AL BILA′DURI′.
Dissensions then arose between the Nizárians[1] and Yamánians, and ’Amrán joined with the latter. ’Umar, son of ’Abu-l Aziz al Habbarí, consequently went to him and killed him unawares. The ancestor of this ’Umar had come into Sind with Hakim, son of ’Awána al Kalbí.[2]
Mansúr, son of Hatím, related to me that Fazl, son of Máhán, formerly a slave of the sons of Sáma, got into Sindán and subdued it. He then sent an elephant to the Khalif Mámún, and wrote to him and offered up prayers for him in the Jámi’ masjid, which he built there. When he died he was succeeded by Muhammad son of Fazl son of Máhán. He proceeded with sixty vessels against the Meds of Hind. He killed a great number of them, captured Kállarí[3] (?) and then returned towards Sindán. But his brother, named Máhán, had made himself master of Sindán, and wrote to the Khalif Mu’tasim bi-llah, and had sent to him as a present the largest and longest sáj,[4] that had been seen. But the Indians were under the control of his brother whom they liked, so they slew Máhán and crucified him. The Indians afterwards made themselves masters of Sindán, but they spared the mosque, and the Muhammadans used to meet in it on the Friday and pray for the Khalif.
Bakr, who had been a slave of the Karízís, related to me that the country called Al ’Usaifán between Kashmír and Multán and Kábul, was governed by a wise king. The people of this country worshipped an idol for which they had built a temple. The son of the king fell sick, and he desired the ministers of the temple to pray to the idol for the recovery of his son. They retired for a short time, and then returned and said, “We have prayed and our supplications have been accepted.” But no long time passed before the youth died. Then the king attacked the temple, destroyed and broke in pieces the idol, and slew its ministers. He afterwards invited a
- ↑ [The Nizárians are the descendants of Nizár, an ancestor of Muhammad, and the Yamánians are the tribes of Yaman (Yemen). See note in Reinaud's Fragments, also his Invasions des Sarrasins en France, p. 72, et seq.]
- ↑ See a note upon the Amírs Músa and Amran, in Reinaud’s Fragments, p. 215.]
- ↑ [The text has
.]
- ↑ [Sáj, a green or black sash rolled round the head and hanging down behind. It is also the name of the teak tree.]
