Five students gathered in the gardens around Cordoba during the period of their studies to lunch, when one of them, tall, good-looking, with a face that revealed certain nobility, pride, or perhaps with the arrogance of a man searching for a command, exclaimed suddenly raising his voice:

- Keep my words; one day I'll be the leader of this country.

His companions burst out laughing due to his exclamation, but the speaker was undeterred and continued:

I want you all to tell me now, the office each of you intends to occupy when I get there?

- Very good, said one of the students, these fritters are excellent, and I want that it remains so, make me inspector of Markets and I will feed my tastes at no cost.

- For my part, said another of his friends, I realized that these figs are from my province. Make me Kadi of Malaga. [4]

These delightful gardens constitute a huge treat for me; said the third of them; I would like to be the Prefect of the city.

Finally, the fourth student, however, seemed uncomfortable with the manifestations of his colleagues and especially with the insistence of the latter, which ended up causing his loss of control when he pulls him by the beard:

- When thou govern Hispania, excuse me consider this a bravado, you can order me to be smeared with honey to attract bees and wasps and then placed riding on a donkey face to tail to be driven through the streets of Cordoba!

His interlocutor gave him a fierce look, but controlling his disappointment with crisp effort, replied:

- So be it; each of you will have your wish fulfilled. The day will come when I will remind you of every word uttered by each of you here today.

The repast ended, the group dispersed and the student who had allowed such fanciful and grandiose concepts addressed to the maternal relatives' house where he was staying. His host accompanied him to his small room upstairs and tried to lead him to a conversation, but the young man absorbed in his thoughts only retorted monosyllabic. Realizing that there would extract nothing from him his host gave him goodnight and left the room.

The next morning, when the student did not show up for breakfast, the relative went upstairs to wake him and with surprise realized that his bed had not been undone and that the young man was sitting on a bench with his head leaning on his chest.

- Looks like you spent a sleepless night! exclaimed the innkeeper.

- Yes, replied the student; I lay awake obsessed with my thoughts.

- And what are those concerns?

- I was thinking to myself whom I shall nominate as Kady when I govern Hispania and when the current judge is dead. I have mentally passed the whole caliphate under scrutiny and found only one man worthy of the office.

- And would this man be Muhammad ibn Salim?

- Wonder! Exactly this is the man! How strangely we agree!

It was clear that the student was obsessed with a fixed idea - an idea that was his dream during the day, but at night deprived him of sleep.

The name of the student in question was Abu Amir Muhammad. His family was the Beni Abi Amir, who belonged to a tribe of Yemen, was noble, but as already mentioned, not illustrious. His ancestor Abd al-Malik was one of the few Arabs found in the Berber army with which Tarik invaded Hispania and distinguished himself in command of a division that captured Carteya, the first city of the Iberian Peninsula fell into the hands of Muslims. As a reward for his services received the castle of Torrox, as well as the land on which was built, situated on the banks of the river Guadiero in Algeciras province. Abd al-Malik and his descendants, however, only lived in the castle in seasons, making their lives in Cordoba to get a foot in the court or a position in teaching. This was exactly the path taken by both Abu Amir Muhammad ibn al-Walid (great-grandfather Abd Al-Malik) and his son Amir. The latter held many positions and was the favorite of Sultan Muhammad that reached the point of putting his name on coins and standards. Muhammad, the grandfather of our young student, had been for eight years the Kady of Seville and Abdala, his father, was a theologian and jurist very pious and distinguished, who had made pilgrimages to Mecca.

The family of Beni Abi Amir, although old and respectable, was not classified in the high aristocracy; he belonged to what is called nobility of the gown if the phrase is permissible, and not of the sword. No Abd al-Malik descendants had followed the profession of arms, the one that gave the highest honors and dignity, all had been judges or court officials.

That had been the trajectory of our student Amir Muhammad, who came to the capital and then climbed the steps of the University. A fiery young man with a sharp wit, endowed with a natural enthusiasm coated by a growing imagination and an explosive temper, moreover, slave of a single passion driven by an irresistible force; One day come to power.

The books of his choice were the nation's ancient chronicles ones and what chiefly fascinated him in their musty pages were especially the adventures of men who, though starting from even lower positions than his own, reached step by step the highest honors of the state. Such men were made as models and as it was not his style to keep their ambitions for himself alone, his companions used to regard it as a pixilated which he certainly was not. His obsessions indeed absorbed him, but it was not due to mental problems, but as the foresight of a genius.

