Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1400
The Expedition of Muʾtah
[ تَخَوُّفُ النَّاسِ مِنْ لِقَاءِ هِرَقْلَ وَشِعْرُ ابْنِ رَوَاحَةَ يُشَجِّعُهُمْ ] ثُمَّ مَضَوْا حَتَّى نَزَلُوا مَعَانَ، مِنْ أَرْضِ الشَّامِ، فَبَلَغَ النَّاسَ أَنَّ هِرَقْلَ قَدْ نَزَلَ مَآبَ، مِنْ أَرْضِ الْبَلْقَاءِ، فِي مِئَةِ أَلْفٍ مِنْ الرُّومِ، وَانْضَمَّ إلَيْهِمْ مِنْ لَخْمٍ وَجُذَامٍ وَالْقَيْنِ وَبَهْرَاءَ وَبَلِي مِئَةُ أَلْفٍ مِنْهُمْ، عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَلِيٍّ ثُمَّ أَحَدُ إرَاشَةَ، يُقَالُ لَهُ: مَالِكُ بْنُ زَافِلَةَ. فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَقَامُوا عَلَى مَعَانَ لَيْلَتَيْنِ يُفَكِّرُونَ فِي أَمْرِهِمْ وَقَالُوا: نَكْتُبُ إلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَنُخْبِرُهُ بِعَدَدِ عَدُوِّنَا، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يُمِدَّنَا بِالرِّجَالِ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَأْمُرَنَا بِأَمْرِهِ، فَنَمْضِيَ لَهُ. وَفِي رِوَايَةِ يُونُسَ، عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ: فَبَلَغَهُمْ أَنَّ هِرَقْلَ نَزَلَ بِمَآبَ، فِي مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ مِنَ الرُّومِ وَمِائَةِ أَلْفٍ مِنَ الْمُسْتَعْرِبَةِ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ الرُّومُ مِائَتَيْ أَلْفٍ، وَمَنْ عَدَاهُمْ خَمْسُونَ أَلْفًا. وَأَقَلُّ مَا قِيلَ: إِنَّ الرُّومَ كَانُوا مِائَةَ أَلْفٍ، وَمِنَ الْعَرَبِ خَمْسُونَ أَلْفًا. حَكَاهُ السُّهَيْلِيُّ - فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ ذَلِكَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَقَامُوا عَلَى مَعَانٍ لَيْلَتَيْنِ يَنْظُرُونَ فِي أَمْرِهِمْ، وَقَالُوا: نَكْتُبُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ نُخْبِرُهُ بِعَدَدِ عَدُّونَا، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يَمُدَّنَا بِالرِّجَالِ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَأْمُرَنَا بِأَمْرِهِ فَنَمْضِيَ لَهُ. قَالَ: فَشَجَّعَ النَّاسَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ وَقَالَ: يَا قَوْمِ، وَاللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّتِي تَكْرَهُونَ لَلَّتِي خَرَجْتُمْ تَطْلُبُونَ، الشَّهَادَةُ، وَمَا نُقَاتِلُ النَّاسَ بِعَدَدٍ وَلَا قُوَّةٍ وَلَا كَثْرَةٍ، مَا نُقَاتِلُهُمْ إِلَّا بِهَذَا الدِّينِ الَّذِي أَكْرَمَنَا اللَّهُ بِهِ، فَانْطَلِقُوا فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْنِ، إِمَّا ظُهُورٌ وَإِمَّا شَهَادَةٌ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ النَّاسُ: قَدْ وَاللَّهِ صَدَقَ ابْنُ رَوَاحَةَ. فَمَضَى النَّاسُ، فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فِي مَحْبِسِهِمْ ذَلِكَ: جَلَبْنَا الْخَيْلَ مِنْ أَجَأٍ وَفَرْعٍ تُغَرُّ مِنَ الْحَشِيشِ لَهَا الْعُكُومُ حَذَوْنَاهَا مِنَ الصَّوَّانِ سِبْتًا أَزَلَّ كَأَنَّ صَفْحَتَهُ أَدِيمُ أَقَامَتْ لَيْلَتَيْنِ عَلَى مَعَانٍ فَأُعْقِبَ بَعْدَ فَتْرَتِهَا جُمُومُ فَرُحْنَا وَالْجِيَادُ مُسَوَّمَاتٌ تَنَفَّسُ فِي مَنَاخِرِهَا السَّمُومُ فَلَا وَأَبِي مَآبَ لَنَأْتِيَنْهَا وَإِنْ كَانَتْ بِهَا عَرَبٌ وَرُومُ فَعَبَّأْنَا أَعِنَّتَهَا فَجَاءَتْ عَوَابِسَ وَالْغُبَارُ لَهَا بَرِيمُ بِذِي لَجَبٍ كَأَنَّ الْبِيضَ فِيهِ إِذَا بَرَزَتْ قَوَانِسُهَا النُّجُومُ فَرَاضِيَةُ الْمَعِيشَةِ طَلَّقَتْهَا أَسِنَّتُنَا فَتَنْكِحُ أَوْ تَئِيمُ قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: فَحَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ أَنَّهُ حَدَّثَ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ يَتِيمًا لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رَوَاحَةَ فِي حِجْرِهِ، فَخَرَجَ بِي فِي سَفَرِهِ ذَلِكَ، مُرْدِفِي عَلَى حَقِيبَةِ رَحْلِهِ، فَوَاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَيَسِيرُ لَيْلَةً إِذْ سَمِعْتُهُ وَهُوَ يُنْشِدُ أَبْيَاتَهُ هَذِهِ: إِذَا أَدَّيْتِنِي وَحَمَلْتِ رَحْلِي مَسِيرَةَ أَرْبَعٍ بَعْدَ الْحِسَاءِ فَشَأْنُكِ أَنْعُمٌ وَخَلَاكِ ذَمٌّ وَلَا أَرْجِعْ إِلَى أَهْلِي وَرَائِي وَجَاءَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَغَادَرُونِي بِأَرْضِ الشَّامِ مُشْتَهِيَ الثَّوَاءِ وَرَدَّكَ كُلُّ ذِي نَسَبٍ قَرِيبٍ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ مُنْقَطِعَ الْإِخَاءِ هُنَالِكَ لَا أُبَالِي طَلْعَ بَعْلٍ وَلَا نَخْلٍ أَسَافِلُهَا رِوَاءِ قَالَ: فَلَمَّا سَمِعْتُهُنَّ مِنْهُ بَكَيْتُ، فَخَفَقَنِي بِالدِّرَّةِ وَقَالَ: مَا عَلَيْكَ يَا لُكَعُ أَنْ يَرْزُقَنِي اللَّهُ الشَّهَادَةَ ، وَتَرْجِعَ بَيْنَ شُعْبَتَيِ الرَّحْلِ ؟! ثُمَّ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فِي بَعْضِ سَفَرِهِ ذَلِكَ وَهُوَ يَرْتَجِزُ: يَا زَيْدُ زَيْدَ الْيَعْمَلَاتِ الذُّبَّلِ تَطَاوَلَ اللَّيْلُ هُدِيتَ فَانْزِلِ
