Bensalem Himmich - The Polymath

“That defeat was an act of revenge for the Muslim victory at the great battle of Hittin just over two decades earlier. Any hope of bringing al-Andalus back under the standard of Islam received its terminal blow when the Marini sultan, Abu al-Hasan, was defeated at Tarifah by the twin monarchs, Alfonso of Castille and Alfonso of Portugal, in 740. At one stroke, that defeat turned the Marini campaigns from jihad into short, uncoordinated raids. Now even the Banu al-Ahmar in Granada are keen to see them stopped, even if it means negotiating with the enemy forces.”

“Those Banu al-Ahmar, just like all the other petty kingdoms, have neither minds nor guts. Ibn Sharaf has their number when he says, ‘Using the term monarch in the wrong place is like a cat puffing itself up and pretending to be a lion.’”

“Dear friend, it was four decades ago that the ruler of Granada, Muhammad V, received me in the Alhambra Palace. Both he and his superb minister, Lisan al-Din ibn al-Khatib, spared absolutely no effort in welcoming and feting me. Thereafter he commissioned me to visit Pedro Alfonso in Seville, my own forebears’ native city in al-Andalus. The purpose of the visit was to persuade the king of Seville to support the Granadan ruler in his war against his enemy, the king of Aragon. I was pleased, indeed keen, to accept the commission, not least because I was very worried by the possibility that the kingdoms of Seville and Aragon might see it as being in their best interests to unite, thus turning it into yet another regrettable episode in the Muslim history of al-Andalus. While I was visiting Pedro in Seville (whom his people dubbed ‘the Cruel’ and we named ‘the Tyrant’), I saw from afar the mosque of Seville, which the Christians had converted into a church, and strolled through the gardens and along the banks of the River al-Wadi al-Kabir. Pondering the sad decline of Muslim rule in al-Andalus, I was overcome by profound feelings of melancholy and regret. At one point, Pedro the Tyrant obviously realized the way I was feeling (I had just returned from a visit to my ancestors’ homes). In a typically generous and regal fashion, he offered them all to me if I would agree to join his court. I declined his offer with apologies. In my heart of hearts I whispered in the ear of this cruel and debauched tyrant, so fond of war, money, and trinkets, that all the chattels of a life on this earth lived in his shadow were not worth a gnat’s wing to me. God alone was the victor. . ”

“My friend,” said Burhan al-Din, “I’ve no doubt at all that the tyrant of this era of ours, Timur the Mongolian, will make you exactly the same offer, to go back with him to Samarqand in exchange for whatever your heart desires. And I’m equally certain that you will give him the same reply you gave the Sevillian tyrant.”

“Islam has nothing to fear from Timur and the Mongols, Burhan al-Din. Like the Mamluks and many other groups, they have adopted Islam too, albeit in their own particular fashion. No, it is in al-Andalus that Islam faces its greatest threat. The Christians are constantly gaining ground, using their superior power and the knowledge we’ve passed on to them. Should they be victorious and gain control of the entire peninsula, they will not hesitate to kill Muslims and give them the choice of either evacuating en masse or else converting to Christianity. Beyond that even, they’ll start harassing them at Maghribi coasts and ports. Dark storm clouds are rapidly gathering over Western Islam. O God, we beg Your forgiveness and mercy!”

Both men said amen to that, and then looked down at Damascus and al-Ghuta spread out beneath them, with light and shade alternating on the glistening rows of grasses, plants, and trees.

“As you well know, my friend,” said Burhan al-Din remorsefully, “the walls of this city of Damascus are supposed to go back to a time just after the Flood. Whether that story and others like it is true or not, I still liken this city to an ancient tome, one of the most priceless books in the world, written on by Noah, Jayrun, Lazar — faithful Abraham’s boy, Alexander of the Two horns, kings of Byzantium, Muslim conquerors, the Umawis, and others. Is it conceivable for the Mamluks to leave this city totally exposed to debauchery, amputation, and burning, all at the hands of the Tatar Mongols? If Faraj and his army run away, Damascus will be left in the charge of religious scholars. In that case the city will have to be preserved and defended by using all the weapons of negotiation. Do you share my opinion on that, Wali al-Din?”

‘Abd al-Rahman paused for a minute, abundantly aware of the significance of the question he had been asked.

“Should the sultan and his army withdraw,” he said after a few moments, “I have no idea whether the senior administration will leave with him or stay to help protect the inhabitants of the city.”

Burhan al-Din’s expression showed the fire of determination. “I cannot stand in the way of a retreating army,” he said defiantly, “but, by Him in whose hands is my very soul, I swear that I will not allow any scholar, doctor, or man of means to leave even if it costs me my life. You alone have the right to go, Wali al-Din, since you’ve been dismissed from your judicial post. Even so, I’m well aware that your sterling qualities will make you decide to stay here alongside everyone else.”

“You’re right, Burhan al-Din. If we have to negotiate with Timur, then it’s religious scholars who will have to arrange things appropriately so that country and people can avoid disaster and misery.”

The looks that the two judges exchanged made it clear that they were in complete agreement on the matter. They stood up, embraced each other, then got on their mules to return to the ancient city of Damascus.

At the very beginning of ‘Abd al-Rahman’s third week in Damascus, he woke up early. He was eager for news. On the family front, he had heard nothing from Umm al-Batul in response to the letter he had sent two weeks earlier in which he had reassured her that he was well and promised to return to Egypt shortly. As regards the military situation, there was nothing new to add to his repertoire of information. This lack of news led him to improvise a class with his students in which he discussed information and the way people and history have a constant need for it. When he opened the class for discussion, the students’ examples all spoke of the rampaging rumors and misgivings circulating among people in the city because of the psychological warfare being waged all around them and the excessive degree of taxation that had been levied on merchants and craftsmen. People of means and influence were purchasing travel permits to Egypt, the Holy Places, or any remote locations that would be safer. They asked their teacher for his opinions on their information, but he postponed his answers till he had had enough time to take into account everything they had told him in evaluating the focus of his lesson. He closed the class by emphasizing the benefits of eyewitness information in making a record of the major events of time.

Just before noon, ‘Abd al-Rahman went to the postal tent in Yalbugha Dome Square in the hope of finding a letter, but there was nothing. He strolled through the streets and markets, staring at people’s faces. Their expressions were even more despondent and grim than his own. Investigating their state of affairs more closely, the discovered that the garbage situation was becoming desperate. individuals or groups of people were roaming the streets heaping insults on all tricksters and hoarders. Another group of young men kept wandering through the alleyways saying: “God, Merciful One, grant our lord the sultan victory!”

While ‘Abd al-Rahman was absorbing these impressions of people and circumstances, two men dressed like dervishes blocked his way. While one kept looking all around him, the other said, “Sir, only poor and indigent people are left inside the city. You’re obviously a learned and influential person. For two thousand dinars, we can either take you to see Timur, a great admirer of both religious scholars and lovers of luxury, or else take you somewhere else where it’s safe.” ‘Abd al-Rahman was well aware that these two men could well be spies, so he gave them both a withering stare and then continued on his way to the Umawi mosque amid throngs of beggars and vagrants.