Page:Baladhuri-Hitti1916.djvu/432

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416
THE ORIGINS OF THE ISLAMIC STATE

Ḳhâlid ibn-ʿUrfuṭah's part. Saʿd sent Khâlid ibn-ʿUrfuṭah at the head of the cavalry charged with pursuing the enemy. Khâlid and his men killed every one they overtook until they arrived in Burs. Here Khâlid was the guest of one, Bisṭâm, who treated him with kindness and loyalty. A canal that ran there was called Nahr Bisṭâm. Khâlid then passed through aṣ-Ṣarâh [canal] and caught up with Jâlînûs. Kathîr ibn-Shihâb al-Ḥârithi charged Jâlînûs and stabbed him, and according to others, killed him. Ibn-al-Kalbi says that it was Zuhrah ibn-Ḥawîyah as-Saʿdi who killed him. The former report is more authentic.

The Persians fled to al-Madâʾin, following Yazdajird [their king]. Saʿd immediately communicated with ʿUmar, announcing the victory and giving the names of those who had fallen.

The Persian arrows. Abu-Rajâʾ al-Fârisi from his grandfather:—The latter said: "I took part in the battle of al-Ḳâdisîyah when I was still a Magian. When the Arabs sent their arrows against us, we began to shout, 'dûk! dûk!'[1] by which we meant, spindles. These spindles, however, continued to shower upon us, until we were overwhelmed. Our archer would send the arrow from his Nâwakîyah bow, but it would not do more than attach itself to the garment of an Arab; whereas their arrow would tear the coat of mail and the double cuirass that we had on."

According to Hishâm ibn-al-Kalbi, the first to kill a Persian in the battle of al-Ḳâdisîyah was Rabîʿah ibn-ʿUthmân ibn-Rabîʿah of the banu-Naṣr ibn-Muʿâwiyah ibn-Bakr ibn-Hawâzin ibn-Manṣûr.

In this battle, Saʿd ibn-ʿUbaid al-Anṣâri fell a martyr. His death afflicted ʿUmar so much that he said, "His death almost marred the joy of the victory for me."

  1. Yûsuf, p. 16: "dûs!" Cf. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2236.