Tarikh (al-Tabari) 4403
Then the year 371 AH began
ذِكْرُ قَتْلِ الْأَمِيرِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ أَمِيرِ صِقِلِّيَّةَ وَهَزِيمَةِ الْفِرِنْجِ فِي هَذِهِ السَّنَةِ، فِي ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ، سَارَ الْأَمِيرُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ، أَمِيرُ صِقِلِّيَّةَ، مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ يُرِيدُ الْجِهَادَ. وَسَبَبُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ مَلِكًا مِنْ مُلُوكِ الْفِرِنْجِ، يُقَالُ لَهُ بَرْدَوِيلُ، خَرَجَ فِي جُمُوعٍ كَثِيرَةٍ مِنَ الْفِرِنْجِ إِلَى صِقِلِّيَّةَ، فَحَصَرَ قَلْعَةَ مَلْطَةَ، وَمَلَكَهَا، وَأَصَابَ سَرِيَّتَيْنِ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَسَارَ الْأَمِيرُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ بِعَسَاكِرِهِ لِيُرَحِّلَهُ عَنِ الْقَلْعَةِ، فَلَمَّا قَارَبَهَا خَافَ وَجَبُنَ فَجَمَعَ وُجُوهَ أَصْحَابِهِ، وَقَالَ لَهُمْ: إِنِّي رَاجِعٌ مِنْ مَكَانِي هَذَا فَلَا تَكْسِرُوا عَلَيَّ رَأْيِي. فَرَجَعَ هُوَ وَعَسَاكِرُهُ. وَكَانَ أُسْطُولُ الْكُفَّارِ يُسَايِرُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فِي الْبَحْرِ، فَلَمَّا رَأَوُا الْمُسْلِمِينَ رَاجِعِينَ أَرْسَلُوا إِلَى بَرْدَوِيلَ، مَلِكِ الرُّومِ، يُعْلِمُونَهُ وَيَقُولُونَ لَهُ: إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ خَائِفُونَ مِنْكَ، فَالْحَقْ بِهِمْ فَإِنَّكَ تَظْفَرُ. فَجَرَّدَ الْفِرِنْجِيُّ عَسْكَرَهُ مِنْ أَثْقَالِهِمْ، وَسَارَ جَرِيدَةً، وَجَدَّ فِي السَّيْرِ، فَأَدْرَكَهُمْ فِي الْعِشْرِينَ مِنَ الْمُحَرَّمِ سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ [ وَثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ ]، فَتَعَبَّأَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ لِلْقِتَالِ، وَاقْتَتَلُوا، وَاشْتَدَّتِ الْحَرْبُ بَيْنَهُمْ، فَحَمَلَتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْفِرِنْجِ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ وَالْأَعْلَامِ، فَشَقُّوا الْعَسْكَرَ وَوَصَلُوا إِلَيْهَا، وَقَدْ تَفَرَّقَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عَنْ أَمِيرِهِمْ، وَاخْتَلَّ نِظَامُهُمْ، فَوَصَلَ الْفِرِنْجُ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَصَابَتْهُ ضَرْبَةٌ عَلَى أُمِّ رَأْسِهِ فَقُتِلَ، وَقُتِلَ مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنْ أَعْيَانِ النَّاسِ وَشُجْعَانِهِمْ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْمُنْهَزِمِينَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ رَجَعُوا مُصَمِّمِينَ عَلَى الْقِتَالِ لِيَظْفَرُوا أَوْ يَمُوتُوا، وَاشْتَدَّ حِينَئِذٍ الْأَمْرُ، وَعَظُمَ الْخَطْبُ عَلَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ، فَانْهَزَمَ الْفِرِنْجُ أَقْبَحَ هَزِيمَةٍ، وَقُتِلَ مِنْهُمْ نَحْوُ أَرْبَعَةِ آلَافِ قَتِيلٍ، وَأُسِرَ مِنْ بَطَارِقَتِهِمْ كَثِيرٌ وَتَبِعُوهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ أَدْرَكَهُمُ اللَّيْلُ، وَغَنِمُوا مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ كَثِيرًا. وَأَفْلَتَ مَلِكُ الْفِرِنْجِ هَارِبًا وَمَعَهُ رَجُلٌ يَهُودِيٌّ كَانَ خِصِّيصًا بِهِ، فَوَقَفَ فَرَسُ الْمَلِكِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْيَهُودِيُّ: ارْكَبْ فَرَسِي، فَإِنْ قُتِلْتُ فَأَنْتَ لِوَلَدِي فَرَكِبَهُ الْمَلِكُ وَقُتِلَ الْيَهُودِيُّ، فَنَجَا الْمَلِكُ إِلَى خِيَامِهِ وَبِهَا زَوْجَتُهُ وَأَصْحَابُهُ فَأَخَذَهُمْ وَعَادَ إِلَى رُومِيَّةَ. وَلَمَّا قُتِلَ الْأَمِيرُ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ كَانَ مَعَهُ ابْنُهُ جَابِرٌ، فَقَامَ مَقَامَ أَبِيهِ، وَرَحَلَ بِالْمُسْلِمِينَ لِوَقْتِهِمْ، وَلَمْ يُمَكِّنْهُمْ مِنْ إِتْمَامِ الْغَنِيمَةِ، فَتَرَكُوا كَثِيرًا مِنْهَا، وَسَأَلَهُ أَصْحَابُهُ لِيُقِيمَ إِلَى أَنْ يَجْمَعَ السِّلَاحَ وَغَيْرَهُ وَيُعَمِّرَ بِهِ الْخَزَائِنَ، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ. وَكَانَتْ وِلَايَةُ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ عَلَى صِقِلِّيَّةَ اثْنَتَيْ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً وَخَمْسَةَ أَشْهُرٍ وَخَمْسَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَكَانَ عَادِلًا، حَسَنَ السِّيرَةِ، كَثِيرَ الشَّفَقَةِ عَلَى رَعِيَّتِهِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِمْ، عَظِيمَ الصَّدَقَةِ، لَمْ يُخَلِّفْ دِينَارًا وَلَا دِرْهَمًا وَلَا عَقَارًا، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ قَدْ وَقَفَ جَمِيعَ أَمْلَاكِهِ عَلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ وَأَبْوَابِ الْبِرِّ.
Translation
✧ Mention of the killing of the amir Abu al-Qasim, amir of Sicily, and the defeat of the Franks In this year, in Dhu al-Qaʿdah, the amir Abu al-Qasim, amir of Sicily, marched from the city intending jihad. The reason for that was that a king among the kings of the Franks, called Bardawil, went out with numerous hosts of Franks to Sicily, besieged the fortress of Malta, took it, and captured two Muslim squadrons. So the amir Abu al-Qasim marched with his troops to drive him away from the fortress. When he approached it, he became fearful and cowardly, so he gathered the notables of his companions and said to them: "I am returning from this place of mine, so do not break my resolve against me." So he and his troops returned. The fleet of the infidels was moving alongside the Muslims at sea. When they saw the Muslims retreating, they sent to Bardawil, king of the Romans, informing him and saying: "The Muslims are afraid of you, so catch up with them and you will prevail." The Frank stripped his army of their heavy baggage, marched as a light column, hastened the pace, and overtook them on the twentieth of al-Muharram in the year 372. The Muslims arrayed themselves for battle, and they fought, and the war intensified between them. A party of the Franks charged at the centre and the banners, split the army, and reached them, while many of the Muslims had dispersed from their amir and their order was disrupted. The Franks reached him, and he received a blow on the crown of his head and was killed, and with him a group of the notables of the people and their brave men were killed. Then the defeated among the Muslims returned, determined to fight in order to prevail or die. At that point the matter intensified, and the affair became grave for both parties. The Franks were routed in the ugliest rout; about four thousand of them were killed, many of their patricians were taken captive, and the Muslims pursued them until night overtook them, and they gained much of their property as booty. The king of the Franks escaped, fleeing with him a Jewish man who was especially close to him. The king's horse stopped, and the Jew said to him: "Mount my horse; if I am killed, you will be for my son." The king mounted it, the Jew was killed, and the king escaped to his tents, where his wife and companions were. He took them and returned to Rome. When the amir Abu al-Qasim was killed, his son Jabir was with him. He took the place of his father and departed with the Muslims at that very time, not allowing them to complete the plunder, so they left much of it behind. His companions asked him to stay until he could gather the weapons and the like and fill the treasuries with them, but he did not do so. The governorship of Abu al-Qasim over Sicily lasted twelve years, five months, and five days. He was just, of good conduct, greatly compassionate toward his subjects and benevolent to them, generous in charity. He left behind neither dinar nor dirham nor real estate, for he had endowed all his properties to the poor and to avenues of righteousness.
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