Page:Baladhuri-Hitti1916.djvu/233

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Palestine
217

and wrote to Yazîd to that effect, and the latter communicated the news to ʿUmar.

Muʿâwiyah nominated governor of Syria. At the death of Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân, ʿUmar wrote to Muʿâwiyah making him governor in his [Yazîd's] place, upon which abu-Sufyân thanked ʿUmar saying, "May the tie of relationship be made stronger by thy kind behavior!"

Hishâm ibn-ʿAmmâr from Tamîm ibn-ʿAṭîyah:—ʿUmar made Muʿâwiyah ibn-abi-Sufyân governor of Syria after Yazîd, and appointed with him two men of the Prophet's Companions for conducting prayer and performing the duties of ḳâḍi: abu-ad-Dardâʾ to act as ḳâḍi and to conduct prayer at Damascus and the Jordan, and ʿUbâdah to act as ḳâḍi and conduct prayer at Ḥimṣ and Ḳinnasrîn.

Muʿâwiyah besieges Ḳaisârîyah. Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from al-Wâḳidi:—When ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb made Muʿâwiyah governor of Syria, the latter besieged Ḳaisârîyah until he reduced it, the city having been under siege for seven years. Its conquest took place in Shauwâl, year 19.

Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿÂmir:—Muʿâwiyah besieged Ḳaisârîyah until he lost all hope of reducing it. Previous to this, the city had been besieged by ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi and his son. When Muʿâwiyah at last took it by storm, he found in it 700,000 [sic!] soldiers with fixed stipends, 30,000 Samaritans and 20,000 Jews. He found in the city 300 markets, all in good shape. It was guarded every night by 100,000 men stationed on its wall. The city was reduced in the following way:—A Jew named Yûsuf came to the Moslems at night and pointed out to them a road through a tunnel the water in which would reach a man's waist; in consideration for which information, safety was guaranteed him and his relatives. Muʿâwiyah sanctioned the conditions [made to Yûsuf] and the Moslems entered the city by night, calling "Allah is great!"