The Founder of Cairo by Shainool Jiwa

Author:Shainool Jiwa [Jiwa, Shainool]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, History, Africa, Egypt, Medieval
ISBN: 9780857733719
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2013-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

Al-Nuʿmān said: When the Commander [Jawhar] captured Ibn Wāsūl and God granted him victory over him, he reprimanded the people of Sijilmāsa. Then he pardoned them, appointed one of them as a governor over them and departed. They pounced on that governor and killed him and appointed instead Muntaṣir b. Muḥammad b. al-Muʿtazz,356 whose father and grandfather had been appointed as governors of the land by the Commander of the Faithful and were among the loyal supporters (ahl al-walāya).

When Ibn Wāsūl had occupied the land, he arrested Muntaṣir, who was then a young man, and kept him captive with him for some time. The people of the city appointed Muntaṣir leader after they had killed the governor that the Commander (Jawhar) had appointed over them. They maligned him (the previous governor) with vile acts, which they claimed necessitated his death. They asserted that the rabble and the commoners murdered him. They used that as a pretext to promote their nominee for his loyalty and affection. It was said that Muntaṣir strove for that [position] and immediately sent a messenger to the Commander of the Faithful, al-Muʿizz li-Dīn Allāh, along with the people of the city, apologising to him and describing the circumstances to him. He dismissed their messenger saying that their apology was unacceptable and that he would not grant them safety until their notables came to him – and he named them – accompanied by Muntaṣir, to explain themselves. Only then would he consider what to do with them.

The messenger returned with that message. No sooner had he arrived then Muntaá¹£ir left to come to him with 200 of his notables that the Commander of the Faithful had named. They rode along sandy tracks and waterless deserts in apprehension that they would be unexpectedly attacked, until they arrived and the Commander of the Faithful received them. When they came in front of him, they kissed the ground and remained standing. He glanced irately at them and then bowed his head in silence for sometime, so their faces darkened and their limbs began to tremble, and none of them could voice a word for the fear they experienced within themselves. He raised his head and said:

O people of Sijilmāsa, you acted the way you did during the reign of al-Mahdī bi’llāh. However, he overpowered you time and again. He forgave you and was benevolent to you as he was in your vicinity during his stay [in Sijilmāsa],357 as would anyone whom God had granted His generous disposition and good character. Even though you did not extend your goodwill to him nor did you perform any good deeds towards him, he pardoned you, was charitable, forgiving and gracious to you. In spite of all that, you did not give him his due appreciation, nor were you grateful to him. You heard a roar from Satan’s bellows and you replied; he called to you and you responded. A pretender (Ibn Wāsūl) rose among you with false claims and usurped the rule. You knew his lineage and his motives.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.