The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 2/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII
The Battle of Marj aṣ-Ṣuffar
The "unbelievers" put to flight. The Greeks met in great numbers and were reinforced by Heraclius. The Moslems encountered them at Marj aṣ-Ṣuffar on their way to Damascus on the first of Muḥarram, year 14.[1] The battle that ensued was so violent that blood flowed along with water and turned the wheels of the mill. Of the Moslems about 4,000 were wounded. At last the "unbelievers" took to flight and were dispersed, disregarding everything until they came to Damascus and Jerusalem. On that day, Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Umaiyah (surnamed abu-Saʿîd) fell a martyr. In the evening previous to the day in the morning of which the battle was fought, he was married to umm-Ḥakîm, the daughter of al-Ḥârith ibn-Hishâm al-Makhzûmi, and the wife of ʿIkrimah ibn-abi-Jahl.[2] Hearing the news of his death, umm-Ḥakîm pulled out the post of the tent and fought with it. On that day, according to some report, she killed seven and had her face still covered with the ointment perfumed with saffron[3] [with which women anointed themselves on the first night of matrimony].
According to the report of abu-Mikhnaf, this battle of Marj took place twenty days after the battle of Ajnâdîn; the conquest of Damascus followed it, and after the conquest of Damascus the battle of Fiḥl took place. The report of al-Wâḳidi, however, is more authentic.
It was regarding the battle of Marj that Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi said:
"Isn't there a horseman who, tired of stabbing,
would lend me his lance for the battle of Marj aṣ-Ṣuffar?"
Referring to this battle, ʿAbdallâh ibn-Kâmil ibn-Ḥabîb ibn-ʿAmîrah ibn-Khufâf ibn-Amruʾi-l-Ḳais ibn-Buhthah ibn-Sulaim said:
"The tribes of Mâlik took part, but ʿAmîrah disappeared
from my sight in the battle of Marj aṣ-Ṣuffar,"
meaning Mâlik ibn-Khufâf.
The story of the Samṣâmah sword. According to Hishâm ibn-Muḥammad al-Kalbi, in the battle of Marj, Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd suffered martyrdom with his sword aṣ-Ṣamṣâmah hanging down from his neck. The Prophet had sent him as ʿâmil to al-Yaman, and on his way he passed by the kindred of ʿAmr ibn-Maʿdikarib az-Zubaidi of Madhḥij and attacked them, taking as captives the wife of ʿAmr and other kinsmen. ʿAmr proposed that Khâlid grants them their liberty and they would accept Islâm. And so it was. ʿAmr offered Khâlid his own sword, aṣ-Ṣamṣâmah,[4] saying:
"A friend whom I offered as present not because of any hatred
but because presents are for those of noble birth.
A friend whom I did not betray and who did not betray me,
and so my qualities and fellow-drinkers did not.
I bestowed it on a nobleman of Ḳuraish
who was pleased with it and by which he was protected against the evil men."
This sword Muʿâwiyah took from the neck of Khâlid when he fell martyr in the battle of Marj. Muʿâwiyah kept it, but its possession was later disputed by Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Umaiyah. ʿUthmân decided the case in favor of the latter, who kept it until the battle of ad-Dâr in which Marwân was struck on the nape of the neck and Saʿîd fell unconscious by a blow. A Juhainah man took the Ṣamṣâmah. The Juhainah man kept it, and one day he gave it to a polisher to polish it. The polisher could not believe that one of the Juhainah could possess such a sword, so he took it to Marwân ibn-al-Ḥakam, the governor of al-Madînah, who asked the Juhainah man for an explanation, and he told its story. "By Allah," exclaimed Marwân, "in the battle of ad-Dâr, my sword was stolen from me, and so was that of Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi." Then came Saʿîd and recognizing his sword took it, carved his name on it, and sent it to ʿAmr ibn-Saʿîd al-Ashdaḳ, the governor of Makkah. Saʿîd perished, and the sword was left with ʿAmr ibn-Saʿîd. When ʿAmr ibn-Saʿîd was killed at Damascus and his belongings were stolen, his brother on the father's side, Muḥammad ibn-Saʿîd, took the sword, which later passed to Yaḥya ibn-Saʿîd. At the death of Yaḥya, it passed to ʿAnbasah ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi and then to Saʿîd ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Saʿîd. When the last perished, the sword went to Muḥammad ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-Saʿîd whose descendants live now in Bâriḳ. Then it went to Abân ibn-Yaḥya ibn-Saʿîd who decked it with an ornament of gold and kept it with the mother of a child [concubine] of his. At last Aiyûb ibn-abi-Aiyûb ibn-Saʿîd sold it to al-Mahdi the "Commander of the Believers" for over 80,000 [dirhams]. Al-Mahdi put the ornament of gold back on it. When it came finally into the possession of Mûsa-l-Hâdi, the "Commander of the Believers," he admired it and ordered the poet abu-l-Haul to describe it, upon which the latter said:
"He who acquired the Ṣamṣâmah of ʿAmr az-Zubaidi
is the best of all men—Mûsa-l-Amîn.
It is the sword of ʿAmr which as we know,
is the best that a scabbard ever sheathed.
Green in color between the edges of which is a garment
of poison in which death is clad.
If one unsheathes it, its brilliancy dazzles
that of the sun, so that the sun would scarcely be seen.
When the one to be smitten is at hand,
it does not matter whether the left or the right hand applies it.
What a good sword it is for him, who wants to defend his honor,
to smite with in the battle, and what a good companion!"[5]
Later on, al-Wâthiḳ-Billâh, the "Commander of the Believers," called a polisher and ordered him to temper it. On doing so, the sword was changed.