The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 10/Chapter 3
CHAPTER III
Ad-Dînawar, Mâsabadhân and Mihrijânḳadhaf
Ad-Dînawar makes terms. Abu-Mûsa-l-Ashʿari left Nihâwand, to which he had come with the army of al-Baṣrah for the reinforcement of an-Nuʿmân ibn-Muḳarrin. On his way, he passed by ad-Dînawar where he camped for five days, in which he was offered resistance for only one day. The people of ad-Dînawar then agreed to pay tax and kharâj, and sought safety for their lives, possessions and children. Abu-Mûsa granted their request and left over the city his ʿâmil, together with some horsemen, and proceeded to Mâsabadhân, whose people offered no resistance.[1]
As-Sîrawân makes terms. The people of as-Sîrawân made terms similar to those of ad-Dînawar, agreeing to pay poll-tax and kharâj; and abu-Mûsa sent detachments and conquered all the lands of ad-Dînawar. Others assert that abu-Mûsa conquered Mâsabadhân before the battle of Nihâwand.
Aṣ-Ṣaimarah capitulates. Abu-Mûsa ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ḳais al-Ashʿari sent as-Sâʾib ibn-al-Aḳraʿ ath-Thaḳafi—who was his son-in-law through his daughter umm-Muḥammad ibn-as-Sâʾib—to aṣ-Ṣaimarah the chief city of Mihrijânḳadhaf. The city capitulated; and it was agreed that the lives of the inhabitants be spared, that no captives be taken, and that no pieces of gold or silver be carried away, provided the inhabitants paid poll-tax and kharâj on the land. As-Sâʾib reduced all the districts of Mihrijânḳadhaf. The more reliable report is that abu-Mûsa dispatched as-Sâʾib from al-Ahwâz; and the latter reduced Mihrijânḳadhaf.
Sinn Sumairah. Muḥammad ibn-ʿUḳbah ibn-Muṣrim[2] aḍ-Ḍabbi from certain sheikhs of al-Kûufah:—When the Moslems invaded al-Jibâl, they passed by the eastern summit called Sinn Sumairah, Sumairah being a woman of the Ḍabbah [a branch] of the banu-Muʿâwiyah ibn-Kaʿb ibn-Thaʿlabah ibn-Saʿd ibn-Ḍabbah and one of the Emigrants. Sumairah had a tooth [sinn protruding beyond the others];[3] hence the name of the peak Sinn Sumairah.
Ḳanâṭir an-Nuʿmân. Ḳanâṭir [arches] an-Nuʿmân, according to ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi, were named after an-Nuʿmân ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Muḳarrin al-Muzani, who camped by these Ḳanâṭir, which had been standing from ancient time.
Kathîr ibn-Shihâb. Al-ʿAbbâs ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi from ʿAwânah:—Kathîr ibn-Shihâb ibn-al-Ḥuṣain ibn-dhi-l-Ghuṣṣah-l-Ḥârithi belonged to the ʿUthmân party and often spoke evil of ʿAli ibn-abi-Ṭâlib, and dissuaded men from following al-Ḥusain. He died either before or at the beginning of the rebellion of al-Mukhtâr ibn-abi-ʿUbaid. Al-Mukhtâr ibn-abi-ʿUbaid referred to him when he said: "By the Lord of heavens, the severe in punishment, the revealer of the Book, I shall surely dig the grave of Kathîr ibn-Shihâb, the transgressor, the liar." Muʿâwiyah gave him for some time the governorship of ar-Rai and Dastaba, which he held on behalf of Muʿâwiyah and his two ʿâmils, Ziyâd and al-Mughîrah ibn-Shuʿbah. After that, he incurred Muʿâwiyah's anger and was flogged and imprisoned by him in Damascus. Shuraiḥ ibn-Hâniʾ al-Muradi interceded in favor of Kathîr; and he was released. Yazîd ibn-Muʿâwiyah, for selfish reasons, approved of following Kathîr and siding with him, and wrote to ʿUbaidallâh ibn-Ziyâd, asking him to appoint Kathîr over Mâsabadhân, Mihrijânḳadhaf, Ḥulwân and al-Mâhain [the two Mâhs] , which he did, giving Kathîr many villages of the crown-domains in al-Jabal[4] as fief. Here Kathîr built the castle which bears his name and which lies in ad-Dinawar. Zuhrah ibn-al-Ḥârith ibn-Manṣûr ibn-Ḳais ibn-Kathîr ibn-Shihâb had secured many crown-villages at Mâsabadhân.
Al-Khashârimah. I learned from a descendant of Khashram ibn-Mâlik ibn-Hubairah-l-Asadi that the Khashârimah came first to Mâsabadhân towards the end of the Umaiyad dynasty, their grandfather being an emigrant from al-Kûfah.
Kathîr made governor. Al-ʿUmari from al-Haitham ibn-ʿAdi:—Ziyâd was one day on a trip when the belt of his robe became loose. Kathîr ibn-Shihâb immediately drew a needle, that was stuck in his cap, and a thread and mended the belt. Seeing that, Ziyâd said, "Thou art a man of discretion; and such a one should never go without an office." Saying this, he appointed him governor over a part of al-Jabal.