Guide to Crushing the First Essay Assignment

Guide to Crushing the First Essay Assignment
Since this is the first essay assignment for this course and, for some of you, maybe even your first college essay, I’ve put together a little step-by-step guide to help you through it. Following these steps will not necessarily guarantee you an A paper, because you will still have to execute
the steps such that the final result shines through. But this will get you on the right track.
Step 1: Read the sources carefully and critically
This is already similar to what you have been doing for your response papers. You should read
both the Al-Tabari and Ibn al-Jawzi sources in their entirety with the essay question in mind,
highlighting passages that strike you as significant or taking general notes. Since the essay
assignment asks you to compare the two sources, you may want to try to read them in the same
sitting, and/or go back to the first after you’ve read the second to identify additional comparative
or contrasting points.
By “critical” reading we do not necessarily mean criticizing the author’s points (although that is
sometimes the result of critical reading), but instead reading the source carefully enough to
situate it in a particular historical moment, i.e. how it seems to be responding to social and
political conditions discussed in the secondary sources (in this case the Lapidus). In some cases,
this might even include considering how the work addresses a specific audience or readership, or
how the author’s unique perspective influences the work. In this way, critical reading considers
not just what is in the text, but also what might be absent, or its limitations.
Since this specific paper exercise is comparative, you should use each source as a tool to read the
other critically, in other words, what does Al-Tabari reveal about the perspective and limitations
of Ibn al-Jawzi (and vice versa).
Step 2: Identify and state your thesis
The assignment asks you to make a comparative point about each source’s depiction of court
culture. This means it should identify some similarity or difference between the two texts about
which you can make an original argument. You cannot perform a complete comparative analysis
of both texts, so focus in on one theme or aspect of the two texts.
The most important thing about your thesis statement is that it makes a “counterintuitive” claim
about the source material, in contrast to what a more “intuitive” or “typical” interpretation.
Imagine an intelligent friend with less knowledge about Islamic societies than you’ve gained in
this course thus far encountering these texts for the first time. What might his/her/their
interpretation be? Think of that as the “intuitive” reading. Now, what counterintuitive claim can
you make in contrast, and how is that more broadly significant to our understanding of Islamic
societies and this context in particular? Sometimes writers find it effective to set this up in thesisantithesis form (“The differences in Tabari and Ibn al-Jawzi might be attributed to X… However,
closer inspection reveals…”) but that is not necessarily required. What is important is that your
thesis is original, that it is YOU!
A solid introductory paragraph most often builds up to such a thesis statement by offering
some historical context and how al-Tabari and Ibn al-Jawzi fit into it; a statement of the general
problem you hope to address; and a clear statement of your thesis statement at the end. Present
your introductory statements succinctly.
Step 3: Support Your Argument
Once you have your introductory paragraph and “counterintuitive” thesis in place, the rest of the
paper should be spent supporting that argument. This means streamlining the examples you
include and structuring your paper in a way that your argument comes across clearly for the
reader. There are a few keys to keep in mind:
Keep it organized: Think of each “body” paragraph of the paper as a self-contained building
block of your larger argument. Each one should begin with a clear topic sentence, that
contributes a secondary point to your main argument, one to two key examples from the text that
support this secondary point, and two or even three sentences explaining in your own language
the relevance of those examples to your argument (see below).
Explain your evidence: Each time you include an example and/or a reference from the readings
make sure you explain these references. Don’t just throw examples at the reader and expect them
to connect the dots. Remember your intelligent friend-reader. What if they’ve never heard of AlTabari or Ibn al-Jawzi? What do they need to know to understand how the examples support your
argument? Be explicit about why each author may have been describing Baghdadi society in a
certain way and explain to us how that example supports your argument.
