Al-Asayfar al-Muntafiqi intercepts the pilgrims and gives away their wealth

اعتراض الأسيفر المنتفقي الحاج وهبته أموالهم

c. 1003 CE · 394 AH

In the year ninety-four al-Asayfar al-Muntafiqi intercepted the pilgrims at al-Batina, besieged them and relied on plundering them. Abu al-Husayn ibn al-Raffa' and Abu Abdallah ibn al-Dajaji, the two reciters, entered his presence and recited before him. He asked them about their livelihood in Baghdad, and they said: «Robes of honour, stipends and gifts reach us». When they denied that the people of Baghdad had bestowed a million dinars on them, he said: «I have given you the pilgrims and their wealth, which exceeds a million dinars», and he fulfilled that for the pilgrims. The people of Mecca, Egypt and Syria said: «We have not heard of such extravagance from the people of Baghdad» ¹.