It is said that the most wondrous of matters which happened to
Al-Rashid was this. His brother Al-Hádí,[FN#270] when he
succeeded to the Caliphate, enquired of a seal-ring of great
price, which had belonged to his father Al-Mahdi,[FN#271] and it
reached him that Al-Rashid had taken it. So he required it of
him, but he refused to give it up, and Al-Hadi insisted upon him,
yet he still denied the seal-ring of the Caliphate. Now this was
on Tigris-bridge, and he threw the ring into the river.[FN#272]
When Al-Hadi died and Al-Rashid succeeded to the Caliphate, he
went in person to that very place with a seal-ring of lead, which
he cast into the stream at the same stead, and bade the divers
seek it. So the duckers did his bidding and brought up the first
ring, and this was counted an omen of Al-Rashid's good fortune
and of the continuance of his reign.[FN#273] When Al-Rashid came
to the throne, he invested Ja'afar bin Yahyà bin Khálid al-
Barmaki[FN#274] with the Wazirate. Now Ja'afar was eminently
noted for generosity and munificence, and the histories of him to
this purport are renowned and have been documented. None of the
Wazirs rose to the rank and favour whereto he attained with Al-
Rashid, who was wont to call him brother[FN#275] and used to
carry him with him into his house. The period of his Wazirate
was nineteen[FN#276] years, and Yahya one day said to his son
Ja'afar, "O my son, as long as thy reed trembleth,[FN#277] water
it with kindness." Men differ concerning the reason of Ja'afar's
slaughter, but the better opinion of it is follows. Al-Rashid
could not bear to be parted from Ja'afar nor from his own sister
'Abbásah, daughter of Al-Mahdi, a single hour, and she was the
loveliest woman of her day; so he said to Ja'afar, "I will marry
thee to her, that it may be lawful to thee to look upon her, but
thou shalt not touch her." After this time the twain used to be
present in Al-Rashid's sitting chamber. Now the Caliph would get
up bytimes and leave the chamber, and they being filled with wine
as well as being young, Ja'afar would rise to her and know her
carnally.[FN#278] She conceived by him and bare a handsome boy;
and, fearing Al-Rashid, she dispatched the new-born child by one
of her confidants to Meccah the Magnified (May Allah Almighty
greaten it in honor and increase it in venerance and nobility and
magnification!). The affair abode concealed till there befel a
brabble between Abbasah and one of her hand-maidens whereupon the
slave-girl discovered the affair of the child to Al-Rashid and
acquainted him with its abiding-place. So, when the Caliph
pilgrimaged, he sent one who brought him the boy and found the
matter true, where he caused befal the Barmecides whatso
befel.[FN#279]