The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 9/Chapter 12
CHAPTER XII
Arabic Made the Language of the Register
Al-Madâʾini ʿAli ibn-Muḥammad ibn-abi-Saif from his sheikhs:—Persian was the language of the register of the kharâj of as-Sawâd and the rest of al-ʿIrâḳ. When al-Ḥajjâj became ruler of al-ʿIrâḳ he chose Zâdân Farrûkh ibn-Yabra for secretary, and the latter was assisted by Ṣâliḥ ibn-ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân, a freedman of the banu-Tamîm, who knew both Arabic and Persian. Ṣâliḥ's father was one of the captives of Sijistân. Through Zâdân Farrûkh, Ṣâliḥ was acquainted with al-Ḥajjâj, who found him acceptable. One day Ṣâliḥ said to Zâdân, "Thou art the means by which I became acquainted with the governor; and I see that he has found me acceptable. I, therefore, do not wonder if he should promote me over thee, in which case thou wouldst fall." "Never believe that," answered Zḥâdân; "he has more use for me than I for him, because none but myself can be found to keep his books." "By Allah," retorted Ṣâliḥ, "if thou so desire, I could change the accounts into Arabic." "Try a part of it," said Zâdân, "and I will see." Ṣâliḥ having done that, Zâdân asked him to feign illness, which he did. Al-Ḥajjâj sent his own physician, but found nothing wrong with Ṣâliḥ. Hearing that, Zâdân ordered him to appear.
In the days of ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân ibn-Muḥammad ibn-al-Ashʿath al-Kindi, Zâdân Farrûkh was killed on his way from some house to his own home, or some other man's home. Thereupon, al-Ḥajjâj made Ṣâliḥ secretary in the place of Zâdân. Ṣâliḥ reported to al-Ḥajjâj the conversation that took place between him and Zâdân relative to the change of the language of the register. Al-Ḥajjâj immediately made up his mind to adopt Arabic as the language of the register and charged Ṣâliḥ with the task. Mardânshâh ibn-Zâdân Farrûkh asked Ṣâliḥ, "What wouldst thou do with dahwiyah and shashwiyah?" To this, Ṣâliḥ replied, "I shall use instead ʿushr [tenth] and nuṣfʿushr[1] [half-tenth]."—"And what about wîd?"—"I shall use aiḍan" (wîd means excess).[2] Hearing that, Mardânshâh said, "May God efface thy trace from the world as thou hast effaced the trace of the Persian!" Ṣâliḥ was later offered 100,000 dirhams in order to show that it was impossible to change the language of the register and to refrain from doing it; but he refused and carried out the plan. ʿAbd-al-Ḥamîd ibn-Yaḥya, the secretary of Marwan ibn-Muḥammad used to say, "Great is Ṣâliḥ, and great is the favor he has bestowed upon the secretaries!"
ʿUmar ibn-Shabbah from Sahl ibn-abi-aṣ-Ṣalt:—Al-Ḥajjâj assigned for Ṣâliḥ ibn-ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân a certain period in which to change the language of the register.[3]