Paraphrase, don’t quote: A single quote rarely contains an entire point from a text, or if it does
it will be so general as to not serve you in making your argument. Moreover, you only have 3
pages to make your argument. So, rather than including a bunch of quotes from the same passage
to get your point across, think about whether or not you can explain what the author is saying in
your own words. (This will also force you to make sure you understand the author fully!). This
doesn’t mean you can’t ever quote, but my general rule of thumb is to quote only when the
specific language or terminology of the quote is directly relevant to your argument. When you do
directly quote from the text, make sure to provide the page number in parentheses following the
quotation.
Step 4: Proofread.
Just because I usually skip this step doesn’t mean you should too. Make sure your essay adheres
to the guidelines, 3 pages double-spaced 12-point font, i.e. roughly 1,000 words). Don’t write 5
pages or 2,000 words because you think it will get you a better grade, because it won’t. Then
proofread your entire essay for typos, grammatical mistakes, and overall clarity.
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabari
(Ta’rikh al-rusul wa l-muluk)
VOLUME XXX
The Abbasid Caliphate
in Equilibrium
translated and annotated
by
C. E. Bosworth
The University of Manchester
State University of New York Press
The preparation of this volume was made possible in part by a
grant from the Division of Research Programs of the National
Endowment for the Humanities , an independent federal agency.
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
0 1989 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information, address the State University of New York Press,
9o State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tabari, 838?-923.
The `Abbisid Caliphate in equilibrium.
(The history of al-Tabarl = Ta’rikh al-rusul
WI-muluk; v-30)
(SUNY series in Near Eastern studies)
(Bibliotheca Persica)
Translation of extracts from: Ta’rikh al-rusul wa-almuluk.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
r. Islamic Empire-History-75o-1258 .
I. Bosworth,
Clifford Edmund. II. Title. III. Series : Tabari, 8381923. Ta’rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk. English; V.30IV. Series: SUNY series in Near Eastern studies.
V. Series: Biblioteca Persica (Albany, N.Y.)
DS38 .2.T313 1985 vol. 30 909 ‘. 1 s (909 ‘.09767101 )87-7124
(DS38.6)
ISBN 0-88706-564-3
ISBN o-887o6-566-X (pbk.)
1o 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
e
The
Events of the Year
170
(JULY 3, 786 -JUNE 21, 787)
The events taking place during this year included the death of
Yazid b. Hatim (al-Muhallabi) in Ifrigiyah; after him, Rawly b.
Hatim became governor over it.167
In this year, ‘Abdallah b. Marwan b. Muliammadl6S died in the
Matbaq (or Mulbaq) prison. 169
In this year, Musa al-Hadi died at `Isabadh. There are varying
reports concerning the reason for his death . Some say that he died
of an abdominal ulcer. 170 Others say that his death was at the
hands of some slave girls belonging to his mother al-Khayzuran,
167. The governorship of North Africa was a Muhallabid fief at this time, see
Crone, 134-5, and Kennedy, 83. But according to Yaqubi, Ta’z kh, II, 496 , and Ibn
al-Atha, VI, 108, 113-14, Yazid was briefly succeeded by his son Dawad, whose
misrule, however, provoked a rebellion of the local IbiiMiyyah , so that Harnn alRashid replaced him after nine months by his uncle Rawl}.
x68. One of the few surviving Umayyad princes , son of the last Umayyad Caliph
Marwin II b. Muhammad, imprisoned by al-Mahdi (Tabari, III, 4851.
169. The prison in the Round City of al-Mansur. See Ya’qubi, Buldon, 240, tr. 1516; Le Strange, Baghdad, 271 Lassner, 7bpography, 55, 243•
170. In al-Athir, VI, 99.
[5691
42 The Caliphate of Musa al-Hidi
whom she had ordered to kill al-Hadi for various reasons, some of
which we shall now mention.171
The Reason W hy al-Khayzuran Had Ordered
the Slave Girls to Kill al-Had!
