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وبعد، فلما كان السلطان الأعظم الملك الناصر، العالم المجاهد المرابط المتاغر، المؤيد المظفر المنصور، زين الدنيا والدين، سلطان الإسلام والمسلمين، محيى العدل فى العالمين، وارث ملك ملوك العرب والعجم والترك، ظل الله فى أرضه، القائم بسنته وفرضه	To proceed: Since the great Sultan, the King, the Victor, the Sage, the Just, the Struggler, the Perseverer, the Trail-blazer, the God-supported, the Conquering, the Victorious, the Ornament of the World and of Religion, the Sultan of Islam and of the Muslims, the Rejuvenator of Justice in the Worlds, the Heir of the kingdom of the Kings of the Arabs and the Persians and the Turks, Shadow of God in His land, the Upholder of God’s sunnah and of His Ordinances.
إسكندر الزمان، ملك أصحاب الأسرة والتيجان، واهب الأقاليم والأمصار، مبيد الطغاة والبغاة والكفار، حامى الحرمين، حائز القبلتين، جامع كلمة الإيمان، ناشر لواء العدل والإحسان، سيد ملوك الزمان، إمام المتقين	the Alexander of the time, the Bcstower [of that which is possessed by] the possessors of thrones and crowns, the Donor of provinces and countries, the Destroyer of tyrants and oppressors and unbelievers, Protector of the two sacred places (Mecca and Madinah), Possessor of the two qiblahs (Mecca and Jerusalem), the Unifier of the word of Faith, the Unfurler of the banner of justice and benevolence, the Master of the Kings of the time, the Imam of the pious.
قسيم أمير المؤمنين، أبو السعادات فرج بن السلطان الشهيد الملك الظاهر أبى سعيد برقوق، خلد الله تعالى على مدى الأيام سلطانه، ونصر على توالى الدهور جنوده وجيوشه وأعوانه.	the Partner of the Commander of the Faithful: Abu al-Sa’adat Faraj, son of the Sultan, the Martyr, al-Malik al-Zahir Abu Sa’id Barquq; may God, the Almighty, through the length of days, give long life to his rule and may He give victory, through the passing of the ages, to his soldiers and armies and associates.
هو الذى قهر ملوك الأرض بأسه وشدته، وأعجز الحصر والوصف عدده وعدته، وشاع فى الآفاق النائية صيته وذكره وسمعته، وحفه النصر من كل جانب فتوالى بتوالى الوقائع ظفره ونصرته	He is the one whose constancy and strength subdued the kings of the earth, whose [military] numbering and equipment rendered limit and description impossible, and whose fame and mention and repute spread to the distant horizons. And Victory surrounded him from every side. In the recurrence of battles, his victory and his conquest are recurrent.
ما قصده قاصد بسوء إلا رد خائباً، ولا رماه أحد بمكر إلا رجع سهم مكره عليه صائباً، ولا رام تذليل صعب إلا أتى من تسهيله بالعجب العجيب، ولا حاول معالجة فتح إلا تلى عليه لسان الظفر “نَصْرٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ”.	A seeker did not approach him with evil except that he returned a failure; and no one cast at him with cunning except that the arrow of his cunning turned back upon him unerringly. He did not desire the surmounting of a difficulty except to achieve in its surmounting the ingeniously miraculous. He did not attempt to effect a conquest except that the tongue of Victory spoke out to him, ‘‘Help from God, and a nigh victory”.
فسعوده أبداً بالنصر تسعد، وسهم سعادته فى كل زمان ينشد: عساكر البغى قد أعيت مقارعه… لناصر أعوزت فى كسره الحيل. كناطح صخرة يوماً ليفلقها… فلم يضرها وأوهى قرنه الوعل	His well-being through victory is ever assured, and the arrow of his happiness in every time recites: ’Gainst a Victor, Oppression’s warriors are worn; Stratagems are useless, they work not his taking. Who butts a rock all day ends not with its breaking; So does the mountain-goat, and splintered is his horn.
وكنت ممن نظر فى كتب التاريخ على اختلافها، وتدبر وقائع الحروب منها على تباين أصنافها، وما رتبه فى ذلك أهل التدبير من رؤسائها، وما اقتضاه رأى كل من مشايخ الحرب وعلمائها	I was among those who looked into the books of history in their variety, and reflected upon the battles of wars in them with their different types; and upon that which the people of management among the chiefs [of wars] had arranged; and upon that which the opinion of every one of the shaykhs of war and its experts, ‘ulama’, had prescribed.
وما أورده أفاضل الكتاب فى وصايا المقدمين على العساكر، وما وقع لدهاة الحروب من حيلة محتال ومكر ماكر.	and upon that which the most learned of writers had cited in the recommendations to the leaders of the armies; and upon that which happened to the ingenious men of wars of the stratagems of the tricker, of the cunning of the Running.
دعانى ذلك إلى أن أخدم خزانته الشريفة – عمرها الله تعالى بدوام ملكه وطول بقائه، وعلو نجمه الزاهر وسطوع ضيائه – بكتاب أضعه فى تدبير الحروب وترتيبها، ومعرفة أحوال القتال وتقديرها، ليهتدى بذلك من يقف عليه من أمرائه الأنجاب وقواد عساكره	This prompted me to contribute to his treasure, may God make it prosperous, by the continuation of his rule and the lengthening of his life and the elevation of his luminous stars and the shining of his light, by a book which I composed about the management of wars and their organization; about the knowledge [accrued] about the conditions of fighting and their assessment, so that he who chances upon it of the [Sultan’s] noble commanders and the leaders of his armies [might] be guided by it.
ويقتدى منهم من لم يخبر طريق الحرب لحداثة سنه بخابره، وإلا فهو ثبت الله قواعد دولته، وجعل مصير أعدائه المارقين إلى قبضته، قد عرك الحروب وخبرها، وعرف بالتجارب والوقائع حالها وخبرها	He among them who did not experience the path of war, because of the youth of his age, can be guided by its [expert] informants. [But I did not compose it for the Sultan, for] he, may God make fixed the basis of his state and put the fate of his heretical enemies in his grasp, has gone through the wars and experienced them and has known, by exploits and battles, their conditions and their nature (lit., news).
وخدمته السعود فأعقبته بكل واقعة ظفرا، وصحبته الحظوظ فلم يفارقه النصر سفراً ولا حضراً، وما النصر إلا من عند الله العزيز الحكيم. وقد سميته “تفريج الكروب فى تدبير الحروب”، وجعلت مقاصده منحصرة فى عشرين باباً.	Good luck has served him and gave him after each battle a victory; fortune accompanied him and victory did not desert him, neither while afield nor in fixed abode. And victory is not except from God, the Mighty, the Wise. I have entitled it ‘The Dispelling of Woes in the Management of Wars”, and I have put its materials into twenty books.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. “الحمد لله رب العالمين والعاقبة للمتقين وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد خاتم النبيين وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليما كثيراً.	IN THE NAME OF GOD, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of the Worlds and the Reward is for the Godfearing. May His blessing be upon our lord Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his Family and his Companions; may He bestow upon them a Great Benediction.
