It is unnecessary for our purpose to recount the long wars of Bábak against the Muslims, or to enumerate his many and Execution of Bábak and his brother 'Abdu'lláh. brilliant successes. Suffice it to say that, after enjoying complete impunity for twenty-two years (A.H. 201-222 or 223, A.D. 816-838), he was ultimately defeated and taken captive by Afshín, sent to Surra-man-ra'a, and there put to death before the Caliph al-Mu'taṣim. His body was crucified there on a spot called al-'Aqaba (“the Hill”), still famous for this in Ṭabarí's time (iii, 1231), while his head was sent to Khurásán. His brother 'Abdu'lláh was sent in the custody of Ibn Sharwín aṭ-Ṭabarí to Baghdad, where he suffered a like fate. On the way thither the prisoner was lodged in the Castle of Baradán. “Who art thou?” he inquired of his custodian. “The son of Sharwín, Prince of Ṭabaristán,” replied the other. “Praise be to God!” exclaimed Bábak's brother, “that He hath vouchsafed to me one of the dihqáns (Persian landed gentry) to superintend my execution!” Ibn Sharwín pointed to Núdnúd, Bábak's executioner, and said, “It is he only who will superintend thy execution.” “Thou art my man,” said 'Abdu'lláh, turning towards him, “and this other is only a barbarian. Tell me now, wert thou bidden to give me anything to eat, or not?” “Tell me what you would like,” replied the executioner. “Make for me,” said 'Abdu'lláh, “some sweet wheaten porridge (fálúdhaj).” Having eaten heartily of this nocturnal meal, he said, “O So-and-so, to-morrow thou shalt know that I am a dihqán (i.e., a Persian gentleman of the old stock), if it please God.” Then he asked for some date-wine, which was also given to him, and which he drank slowly and deliberately, till it was near morning, when the journey was continued to Baghdad. When they reached the head of the Bridge, the Governor, Isḥáq b. Ibráhím, ordered 'Abdu'llah's hands and feet to be cut off, during which he uttered no sound and spoke no word. Then he was crucified on the eastern side of the river, between the two bridges. Yet was he not mocked to the same degree as Bábak, who was brought forth mounted on an elephant, clad in a robe of brocade, and crowned with a round qalansuwa, or Persian cap, of marten-skin.
About a year later (September, A.D. 840) the body of Execution of Mázyár, who is gibbeted beside Bábak. Mázyár, the rebel prince of Ṭabaristán, was gibbeted beside that of Bábak, concerning which pitiable spectacle the poet Abú Tammám († A.D. 845-6) has the following verses:* —
“The fever of my heart was cooled when Bábak became the neigh-
bour of Mázyár;
He now makes the second with him under the vault of heaven;
but he was not like, ‘the second of two, when they were
both in the Cave.’*
They seem to stand aside that they may conceal some news from
the curious inquirer.
Their raiment is black, and the hands of the Samúm*
might be
supposed to have woven for them a vest of pitch.
Morning and evening they ride on slender steeds, brought out for
them from the stables of the carpenters.
They stir not from their place, and yet the spectator might suppose
them to be always on a journey.”
