١،١٢
12.1
جارية مولّدة كانت للمتوكّل حظيّة عنده فولدت له المؤيّد إبراهيم والموفّق أبا أحمد
She was a slave of mixed parentage and belonged to the caliph al-Mutawakkil. She was one of his favorites and the mother of his sons Ibrāhīm al-Muʾayyad and Abū Aḥmad al-Muwaffaq.
٢،١٢12.2
قال عبيد الله بن أحمد بن أبي طاهر في سنة سبعين ومائتين ماتت إسحٰق أمّ الموفّق بمدينة السلام لإحدى عشرة ليلة بقيت من جمادى الآخرة ودفنت بالرُّصافة.
ʿUbayd Allāh son of Ibn Abī Ṭāhir writes:
Isḥāq, the mother of al-Muwaffaq, died in Baghdad on the eighteenth of Jumada al-Thani in the year 270 [December 23, 883]. She was buried in al-Ruṣāfah.
٣،١٢12.3
فقال أبو أحمد يحيى بن عليّ بن يحيى المنجّم يعزّي الموفّق بأمّه [طويل]
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عَزَاءً فَإِنَّ الدّهْرَ يُعْطِي وَيَسْلُبُ |
وَصَبْرًا فَلِلدُّنْيَا صُرُوفٌ تَقَلَّبُ |
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وَمَا جَازِعٌ إِلَّا كَآخَرَ صَابِرٍ |
إَذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَمَّا١ قَضَى ٱللهُ مَهْرَبُ |
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عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَمْلِكُ ٱلْقَلْبُ لَوْعَةَ ٱلـْ |
ـفِرَاقِ كَمَا لَا تُمْلَكُ ٱلْعَيْنُ تَسْكُبُ |
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إِذَا كَانَ سَهْمُ ٱلْـمَوْتِ لَا بُدَّ صَائِبًا |
فَلَلصَّـبْرُ أَوْلَى بِٱلْكَرِيمِ وَأَصْوَبُ |
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لَقَدْ جَدَّتِ ٱلدُّنْيَا بِنَفْيِ بَقَائِهَا |
إِلَيْنَا وَلٰكِنَّا نُغَرُّ وَنَلْعَبُ |
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وَتُخْرِبُ دَارًا لِلْعِمَارَةِ خَلْفَهَا |
وَتَعْمُرُ دَارًا سَوْفَ لَا بُدَّ تَخْرَبُ |
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فَلَا يَقْدَحَنْ فِي عُظْمِ صَبْرِكَ عُظْمُ مَا |
رُزِئْتَ فَصَدْعُ ٱلْحُزْنِ بِٱلصَّـبْرِ يُشْعَبُ |
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فَمَا ٱلنَّاسُ إَلَّا ٱثْنَانِ مَعْقُورُ نَكْبَةٍ |
قَدِ ٱنْصَرَمَتْ أَوْ سَالِمٌ سَوْفَ يُنْكَبُ |
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فَلَا زَالَ قَصْرٌ بَٱلرُّصَافَةِ عَامِرًا |
يُسَقَّى بِهِ ذَيْلُ ٱلسَّحَابَةِ يُسْحَبُ |
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وَخُصَّ بِتَقْدِيسٍ مِنَ ٱللهِ وَاجِبٍ |
يُغَادِيهِ مِنْهُ مِثْلُ مَا يَتَأَوَّبُ |
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فَإِنَّ بِهِ تَقْوَى وَفَضْلًا مُبَرِّز ًا |
وَإِخْلَاصَ صِدْقٍ زَانَهُنَّ ٱلتَّهَذُّبُ |
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لَقَدْ أَظْلَمَتْ بَغْدَادُ عِنْدَ وَفَاتِهَا |
كَإِظْلَامِهَا لِلشَّمْسِ سَاعَةَ تَغْرُبُ |
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فَوَلَّتْ وَوَلَّى ٱلْحَمْدُ يَتْبَعُ نَعْشَهَا٢ |
وَيَصْدُقُ مَنْ يُثْنِي عَلَيْهَا وَيَنْدُبُ |
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وَمَا مَاتَ مَنْ أَبْقَى ٱلْأ َمِيرَ وَمَنْ لَهُ |
مِنَ ٱلْفَضْلِ مَا يُعْزَى إِلَيْهَا وَيُنْسَبُ |
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تَقَدُّمُهَا إِيَّاكَ بَعْدَ بُلُوغِهَا ٱلـْ |
ـمُنَى فِيكَ مَا كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱللهِ تَطْلُبُ |
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فَقَدْ أُعْطِيَتْ فِي ذَا وَذٰلِكَ سُؤْلَهَا |
وَبَاتَتْ كَمَا بَاتَ ٱلْحَيَا الَـمُتَحَلِّبُ |
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فَأَحْسِنْ عَزَاءً وَٱبْقَ فِينَا مُسَلَّمًا |
مُفَدّ ًى٣ مِنَ ٱلْأ َسْوَاءِ تُرْجَى وَتُرْهَبُ |
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فَإِنَّ الرَّزَايَا مَا تَخَطَّاكَ سَهْمُهَا |
لَيَسْهُلُ مَأْتَاهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ يَصْعُبُ |
١ كذا في م، وفي ج: ممّا. ٢ م: نفسها. ٣ م: مفدا.
ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā the astromancer composed the following poem to console al-Muwaffaq on the death of his mother Isḥāq:
Take heart—fate gives, and fate takes away;
be strong—nothing in this world remains constant.
For each one who gives in to grief, another withstands it:
there is no escaping God’s commandment.
The heart cannot bear the sting of separation
nor can the eye hold back its tears.
The arrow of death must hit its mark
but noblest is he who stands firm.
Though the world teaches that nothing is forever
we play on, and pay no heed.
It destroys one abode after another,
and raises a new one, which falls as decreed.
Your loss is great—let your strength be greater!
Strength mends what grief has undone.
All of mankind is victim to disaster:
disaster past, disaster yet to come.
May her palace in Ruṣāfah stand forever,
watered by every passing cloud,
Singled out, as it deserves, for God’s blessings,
which pours down on it, day and night.
A shelter for piety, virtue and devotion,
all graced by self-command.
As at the time of the setting sun:
Baghdad turned dark when she was gone.
She has passed; now praise follows her bier.
Those who mourn her speak true—
She is not dead! She leaves behind the Prince
and those who trace to her their line or due.
To die before you, when you fulfilled her hopes
was all she asked of her Lord.
Both prayers He granted:
her life-giving bounty still pours forth.
Take heart: her sacrifice safeguards you.
Live on! Feared by enemies, beloved by your folk.
Accept this respite: the arrows of misfortune,
so hard to bear, too easily find their mark.