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eight
known works,
five
of which are related with law, all of which are written
in Arabic.
When we analyze the works of scientists of the First (IX-XII
centuries) and the Second (XIV-XVI centuries) Revival (Renaissance) in
the history of our country, we realize that they have one thing in common.
During the First Renaissance, scholars thoroughly studied, translated and
refined the works of their predecessors, scientists, thinkers and creators,
enriching them with their own ideas and works. Scholars of the Second
Renaissance also studied not only the great works of ancient times, but also
the books of the First Renaissance scholars, adding innovations to them.
This means that at a time when the foundations of the Third Revival
(Renaissance) are being laid in Uzbekistan and in our region, we also need
to study the scientific heritage that has come down to us in all areas o f
science. Including scientific works of Kaffal Shashi.
Kaffal ash-Shashi - diplomat
Most of the poems written by Kaffal ash-Shashi are quoted in as-
Subhi. Some passages quoted by as-Subhi indicate that there were
conflicting correspondences between the Byzantine emperor and the Arab
caliph. In these correspondences, the Byzantine emperor Nikifor (reigned
963-969 AD) addressed the Arab caliph Fazl ibn Ja’far Muqtadir
(nicknamed M uti’ or Mutilillah, who ruled 334-363 AH, 945-973 AD, and
according to some sources from 946 to 974) with threats and intimidation,
claiming that once his lands, now the Arab caliph demands that the
occupied lands be returned to them (to the Byzantines) easily, peacefully.
Byzantine ruling circles ended the letter with a poem in Arabic to make it
stand out high. The poem was addressed to the ruling caliph from the
Hashemite dynasty. The letter also contains the following lines:
“We jumped like lions and took our lands. And the land of Damascus
was the abode of our fathers, and we shall possess this land, and we shall
possess Egypt with the edge of our sword. We will occupy Hijaz, Baghdad,
Shiraz, Ray, Khorasan, Jerusalem, East and West”, they threatened and
they wanted to take over these lands with ease. In particular, Emperor
Nikifor directly threatens the holy city of Mecca:
“Damascus is the land of our ancestors,
I owner of the land.
I will conquer Egypt with my sword,
My laughing star in the endless deserts.
Then I will go to Mecca.
My brave army that walks by night.
I can get to Jerusalem
There I will rebuild the sacred pillar”.
Caliph Fazl ibn Ja’far Muqtadir and his officials were in a state of
crisis. Because a real serious test period had begun for them. Nikifor’s army
began to occupy the lands of the caliphate one by one. The northern part o f
Damascus (Shom) is occupied by the Byzantines. At that time, the caliphate
did not have the military capacity to stand up to the Eastern Roman Empire.
There was no commander who could match Nikifor, who had defeated so
many famous commanders. In that case, the empire would have to settle
the issue amicably, through diplomacy. Caliph Mutillah was looking for a
clever diplomat who could perform such a task, looking for a person who
would write a worthy response to the letter.
Kaffal ash-Shashi will be in Baghdad at the same time. He was a
gifted scholar, a well-known lawyer and a great poet among the courtiers
in the caliphate. Therefore, the scholar is summoned to the caliph. During
a conversation with him, the caliph acknowledged the intelligence of the
imam and asked him to write a reply letter. The content of the conversation
between the caliph and the scholar is still unknown to us. Because we do
not find any information about the topic of conversation in any scientific
sources and literature. However, it is known that they have an agreement
on certain conditions. For this reason, Kaffal ash-Shashi, on behalf of the
Caliphate, was entrusted with the task of replying to the letter of Taghfur
(Takfur in Arabic sources), the military leader of the Byzantine ruler. This
was also a sign of great respect and esteem for the scholar ash-Shashi.
After reading the letter, Qaffal al-Shoshi wrote a reply poem in Arabic
to Taghfur in the weight of the poem in which the letter was written and in
the same rhyme. The letter reflected his knowledge, intelligence, poetry
and diplomatic talent. The letter was 148 bytes long. According to
Nematullo Muhamedov, 74 bytes (148 lines) of ash-Shashi’s reply to the
Byzantines were preserved in the above-mentioned Tajiddin as-Subhi’s
“Tabaqat al-Shafiyya”. What is important to us is that his letter caused a
great stir in Constantinople. As-Subhi writes that the Byzantines, in
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