With them was soon associated a third, no less than Afshín himself, the conqueror of Bábak, the secret abettor of Mázyár Execution of Afshín. in his revolt against 'Abdu'lláh b. Ṭáhir, the Caliph's governor of Khurásán. He too, though formerly one of the Caliph's chief generals and favourite courtiers, was not less Persian by birth and sympathy than the two others who bore him company at that grim trysting-place.* Of his trial a very interesting account is given by Ṭabarí (iii, pp. 1308-1313), which is significant as showing how thin a veneer of Islám sufficed for a high officer of the Commander of the Faithful (until he fell into disgrace for purely political reasons) at this period. The substance of this narrative, which is on the authority of an eye-witness, Hárún b. 'Ísá b. Manṣúr, is as follows:—
Amongst those present at the trial were Ahmad b. Abí Du'ád, Isḥáq b. Ibráhím b. Muṣ'ab, Muḥammad b. 'Abdu'l- Trial of Afshín. Malik az-Zayyát, who acted as prosecutor, Mázyár (who had turned “King's evidence,” but, as we have already seen, with no benefit to himself), the Múbadh, or high-priest of the Magians, a prince of Sughd, and two men from the same province clad in tatters. These two last were first examined. They uncovered their backs, which First charge: the scourging of Muslims for iconoclasm. were seen to be raw from scourging. “Knowest thou these men?” inquired Ibnu'z-Zayyát of Afshín. “Yes,” replied he: “this one is a mu'adhdhin, and that one an imám; they built a mosque at Ushrúsna, and I inflicted on each of them a thousand stripes, because I had covenanted with the princes of Sughd that I would leave all men unmolested in the religion which they professed, and these two fell upon a temple wherein were idols worshipped by some of the people of Ushrúsna, cast them forth, and made the place into a mosque; wherefore I punished each of them with a thousand stripes, because they had acted aggressively and hindered the people in their worship.”
Ibnu'z-Zayyát then passed to another count. “What,” inquired he, “is a book in thy possession which thou hast Second charge: the possession of heathen books. adorned with gold, jewels and brocade, and which contains blasphemies against God?” “It is a book,” replied Afshín, “which I inherited from my father, and which contains some of the wisdom of the Persians; and as for its alleged blasphemies, I profit by its literary merit and ignore the rest. And I received it thus sumptuously adorned, nor did need arise to compel me to strip it of its ornaments, so I left it as it was, just as you have the Book of Kalíla and Dimna and the Book of Mazdak* in your house, nor did I deem this incompatible with my profession of Islám.”
Then the Magian priest came forward and said, “This man was in the habit of eating the flesh of animals killed by Third charge: the eating of the flesh of strangled animals, and the refusal of circumcision. strangulation, and used to persuade me to eat it, pretending that it was more tender than the flesh of beasts slain with the knife. Moreover, he used every Wednesday to slay a black sheep, cutting it in two with his sword, and then passing between the two pieces, and afterwards eating its flesh. And one day he said to me, ‘I have become one of these people [i.e., the Arabs] in everything which I detest, even unto the eating of oil, and the riding of camels, and the wearing of sandals, but to this day not a hair hath fallen from me,’ meaning that he had never used depilatories, nor submitted to circumcision.” “Tell me,” said Afshín, “whether this fellow, who speaketh in this fashion, is worthy of credence in his religion.” Now the Múbad was a Magian who afterwards embraced Islám in the reign of al-Mutawakkil, one of whose intimates he became; so they answered, “No.” “Then,” said Afshín, “what means your acceptance of the testimony of one in whom you have no reliance, and whom you do not regard as trustworthy?” Then he turned to the Múbad and said, “Was there a door or a window between my house and thine through which thou could'st observe me and have knowledge of my doings?” “No,” answered the Múbad. “Was I not wont,” continued Afshín, “to bring thee in unto myself, and to tell thee my secrets, and to talk with thee on Persian matters, and of my love for the things and the people of Persia?” “Yes,” replied the Múbad. “Then,” said Afshín, “thou art neither true in thy religious professions, nor generous in thy friendship, since thou hast brought up against me in public matters which I confided to thee in secret.”
The Marzubán of Sughd was next brought forward, and
Afshín was asked if he knew him, to which he replied in the
Fourth charge:
the accepting
from the
people of divine
honours.
negative. Then they asked the Marzubán
whether he knew Afshín, to which he answered
that he did, and, turning to the accused, cried,
“O trickster, how long wilt thou defend thyself
and strive to gloss over the truth?” “What sayest thou,
O long-beard?” answered Afshín. “How do thy subjects
write to thee?” continued the other. “As they used to write
to my father and grandfather,” replied Afshín. “Tell us how
they address you,” pursued the Marzubán. “I will not,” said
Afshín. “Do they not in their letters address thee as So-and-