The Arabization of Iraq's Kharaj Diwan

نقل ديوان خراج العراق إلى العربية

Kufa

In al-Baladhuri via al-Mada'ini from Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Sayf's shaykhs: the diwan of the Sawad's kharaj and all Iraq remained in Persian until al-Hajjaj governed Iraq and took as scribe Zadhanfarrukh ibn Biri, who had with him Salih ibn Abd al-Rahman — mawla of Banu Tamim whose father was among Sijistan's captives — writing before him in Arabic and Persian. Zadhanfarrukh presented Salih to al-Hajjaj who took to him, then confided his fear of displacement — Salih answering that the amir needed him more since none could keep his accounts but himself, and offering: by God, if you wished I could turn the accounts to Arabic. He converted half for display, then feigned illness; al-Hajjaj's physician found nothing wrong and Zadhanfarrukh ordered him to appear. When Zadhanfarrukh was killed in Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath's days, al-Hajjaj made Salih his scribe; told of the earlier exchange he resolved to make the diwan Arabic and charged Salih with it. Mardanshah ibn Zadhanfarrukh challenged: what will you do for dahwiya and shashwiya? — I write ushr and half-ushr; and wid? — likewise, the surplus being increased; whereupon: may God cut your root from this world as you have cut Persian's root. A hundred thousand dirhams were offered him to feign inability and desist — he refused and translated it. Abd al-Hamid ibn Yahya, Marwan ibn Muhammad's scribe, would say: God reward Salih — how great his favor to the scribes; and Sahl ibn Abi al-Salt said al-Hajjaj gave Salih a deadline until he turned the diwan over.