This is a travelogue written by Ibn Fadran, describing the lands and people he encountered during his mission from 921 to 922. While reading it, we should distinguish between the author's observations, hearsay, and value judgments of that time. This is a translation of existing descriptions and does not represent a complete transmission of the original text.
The Beginning of a Book
In the name of God, who is full of mercy and compassion.
1
Ahmed bin Fadlan said:
A letter arrived from King Alimish ibn Iltawal of Sakariba, addressed to the head of the sect, al-Muqtadil. The king requested that envoys be sent to teach religion and spread knowledge of Islamic law. He also desired that a mosque be built with a pulpit so that prayers could be performed in his name as caliph throughout his country and all of his kingdom. Furthermore, he asked for fortresses to be constructed to protect him from hostile kings. The king's request was accepted.
Notation Translation/Annotation Saqāliba The original Arabic word al-Ṣaqāliba. The scope of what this term refers to varies depending on the context in medieval Arabic sources; in this passage, it refers to the Volga Bulgar kingdom. We do not uniformly replace this term with "Slavs."Leader of believers A title used by Abbasid caliphs. Here, it refers to al-Muqtadir. Recitation of the Caliph's name in the prayer sermon In sermons during Friday prayers and other occasions, mentioning the ruler's name publicly signifies recognition of their authority.
The king's envoy was Nazir al-Harami. I read the Caliph's letter before the king, presented the gifts, and was chosen to supervise the Islamic scholars and teachers. The funds for constructing mosques and other expenses, as well as stipends for the scholars and teachers, were to be drawn from a territory called "Al-Safshumi Sayn" in the region of Khurasan, which belonged to Ibn al-Furat. The ruler of Sakeriba sent an envoy named Abdullah ibn Bashtu al-Hazari to Al-Muqtadir.
Notation Translation Al-Safshumaysin A name of a territory that existed in the Khwarazm region. There are differences between the reading in the collated text and the notation in later geographical books, so the Japanese notation is provisional.
On the other hand, the delegation from the Caliph's side consisted of Nazir al-Harami's freed slave Susan al-Rasi, Takin al-Turki, Barlas al-Sakrabi, and myself, as mentioned before. I presented gifts to the king for himself, his wife, children, brothers, and commanders. I also delivered the medicine that the king had requested Nazir to send.