mân?' 'He was killed,' said I. 'We are Allah's,' remarked ʿUmar, 'and to Allah we return.' Saying this, he began to cry. I then said, 'By Allah, he was killed with others whom I know not.' 'But whom Allah knows,' said he."
Aḥmad ibn-Ibrâhîm from abu-ʿUthmân an-Nahdi:—The latter said, "When ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb received the news of the death of an-Nuʿmân ibn-Muḳarrin, he covered his face with his hands and began to cry."
The version of as-Sâʾib. Al-Ḳâsim ibn-Sallâm from as-Sâʾib ibn-al-Aḳraʾ:—The latter said, "An army, the similar to which was never seen before, marched against the Moslems." He then cited the tradition regarding ʿUmar's intention to lead the expedition in person, his appointment of an-Nuʿmân ibn-Muḳarrin, the forwarding with as-Sâʾib (whom ʿUmar put in charge of the booty) of the appointment in which these words occur: "Bring no false case to my attention, and never hold justice from anyone."[1] The tradition then gives an account of the battle and mentions that an-Nuʿmân was the first to be killed in the battle of Nihâwand, upon which Ḥudhaifah carried the standard and Allah gave them [the Arabs] victory. As-Sâʾib adds, "I gathered the booty and divided it. After that there came to me a spy,[2] saying, The treasure of an-Nakhîrkhân[3] is in the castle.' When I climbed up there, I found two chests containing pearls, the similar to which I never saw before. I then made my way to ʿUmar who, having not yet received the news, was roaming in the streets [of al-Madînah] and making inquiries. Seeing me, ʿUmar exclaimed, 'Oh! what news?' I gave him an account of the battle and the death
