MOTHANNA B. HÂRETHAH GOES TO MADINAH. ABU O’BAYDAH B. MASU’D THAQFY IS APPOINTED TO WAGE WAR AGAINST THE PROFESSORS OF INIQUITY, AND RECORD OF SOME OTHER AFFAIRS.

When information concerning the death of Abu Bakr had reached the Persians, they made preparations for waging war against Mothanna B. Hârethah Alshaybâny, who had for some time watched their proceedings on the part of the Musalmâns, and was at that time victorious in the Arabian E’râq. On this occasion Mothanna dreamt a dream, in which a man handed him a standard, saying: ‘The power of the Persians has come to an end, and the period of the destruction of their monarchy has arrived! Depart to O’mar and ask him to give thee reinforcements to vanquish and annihilate the enemies of the religion.’ When Mothanna awoke, he assembled some notable men and said to them: ‘I have dreamt a certain dream’— narrating it to them—‘what am I to do? Must I ask assistance from O’mar the Commander of the Faithful or not? What is your opinion concerning this subject?’ They advised him to ask for aid, and he departed with some of his most intimate friends to Madinah; but they lost their road while travelling and were confused. In that emergency they heard an invisible herald reciting some verses on the exaltation of the standards of Islâm and the defeat of the adherents of unbelief and darkness. Mothanna with his companions then followed in the direc­tion of the voice of the herald, and, marching as quickly as possible, reached Madinah after traversing the necessary distance. When they had arrived in that pleasant locality, Mothanna inquired for O’mar, and having been informed that he was sitting in the mosque of the prophet with some Mohâjer, Anssâr and other pious followers, he betook himself there, and, entering the place, uttered a salutation, to which O’mar replied, and then asked: ‘Who art thou?’ He replied: ‘I am Mothanna B. Hârethah Alshaybâny.’ O’mar continued: ‘Thou art welcome! I have heard about thee and know thy character. Tell me, now, where thou comest from, and what is the reason of thy arrival?’ Mothanna replied: ‘We were, during the Khalifate of the successor of the apostle of God, engaged in waging war against the Persians, and having wreaked vengeance upon our foes, have attained some of our aspirations. After the demise of his lordship, however, it has become known that the Persians are engaged in making preparations for war, and now I have arrived with the request that some adherents of Islâm, with some companions of the apostle— u. w. bl.—may be despatched by thee to the Arabian E’râq to reinforce the valiant Musalmâns who are there, and to aid them in conquering the residence of the kings of Persia.’ O’mar replied: ‘I have heard thy words, and I grant thy request. Relate to me now some of the pecu­liarities of the Arabian E’râq.’ Mothanna replied: ‘The land of E’râq is a country noted for prosperity and bless­ings. It has a multitude of cultivated fields, is replete with wealth, property and sheep. The soil of that country consists of gold, which is so plentiful that it is despised and accounted to be equal in value to dirt.’ Fârûq asked: ‘What is the character of the inhabitants?’ Mothanna continued: ‘Although they are of strong build and high stature, they are very evil-hearted and cowardly.’ After O’mar had made inquiries, he ascended the pulpit, and after giving thanks to God, as well as salutations to Mohammed the elect—u. w. bl.—he addressed the congregation as follows: ‘O ye people, God the Most High and Glorious has promised that the dominions of the kings of Persia and the possessions of the Qayssars of Byzantium will be conquered by the efforts of His people, and that the treasuries and concealed wealth of these two dynasties will be distributed among them. You are now, courageously hoping for conquest, to depart to the kingdom of the Sasanians, because spoils cannot be gained without the inconvenience of journeying, and felicity cannot be attained without suffering hardships. Do not be tardy and apathetic in this matter, because religious wars lead to the attainment of aspirations, and are in accordance with the injunctions of the prophet, leading to the abode of salvation.’ When the Qoraish chiefs had been informed of the pomp, great­ness and exorbitant multitudes of the Persians, they imagined that the words, ‘they are endued with mighty strength in war,’ in the glorious Qurân, referred to them, and being dismayed by the words of O’mar, the defenders of Islâm withdrew their tongues into the palate of silence, and replied nothing. After awhile, however, Abu O’baydah B. Masu’d Althaqfy, the father of Mukhtâr, some of whose exploits will be recorded in the beginning of the third part of this work, said: ‘O Amir of the Faithful, the first man who responds to thy wish and obeys thy command will be myself. I and my relatives shall start at any time thou desirest, with the greatest readiness, pleasure and sincerity, girding our loins to wage war for the religion.’ Then Salytt B. Qays, the Anssâri, who was one of those who had fought in the battle of Bedr, likewise assented to the injunction of O’mar. After these two blessed individuals many others agreed to participate in this important enter­prise, and requested O’mar to appoint one of the Mohâjer or Anssâr to command them. O’mar replied: ‘He is to be your commander who has forestalled you on the path of obedience, namely, Abu O’baydah B. Masu’d, and he is one of the number of pious followers.’*

