(24) The name of this sufi or dervich, who was an acquaintance of our author's, has been already mentioned in vol. II. p. 336. (25) It is difficult to say why the poet said. The true reading seems to be . (26) The text of this work, with a latin translation, was published at Leyden by A. Schultens in 1732. YUSUF IBN OMAR ATH-THAKAFI. 66 66 Abû Abd Allah Yûsuf Ibn Omar Ibn Muhammad Ibn al-Hakam Ibn Abi Akîl Ibn Masûd was a member of the tribe of Thakîf (Thakafi). The rest of his genealogy will be found in our article on al-Hajjâj Ibn Yûsuf, who was his cousin, descended from the same ancestor, al-Hakam Ibn Abi Akîl (1). Khalifa Ibn Khaijât (vol. I. p. 492) relates as follows: " Yûsuf Ibn Omar being appointed governor of Yemen by (the khalif) Hishâm Ibn bd al-Malik, arrived in that province on the 27th of Ra"madân, 106 (15th Feb. A. D. 725). This post he held till the year 120 (A. D. 738), when Hishâm sent to him a diploma by which he appointed him to the go"vernment of Irâk. Yûsuf then left his son as-Salt Ibn Yusuf in Yemen, to act "there as deputy-governor." Al-Bukhâri (vol. II. p. 594) says that Yûsuf Ibn Omar was appointed to the government of Irâk in the year 121 (A. D. 739) and that he held it till the year 124. Another author relates as follows: "When Hisham Ibn Abd al-Malik wished to dismiss Khâlid Ibn Abd Allah al-Kasri (vol I. p. 484) from the government of Irâk, a courier came to him from Yûsuf Ibn Omar ath"Thakafi, the governor of Yemen. He had the messenger brought in and spoke to him in these terms: Your master has passed the bounds in asking for a thing ...much above his merit.' He then ordered the man's clothes to be torn off and "had him flogged with a whip. Now,' said he, go back to your master, and may "God treat you as you deserve (2).' He then called in Sâlim al-Yamâni who was a mawla to Sâlim Ibn Anbasa, a grandson of (the khalif) Abd al-Malik and who, at that time, was chief of the board of correspondence. Here,' said he, is an order of mine which must be sent to Yûsuf Ibn Omar; write it out and bring me 66 "at · "the letter. Sâlim retired and drew up the dispatch whilst Hishâm, who remai"ned alone, wrote with his own hand to Yûsuf Ibn Omar a short note, containing "these words: Go to Irâk, for I have appointed you its governor. Take care not to let any one know what you are about, and rid me of that Christian woman's “' son,' — meaning Khâlid, - and of his intendants.' This note he held in "his hand and, when Sâlim returned and presented to him the dispatch which he “had written, he (Hishám) slipped his own note into the cover of the other letter, without being perceived and, having sealed all up, he gave orders that the packet "should be delivered to Yûsuf's messenger. Sâlim obeyed and the messenger departed. When Yûsuf saw him arrive, he said to him: What news? (3)' The "other replied: Bad! the Commander of the faithful is incensed against you and "'caused my clothes to be torn off and myself to be whipped. He wrote no ans"wer to the letter which you sent him, but here is a dispatch from the chief of "the board (of correspondence).' Yûsuf broke the seal, read the dispatch and, on finishing, perceived the little note. He, in consequence proceeded to Irâk and "left his son as-Salt to act as his lieutenant in Yemen. Sâlim was, by this time, "replaced in the board of correspondence by Bashîr Ibn Abi Talha, a member of "one of the (Arab) families established in (the military colony of) Urdonn (the Jordan). This officer, being very intelligent, understood what Hisham's in"tentions were and said to himself: This (ill-treatment of the messenger) is a mere "stratagem; he has certainly appointed Yusuf Ibn Omar to the government of "Irâk.' He in consequence wrote the following lines to Iyâd, the intendant of "(the territory called) Ajma Sâlim, for whom he had a sincere affection: Your people have just sent you the Yemanite cloak (4); when it reaches you, put it on "and let thanks be given to God.' He (lyád) told this news to Târik, the inten“dant who had been charged by Khâlid Ibn Abd Allah al-Kasri with the adminis"tration of Kûfa and its dependancies. Bashîr then regretted