The U’lamâ who wrote histories of religious wars and biographies—A. h. m. o. t.—have narrated that one day there was among the champions of Syria a man, O’thmân B. Wâyl Alhemyari by name, who, with his brother, were among the most prominent men of the age, people of intellect and consideration, each of them able to vanquish a hundred troopers in combat, and Moa’wiah B. Abu Sofiân placed the fullest trust and greatest confidence in these two brothers on the day of battle. O’thmân entered the lists, and, shouting for a champion, was encountered by A’yâsh B. Rebya’h, who fought with him, and at last severed the head of O’thmân from his body with one blow. Then Hamzah, the brother of O’thmân, presented himself, and A’li the Amir of the Faithful, having donned the garments of A’yâsh, cut off his head, whereon the people, imagining A’yâsh to have accomplished [also] this exploit, applauded him. Then A’mru B. A’yâsh Allakhmy, who was one of the heroes of the period, made his appearance opposite to the Amir displaying his skill with the lance and sword, whereon his lordship said: ‘This is a day for fighting, and not for playing.’ These words having aroused the wrath of A’mru, he assailed the Shâh and receptacle of Vicarship, who then struck him with the Dhu-l-fiqâr, so that he cut off the upper portion of his body, which fell to the ground, whilst the lower part remained in the saddle. When A’mru B. A´ass beheld this feat, he exclaimed: ‘I swear by God that this wound has been inflicted by no one except A’li.’ Moa’wiah, however, denied it, and A’mru continued: ‘If thou believest not what I have said, order the troops to make a unanimous onslaught, and if the warrior fails to retreat he must be A’li, and if not he is another man.’ Moa’wiah then issued the required command, but his lordship would not budge, and when the army approached he lifted the hand of boldness and prostrated thirty-three of the opponents to the ground. Mâlek Ashtar then said: ‘O Amir, restrain thy hand from contending with these erring men, and let thy noble person take no more trouble that I may coerce their malignity.’ His lordship the Amir, however, replied: ‘The apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—who was the prince of the sons of Adam, the most noble and excellent of human beings, fought in this manner at the battle of Ohod in his own precious person, and if Moa’wiah had attacked me with A’mru B. A´ass, my beloved people would be delivered from severe trouble.’ As Mâlek persisted in his request, his lordship retired, whereon Mâlek challenged Moa’wiah to fight; the latter, however, replied: ‘Thou art not my peer.’ Then Mâlek called out Jandab B. Abu Rabya’h, who had asked for the daughter of Moa’wiah in marriage. Jandab hesitated, but A’mru B. A´ass said: ‘If thou vanquishest Ashtar, Moa’wiah will give thee his daughter.’ Then Jandab, wishing to become the son-in-law of Moa’wiah, approached Ashtar, who asked him: ‘What promise has Moa’wiah given thee that thou comest out to fight me?’ He replied: ‘He made my killing thee a condition of giving me his daughter in marriage.’ Mâlek Ashtar laughed, and Jandab briskly attacked him with his lance, which, however, Ashtar held so fast under his armpit that however much Jandab tried he was unable to draw it out; then Ashtar cut it in two with his sword, and Jandab, having no chance to resist, fled, but Ashtar pursued him and killed him with one blow. Fear having overwhelmed the heroes of Syria, they retreated from Mâlek, who, when he had reached Moa’wiah, wished to ease his mind and to deliver the Musalmâns from trouble by slaying him, but a fellow of the Bani Murhaj having acted as a shield to Moa’wiah, the latter considered the chance propitious, and saved his life by flight.
There is a tradition that on another day a man of the army of Syria, named Mohâreq B. A’bdu-r-rahman, entered the lists and shouted for a champion, whereon Mûmen B. O’beydu-l-morary, of the army of his sacred lordship, hastened to encounter him, and they fought till Mûmen was slain by the predestination of the Omnipotent Master. The dark-hearted Syrian then severed the head of Mûmen from his body, which he threw on the ground, bared the sexual parts, and, capering about, shouted for another champion. Then Muslim B. A’bd Riah Allazdy stepped out from the victory-tracing army and fought awhile with him, but fared as badly as Mûmen, his corpse being also subjected to the same indignity by that wicked caitiff. Two other warriors then fought with him, but likewise attained the honour of martyrdom. The unhallowed fellow thereon lengthened his tongue in exulting and boastful language, shouting for another champion; the warriors, however, of the army whose motto is victory, abhorring the denuding of their sexual parts even more than death, taking hold of the skirt of safety, refrained from accepting the challenge. When his sacred lordship the Amir of the Faithful had become aware of this state of affairs, he changed his garments and stepped into the battle-ground, whereon Mohâreq B. A’bdu-r-rahman, in the fulness of his temerity and ignorance, ventured to attack the Shâh and receptacle of Vicarship, who, however, inflicted with his sword such a blow on the back of the man that he cut his body in twain, which, having fallen to the ground, he separated the head from it, which he deposited, and proceeded to fight the Syrian champions, seven others of whom he killed in succession, thus punishing them for their misdeeds.
When the antagonists witnessed what had taken place, they feared to lose their lives, and refrained from stepping into the field of contention. Moa’wiah, having perceived the signs of terror overwhelming the minds of the prominent men and heroes of the army, addressed his slave Hâreth, who had no equal in temerity, as follows: ‘Do thy utmost to kill this rider.’ Hâreth replied: ‘O Amir, I think that if all the people of Syria were to attack him he would not turn back, but kill them all. He knows no fear, but thy heart is bent on sending me against him, and if I do not go thy noble mind will be displeased. I have washed my hands of my sweet life, and shall now by thy orders start to the fight, so that I may be slain, and thy noble mind not dismayed.’ Moa’wiah replied: ‘Allah forbid that I should approve of thy destruction, or wish any harm to befall thee. It will be better for thee to stay, and I shall send another man to fight.’ Hâreth deemed these words to be great happiness, and Moa’wiah tried to find another man in the army of Syria for goading him on to a conflict with the Model of Islâm, but all his efforts were unsuccessful, no one being inclined to embark in so dangerous an enterprise. When his lordship the Amir had become cognizant of this state of affairs, he took off the helmet from his head, and shouted: ‘I am the father of Hasan!’ This exclamation caused excitement in the army of Syria, but after uttering it the Amir returned. Hâreth then said to Moa’wiah: ‘May my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee! knowest thou at present what discernment I have? Had I ventured, poor fellow that I am, to fight, I would now be one of the number of the disgraced and killed. I cannot tell how grateful I am to thee for having preserved my life and not compelled me to throw myself into the abyss of perdition.’