As a teenager, Ibn Abi Amir as the call from now during much of this story, moved to Cordoba to study Arts and Law. His training - to exercise as a judge - included interpretation of the Quran, prophetic tradition and application of Islamic law. However, the bad situation of his family with the death of his father, which occurred shortly after returning from a pilgrimage to Meca, led him to abandon his studies and take the writer's profession. In this role, his ambition and talent soon drew the attention of another emerging figure in Cordoba, the magistrate Muhammad ibn al-Salim, who introduced the young man to court. Soon he became intendant son heir of the Caliph Al-Hakam II and favorite Subh with which you have a close friendship relationship.

***

The heavy solid wood door camera roared by its hinges to open. Jalila was coming in. As was already becoming a habit Subh, unable to reconcile, sleep had called Jalila to join her in her chamber. In the last days, the practice has been repeated with frequency. Jalila saw Subh walking from one side to the other, and then she sat on the couch beside her and whispered that she was there for what she needed. Tears ran in the eyes of both when common memories flooded their reminiscences and Subh seeking to recover herself asked:

- Do you remember how Al-Hakam was obsessed with books and was neglecting myself completely? As he repeatedly pored over papers and rare books that he sent seek from abroad? They were Greek texts in Latin that he insisted on translating, without having even more place to store over 400,000 volumes in the palace and sought universities and libraries and even the Aljama Mosque to help in the task? God has this memory! The people know that I never abandoned him. He isolated himself by his own decision., and now these nasty comments.

- Sure, why worry about it? Everyone knew that Hakam's joy was focused on you and the two children of you. He was never much connected with matters of state. The death of the eldest son, Abd-er-Rahman, of course, precipitated his sorrow and made him dive in the books to lead him finally to death.

Subh with a bitter tone of voice answered.

- I know, the death of the little one had struck him violently. He and the Jewish doctor Benzecry did everything they could to save him. The death made him sink in the books, nothing else mattered to him and this added to his gentle personality caused a vacuum that allowed the advancement of ambitious men looking for power launching seeds of hatred and intrigue, which soon nourished and flourished. This is the result we are facing now, and I especially can state that Providence has made me see side by side how these actions are developed and today I am perhaps the most veiled victim of Ibn Abi Amir.

Subh shuddered at the mention of the reasons for her apprehension, a person who came to admire at the beginning when his help in cultural activities delegated by the Caliph and the administration of her properties and those of her son, the heir, was providential, but she today recognizes him as the architect of the destruction of Cordoba. When she met with him, the contacts were always behind protective curtains, common in talks between men and women of importance in the palace. She saw a man with always elegant clothes and with a dominant aura. Gradually, as Ibn Abi Amir climbed stations as administration official at the court knew more about him, his origins, his family, how and why he had come to Cordoba. But unlike the rumors, she only had a normal concern about a person with whom she worked, without any connotation that would suggest amorous intentions. The intimacy with poetry just made ease a greater contact as well as his fine and educated ways, that today she understands as a concealment cover.

- And to think, Jalila said, I even worked as a facilitator to increase the liaison between you and him.

- I was also deceived by his manners, by that powerful, charismatic voice, his immense charm and behaviors that camouflaged his real intentions under the aquiline features at first glance always serious, but quickly configured in smiles and virtuous verbal manifestations. After all, I struggled in his favor for his promotion into Vizier after Hisham's rise. No one could suppose really what existed beneath that charm, alleged Subh, returning to walk in the chamber approaching the window. The common gifts, all his availability. Now I see that all followed an ambitious purpose of power. How I was so stupid to enable an intimacy that now serves as food for scandal. Remember that miniature made of the silver palace he offered me?

- Of course, the thing had to be carried by slaves so great it was. The episode almost created distrust between him and Al-Hakam. I do not know how he managed to explain, for sure, were used exchequer resources from the Caliph.

- Oh, he certainly appealed to friends to cover the shortfall. He was so smart that emerged strengthened, his proven honesty, and at the end accused those who denounced him as slanderous and was after that appointed Head of Treasury, received more honors. We are not dealing with an amateur. He is finishing a luxurious castle named as Zahira, where he will live like a prince, guarded by an army of servants and administrative officials of the highest levels recruited from among at least five administrative posts of importance it holds. My informants are bringing the news that he intends to remove the Caliph Al-Zahara and send him to his new palace to best guard him and keep his seclusion, away from any issues of state.

- I notice that your anxiety is nearing a decision. We have talked a lot about the situation of seclusion of the Caliph, your son, but I never saw you that way. Have you been with him recently?

