And Abu-Jafar brought back the following account, namely: “When I presented these gifts before the Sáhib, and, using the words of Abú-Alí, apologized for them, and when, in my speech, this expression occurred, namely, ‘I seem to myself, in bringing the tribute of this trifling amount of capital stock to the presence of the sufficient one of sufficient ones, like one who should bring dates as a present to Hajar;’*—

“He gave this answer: ‘Yes, they do bring dates to Hajar, from Medina, by way of bless­ing, not by reason of need.’” Then Sáhib Kafí, for the purpose of settling the foundations of affec­tion, and establishing the principles of friendship between the two powers, used his utmost exertions, in order that the foundations of sincere regard and prosperity should become established, and that the way of intercourse, by means of letters and mes­sages, should become trodden. And this affection and regard was settled.

Now Mamún-Ibn-Muhammad, who was Prince of Jurján, and Abú-Abdullah, King of Khwárízm, at the time of the dissensions at Bukhárá, and during the days of misfortune, had offered to him (Núh) marks of kindness, and had zealously proffered their services, and had assisted him with money and property, and the Prince Núh, at the time when he again attained to the possession of his principality, in order to reward their fidelity, and by way of recompense to them, had settled the city named Nisa upon Mamún, and augmented the territory of Khwárizm, by the city of Abi­ward, and sent to each a royal letter, together with a sword and sash, with the royal certificate, and each of them sent succours from their respec­tive provinces. And Abú-Alí relinquished Nisa to Mamún; but to the King of Khwarízm he returned an answer, and said: “The city, Abi­ward, is beloved and specially inscribed amongst my brother’s provinces, and, unless some compen­sation be assigned by the Diván, Abiward shall not be surrendered.” And he commanded that some (troops) should expel the King of Khwárizm from his rightful possession; and the King of Khwárizm bore this as a grudge in his heart, until he could find an opportunity of revenge; but the explication of all these matters shall be commemo­rated in its proper place, please God.

And, in the midst of all these transactions, the troops of Nasir-Addín-Sabaktagín, having arrived at a lucky moment, came up, with numerous troops, and a brave army, and a complete array, and with every supply, and in the front of his army there were nearly two hundred pairs of ele­phants, which he had found as plunder in India, all adorned with splendid trappings and incomparable housings, and after them the regiments of troops, and after them the Prince Núh came in from Bukhárá; and, at Jurján, Abú-Al-Hareth-Fareganí, and the Shár,* and other chiefs of the cities, joined him, and Nasir-Addin-Sabaktágín joined him, and the army was all assembled, like locusts or ants innumerable, and as immeasurable as the sand of the desert, and Abú-Alí and Fáík departed from Nishapúr, and came to Herát, in order that they might guard that frontier from the attack of the enemy, and they took the troops of those provinces with them, and the Prince Núh and the Amir Sabaktagin.* . . . And he said, “The relations of friendship were well established between thee and my father, and the wise have said, ‘the love of fathers should be the alliance of sons,’ and when the succession to the Nawwáb authority of Khurasán came to me I proceeded in the path of my father, and in the ful­filment of respect and the performance of the duties of service neglected not the smallest particular. Let, then, these forms and bygone connec­tions so far prevail as to induce thee to use thy exertions for the settlement of this affair, and for the extinction of the materials of strife, and that thou mayest become the mediator of justice and the umpire of compassion between me and the Prince; and if, through my error, any action has been willingly perpetrated which is not becoming or consonant to faithful service, mayest thou ask pardon and allay the fire of anger, and remove the dust of hatred, and I will cease from my perverse conduct with regard to woman, which is the vice to which I have been addicted, and I will earnestly engage myself in doing my duty, and after this how shall I be unable to withdraw from enchant­ment.” The Amir-Sabaktagín accepted this com­mission, and was content to go about others’ con­tentment, and had several communications with the Prince, both when absent and present, both by personal interviews and by letters brought forward on this subject, until his interces­sion became successful, and the Prince Núh ceased to retain such hatred. And Nasir-Addin wrote this good news to Abú-Alí, announcing that his wishes were fulfilled, and that the Prince had issued his pardon, and had passed over all that he had said and done, upon condition that he should pay fifteen packets, each containing one million of dirhems, by way of fine and compensation for the injury which had resulted to the Treasury, and that he should henceforth, in the strictest manner, express and preserve his service to the throne, and the duties of a subject to His Highness, as estab­lished during the time of his ancestors, upon a guaranteed basis. And the friends of Abu-Alí began a consultation with one another, upon the subject, and they regarded the discharge of this ransom to be a great advantage, in comparison with the obtaining peace and the abatement of the fire of strife, and they were all content with this proposal. But the body of the troops, through the heat of youth and the want of experience, and their indifference to the consequences of their conduct, became obstinate, and disregarded this settlement, and they ran to the camp of Nasir-Addin and plundered the soldier who was stationed in front of the yokes of elephants and killed him, with some others whom they found off their guard. And a messenger of Nasir-Addín, when he returned, passed by those troops, who were the advanced guard of Abú-Alí, who used to him words of scoffing and said, “Let your master exert himself within the palace and there speak his vain words. It is not possible that, whilst we can hold these swords in our hands, we should give up our bodies to such disgrace, or be content with the stigma of this servitude (Verse)

