for Qassām—he is al-Ḥārithī, and his origin is from Banū al-Ḥārith b. Kaʿb of Yemen—he stayed in Syria, mending its breaches and attending to its affairs for many years. His assembly was in the mosque, and people gathered around him, and he commanded and forbade them, and they rose and complied with what he prescribed. Ibn ʿAsākir said: His origin was from the village of Talfītā, and he was a dust-worker. I say: The common people say his name was Qusaym the refuse-collector, but he was Qassām, and he was not a refuse-collector but a dust-worker from the village of Talfītā near the village of Manīn. The beginning of his affair was that he attached himself to a man of the youths of Damascus called Aḥmad b. al-Jasṭār, and he was of his faction. Then he gained mastery over affairs and prevailed over the governors and emirs, and the reins of judgments came to him, until Bulukkīn al-Turkī arrived from Egypt on Thursday, the seventeenth of Muḥarram in the year 376, and took it from him and entered it. Qassām the dust-worker hid for a while, then he appeared, and he was taken captive and sent in chains to Egypt. He was released and treated well, and he stayed there also honored, and God knows best.
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