Yabya b. al-Hasan172 has mentioned that when al-Hadi became
Caliph, he became openly hostile towards and quarreled with his
mother. Khalisah (i.e., al-Khayzuran’s slave girl) came to him one
day and told him, “Your mother seeks a gift of clothing from you,”
so he ordered a storehouse full of clothing to be given to her. He
related: There were found in al-Khayzuran’s house (after her death)
among her possessions eighteen thousand sleeveless robes ( gardgir1731 of figured silk. He related: At the opening of Musa’s caliphate, al-Khayzuran used to exercise her authority over him in all his
affairs without consulting him at all, and she used to behave in
regard to him, by assuming sole control over matters of ordaining
and forbidding, just as she had done previously with his father (i.e.,
al-Mahdi). Hence, al-Hadi sent a message to her, “Do not step
beyond the boundaries of a woman’s traditional modest position
into demeaning yourself by being careless with your honor. It is not
dignified for women that they should involve themselves in affairs
of state. Instead, stick to your performance of the worship, to
recounting God’s praises, and to devoting yourself to pious works
for God. Then after that, be conformable to the female role which
is incumbent upon you.” He related: During Musa’s caliphate, alKhayzuran used frequently to bombard him with requests for
favors, and he used to grant whatever she asked. This went on for
171. See Abbott, III-12; Moscati, Le califat d’al-Hddi, 23. It is possible that
both the illness and the murder were involved here . Thus, the K. al-‘Uyun, 288-9,
states that al-Khayzuran’s slave girls suffocated al-Hadi in the harem because alKhayzuran feared that he was going to recover from his sickness . Certainly, his
death appears as too opportune for so many people concerned that it should have
been a natural one. Also, the touching story in Mas’ndi, Muriij, VI, 282-3 = ed.
Pellat, § 2486, of al-Had-i’s sickbed death holding his mother’s hand to his heart and
commending Hariin as his successor seems highly improbable, perhaps the invention of a later tradition favorable to al-Hadi.
172. I.e., Yaliya b. al-Hasan b. ‘Abd al-Khiliq, frequently cited as a rdwi and
described in Tabari, 111, 322, as the maternal uncle of al-Fatll b. al-Rabi’.
173. Sing. qarqar. See Glossarium, p. CDXXII (< Latin caracalla); R. B. Serjeant, Islamic textiles. Material for a history up to the Mongol conquest, 93-4. The Events of the Year 170 43 four months of his caliphate, and people thronged round her, seeking her aid, and processions of people used to resort to her door. He related: One day, al-Khayzuran spoke to him about a matter concerning which he saw no way to satisfy her. He made an appropriate excuse, but she exclaimed, "You must satisfy my request without fail!" He replied, "I won't do it !" She expostulated, "But I've already promised this unreservedly to 'Abdallah b. Malik." He related : Musa became enraged and said , "Woe upon the son of a whore ! I have already realized that he is the person behind this request, but by God, I won't grant you it !" She retorted, "In that case, by God, I'll never ask anything of you again!" He said, "By God, in that case, I don't care a bit!" and he grew hot and enraged. Al-Khayzuran got up to go, equally angry, but he ordered her, "Stay where you are, and take good note of my words! (I swear) by God, on pain of forfeiting my status as a kinsman of the Messenger of God if I do not fulfill this oath, that if ever I hear about any of my commanders or any of my close courtiers or servants standing at your door, I shall certainly have their heads chopped off and their possessions confiscated . Let whoever will, follow that course ! What are all these processions of suppliants which come each day, by morning and evening, to your door? Have you no spindle to keep you busy, or copy of the Qur'an to remind you (of God) or house to keep you safe (from the public