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'Abd al-Malik bin Marwan had two parasols and two crystal cups installed in the Ka'aba. The middle column was gilded with pure gold.
Walid bin 'Abd al-Malik sent two cups, but authorities have not mentioned what these were made of. Saffah had a green plate which he had purchased for four thousand dinars sent, while Abu Ja'far Mansur sent a Pharaonic bottle along with a silver tablet, presented to him by the Byzantine emperor. Mamun sent the gold and silver idols surrendered by the commander-in-chief of Kabul after he had embraced Islam, together with the ruby which used to be suspended on the front of Ka'aba during the month of Pilgrimage. Mutawwakil sent a golden parasol studded with pearls, rubies and chrysolite. It was suspended each year during Hajj. Mu'tazz's Qubayha mother had accumulated many kinds of gems and
stones, none of which she used for worldly utility or religious charity. She would not help her son when the Turks demanded a sum of 50,000 dinars for slaying Salih bin Wasif so that he could be saved from the evil of that man. Mu'tazz begged his mother, but that unfortunate woman replied that she had nothing. When at last Salih slew Mu'tazz, he had three sacks brought from the subterranean vault of the Caliph's mother. One sack had one makuk 54 worth of emeralds. Stones in such quantities were neither stocked by Mutawakkil nor by any other ruler. The other sack was smaller, weighing about half a makuk. Such large stones were not possessed by anyone anywhere. The third sack weighed half a kaylajah. 55 It contained red rubies, the like of which had never been seen before. Salih was told that the price of the jewels was a million
dinars. There were other jewels beside these, the price of which was probably in the vicinity of a million dinars. All of these this woman wasted through her niggardliness and idiocy, which caused the loss of her son as well as led to the disgrace of the Caliphate. She got nothing out of the bargain except disgrace by Salih. Degraded, robbed of all her wealth, and indigent, and cursing Salih, she went to perform Hajj. Details about some jewels are not known. It is said that a governor
of Khurasan secured a date tree belonging to a Sassanid emperor. It was made of gold, with precious jewels hanging like dates from its trunk. He despatched the tree to Mus'ab bin Zubayr. Its price was calculated at two million dinars. Mus'ab bin Zubayr asked his friends whom they thought to be deserving of its possession. They all said in unison: "You deserve it; please keep it for your son." Mus'ab bin Zubayr said: "No, I shall give it to someone who has been kind to us. Let it be given to 'Abd Allah bin Abi Farwah." .And it was accepted by Abi Farwah. When the Muslim forces entered Nihawand, they began to deposit
the booty with Sa'ib, since he had been appointed to that responsibility. Harbadh called upon Hudhayfah bin Aliman, and said to him: "if you |
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