[263]. Arab. “Lá baas,” equivalent in conversation to our “No matter,” and “All right.”
[264]. As a member of the reigning family, he wore black clothes, that being the especial colour of the Abbasides, adopted by them in opposition to the rival dynasty of the Ommiades, whose family colour was white, that of the Fatimites being green. The Moslems borrowed their sacred green, “the hue of the Pure,” from the old Nabatheans and the other primitive colours from the tents of the captains who were thus distinguished. Hence also amongst the Turks and Tartars, the White Horde and the Black Horde.
[265]. The word has often occurred, meaning date-wine or grape-wine. Ibn Khaldún contends that in Ibn Khallikan it here means the former.
[266]. = £25,000. Ibn Khallikan (i. 304) makes the debt four millions of dirhams or £90,000–£100,000.
[267]. In the Biographer occurs the equivalent phrase, “That a standard be borne over his head.”
[268]. Here again we have a suggestion that Ja’afar presumed upon his favour with the Caliph; such presumption would soon be reported (perhaps by the austère intrigant himself) to the royal ears, and lay the foundation of ill-will likely to end in utter destruction.
[269]. Bresl. Edit., vol. vii. pp. 258–60, Night dlxvii.
[270]. Fourth Abbaside, A.D. 785–786, vol. v. 93. He was a fantastic tyrant who was bent upon promoting to the Caliphate his own son, Ja’afar; he cast Harun into prison and would probably have slain him but for the intervention of the mother of the two brothers, Khayzarán widow of Al-Mahdi, and Yahya the Barmecide.
[271]. Third Abbaside, A.D. 775–785, vol. vii. 136; ix. 334.
[272]. This reminds us of the Bir Al-Khátim (Well of the Signet) at Al-Medinah; in which Caliph Osman during his sixth year dropped from his finger the silver ring belonging to the founder of Al-Islam, engraved in three lines with “Mohammed | Apostle (of) | Allah |.” It had served to sign the letters sent to neighbouring kings and had descended to the first three successors (Pilgrimage ii. 219). Mohammed owned three seal-rings, the golden one he destroyed himself; and the third, which was of carnelian, was buried with other objects by his heirs. The late Subhi Pasha used to declare that the latter had been brought to him with early Moslem coins by an Arab, and when he died he left it to the Sultan.