Ḥijâz, I would live in Barḳah, because I know of no place that is more safe or isolated than it."
ʿAmr's report to ʿUmar. Bakr ibn-al-Haitham from Muʿâwiyah ibn-Ṣâliḥ:—ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi wrote to ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb informing him that he had appointed ʿUḳbah ibn-Nâfiʿ al-Fihri governor of al-Maghrib and that the latter had reached as far as Zawîlah. He also informed him that peace prevailed among all between Zawîlah[1] and Barḳah, that their allegiance was strong and that the Moslems among them had paid ṣadaḳah and the "people of the covenant" acknowledged the poll-tax imposed. ʿAmr also wrote that he had assessed on the inhabitants of Zawîlah and on those living in the region between his town and Zawîlah, what he saw would be tolerated by them, and ordered all his ʿâmils to collect ṣadaḳah from the rich to be distributed among the poor, and poll-tax from the dhimmis to be carried to ʿAmr in Egypt, and to raise from Moslem lands the tithe and half the tithe, and from those who capitulated, what had been agreed upon.
The origin of the Berbers. Bakr ibn-al-Haitham once told me, "I asked ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ṣâliḥ regarding the Berbers,[2] and he said, 'They claim to be the descendants of Barr ibn-Ḳais; but Ḳais had no son with the name, Barr. In fact they are descended from the race of the giants [Philistines] against whom David fought. In ancient times, their home was Palestine; and they were tent-dwellers. Later on, they came to al-Maghrib, where they multiplied'."
The Berbers of Luwâtah. Abu-ʿUbaid al-Ḳâsim ibn-Sallâm from Yazîd ibn-abi-Ḥabîb:—ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi made this a condition on the Berber inhabitants of Luwâtah[3] at
