The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 3/Chapter 4

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER IV

Arabic made the Language of the State Registers

Greek remained the language of the state registers^[1] until the reign of ʿAbd-al-Malik ibn-Marwân, who in the year 81 ordered it changed. The reason was that a Greek clerk desiring to write something and finding no ink urined in the inkstand. Hearing this, ʿAbd-al-Malik punished the man and gave orders to Sulaimân ibn-Saʿd to change the language of the registers. Sulaiman requested ʿAbd-al-Malik to give him as subsidy the kharâj of the Jordan province for one year. ʿAbd-al-Malik granted his request and assigned him to the governorship of the Jordan. No sooner had the year ended, than the change of the language was finished and Sulaimân brought the registers to ʿAbd-al-Malik. The latter called Sarjûn [Sergius] and presented to him the new plan. Sarjûn was greatly chagrined and left ʿAbd-al-Malik sorrowful. Meeting certain Greek clerks, he said to them, "Seek your livelihood in any other profession than this, for God has cut it off from you."

The total tax of the Jordan which was thus assigned as subsidy^[2] was 180,000 dînârs, that of Palestine was 350,000; that of Damascus 400,000; that of Ḥimṣ with Ḳinnasrîn and the regions called to-day al-ʿAwâṣim, 800,000, and according to others 700,000.

Footnotes

1. Ar. dîwân which may also be used in the sense of office or bureau.
2. Ar. maʿûnah; see Mubarrad, Kâmil, p. 76, last line.