Al Mansur, the third Caliph of the house of Abbas, succeeded his
brother Es-Saffah ("'the blood-shedder") A.D. 754. He was a prince of
great prudence, integrity, and discretion; but these good qualities
were sullied by his extraordinary covetousness and occasional cruelty.
He patronized poets and learned men, and was endowed with a remarkable
memory. It is said that he could remember a poem after having only once
heard it. He also had a slave who could commit to memory anything that
he had heard twice, and a slave-girl who could do the same with what
she had heard three times.
One day there came to him a poet bringing a congratulatory ode, and Al
Mansur said to him: "If it appears that anybody knows it by heart, or
that any one composed it—that is to say, that it was brought here by
some other person before thee—will give thee no recompense for it; but
if no one knows it, we will give thee the weight in money of that upon
which it is written."
So the poet repeated his poem, and the Caliph at once committed it to
memory, although it contained a thousand lines. Then he said to the
poet: "Listen to it from me," and he recited it perfectly. Then he
added: "And this slave, too, knows it by heart." This was the case, as
he had heard it twice, once from the poet and once from the Caliph.
Then the Caliph said: "And this slave-girl, who is concealed by the
curtain, she also recollects it." So she repeated every letter of it,
and the poet went away unrewarded.
Another poet, El Asmaïy, was among the intimate friends and
table-companions of the Caliph. He composed some very difficult verses,
and scratched them upon a fragment of a marble pillar, which he wrapped
in a cloak and placed on the back of a camel. Then he disguised himself
like a foreign Arab, and fastened on a face-cloth, so that nothing was
visible but his eyes, and came to the Caliph and said: "Verily I have
lauded the Commander of the Faithful in a 'Kasidah'" (ode).
Then said Al Mansur: "O brother of the Arabs! if the poem has been
brought by any one beside thee, we will give thee no recompense for it;
otherwise we will bestow on thee the weight in money of that upon which
it is written." So El Asmaïy recited the Kasidah, which, as it was
extraordinarily intricate and difficult, the Caliph could not commit to
memory. He looked toward the slave and the girl, but they had neither
of them learned it. So he cried: "O brother of the Arabs! bring hither
that whereon it is written, that we may give thee its weight."
Then said the seeming Arab: "O my Lord! of a truth I could find no
paper to write it upon; but I had amongst the things left me at my
father's death a piece of a marble column which had been thrown aside
as useless, so I scratched the Kasidah upon that."
Then the Caliph had no help for it but to give him its weight in gold,
and this nearly exhausted his treasury. The poet took it and departed.
When he had gone away, the Caliph said: "It forces itself upon my
mind that this is El Asmaïy." So he commanded him to be brought back,
and lo! it was El Asmaïy, who said: "O Commander of the Faithful!
verily the poets are poor and are fathers of families, and thou dost
debar them from receiving anything by the power of thy memory and the
memories of this slave and this slave-girl. But wert thou to bestow
upon them what thou couldst easily spare, they might with it support
their families, and it could not injure thee."
One day the poet Thalibi recited an ode in the presence of Al Mansur,
hoping for a reward. When he had finished, the Caliph said to him:
"Will you have three hundred dinars from my treasury, or hear three
wise sayings from my lips?" "Oh," said the poet, anxious to curry favor
with his master, "durable wisdom is better than transitory treasure."
"Very well," said the Caliph, "the first word of wisdom is: When your
garment is worn, don't sew on a new patch, for it looks badly." "Alas!
alas!" wailed the poet, "there go a hundred dinars at one blow." The
Caliph smiled, and continued: "The second piece of advice is: When you
anoint your beard, don't anoint the bottom of it, lest you soil your
clothes." "Ah!" sighed the poet, "there go the second hundred." Again
the Caliph smiled, and continued: "The third piece of advice-—-" "O
Caliph," cried the poet in an agony: "keep the third piece of advice
to yourself and let me have the last hundred dinars." Then the Caliph
laughed outright and ordered five hundred dinars to be paid him from
the treasury.
