A.H. 96–99.
best prospect of success. Unexpectedly, Leo himself was raised to the throne, and threw the unnatural alliance over.98 A.H. The Muslim troops on both sides of the Bosphorus were defeated, and suffered such hardship from hunger, frost, and pestilence, that after lying before Constantinople for a year, the fleet was forced to retire, and the invasion came to a disastrous and inglorious end. Greek fire played a not inconsiderable part in the defeat.
Death of Suleimān,
ii. 99 A.H.
Sept., 717 A.D.Suleimān retained as Caliph his residence at Ramleh in Palestine, but made frequent excursions to Dābiḳ, the base of the army operating against Constantinople, and there he died early in 99 A.H. A son, nominated his successor, died before him. On his deathbed the Caliph wished to appoint another son, a minor; but he was persuaded by the saintly Rajā ibn Ḥayā, whose influence had been felt under the two preceding reigns also, to name instead ʿOmar, son of his uncle ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, so long governor of Egypt, and after him his brother Yezīd, to succeed. For the nomination of ʿOmar, the memory of Suleimān is blessed, though he himself receives but little other praise.[1]
Suleimān cruel and dissolute.Suleimān was not only cruel but dissolute and jealous; and as such was used to guard his ḥarīm by a watch of
- ↑ The following incident illustrates his heartless cruelty, and how the manners of his Court did but follow suit. On pilgrimage to Mecca, he halted at Medīna, where a convoy of 400 Greek captives were brought into his camp. Doomed to death, they were ranged before the royal assembly for the courtiers and poets in the Caliph's train, by way of sport, to try their hands upon. The turn came to Al-Farazdaḳ, the poet, who was handed a sword the worse for wear. Once and again the blow failed of its effect, whereat the Caliph and those around him jeered. Upbraided thus for his awkwardness, Al-Farazdaḳ cast the sword away, and extemporised some couplets which turned the laugh aside. The poetry is indubitable evidence of the cruel tale being founded on fact. The point of it lies in this, that a somewhat corresponding failure had once been experienced by a chief of the Beni ʿAbs. These were the maternal relatives of the Caliph, who, joining their master, had exposed Al-Farazdaḳ to the ridicule of the company; and so he adroitly turned the laugh against them in his stinging verses, which ridiculed the failure of their own chieftain.
The first captive brought up, a Patrician, was assigned as a mark of honour to a great-grandson of ʿAlī, to behead. The poet Jarīr was also honoured with a captive of rank. It is almost incredible that such heartless despite should have been shown towards human life. But so we read, and that without any comment or expression of surprise.
