BATTLE OF JALÛLÂ AND THE SUCCESS OF THE ARABS OVER THE PERSIANS, BY THE COMMAND OF GOD THE MOST HIGH.

The author of the ‘Ghoniah’ states that when Yazdejerd had departed to Jalwân, he left Mohrân B. Behrâm Râzy with brave troops in Jalûlâ, and ordered great multitudes to join him from Adharbâyjan, Shirwân, and the mountain regions. Mohrân excavated a large fosse around his camp, and scattered quantities of thorns and brambles in the vicinity of it. When the Arabs heard of this concentra­tion of the Persian forces, Sa’d B. Abu Woqqâss despatched his own brother Hâshem with ten thousand sword-striking, lion-conquering men, who loved the battlefield like a volup­tuous assembly, to attack Mohrân. Hâshem marched according to command from Madâin, with Qa’qa’ B. Tamym in his vanguard, Sa’d B. Mâlek commanding his right, and A’mru B. Mâlek his left wing.—Abu Hanifah Dinwari says that Khôrzâd, the brother of Rastam Farrahzâd, who had, after the departure of Yazdejerd to Jalwân, encamped with a powerful army at Jalûlâ, sent a courier to Yazdejerd and asked for reinforcements. On this occasion Sa’d despatched A’mru B. Mâlek to be commander of the forces which were to attack Khôrzâd. After A’mru B. Mâlek had traversed the distance, he arrived in Jalûlâ, and encamped near the fosse of the Persians; when, however, the adherents of Islâm perceived that forces from the E’râq were day by day joining Khôrzâd, they considered it proper to quicken hostilities, and after A’mru B. Mâlek had informed O’mar of this circumstance, he despatched Qays B. Hobyrah with one thousand four hundred cavalry and sixty thou­sand infantry to aid him. After the arrival of the reinforcements, both armies prepared for a conflict, and drew themselves out in battle-array. A’mru gave the command of the right wing to Hejr B. A’dy and the left to Zobeyr B. Juyah, and ordered the whole cavalry not to transgress the orders of A’mru B. M´ady Karab, while all the infantry were to listen with approbation to the behests of Ttollah B. Khowylad. The Arab and the Persian armies began the fight with bows and arrows, and having spent the latter, worked with their lances, betaking themselves lastly to their swords and heavy clubs. When the sun began to decline, the faces of the opponents became yellow, and they stepped into the desert of flight. The number of the Per­sians slain was so enormous that all the inequalities of the soil vanished and appeared to be a level plain. In the ‘Ghoniah’ it is stated that the corpses blocked up the passages, and that Jalûlâ was thus named on that account. So much property was found in the Persian camp of ready cash, merchandise, and cattle, that the poor soldiers of the army became rich. It is said that Khârejah B. Al-ssalt, having entered a tent of the fugitives, beheld the figure of a golden camel adorned with rubies and pearls; on the saddle of that statute there was a man of pure gold. He conveyed the just-mentioned statute to the man who had been appointed to collect the spoils. After this great victory had been obtained, Sa’d despatched one-fifth of the spoils, with an account of it, to Madinah. In the ‘Tarjumat Mostaqassa’ it is stated that, according to the ‘Fatûh Sayf,’ O’mar had the booty registered in ledgers after its arrival, and wished to distribute it to the faithful in conformity with their positions and ranks. Someone said: ‘O’mar, put thy name at the head of the register.’ He replied, however: ‘How would I begin with myself, considering that the uncle of the apostle—u. w. bl.—is present?’ Accordingly he made arrangements, first for A’bbâs, then for A’li the Commander of the Faithful with his sons Hasan and Husain; after that, he assigned to those who had been present at [the fight of] Bedr five thousand, to those of Hodaybiah four thousand, and to those who had made profession of the Faith after them three thousand to each; to those who had made profession in Qâdesyah one thousand and five hundred, and to others one thou­sand, and whoever had achieved an exploit obtained five hundred dinârs more as his share. He reckoned Hasan and Husain, and Salmân [the Persian] and Abu Dharr among the combatants of Bedr, although they had not been there. He gave to A’bbâs twenty-five thousand dinârs, and ten thousand to each of the wives of the apostle; but twelve thousand dinârs to A´ayshah [his favourite wife], who, however, was unwilling to accept the surplus, whereon O’mar said: ‘Accept it, for I know the position and dignity thou hast enjoyed with his lordship the prophet, and I am ashamed by the soul of the apostle —u. w. bl.—to account thee as equal to the others. Take the surplus and bestow it on whomsoever thou listest.’ Here ends the statement of the author of the ‘Tarjumat Mostaqassa,’ namely, the accomplished gentleman Mûllânâ Ashrafu-d-din Husain Khavarezmi.

When Yazdejerd B. Shahryâr was apprised of the battle of Jalûlâ, he, having abandoned the government, hastened to Ray, all the multitude of warriors and countless elephants proving of no avail to recoup his fortunes, so that the saying, ‘When the time is fulfilled nothing can intervene,’ became verified with reference to his case; and how beautiful is the distich:

Do not trust short life, and commit no evil.
In the twinkling of an eye thou wilt see its end.

Meanwhile Sa’d received a letter of the following pur­port from O’mar: ‘Rejoice now in the possession of the Arabian E’râq, and do not allow the Arab troops to pass beyond the limits of Jalwân. Would that mountains of fire were between the enemy and ourselves, so that there would be no need of fighting, because to us single men are more precious than loads of booty.’ Sa’d then fixed his abode in the district of Anbâr, but the climate proving insalubrious, and fever having begun to spread in the army, he reported the state of affairs to O’mar, who wrote in reply: ‘Find a place full of grass proper for the camp of the army.’ After making a reconnaissance and search, the choice fell on Kûfah, where Sa’d encamped and asked per­mission from O’mar to commence building in the locality, which being refused, he wished to construct houses of reeds and was allowed to do so. The houses having been con­structed, a fire broke out which levelled eighty beautiful edifices to the ground. This event Sa’d again communi­cated to O’mar, and again craved for permission to build. Thereon orders arrived from the abode of the Khalifate allowing the adherents of Islâm to engage in building, on condition, however, that no one should construct more than three houses, not transgressing the ordinances of the Sonna; so that this [compliance] may become the cause of the per­petuation of the dominion and of the increase of glory and prosperity. Hereon the Musalmâns laid foundations for a town, and commenced to build it. At that time O’tbah B. Ghazwah was, by order of the Khalifah of the period, engaged in founding Bossrah, so that in a short time those two magnificent cities came from naught into the plain of existence. It is said that the conquest of Jalûlâ took place in the sixteenth year of the Hejret [i.e., Hegira]*, and by the advice of A’li, the Commander of the Faithful estab­lished in this year the era of the Hegira, whereby the con­fusion of dates was removed from the nation.