what he had done and wrote again to Iyâd, saying: "They were thinking of sending you the Yemanite "cloak.' Iyâd communicated this news also to Târik, who said: The truth is in the first letter, but your friend repented of what he had written, fearing that "his conduct might be discovered.' He immediately rode off and informed "Khâlid of what was passing. Khâlid said to him: What think you best to be "done?' Tarik replied: My advice is that you ride off this very instant to the "Commander of the faithful; your presence will make him ashamed of what he is 666 666 66 6 66 6 . "' about and dissipate that prejudice against you which weighs on his mind.' As "Khâlid did not accept this advice, Târik said: Allow me, in that case, to go and 66 6 appear before him; I shall then take the engagement that all the revenue (of the province) for the present year shall be paid to him immediately.' Khâlid asked "to how much it would amount, and the other replied: To one hundred millions of dirhems (5). I shall then bring you a diploma confirming you in your place.' Where will you get the money?' said Khâlid, by Allah! I do not possess ten thousand dirhems.' Târik replied: I and Saîd Ibn Râshid will "undertake to pay forty millions of dirhems' - this Saîd was then holding the perceptorship of Saki 'l-Furât (the lands irrigated by the Euphrates), -az-Zai"nabi and Abbân Ibn al-Walîd will engage to furnish twenty millions and we shall "make the repartition of the rest amongst the other intendants.' Khâlid replied: I should be considered as a low-minded man were 1 to recal favours already granted.'' Nay,' said Târik, we save not only you but ourselves by giving up a part of our property; the advantages which you and we enjoy will "then continue, and it is better for us to renew our efforts in the pursuit of wealth "than to let you be prosecuted for the non-payment of the money. The mer"chants of Kûfa have cash of ours in their hands (let us force them to give it up), " for they will be tempted to delay the payment and wait to see what may become "of us; in that case, we shall be the authors of our own ruin and, when we lose our lives, they will keep the money and spend it.' Khâlid refused to follow "this advice and Târik then bade him farewell, saying: "shall see you.' Yûsuf Ibn Omar then arrived among them; Târik was tortured "to death, and Khâlid with all his intendants suffered every sort of ill treatment. "A number of them were tortured to death, and the money extorted from him and "from his agents by Yûsuf amounted to ninety millions of dirhems."— In our notice on Khalid Ibn Abd Allah al-Kasri we have given some account of what happened to him, and to that article we refer the reader. In our notice on Isa Ibn Omar athThakafi (vol. II. p. 421) we have related what passed between him and Yûsuf Ibn Omar, when he was questioned about the deposit confided to him. Abû Bakr Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Balâdori (6) says, in his Ansáb al-Ashraf (the genealogies of the descendants of Muhammad) and their history: "Hishâm Ibn Abd al-Malik's mind was turn"ed against Khalid Ibn Abd Allah al-Kasri in consequence of some reports which came to his ears concerning him. He was much displeased on learning how 66 6 This is the last time we 6. 66 46 6 wealthy he had got and how numerous were his houses and lands; he was also highly offended at some things which Khâlid had openly said of him. He there"fore resolved on dismissing him from office, but concealed his intention. The province of Yemen being then governed in his name by Yûsuf Ibn Omar ath"Thakafi, he wrote to that functionary, ordering him to set out for Kûfa with thirty men. Yûsuf having received this letter, to which was joined the act of his "nomination to the government of Irâk, set out on his journey, reached Kûfa after "a march of seventeen days and halted, for the night, in the neighbourhood of the city. Târik, to whom Khâlid al-Kasri had confided the collectorship of the land“tax (kharáj), had just circumcised his son and, on this occasion, he (Khálid?) "sent him a present of one thousand blood-horses, one thousand male slaves and one thousand