Slave Soldiers and Islam_ The Genesis of a Military System - Daniel Pipes

208 Appendix 5

lowed

[himandhissuccessoral-Mahd]

in

thispractice"

(La.t’if

al-MaC(rif,p.

20).

13.

A1-Khat.ib

al-Baghdfidi (463/1071):

"When

al-MuCtas.im

had

completed

his

acquisitions

and hadsometensofthousands

ofTurkish

ghulms--50,O00nosebagshung

fromhorses,

nags,

and

mules--they

humbledthe

enemy

in every

direction.A1-

MuCta.sim’s

desiresweresuddenlysatisfied."

Amonksaidto

al-Mutas.im:

"A

king

whosesoldiersare

mostly

thesonsoffornicationwillenterAmorium."

A1-Muta.sim

replied:"By

God,Iamthat

king,

formost

of

my

army

are thesons of

fornication--they

areTurks and non-

Arabians

(Ae[zjim)

(Ta’rkh

Baghdad,

3:346,

344-45).

14.

Niz.fim

al-Mulk(485/1092):"OftheAbbasid

caliphs,

none

had

such

authority,

such

dignity,

sucha

profusion

of

wealthas

Mutas.im;

nordid

any

ownas

many

Turkishbandesashe.

They

say

hehad

70,000

Turkish

ghul(zms;many

ofhis

ghul(tms

he

ap-

pointed

to

governorships.

He

always

usedto

say

that

there

was

none

liketheTurk

forservice"

(SiySsetnmeh,p.

57/50).

15. Ibnal-Imrni
    (580/1175):a

variant

replyby

al-MuCtas.im

tothe samemonkasin

al-Kha.tibal-Baghdfidi’s

version:

"By

God,

my

whole

army

isdominated

by

Turks andallTurksare

the sonsof fornication.

They

have no lawor

politics (lays8

baynahumshaffawal
siySsa)"

(al-Anb’,

p.

106).

16.

Al-Uynwa’l-H,

ad’iq

(6th/12th

century)

andIbnal-Athfr

(630/1233):

"He increased the numberofTurkish

ghulms"

(3:381 IA,

6:452).

17. Ibn Badrn’s
    (608/1211)commentary

onIbnAbdfin’s

(529/1134)poem:

Poem:"TheAbbasid

dynasty

fell."

Commentary:

"Thisreferstothedomination

by

theTurkish

abds.
It
got

sothatthe’abdscouldkillAbbasidsatwillandcould

enthroneor
depose

them."

Poem:"Asaresultofthe

hypocrisy

ofbrownand

white."

Commentary:"TheAbbasidswere

overpoweredby

thenum-

beroftheirCabdsandthe’abds’abilitieswith
weapons

This

occurredatthedeathof
al-Wfithiq

b.

al-MuCtas.im

in232/847.

"Jaefar

al-Mans.fir

wasthefirstto

acquire

them.

He

acquired

a