وبعد، فهذا كتابى يسمى بتفريج الكروب فى تدبير الحروب، مرتباً على عشرين باباً، فى كل باب من ذلك ثلاثة فصول فى تدبير الحروب، ومعرفة أحوال القتال وتقريرها، تأليف العبد الفقير إلى الله تعالى عمر بن إبراهيم الأوسى الأنصارى رحمه الله تعالى”.	This book is entitled “The Dispelling of Woes in the Management of Wars”, arranged in twenty books, and in each of these is three chapters about the management of wars and what is known of the nature of battles and its explication. The author, the humble slave of God, the Exalted, is ‘Omar b. Ibrahim al-Awsi al-Ansari; may God, the Exalted, have mercy upon him.
البابُ الأوّل: فى التحرز فى حال الأمن عند إقامة الملك فى دار ملكه. وفيه ثلاثة فصول.	BOOK ONE: About caution in time of peace when the ruler resides in his capital. In it are three chapters.
الفصل الأول: فى أخذ الحذر فى الجملة.	Chapter One: about the maintenance of caution generally.
قال العلماء بأمور الحرب وتدبيرها: ينبغى أن يكون الملك فى حال الأمن وهو مقيم بدار ملكه فى غاية من الحذر والتحرز من العدو [فإنه إن تحرك عليه عدو كان على أهبة الكفاية، وإن لم يتحرك عليه عدو لم يضره الاحتراز	Those knowledgeable in military affairs and their management hold that the ruler in time of peace [and] while residing in his capital should be in [a state] of extreme caution against and protection from the enemy. for, if any enemy moves against him, he would be sufficiently prepared; and, if the enemy does not move against him, the precaution will not have been wasted.
فإن الخلل قل أن يقع مع التحرز، وإنما يقع مع التفريط والإهمال والاتكال على الفوت]. وقد أمر الله تعالى بالحذر فقال تعالى “يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا خُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ فَانفِرُوا ثُبَاتٍ أَوِ انفِرُوا جَمِيعًا”. وقال تعالى [جلت قدرته]: {وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُم مَّا اسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ}.	Injury rarely occurs when precaution is taken, but rather occurs with the lack of caution, with negligence and complacency. God the Almighty, exalted be His Power, ordained caution when He said, “O believers, take your precautions; then move forward in companies, or move forward all together.” And He, Exalted is He, His Power is mighty, said, “Make ready for them whatever force and strings of horses that you can, to terrify thereby the enemy of God and your enemy.”
ويروى أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: الحزم سوء الظن. ويحكى عن عنترة الفوارس أنه سئل عن كثرة ظفره فى حروبه وعدم نيل عدوه منه، فقال: ما كذبت على عدوى خبرا، ولا بتّ منه إلا على حذر.	It is related that the Prophet, the Blessing of God and His Benediction upon him, said, ’Resolution is suspicion.” Of Antarat al-Fawaris V it is recounted that he was asked about [the reason for] the great number of his victories in his wars and the lack of success of his enemies against him. He said, I never disbelieved any report about my enemy, and I did not sleep except with caution about him.”
وبالجملة فإنه يجب أن يكون سئ الظن بعدوه بكل حال، آخذاً حذره منه، معظماً لأمره فى نفسه، مستعداً له بما فوق قدره	Generally, one must be suspicious of one’s enemy, in every condition taking one’s caution against him; exaggerating his condition to one’s self; being ready for him with that which is beyond his power.
فإنه إذا أعد له ما هو أكبر منه ثم وجد أمره صغيراً لم يضره ذلك، وإن وجده كبيراً كان قد أعد له ما يكافئه أو يزيد على مكافأته، فىكون قد استظهر عليه فى التأهب. والنصر من عند الله تعالى.	Verily, if one has prepared for him [an amount] greater than [necessary] against him, and then found his power small, this does not injure one; and, if one found his [power] great, one would have prepared for him what is sufficient for him or more than is sufficient for him. Thus one gains mastery over him by preparedness; and victory is from God.
وقد قيل إنه لا ينبغى أن يأمن عدوه وإن بعد عنه، ولا يأخذ فى لقائه بالهوينا إذا قرب منه، ولا يترك معاجلة لقائه حيث تحقق قصده إليه	It has been said that one must not feel secure about one’s enemy though he be far from one, nor should one advance carelessly to meet him should he approach one. Yet there should be no postponement of meeting him, when his intention towards one is ascertained.
فإنه متى ترك ذلك فى وقته حتى فاته كان قد ضيع الحزم، وإذا دخل على نفسه الخوف وعرض أمره للندم فإن الفرصة [قلما تعود] إذا ضيعت. والحزم أن يستعد للأمر قبل وقته ليجد ذلك عند الحاجة إليه.	Verily, he who neglects doing so at the right time, so that it (i.e. the right time) passes, would have wasted resolution. If fear enters one’s spirit, exposing one’s affair[s] to possible regret, the opportunity rarely repeats itself when [once] it has been wasted. Resolution means that one is prepared for the affair before its eventuality, so that one finds [resolution] when it is needed.
[الفصل الثاني]: فى التحرز باتخاذ الأسوار والخنادق على المدن والحصون ونصب المرايا بالأمكنة العالية للنظر.	Chapter Two: is about precaution through the use of the walls and trenches of cities and fortresses, and the erection of mirrors in high places for observation [of the enemy].
أما الأسوار والخنادق، فإنه لم تزل الملوك فى كل زمن يحصنون المدن والحصون والقلاع بالأسوار العالية، والخنادق الدائرة الممتلئة بالماء. ولا يخفى على ما فى ذلك من عظيم النفع فى المدافعة عند الحصار إذا هجم العدو على المدينة أو الحصن بغتة.	As for walls and trenches: kings continued in every age to fortify cities and fortresses and citadels with high walls and encircling trenches filled with water. It is obvious what there is in this of great benefit for defense while undergoing siege, should the enemy storm the city or fortress unexpectedly.
وقد ثبت فى الصحيح أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم احتفر خندقاً على المدينة النبوية يوم الأحزاب، وأنه [كان صلى الله عليه وسلم] يعمل فيه بنفسه، لولا ما فى ذلك من النفع الكامل لما فعله النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم.	It has been maintained in the Sahih that the Prophet had a trench dug around al-Madinah on the day of al-ahzab, r,the clans”, and he participated in its digging. Had there not been in this complete benefit, then the Prophet would not have done it.
وقد شوهدت مدن وقلاع كثيرة نزلت عليها الجيوش العظيمة، وحاصرتها الحصار الشديد فى الزمن الطويل، ولم يظفروا منها بطائل. ولم تزل ملوك الجاهلية تهتم بذلك وتحتفل به غاية الاحتفال	It has been seen in the long period of history that many cities and fortresses were attacked by great armies and were subjected to severe siege, but to no avail. The kings of the Age of Ignorance, al-Jahiliyah, were always aware of this and applied to [the art of fortification] the utmost application.
حتى يقال إن سور أنطاكية من بلاد الشمال محيط بها وبقلعتها وداخله خمسة جبال حتى لا تكون مشرفة عليها من خارجها يتسلط عليها العدو منها.	Thus it is said that the walls of Antakiyah (Antioch) in the lands of the North (Syria) enclosed the city and its citadel; and its interior contained five mountains, so that there was nothing outside it higher than anything inside it, [no point] from which the enemy could prevail against it.
