Bensalem Himmich - The Polymath

SUDUN (feigning shock): Heaven help us all! Is the judge suggesting we do not go out to confront the tyrant and prevent him wreaking death and destruction among God’s faithful?

IBN KHALDUN: The Mongol invasion is exactly like a hurricane or earthquake; there are bound to be victims and destruction. In such cases the smart thing to do is to let them expend all their energy beyond established limits of security. Our lord al-Zahir Sayf al-Din’s decision to set such limits in Syria was exactly right. He sprang to its defense when the time came, but went no further.

SUDUN: I don’t see how any of this solves the principal issue before us. Do you think the tyrant will attack Damascus again and try to sack it, even when our lord prevented him last time?

IBN KHALDUN: My own opinion is that Timur will certainly return to Syria with an even larger force and greater determination. As usual he’ll start with the weaker parts. In one isolated city he’ll pile up a mound of skulls, then he’ll set fire to another. Preparations will have to be made for such an eventuality, whether it actually happens or God protects us from such a calamity.

BARQUQ (fighting sleep): So now, revered judge, we’ve reached the touchstone of the entire matter. Apart from military preparations that are the province of our fearless generals, give me some advice about other covert factors that might facilitate (and indeed accelerate) our victory.

IBN KHALDUN (staring fixedly at Sudun): Firstly, my lord, by strengthening the domestic front. How? By applying justice, the mainstay of proper kingship. Bribery and graft serve to corrupt morals and values. Injustice is the sure sign of a civilization’s imminent collapse. If the ruler treats his people fairly and respects them, they’ll be much more inclined to respect and love him and fight on his behalf against his enemies.

BARQUQ (gesturing to his recorder to write it all down): Absolutely correct. What else?

IBN KHALDUN: Open up the treasury and spend money on sharpening the war effort and making the prospect of fighting a war attractive to desert warriors. At this point the viceroy may well ask me, ‘Where does the extra money come from? The revenue sources are already known and will not increase.’ In response, my lord, I must offer some very basic advice. Whatever happens, do not further oppress an already weakened people or impose taxes on professionals or farmers. Do not make people even more despondent than they already are or try to force developers to curtail their activities. The only places where you are going to find the necessary money and equipment is in the coffers of the wealthy, people who are living a life of luxury and ease. A portion of their money and property will suffice to build all the buttresses needed to repel the Mongol threat. If they don’t cooperate, their money will vanish and so will they.”

IBN AL-TUNSI: Verily those who store up gold and silver and do not spend them in the path of God, give them the glad tidings of a dire punishment .

SUDUN (exasperated): The notables and senior officials of state will spare nothing to insure our lord’s victory and defend the throne. Ibn Khaldun: Words are confirmed and bolstered by actions. The best charity is that which comes soonest. So let no money be smuggled away, no heirlooms buried, and no documents forged or concealed. The situation is extremely grave. Anyone who fails to appreciate that will perish in his ignorance.

BARQUQ: And what else?

IBN KHLADUN: Exchange of gifts, my lord, exchange of gifts! They are the best way to cement relationships, and a downpayment on peace. In this particular circumstance, the most important gesture would involve the sultans in the Maghrib, chief among them being the Marini sultan. When you send him a letter, remember that he is extremely proud, as were his ancestors. It is a good idea to address him as ‘Commander of the Faithful’ so we don’t have to face the same misunderstandings and alienation that happened between Salah al-Din the Ayyubid and Ya‘qub al-Mansur the Almohad ruler.

BARQUQ: What happened between them — may God show no tolerance to those who give offence?

IBN KHALDUN: The Ayyubid amir sent the Almohad sultan a gift and asked him to dispatch his fleet to blockade the French off the coast of Syria. The initiative was a complete failure, but only because he did not insert the phrase ‘Commander of the Faithful’ into his official letter. That at least is what the chroniclers tell us. And God knows the contents of men’s hearts .

BARQUQ: I wonder, Wali al-Din. Do you think I’ll need Maghribi troops and equipment in my war against Timur?

IBN KHALDUN: When I first arrived in Egypt, I thought the people here looked as though they had just emerged from the Day of Reckoning. Today it’s the same or even more so. As a whole they’re either people of modest demands and expectations — that being the vast majority, or else highly cultured people spoiled by excess and luxury. They’ve become more cowardly than a group of women flat on their backs. That’s why for defense and attack purposes you’re going to need the army to be reinforced by warriors and mercenaries from neighboring Muslim countries. The Maghrib, with its Bedouins and Berbers, is a veritable goldmine for sturdy fighters ready for hardships and battle. In addition there are the horses that my lord is always eager to ride, animals that seem created for toil and conflict. Gifts and presents, they will prepare the way for the declaration of jihad and mobilization.

BARQUQ: This is another reason why I have summoned you here tonight, Wali al-Din. You are aware that five or more years ago I wrote to one of the Bedouin chiefs of the Maghrib a letter of request to his Marini sultan, Abu al-’Abbas. I charged him with the task of selecting some horses from his region and bringing them back to me here. I have no idea what has delayed him in carrying out the task. Today I am going to entrust the Mamluk Qutlubagha with the task of taking gifts of cloth, perfume, and bows to the monarchs of the Maghrib. I am relying on you to give him appropriate advice as to how to conduct himself.

IBN KHALDUN: My lord, accepting such an honor I regard as an obligation.

BARQUQ: Is there anything else we need to discuss on this matter?

IBN KHALDUN: Yes, there is something more I would like to say by way of conclusion. I would ask the recorder to note it down.

BARQUQ (still fighting exhaustion): Then by all means proceed, even though we stay up till dawn.

IBN KHALDUN: My lord, I have no detailed knowledge of the arts of warfare, but I am still of the opinion that any resistance to the Mongol attack may well require a cluster of skills either simultaneously or in sequence: attack and retreat; marching in ranks and phalanxes; advancing and fortifying redoubts and trenches. Furthermore, I think that you should not expect to rely on lines of lancers and archers, the pride of the Mamluk army. It will be much more effective for commanders and strategists to make use of Timur’s most deadly and effective weapon, deceit and trickery.

IBN AL-TUNSI (eyes closed): In The Prevalent Model , Diya’ al-Din ibn al-Athir says that the person with a trick is more useful than an entire tribe. The Lord of Creation and Victor over Polytheists says, “War is deceit.”

IBN KHALDUN: As weapons, deceit and trickery only work properly when they’re used by someone who is completely versed in the finer points of strategic planning and can thus benefit from the various categories of useful information they provide. That’s why you’ll find Timur always surrounded by the most-qualified experts in every specialty. He never enters a city without first getting to know its religious scholars and co-opting some of them to his team. For example, he dispatched some of them to Samarqand to look into rebuilding and decorating its monuments. He’s done the same thing more recently in Raha, Tikrit, Aleppo, and elsewhere. My lord, if you would like me to prepare a document of the things that I think most important and urgent, then by all means entrust me with such a task.