CHAPTER V
The Conquest of Ifrîḳiyah
ʿUthmân reinforces ibn-Saʿd. When ʿAbdallâh ibn-Saʿd ibn-abi-Sarḥ was appointed governor over Egypt and al-Maghrib, he sent out the Moslems in cavalry detachments, and they plundered as far as the extremities of Ifrîḳiyah [modern Tunis]. ʿUthmân ibn-ʿAffân first hesitated to attack Ifrîḳiyah; but after consultation, he made up his mind to do so, and wrote to ʿAbdallâh in the year 27 (others say 28, still others 29), ordering him to lead the attack, and reinforced him with a large army in which were Maʿbad ibn-al-ʿAbbâs ibn-ʿAbd-al-Muṭṭalib, Marwân ibn-al-Ḥakam ibn-abi-l-ʿÂṣi ibn-Umaiyah and his brother al-Ḥârith ibn-al-Ḥakam, ʿAbdallâh ibn-az-Zubair ibn-al-ʿAuwâm, al-Miswar ibn-Makhramah ibn-Naufal ibn-Uhaib ibn-ʿAbd-Manâf ibn-Zuhrah ibn-Kilâb, ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân ibn-Zaid ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb, ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb, ʿÂṣim ibn-ʿUmar, ʿUbaidallâh ibn-ʿUmar, ʿAbd-ar-Raḥmân ibn-abi-Bakr, ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi, Busr ibn-Abi-Arṭâh ibn-ʿUwaimir al-ʿÂmiri, and abu-Dhuʾaib Khuwailid ibn-Khâlid al-Hudhali, the poet. Abu-Dhuʾaib died in this campaign and ibn-az-Zubair had charge of the burial. In this campaign, a great host of the Arabs from the environs of al-Madînah took part.
The magnates of Ifrîḳiyah make terms with ʿAbdallâh. Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from ʿAbdallâh ibn-az-Zubair:—The latter said:—"ʿUthmân ibn-ʿAffân sent us on an expedition against Ifrîḳiyah, whose patrician exercised authority from
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