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THE ORIGINS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE

then appointed ʿUmair ibn-Saʿd al-Anșâri, who succeeded in capturing ʿAin al-Wardah after a severe conflict.

ʿAin al-Wardah or Raʾs al-ʿAin captured. Al-Wâḳidi from abu-Wahb al-Jaishâni Dailam ibn-al-Muwassaʿ:—ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb wrote to ʿIyâḍ instructing him to send ʿUmair ibn-Saʿd to ʿAin al-Wardah. This he did. The van of the army went ahead, assailed a group of peasants and carried away some of the enemy's cattle as booty. The inhabitants of the city closed their gates and set up the mangonels[1] on them. Many Moslems were killed by stones and arrows. Then one of the patricians of the city appeared and cursed the Moslems saying, "We are different from what ye have met heretofore!" At last the city was taken by capitulation.

Amr ibn-Muḥammad from a grandfather of al-Ḥajjâj ibn-abi-Maniʿ:—Raʾs al-ʿAin[2] held out against ʿIyâḍ ibn-Ghanm; but ʿUmair ibn-Saʿd, who was ʿUmar's governor over Mesopotamia, reduced it after a fierce resistance on the part of its inhabitants. The Moslems entered by force; but terms of capitulation were drawn up stipulating that the land be held by them and the tax be imposed on their persons to the amount of four dînârs per head. Their women and children were not taken as captives.

The following statement was made by al-Ḥajjâj: "I heard it said by certain sheikhs from Raʾs al-ʿAin that when ʿUmair entered the city he shouted, 'Never mind; never mind; [come] to me! [come] to me!' and that constituted a guarantee of security for them."

It is claimed by al-Haitham ibn-ʿAdi that ʿUmar ibn-al-Khaṭṭâb sent abu-Mûsa-l-Ashʿari to ʿAin al-Wardah, which

  1. Ar. ʿarrâdah; see Ḥamâsah (ed. Freytag), p. 307.
  2. Another name for ʿAin-al-Wardah. See al-Masʿûdi, Tanbîh, p. 54; Yâḳût, vol. iii, p. 764.