_Al Mansur and Abu Muslim_
Abu Muslim was one of the chief generals of Es-Saffah, Al Mansur's
brother and predecessor. On his accession Al Mansur became jealous of
Abu Muslim's great power and influence, but sent him notwithstanding to
put down a revolt raised by Abd Allah, the son of Ali. After several
battles, Abd Allah fled and took refuge in Bassorah, the whole of his
camp and treasure falling into the hands of Abu Muslim. Al Mansur sent
Yaktin bin Musa to take charge of the treasure. On appearing before Abu
Muslim, Yaktin said to him: "Peace be to thee, Emir!" "A murrain on
thee, son of a prostitute!" answered the general. "They can use me to
shed my blood, but not to guard a treasure." "My lord," answered the
messenger, "what has put such thoughts into your head?" "Has not thy
master," answered Abu Muslim, "sent thee to confiscate all the treasure
which has come into my possession?" "May my wife be divorced forever,"
said the Caliph's agent, "if he has not sent me simply and solely to
congratulate you upon your victory and success!" On these words Abu
Muslim embraced him and made him sit by his side. Notwithstanding this,
however, when he had bidden him farewell, he said to his officers: "By
Allah! I know this man will divorce his wife, simply out of fidelity to
his master."
When he had resolved to revolt against Al Mansur, Abu Muslim left
Mesopotamia, and set out for Khorassan; while on his part Al Mansur
left Anbar, and encamped near the city of Rumiyeh. From thence he sent
the following message to Abu Muslim: "I wish to consult you on matters
which can not be confided to a letter; come hither, and I shall not
detain you long." Abu Muslim read the letter, but would not go. Al
Mansur then sent to him Djerir, son of Yezid, the most accomplished
diplomatist of his time, who had already made the acquaintance of Abu
Muslim in Khorassan.
When Djerir came into Abu Muslim's presence, he addressed him as
follows: "My lord, you have fought hitherto faithfully for the
Abbassides (Al Mansur's family); why should you now turn against them?
No information has reached the Caliph which should inspire you with any
sort of fear; you have really, in my belief, no reason to pursue this
line of conduct." Abu Muslim was on the point of promising to return
with him, when one of his intimates pressed him not to do so. "My
friend," the chief answered him, "I can resist the suggestions of the
devil, but not those of a man like this." And in fact Djerir did not
cease his persuasions till he had induced him to proceed to the Caliph.
Abu Muslim had consulted astrologers, who told him that he was to
destroy a dynasty, create a dynasty,[1] and be slain in the land of Rum
(Asia Minor). Al Mansur was then at Rumaiyat al-Madain, a place founded
by one of the Persian kings, and Abu Muslim never suspected that he
should meet with his death there, as he fancied that it was Asia Minor
which was meant by the oracle.
On entering into Al Mansur's presence, he met with a most favorable
reception, and was then told to retire to his tent; but the Caliph only
waited a favorable opportunity to take him unawares. Abu Muslim then
rode a number of times to visit Al Mansur, whose manner appeared less
cordial than before. At last he went to the palace one day, and, being
informed that the Caliph was making his ablutions previously to his
prayers, sat down in an antechamber. In the meanwhile Al Mansur had
posted some persons behind a curtain near to the sofa where Abu Muslim
was sitting, with the orders not to appear till the Caliph clapped his
hands. On this signal they were to strike off Abu Muslim's head.
Al Mansur then took his seat on the throne, and Abu Muslim, being
introduced, made his salutation, which the Caliph returned. Al Mansur
then permitted him to sit, and, having commenced the conversation,
proceeded to level sundry reproaches against him. "Thou hast done
this," said he, "and thou hast done that." "Why does my lord speak so
to me," replied Abu Muslim, "after all my efforts and services?" "Son
of a prostitute!" exclaimed Al Mansur, "thou owest thy success to our
own good fortune. Had a negress slave been in thy place, she would
have done as much as thou! Was it not thou who soughtest to obtain in
marriage my aunt, Aasiya, pretending indeed that thou wast a descendant
of Salit, the son of Abd Allah Ibn Abbas? Thou hast undertaken,
infamous wretch! to mount where thou canst not reach."
On this Abu Muslim seized him by the hand, which he kissed and pressed,
offering excuses for his conduct; but Al Mansur shouted: "May God
not spare me if I spare thee!" He then clapped his hands, on which
the assassins rushed out upon Abu Muslim and cut him to pieces with
their swords, Al Mansur exclaiming all the time: "God cut your hands
off, rascals! Strike!" On receiving the first blow Abu Muslim said:
"Commander of the Faithful, spare me that I may be useful against thy
enemies." The Caliph replied: "May God never spare me if I do! Where
have I a greater enemy than thee?"