وقد بنت دلوكة، المعروفة بالعجوز، التى ملكت مصر بعد فرعون – لعنه الله – على الديار المصرية سوراً من الطوب اللبن ممتداً على جميعها من العريش إلى أسوان من الجانب الشرقى والجانب الغربى فى سفح الجبل	Dalukah, known as al-‘Ajuz, “the Old Woman”, who ruled Egypt after the Pharaoh, F’ar’un, God curse him, [built] in the lands of Egypt a wall of unburnt bricks, extending over all of it: from al-‘Arish to Aswan, from the eastern side and the western side along the slope of a mountain [range].
جعلت فيه أبراجاً ومحارس على كل ثلاثة اميال، وأقامت عليه حرسا يسمع بعضهم بعضاً حتى إذا طرق جهة أحد منهم طارق تسامعوا به، حتى ينتهى الخبر إلى قصر الملكة، فتنتبه لذلك فى أسرع وقت وأقربه.	She put castles along it and a watch tower for every three miles in which she set watchers who could hear one another. Thus, if on the side of one of them a single person made a movement, ore would hear [of it] from the others until the news reached the palace of the queen, notifying her in the quickest and shortest time.
وأثر هذا السور باق إلى الآن فى الجبل الشرقى والجبل الغربى [يسمى بحائط العجوز]. وقد كان سور القاهرة فى أول بنائها من الطوب اللبن، وكان قصر الخلافة بوسطها مكان المدرسة الصالحية وما حولها، ولم يكن السور المذكور حصيناً [لكونه فى وطأة من الأرض]	The ruins of tills wall remain until new in the eastern and western mountains and are called -‘the Wall of the Old Woman”, ha’it al-‘Ajuz. The wall of Cairo, when it was first built, was constructed of unbaked bricks. The palace of the Caliph [was] in the middle of it, in the [present] location of the Salihiyah madrasah and what is around it. But this [particular] wall was not a [salutary] fortification because it was built upon a low place.
فلما ملك السلطان صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب – رحمه الله تعالى – الديار المصرية بنى قلعة الجبل على مكان مرتفع، أدار سوراً من الحجر عليه وعلى القاهرة ومصر جميعاً. وآثار السور الأول باق إلى الآن [بالقرب من الباب الحديد وغير ذلك].	When al-Sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf b. Ayyub, may God the Exalted have compassion on him,ruled the lands of Egypt, he built the citadel of Cairo, Qal’at al-Jabal, on a raised site, surrounding it and Cairo (the Fatimid city), and Misr (those parts of the city outside the Fatimid wall, particularly Fustat), all of them, with a wall of stone. The ruins of the first wall remain until today, near the Bab al-Hadid and other places.
وأما نصب المرايا على الأماكن العالية للنظر فقد كان للملوك اهتمام به فى بلاد الثغور، حتى أن الإسكندر لما بنى الإسكندرية جعل فيها مناراً طوله أربع مائة ذراع، ونصب فى أعلاه مرآه من أخلاط	As for the erection of mirrors in high places for observation: the kings [of the era before Islam] were very particular about this in the cities along the frontiers, al-thughur. Thus when Alexander built Alexandria, he erected in it a tall lighthouse, four hundred cubits in height and placed on its summit a mirror of [many] facets.
إذا نظر فيها الإنسان رأى البلد التى تقابلها من جزائر البحر وما يصنع فيها من عمارة المراكب وغيرها، فيقع التأهب لهم، إلى غير ذلك من أمور الملوك الماضية التى يقع بها الاحتراس [والله تعالى أعلم].	If a man looked into it, he would see the region which is opposite to it, such as the islands of the sea, and [he would see] what is carried on in them of the building of ships and other things, thus ensuring preparedness against them. Matters other than these concerning preparedness engaged the attention of kings in the past. God, the Exalted, knows be t.
الفصل الثالث: فى استطلاع أخبار العدو واستعلامها ليقع التأهب له.	Chapter Three: about the seeking of intelligence about the enemy in order that one might be prepared for him.
لا يشك فى أن استطلاع خبر العدو واستعلام أمره من أهم الأمور وأعودها نفعاً؛ فإنه بذلك يعلم حال عدوه، وما هو عليه من قصده إليه أو كفه عنه، فيكون على علم من أمره. ثم لاستطلاع الأخبار واستعلامها عند طلب سرعة وصول الخبر أسباب	There is no doubt that seeking information about the enemy is among the most important and profitable of affairs. One learns by this the condition of one’s enemy, and whether his intention is [to move] against one or to desist from doing so; so that one will know what his situation is. Hence, for the gathering of intelligence, when the quick arrival of reports is sought, there are methods.
أسرعها إيقاد النيران على رؤوس الجبال، وهو أنه إذا حدث حادث فى طرف من أطراف المملكة من طروق عدو ونحو ذلك، وكان هناك جبال عالية، فإن كان فى الليل أوقدوا النار على رأس جبل عال، وإن كان فى النهار أثاروا الدخان، فيراهم من على رأس الجبل الذى يليه	The quickest of these is the kindling of tires on the summits of mountains; for, if something happened in an extremity of the kingdom, such as the movement of the enemy and similar matters, and there were high mountains: then, if it happened at night, fire [signals] can be lighted on the summit of a high mountain; while by daylight smoke signals can be sent from the top of one mountain to the one which comes after it.
فيفعل ذلك حتى ينتهى إلى المكان الذى يقصد بالخبر. وقد كان أول الدولة التركية، عند وقوع الحرب بين ملوك الديار المصرية وبين التتر، أناس مرتبون على رؤوس الجبال، مرصدون لذلك بمرتبات على السلطان، مركزون من الفرات إلى غزة	This is repeated until [the information] reaches the place for which it is intended. In the beginning of the Turkish rule (i.c. of the Mamluks), when war broke out between the rulers of the Egyptian lands and the Tatars (Tartars), men were stationed on the summits of mountains, paid for this work by arrangements with the Sultan (i.c. paid from his privy purse), and [concentrated] along a line from the Euphrates to Ghazzah.
فيعلم أنه حادث حدث فى الجملة، ثم يرسل الحمام من غزة إلى مصر فيعلم خبر ذلك فى اليوم الواحد. ثم بطل ذلك بوقوع الصلح بين التتر وملوك الديار المصرية وزالت معالمه. ودون ذلك فى سرعة وصول الخبر الحمام [وهو أن ينتقل الحمام] من كل بلد إلى بلد آخر	If any movement of the Tatars was noticed, the fire would be kindled and they would make smoke [signals], and this [information] would be relayed from the Euphrates to Ghazzah in the shortest time. Thus it would be known, generally, that an incident had occurred. Then pigeons would be sent from Ghazzah to Egypt. News of this event would be known in one day. The achievement of peace between the Tatars and the rulers of the Egyptian lands obviated this [mode of communication] and its [various] components fell into desuetude. Less speedy is the arrival of news by pigeon, and that is [because] the pigeon travels from only one country to another.
فإذا حدث فى أحد البلدين التى فيها الحمام حادث، كتبت البطايق، وعلقت بأجنحة الحمام وأرسل فيطل برجه الذى فى بلده فيحضر فى أسرع وقت، ولكن لا يسع معه استيفاء الخبر [على الطول] وإنما يلوح فيه بالضرورى من الأمر ليقع إحاطة العلم به.	If in one of the countries which have pigeons an incident took place, letters are written and attached to the wings of pigeons and sent off. The pigeons would seek the tower which is in their country, and arrive in the shortest time possible. But it is not possible by this method to obtain [complete] information, rather the necessity of the matter is merely noted, vital information alone being cited.