gaze)? Beware, and again beware, lest you open your door, whether to any Muslim or to any Dhimmi !" So she went off, hardly conscious where she was stepping; and after this, she never again uttered in his presence a single word (literally, either a sweet or a bitter word).174 Yalrya b. al-Hasan related that his father transmitted the information to him, saying: I heard Khaligah telling al-`Abbas b. al-Fatll b. al-Rabi' 175 that Musa sent to his mother al-Khayzuran a dish of rice, saying, "I found this tasty and accordingly ate some of it, so you have some too! " Khaligah related: But I said to her, "Don't 1 74. Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Bayhagi, K. al-Mabdsin wa-al-masdwL ed. Schwally, 591 = ed. Ibrahim, II, 365 -6j Mas'ndii, Mur;ij, VI, 269-70 = ed. Pellat, § 2,477 ; Tabari-Bal'ami, tr. IV, 453-4; K. al-'Uyun, 283-4; Ibn a1-Athir, VI, 99-100; Ibn al-Tigtagi, 173, tr. 187-8j Abbott, 89-92. 175. Son of the subsequent vizier, who seems to have acted as an assistant to his father when the latter was chamberlain (Sourdel, Vizirat, 1, 154,190-I and who is cited as a rdwi by Tabari on three or four occasions, e.g., III, 682 (below, 222). ( 570) 44 [57111 The Caliphate of Musa al-Hadi touch it until you investigate further, for I am afraid that it might contain something to your detriment." So they brought in a dog; it ate some and fell down dead. Musa sent to al-Khayzurin afterwards and said, "How did you like the dish of rice?" She replied, "I enjoyed it very much." He said, "You can't have eaten it, because if you had, I would have been rid of you . When was any Caliph ever happy who had a mother (still alive)?" He related: A certain man of the Hashimites transmitted the information to me that the cause of al-Hadi 's death was that when the latter directed his efforts at depriving Har in (of his succession rights as next heir) and at having allegiance done to his own son Ja'far177 (as heir instead of Harun), and when al-Khayzuran became fearful for Harun's safety at al-Hadi 's hands, she secretly despatched at the time of al-Hadi 's illness some of her slave girls to kill him by covering over (his mouth and nose ) and sitting on his face (i.e., • thus suffocating him). She sent to Yahya b. Khalid the message that "The man has died , so act decisively in what you have to do and don't fall short in the appropriate measures!" 179 Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Bashshar has mentioned that al-Fajl b. Sa'idi79 transmitted the information to him from his father, saying: Musa kept receiving information about his commanders' resorting to his mother al-Khayzuran, these persons hoping by speaking with her thereby to have their various requests fulfilled by the Caliph. He related: She, for her part, was aiming at securing an ascendancy over his affairs just as she had enjoyed over al-Mahdi's affairs. Al-Hadi kept barring her from achieving this and would say, "What have women to do with the discussing of men's affairs? " When he began to find excessive the number of his commanders who were resorting to his mother, he gathered the commanders together one day and said to them, "Who is better, I 176. Bayhagi, Matidsin. ed. Schwally, 591-2 = ed. Ibrihim, II, 366, TabariBal'ami, tr. IV, 454- 5;K. al-'Uyun, 289, Ibn al-Athir, VI, 100; Ibn al-Tigtaga, 173, tr. 188, Abbott, too. 177. Apparently al-Hidi 's son by a slave concubine called Ral}im. As noted by Tabari , m, 577-8 (below, 55), Hirun subsequently married his daughter Hamdunah to Ja'far; see Abbott, 66, 157. 178. Jahshiyiri, 132-3 ; Tabari-Bal'ami, tr. IV, 455; Ibn al-Athir, loc. cit.; Abbott, 1o9. 