Al-Mas'udi (المسعودي) — Page 20

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

وَسُرْعَانَ مَا انْتَشَرَتِ الْفَوْضَى وَالْقَتْلُ وَالنَّهْبُ فِي بَغْدَادَ نَتِيجَةَ انْدِلَاعِ الصِّرَاعِ بَيْنَ أَنْصَارِ الْخَلِيفَةِ الْمَعْزُولِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ، وَالْخَلِيفَةِ الْجَدِيدِ، الْمُرْتَضَى بِاللَّهِ.

Chaos, killing, and looting quickly spread through Baghdad as conflict erupted between the supporters of the deposed Caliph al-Muqtadir and the new Caliph, al-Murtada billah.

وَقَدْ تَمَكَّنَ الْمُقْتَدِرُ مِنْ اسْتِعَادَةِ الْخِلَافَةِ؛ فَأَلْقَى بِخَصْمِهِ الْمُرْتَضَى (ابْنِ الْمُعْتَزِّ) فِي السِّجْنِ، وَظَلَّ فِي سِجْنِهِ حَتَّى مَاتَ.

Al-Muqtadir managed to reclaim the caliphate, throwing his rival al-Murtada (Ibn al-Mu'tazz) into prison, where he remained until his death.

يَقُولُ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ «التَّنْبِيهِ وَالْإِشْرَافِ» عَنِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ إِنَّهُ تَوَلَّى الْحُكْمَ وَهُوَ: «صَغِيرٌ غِرٌّ تَرَفٌ، لَمْ يُعَانِ الْأُمُورَ، وَلَا وَقَفَ عَلَى أَحْوَالِ الْمُلْكِ».

In his book 'Al-Tanbih wa al-Ishraf,' al-Mas'udi writes that al-Muqtadir assumed power while he was 'young, naive, and pampered, having never faced hardship or understood the realities of governance.'

فَكَانَ الْأُمَرَاءُ وَالْوُزَرَاءُ وَالْكُتَّابُ يُدَبِّرُونَ الْأُمُورَ، لَيْسَ لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ حَلٌّ وَلَا عَقْدٌ، وَلَا يُوصَفُ بِتَدْبِيرٍ وَلَا سِيَاسَةٍ.

Princes, ministers, and scribes managed state affairs; he had no real say or authority, and he was known for neither administrative skill nor political acumen.

وَغَلَبَ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ النِّسَاءُ وَالْخَدَمُ، وَغَيْرُهُمْ، فَذَهَبَ مَا كَانَ فِي خَزَائِنِ الْخِلَافَةِ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْعَدَدِ بِسُوءِ التَّدْبِيرِ الْوَاقِعِ فِي الْمَمْلَكَةِ.

Women, servants, and others dominated the scene, and the caliphate's treasury was drained of its wealth and resources due to the mismanagement plaguing the kingdom.

فَأَدَّاهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَى سَفْكِ دَمِهِ، وَاضْطَرَبَتِ الْأُمُورُ بَعْدَهُ، وَزَالَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ رُسُومِ الدَّوْلَةِ.

This eventually led to his death, followed by widespread instability and the collapse of many state institutions.

أَمَّا ابْنُ الْمُعْتَزِّ فَيَصِفُهُ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ فِي «مُرُوجِ الذَّهَبِ» بِأَنَّهُ شَاعِرٌ بَارِعٌ.

As for Ibn al-Mu'tazz, al-Mas'udi describes him in 'Muruj al-Dhahab' as a gifted poet.

وَقَدْ عَاصَرَ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ هَذَيْنِ الْخَلِيفَتَيْنِ، وَشَهِدَ مَا عَاشَتِ الْبِلَادُ فِي عَهْدِهِمَا مِنْ أَهْوَالٍ وَتَقَلُّبَاتٍ.

Al-Mas'udi was a contemporary of both caliphs and witnessed the horrors and volatility the country endured during their reigns.

وَقَامَ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ بِإِحْدَى رِحْلَاتِهِ خَارِجَ عَاصِمَةِ الْخِلَافَةِ الْعَبَّاسِيَّةِ فِي تِلْكَ الْفَتْرَةِ الْعَصِيبَةِ، فَغَادَرَ بَغْدَادَ فِي سَنَةِ ٣٠٩هـ فِي عَهْدِ الْخَلِيفَةِ الْمُقْتَدِرِ بِاللَّهِ.

During this turbulent period, al-Mas'udi set out on one of his travels away from the Abbasid capital, leaving Baghdad in 309 AH during the reign of Caliph al-Muqtadir billah.

تَارِكًا بَغْدَادَ تَضْطَرِمُ بِنِيرَانِ الصِّرَاعِ حَوْلَ السُّلْطَةِ وَالنُّفُوذِ، وَبِالْفَوْضَى وَالِاضْطِرَابَاتِ.

He left behind a Baghdad consumed by the fires of power struggles, influence, and chaos.

فَقَدِ انْصَرَفَ الْخَلِيفَةُ الْمُقْتَدِرُ إِلَى اللَّهْوِ وَالْمُجُونِ، وَتَدَخَّلَتِ النِّسَاءُ فِي الْحُكْمِ، وَاسْتَبَدَّتْ أُمُّهُ بِالسُّلْطَةِ.

Caliph al-Muqtadir had turned to a life of amusement and debauchery, allowing women to interfere in governance while his mother seized absolute power.