- Yes, I have been with him. He is completely dominated by Ibn Abi Amir, I think that is afraid of him. I cannot accept that his ascetic behavior is sincere. I do not know what to do yet, it's all very dangerous but must act before it is too late.

- What do you mean? Does "act" mean that we are already in a conspiracy state?

- We have no other way, my dear. Who do you think will be put as a target when the situation of Ibn Abi Amir, as governor is fully consolidated? And it will happen soon, after getting rid of the Prime Minister his next opponent is General Ghalib, the only resistance weight still at his front who still dares to raise his voice against the Caliph's situation. Eliminated the general, nothing and no one can oppose him. I have no doubt who will emerge victorious in this clash. The question is; who do you think he believes that has the power to deter the heir out of this apathy situation? Of course, this power is his mother.

Jalila did not answer. She knew that the revenge's spear she had abandoned considering the friendship and her life of comfort was rebounded and was crossing again her destination with a new armor that would lead to the same purpose. She needed to discuss it with Amal. She waited a few minutes and taking advantage that Subh seemed to have calmed down and laid down gently on her bed, turned away from the camera following to her quarters.

Back in her room it also seemed that Jalila could not let the sleep arrive, her thoughts insisted on keeping her mind lit looking to remember how the events had evolved so quickly after the death of Al-Hakam.

The progression of the tensions was evident from the time that Subh and Ibn Abi Amir shared important administrative matters, analyzed the factors and sent to Hakam's decision. Day after day they met alone and without curtains as if they were two administrative officers in service and drinking tea while working. Instead of this causing any jealousy on Hakam the situation pleased him to get him out of the state bureaucracy which he despised. Usually, he consented with the recommendations. The only moment of tension was related to the gift of a miniature palace. Hakam has ordered an investigation into the accounts and when it became clear, with the condemnation of the accusers, the cunning of Ibn Abi Amir made it raise even more the caliph's concept about him. What irony! Jalila thought, he had come out of the episode with a new job and more power. She could not imagine how Hakam did not realize that his counselor was concentrating an enormous power into his hands. This power would remove Subh from Regency a few years after the death of Hakam.

It was early dawn and Jalila began to try to ward off thoughts that jumped from one side to the other in her mind. Needed to rest, the events seemed to rush to a course she did not distinguish yet. What could a woman, even being the former favorite of the caliphate, do against the figure of the Almighty Ibn Abi Amir, whose power seemed to grow every day and that although not a military seemed endowed with a fortune or intelligence that matched the great generals of the caliphate.

Finally, when the sun was ready to come she managed to clear the mind letting sleep take care of you. Before falling asleep her mind had considered how it would be nice if Subh was also very tired and not claimed by her presence too early in the morning. One last thought before turning off her mind, she would try to meet with Amal in the library as soon as possible.

The doubts of Jalila on the military fortunes of Ibn Abi Amir made sense. When one of the most important Muslim generals spent huge sums of money by paying bribes to Berber rebel leaders in Mauritania to maintain Umayyad domain that was threatened, Al-Hakam II Caliph thought that his general had taken his words not to save expenses in a way too much literal and had spent much beyond the limits what did make him decide to end the monetary party or perhaps with corruption evidence and decided to send someone on whose integrity he had no doubt. The choice fell on Ibn Abi Amir, appointed Minister of Justice of Mauritania, with instructions to keep the generals in tight rein, especially about their financial transactions. His orders went beyond; no action would be taken without the approval of Ibn Abi Amir, who would have to endorse all the plans.

It was the first time in his life, that Ibn Abi Amir found himself in contact with the army and its leaders. It was a task of extreme difficulty. Thanks to his ability and political tact managed to conduct the affairs masterfully, fulfilling the task and bringing great satisfaction to the Caliph. He did not create any disagreement even as he also established important alliances and friendships with heads of Berber tribes, which would be of great value in the future. He began his life in the field earning the admiration and affection of soldiers who had never led, inspiring in them the idea that maybe that judge was, in reality, a great soldier.

_________

Notes

4. The term here would be a Qadi or Kadi. A qadi or Qadi (Arabic: قاضي Qadi) is a Muslim judge who judges according to the Islamic Sharia religious law. The judge cadis religious themes, such as inheritances, marriages, divorces, although theoretically has jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims, both in civil and criminal matters. The sentence of a Kadii should be based naijma, the prevailing consensus of the ulema, Islamic scholars.