مقدمة
Introduction
ابن المقفع: 106-142هـ، 724-759م.
Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ: 106–142 AH, 724–759 CE.
حياته, ومقتله
His life and his murder
هو عبد الله بن المقفع، فارسي الأصل، كان اسمه قبل إسلامه روزبه، وكنيته أبا عمرو، فلما أسلم سمي عبد الله، وكني بأبي محمد.
He is ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Muqaffaʿ, of Persian origin. His name before his Islam was Rūzbah, and his kunya was Abū ʿAmr. When he became Muslim, he was named ʿAbdullāh and given the kunya Abū Muḥammad.
ويعود لقبه بابن المقفع إلى أن أباه داذويه كان متوليًا خراج بلاد فارس من قبل الحجاج، فأخذ بعض أموال السلطان، فضربه الحجاج على يديه فتقفعتا، فلقب بالمقفع.
His nickname 'Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ' goes back to the fact that his father Dādhawayh was in charge of the land tax of the province of Fārs on behalf of al-Ḥajjāj. He took some of the ruler's funds, so al-Ḥajjāj struck him on his hands and they became contorted, and he was nicknamed al-Muqaffaʿ (the contorted).
نشأ ابن المقفع في ولاء بني الأهتم، وهم أهل فصاحة وبلاغة، فكان لهذه النشأة تأثير عظيم فيه، وفيما إليه من درجة رفيعة في الأدب.
Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ grew up in the clientage of the Banū al-Ahtam, who were people of eloquence and rhetoric. This upbringing had a great influence on him and on the high rank in literature that he attained.
كتب لداود بن هبيرة، ثم لعم المنصور عيسى بن علي بن عبد الله زمن ولايته على كرمان، ثم لأخيه سليمان بن علي أيام ولايته على البصرة.
He served as secretary to Dāwūd ibn Hubayra, then to al-Manṣūr's uncle ʿĪsā ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbdillāh during his governorship of Kirmān, then to his brother Sulaymān ibn ʿAlī during his governorship of Basra.
وكان في أثناء ذلك أن خرج عبد الله بن علي والي الشام على ابن أخيه المنصور، فطارده المنصور، فلجأ إلى أخويه سليمان وعيسى في البصرة، فطلبه المنصور، فأبيا أن يسلماه إياه إلا بأمان يمليان شروطه، فرضي المنصور بذلك، وعهدا إلى ابن المقفع بكتابة الأمان، فشدد فيه على المنصور تشديدا أحفظه عليه، وجعله يضمر له الشر.
During that time, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAlī, the governor of Syria, revolted against his nephew al-Manṣūr. Al-Manṣūr pursued him, and he took refuge with his two brothers Sulaymān and ʿĪsā in Basra. Al-Manṣūr demanded him, but they refused to hand him over except with a guarantee of safety whose conditions they would dictate. Al-Manṣūr agreed to that, and they entrusted Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ with writing the guarantee. He made it very stringent on al-Manṣūr, which made him resentful, and caused him to harbor evil intentions against him.