The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 2/Chapter 2
CHAPTER II
The Advance of Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd on Syria and
the Places he reduced on his Way
Khâlid takes ʿAin at-Tamr and Sandaudâʾ by force. When Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd received abu-Bakr's letter at al-Ḥîrah, he left in his place al-Muthanna ibn-Ḥârithah ash-Shaibâni over the district of al-Kûfah, and set out at the head of 800 men in Rabîʿ II, year 13. (Some give 600 and others 500 as the number of men.) On his way, he passed through ʿAin at-Tamr and reduced it by force. (According to others, he received abu-Bakr's message in ʿAin at-Tamr after having subdued it.) From ʿAin at-Tamr Khalid made his way to Ṣandaudâʾ[1] in which lived some of the Kindah and Iyâd tribes and non-Arabs.[2] These people fought against him; but Khâlid won the victory and left in the city Saʿd ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Ḥarâm al-Anṣâri whose descendants still live in it. Khâlid, having learnt that a body of the banu-Taghlib ibn-Wâʾil at al-Muḍaiyaḥ and al-Ḥuṣaid had apostatized and were led by Rabîʿah ibn-Bujair, made his way to them. They fought against him; but he put them to flight and took captives and booty. The captives he sent to abu-Bakr, and among them was umm-Ḥabîb aṣ-Ṣahbâʾ, daughter of Ḥabîb ibn-Bujair, and [later] the mother of ʿUmar ibn-ʿAli ibn-abi-Ṭâlib.
Khâlid crosses the desert to Suwa. Then Khâlid made an incursion on Ḳurâḳir which was a spring belonging to the Kalb tribe, and thence crossed the desert to Suwa[3] which was also a spring held conjointly by the Kalb and some men of the Bahrâʾ. Here Khâlid killed Ḥurḳûs ibn-an-Nuʿmân al-Bahrâni of the Ḳuḍâʿah tribe and swept off all their possessions. When Khâlid wanted to cross the desert, he gave the camels all the water they could drink and then thrust into the camels' lips spears, which he left for them to drag,[4] lest they should ruminate and get thirsty again. The quantity of water he carried along, though big, was exhausted on the way. So Khâlid had to slay the camels one after the other and drink with his men the water from their bellies. Khâlid had a guide named Râfiʿ ibn-ʿUmair aṭ-Ṭâʾi whom the poet meant when he said:
"How wonderful has Râfiʿ been,
who succeeded in finding the way from Ḳurâḳir to Suwa,
to the water from which the coward who attempts to reach it returns before attaining it.
No human being before thee ever did that!"
When the Moslems arrived in Suwa they found Ḥurḳûṣ and a band of men drinking and singing. Ḥurḳûṣ himself was saying:
"Again give me to drink before abu-Bakr's army is on,
our death may be at hand while we are unaware."[5]
As the Moslems killed him, his blood flowed into the basin from which he had been drinking; and some report that his head, too, fell therein. It is claimed by others,[6] however, that the one who sang this verse was one of those of the banu-Taghlib whom Khalid had attacked with Rabîʿah ibn-Bujair.
Khâlid in Ḳarḳîsiya. According to al-Wâḳidi, Khâlid started from Suwa to al-Kawâthil thence to Ḳarḳîsiya whose chief met him with a large host. Khâlid left him alone, turned to the mainland and went his way.
Arakah makes terms. Another place to which Khâlid came was Arakah[7] (i. e. Arak) whose people he attacked and besieged. The city surrendered and made terms, offering a certain sum for the Moslems.
Dûmat al-Jandal, Ḳuṣam, Tadmur and al-Ḳaryatain taken. Dûmat al-Jandal[8] he then reached and conquered. Then he came to Ḳuṣam in which the banu-Mashjaʿah ibn-at-Taim ibn-an-Namir ibn-Wabarah ibn-Taghlib ibn-Ḥulwân ibn-ʿImrân ibn-al-Ḥâfi ibn-Ḳudâʿah came to terms with him. Khâlid wrote them a promise of security and advanced to Tadmur[9] [Palmyra]. Tadmur's inhabitants held out against him and took to their fortifications. At last they sought to surrender and he wrote them a statement guaranteeing their safety on condition that they be considered dhimmah people,[10] that they entertain Moslems and that they submit to them. Khâlid then pushed to al-Ḳaryatain, whose people resisted him but were defeated, losing a large booty.
Ḥûwârîn reduced. Khâlid proceeded to Ḥûwârîn[11] in Sanîr and made a raid on its cattle. Its inhabitants, having been reinforced by the inhabitants of Baʿlabakk and of Buṣra (the capital of Ḥaurân) stood out against him. The victory was won by Khâlid who took some as captives and killed others.
Ghassân attacked. Thence he came to Marj Râhiṭ and led an incursion against Ghassân on their Easter day—they being Christians. He took some captive and killed others.
Thanîyat al-ʿUḳâb. Khâlid then directed Busr ibn-abi-Arṭât al-ʿÂmiri of the Ḳuraish and Ḥabîb ibn-Maslamah-l-Fihri to the Ghûṭah[12] of Damascus where they attacked many villages. Khâlid arrived at Thanîyat in Damascus, the Thaniyat al-ʿUḳâb of to-day, and stood there for one hour, spreading his banner. This banner was the one the Prophet used, and was black in color; and because the Arabs call a banner "ʿuḳâb," the Thanîyat was known since as Thanîyat al-ʿUḳâb. Others say that it was thus called because a vulture [Ar. ʿuḳâb] happened to descend on it at that time. But the first explanation is more reliable. I heard it said by some that at that place stood a stone image of a vulture. But there is no truth in that statement.
Khâlid meets abu-ʿUbaidah. Khâlid camped at the East [Sharḳi] gate of Damascus; and according to others, at the Jâbiyah gate. The bishop of Damascus offered him gifts and homage and said to Khâlid, "Keep this covenant[13] for me." Khâlid promised to do so. Then Khâlid went until he met the Moslems who were at Ḳanât Buṣra. According to others, however, he came to the Jâbiyah where abu-ʿUbaidah was with a band of Moslems. Here they met and went together to Buṣra.
Footnotes edit
- ↑ Baṣri, p. 59: "Sandawa"; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2109.
- ↑ Ar. ʿAjam; see Muh. Stud., p. 101 seq.
- ↑ Baṣri, p. 63: "Shuwa".
- ↑ Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2123: "He muzzled their mouths", and so Diyârbakri, vol. ii, p. 257; Caetani, vol. ii, p. 1106.
- ↑ Cf. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2124; Mémoire, p. 46 ; Diyârbakri, vol. ii, p. 25.
- ↑ Baṣri, p. 62 seq.
- ↑ Baṣri, p. 67; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2109; Yâḳût, vol. i, p. 21..
- ↑ Balâdhuri, part I, chap. XIII.
- ↑ Guy Le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, pp. 540–542.
- ↑ Christians, Jews and Sabians with whom a covenant has been made, who pay a poll tax and for whose security Moslems are responsible.
- ↑ Baṣri, p. 68.
- ↑ A place in Damascus noted for its orchards; ibn-Jubair, Riḥlah, p. 261; Le Strange, p. 33.
- ↑ What covenant is meant is not clear. This tradition may have been confused with one that comes later and speaks of the agreement between Khâlid and the bishop. Cf. Caetani, vol. ii, pp. 1204–1205.