Bâlis and its villages as fief. At the death of Maslamah, Bâlis with its villages passed into the hands of his heirs, who held them until the appearance of the "blessed dynasty " [Abbasid], at which time ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿAli confiscated the possessions of the banu-Umaiyah, including Bâlis and its villages. Abu-l-ʿAbbâs the "Commander of the Believers," assigned Bâlis and its villages as fief to Sulaimân ibn-ʿAli ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-al-ʿAbbâs, from whom they passed to his son, Muḥammad ibn-Sulaimân. Muḥammad's brother, Jaʿfar ibn-Sulaimân, repeatedly calumniated his brother to ar- Rashîd, the "Commander of the Believers," stating that he used to spend many times the income of the possessions and [crown-] domains he held, for the purpose of attaining his ambition,[1] and upon the slaves and other dependents he kept. He added that it was legal for the "Commander of the Believers" to appropriate the money of his brother. These letters ar-Rashîd ordered preserved. Now, when Muḥammad died, Jaʿfar's letters were brought out and used as an argument against him. Muḥammad had no other brother from his father and mother than Jaʿfar. The latter acknowledged that they were his letters; and so the possessions passed to ar-Rashîd, who gave Bâlis and its villages as fief to al-Maʾmûn, after whom they passed to his son.
Muʿâdh advises against the division of the land. Hishâm ibn-ʿAmmâr from ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ḳais al-Hamdâni:—When ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb came to al-Jâbiyah and wanted to divide the land among the Moslems, on the ground that it was taken by force, Muʿâdh ibn-Jabal objected saying, "By Allah, if thou dividest the land, the result will certainly be unfavorable. The great part will be in the hands of these people, who will pass away, and the whole will become the possession of one man. Others will come after
- ↑ The caliphate; Athîr, vol. vi, p. 82.
