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The Conquest of al-Madâʾin
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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[1] before Saʿd's arrival. Khâlid proceeded and camped at ar-Rûmîyah[2] 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."[3]

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

  1. Sometimes called Sâbâṭ Kisra. Yâḳût, vol. i, p. 3; Caetani, vol. iii, p. 724, l. 4.
  2. Perhaps a suburb of Madâʾin. Yâḳût, vol. ii, p. 867.
  3. Dînawari, p. 134; Yûsuf, p. 17.