The Nāṣirī Generations 291.4
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 291.4
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291.4.1
Here, respecting the putting to death of the Amir, Abu-Bikr, the son of the Khalifah, there are several statements ; and, by means of them, guard his honour and good name from hurt and injury, since the object of Hulaku, in coming to Baghdad, was to obtain wealth.” Further, the arch-traitor stated that, by some means or other, after the Khalifah should have entered into “terms of concord and amity, this dissension might be changed into friendliness ; in fact, into connexion and relationship, by a pearl out of the family of the Chingiz Khan being strung on the string of matrimony with the Khalifah’s eldest son, and another pearl from the Khalifah’s family being united to the son of Hulaku, which connexion would be, as it was in the time of the Saljuqs, of immense advantage to the state and to religion, a source of dignity, strength, and grandeur [!], and, at the same time, would save very many people from slaughter and pillage.” The Mujami’-ul-Khiyar states that it was the pretence that he had arranged all this with Hulaku, and only required the Khalifah’s presence to confirm the alliance, that induced the unfortunate Musta’sim B’illah to trust himself in the barbarian camp.
291.4.2
When the Khalifah, who had now become so lost in amazement, and so stupefied by his misfortunes, as to be incapable of distinguishing villainy from goodness, and could not calmly consider what these words contained, perceived that all hope was gone, he resolved on going out to the Mughal camp, contrary to the prayers and exhortations of his faithful subjects ; and accordingly, on Sunday, the 4th of Safar, 656 H.—the 9th of February, 1258 A.D.—accompanied by three sons [but some say, two, and some, four—Abu-Bikr-i-Abu-l-Faza’il, ’Abd-ur-Rahman, ’Abd-ul-Munaqib-i-Mubarak, and ’Abd-ul-Manazil, called, by some, Abu-l-’Abbas Ahmad], and a body of about 3000 persons, consisting of Sayyids, Ecclesiastics, Kazis, Philosophers, Doctors of the Law, Amirs, and other Grandees and Officials, in short, all the most distinguished personages of the centre of Islam, he moved out of the city. On reaching the canvas curtain before the entrance of the audience tent of the barbarian, Hulaku, the Khalifah, with his sons, and four or five attendants, were permitted to pass in, but the rest were forbidden, and were distributed among the soldiery.
291.4.3
“When the sight of the Mughal, Hulaku,” writes one of my authorities, “fell upon the Khalifah, Al-Musta’sim B’illah, as is the custom with the perfidious, he did not look crossly upon him, but made the usual [complimentary] inquiries with warmth, in such wise that the Khalifah and his sons were hopeful of good treatment therefrom. After these inquiries, Hulaku turned his face towards the Khalifah, and said : ‘Send a person into the city so that the men may throw down their arms, in order that we may have them numbered.’ The Khalifah, accordingly, despatched a person, in order that a proclamation might be made, in his name, to the effect that whoever wished to save his life should lay down his arms, and set out for the camp of the Il-Khan, Hulaku.” Consequent on this having been done—and, doubtless, at the suggestion of the traitor Wazir—the greater number of the people laid down their arms, and set out for the Mughal camp ; and all who proceeded thither fell under the ruthless swords of those infidels.
291.4.4
Such infatuation as marked these last events is scarcely conceivable, after so many proofs of Mughal treachery, but the Musalman people were now without a head. but God knows the truth. One statement is this, that they martyred him, and the Amir-i-’Alam, Suliman Shah, Hulaku having got the Khalifah into his power, sent him to Kaibuka's camp, at the Kul-wagi gate, where a tent was pitched for him, and he was placed in charge of a guard, and the Mughal leader gave orders, at dawn the following day, to make a general massacre of the people of Baghdad. The broad and deep ditch was speedily filled up, part of the walls thrown down, there being no opposition whatever, and the Mughals, soon after, began to pour into the city; and the work of slaughter, violation, pillage, and destruction, began. This was ruthlessly carried out; and the Haram-Sarae—the private dwelling of the Khalifahs, which, for five hundred years, had been the place of prostration of the Musalman peoples, was so utterly demolished that no one would have imagined that a habitation had ever existed there. The other buildings of Baghdad—the masjids, mausolea of Musalman saints and Khalifahs, the palaces, hospitals, colleges, and libraries—were all given to the flames; and places adjacent, constituting a vast extent of suburbs, were completely sacked and devastated.
