Al-Mas'udi (المسعودي) — Page 19

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

دَامَتْ مَرْحَلَةُ الِازْدِهَارِ فِي عَهْدِ الْخِلَافَةِ الْعَبَّاسِيَّةِ قَرْنًا مِنَ الزَّمَنِ.

The period of prosperity during the Abbasid Caliphate lasted for a century.

ثُمَّ حَلَّتْ مَرْحَلَةٌ سَيْطَرَ فِيهَا الْأَتْرَاكُ تَدْرِيجِيًّا عَلَى مَقَالِيدِ الْأُمُورِ.

Then came a phase where the Turks gradually seized control of the reins of power.

فَبَاتُوا مُسْتَبِدِّينَ، يَتَحَكَّمُونَ بِالسُّلْطَةِ وَتَنْصِيبِ الْخُلَفَاءِ يَخْلَعُونَهُمْ، أَوْ يَقْتُلُونَهُمْ، أَوْ يَسْمُلُونَ عُيُونَهُمْ.

They became tyrants, dictating authority and the appointment of caliphs, only to depose, kill, or blind them.

إِذَا مَا بَدَرَتْ مِنْهُمْ أَيُّ بَادِرَةٍ تَرْمِي إِلَى اسْتِعَادَةِ السُّلْطَةِ الْحَقِيقِيَّةِ أَوِ الِاسْتِقْلَالِ بِالْقَرَارِ.

This occurred whenever a caliph showed any sign of attempting to reclaim real authority or independent decision-making.

وَانْتَشَرَ الِانْحِلَالُ وَالْفَوْضَى فِي السِّيَاسَةِ وَالْإِدَارَةِ وَالْحَيَاةِ الْعَامَّةِ.

Decay and chaos spread throughout politics, administration, and public life.

وَقَدْ وَصَفَ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ أَوَّلَ خَلِيفَةٍ عَبَّاسِيٍّ عَاصَرَهُ، وَهُوَ الْمُعْتَضِدُ بِاللَّهِ، فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَازِمًا عَادِلًا.

Al-Masudi described the first Abbasid caliph he lived under, Al-Mu'tadid billah, as a firm and just ruler.

وَكَانَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ قَلِيلَ الرَّحْمَةِ، كَثِيرَ الْإِقْدَامِ، سَفَّاكًا لِلدِّمَاءِ، شَدِيدَ الرَّغْبَةِ فِي أَنْ يُمَثِّلَ بِمَنْ يَقْتُلُهُ.

Yet, he was also merciless, reckless, bloodthirsty, and prone to mutilating those he killed.

وَكَانَ الْمُعْتَضِدُ بِاللَّهِ أَوَّلَ مَنْ مَنَعَ الْوَرَّاقِينَ مِنْ بَيْعِ كُتُبِ الْفَلْسَفَةِ وَالْفِكْرِ، وَمَنَعَ الْقَصَّاصِينَ مِنَ الْجُلُوسِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ.

Al-Mu'tadid billah was the first to ban stationers from selling books on philosophy and thought, and he forbade storytellers from gathering in the streets.

وَفِي عَهْدِهِ بَدَأَ تَفَكُّكُ دَوْلَةِ الْخِلَافَةِ الْعَبَّاسِيَّةِ.

The disintegration of the Abbasid Caliphate began during his reign.

فَقَدِ اسْتَوْلَى عَمْرُو بْنُ اللَّيْثِ الصَّفَّارُ عَلَى مُعْظَمِ بِلَادِ فَارِسَ.

Amr ibn al-Layth al-Saffar seized most of the Persian lands.

وَظَهَرَ الْقَرَامِطَةُ فِي الْكُوفَةِ بِزَعَامَةِ حَمْدَانَ قَرْمَطَ، وَفِي الْبَحْرَيْنِ بِزَعَامَةِ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْجَنَّابِيِّ.

The Qarmatians emerged in Kufa under the leadership of Hamdan Qarmat, and in Bahrain under Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi.

وَقَامَ ابْنُ حَوْشَبٍ فِي الْيَمَنِ بِنَشْرِ الدَّعْوَةِ الْفَاطِمِيَّةِ.

Ibn Hawshab began spreading the Fatimid mission in Yemen.

وَمَهَّدَ الْمُعْتَضِدُ بِاللَّهِ الْأُمُورَ لِابْنِهِ الْمُكْتَفِي بِاللَّهِ، فَرَاحَ يُقَلِّدُ أَبَاهُ.

Al-Mu'tadid billah paved the way for his son, Al-Muktafi billah, who began to imitate his father.

وَفِي عَهْدِهِ ازْدَادَتْ أَحْوَالُ الْخِلَافَةِ سُوءًا، وَكَثُرَتِ الِاضْطِرَابَاتُ.

Conditions within the Caliphate worsened during his reign, and unrest grew.

غَيْرَ أَنَّ عَهْدَهُ شَهِدَ أَيْضًا سُقُوطَ الدَّوْلَةِ الطُّولُونِيَّةِ عَلَى يَدِ قَائِدِهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ لَيْمَانَ الْكَاتِبِ سَنَةَ ٢٩٢هـ.