female slaves, besides a quantity of money, clothes and other objects. It was then that a man came to Târik and said: I have just seen some people whose looks I do not like, and who pretend to be travellers." In the mean "time Yûsuf Ibn Omar went to the quarter where the Arabs of the Thakîf tribe were "residing and told one of them to assemble and bring him as many Modarite "Arabs (7) as he could. This was done and, at the dawn of day, Yûsuf entered into "the mosque and ordered the muwazzin to recite the ikama (and thus indicate that "the imam was already at the head of the congregation). The muwazzin replied: "Wait till the imam comes; but, being intimidated by Yûsuf's threats, he at length obeyed. Yusuf then placed himself at the head of the assembly directed the prayer and recited (these verses of the Koran): When the inevitable (day of "judgement) shall suddenly come, etc. (sur. 56, verse I), and: A person asked (to see "God's vengeance arrive) (sur. 70, verse 1). He then caused Khâlid and Târik to "be arrested with all their people and at length, the pot boiled over."— Abû Obaida (vol. III. p. 388) related as follows: "Yûsuf imprisoned Khâlid but was indu"ced to release him and his companions by Abbân Ibn al-Walîd, who offered him "nine millions of dirhems (£225,000). He then regretted having done so; yet, on being told that, if he had refused the offer, one hundred millions would have been 'given, he replied: I am not a man to retract an engagement, once it is taken by my tongue. Khâlid, being informed by his friends of what they had done, said "to them: You did wrong in offering so great a sum at the outset; I am sure that "he will accept it and then come down upon you for more. Go back (and speak) "to him. They went to Yûsuf and said: ' We have mentioned to Khâlid the 66 ་ "amount of the sum for which we assessed ourselves in order to pay you, and he "has declared that he does not possess so much.' Khâlid replied: Do you know "better than your master the state of his fortune? by Allah! I do not ask you for more, but if you wish to go back from your engagement, I will not hinder you.' They replied, that they would retract. Well!' said he, I declare by Allah! that 66 6 66 I shall not be satisfied with nine millions of dirhems nor with twice as much.' "He then mentioned thirty millions, or, by another account, one hundred millions." -Al-Ashras, who was a mawla of the Banû Asad family and who traded for Yûsuf Ibn Omar, made the following relation: "A letter came to us from Hishâm; Yûsuf "read it, concealed from us its contents and said: 'I shall go and make the Omra "(see vol. III, page 248). We set out with him whilst his son as-Salt remained behind, as governor of Yemen during his absence. Not a word passed between "us till we reached al-Ozaib (vol. III, page 445), when he made his camel "kneel down, (dismounted) and said: Ashras! where is your guide?'-'Here he is,' said I. He asked him concerning the road, and the guide answered: 66 6 This takes to Medina and that to Irâk.' I then said: I then said By Allah! for this time "we are not making the Omra; ' but he (Yusuf) made no reply, neither did he "open his lips till we halted, one night, at a place situated between al-Hîra and "Kûfa. Having then lain down on his back, he crossed one leg over the other "' and said: Our camels were not long in bearing us unto a distant land which we had visited not long ago. "Ashras!' said he, "I brought him one. "woman 686 64 find me a man from whom I can obtain information. Ask that fellow, 'said he,' what the son of the Christian meaning Khâlid al-Kasri, is about. '—I said to the man : is at al-Hamma (8); as he was · He Ask him,' said Yusuf, what “‹‹ What is Khâlid doing?' He answered: complaining (of some illness), he went there. Târik is about. The man replied: He has been circumcising his sons and is "now giving a great dinner to the people of Hira, whilst his lieutenant, Atiya Ibn "Miklâs() is doing the same at Kûfa. Let the fellow go, said "Yûsuf. He then mounted (his camel), proceeded to the public place (rahaba), "entered into the mosque and said his prayers. After that, he laid down on his |