291.4.5
Guzidah states that, during the massacre, a Mughal named Mianju, in one small street of the city, found upwards of forty motherless sucking-babes; and, thinking to himself, that without mothers’ milk they would perish, to death to deliver them from their suffering! I pass over the accounts given by some Oriental writers respecting the hoards of treasure, to get at which the rack was freely used, but I cannot pass over, without comment, the statement that “Mostassim,” who had given up all hope of life, and who did not know at what hour the order for his murder might be given, “begged to be allowed to keep 700 wives [Musalmans can only have four at one time, but concubines are unlimited] upon whom neither sun nor moon had shone, and was allowed to select 100,” as we are told in the Mongols Proper. What could he do with 100 wives, when he and his sons were kept in a tent under a Mughal guard, and allowed but four or five attendants for himself and them? Was he to leave his 100 wives for the sun and moon to shine upon in the camp among the brutal Mughals? This is a specimen how History may be travestied, and of “taking up the mattock” to “complete the work which the pioneer can only begin.” This little episode is taken from some foreign translation of “the great Raschid’s” Jami’-ut-Tawarikh, but the meaning of Rashid-ud-Din was either not caught by the translator, or the author of the Mongols Proper misunderstood it.
291.4.6
The words of Rashid-ud-Din, after his mentioning that directions were given to number the Khalifah’s haram—the exact meaning of which word should be duly weighed—it is not solely the place wherein wives and concubines dwell, but the home of mothers, grandmothers, aunts, daughters, and female relatives as well, including sons’ families, and sometimes daughters’—and that it was found to contain 700 females and concubines, and 1200 domestics, are: “When the Khalifah [who had been conducted to his own palace on the 9th of Safar, according to Rashid-ud-Din] found what was going on, he implored saying, ‘The inmates of the haram, on whom neither sun nor moon has shone, spare unto me’ [i.e. pardon or spare them for my sake].” Hulaku said: “Out of the 700, choose 100, and give up the rest.” The unfortunate Khalifah chose 100 females, consisting of his relatives and kinswomen [including his mother, aunts, sisters, wives, and female children, the Aiyubi, Malik ’Izz-ud-Din, son of Fath-ud-Din, the Kurd, and Mujahid-ud-Din, I-bak, the Sar Dawat, all four of them; and some [persons] narrate, that, when the Amir, Abu-Bikr, returned to the presence of his father on coming back from the camp of Hulau, at the time the Lord of the Faithful was setting out [to proceed thither], the Amir, Abu-Bikr, did not accompany him, and that he [subsequently] left Baghdad, and proceeded into Sham [Syria] by way of the desert.
291.4.7
Others again state, that he was martyred, after he had, in the presence of Hulau, uttered harsh and taunting words; and the words are [said to have been] these. The Amir, Abu-Bikr, said: “It was supposed by us that, as thou hast high birth, thou mightest be an honourable man, and that thou wouldst be a high-minded monarch; and we placed reliance on thy word. Now it is obvious that thou art neither a monarch nor a man, since thou hast acted thus perfidiously, for kings commit not perfidy.” Hulau commanded so that they martyred him. On the other hand, some state, that the Amir, Abu-Bikr, commanded one of the great Sayyids that they should take him towards Azarbaijan, and said that he would remain there some time, until, in freedom and in honour, after Baghdad became tranquil, command would be issued [as to what it would be advisable to do]. When that venerable Sayyid had taken the Amir, Abu-Bikr, some stages on the way towards Azarbaijan, a number of renegades represented to Hulau, saying: “Thou hast made a mistake. If the Amir, Abu-Bikr, should reach Azarbaijan in safety, all the forces of Rum, Sham, and Maghrab will flock round him; and, undoubtedly, he will take his revenge.” Hulau [on this] despatched people of his own in pursuit of the Amir, Abu-Bikr; and they brought him back, and Hulau martyred him; but God knows the truth. The Almighty reward him [Abu-Bikr] and the whole of his family! Amin.