His reign did, however, witness the fall of the Tulunid state at the hands of his commander, Muhammad ibn Layman al-Katib, in 292 AH.

وَزَوَالَ نُفُوذِ قَرَامِطَةِ الشَّمَالِ سَنَةَ ٢٩٤هـ.

The influence of the northern Qarmatians also ended in 294 AH.

يَقُولُ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ فِي «التَّنْبِيهِ وَالْإِشْرَافِ» عَنِ الْمُكْتَفِي بِاللَّهِ: كَانَ مَالُهُ جَيِّدًا، وَجُيُوشُهُ كَثِيفَةً.

In 'Al-Tanbih wal-Ishraf', Al-Masudi writes of Al-Muktafi billah: He possessed great wealth and massive armies.

وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يُوصَفُ بِشَجَاعَةٍ وَلَا بِجُبْنٍ.

He was neither particularly brave nor cowardly.

وَيَصِفُهُ فِي «مُرُوجِ الذَّهَبِ» بِأَنَّهُ: كَانَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ بَخِيلًا ضَيِّقًا.

In 'Muruj al-Dhahab', he describes him as miserly and narrow-minded.

وَفِي عَامِ ٢٩٥هـ آلَتِ الْخِلَافَةُ إِلَى الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ وَعُمْرُهُ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً.

In 295 AH, the Caliphate passed to Al-Muqtadir billah, who was only thirteen years old.

غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ عُزِلَ، فَتَوَلَّى الْخِلَافَةَ بَعْدَهُ الْمُرْتَضَى بِاللَّهِ وَهُوَ الشَّاعِرُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُعْتَزِّ.

He was soon deposed, and the poet Abdullah ibn al-Mu'tazz, known as Al-Murtada billah, assumed the Caliphate in his place.

Vocabulary · المفردات (27 verbs · 73 nouns)

• دَامَ — to last
• حَلَّ — to occur
• سَيْطَرَ — to control
• بَاتَ — to become
• تَحَكَّمَ — to control
• خَلَعَ — to depose
• قَتَلَ — to kill
• سَمَلَ — to gouge out
• بَدَرَ — to appear
• رَمَى — to aim
• انْتَشَرَ — to spread
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• عَاصَرَ — to coincide with
• مَثَّلَ — to mutilate
• مَنَعَ — to prevent
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• اسْتَوْلَى — to seize
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• قَامَ — to undertake
• مَهَّدَ — to pave the way
• قَلَّدَ — to imitate
• ازْدَادَ — to increase
• كَثُرَ — to become numerous
• شَهِدَ — to witness
• آلَ — to pass to
• عَزَلَ — to dismiss
• تَوَلَّى — to assume office
• وَصْف — description
• حَيَاة — life
• عَصْر — era
• مَرْحَلَة — stage
• ازْدِهَار — prosperity
• عَهْد — reign
• خِلَافَة — caliphate
• قَرْن — century
• زَمَن — time
• مِقْلَاد — keys/reins
• أَمْر — matter
• مُسْتَبِدّ — tyrant
• سُلْطَة — authority
• تَنْصِيب — appointment
• خَلِيفَة — caliph
• عَيْن — eye
• بَادِرَة — sign
• اسْتِعَادَة — recovery
• اسْتِقْلَال — independence
• قَرَار — decision
• انْحِلَال — decay
• فَوْضَى — chaos
• سِيَاسَة — politics
• إِدَارَة — administration
• رَحْمَة — mercy
• إِقْدَام — boldness
• سَفَّاك — bloodshedder
• دَم — blood
• رَغْبَة — desire
• وَرَّاق — stationer
• بَيْع — selling
• كِتَاب — book
• فَلْسَفَة — philosophy
• فِكْر — thought
• قَصَّاص — storyteller
• جُلُوس — sitting
• طَرِيق — road
• تَفَكُّك — disintegration
• دَوْلَة — state
• مُعْظَم — most
• بِلَاد — lands
• زَعَامَة — leadership
• نَشْر — spreading
• دَعْوَة — mission
• حَال — condition
• سُوء — badness
• اضْطِرَاب — unrest
• سُقُوط — fall
• قَائِد — commander
• كَاتِب — writer
• سَنَة — year
• زَوَال — end
• نُفُوذ — influence
• شَمَال — north
• تَنْبِيه — warning
• إِشْرَاف — supervision
• مَال — wealth
• جَيْش — army
• شَجَاعَة — courage
• جُبْن — cowardice
• مُرُوج — meadows
• ذَهَب — gold
• بَخِيل — miser
• ضَيِّق — narrow-minded
• عَام — year
• عُمْر — age
• شَاعِر — poet
• حَازِم — decisive
• كَثِيفَة — dense
• كَثِير — a lot
• حَقِيقِيَّة — real, true, genuine (feminine adjective)
• شَدِيد — extreme
• عَبَّاسِيَّة — Abbasid