ولا يخفى أن الحمام من أسرع المواصلات؛ فإن الحمام يقطع مسيرة عشرين يوماً فى بعض يوم. فقد حكى ابن سعيد فى كتابه “حيا المحل وجنى النحل” أن الوزير أبا الفرج يعقوب بن كلس، وزير العزيز أحد خلفاء الفاطميين	It is obvious that pigeons are among the fastest means of communication because the pigeon covers the distance of twenty days’ walking in less than a day. Ibn Sa’id recounts in his book Haya al-mahl wa jana al-nahl [a story] about the wazir Abu al-Faraj Ya’qub b. Killis, the wazir of al-‘Aziz, one of the Fatimid Caliphs.
قال له العزيز: إنى لم أر القراصية البعلبكية قط، وإنى أحب أن أراها. وكان عند الوزير حمام من دمشق، وفى دمشق حمام من مصر؛ فكتب الوزير بطاقة وأرسله فى الحمام الذى كان عنده إلى دمشق	Al-‘Aziz said to him, “I have never seen Baalbak cherries and I would like to see them.” The wazir had pigeons from Damascus and in Damascus were pigeons from Egypt. The wazir wrote a message and dispatched it by one of the pigeons to Damascus.
فأمرهم فيها بأن يعلقوا فى كل طائر من الحمام المصرى الذى بدمشق حبات من القراصية البعلبكية، فوصل الحمام إليهم بذلك، فعلقوا القراصية فى الوقت بأجنحة الحمام، ووجهوا بها إلى الديار المصرية، فطلع بها الوزير [من وقتها إلى الخليفة فى يوم طلبه إياها]	He ordered them in Damascus to attach to each wing of the Egyptian pigeon berries of Ba albak cherries. The pigeon arrived with this [message] and they attached the berries to the wings of the bird, immediately, as he had instructed them and they headed it towards Egypt. The wazir, upon its arrival, went up to the Caliph with [the cherries] on the same day that he ordered them.
فأعجب بذلك غاية الإعجاب. بل ربما زاد الحمام فى قطع المسافة عن هذا القدر. فقد حكى صاحب “الروض المعطار فى خبر الأقطار” أن الحمام كان يرسل من مصر إلى البصرة، وهى فوق بغداد فى الشرق، مما يزيد على عشرين يوماً.	This astonished him greatly. But perhaps the pigeons took more than this time in passing [over] this distance. The author ofal-Rawdal-Mi’tarfi Khabar al-Aqtdr relates that pigeons used to be sent from Egypt to Basrah, and it is further than Baghdad to the East: a distance of more than twenty days.
وحكى ابن سعيد أيضاً فى كتابه “المغرب فى أخبار المغرب” أن الوزير اليازورى المغربى، وزير المستنصر الفاطمى خليفة مصر، وجه الحمام من مدينة تونس من أفريقية من بلاد المغرب، فجاء إلى مصر [العهد عليهم فى جميع ذلك].	Ibn Sa’id also relates in his book al-Maghrib ft Akhbar al-Maghrib that the wazitr al-Yazuri al-Maghribi, the wagir of al-Mustansir al-Fatimi, the Caliph of Egypt, dispatched pigeons from the city of Tunis in Ifriqiyah of the regions of the Maghrib. They went to Egypt. Reliance for all these stories is upon them (i.e. the authors cited).
وقد كانت أبراج الحمام بمملكة الديار المصرية فى الزمن المتقدم متصلة من قلعة الجبل، ثم إلى قوص، ثم إلى أسوان وعيذاب، وإلى الإسكندرية ودمياط والسويس من طريق الحج، وكذلك إلى دمشق وحلب وساير النيابات.	The pigeon towers in the kingdom of the Egyptian regions at that time extended from the Citadel in Cairo tc Qus, and to Aswan and ‘Aydhab. and to Alexandria and Dimyat and Suways (Suez) on the Pilgrimage route; and likewise to Damascus and Halab and the rest of the administrative districts, al-niyabat.
وكان ذلك من النفع فى سرعة إيصال الخبر ما لا خفاء فيه على المتأمل. ودون ذلك فى سرعة إيصال الخبر البريد، وهو الذى يجئ بالكتب المطولة. وبالأخبار المفصلة	That this method had value in speeding the dispatch of news is quite clear to a thoughtful person. Less swift [than pigeons] in the dispatching of news is the postal relay, al-bartd. It is the one which conveys lengthy written dispatches and detailed information.
فإن البريد يقطع غالباً مسيرة عشرين يوماً فى ثلاثة أيام، كما يقطع من دمشق إلى مصر فى هذا المقدار، وربما زاد على ذلك. فقد قطع بعض البريدية من حلب إلى مصر فى أربعة أيام. وقد كان البريد موجوداً فى زمن الأكاسرة ملوك الفرس، والقياصرة ملك الروم، واعتناء منهم لشأنه.	The band reduces twenty days’ distance to three days, an example of which is reducing the distance from Damascus to Egypt to this period. Perhaps it tock mere time than this, for some of the relays have gone from Halab to Egypt in four days. The band had been in existence even in the rime of the Kosroes’, the kings of Persia, and the Caesars, the rulers of Rum, for they appreciated its importance.
ثم قرره فى الإسلام معاوية بن أبى سفيان أحد أصحاب النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى أيام خلافته، وبقى بعد ذلك أيام خلفاء بنى العباس وخلفاء بنى أمية، يستمر تارة وينقطع أخرى بحسب ما يقتضيه الحال.	Then, in [the period of] Islam, Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyan, one of the Companions of the Prophet, established it in the days of his caliphate, and it remained after that into the days of the ‘Abbasid Caliphs and the Umayyad Caliphs, continuing uninterruptedly [for some time] and was suspended in other [times] as conditions dictated.
وكان المقرر له بغالا مقصوصة الأذناب. ليكون ذلك علامة لها يعرف بها أنها من بغال البريد، وتعاناه ملوك الإسلام فى أكثر الأقطار إلا بنى زنكى ملوك الشام، وبنو أيوب ملوك مصر؛ فإنهم أعدوا لذلك الهجن المنتخبة السابقة.	Assigned to it were mules with docked tails, as a sign that they be known [and treated accordingly] as mules of the barid. The rulers of Islam in most of the [Islamic] regions maintained this system except the Zankids, the rulers of Syria, and the Ayyubids, rulers of Egypt, in that they chose excellent swift camels for this [service].
وبقى الأمر على ذلك إلى أن انقرضت دولتهم، وجاءت الدولة التركية والأمر على ذلك. فلما ولى الملك الظاهر بيبرس البندقدارى – رحمه الله – السلطنة، واجتمع له ملك مصر والشام وحلب إلى الفرات، وأراد تواصل أخبار المملكة إليه، قرر البريد بالديار المصرية والبلاد الشامية.	The situation continued thus until their regime disappeared and the Turkish regime (i.e. the Mamluks) took over. When al-Malik al-Zahir Baybars al-Bunduqdarl, may God have mercy upon him, established his authority and had united the lands of Egypt and Syria and Halab up to thr Euphrates for himself, he wanted information of the kingdom to reach him continuously. He established the band in the Egyptian lands and the Syrian regions.
