Historical Tales and Anecdotes of the Time of the Early Khalifahs/The Story of Khuzaimah and 'Ikrimah

by Muhammad Diyab al-Atlidi

THE STORY OF KHUZAIMAH AND
ʾIKRIMAH.

IT is said that in the days of Sulaimân there lived a man called Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr, of the sons of Asaad. His means were ample, and he was famed for generosity and goodness and kindness towards his brethren; and this character he kept up until adversity befell him. Then he sought help from his brethren who had been enriched by him, and upon whom he had lavished favours, and for a while they helped him, but afterwards grew weary of him. And when he observed this change in their conduct, he went to his wife, who was his cousin, and said to her, "O daughter of my uncle! surely I have noted the alteration in my brethren, and am resolved to remain shut up in my house until death shall come unto me." So he locked his door and prepared to support himself upon what he had left, until all should be exhausted and he without resource.

Now ʾIkrimah-el-Fayyâdh, er-Rabiiy, the Governor of Mesopotamia, had been acquainted with him. And once whilst ʾIkrimah was seated in his council, behold, mention was made of Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr. And ʾIkrimah-el-Fayyâdh^[1] [who was thus named solely on account of his generosity] asked, "How is he getting on?" They replied, "Indeed his condition is desperate. He has locked his door and remains in his house." "But," said ʾIkrimah, "can Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr find no one to give to him or to recompense him for his benevolence?" They answered, "No one."

And ʾIkrimah made no further remark; but when it was night he took four thousand dinârs and put them into a bag. Then he ordered his steed to be saddled, and went out unknown to his people, and mounted, and took with him one of his slaves to carry the money. And he journeyed until he drew near Khuzaimah's door, when he took the bag from the slave and ordered him to retire to a distance, while he himself advanced towards the door and knocked at it. Then Khuzaimah came out to him, and ʾIkrimah held the bag towards him and said, "With this restore thy condition." And Khuzaimah took it from him, but found it heavy. So he put it out of his hand, and laid hold of the bridle of ʾIkrimah's steed, and said, "That I might be a ransom for thee! Who art thou?" ʾIkrimah replied, "O thou!^[2] I did not come at such a time and such a season as this, desiring that thou shouldst recognize me." "But," said Khuzaimah, "I will not accept it unless thou tell me who thou art." So ʾIkrimah said, "I am Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm."^[3] "Tell me more," said Khuzai-mah. But he answered, "No," and passed on.

Then Khuzaimah took the bag, and went in to the daughter of his uncle, and said to her, "Rejoice! for verily happiness and freedom from care have been bestowed upon us by Allâh; and if it be but copper, still there is plenty. Get up, and bring me a light." But she said, "I have no means of getting a light." So he spent the night in fingering the money, and the stamp seemed to him like that of dinârs. And he could not believe it.

As for ʾIkrimah, he returned to his dwelling, and there found that his wife had discovered his absence, and had been asking about him, and had been informed of his riding off. And she disapproved of it, and began to suspect him, and said to him, "The Governor of Mesopotamia should go out in the middle of the night unattended by his servants and unknown to his people only to visit his wives or his slaves." He made answer, "Know that I went not to any of them." "Then tell me whither thou wentest," said she. He replied, "O woman! I did not go out at such a time desiring that anybody should know about me." "There is no help for it," said she, "thou must tell me." "Wilt thou keep it secret?" he asked. "Certainly I will," she replied. So he told her the whole story as it had happened, and what he had said, and the answer he had received. And then he added, "Wouldst thou that I swear to this?" "No," she answered. "In good truth my heart is tranquil, and rests upon thy word."

With regard to Khuzaimah, when day dawned he paid off his creditors and re-established good order in his affairs, after which he equipped himself for a journey, desiring to visit Sulaimân-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik, who at that time had gone down to Palestine. And when he reached Sulaimân's door, he demanded admittance, and the chamberlain went in and acquainted the Amîr of his arrival. And Sulaimân knew about him, for he was famous on account of his generosity and benevolence. So he was admitted, and when he entered he saluted the Amîr as Khalîfah. Then Sulaimân-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik asked him, "O Khuzaimah! what has kept thee so long away from us?" "My miserable condition," he replied. "But," continued Sulaimân, "what hindered thee from coming to us?" "My weakness, O Commander of the Faithful!" he answered. "Then how hast thou been enabled to come now?" asked Sulaimân. "O Commander of the Faithful!" he replied, "I know nothing except that in the middle of the night, before I was aware, a man was knocking at the door, who did so-and-so." And he related the tale from beginning to end. "Didst thou recognize the man?" asked Sulaimân. "I did not, O Commander of the Faithful!" replied Khuzaimah, "and that because he was muffled up, and I only heard his voice while he said 'I am Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm.'"

The narrator proceeds: Then the heart of Sulaimân-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik burnt within him, and he lamented this want of knowledge of him, and said, "Did we but know him, verily we would recompense him his benevolence." Presently he said, "Bring me the Wand of Office." And when it had been brought, he invested the afore-named Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr with the governorship of Mesopotamia in the room of ʾIkrimah-el-Fayyâdh.

So Khuzaimah set out for Mesopotamia. And when he drew near, ʾIkrimah and the townsfolk came forth to meet him. And they saluted one another, and journeyed together until they entered the town. And Khuzaimah dismounted at the governor's house, and commanded that the surety for ʾIkrimah should be brought, and that the accounts should be calculated. So they reckoned them, and found that he had to answer for a considerable overplus of goods. And Khuzaimah claimed from him the payment thereof. But he said, "I have no means whatsoever." "There is nothing else to be done," said Khuzaimah. But he repeated, "I have it not; therefore do thy duty."