When Abu Muslim was slain, his body was rolled up in a carpet, and
soon after Al Mansur's general, Jafar Ibn Hanzala, entered. "What
think you of Abu Muslim?" the Caliph said to him. "Commander of the
Faithful," answered the other, "if you have ever the misfortune to
pull a single hair out of his head, there is no resource for you but
to kill him, and to kill him, and to kill him again." "God has given
thee understanding," replied Al Mansur: "here he is in the carpet." On
seeing him dead, Hanzala said: "Commander of the Faithful, count this
as the first day of your reign." Al Mansur then recited this verse: "He
threw away his staff of travel, and found repose after a long journey."
After this he turned toward the persons present, and recited these
lines over the prostrate body:
"Thou didst pretend that our debt to thee could never be paid! Receive
now thy account in full, O Abu Mujrim.[2] Drink of that draught which
thou didst so often serve to others a draught more bitter to the throat
than gall."
[Illustration: THE DEATH OF ABU MUSTEM.
_The Favorite Counsellor of the Caliph Al Mansur, slain for presuming
to imitate the Caliph._]
_Al Mansur and Ibn al Mukaffa_
Ibn al Mukaffa, the translator of the book "Kalilah and Dimnah" from
Pehlevi into Arabic, was one of the most learned men during the
reign of Al Mansur, but suspected of Zendikism, or free-thinking. Al
Mansur is reported to have said: "I never found a book on Zendikism
which did not owe its origin to Ibn al Mukaffa." The latter used to be
a thorn in the side of Sofyan, the governor of Basra. As Sofyan had
a large nose, Ibn al Mukaffa used to say to him when he visited him:
"How are you both?" meaning him and his nose. Sofyan once said: "I had
never reason to repent keeping silence." And Ibn al Mukaffa replied:
"Dumbness becomes you; why should you repent of it?"
These gibes rankled in Sofyan's mind, and ere long he had an
opportunity of glutting his vengeance on Ibn al Mukaffa.
Abdallah, the uncle of Al Mansur, had revolted against his nephew, and
aspired to the Caliphate; but being defeated by Abu Muslim, who had
been sent against him at the head of an army, he took to flight, and
dreading the vengeance of Al Mansur, lay concealed at the house of his
brothers, Sulaiman and Isa. These two then interceded for him with the
Caliph, who consented to forgive what had passed; and it was decided
that a letter of pardon should be granted by Al Mansur.
On coming to Basra the two brothers told Ibn al Mukaffa, who was
secretary to Isa, to draw up the letter of pardon, and to word it
in the strongest terms, so as to leave no pretext to Al Mansur for
making an attempt against Abdallah's life. Ibn al Mukaffa obeyed their
directions, and drew up the letter in the most binding terms, inserting
in it, among others, the following clause: "And if at any time the
Commander of the Faithful act perfidiously toward his uncle, Abdallah
Ibn Ali, his wives shall be divorced from him, his horses shall be
confiscated for the service of God in war, his slaves shall become
free, and the Moslems loosed from their allegiance to him." The other
conditions of the deed were expressed in a manner equally strict. Al
Mansur, having read the paper, was highly displeased, and asked who
wrote it. On being informed that it was Ibn al Mukaffa, his brother's
secretary, he sent a letter to Sofyan, the governor of Basra, ordering
him to put Ibn al Mukaffa to death. Sofyan was already filled with
rancor against Ibn al Mukaffa, for the reasons mentioned above. He
summoned him, and, when he appeared, reminded him of his gibes. "Emir!"
exclaimed Ibn al Mukaffa, "I implore you in the name of God to spare
my life." "May my mother be disgraced," replied Sofyan, "if I do not
kill thee in a manner such as none was ever killed in before." On this
he ordered an oven to be heated, and the limbs of Ibn al Mukaffa to be
cut off, joint by joint; these he cast into the oven before his eyes,
and he then threw him in bodily, and closed the oven on him, saying;
"It is not a crime in me to punish you thus, for you are a Zindik
(free-thinker) who corrupted the people."
Sulaiman and Isa, having made inquiries about their secretary, were
informed that he had gone into the palace of Sofyan in good health
and that he had not come out. They therefore cited Sofyan before Al
Mansur, and brought him with them in chains. Witnesses were produced,
who declared that they saw Ibn al Mukaffa enter Sofyan's palace, and
that he never came out after, and Al Mansur promised to examine into
the matter. He then said to them: "Suppose that I put Sofyan to death
in retaliation for the death of Ibn al Mukaffa, and that Ibn al Mukaffa
himself then came forth from that door" (pointing to one which was
behind him) "and spoke to you—what should I do to you in that case? I
should put you to death in retaliation for the death of Sofyan." On
this the witnesses retraced their evidence, and Isa and Sulaiman ceased
to speak of their secretary, knowing that he had been killed by order
of Al Mansur, who, disregarding his promise, cast Abdallah Ibn Ali into
prison.
