At the time his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.— was staying in Tabuk he ordered Khâled B. Alwolyd to march with four hundred and twenty troopers against Akydar B. A’bdu-l-melik, the governor of Daumatu-j-jandal, and Khâled replied: ‘O apostle of God, sendest thou me among the Bani Kallâb with a few companions?’ That prince, however, replied with his wonderfully eloquent tongue: ‘Thou wilt probably soon capture Akydar in the hunting ground without the toil of war.’ Khâled accordingly obeyed, and marched to the fort of Daumatu-j-jandal, and arrived one night in a fine moonshine in the vicinity of the fort of Akydar, who happened at that time to be engaged on the top of it in eating and drinking wine with his spouse. On that occasion a [wild] mountain-cow happened to arrive near the gate of the fort, which it commenced to butt against with her horns. The lady, whose name was Rabâb, approached the margin of the platform, and perceiving what was going on beneath, she said to her husband: ‘Hast thou ever beheld such a sight?’ He replied: ‘No.’ Rabâb further asked: ‘Hast thou ever allowed such game to escape?’ He said: ‘No.’ Then Akydar, being very fond of hunting mountain-cows, came down from the terrace of the kiosk, and ordered a horse fit to pursue the cow to be saddled, whereon he departed with his brother and several other men to chase the mountain-cow. Not aware that he was about to fall into the hands of Khâled, and into the grasp of the hunter of fate, Akydar left the fort, and the cow fled, he pursuing her on horseback. Khâled, however, who had been watching his opportunity, attacked and captured Akydar, whose companions ran away and took shelter in the fort, which Modzbâr, another brother of Akydar, then put in a state of defence.
As his holy and prophetic lordship—may Allah bless him and his family—had ordered Khâled to bring Akydar alive in case he should capture him, unless he refused, Khâled said to him: ‘If thou art willing, I grant thee thy life, and shall convey thee to his lordship the refuge of prophecy on condition that thy people deliver the keys of the fort to me and open the gate thereof, and that thou surrenderest to me one thousand camels, eight hundred horses, four hundred spears, and four hundred cuirasses, whereon I shall allow thee to retain thy fort as before.’ Akydar complied with the proposal of Khâled. His brother first refused, but at last opened the gate of the fort, and both brothers hastened, in the company of Khâled, to kiss the feet of the Lord of apostleship—m. A. b., etc.— According to one tradition, the brothers attained the felicity of professing the Faith as soon as they had arrived in Madinah, but according to another, that prince settled the poll-tax* upon them, and allowed them to depart. But Allah knows best.