Sa'd's Arrival at al-Mada'in and Its Conquest

نزول سعد المدائن وفتحها

16 AH

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas arrived at al-Mada'in and allotted the dwellings; he lodged the families in the houses, and they stayed there until they had finished with Jalula', Tikrit and al-Mutawassal, then moved to Kufa. Sa'd put into the fifth whatever he judged would please Umar among the garments, ornaments and sword of Khosrow, and sent it to Umar ¹. According to al-Baladhuri, the Muslims advanced after al-Qadisiyya; when they passed Dayr Ka'b, Nakhirkhan, the champion of al-Mada'in, met them with a great host of its people, and they fought. Zuhayr ibn Sulaym al-Azdi embraced Nakhirkhan and both fell to the ground; Zuhayr took a dagger from Nakhirkhan's waist and slit his belly, killing him. Sa'd and the Muslims marched on, halted at Sabat, and joined at Bahurasir, the town on the Kufa side, where they stayed nine months, or, it is said, eighteen months, until they ate twice; its people fought them, and whenever they disengaged the Muslims would enter. When the Muslims took it, Yazdegerd ibn Shahriyar, king of Persia, resolved to flee. He was lowered from al-Abyad, the White City of al-Mada'in, in a basket, which the Nabat called Barzabiya, and went to Holwan with the notables of his cavalry, taking his treasury, his light goods and stores, and the women and offspring. The year he fled was a year of famine and plague that struck the people of Persia. Then the Muslims forded the river and took the eastern city. Abu Wa'il said: when the non-Arabs were routed at al-Qadisiyya we pursued them; they gathered at Kutha and we pursued them again until we reached the Tigris. The Muslims said, 'What are you waiting for? Shall we not wade this puddle?' So we waded it and routed them. Al-Waqidi said: the Muslims reached the Tigris, which was in spate with water the like of which had never been seen. The Persians had raised the boats and crossings to the eastern bank and burned the bridge, so Sa'd and the Muslims were distressed at having no way across. A man from the Muslims urged his horse into the water and swam across, and the Muslims swam after him; then they ordered the boatmen to ferry the baggage. The Persians said, 'By God, you are fighting only jinn!' and they fled. Sa'd sent Khalid ibn Urfuta at the vanguard, and Sa'd did not come up until Khalid had opened Sabat. Then Sa'd came and stayed at al-Rumiyya until its people made terms with him: whoever wished could leave, and whoever stayed would keep to obedience, sincere counsel, the payment of kharaj and guiding the Muslims, without harbouring deceit toward them. Finding no crossings, he was shown a ford near the village of the fishermen, and they forded the river there. The Persians shot at them, and all were saved except one man of Tayy, Sulayl ibn Yazid ibn Malik al-Yarbu'i, who was the only one hit that day. Al-Sha'bi said: on the day of al-Mada'in the Muslims took slave-girls of Khosrow's, brought from distant regions, who were made into idols for him; my mother was one of them. The Muslims took camphor that day and threw it into their cooking pots, thinking it was salt. Al-Waqidi said: Sa'd finished with al-Mada'in and Jalula' in the year 16.