Ch. 10: An Uprising Against the Amir al-Hakam
I found this to be the most interesting of the three chapters that I read in Constable’s compilation book. It was written between 796 and 822 by Ibn al-Qutiyya, who was one of the earliest historians of Muslim Spain. The author served under the Umayyad family, but his name suggests Visigothic decent. In this piece, he describes some events during the reign of Amir al-Hakam about a group of Cordoban chiefs who tried to start an uprising to overthrow the new realm.
The story goes that this group of chiefs tried to dethrone al-Hakam by attempting to convince his cousin, Ibn al-Shammas, to take the throne. Al-Shammas pretended to agree, but then went straight to the ruler to let him know about the chiefs’ plan. Disgusted, al-Hakam executed those involved and whoever condoned this. Some had managed to escape before al-Hakam could find them. One of the villagers who supported the uprising, Talut, fled from his house located in the city near the mosque and found refuge in the house of a Jew for a year. When things quieted down, Talut found his old friend, a vizier to al-Hakam, and confided in him. The next morning, the vizier betrayed Talut and turned him in. Al-Hakam demanded an explanation from Talut, who decided to tell the truth. ” ‘I hated you for God’s sake…'” (57) Talut explained. Because of this honesty and respect for God, al-Hakam pardoned Talut. When Talut told al-Hakam how he had gone to the vizier out of friendship and how he had lived with a Jew for the year, the ruler was outraged with the vizier. He banished the vizier for his betrayal to an old friend as well as his blatant disrespect towards God and the Jew’s family. Talut lived his remaining days with great honor and respect. Al-Hakam attended his funeral.
I found this story particularly moving. When faced with a predicament, al-Hakam resorted to his values as a human being rather than to his emotions. Friendship, honesty, and the praise of God all served a higher purpose for the ruler, which is what led to the pardoning of Talut and banishment of the vizier. This relates to the Puerta Vilchez’ readings and the Alhambra itself in a few ways. The poetic versus inscribed on the doorways, as Vilchez explains, all have to do with respecting and praising God. In fact, the poems throughout the Alhambra discuss this as well. They describe similar values to the ones that this particular Umayyad ruler followed in this story. Also, in regards to convivencia, the fact that a Jew would risk he and his family’s safety in order to protect a Muslim demonstrates the level of respect and partnership among the religions. It speaks to how the Jew saw Talut as a human being in danger and in need of help rather than just a Muslim. This kind of respect and kindness has become nearly impossible to find, especially between religions. This story as a whole reminds us again how and why history can be helpful when examining our current society.