Terrible as was the wrath of Al Mansur when roused, there were not
wanting on occasion those among his subjects who had the courage to
rebuke him. Once the Caliph was addressing an audience at Damascus, and
said: "O ye people! it is incumbent on you to give praise to the Most
High that he has sent me to reign over you. For verily since I began
to reign over you, he has taken away the plague which had come amongst
you." But a certain Arab cried out to him: "Of a truth Allah is too
merciful to give us both thee and the plague at one time!" On another
occasion the theologian Malik Ibn Anas relates the following: "One day
the Caliph Mansur sent for me and my friend Ibn Taous, against whom he
was known to entertain a grudge. When we entered the presence-chamber,
we beheld the executioner with his sword drawn and the leather carpet
spread, on which it was customary to behead criminals. The Caliph
signed to us to seat ourselves, and when we had done so he remained
a long time with his head bent in meditation. He then raised it, and
turning to Ibn Taous, said: 'Recite me a saying of the Prophet, on whom
be peace.'
"Ibn Taous replied: 'The Prophet of God has said, "The worst punished
criminals in the day of judgment will be those to whom God has
entrusted authority and who have abused it."' The Caliph was silent,
and there was a pause. I trembled, and drew my garments close round me,
lest any of the blood of Ibn Taous, whom I expected to see instantly
executed, should spurt upon them.
"Then the Caliph said to Ibn Taous: 'Hand me that ink-pot.' But he
never stirred. 'Why don't you hand it?' asked the Caliph. 'Because,'
he said, 'I fear you may write some wrong order, and I do not wish
to share the responsibility.' 'Get up and go,' the Caliph growled.
'Precisely what we were desiring,' answered Ibn Taous, of whose courage
and coolness I from that day formed a high opinion."
Another bold rebuker of Al Mansur was the saint and mystic, Amr Ibn
Obaid, of whom it was said that he had been "educated by the angels
and brought up by the prophets." Before Al Mansur's elevation to the
Caliphate, Amr Ibn Obaid had been his companion and intimate friend.
When Mansur came to the throne Amr went one day into his presence, and
was told by him to draw near and sit down. The Caliph then asked to
hear an exhortation from him. Amr addressed him an admonition, in which
he said, among other things: "The power which thou now wieldest, had
it remained in the hands of thy predecessors, would never have come to
thee. Be warned, then, of that night which shall give birth to a day
never more to be followed by another night." When Amr rose to depart,
Al Mansur said: "We have ordered ten thousand pieces of silver to be
given thee." "I stand not in need thereof," replied Amr. "By Allah,
thou shalt take it!" exclaimed the Caliph. "By Allah, I shall not take
it!" answered the other.
On this Al Mansur's son, Al Mahdi, who happened to be present, said to
Amr: "The Commander of the Faithful swears that a thing shall be done,
and yet thou art bold enough to swear that it shall not." "Who is this
youth?" said Amr, turning to Al Mansur. "He is the declared successor
to the Caliphate, my son, Al Mahdi," replied Mansur. "Thou hast clothed
him in raiment," said Amr, "which is not the raiment of the righteous,
and thou hast given him a name[3] which he deserveth not, and thou hast
smoothed for him a path wherein the more profit the less heed."
Al Mansur then asked him if there was anything he wished, and Amr made
answer: "Send not for me, but wait till I come to thee." "In that
case," said Mansur, "thou wilt never meet me." "That," replied Amr, "is
precisely what I desire." He then withdrew, and Al Mansur looked after
him and said: "All of you walk with stealthy steps; all of you are in
pursuit of prey—all except Amr Ibn Obaid!"
_How Al Mansur Was Tricked_
It has before been mentioned that Al Mansur, disregarding the promise
of pardon he had made to his uncle, Abdallah Ibn Ali, who had revolted
against him, cast him into prison, where he remained a long time. When
the Caliph set out on the pilgrimage to Mecca, he committed Abdallah to
the care of Isa Ibn Musa, with private orders to put him to death. Isa,
not wishing to kill Abdallah, contented himself with concealing him,
sending a message to the Caliph to say that he had been put to death.
