The Forger Ad-Daniyali

The historians of Baghdad report that in the days of alMuqtadir, there lived in Baghdad a skillful copyist by the name of ad-Daniyali.

He gave leaves the appearance of being worn and wrote upon them in an ancient handwriting.

In his forgeries, he referred to the men of the dynasty, under letters from their names, and hinted at the high positions and ranks to which he knew they aspired. (He gave the impression) that (his forgeries) were prediction works. In this manner, he obtained from them the worldly goods that he was after.

In one of the documents, he wrote an m repeated 3 times, and he went with the document to Muflih, alMuqtadir’s client, who was an important official, and said to him:

“This refers to you. It means Muflih, the client (mawla) of al-Muqtadir.”

In this connection, he mentioned the government position to which, he knew, (Muflib) aspired. For (Muflih’s benefit), he had invented telltale allusions from Muflih’s generally known circumstances. (Ad- Daniyali) thus deceived (Muflih), and (Muflih) gave him a fortune. Later on, the wazir al-Husayn b. al-Qasim b. Wahb, who was out of office (at the time), got in touch with Muflih.

He had similar leaves prepared for him and referred to the name of the wazir with such letters and allusions fixed (beforehand). He said that (Ibn Wahb) would become wazir to the eighteenth caliph. Under his direction, the affairs (of the government) would be in order. He would defeat his enemies, and the world would be highly civilized in his time. (Ibn Wahb) let Muflih see the leaves.

He had also mentioned in them other events and predictions of the same kind,things that had already happened and others that had not yet happened.

The whole he attributed to Daniel. Muflih liked the work and let al-Muqtadir see it. Al-Mugtadir’s attention was directed through all these allusions to Ibn Wahb, because they obviously fitted him. Tricks of this sort, which were completely based on falsehood and on ignorance of such puzzles, were the reason for (Ibn Wahb’s) becoming wazir.

The prediction work that is ascribed to al-Bajarbagi is a work of this kind.

I asked Akmal-ad-din, 1099 the shaykh of the non-Arab Hanafites in Egypt, about this prediction work and about the Sufi (author), al-Bajarbagi, to whom it is attributed, since he was informed about the Sufi orders. He said:

“Al-Bajarbaqi belonged to the Sufis known as Qalandariyah, who practice the innovation of shaving their beards. He was talking about what was going to happen by means of the removal (of the veil, kashf), and was hinting at personalities whose identity he knew.

He referred to them cryptically with letters that he made up freely. (He did this) for whomever of them he saw.

Occasionally, he put that (material) into poetical form and from time to time produced a few verses. These verses were later on circulated in his name. People were eager to get them. They considered them an enigmatic prediction work.

The verses were then constantly added to by forgers of this type, and the common people occupied themselves with trying to decipher them.

But it is impossible to decipher them, because only previously known or established rules can lead to the decipherment of such puzzles. In this (particular case), the only clues to the meaning of the letters are in the poem itself.”

The statement quoted from so excellent a person (as Shaykh Akmal-ad-din) is to me an altogether adequate answer to the problem that, I felt, was posed by the prediction work of al-Bajarbagi.

“We would not be persons who are guided aright, had God not guided us.”

Later on, I came across the History of Ibn Kathir.

It was in Damascus where I stopped with the Sultan’s cavalcade in the year 802 [1400], at a time when I was chief Malikite judge in Egypt.

In the biography of (al-Bajarbaqi) relative to the year 724 [1324], Ibn Kathir says:

“Shams-ad-din Muhammad al-Bajarbaqi. He is considered the founder of the unorthodox sect of the Bajarbagiyah, which is known for its denial of the Creator.

(Al-Bajarbaqi’s) father, Jamal-ad-din Abd-arRahim b. Umar al-Mawsilt, was a pious Shafi’ite who taught in Damascus colleges. His son grew up among jurisconsults. He studied a little and then turned to mysticism. A group of people who believed in him and followed his order adhered to him.

Later on, the Malikite judge condemned him to death, and he fled to the East. He then was able to prove that those who had testified against him were hostile to him, and the Hanbalite (judge) reversed the former judgment. (AlBajarbagi) remained in al-Qabun (near Damascus) for a number of years. He died during the night of Wednesday, Rabi` II, 16, 724 [night of April 11/12, 1324].

Ibn Kathir says:

Al-Bajarbagi composed a jafr poem which runs as follows:

“Listen and comprehend letters and their numerical values, And the description, and be understanding, like a clever and intelligent person.

The Lord of the heavens will tell, concerning Egypt and what is to be in Syria Of good things and of tribulations.Baybars will be given a goblet to drink after the five of them, And a h-m with restlessness, sleeping in blankets [mountain dens?]. Alas, Damascus -what descended upon its territory!

They destroyed a mosque of God. How (beautifully) had it been constructed!

Woe unto it, how many acted wrongly with regard to the religion! How many did they kill! How much blood, of scholars and lowly people, did they shed! How much (noise) could be heard, and how many captives there were! How many did they rob And then burn, of young men and old; Existence is dark, and the land is blacked out.

Even the pigeons there mourn on the branches.

Oh, (poor) creatures, is there no helper for the religion?

Get up (all of you) and go to Syria, from the plains and the rugged hills!

The Arabs of the `Iraq and of Lower and Upper Egypt are coming.

The firm resolution is to bring death to unbelief in (Damascus).