Translation
✧ [The people's fear of meeting Heraclius, and the poetry of Ibn Rawāḥah encouraging them] Then they went on until they halted at Maʿān, in the land of Syria. The people learned that Heraclius had halted at Mūʾāb, in the land of al-Balqāʾ, with a hundred thousand of the Romans, and there joined them from Lakhm, Judhām, al-Qayn, Bahrāʾ, and Balī a hundred thousand of theirs, over whom was a man of Balī, then one of Irāshah, called Mālik b. Zāfilah. When that reached the Muslims, they stayed at Maʿān for two nights, reflecting on their situation, and said: We will write to the Messenger of God ﷺ and inform him of the number of our enemy, so that either he may reinforce us with men, or he may command us with his order, and we will proceed accordingly. In Yūnus's narration from Ibn Isḥāq: It reached them that Heraclius had halted at Mūʾāb with a hundred thousand of the Romans and a hundred thousand of the Arabized peoples. It was said: The Romans were two hundred thousand, and those besides them fifty thousand. The least that was said: The Romans were a hundred thousand, and of the Arabs fifty thousand. Al-Suhaylī related this. When that reached the Muslims, they stayed at Maʿān for two nights, considering their situation, and said: We will write to the Messenger of God ﷺ and inform him of the number of our enemy, so that either he may reinforce us with men, or he may command us with his order, and we will proceed accordingly. He said: Then ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah encouraged the people and said: O people, by God, that which you dislike is indeed that for which you set out seeking—martyrdom. We do not fight people with numbers, nor strength, nor multitude. We fight them only with this religion with which God has honored us. So go forth, for it is only one of two good things: either victory or martyrdom. He said: Then the people said: By God, Ibn Rawāḥah has spoken the truth. So the people went on. ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah said during that halt of theirs: We brought the horses from Ajaʾ and Farʿ, their saddle-cushions beguiled by green herbage; We shod them from flint with tough soles, whose surface was as though tanned leather. They stayed two nights at Maʿān, and after their rest they were followed by renewed vigor; So we went forth, and the steeds were marked, and the hot wind breathed in their nostrils. No, by the father of Mūʾāb, we shall surely come to it, even if there be Arabs and Romans in it. We arrayed their reins, and they came frowning, and the dust was a twisted cord around them, With a clamor in which the white [blades], when their helmets appeared, were like stars. A pleasant life—our spear-points have divorced it, so she marries or is widowed. Ibn Isḥāq said: ʿAbd Allāh b. Abī Bakr related to me that he reported from Zayd b. Arqam, who said: I was an orphan in the care of ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah, under his guardianship. He took me out on that journey of his, mounting me behind him on the rear baggage of his saddle. By God, while he was traveling one night, I heard him reciting these verses of his: When you have conveyed me and carried my saddle a journey of four [nights] after al-Ḥisāʾ, Then your affair is ease, and blame leaves you, and I shall not return to my family behind me. The Muslims will come and leave me in the land of Syria, desirous of remaining there. Every near kinsman will return you to the Merciful, cut off from brotherhood. There I shall not care for the sprouting of dry land, nor for palms whose lower parts are watered. He said: When I heard them from him, I wept. Then he struck me with the whip and said: What is it upon you, you little fool, that God should grant me martyrdom, and you return between the two fork-pieces of the saddle?! Then ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah said during some part of that journey of his, reciting in rajaz meter: O Zayd, Zayd of the sturdy, swift she-camels, the night has grown long—may you be guided—so dismount.
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