وقد كانت [مراكز البريد] متصلة من القلعة المحروسة إلى الإسكندرية وإلى دمياط وإلى قوص، ثم من قوص تركب الهجن إلى أسوان وعيذاب. وكانت المراكز متصلة من القلعة أيضاً إلى ساير الممالك الشامية حتى تتصل بالفرات	Relay centers stretched from the well-guarded Citadel” ‘of Cairo) to Alexandria and to Dimyat and to Qus; then from Qus the dromedaries were ridden to Aswan and ‘Aydhab. Relay centers were stretched also from the Citadel to the rest of the Syrian possessions until it was connected with the Euphrates.
على ما هو مقرر معروف [مما لا حاجة لذكره هنا]. ودون ذلك فى السرعة السعاة، وهم الذين يعدون على أرجلهم، ويسافرون بالملطفات عند تعذر وصول البريد إلى ناحية من النواحى، وهو من أعظم مهمات السلطنة وأكدها.	Of that which is established and known [concerning this system], there is no need to mention [such material] here. Less speedy than [the band] are couriers. They are ones who speed on foot and travel by circuitous routes, al-mulallafal, when it is difficult for the band to reach a certain part. This [service] is one of the most important facilities of the Sultanate and the most difficult.
وقد ذكر ابن الأثير فى تاريخه أن أول من اتخذ السعاة من الملوك معز الدولة ابن بويه، أول ملوك الديلم ببغداد، بعد الثلاثين والثلاث ماية من الهجرة. وكان سبب ذلك أنه كان ببغداد وأخوه ركن الدولة بأصفهان فأراد معز الدولة سرعة إعلام ركن الدولة بتجددات الأخبار. فاتخذ السعاة.	Ibn al-Athir has reported in his history that the first of the rulero employ couriers was Mu’izz al-Dawlah b. Buwayh, the first of the Daylamite rulers of Baghdad, [sometime] after three hundred and thirty A.H. The reason was that he was in Baghdad and his brother, Rukn al-Dawlah, was in Isfahan, and Mu’izz al-Dawlah wanted his brother to have quick knowledge of recent events. So he organized a courier service.
وانتشر فى أيامه ساعيان، وبلغ من شأنهما أن كل واحد منهما كان يسير فى كل يوم نيفاً وأربعين فرسخاً. ودون ذلك فى السرعة العيون الجواسيس، وهى أشد الجميع إبطاء بالخبر، لما يحتاجون إليه من استطلاع الأخبار واستعلامها، وتتبع آثارها.	In his days two couriers grew up whose skill had reached [a point] where each of them could run in a day more than forty farsakhs. Slower than [couriers] are informers and spies. [This service] is of all the slowest [in the dispatch] of information in that they have to seek information and follow up its traces.
[وسيأتى الكلام عن ذلك] فى الباب الثانى إن شاء الله تعالى.	I will speak of this [in more detail] in Book Two, God willing.
البابُ الثانى: فى العيون والجواسيس وما يتعلق بذلك وفيه ثلاثة فصول.	BOOK TWO: about agents and spies and what is pertinent in this [matter]. In it are three chapters.
الفصل الأول: فى الصفة التى ينبغى أن يكون العيون والجواسيس عليها.	Chapter One: about the qualifications which agents and spies should possess.
قد شرطوا فى الجاسوس شروطاً يتعين الحرص عليها؛ منها أن يكون ممن يوثق بنصيحته وصدقه. فإنه يتوجه إلى العدو، وإذا كان متهماً لا ينتفع بخبره، وإن كان صادقاً لأنه ربما أخبر بالصدق فاتهم فيه فلا يعمل بقوله، فتفوت فيه النصيحة بسبب ذلك.	Spies should conform to [certain] conditions whose fulfilment is necessary. Among them are: that his counsel and veracity be trusted, for, if he be suspected in his [general] advising and be sent to the enemy, his information will not be useful, even though it is truthful; because, though he reports exactly, he will be suspected about it; thus one cannot rely on his word. The counsel will be unavailing for this reason.
بل إن كان غير ناصح فإنه يعود بالضرر على مرسله، لأنه يكون عيناً عليه لا له. ومنها أن يكون ذا حدس صائب وفراسة تامة، ليدرك بوفور عقله وصائب حدسه من أحوال العدو، وبالمشاهدة ما كتمه العدو عن النطق به يستدل ببعض الأمور على بعض	If he were insincere he would cause harm to his dispatcher because he would be an informer against him rather for him. That he be a master of unerring conjecture, a keen judge, possessed of excellent insight in order to perceive by [mere] observation with the fullness of his intellect and the soundness of his conjecture the conditions [obtaining among] his enemy, and what the enemy avoided in conversation, deducing some matters from others.
فإذا أخذ بالفراسة فى أمر ثم لاح له أمر آخر، قوى عنده واعتقد بانضمام بعض القراين إلى بعض. ومنها أن يكون كثير الدهاء والحيل والخديعة ليتوصل بدهائه إلى كل موصل، ويدخل بحيلته فى كل مدخل، ويدرك مقصده من أى طريق أمكنه	If he employs insight in a certain matter, and then another supporting conclusion becomes apparent to him, the former matter becomes strengthened in his opinion and he believes it by having one conclusion fortified by another. That he be well-endowed with shrewdness and perspicacity and craftiness; for, by his shrewdness, he can attain all ends, and by his cunning, he can penetrate all entrances. He achieves his goal by any method available to him.
فأنه متى كان قاصراً فى هذا الباب ربما ظفر العدو به، أو عاد بغير مقصوده وطلبته. ومنها أن يكون له دربة بالأسفار ومعرفة بالبلاد التى يتوجه إليها، فيكون غنياً عن السؤال عنها وعن أهلها.	For, were he deficient in these qualities, perhaps the enemy might discover him or he might [have to] return without having achieved his goal. That he be well-traveled and thoroughly acquainted with the countries to which he is dispatched so that he need not ask questions about them and their people.
فإنه إذا سأل ربما تنبه له العدو وفطن به، فيكون ذلك سبباً لهلاكه، بل ربما عوقب، فدل على حال مرسله، فصار عيناً عليه بعد أن كان عيناً له.	For, if he asked questions, the enemy may become aware of him [and the purpose of his presence]. This will be the reason for his perishing. Or perhaps he might be tortured, and reveal the condition of his dispatcher. Then he would become an informer against him after having been an informer for him.
ومنها أن يكون عارفاً بلسان أهل البلاد التى يتوجه إليها، ليلتقط ما يقع من الكلام الذى يسمعه ممن يخالطه من العدو، ومع ذلك لا يكون من جنس العدو؛ فإن الجنس يميل إلى الجنس بالطبع، فيفسد الأمر على من أرسله.	That he be conversant with the language of the people of the country to which he is dispatched, for he may pick up some of the talk of those whom he hears among the enemy having intercourse with him. But he should not be of the same race like enemy. Verily, race inclines towards race by nature, and the affair could be disastrous for the dispatcher.
ومنها أن يكون صبوراً على ما لعله يصير إليه من العقوبة إذا ظفر به العدو، حتى لا يخبر بأحوال مرسله، ولا يطلع على وهن فيه وفى عسكره؛ فإن ذلك قد لا يخلصه من يد عدوه، ولا يدفع عنه سطوته.	That he be patient about that which perhaps incurs punishment for him, in case the enemy seizes him, so that he would not reveal the conditions of his dispatcher and indicate a weakness in him or in his army; [for not even this could] protect him from the hand of his enemy or defend him against [the enemy’s] ill-treatment.