When the news of this event was brought to Násir-Addín he became angry and expressed wonder at the conduct of the army, and sent word to Abú-Alí, to this effect, “Prepare to fight and come to battle, for this quarrel will not be con­cluded except by the decision of the sword, and this contest cannot be cut off, unless by the meeting of warriors on the battle-field. If thou art beguiled by the queen of thy chess-board— the alliance which thou hast made with Fáík, come to-morrow into the plain, that you may see my elephant playing upon the board of the valiant, and if, through thy forces of horse and foot (pawns and knights) the castle has been burnt, now throw thy horses with us into the arena, that thou mayest witness the horsemanship of skilled masters.” Then, having departed from his en­campments, he conducted the army to a plain, the widest in his possession, and there he arrayed his forces against him, and arranged his right and left, and placed in front a gigantic body of war-ele­phants, and he himself, with the Prince Núh and the Amír Mahmúd, stood in the centre; and all their men in the battle inscribed their names in the book of death, and in the contest tooth was lost for tooth (Verse)

And Abú-Alí arranged his army in the proper method and put his regiments in order, and he sent Fáík to the right hand and kept his brother, Abú-Al-Kasim-Simjúr, at his left hand, and he himself took up his position in the centre. And when the two armies engaged Fáík on the right, defeated the enemy on the left, and Abú-Alí-Kásim, on the left, broke through the right, and Sabaktagín was very near losing the whole affair out of his hand, and he became very weak and powerless. However, Dárá-’bn-Shams-Almuáli-Kabús-’bn-Washamger* made a charge from the centre of Abú-Alí’s army, and, when he arrived at the middle of the two troops, he drew his shield over his back, and went in front of Prince Núh, and offered his respects, and betook himself to slaughter the army of Abú-Alí. And the army of Abú-Ali, when they saw the treachery of Dárá, became distrustful, and thought that his treachery could not be without common consent, and for this reason they became disheartened. And Násir-Addín, with his cavalry, made a charge, and portions of the earth became convulsed, from the motion of the troops; and the army of Abú-Alí, from their terror at that untoward accident, and their alarm at that onset, betook themselves to flight and was broken up, and none of them found any power of rallying, and Amír-Mahmúd pursued behind them, and put to death every one with whom he came up, or took them prisoners; and these troops threw away so much treasure and valuables, and stores, and armour, that if the tithe of it had been presented (to the Prince Núh) and had been given to him, by way of ransom, their honour would have remained uninjured, nor would they have been scattered unto various provinces of the earth, in the robe of shame and the dress of ruin.

And Abú-Alí retreated to Nishapúr, and there occupied himself in arranging his affairs and in attending to the wounds of his army, and in pre­paring military stores, in order that, before the army arrived, he might consider the remedy for his defeat, and the means of providing for the object of his wishes. And the Prince Núh and the chiefs of Sabaktagín and Mahmúd halted two or three days, on account of the heat* which the camels and horses had suffered, and for the purpose of dividing the booty and the treasure; and the Prince Núh gave to the Amír Sabaktagín the surname of Násir-Addín, and honoured his son and heir, Mahmúd, with the surname Saif-Ad­doulat. And he presented him with the general­ship of the troops, which had been the office of Abú-Alí, and he proceeded to Nishapúr, with great splendour and a well-appointed army, and abundants of troops, and a great staff of officers.

And Abul-Fath-Basti says, in describing him, as follows (Verse)

And they designated him, in the order of words, by the surname of Saif-Addoulat, until God raised him to the pinnacle of greatness, and granted him the kingly office, and (then) he was known and celebrated throughout all the regions of the earth, by the name of Sultán Yamín-Ad­doulat-wa-Amin-Almuslimah.*

And when Abú-Alí received intelligence of his expected arrival, he set off to Jurján, in the hope of settling the treaty which had been arranged between him and Fakhr-Addoulat, respecting mu­tual assistance and protection, and support; and he sent one of his privy chamber gentlemen, named Abú-Nasr, on a mission to him, and represented the event which had taken place. And he wrote a letter to Sáhib-Káfi, inviting him to extend the aid which his position enabled him to do, (and in his letter he assured him) that he regarded him as the support of his life, and the pillar of his prosperity, and that he esteemed his previous generosity and favour, as a treasure of precious things. And he said, “The faces of people of intelligence are guiding bridles. Friends ought to come to one’s assistance in time of misfortune, and they ought to profit their connections when days of sorrow come. Unto us powerful enemies and valiant foes have appeared, and our inherited abode and ancient rank hath passed from our hands. And where shall we find a comrade like thee whom we may produce as our supreme oracle? or where shall we find one as efficient as thee, who can afford a remedy for our troubles, and become a refuge from our ills? the fame of whose authority and gravity, like the sun, shines forth over every corner and region of the earth; and accord­ing to the proverb, ‘He that is neighbour to Al-Azad is not far off An-Nújúm,’* it is neces­sary that you should not object to enter upon some salutary counsels upon our affairs, with his Highness Fakhr-Addoulat, by way of the expres­sion of opinions, so that through thy beneficial energy this grief and unpleasantness may not be over the neck of one’s thoughts.”

Sáhib-Káfi regarded this opportunity as a per­fect gain, and employed the most urgent expres­sions before Fakhr-Addoulat, and said, “The son of Símjúr is not a bird that falls into the snare every minute, nor is he so straitened for hospi­tality, that the door of honour and respect should pass from his grasp; and since he has taken refuge in this state, and come to the door of this sovereign, let the princes of the earth keep their eyes upon him, that his proper right of (kindness) may be maintained, and let them provide for the resto­ration of his rank, and for the extolling his dignity to the utmost, and for enquiring into the means of establishing his name and renown.”

Upon this Fakhr-Addoulat commanded that they should appoint him a fixed allowance out of the revenues of the treasury of Jurgán, and that they should give in settled portions to the officers a thousand bags, each containing a thousand royal dirhems, out of the taxes of that province, in order that the expenses of the army should be paid properly. And Abú-Alí and Fáík remained in the same place during the winter, until the spring began to appear, and the meadows to bloom with flowers, and the season for setting the army in motion arrived.