It is said that at the time when O’mar was inciting the Musalmâns to wage war against the Persians, and had appointed Abu O’baydah to the important post of com­mander, A’mru B. Hazm and Mothanna B. Hârethah were engaged in the plains of E’râq in repelling the opponents and enemies in the same way as during the Khalifate of Abu Bakr. At any rate, when O’mar had given the post of commander to Abu O’baydah, he said to him: ‘I have not appointed Salytt B. Qays, who is more deserving than thyself, commander of the army because he is too hasty in fighting, and, knowing this, I feared that he might bring disaster upon the army of Islâm. Thou must, however, respect and honour Salytt, consult him in every important affair, and not deviate from his opinion, which will undoubtedly be fraught with utility.’ After O’mar had given this advice to Abu O’baydah, he took leave of him and started him on the march to Arabian E’râq with his well-prepared army. When Abu O’baydah had arrived in that country, he hastened, together with A’mru B. Hazm, the Anssâri, and Salytt B. Qays and Mothanna B. Hârethah, to attack Jâbân, whom Rastam Farrakhzad had appointed commander of the army of Khorâsân and E’râq, and whom he had sent with two thousand men to watch the frontiers. After the two antagonistic forces had encountered each other, they drew themselves up in battle array, and, accord­ing to the tradition of Aa’thum Kûfi, the first man who placed his foot into the lists of the contest and asked for a champion was Jâbân; whereon four of the Mohâjer, who successively fought duels with him, attained martyrdom. Abu O’baydah then said to Salytt: ‘The Anssâr will effect nothing to-day. They are greatly afraid.’ Hereon Salytt extolled and praised the Anssâr people for their courage, and asked them: ‘Who of you will enter the lists and make an end of this Persian?’ Then a man of the Anssâr, Muntzar B. Fudzah by name, sallied forth to attack Jâbân, and both fought with their lances till at last Muntzar wounded Jâbân, and, having prostrated him from his saddle to the ground, sat down on his breast to separate his head from the vehicle of his body. At that moment Jâbân exclaimed: ‘There is no God but Allah!’* Muntzar then desisted from his purpose, and Jâbân said: ‘Do not slay me, and I shall give thee a slave-boy with a bond­maid, the like of which none of thy friends possess.’ Muntzar then rose from the breast of Jâbân, and having mounted him behind himself, rejoined his friends. The people of the Rabya’h tribe then asked him: ‘Knowest thou thy prisoner?’ Muntzar replied: ‘He is a man of yonder army.’ They continued: ‘He is Jâbân, the com­mander of this army and governor of this province. What has he promised thee that thou hast spared his life?’ He said: ‘A slave boy and girl.’ They rejoined: ‘If thou hadst asked him for a hundred boys and girls he would have given them to thee.’ Muntzar continued: ‘Having agreed to this condition I cannot break it, and have no excuse for doing so.’ Jâbân thereon apologized, gave to Muntzar two boys with two girls, and having been enrolled among the number of Musalmâns, attained a high dignity and position. From the context of the work of Aa’thum Kûfi, it appears that this event took place during the government of Yazdejerd [King of Persia], but in the ‘Tarjumat Mostaqassa’ the affairs of the army of Islâm [sic] after the conflict with Jâbân are narrated as follows: After these events the Persians marched to Hirah for the purpose of settling the administration of the kingdom, which had at that time fallen into such disorder that a man was appointed Amir one day and removed the next, till the time when the turn of Yazdejerd’s reign arrived, whereon the monarchy was destroyed. The writer of these pages states that on this point the tradition of Aa’thum Kûfi is not void of improbability, because we read in trustworthy books that not only Jâbân’s profession of Islâm, but the battle of the bridge and the death of Abu O’baydah B. Masu’d Thaqfy, had taken place during the time of the government of [the queen] Tûrân [Dukht] and before the accession of Yazdejerd to the throne of Persia.