179. Possibly a son of Said b. Salm b. Qutaybah, on whom see Tabari, III, 58o-i (below, 59). The Events of the Year 170 45 or you?" They replied, "Certainly, you are, 0 Commander of the Faithful!" He said, "Who then is better, my mother or your mothers?" They replied, "Assuredly, your mother, 0 Commander of the Faithful!" He continued, "Which then of you would like to have men talking about his mother's affairs, saying 'So-and so's mother did this, and so-and-so's mother acted in this way, and so-and-so's mother said this'?" They replied, "None of us would like that." He said, "So what do you think about the men who keep coming to my mother and who subsequently make her affairs the subject of their conversations?" When they heard this , they ceased their visits to her completely. Al-Khayzuran was deeply mortified by that; she kept away from him and swore that she would never speak to him again . Thereafter, she never entered his presence until death came upon him. 180 The reason why Musa al-Hadi wished to deprive his brother Harlin of the succession, to the point that he brought force to bear on the latter and exerted himself strongly (in applying this pressure), according to what $alib b. Sulayman has mentioned, was that al-Hadi, when the caliphate passed to him, confirmed Yal}ya b. Khalid (b. Barmak) in the administration of the Western lands which Harlin was governing (nominally). Al-Hadi then had the idea of depriving Harlin al -Rashid of the succession and of securing homage as successor for his own son Ja 'far b. Musa al-Hadi, and the commanders, including Yazid b . Mazyad (al-Shaybini), 181 `Abdallih b. Malik, 'Ali b. 'Isa (b. Mahan) and their likes, followed his lead (or: assisted him) in that.182 Hence they removed Harlin from 18o. Tabari-Bal'ami, tr. W,, 454, Ibn al-Atha, loc. cit., Abbott, 91-2. 181. Nephew of the famous late Umayyad and early 'Abbasid general Ma'n b. Zi'idah, al-Hid! and al-Rashid employed him as governor of Armenia and Azerbai. jan till his death in 183 ) 799). With this power base in the eastern Caucasus region, Yazid's sons established the local dynasty in Shirwin of the Shirwin -Shihs, who endured until the early Seljuq period . See Minorsky, A history of Sharvdn and Darband in the roth-rrth centuries, passim, Madelung, in Cambridge history of Iran, IV, 243- 91 Crone, 169-70, Kennedy, 84-5. 182. See Abbott, 96, Kennedy, ilo- it. Ya'qubi, Ta'rikh, II, 489-90, states that the commander of the Azd, Abu Hurayrah Mubamniad b. Farrukh al-Azd-i (who was governor of al-Jazlrah but was executed by Hirnn in 171(787-8), see Tabari, III, 606, below, los), was active in denigrating Hirun (hence, doubtless, his speedy fate when Harlin secured the throne) and was sent by al-Hid! to al-Jazirah, Syria, Egypt, and the West with an army to terrorize people into assenting to Hirun 's removal [5721 46 The Caliphate of Musa al-M& the succession and did homage to Ja'far b. Musa . They spoke surreptitiously to the "party" [a]-shi'ah) (sc. of the `Abbasid dynasty's supporters), 183 so that these last talked about Harm 's position and spoke slightingly of him in the public sessions at court, saying, "We won't accept him!" Their whole plan became complicated and difficult, until it became clear, and al-Hadi ordered that no escort should go before Harun with a spear . 184 As a result, the people (at court) avoided him and left him by himself, to the point that no one would dare even to greet him or to approach his presence. Yahya b. Khalid used to take charge of arrangements for al-Rashid's lodging and subsistence expenses, and he and his sons used never to leave him, according to what has been mentioned.185 $alih (b. Sulayman) related : Ismail b. $ubayh ( al-Harrani) 186 was Yahya b. Khalid 's secretary, and Yahya wanted very much to get him installed in a position from which he could pass back to Yahyi information about what was going on. Ibrahim (b. Dhakwan) alHarrini187 held the position of vizier to Musa, and he now took Ismail into his service as secretary. This appointment was reported to al-Hadi, but news of this fact reached Yahya b. Khalid, so he ordered Ismail to set off for Harran;188 Ismail accordingly from the succession; cf. Jahshiyari, 132, and Moscati, Le califat dal-Hddi, 19. However, according to an account from al-Hidi 's personal physician, 'Abdallah al-Tayfuri, Harthamah b. A'yan, alone among the great commanders , condemned al-Hidi's plan to deprive Hirun of the succession and dissuaded him. See Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah, 'Uyun al-anba, 1, 154- 5; Abbott, 105-6. 