lems heard that they were coming to meet them at al-Yarmûk, the Moslems refunded to the inhabitants of Ḥimṣ the kharâj[1] they had taken from them saying, "We are too busy to support and protect you. Take care of yourselves." But the people of Ḥimṣ replied, "We like your rule and justice far better than the state of oppression and tyranny[2] in which we were. The army of Heraclius we shall indeed, with your ʿâmil's help, repulse from the city." The Jews rose and said, "We swear by the Thorah, no governor of Heraclius shall enter the city of Ḥimṣ unless we are first vanquished and exhausted!" Saying this, they closed the gates of the city and guarded them. The inhabitants of the other cities—Christian and Jew—that had capitulated to the Moslems, did the same, saying, "If Heraclius and his followers win over the Moslems we would return to our previous condition, otherwise we shall retain our present state so long as numbers are with the Moslems." When by Allah's help the "unbelievers" were defeated and the Moslems won, they opened the gates of their cities, went out with the singers and music players who began to play, and paid the kharâj.
Abu-ʿUbaidah reduces Ḳinnasrîn and Antioch. Abu-ʿUbaidah marched against the province of Ḳinnasrîn and Antioch and reduced it.
Shuraḥbîl transferred to Ḥimṣ. Al-ʿAbbâs ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi from his grandfather:—As-Simṭ ibn-al-Aswad al-Kindi distinguished himself as a fighter in the battle of al-Yarmûk and particularly in Syria and Ḥimṣ. It was he who divided the houses of Ḥimṣ among its people. His son Shuraḥbîl was in al-Kûfah disputing the leadership over the Kindah tribe with al-Ashʿath ibn-Ḳais al-Kindi. Now,
