The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 9/Chapter 6

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

CHAPTER VI

The Conquest of al-Madâʾin

An-Nakhîrkhân slain by Zuhair. After the battle of al-Ḳâdisîyah, the Moslems started off, and after passing Dair [monastery] Kaʿb [?],^[1] they were met by an-Nakhîrkhân,^[2] who appeared at the head of a large body of men from al-Madâʾin.^[3] In the conflict that ensued, Zuhair ibn-Sulaim al-Azdi seized an-Nakhîrkhân by the neck; and they both fell to the ground. Zuhair took a dagger that was in the other man's belt and cut open his abdomen, thereby putting him to death.

Bahurasîr. Saʿd and the Moslems went and occupied Sâbâṭ. They then assembled in the city of Bahurasîr,^[4] which lay in the Shiḳḳ al-Kâfah [western bank of the Tigris], where they spent nine months (others say 18),^[5] during which they ate fresh dates for two seasons. The inhabitants of that city fought against them until they could offer no more resistance, at which the Moslems entered the city. When the city was thus reduced, Yazdajird ibn-Shahriyâr, the Persian king, resolved to flee and was suspended in a basket from the wall of al-Abyaḍ fort in al-Madâʾin and was therefore called by the Nabateans Barzabîl [the son of the basket]. Yazdajird thence left for Ḥulwân^[6] with the principal dignitaries of his kingdom, and carried with him the treasury of the kingdom, his precious but light^[7] pieces of furniture, private treasury, wives and children. In the year in which he fled, plague and famine ravaged all Persia. The Moslems then crossed [the Tigris] through a ford, and took possession of the city on the eastern bank of the river.

The Arabs cross the Tigris. ʿAffân ibn-Muslim from abu-Wâʾil:—The latter said, "When the Persians were put to flight at al-Ḳâdisîyah, we pursued them. They reunited at Kûtha^[8] and we pursued them until we reached the Tigris, at which the Moslems said, 'Why do you gaze at this small body of water? Let us wade through.'^[9] Accordingly, we waded through, and once more put the enemy to flight."

Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from Abân ibn-Ṣâliḥ:—When they were defeated at al-Ḳâdisîyah, the fugitive Persians came to al-Madâʾin. The Moslems having arrived at the Tigris, whose water was flowing higher than ever, found that the Persians had removed the ships and ferry-boats to the eastern bank and burned the bridge. Saʿd and the Moslems finding no way to cross over were greatly afflicted. At last, Saʿd chose one of the Moslems who swam across on horseback. Likewise, the other Moslems crossed on horseback and, on landing, made the owners of the ships transport the baggage. Seeing that, the Persians said, "By Allah, those we are fighting are nothing less than demons [jinn]!" and they took to flight.

Sâbâṭ and ar-Rûmîyah. ʿAbbâs ibn-Hishâm from ʿAwânah ibn-al-Ḥakam, and abu-ʿUbaidah Maʿmar ibn-al-Muthanna from abu-ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿAlâʾ:—Saʿd ibn-abi-Waḳḳâṣ sent at the head of the van of his army Khâlid ibn-ʿUrfuṭah, who succeeded in reducing Sâbâṭ^[10] before Saʿd's arrival. Khâlid proceeded and camped at ar-Rûmîyah^[11] until its people made terms, agreeing to have those of them who wanted to leave, do so, and those who wanted to stay, stay, on condition that they offer homage and give counsel, pay. kharâj, and act as guides for the Moslems, without entertaining any treachery against them. Saʿd [in crossing the river] found no ferry-boats, but was shown a ferry near aṣ-Ṣaiyâdîn village. The horses waded through while the Persians shot them with their arrows. All the Moslems, however, escaped, and only one of them from the tribe of Ṭaiyiʾ, whose full name was Salîl ibn-Yazîd ibn-Mâlik as-Sinbisi, was killed.

Kisra's concubines. ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ṣâliḥ from ash-Shaʿbi:—The latter said, "In the battle of al-Madâʾin, the Moslems carried away many of Kisra's maids [concubines] who had been brought from all quarters of the world and lavishly adorned for him. My mother was one of them. On that day, too, the Moslems found camphor and, taking it for salt, put it in their cooking-pans."^[12]

According to al-Wâḳidi, Saʿd was all done with the conquest of al-Madâʾin and Jalûlâʾ in the year 16.

Footnotes

1. Yûsuf, p. 17, l. 8: "Dair al-Masâliḥ" (?).
2. Ṭabari, in Nöldeke, Geschichte der Perser, pp. 152–153.
3. Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Meynard, Dictionnaire de la Perse, p. 518.
4. Nöldeke, Perser, p. 16, n. 4.
5. Dînawari, p. 133.
6. Yâḳût, vol. ii, p. 312.
7. Ar. khiff; Caetani, vol. iii, p. 724, takes it to be khaffa and stretches the meaning into "ma abbandonando in gran parte le sue masserizie". Cf. Dînawari, p. 133.
8. Yâḳût, vol. iv, p. 318.
9. Text not clear. Caetani, vol. iii, p. 723.
10. Sometimes called Sâbâṭ Kisra. Yâḳût, vol. i, p. 3; Caetani, vol. iii, p. 724, l. 4.
11. Perhaps a suburb of Madâʾin. Yâḳût, vol. ii, p. 867.
12. Dînawari, p. 134; Yûsuf, p. 17.