183. Al-Shi ah, or phrases like Abna al-Shi'ah, occurs frequently in Tabari and other sources as a designation for the Abna ' al-Dawlah, originally the Arabs of Khurisan plus some Iranians who had spearheaded the 'Abbasid Revolution and were now largely resident in Baghdad . See Ayalon, The military reforms of Caliph al-Mu'tasim , 4 ff.; Crone, 66. z84. On ceremonial occasions, it was the custom for the ruler (or here, his designated heir) to be preceded by the commander of the police guard )$dbib alshur4ah ) with his lance or spear held erect as a symbol of authority. See Sourdel, "Questions de c& moniale 'abbaside," 144-5. 185. K. al-'Uydn, 285. 186. Secretary, originally from the community of Sabians at Harrin , who later served Harun and al-Amin as a leading chancery official ; see Sourdel, Vizirat, I, 122, 190. 187. Also from Harrin, originally a mawla of al-Mansur, and treasurer for alHid!, but not apparently acting as vizier in the full sense of the word. See Khalifah, Ta'rikh, II, 709; Mas'iidi, Tanblh. 344, tr. Carry de Vaux, 442-3 ; Moscati, Le califat d'al Hddi, 17-18; Abbott, 86, 92-4; Sourdel, Vizirat , I, 121-4. M. A town of northern Syria, classical Carrhae. See Yignt, Mu'jam, 11, 235-6; Le Strange, Lands, 103; Canard, 93-4; E12 s.v (G. Fehervari). The Events of the Year 170 47 departed thither. Some months later, al-Hadi asked Ibrahim alHarrani, "Who is acting as your secretary?" He replied, "So-and-so is acting as secretary," giving his name . Al-Hadi commented, "Didn't I receive a report that Ismail b. $ilbayh was acting as your secretary?" Ibrahim replied, "(That must have been ) a false report, O Commander of the Faithful; Ismail is in Harran!"lag He related: Slanderous reports were passed on to al-Hadi about Yahya b. Khalid, and al-Hidi was told, "There are no real grounds of difference between you and Harm , it is merely that Yabyi b. Khalid is exercising a bad influence on him ; so send for Yahya, threaten him with death and accuse him of ingratitude." All that accordingly stirred up Musa al -Hadi's anger against Yabyi b. Khalid. Abu I;iafg al-Kirmanil90 has mentioned that Muhammad b. Yabyi b. Khalid ( al-Barmaki ) transmitted the information to him, saying: Al-Hadi sent to Yabyi by night. Yabyi despaired therefore of his life; he said farewell to his family, he anointed himself with the aromatic substances used in preparing corpses for burial, he put on new clothes, and he did not doubt that al-Hidi was going to put him to death. When Yabyi was brought into the Caliph's presence, the latter said, "0 Yahya, what is the relationship between us?" Yahya replied, "I am your slave, 0 Commander of the Faithful, and the only possible relationship which there can be between the slave and his master is one of obedience towards him." The Caliph said, "Why, then, are you coming between me and my brother, and are influencing him unfavorably against me?" He replied, "0 Commander of the Faithful, who am I that I should presume to come between the two of you? It is merely that al-Mahdi appointed me to accompany him, and ordered me to look after him and his needs, so I undertook this in accordance with his command. Then you yourself ordered me to do that, and I fulfilled your command." The Caliph said, "What exactly has Har in been up to?" Yabyi replied, "He hasn't been up to anything, and it is not in his character or capability to do anything untoward." He related: al-Hidi 's wrath thereupon subsided.191 189. jahshiyari, r26-7, Abbott, 96; Sourdel, Vizirat, I, r22. 