So Khuzaimah ordered him to prison; but afterwards sent some one to him, again demanding the money from him. But he sent the messenger back, saying, "I am not one who for the sake of concealing his wealth would lose his reputation (by imprisonment). So do with me as thou wilt." Then they loaded him with irons, and thus he remained for a month or longer, and became in consequence weak and miserable.

And the daughter of his paternal uncle heard news of this, and it distressed and disquieted her. So she summoned a freed slave who was clever and intelligent, and said to her, "Go instantly to the gate of this Amîr, Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr, and say, 'I am possessed of good advice.' And if they ask it of thee, say, 'I will not reveal it except to the Amîr Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr.' Then if thou art admitted to him, beg that thou mayst be alone with him. If he grants this, then thou shalt say to him, 'This was hardly the return which Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm deserved from thee! Thou hast recompensed him with prison, and pain, and iron.'"

So the girl did this, and when Khuzaimah had heard her words, he cried with a loud voice, "Ah! what a mischance! and is it really he?" She said, "Yes."

Then he ordered his steed immediately; and they saddled it; and he sent to fetch the chief men of the city, who assembled themselves before him, and they came with him to the gate of the prison. And it was opened, and Khuzaimah entered, and they that were with him. And they beheld ʾIkrimah sitting in the courtyard of the prison, changed in appearance, and reduced by his misfortune and suffering, and the weight of his chains and fetters. And when he saw Khuzaimah and the people with him, he blushed for shame, and hung down his head. But Khuzaimah drew near until he bent over him and kissed his brow. Then ʾIkrimah turned towards him and said, "What has given rise to this on thy part?" "Thy noble deed," said Khuzaimah, "and my ill requital." "May God pardon both us and thee!" said ʾIkrimah. Then they fetched the gaoler, who struck off his chains. And Khuzaimah commanded that they should be put upon his own feet. But ʾIkrimah asked, "What is this thou desirest?" He replied, "I wish to experience the same misery that thou hast undergone." "I adjure thee by Allâh!" said ʾIkrimah, "do it not."

So they went out together until they reached Khuzaimah's house. Then ʾIkrimah bade him farewell, and would have departed from him, but Khuzaimah said, "Thou wilt not leave me." He asked, "What dost thou wish?" "To alter thy condition," said Khuzaimah, "for verily my shame before the daughter of thy uncle is even greater than my shame before thee." Then he ordered a bath, and every one left it, and they two went in together. And Khuzaimah took it entirely upon himself to wait on ʾIkrimah and act as his servant. And when they came out, Khuzaimah bestowed a robe of honour upon him, and put it on him, and gave him also much money. Then Khuzaimah accompanied him to his house, and begged permission to go in and ask pardon of ʾIkrimah's cousin. So he made his excuses to her, and blamed himself for what had occurred.

The narrator adds: And after this Khuzaimah begged ʾIkrimah to go with him to Sulaimân-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik, who had then taken up his abode at er-Ramlat.^[4] And this being agreeable to him, they journeyed together until they reached Sulaimân-ibn-ʾAbd-el-Málik. And the chamberlain entered, and informed him of the arrival of Khuzaimah-ibn-Bishr. And Sulaimân was alarmed at this, and exclaimed, "The Governor of Mesopotamia has arrived without an order from us! This can only be by reason of some serious tidings." And when Khuzaimah came in, before he could utter his salutation, Sulaimân cried, "What is thy news, O Khuzaimah?" "Good, O Commander of the Faithful!" he replied. "What then has brought thee hither?" asked Sulaimân. "I have discovered Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm," he answered, "for ever since I perceived thy vexation at losing him, and thy desire to see him, I have longed to please thee by finding him." "And who is he?" asked Sulaimân. "ʾIkrimah-el-Fayyâdh," replied Khuzaimah.

So Sulaimân ordered him to be admitted, and when he entered he saluted Sulaimân as Khalîfah. And the latter welcomed him, and invited him to be seated, and said, O ʾIkrimah! thou didst good to him by harming thyself!" Then he continued, "Write all thy wishes, and everything of which thou art in need, on a piece of paper." So he did this, and Sulaimân ordered the immediate accomplishment of them, and commanded ten thousand dinârs to be given to him, and two suits of clothes. Then he sent for the Wand of Office, and invested ʾIkrimah with the government of Mesopotamia and Armenia and Azarbijân, and said to him, "Khuzaimah's fate is in thy hands, whether thou wilt retain him, or whether thou wilt depose him." "Not so," said ʾIkrimah; "I would, O Commander of the Faithful! that he return to his government."

After this they departed from him in company, and continued to be Sulaimân's vicegerents so long as lasted his reign.

Allâh is all-knowing!

 

1. el-Fayyâdh signifies The boundlessly generous; it is one of the titles used in speaking of the Most High, and is sometimes applied, as in this case, to an extremely generous man.
2. Ya enta! Ya hazha! O thou! O such-an-one! An exclamation importing no manner of respect to the person addressed.
3. It is now I believe generally known that most, I might say all, English proper names have a meaning; though in only a few instances, e.g., where the names of the cardinal or Christian virtues have been made use of as proper names, is the meaning instantly apparent. This is, however, not the case in an original language such as Arabic. In Arabic, proper names which are made use of as commonly as Mary, Elizabeth, Anne, or Susan, in English, bear their meaning as obviously as the English names Prudence, Grace, Hope, or Charity. In the instance related above, the name "Jâbir-ʾAtharât-el-Kirâm" would mean the mender (or repairer) of the slips of the generous. But such a name would awaken no suspicion of its being assumed in the mind of the person whom it was intended to deceive.
4. er-Ramlat in Palestine, in lat. 31° 55′ N., long. 34° 52′ E.