فإذا وجد من العيون والجواسيس من هو مشتمل على هذه الشروط كان حقيقاً بالإرسال فى المهمات واستطلاع أخبار العدو.	If one finds among spies and informers he who fulfills these conditions, he would be worthy to be sent on missions to, and for the gathering of information about, [one’s] enemies.
الفصل الثانى: فيما يجب من إكرام العيون والجواسيس والأخذ بقلوبهم.	Chapter Two: about what is necessary [by way of] honoring agents and spies and capturing their hearts.
ينبغى على الملك وصاحب الجيش، إذا اختار عيناً أو جاسوساً؛ أن يظهر له الود والمصافاة، ويتحفه بالإحسان، ويعده بالمزيد ويتعاهده بالصلات فى كل وقت قبل احتياجه إليه، ويزيد فى الإحسان إليه عند توجهه فى المهمات، ويتعهد أهله بالبر فى حضوره وغيبته.	The ruler and commander of the army, if he employs an agent or a spy, should evidence affection and sincerity towards him, honor him with gifts, promise him rewards, and shower favors upon him on every occasion before indicating need of him for [a mission]; increase his honors while he is dispatched on important missions; and take care of his family by benefactions in his presence and his absence.
يملك بذلك قلبه ويستصفى خاطره، ولا يخطر إلى انحطاط رتبته وصغر قدره، إذا كان صغير المقدار، فإن الأمر الذى هو فيه كبير.	In this way .one possesses his heart and cases his mind, and he will not notice the meanness of his position and the smallness of his power, if he be lowly, because the matter with which he. is involved is great.
وإن قضى على من وجهه منهم إلى العدو بموت، وقبض العدو عليه، أحسن على من خلفه من أهله، وجعل لهم من بعده من الإحسان ما كان يجعله له إذا عاد ليكون داعياً لغيره على النصيحة.	If the person whom one sends to the enemy should be condemned to death or should the enemy seize him, one should honor those whom he leaves behind of his family and treat them, by way of benefaction, as one would have treated him had he returned, as an incentive to giving good advice.
وإن قدر أن أحداً منهم عاد غير ظافر بقصده، وهو ممن يوثق بقوله، فلا يظهر له وحشة ولا يلومه على ذلك، ولا يوبخه عليه، بل يوليه الجميل، ويعامله بالإحسان؛ فإنه إذا لم يصعد له شئ فى هذه المرة صعد له فى المرة الأخرى.	Should it happen that [an agent] returns without having accomplished his aim, and if he were one of those whose word was trustworthy, do not display to him one’s disquiet and do not criticise him for this or upbraid him; but accord him fairness and treat him honorably. Verily, if he does not accomplish anything for one on this occasion, he will accomplish it on another.
الفصل الثالث: فيما يجب عليه من تدبير عيونه وجواسيسه.	Chapter Three: about what one should do in the management of one’s agents and spies.
على صاحب الجيش أن لا يعرّف أحداً من عسكره بأحد من جواسيسه؛ فإن ذلك مما يؤدى إلى انتشار الخبر وظهوره، بل إن استطاع أن لا يجعل بينه وبين أحد من جواسيسه واسطة فعل، وإن لم يمكنه ذلك جعل لكل واحد منهم واحداً من خواصه يوصله إليه بمفرده.	As regards the commander of the army: no one of his army should be acquainted with any of his spies. Verily, this is among that which assists the spreading of information and its discovery. But if he can avoid having an intermediary between himself and one of his spies, he should do so; and if he cannot, then for each one of [the spies] he must detail one of his personal retinue, khaivass, to conduct [the spy] to him alone.
وعليه أيضاً أن يحترز أن لا يعرف جواسيسه بعضهم بعضاً [فإنه إذا عرف بعضهم بعضاً] ربما اتفقوا على أمر ورتبوه وأخبروه به إذا رجعوا، وتوافقوا على ممالاة العدو والميل إليه، بخلاف ما إذا لم يعرف بعضهم بعضا	And [the commander of the army] must also guard against his spies being acquainted with one another; for, if they know one another, they might consult about an affair, arrange it [in their own favor], and thus report it. When they return, they might reach an agreement to help the enemy and incline towards him; which is the opposite of the case if they do not know one another.
فإن كل أحد منهم يأتى بخبر على حدته، يظهر الصحيح منهم والسقيم بقراين الأحوال. وليس ممالاة البعض للعدو كممالأة الكل. وعليه أن يصغى إلى كل ما يلقيه كل من جواسيسه وعيونه وإن اختلفت أخبارهم، ويأخذ بالأحوط فيما يؤدى إليه اجتهاده من ذلك.	For then each one of them submits a report individually, and the true and the untrue will appear by the circumstances of the case, [wherein] the defection of some to the enemy is not like the defection of all. He must pay heed to what each of his spies and agents brings him, though their reports vary, and adopt the most cautious [course of action] of those upon which his judgment is brought to bear.
ولا يجعل اختلافهم ذنباً لأحد منهم؛ فقد تختلف أخبارهم وكل منهم صادق فيما يقوله، لأن كل واحد منهم قد يرى خلاف ما يراه الآخر، ويسمع غير ما يسمعه.	He should not consider their divergence a fault in any one of them; [for], though their reports have varied, each one of them is truthful in what he says, because each one of them has observed something different from that observed by another and heard something other than he heard.
وإذا عثر على أحد من جواسيسه الثقات النصحاء بزلة سترها عليه، ولم يعاقبه عليها، ولم يوبخه إلا أن يرى فى التوبيخ مصلحة، فإنه يوبخه بخلوة ويعاتبه على ذلك عتباً لطيفاً، فإن ذلك أدعى لاستصلاحه.	Should [the commander of the army] happen upon a flaw in one of his trustworthy and reliable spies, [he should] conceal it from him, and should not seek requittance of it from him or upbraid him, unless he see in reproof an advantage. Then he should reprove [the spy] in private, remonstrating with him about this in easy concourse. Verily, this is the best means towards his correction.
وإذا حضر إليه جاسوسه بخبر عن عدوه استعمل فيه التثبت ودوام البشر، من غير أن يظهر لمن أتاه بالخبر سروراً بما قدم عليه من خبر عدوه ولا فرحة به بحيث يظهر معه الخفة، ولا عراضاً يفوت قدر المناصحة.	If the spy presents himself before [the commander of the army] to inform him about the enemy, the latter should display self-possession and continued calm without manifesting to the one who brings the report any [particular] joy at what he has presented to him of news about his enemy, or any delight in the report; yet not in such a manner as would make him appear light-hearted about [the news]. Nor should he display any inattentiveness which might cause him to miss the essence of the advice.
ولا يظهر لجاسوسه كراهة ما يأتيه به من الأخبار المكروهة، فإن ذلك مما يستدعى كتمان السر عنه فى الأمور المكروهة، فيؤدى إلى الأضرار.	He should not display to his spy any displeasure at what he has imparted to him of disagreeable news. For [the correct demeanor] calls for the concealment of secrets from [one’s spies], [secrets related] to disquieting reports [and whose discovery] might lead to harm.
