After this Hasnak rose up, and the Khwája and the other people also rose. When all had gone away, the Khwája greatly censured Bú Suhal, who earnestly begged to be excused, saying that he could not suppress his anger. An account of this assembly was given to the Amír by the governor of the city and the lawyers. The Amír sent for Bú Suhal and reprimanded him sharply, saying, “Granting that you thirst for this man's blood, still respect and honour is due to the assembly of my minister.” Bú Suhal said, “I remembered the impudence which he exhibited to my Lord at Hirát, in the reign of Amír Mahmúd, and so I could not restrain myself and deal tenderly with him.”
And I learnt from 'Amíd 'Abdu-r Razzák that on the night preceding the day on which Hasnak was executed, Bú Suhal went to 'Abdu-r Razzák's father at the time of the night prayer, and when he was asked why he had come, he replied, I will not leave you until you go to sleep, lest you should write to the Sultán interceding for Hasnak. He was told that a letter had already been written, but that he had effected Hasnak's ruin, and had acted very badly.
That day and night preparations were made for Hasnak's public execution. Two men were dressed up as messengers coming from Baghdád, bearing a letter from the Khalif to the effect that Hasnak, the Karmatian, should be executed and stoned, so that no one else in contempt of the Khalif might dare to wear the khil'at of the Egyptian and lead pilgrims to Egypt. When everything was ready, the next morning, on Wednesday, two days before the last day of Safar, Amír Mas'úd mounted his horse, intending to go out hunting for three days, with his courtiers, attendants, and singers. He ordered the governor of the town to put up a scaffold by the side of the mosque of Balkh, below the city. People repaired to the place. Bú Suhal Zauzaní rode to the gibbet and there stood overlooking it. Horsemen and foot soldiers were sent to bring Hasnak. When he was carried through the 'Áshikán Bázár and had reached the centre of the city, Míkáíl, who was riding, pushed his horse in front of him, called him names and abused him. Hasnak did not look at him, nor give him any reply. But all people cursed him for this disgraceful act, and for the abuse he had uttered. The respectable people could not, however, say what ought to be done to this Míkáíl. But after Hasnak's death he took the sister of Ayáz for his wife, and he suffered great misfortunes and endured many hardships. He still lives, engaged in devotion and in reading the Kurán. When a friend misbehaves what is the good of dilating about it?
Hasnak was brought to the foot of the scaffold. May God
save us from a disgraceful death! The two messengers who
were declared to have come from Baghdád were stationed there,
and they whose business it was were reading the Kurán. Hasnak
was ordered to put off his clothes. He fastened the string of his
trowsers and tied up his drawers. He took off his coat and shirt
and threw them away, and there he stood naked with only his
turban and trousers on, and his hands clasped together. His
body was as white as silver, and his face like hundreds of thousands
of pictures. All men were crying with grief. An iron
helmet and visor was brought, which had been purposely made
small, so that it did not cover his face and head. Men cried
aloud for his head and face to be covered, that they might not
be battered by the stones, because his head was to be sent to the
Khalif at Baghdád. Hasnak was held in this state, and his lips
kept moving, repeating something, until a larger helmet was
brought. At this juncture, Ahmad, the keeper of the wardrobe,
came riding and, looking at Hasnak, delivered this message,
His Majesty says, “This is your own wish, for you desired me
to bring you to the scaffold whenever I became king. I wished
to have mercy on you, but the Commander of the Faithful has
written, that you have become a Karmatian, and by his order you
are led to the scaffold.” Hasnak made no reply whatever. After
this his head and face were covered with the large helmet that
was just brought. They then spoke to him, but he gave no
reply, and did not heed them. Every one exclaimed, Are you
not ashamed to slay such a man upon the scaffold? A great
uproar was just about to commence, when the horsemen moved
hastily towards the populace, and repressed the noise. Hasnak
was then taken to the gibbet and led to the spot, and placed on
that steed on which he had never sat before. The executioner
fastened him tight, and the robes hung down. It was proclaimed
that he was to be stoned, but nobody touched a stone. All were
bitterly crying, particularly the Naishápúrians. At last a parcel
of vagabonds were hired with money to throw stones; but the man
was already dead, for the executioner had cast the rope round his
neck and had suffocated him. This was the end of Hasnak, his life
and story. May God be merciful to him! He used to say, Let
the prayers of the Naishápúrians be made for me, but they were
not made.*
If he did take the land and water of the Muham-
When all was done, Bú Suhal and the others retired from the scaffold, and Hasnak was left alone as he came alone from the womb of his mother. Afterwards I heard from Bú-l Hasan Jazílí, who was a friend of mine, and one of the associates of Bú Suhal, that he was in Bú Suhal's society one day when he was drinking wine. It was a goodly assembly, and many servants were waiting, and melodious singers were present. By his order the head of Hasnak was brought in unknown to the guests, placed in a dish with a cover over it. He then said, Some fresh wine has been brought in; let us partake of it. All cried, Let us have some. He ordered it to be brought forward, and at a little distance the cover was removed from the vessel. All were shocked when they saw the head of Hasnak. The narrator of the story fainted, but Bú Suhal Zauzaní laughed, and threw away some wine which he happened to have in his hand. The head was then removed. Another day, my informant continued, when there was nobody else present, I reproached him seriously; but he said, O Abú-l Hasan! you are a chicken-hearted fellow—this is the right way of dealing with the heads of our enemies. These facts became generally known, and all men condemned and cursed him.
The day on which Hasnak was led to the scaffold, my ustád Bú Nasr did not break his fast, and was exceedingly sorrowful and pensive; I had never seen him before in such a state. He exclaimed, What hope is left? The same was the case with Khwája Ahmad, who did not go to his office that day. Hasnak remained seven years on the gibbet. His feet dropped off and his corpse entirely dried up, so that not a remnant of him was left to be taken down and buried in the usual way — no one knew where his head was or where his body. His mother was a woman of great courage. I was told that his death was concealed from her for two or three months, and when she did hear of it she did not weep as women usually do; but she cried aloud with such anguish that those who were present shed tears of blood. She then exclaimed, What a fortune was my son's! a king like Mahmúd gave him this world, and one like Mas'úd the next! She made great mourning for her son, and every wise man who heard of it approved, and it was all proper.
One of the poets of Naishápúr composed an elegy upon his death, which I call to memory:—
“They cut off the head of him who was the head of heads,
The ornament of his country, the crown of the age.
Whether he was Karmatian, Jew, or infidel,
'Twas hard to pass from the throne to the scaffold.”
Capture of 'Ali Ariyáruk, the Hájib and Commander-in-Chief of the Army of India, and the circumstances which befel him from this time till his Execution at Ghor. May God be merciful to him!*