19o. Presumably, the al-Kirmini mentioned by Jahshiyari, 208, as one of his rawis. r9r. K. al-W ynn, 285-6; Ibn al-Athir, VI, 96. )573) 48 The Caliphate of Musa al-Hadi Harlin personally had reconciled himself to being deprived of his succession rights, but Yahya said to him, "Don't behave thus!" Harlin replied, "Won't it leave me in a contented state of mind and a healthy physical state? These two things will be sufficient for me, and I shall live (peacefully) with my paternal uncle's daughter (i.e., with Zubaydah)-Harlin was passionately enamored of Umm Ja`far-but Yahya said to him, "What is that in comparison with the dignity of the caliphate? It may well be that this (happiness of life) will not be left open for you, to the point that it will elude you altogether!" and he stopped him from responding (to al-Hadi's pressures).192 Al-Kirmani related that $alih b. Sulayman transmitted the information to him, saying: "Al-Hadi sent to Yahya b. Khalid by night when he was at `Isabadh. This summons filled Yahya with fear. He went into the private presence of the Caliph, and was then instructed to search out a man whom the Caliph had rendered fearful (or: whom the Caliph had become suspicious about), so that he had disappeared from the Caliph's sight; al-Hadi was now wanting to take him as a boon-companion and prevent him from continuing in his friendly relationship with Harlin. The Caliph now treated Yahya as a favored companion, and Yahya spoke with the Caliph about the man. Al-Hadi then gave the man a guarantee of personal security and gave Yahya a red, ruby ring which was on his own hand, saying, `"This is (a token of) the guarantee of security for the man." 193 Yahya went away; he sought out the man, and brought him to al-Hadi. At this, the Caliph rejoiced greatly. He related: Several people have transmitted to me the information that the person whom the Caliph was seeking was Ibrahim alMawgili.194 $alilt b. Sulayman related: Al-Hadi said to al-Rabi' one day, "Don't let Yahya b. Khalid enter except at the end of everybody else." He related: So al-Rabi' sent to Yahyi, and he devoted his 192. Jahshiyiri, 128; K . al-'Uyun, 286, Ibn a1-Athir, VI, 96-7. 193. Following Addenda et emendanda, p. DCCLX, hddhd amdnuhu. 194. Le., Ibrihim b. Mihin or Maymun, father of IsI. iq al-Mawgili and famous musician and composer, in great demand at the courts of al-Mahdi , al-Hill and alRashid, died in 188 ( 8o4). See I$fahini, Aghdni, ed. Buliq, V, 2-48 = ed. Cairo, V, 154-258 ; H. G. Farmer, A history of Arabian music to the X lllth century, 116-17, GA S, I, 370; E12 S. V. (J. W. Fuck). The Events of the Year 170 49 undivided attention to him.195 He related: When al-Hadi held court the next morning, he gave permission (for suppliants and others to come forward), until the point arrived when there were none of these remaining . Yabya came into his presence, the Caliph having around him (from among his permanent entourage of courtiers ) 'Abd al-$amad b. 'Ali, 196 al-'Abbas b. Muhammad, and the senior members of his own family, together with his commanders. Al-Hadi kept summoning Yahya to draw near to him until he made him sit directly before him, and he said to Yahya, "I have been wronging you and branding you as one who has denied God's favors, but please absolve me now from this." Those present were astonished at the Caliph's show of honor towards him and his words. Yahya kissed his hand and gave thanks to him,197 and alHadi then said to him, "Who is it who says concerning you, 0 Yahya, If a miser were to touch Yahya's palm, his mind would glow with a feeling of generosity for the lavishing of gifts?" Yahya replied, "That is your generous palm, 0 Commander of the Faithful, not that of your slave." He related: When al-Hadi spoke to Yahya about depriving Harnn of the succession, Yahya said to him, "0 Commander of the Faithful, if you urge the people to break their oaths, they will come to regard their oaths lightly; but if you leave them to retain their oath of allegiance to your brother, and then make Ja'far the designated heir after Harm, that will make Ja'far's position as designated heir all the firmer." The Caliph replied, "You have spoken truly and 195. Following the text here and that of Cairo, VIII, 2o9, tafarragha lahu, but the Leiden editor also suggests, n. d, the possible reading tafazza'a lahu "he pretended to seek his aid"; cf . for this meaning, Tabari, III, 333, and Glossarium, p. CDII. 196. The youngest paternal uncle of al-Saffib and ai -Mansur, died in i85 (8o,-2(; hence, one of the 'umumah. Having been involved in the revolt against al-Mansur of the latter's discontented uncle 'Abdallih b. 