A Short History of the Fatimid KhalifateO'Leary, De Lacy
History
A Short History of the Fatimid Khalifate
O'Leary, De Lacy
Egypt -- History -- 640-1250; Egypt -- Kings and rulers; Fatimites -- History
The result of these events was that Hakim fell into ill repute with the
Shiʿites who had come to Cairo from many parts, and now found themselves
in a town veering round to orthodox Muslim customs. Other events,
however, quickly made him even more obnoxious to the orthodox. He had
sent officials to Madina to open the house which had formerly belonged
to Jaʿfar as-Sadiq and to bring away whatever might be found there. When
the house was opened the officials found in it a Qurʾan, a bed, and some
furniture, and the _Daʿi_ Khatkin, who superintended the opening, carried
away these articles, and at the same time helped themselves to the taxes
which the _sharifs_ paid. Khatkin then returned to Egypt accompanied
by a large number of sharifs, all descendants of ʿAli, who were led to
expect generous treatment from Hakim. But when they reached the Khalif’s
presence he gave them only a very small part of the money Khatkin had
brought back and kept the bulk for himself, saying that he deserved
it more than they did, as he, the true heir of ʿAli, was the head of
the _sharifs_. The _sharifs_ at this left Cairo and returned to Madina
cursing him (Abu l-Mahasin).
Hakim then decided to remove the bodies of the two first Khalifs, Abu
Bakr and Umar, who were buried at Madina. His envoys bribed an ʿAlid who
lived in a house close by the burial place, and with his help they began
digging a passage through to the tombs. But a violent storm arose which
so terrified the citizens that many of them sought refuge in the holy
place where the Prophet and the early Khalifs were buried. The storm
still continued until at last the ʿAlid who had assisted Hakim’s envoys
himself became alarmed, and revealed the project on which they were
engaged to the governor who had him punished, and provided that the plan
should not be carried out (Mirkhond on the authority of the _Istidkar_ of
the Qadi Ahmad Damagini).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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