This rumor spread about, and the Alides, the partisans of Abdallah,
petitioned Al Mansur on the subject. The Caliph declared that he
had been committed to the care of Isa. The Alides then went to Isa,
and hearing from him that Abdallah had been put to death, came again
with complaints to Al Mansur. The latter feigned to be in a rage, and
exclaimed: "Since Isa has killed my uncle without my authorizing him
to do so, he shall perish in his turn." The Caliph secretly desired
that Isa should have perpetrated this murder, so that he might have a
reasonable pretext for killing him, and thus ridding himself of two
enemies at once.
He accordingly sent for Isa, and said, "Is it true that you have killed
my uncle?" "Yes," replied Isa; "you yourself ordered me to do so." "I
never gave such an order!" cried the Caliph. "My lord, here is the
letter you sent me." "I never wrote it," said Mansur. Isa, seeing the
mood the Caliph was in, and fearing for his own life, confessed at last
that the prisoner had been spared, and was in safe-keeping. The Caliph
then ordered him to hand Abdallah over to the keeping of Abou 'l Azhar,
which was accordingly done, and Abdallah remained in prison till his
death was decided on.
When Abou 'l Azhar came to execute the sentence, he found Abdallah
with one of his female slaves. He strangled him first, but when he was
proceeding to strangle the slave also, she cried out: "Servant of God,
I pray thee for another kind of death." "It was the only time," Abou
'l Azhar said, "that I felt pity in carrying out a death-sentence.
I turned away my eyes while I gave the order to kill her. She was
strangled and placed by the side of her master. I then had the house
demolished, and they remained buried in the ruins."
Al Mansur visited Medina, and said to his chamberlain, Ar-Rabi, on
entering the city: "Find me some learned and intelligent person who
can point out to me the chief mansions of the place: it is now so
long since I saw the dwellings of my family." An intelligent youth
was discovered by Ar-Rabi, and presented to the Caliph. During their
excursion the guide did not make any observations unless asked by
Al Mansur to do so, but he then proceeded with great precision and
eloquence to furnish every requisite information.
Al Mansur was so highly pleased with him that he ordered him a
considerable sum of money, but the payment was delayed so long that
the youth found himself under the necessity of asking for it. On being
asked again to accompany Al Mansur, he fulfilled his object in the
following ingenious manner: As they passed by the house which belonged
to Aatika, the granddaughter of Abu Sofyan, the young man said, "This,
O Commander of the Faithful, is the house of that Aatika to whom Ibn
Muhammad al Ansari alluded in these lines:
"'Dwelling of Aatika! mansion which I avoid through dread of foes!
although my heart be fixed on thee, I turn away and fly thee; but yet
unconsciously I turn toward thee again.'"
These words caused Al Mansur to reflect; and he said to himself that
the youth here must have some reason for giving information, contrary
to his habit, without being asked for it. He therefore turned over
the leaves of the poem from which the verses were taken, passage by
passage, till he came to the following line:
"We see that you do what you promise, but there are persons with
deceitful tongues who promise but never perform."
He immediately asked his chamberlain if he had given the youth what
had been awarded him, and was informed by him that a particular
circumstance, which he mentioned, had caused delay in the payment.
The Caliph then ordered Ar-Rabi to give him immediately the double
of what had been promised. The youth had most ingeniously hinted the
circumstance, and Al Mansur showed great penetration in perceiving it.
_Death of Al Mansur_
Al Mansur was in the habit of saying: "I was born in the month of Z'ul
hajja, circumcised in it, attained the Caliphate in it, and I think I
shall die in the same month." And so it befell. Fadl, son of Rabi,
relates the following: "I accompanied Al Mansur in the journey during
which he died. When we had arrived at one of the stages of the march he
sent for me. I found him seated in his pavilion, with his face turned
toward the wall. He said to me: 'Have I not told you to prevent people
coming into this room and writing doleful sentences upon the wall?'
'What do you mean, Prince?' I asked. 'Don't you see what is written on
the wall?'
"' "Abu Jafar,[4] thou art about to die; thy years are fulfilled: the
will of God must be done.
"' "Abu Jafar, can any astrologer bind the decrees of God, or art thou
entirely blind?"
"'Truly, Prince,' I replied, 'I can see no inscription on this wall:
its surface is smooth and quite white.' 'Swear it, by God!' he said. I
did so. 'It is, then,' he replied, 'a warning given me to prepare for
my approaching demise. Let us hasten to reach the sacred territory,
that I may place myself under the protection of God, and ask pardon for
that wherein I have exceeded.'
"We continued our journey, during which the Caliph suffered great pain.
When we arrived at the well of Maimun, I told him the name of the
place, and that we had reached the sacred territory. He said, 'God be
praised!' and died the same day."