The Nāṣirī Generations 292: ACCOUNT OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THE LORD OF THE FAITHFUL, AL-MUSTA’SIM B’ILLAH—THE ALMIGHTY REWARD HIM!
Tabakat-i-Nasiri 292
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ACCOUNT OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THE LORD OF THE FAITHFUL, AL-MUSTA’SIM B’ILLAH—THE ALMIGHTY REWARD HIM!
292.1
For some time, the infidel Mughals desired to detain the Lord of the Faithful, Al-Musta’sim B’illah. There were a great number of Musalmans among the Mughal forces, and they declared: "If Hulau should pour out the blood of this Khalifah on the ground, both he, and the Mughal army will be swallowed up in an earthquake; and therefore it behoveth not to slay him.” The object of these Musalmans was this, that the Lord of the Faithful should remain alive; for, among all, hesitation arose about putting the Khalifah to death. The Malik of Mausil, Badr-ud-Din-i-Lulu—God’s curse upon him!—and other infidels, represented to Hulau, saying: “If the Khalifah continues alive, the whole of the Musalmans which are among the troops, and other [Musalman] peoples who are in other countries, will rise, and will bring about his liberation, and will not leave thee, Hulau, alive.” The accursed Hulau was frightened at this, saying: “If the Khalifah continues to live, an outbreak of the Musalmans may take place; and, if he is slain, with the sword, when his blood falls upon the ground, an earthquake will take place, and people will be destroyed;” so he proposed to put the Khalifah to death after a different fashion. He gave orders therefore so that they enfolded him in a [leather] sack for holding clothes, and kicked his sacred person until he died—May the Almighty reward him and bless him!
292.2
The Amir, Abu-Bikr, the Khalifah’s son, and the Amir-i-'Alam, Suliman Shah, the Aiyubi, they likewise martyred, until the whole of the Amirs and Maliks of the Court of the Khilafat, with the exception of the little son of the Lord of the Faithful, were made martyrs of. Hulau seized all the treasures of Baghdad, the enumeration of, and amount of which wealth, the pen of description could neither record, nor the human understanding contain, and conveyed the whole — money, jewels, gold and gem-studded vases, and elegant furniture— to his camp. Such of these as were suitable for Mangu Khan [Ka’an] with some of the females of the Khalifah's haram, together with a daughter of the Khalifah, he [Hulau] despatched towards Turkistan; some [things?] were sent, as presents, and as his portion, to Barka, the Musalman, and some Hulau himself retained.
292.3
Trustworthy persons have related, that what reached Barka he refused to accept, and that he slew the emissaries of Hulau; and, on this account, enmity became established between Barka and Hulau. With respect to such things as he [Hulau] sent to Mangu Khan, when that property, and money, reached the city of Samrkand, the daughter of the Khalifah — God reward her! — requested permission from the authority sent in charge of them, saying : “The mausoleum of one of my ancestors is situated in the city of Samrkand, namely, that of Kusam, son of 'Abbas : permit me to go and visit his tomb ” The intendant in charge acceded to her request ; and that innocent [creature] proceeded to the mausoleum of Kusam, son of 'Abbas, and celebrated the usual rites observed on paying a visit to a tomb, performed a prayer of two genuflexions ; and, bowing her face to the ground, prayed, saying: God! if this Kusam, son of 'Abbas, my ancestor, hath honour in Thy presence, take this Thy servant unto Thyself, and deliver her out of the hands of these strange men !” The door of compliance was opened ; and, then and there, in that act of adoration, she transmitted her pure soul to the Most High God. God reward her and bless her, and her ancestors, and all martyrs of the true faith !
292.4
The author of the Tarikh-i-Mukaddasi, in the Section [entitled] Kawa'in, and in the mention of the outbreak of the Turks, quotes a tradition from 'Abd-ullah-i-'Abbas — on whom be peace ! He says : “ 'Abd-ullah, son of 'Abbas, took oath and said, ‘ the Khilafat of my posterity will continue up to such time as Turks of ruddy countenances, whose faces will be broad like unto a buckler, shall overcome their dominion and grandeur.’ ” Therefore, ’Ulama have all [from time to time] given an interpretation respecting this prediction. Some have said that they might be Musalman Turks, and others have said that they might be from the tribes of the Turks of the empire of Chin, who would subdue the land of I-ran, ’Irak, and Baghdad; but unto all the sages of the world, and ’Ulama of the race of Adam—God reward them!—it [now] became manifest that the latter interpretation was the correct one, and that the downfall of the seat of the Khilafat would be wrought at the hands of the infidels of Chin—the curse of the Almighty be upon them!—because the Lord of the Faithful, Al-Musta’sim B’illah—God reward him!—attained martyrdom at the hands of that race.
292.5
May the Sultan of Sultans, who, up to this present time, continues as usual to read the Khutbah in, and adorn the coin with, the name of that lawful Imam and Khalifah, be long preserved and maintained upon the throne of sovereignty, for the sake of the honour of the martyrs of the family of ’Ali and of ’Abbas, and the souls of the Lords of the Faithful, through the mercy of Him who is the Most Merciful of the Merciful !
292.6
After Hulaku had sacked Baghdad, and had caused the people to be martyred, he made over those that remained to the Wazir, and assigned him a Mughal Shahnah [Intendant] that he might cause them to be collected together. When the accursed Wazir returned again to Baghdad, and had collected some of the people, and located them therein, some of the servants of the Khalifah, who had retired into the Wadi and remained alive, to the number of about 10,000 horsemen, collected, and, suddenly, and unexpectedly, crossed the Dijlah and attacked Baghdad, captured the accursed Wazir, and the Shahnah [Intendant] whom the infidel Mughals had installed there, and cut them both to pieces. As many of the dependents of those accursed ones as fell into their hands, and the whole of the Christians of Baghdad they seized, and despatched all of them to hell, and wreaked as much vengeance upon those accursed ones as they [the Musalmans] were capable of, and withdrew with all speed. When information of this reached the camp of the Mughals, a body of cavalry was despatched to Baghdad. The remnant of the Musalmans had departed, and with expedition; and not one among those holy-warriors of Islam was taken.
292.7
Some persons relate, that Hulau, after he had finished the affair of Baghdad and the slaughtering of the Musalmans, inquired of the Wazir, saying: “Whence was thy prosperity?” The Wazir replied: “From the seat of the Khilafat.” Hulau said: “Since thou didst not observe the rights of gratitude towards thy benefactors, thou art, indeed, not worthy of being in my service;” and he gave commands so that they despatched the Wazir—God’s curse upon him!—to hell.