Translated by Akmaliza Abdullah from Tarikh Baghdad of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi
Al-Mahdi’s wife and his umm walad. She was a Jarshiyyah. She gave birth to al- Hadi and al-Rashid. Apart form her and the mother of al-Walid and Sulayman b. ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan, there was no other women who gave birth to two caliphs.
Al-Khayzuran narrated hadith musnad on the authority of al-‘Abbas: “Man ittaqa Allah waqqahu Allah kulla shay’ ”
Al-Waqidi narated: One day, I went to al-Mahdi, who asked for his inkwell and a notebook, with which he wrote hadith which I taught him. Suddenly he got up and said: “Peace be in your place until I come back”. Then he entered the harem. When he came out, he returned full of rage. when he sat down, I asked him: “O Amir al-Mu’minin, why do you come out looking entirely different from when you went inside?” He said: :I went to al-Khayzuran who leapt on me, stretched her hands and tore my clothes. She exclaimed: O you picker of leftovers! What good have I ever received at your hands? ” Al Mahdi then continued telling al-Waqidi: ” It was me who bought her from a slave trader, and she has seen from me what she has seen [a great benefit and favor], and I have decided to let her two sons to be the heirs of my throne. Am I then the picker of the leftovers?” Al-Waqidi then said [trying to calm al-Mahdi by citing hadith of the Prophet s.a.w. bearing on the general weakness and perversity of women’s nature]: “Innahunna yaghlibna al-kiram, wa yaghlibhuna al-li’am” . Al-Waqidim furthermore recited another hadiths: “Khayrukum khayrukum li ahlih wa ana khayrukum li ahli” and ” wa qad khuliqat al-mar’ah min dal’ a’waj in qawwamtahu kassartahu”. According to al-Waqidim he recited whatever hadith he knew, which pertained to the matter, until al-Mahdi calmed down, and his face started to become lively again, Then al-Mahdi rewarded his counselor with two thousands dinar and said: “Spend this money to improve your well being!”. Upon reaching his house, al-Khayzuran’s servant approached al-Waqidi and told him: “My lady wished you salam. She said, O Uncle, I’ve heard all that you said to Amir al-Mu’minin. May Allah reward you. This is 1,990 dinar [ten dinar short of what al-Mahdi gave him], for I don’t want to be equal to the gift given by Amir al-Mu’minin.”
She died on the Friday night , 27th Jumada al-Akhirah 173, that was the same day Muhammad b. Sulayman died.
