CHAPTER II
The Conquest of Nihâwand
An-Numʿân in chief command. In the year 19, when Yazdajird fled away from Ḥulwân, the Persians and the people of ar-Rai, Ḳûmis,[1] Iṣbahân, Hamadhân and al-Mâhain communicated with one another and, in the year 20, joined Yazdajird. The latter put at their head Mardânshâh dhu-l-Ḥajîb and they unfurled their flag ad-Dirafshikâbiyân. These "polytheists" numbered 60,000, and according to other estimates, 100,000. When ʿAmmâr ibn-Yâsir communicated this news to ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb, the latter was on the point of leading an expedition in person against them, but desisted lest the Arabs should then prevail over Najd and other places. The advice to let the Syrians lead the attack from Syria and the Yamanites from al-Yaman was also discarded, lest the Greeks should return to their home, and the Abyssinians should subjugate what was next to them. Consequently, he wrote to the people of al-Kûfah ordering that two-thirds of them should set out and one-third should stay for the defense of their homes and country. From the people of al-Baṣrah, he also sent a group of men. He then said, "I shall use over the army someone who shall be the first to expose himself to the spears."[2] Accordingly, ʿUmar wrote to an-Nuʿmân ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Muḳarrin al-Muzani, who was at that time with as-Sâʾib ibn-al-
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