Tree of Pearls, Queen of Egypt

Arrogance

 Arrogance days went by and Mu’ayyid al-Din almost forgot Hulagu and the missing letter; nor did any inauspicious news of Abu Bakr reach his ears. From this he inferred that all was well. He hoped that the young Prince had repented of his ways, having finally understood the fratricidal dangers that beset the Empire. One morning, however, well before the call to prayers, Al-Musta‘sim’s messenger came to summon the minister to the imperial palace. He dressed in haste and mounted his mule, all the while wondering what could be the reason for a summons so early in the day. Recalling Hulagu’s letter, his fears returned and he struggled to preserve his composure until he should reach the Palace of the Crown and discover what lay in store for him. When he arrived, he was directed to meet with the Caliph in the Special Assembly Chamber. Seeing that Abu Bakr and the Dawadar were also present, his heart trembled, but he took refuge in God and resolutely greeted the company. Al-Musta‘sim returned his greeting and bade him be seated. Then he abruptly handed him a letter that had been lying beside him on the royal couch. Mu’ayyid al-Din took it. As he read its contents, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief. From the Great Khakan Hulagu, Sultan of sultans, to Al-Musta‘sim Billah the Abbasid. We grow weary of your procrastination, though verily we have been patient. Is it not time for you to see the light and to acknowledge our worth? We sent you emissaries to request aid against the Isma‘ili murderers. Though we fought them in your name, you declined our alliance. Your refusal has proven the weakness of your judgment. We then wrote to reproach you for this failure and you sent an indifferent reply that did nothing to assuage our wrath; and you attached to this miserable reply an even more miserable gift that is only fitting for one such as yourself. Do you suppose, then, that we are in need of money? You would have been well advised to send us an Imperial envoy, to whom we would arrogance |  have graciously listened. And now, nothing will satisfy us but an official apology delivered in person by yourself, your Minister, or your Dawadar. Woe unto you if you fail to submit. Now that his personal safety was assured for the time being, relief was quickly followed by dismay. Mu’ayyid al-Din glanced at the Caliph and saw that he was lost in thought. He wondered whether his master would now finally be guided by him and agree to conciliate the Tatar invader. The Caliph emerged from his reverie. “What is your opinion, Minister?” he demanded. “It is for my Lord, Commander of the Faithful, to judge these matters,” Mu’ayyid al-Din deferentially replied. “Does the insolence of this Tatar please you? What shall be his punishment?” These unexpected words threw Mu’ayyid al-Din into great confusion. The Caliph was even now miscalculating his true position. “I beg my Lord’s permission to speak frankly,” he began. “This man now wields great power. We know from our spies that he has crushed the Persians and many other peoples in fierce warfare. His armies are vast and his arms and stores, abundant. If we do not reply favorably to his letter, he will most certainly attack Baghdad.” Abu Bakr now spoke up. “Attack Baghdad?” he scornfully demanded. “And what if he does? Can his recompense be anything but failure and disgrace?” Mu’ayyid al-Din flexed his jaw and ignored this silly retort. “My Lord, I am of the opinion that we must conciliate Hulagu until we can adequately prepare for war.” “How can we conciliate him?” the Caliph asked. “The scoundrel demands that I myself appear before him, or my Minister or Dawadar in my stead. Would it not have been better to engage with him before matters came to such a pass?” The Minister was pleased by this tacit admission on the Caliph’s part. “It would indeed have been wise, my Lord,” he replied. “And may I remind you that the humble servant who stands before you suggested that very course of action when last we received a letter from the Tatar. I expressed my fears to the Commander of the Faithful and I begged him to send rich gifts of slaves and jewels— such baubles are enough...