وَكَانَتْ تُسَمَّى [السَّيِّدَةَ] فَكَانَتْ تَتَدَخَّلُ فِي تَعْيِينِ الْوُزَرَاءِ، بَلْ وَلَّتْ قَهْرَمَانَتَهَا [ثُومَال] النَّظَرَ فِي الْمَظَالِمِ.

Known as 'al-Sayyida,' she intervened in the appointment of ministers and even tasked her stewardess, Thumal, with overseeing the redress of grievances.

وَلَيْسَ بِأُولَى رِحْلَاتِهِ، كَمَا جَاءَ فِي كِتَابِ د. عَلِيٍّ حُسْنِي الْخَرْبُوطْلِيِّ فِي كِتَابِهِ الْمَذْكُورِ آنِفًا عَنِ الْمَسْعُودِيِّ.

This was not his first trip, as noted in Dr. Ali Husni al-Kharbutli’s aforementioned book on al-Mas'udi.

وَلَا سِيَّمَا أَنَّ الْمَسْعُودِيَّ يُشِيرُ مِرَارًا فِي «مُرُوجِ الذَّهَبِ» إِلَى رِحْلَاتِهِ فِي مَطْلَعِ الْقَرْنِ الرَّابِعِ الْهِجْرِيِّ.

This is particularly evident as al-Mas'udi repeatedly refers to his travels in 'Muruj al-Dhahab' at the start of the fourth Hijri century.

وَهَذَا مَا يُؤَكِّدُ أَنَّهُ بَدَأَ رِحْلَاتِهِ سَنَةَ ٣٠١هـ.

This confirms that he began his travels in the year 301 AH.

Vocabulary · المفردات (31 verbs · 97 nouns)

• انْتَشَرَ — to spread
• تَمَكَّنَ — to manage
• أَلْقَى — to throw
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• مَاتَ — to die
• قَالَ — to say
• تَوَلَّى — to assume
• عَانَى — to suffer
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• دَبَّرَ — to manage
• وَصَفَ — to describe
• غَلَبَ — to overcome
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• أَدَّى — to lead
• اضْطَرَبَ — to become agitated
• زَالَ — to cease
• عَاصَرَ — to coincide with
• شَهِدَ — to witness
• عَاشَ — to live
• قَامَ — to stand
• غَادَرَ — to leave
• اضْطَرَمَ — to blaze
• انْصَرَفَ — to turn away
• تَدَخَّلَ — to intervene
• اسْتَبَدَّ — to act tyrannically
• سَمَّى — to name
• وَلَّى — to appoint
• جَاءَ — to come
• أَشَارَ — to point
• أَكَّدَ — to confirm
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• فَوْضَى — chaos
• قَتْل — killing
• نَهْب — looting
• نَتِيجَة — result
• انْدِلَاع — outbreak
• صِرَاع — conflict
• نَصِير — supporter
• خَلِيفَة — caliph
• مَعْزُول — deposed (man)
• مُقْتَدِر — powerful (man)
• جَدِيد — new (man)
• مُرْتَضَى — pleasing (man)
• اسْتِعَادَة — recovery
• خِلَافَة — caliphate
• خَصْم — opponent
• سِجْن — prison
• كِتَاب — book
• تَنْبِيه — alert
• إِشْرَاف — supervision
• حُكْم — rule
• صَغِير — young (man)
• غِرّ — inexperienced (man)
• تَرَف — luxury
• أَمْر — matter
• حَال — conditions
• مُلْك — kingdom
• أَمِير — prince
• وَزِير — minister
• كَاتِب — writer
• حَلّ — solution
• عَقْد — contract
• تَدْبِير — management
• سِيَاسَة — politics
• اِمْرَأَة — woman
• خَادِم — servant
• خِزَانَة — treasury
• مَال — money
• عَدَد — number
• سُوء — badness
• وَاقِع — occurring (thing)
• مَمْلَكَة — kingdom
• سَفْك — shedding
• دَم — blood
• كَثِير — much
• رَسْم — custom
• دَوْلَة — state
• مُرُوج — meadows
• ذَهَب — gold
• شَاعِر — poet
• بَارِع — skilled (man)
• أَدِيب — literary (man)
• بَلِيغ — eloquent (man)
• مَطْبُوع — talented (man)
• مُجَوِّد — proficient (man)
• شِعْر — poetry
• قَرِيب — near (man)
• مَأْخَذ — approach
• سَهْل — easy (man)
• لَفْظ — wording
• جَيِّد — good (man)
• قَرِيحَة — talent
• حَسَن — good (man)
• اخْتِرَاع — invention
• مَعْنَى — meaning
• بِلَاد — lands
• عَهْد — era
• هَوْل — terror
• تَقَلُّب — fluctuation
• رِحْلَة — journey
• خَارِج — outside
• عَاصِمَة — capital
• عَبَّاسِيَّة — Abbasid (thing)
• فَتْرَة — period
• عَصِيب — difficult (thing)
• سَنَة — year
• تَارِك — leaving (man)
• نَار — fire
• سُلْطَة — authority
• نُفُوذ — influence
• اضْطِرَاب — disturbance
• لَهْو — amusement
• مُجُون — profligacy
• أُمّ — mother
• سَيِّدَة — lady
• تَعْيِين — appointment
• قَهْرَمَانَة — stewardess
• نَظَر — view
• مَظْلَمَة — grievance
• أَوَّل — first (thing)
• مَذْكُور — mentioned (thing)
• آنِف — previous (thing)
• مِرَار — times
• مَطْلَع — beginning
• قَرْن — century
• رَابِع — fourth (thing)
• هِجْرِيّ — Hijri (thing)
• مَظَالِم — injustices