RECORD OF THE MURDER OF ASWAD I’SA BY THE HAND
OF FYRÛZ DYLAMY.

When Bâdhân, the Governor of Yemen, had become a Musalmân, he invited the inhabitants of that country to accept Islâm, whereon they all became Musalmâns, Aswad I’sa being one of them. When Bâdhân departed to the gardens of paradise, his holy and prophetic lordship— u. w. bl.—despatched a number of men to Yemen, each of whom was to take charge of the administration of a place, the details of this affair being as follows: He conferred the governorship of Najrân upon O’mar B. Huzâm, appointed Khâled B. Sa’yd B. Abu-l-a´ass over a place situated between Najrân and Zobeyd, he made A´amer B. Fahyrah Governor of Hamdân, granted the administration of Ssa’na, which is the capital of Yemen, to Shahyr B. Bâdhân, appointed Abu Mûsa over Mâreb, Zyâd B. Wolyd, the Anssari, over the districts of Hadzramant, and in the same manner various places were assigned to O’kâshah B. Thûr, to Mohâjer B. Ommiah and to Ttâher B. Abu Hâlah. He appointed A’li B. Moniah to be commander-in-chief of the whole army, and sent Mo´adh B. Jabal to teach the people of that country the laws and ordinances of Islâm. All these men fulfilled the duties imposed upon them, but when his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. bl.—returned towards the close of his life from Mekkah and fell sick in Madinah, Aswad I’sa, surnamed A’hylah B. Ka’b, and also called Dhu-l-hamâr, laid claim to prophecy in the districts of Yemen. He was a soothsayer and dexterous in the art of juggling, in which he performed so many strange and wonderful tricks that many persons of the Mudhaj tribe believed him and considered him to be a true prophet. Qays B. A’bd Yaghuth, who was one of the grandees of that country, having strayed from the right path, became his general, and desired to attack Shahyr B. Bâdhân with seven hundred valiant horsemen, and marched for that purpose to Ssa’nâ. Shahyr B. Bâdhân on his part also left the town of Ssa’nâ intending to meet Aswad, and after the two parties had encountered each other, champions sallied forth from both sides, challenged their opponents to fight, and the contest began. The breeze of victory, how­ever, was, at the behest of the Creator of good and evil, wafting in favour of the troops of Aswad, and Shahyr B. Bâdhân lost his life. Hereon Aswad entered Ssa’nâ, took charge of the government of Yemen, and asked the wife of Shahyr B. Bâdhân in marriage, and this woman had a cousin, Fyrûz by name, whom Aswad appointed with another man, called Dâduyah, to govern the Persians settled in Yemen.

It is on record that A’mru B. Ma’dy Kareb, who had waited upon the apostle of Allah and made profession of Islâm, had entertained hopes that his lordship would confer the governorship of Zobeyd upon him; but as that prince had surrendered the reins of the administration of Zobeyd to another, A’mru returned disheartened to his country. When Aswad I’sa laid claim to prophetship and A’mru apostatized, he became an adherent of Aswad, whose affairs prospered by his adherence so that he became master of the whole of Yemen, wherefore the minds of the professors of Islâm became overpowered by fear so that they dispersed, and O’mar [B. Huzâm] returned with Khâled to Madinah, while others gathered around Ttâher B. Abu Hâlah. When his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. bl.—was apprised of what had taken place, he wrote a letter to his officers com­manding them to attack the false pretender. The hearts of the professors of Islâm having been comforted, Mo´adh B. Jabal, who had been in hiding for fear of Aswad, made the greatest efforts to put a stop to the wicked attempts of that accursed fellow.

It is on record that in those days Qays B. A’bd Yaghuth, Fyrûz and Dâduyah, whom Aswad trusted, were dismayed at his perverse actions, so that when the noble letter of the apostle of Allah—u. w. bl.—arrived, these three men agreed to kill Aswad. They looked for an opportunity, and made those who were of the same opinion with them consent to the proposal of slaying him. It is said that Aswad had a Satan who secretly conveyed news to him, so that when he had become aware of what was going to take place he pri­vately summoned Qays, and said to him: ‘Thou hast, with a number of other men, conspired to slay me, but it is possible that such a calamity may befall yourselves.’ Qays hereon swore by the life of Aswad that such a thing was not contemplated, and, leaving Aswad, informed his friends what Aswad said, telling them that they must be on their guard because he might possibly inflict a great injury upon them. Meanwhile a letter from A´amer B. Shahyr and Dhy-l-Kalâgh and from other great Amirs who were discon­tented arrived, and its contents were as follows: ‘You must make strenuous efforts to ruin and to annihilate Aswad, and we are steadfast in our determination to second your efforts and to aid you.’ Fyrûz says: ‘After that a company of us agreed to kill Aswad. I paid a visit to his wife, who was the daughter of my uncle and a trustworthy Musalmân woman, to inform her of our plot, and that true believing person replied: “I have not seen a worse man than him; he is drinking all night and sleeping till dinner-time, nor does he perform an ablution after the emission of sperm. I have concocted a stratagem that you come to a certain garden at an appointed time when I shall inform you in what house he is going to spend the night, because he is suspicious of his own Amirs and intimates, and his castle is full of watchmen. You must come during the night, dig a hole in the place where he is, surprise him, and slay him.”’ Fyrûz continues: ‘At nightfall I proceeded with Dâduyah and Qays B. A’bd Yaghuth to the appointed place. When we had bored through the wall, I asked which of us was to enter the house, but Dâduyah replied that, being aged, his blow might possibly not produce the desired effect, and when I asked Qays, he said that he felt alarmed whenever he had to fight, and by the awakening of Aswad his attempt to destroy him might be foiled. After my companions had thus disappointed me, I was under the necessity of myself entering the house, but had, in the haste in which I was, forgotten to take my sword; I was inclined to return and to bring it, but, fearing that meanwhile Aswad might awake, I, being at that time a very strong man, rushed upon him, took hold of his beard with one hand, twisting his neck with the other so that it broke and he roared. The watchmen, having heard his unhallowed voice, became confused, assembled at the door, and asked his wife what had befallen their prophet. She beckoned to them to remain quiet, and told them that this was the time of the descent of a Divine revelation, on account of the weight of which the prophet was moaning.’ Fyrûz continues: ‘Then Qays entered the apartment and separated the head of Aswad from his body. We departed to our houses and slept. When the morning dawned I shouted the call to prayers, and many of the adherents of Aswad having heard it, snatched up their arms and rushed at us, whereon we threw the corpse of Aswad before them. When they beheld their lord and prophet in this condition they dispersed, each hiding in a corner. The religion of Islâm having been strengthened and made secure by our swords, Mo´adh B. Jabal and all the other adherents of the Faith of Muhammad who had lain in concealment now came out, and we despatched the news of this victory to the Khalifah [i.e., successor] of the apostle of God.’ It is said that the dominion of Aswad in Yemen lasted three months, and that the first repulse of Islâm in that country had been effected by that accursed fellow.