فقد حكى عن بعض الملوك أنه كان يعطى من يأتيه بالأخبار المكروهة أكثر من الذى يأتيه بالأخبار السارة، ويقول: إن الذى يأتيني بالأمر المكروه قد ينبهنى على ما فيه مصلحتى.	It is related of a king that he used to be more bountiful towards those who brought him disagreeable news than to those who brought him good news, saying. “He who brings me the disagreeable matter awakens me to my advantage.”
واعلم أن صاحب الجيش لا يستطيع أن يمنع عسكره من جواسيس عدوه، فيجب الاحتراز منهم بكتم السر ما أمكن.	Know that the commander of the army is not able to protect his army from the spies of his enemy; so he must take precaution against them by concealing secrets as much as possible.
البابُ الثالث: فى الرسل وما يتعين أن يكونوا عليه من الصفات وما يستحق من خرج منهم عن جادة الطريق، وفيه فصلان.	BOOK THREE: about envoys and what is specified about the characteristics of a well-qualified one, and that which he who strays from correct procedure deserves. In it are two chapters.
الفصل الأول: فى صفاتهم	Chapter one: about their qualifications.
قد ذكر العلماء المتكلمون فى آداب الملوك أنه ينبغى أن يكون رسول الملك ذكى الفطنة، صحيح المزاج، بصيراً بالأمور، عارفاً بالأحوال، عالماً بمواقع الكلام	The wise men, the commentators on the conduct of rulers, have mentioned that the envoy of the ruler must be sagacious of intellect, sound of body, clear-sighted about affairs [of state], aware of conditions, and apt in the usages of words.
فقد كان أزدشير بن بابك، أحد ملوك الفرس، يقول: كم من دم سفكه الرسول بغير خلة، وكم جيوش هزمت بذلك وقتل أكثره، وكم حرمت انهتكت، ومال قد نهب، وعهد قد نقض بخيانة الرسل وأكاذيب ما يأتون به.	Ardashir b. Babak, one of the kings of Persia, used to say, “How much blood the envoy has shed without justification; how many armies have been routed as [a result of] this and the greater part of them slaughtered; how many forbidden actions have been committed and property plundered and pledges broken because of the perfidy of the envoy, and the lies reported by him’”
وقد شرطوا فى رسول الملك شروطاً منها: أن يكون صدوقاً قليل الطمع؛ فقد حكى أن الإسكندر وجه رسولا إلى بعض ملوك المشرق، فجاء برسالة شك الإسكندر فى حرف منها	In the envoy of the ruler [certain] conditions must be fulfilled. Among them are: that he be truthful and not too covetous. It has been recounted that Alexander dispatched an envoy to one of the kings of the East. He returned with a message. Alexander doubted a word in it.
فقال له الإسكندر: ويلك إن الملوك لا تخلو من مقوم ومسدد إذا مالت، وقد جيتنى برسالة صحيحة الألفاظ بينة المعانى، وقد وجدت فيها حرفاً يناقضها، أفعلى يقين أنت من هذا الحرف أم أنت شاك فيه؟ فقال الرسول: بل أنا على يقين منه أنه قاله.	He said to [the envoy], “Woe to you! Verily, kings are not devoid of those who would set them straight if they deviate. You have brought me a message exact in wording and clear in meaning. V ct I discover in it a word which changes its [meaning]. Are you certain of this word, or do you doubt it?” The envoy said, “But I am certain that he said it.
فأمر الإسكندر أن تكتب له حرفاً حرفاً، وتعاد إلى الملك مع رسول آخر فتقرأ عليه، وتترجم له. فلما قرئ الكتاب على الملك مرّ بذلك فأنكره، وقال للمترجم: ضع يدى على هذا الحرف ووضعها فأمر بعلامة فوضعت عليه	Alexander ordered that the words be written letter by letter and returned to the king by another envoy, so that it would be read and translated to him. When the letter was read to the king, he came across this word and denied it. He said to the interpreter, “Put my hand on this word”, and he put it. He ordered a mark [to be put there] and it was placed on [the offending word].
وكتب ذلك الملك إلى الإسكندر كتاباً يقول فيه أن من أس المملكة صدق لهجة الرسول إذا كان عن لسانه ينطق، وإلى أذنه يؤدى. فلما وصل الرسول إلى الإسكندر دعا رسوله الأول، وقال: ما حملك على كلمة قصدت بها فساد مملكتى. فذكر أن ذلك وقع منه لتقصير من الملك فى حقه.	This king wrote to Alexander a letter, saying in it, “Verily, the veracity of the language of the envoy is the foundation of the kingdem; for it is by his tongue that [the ruler] expresses himself; and it is to his ear that [responses] are confided. When the envoy returned to Alexander, he summoned the first envoy and said, “What led you [to use] a word by which you aimed at the discord of two kingdoms?” He replied that he had done this because the king had not given him his due.
فقال له الإسكندر: فأراك لنفسك قد سعيت لا لنا، فلما فاتك ما أملت مما لا تستحقه على من أرسلت إليه جعلت ذلك ثأراً توقعه فى الأنفس الخطيرة الرفيعة. ثم أمر بلسانه فنزع من قفاه.	Alexander said to him, “I see that you had acted for yourself, not tor us. When that for which you hoped, but did not deserve from the person to whom you were sent, escaped you, you made this [a cause] of a feud which you wanted to raise in important and lofty spirits.” Then he ordered that his tongue be pulled out from behind.
ومنها أن يكون جسوراً مقداماً؛ فإنه متى كان جباناً امتنع عليه تأدية الأمور المكروهة إلى الملك الذى أرسل إليه خوفاً منه ورهبة. ومن أحسن ما يحكى فى ذلك أن معاوية بن أبى سفيان، أحد أصحاب النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم	That he be bold and daring; for should he be cowardly, [his cowardice] will prevent his taking bad news to the ruler to whom he had been dispatched, in fear and dread of him. Among the best [examples] which have been handed down about this [qualification of an envoy] concerns Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyan, one of the Companions of the Prophet.
فى خلافته أرسل رسولا إلى ملك الروم، وأعطاه دية رجلين على أنه إذا أدى الرسالة إلى الملك وفرغ من كلامه معه رفع صوته بالأذان بين يديه. فلما وصل إلى ملك الروم وأدى الرسالة رفع صوته بالأذان بين يديه، فهم البطارقة بقتله، فمنعهم الملك	During his Caliphate he sent an envoy to the king of Rum and offered him the blood-wit of two men, diyyal rajulayn, if he would, when he had given the message to the king and concluded his discourse with him, raise his voice in the adhan in front of him. When [the envoy] arrived at the court and had given the message, he raised his voice in the adhan in front of him. The “patricians”, al-balariqah, rose to slay him, but the king forbade them.
وقال: هذا ليس منه، وإنما هو من معاوية، فإنه أراد أن أقتل هذا الرسول فيقتل كل مستأمن فى بلاد الإسلام، ويهدم كل كنيسة فيها. ثم إنه أكرمه وبعث به إلى معاوية فلما عاد [إلى معاوية ورأه] ضحك، فقص عليه الخبر، وذكر له ما قاله ملك الروم، فقال: والله ما أردت إلا ما قال.	He said, “This is not of his [doing], but of Mu’awiyah’s; for he wants this envoy to be killed, so that he can slay all of the Christians enjoying security, al-musla’jninui) in the lands of Islam and demolish all the churches therein.” Thereupon he showed honor to the envoy and sent him back to Mu’awiyah. When he had returned to Mu’awiyah, the latter saw him and laughed. He told [Mu’awiyah] the news and reported what the king of Rum had said. [Mu’awiyah] said, “By God, I did not wish other than what he said.”