'Ali ('Abd al-$amad's elder brother( in 137 (754 (, he was not allowed thereafter to play any outstanding role in affairs. See Ibn QutaybAh, 374; Kennedy, 53, 59-60. 197. A person summoned to the Caliph's presence normally halted at the edge of the ruler's personal carpet (bisdt, musalld] and then kissed his hands (and possibly feet; see Tabari, m, 509, iathd bayna yadayhi(; see Sourdel, "Questions de c6rdmoniale 'abbaside," 137-8. 1 57 41 50 The Caliphate of Musa al-Hidi have given good advice, and this will be a sound plan of action for me." 198 Al-Kirmani related , that Khuzaymah b. `Abdallah also transmitted the information to him, saying: Al-Hadi ordered Yahya b. Khalid to be imprisoned because of the course of action which Yahya had endeavored to make him adopt over al -Rashid's being deprived of the succession to the caliphate . Yahya, however, sent a message to the Caliph containing these words, "I have some good advice," so the Caliph sent for him. Yahya said, "0 Commander of the Faithful, permit me to speak to you alone," so the Caliph took him in privately with himself. Yahya continued, "0 Commander of the Faithful, do you think that, if that momentous event (i.e., alHadi's own death)-and I pray God that we may never live to see it and that He may bring forward our own demise before that occurs!-takes place, do you really imagine that the leading figures in the state (al-nds ] will hand over the caliphate to Ja`far, when he has not yet reached the age of puberty, and be satisfied with him as leader in their worship, in the Pilgrimage, and in military expeditions? " He replied, "By God, I don't imagine that they would." Yahya continued, "0 Commander of the Faithful, are you, moreover, sure that your own family and prominent members of it, like so-and-so and so-and-so, will not aspire to the caliphate, and that others may not have designs on it, with the result that the office might become diverted from the offspring of your father? " Al-Hadi replied to him, "You have made me alert to all that , 0 Yahya!" He related: Yahya used to say, "I never spoke with any Caliph who was more intelligent than Musa " He related : Yahya further told him, "If it had not been for the fact that this affair (i.e., the succession to the caliphate ) had already been settled on your brother, would it not have been necessary for you yourself to designate him (sc. Harun) as successor in the rule ? How then can you contemplate removing him from the succession, when al-Mahdi appointed (575] him to it? It is my opinion, 0 Commander of the Faithful, that the best course is to confirm this arrangement as it now stands. Then when Ja`far reaches puberty-and may God bring him to this 198. jahshiyan, z2.8, Azdi, 260; Ibn al-Athir, VI, 96 -7; Palmer, 33-4; Abbott, 94; Moscati, Le califat d'al Hid[, 19. The Events of the Year 170 51 stage!-you can bring al-Rashid into his presence, and al-Rashid will renounce his succession rights in his favor and be the first to swear allegiance and to clasp his hand." He then related: Al-Hadi accepted his arguments and his judgement , and ordered his release.i' Al-Maw$ih has mentioned, from Muhammad b. Yahya (b. Khalid al-Barmaki), who said: Al-H!& (nevertheless) resolved on depriving Harun of the succession after my father 's words with him. A group of his mawlas and commanders urged him on to this cour