ومنها أن يكون عالماً بمواقع الخطاب والجواب؛ أما الخطاب إذا كان عارفاً بمواقعه أورد الكلام فى موقعه، وقام بالحجة على من أرسل إليه، كما روى أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم لما وجه دحية الكلبى – رضى الله عنه – إلى هرقل ملك الروم	That he be well-versed in the proprieties of address and response: [skill in] address because, if he be well-versed in its proprieties, he can say the right thing in the right [place and time] and can establish the case [of his master] against the one to whom he is dispatched. An example of this is recounted of the Prophet when he sent Dihyah al-Kalbi, may God be pleased with him, to Heraclius, king of Rum.
بالشام قال لهرقل: ناشدتك الله، أتعلم أن المسيح كان يصلى؟ قال: نعم. قال: فإنى أدعوك إلى من كان يصلى إليه المسيح، فانظر إلى هذا الخطاب الملزم للخصم الحجة، لأن النصارى يعتقدون فى المسيح أنه الله. والإله لا يصلى لغيره، وإنما يصلى العبد.	[then] in Syria. He said to Heraclius, “I beseech thee, by God, do you know that Christ used to pray?” [Heraclius] said, “Yes.” Dihyah said, “I ask you then to whom did Christ pray?” Notice the convincing speech whose argument as conclusive, for the Christians believed that Christ is God. But God does not pray to other than Himself, and only the servant prays.
فلما قرره بصلاة المسيح، ألزمه من ذلك أن المسيح عليه السلام عبد الله تعالى. وأما الجواب، فإنه كان عارفاً بمواقعه فورد عليه سؤال، أجاب عنه بما يقطع الخصم ويدفعه	When [Dihyahj made him admit the praying of Christ, be forced him to admit that Christ, upon whom be peace, was the servant of God. [Skill in] reply, for, if he be well-versed in its proprieties and a question were put to him, he can reply to it with that which refutes the opponent and checks him.
كما روى أن خاطب ابن أبى بلتعة – رضى الله عنه – بعثه النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى المقوقس ملك مصر. سأله المقوقس عن حال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى القتل، وأنه هل يغلب قومه أو يغلبونه. فقال: الحرب بينه وبينهم سجال، تارة له وتارة عليه.	An example of this is recounted of Khatib b. Abi Balta’ah, may God be pleased with him, when the Prophet sent him to al-Muqawqis, ruler of Egypt. [The latter] asked him about the fortune ot the Prophet in battle, and whether he had defeated his people (i.e. the tribe of Quraysh) or had they defeated him. He replied that the war between him and them was a draw, [victory] sometimes to him and semetimes to them.
فقال له المقوقس: النبى يغلب. فقال له خاطب: فالإله يصلب. فسكت المقوقس، وذلك أن المقوقس أراد أن يقيم الحجة [على خاطب بن أبى بلتعة بأنه ربما يتغالب فى الحرب] والنبى لا يليق به ذلك فى زعمه	Al-Muqawqis said to him, ‘The Prophet defeated and Khatib said to him ‘”God crucified!” AJ-Muqawqis became silent. This was because al-Muqawqis desired to set up a strong argument against Khatib b. Abi Balta’ah [by indicating] tha. [the Prophet] might be defeated in war, and such a thing, in his opinion, is not worthy of a Prophet.
فناقضه خاطب [بن أبى بلتعة] – رضى الله عنه – بأن النصارى يزعمون أن المسيح إله، ويقولون إن اليهود قتلوه وصلبوه، وذلك [مما لا يليق بمقام الإله، فلو كان إلهاً] كما يزعمون لما تسلط عليه اليهود بالقتل والصلب بزعمهم.	Khatib b. Abi Balta’ah controverted him by the fact that the Christians asserted that Christ was a God and they say that the Jews killed him and crucified him and this is among that which is net consonant with the dignity of God. For, if he were God, as they assert, the Jews could not have had mastery over him by killing and crucifying, according to their assertion.
فإذا حصل رسول الملك على هذه الشروط وما فى معناها كان حقيقاً بأن يرسل بالمهمات ويمشى بالرسالة بين الملوك، ومتى فات فيه شرط عن ذلك لا ينبغى أن يستعمل فى رسالة أصلا.	If the envoy of the ruler fulfils these conditions and that which is intended by them, he would be worthy to be sent on important missions and to carry correspondence between rulers. When one of these conditions is unfulfilled in him, he must not be employed at all as an envoy.
الفصل الثانى: فى تدبير أمر الرسل وما ينبغى أن يعتمد فى أمرهم.	Chapter Two: about the management of the affair of the envoys and what should be relied upon in their affair.

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Introduction

This dataset represents a curated collection of parallel Arabic-English texts, featuring the translations of 24 historically and culturally significant books. These texts provide a portal to the intellectual and literary heritage of the Arabic-speaking world during its classical period.

Content Details

Contained within this dataset are English translations of the following texts, sourced from the Rasaif website:

A Muslim Manual of War
Al-Hanin Ila'l-Awtan
Avarice and the Avaricious
Contemplation
Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures
Hayy ibn Yaqzan
Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary
Kitab al-I'tibar
Knowledge Mandates Action
Morals and Behaviour
Nahj al-Balagha
The Book of Strangers
The Canon Of Medicine of Avicenna
The Epistle on Legal Theory
The Heavenly Dispute
The Islamic Conquest of Syria
The Journey of the Strangers
The Key to Medicine and a Guide for Students
The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History
The Optics of Ibn Al-Haytham
The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin
The Ring of the Dove
The Strangers
The Travels Of Ibn Battuta, 1325 – 1354

Purpose and Application

The overarching objective of this dataset is to highlight the superior literary quality of Classical Arabic, which stands in stark contrast to the language's later developments, particularly due to the mass translations of European texts in the 19th and 20th centuries. It aims to:

Refine Machine Translation (MT): With its intricate grammatical structure and rich lexicon, Classical Arabic presents an ideal challenge for MT systems, which, when honed on such high-caliber content, can achieve greater accuracy and fluency.
Language Models: By incorporating texts of such linguistic finesse, this dataset becomes a cornerstone for developing Large Language Models (LLMs) that can grasp and replicate the sophistication inherent in Classical Arabic.
Preserve Linguistic Heritage: This dataset acts as a conduit for preserving the exceptional literary form of Classical Arabic, providing a benchmark of quality against which contemporary writings can be measured.

Suggested Research Application: Iterative Translation Refinement

A novel application for this dataset involves utilizing existing translation models to back-translate the English texts into Arabic, likely resulting in a less sophisticated form of the language. This process, known as back-translation, can generate a large corpus of imperfect Arabic text. Subsequently, a new model could be trained to refine this weaker form of Arabic by comparing it to the original Classical Arabic texts in the dataset. The resultant model can be used to enhance current Arabic texts by making it sound more "Classical".

Credits

The Rasaif Website: For updates and more information about their work, follow them on Twitter, and follow Ahmad Alghamdi's Telegram channel

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Classical Arabic - English Parallel Text

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