Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1862
The caliphate of ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb
[ وَقْعَةُ الْقِرْقِسِ ] ويقال لها قُسِّ النَّاطِفِ، وَيُقَالُ: الْمَرْوَحَةُ أو وَقْعَةُ جِسْرِ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ والَّتِي قُتِلَ فِيهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَخَلْقٌ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ، فَإِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ لَمَّا رَجَعَ الْجَالِنُوسُ هَارِبًا مِمَّا لَقِيَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ تَذَامَرَتِ الْفُرْسُ بَيْنَهُمْ وَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَى رُسْتُمَ، فَأَرْسَلَ جَيْشًا كَثِيفًا عَلَيْهِمْ ذُو الْحَاجِبِ بَهْمَنُ جَاذَوَيْهِ، وَأَعْطَاهُ رَايَةَ أَفْرِيدُونَ، وَتُسَمَّى دِرَفْشَ كَابْيَانَ، وَكَانَتِ الْفُرْسُ تَتَيَمَّنُ بِهَا، وَحَمَلُوا مَعَهُمْ رَايَةَ كِسْرَى، وَكَانَتْ مِنْ جُلُودِ النُّمُورِ، عَرْضُهَا ثَمَانِيَةُ أَذْرُعٍ، فَنَزَلَ بِقُسِّ النَّاطِفِ. وَأَقْبَلَ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ فَنَزَلَ بِالْمَرْوَحَةِ، فَرَأَتْ دَوْمَةُ - امْرَأَتُهُ أُمُّ الْمُخْتَارِ ابْنِهِ - أَنَّ رَجُلًا نَزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ بِإِنَاءٍ فِيهِ شَرَابٌ، فَشَرِبَ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ وَمَعَهُ نَفَرٌ، فَأَخْبَرَتْ بِهَا أَبَا عُبَيْدٍ فَقَالَ: لِهَذِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ شَهَادَةٌ ! وَعَهِدَ إِلَى النَّاسِ فَقَالَ: إِنْ قُتِلْتُ فَعَلَى النَّاسِ فُلَانٌ، فَإِنْ قُتِلَ فَعَلَيْهِمْ فُلَانٌ، حَتَّى أَمَّرَ الَّذِينَ شَرِبُوا مِنَ الْإِنَاءِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: فَإِنْ قُتِلَ فَعَلَى النَّاسِ الْمُثَنَّى وَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ بَهْمَنْ جَاذَوَيْهِ إِمَّا أَنْ تَعْبُرُوا إِلَيْنَا وَإِمَّا أَنْ نُعْبُرَ إِلَيْكُمْ. فَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ لِأَمِيرِهِمْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ: مُرْهُمْ فَلْيَعْبُرُوا هُمْ إِلَيْنَا. فَقَالَ: مَا هُمْ بِأَجْرَأَ عَلَى الْمَوْتِ مِنَّا. ثُمَّ اقْتَحَمَ إِلَيْهِمْ، فَاجْتَمَعُوا فِي مَكَانٍ ضَيِّقٍ فَالْتَقَوْا هُنَالِكَ، فَاقْتَتَلُوا قِتَالًا شَدِيدًا لَمْ يُعْهَدْ مِثْلُهُ، وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ فِي نَحْوٍ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ آلَافٍ، وَقَدْ جَاءَتِ الْفُرْسُ مَعَهُمْ بِأَفْيِلَةٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، عَلَيْهَا الْجَلَاجِلُ وَالنَّخْلُ قَائِمَةً لِتَذْعَرَ خُيُولَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَجَعَلُوا كُلَّمَا حَمَلُوا عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَرَّتْ خُيُولُهُمْ مِنَ الْفِيَلَةِ، وَمِمَّا تَسْمَعُ مِنَ الْجَلَاجِلِ الَّتِي عَلَيْهَا، وَلَا يَثْبُتُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا الْقَلِيلُ عَلَى قَسْرٍ، وَإِذَا حَمَلَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَا تُقْدِمُ خُيُولُهُمْ عَلَى الْفِيَلَةِ، وَرَشَقَتْهُمُ الْفُرْسُ بِالنَّبْلِ، فَنَالُوا مِنْهُمْ خَلْقًا كَثِيرًا، وَقَتَلَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مِنْهُمْ مَعَ ذَلِكَ سِتَّةَ آلَافٍ، وَأَمَرَ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَنْ يَقْتُلُوا الْفِيَلَةَ أَوَّلًا، فَاحْتَوَشُوهَا فَقَتَلُوهَا عَنْ آخِرِهَا، وَقَدْ قَدَّمَتِ الْفُرْسُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فِيلًا عَظِيمًا أَبْيَضَ، فَتَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْهِ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ فَنَفَخَ مِشْفَرَ الْفِيلِ بِالسَّيْفِ، فَخَبَطَهُ الْفِيلُ. وَكَانَ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ لَمَّا رَأَى الْفِيلَ، قَالَ: مَا هَذَا؟ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ رَآهُ قَطُّ، فَقَالُوا: هَذَا الْفِيلُ، فَارْتَجَزَ وَقَالَ: يَا لَكَ مِنْ ذِي أَرْبَعٍ مَا أَكْبَرَكَ. يَا لَكَ مِنْ يَوْمِ وَغَى مَا أَمْكَنَكَ إِنِّي لَعَالٍ بِالْحُسَامِ مِشْفَرَكْ وَهَالِكٌ وَفِي الْهَلَاكِ لِي دَرَكْ ثُمَّ ضَرَبَهُ عَلَى خُرْطُومِهِ فَقَطَعَهُ وَوَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ الْفِيلُ فَقَتَلَهُ. فَحَمَلَ عَلَى الْفِيلِ خَلِيفَةُ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ الَّذِي كَانَ أَوْصَى أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمِيرًا بَعْدَهُ فَقُتِلَ، ثُمَّ آخَرُ، ثُمَّ آخَرُ، حَتَّى قُتِلَ سَبْعَةٌ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ كَانَ قَدْ نَصَّ أَبُو عُبَيْدٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَاحِدًا بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ، ثُمَّ صَارَتْ إِلَى الْمُثَنَّى بْنِ حَارِثَةَ بِمُقْتَضَى الْوَصِيَّةِ أَيْضًا، وَقَدْ كَانَتْ دَوْمَةُ امْرَأَةُ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ رَأَتْ مَنَامًا يَدُلُّ عَلَى مَا وَقَعَ سَوَاءً بِسَوَاءٍ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُسْلِمُونَ ذَلِكَ وَهَنُوا عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ بَقِيَ إِلَّا الظَّفَرُ بِالْفُرْسِ، وَضَعُفَ أَمْرُهُمْ، وَذَهَبَتْ رِيحُهُمْ، وَوَلَّوْا مُدْبِرِينَ، وَسَاقَتِ الْفُرْسُ خَلْفَهُمْ يَقْتُلُونَ بَشَرًا كَثِيرًا، وَانْكَشَفَ النَّاسُ، فَكَانَ أَمْرًا بَلِيغًا، وَجَاءُوا إِلَى الْجِسْرِ، فَمَرَّ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ انْكَسَرَ الْجِسْرُ، فَتَحَكَّمَ فِيمَنْ وَرَاءَهُ الْفُرْسُ، فَقَتَلُوا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَغَرِقَ فِي الْفُرَاتِ نَحْوٌ مِنْ أَرْبَعَةِ آلَافٍ. فَإِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، وَسَارَ الْمُثَنَّى بْنُ حَارِثَةَ، فَوَقَفَ عِنْدَ الْجِسْرِ الَّذِي جَاءُوا مِنْهُ، وَكَانَ النَّاسُ لَمَّا انْهَزَمُوا جَعَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ يُلْقِي بِنَفْسِهِ فِي الْفُرَاتِ فَيَغْرَقُ، فَنَادَى الْمُثَنَّى: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، عَلَى هِينَتِكُمْ، فَإِنِّي وَاقِفٌ عَلَى فَمِ الْجِسْرِ لَا أَجُوزُهُ حَتَّى لَا يَبْقَى مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ هَا هُنَا. فَلَمَّا عَدَّى النَّاسُ إِلَى النَّاحِيَةِ الْأُخْرَى سَارَ الْمُثَنَّى فَنَزَلَ بِهِمْ أَوَّلَ مَنْزِلٍ، وَقَامَ يَحْرُسُهُمْ هُوَ وَشُجْعَانُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَقَدْ جُرِحَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ وَأُثْخِنُوا، وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ ذَهَبَ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ لَا يُدْرَى أَيْنَ ذَهَبَ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ رَجَعَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ النَّبَوِيَّةِ مَذْعُورًا، وَذَهَبَ بِالْخَبَرِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ زَيْدِ بْنِ عَاصِمٍ الْمَازِنِيُّ إِلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، فَوَجَدَهُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عُمَرُ: مَا وَرَاءَكَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ زَيْدٍ ؟ فَقَالَ: أَتَاكَ الْخَبَرُ الْيَقِينُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. ثُمَّ صَعِدَ إِلَيْهِ الْمِنْبَرُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ الْخَبَرَ سِرًّا، وَيُقَالُ: كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ قَدِمَ بِخَبَرِ النَّاسِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ بْنِ الْحُصَيْنِ الْخَطْمِيُّ. فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ - قَالَ سَيْفُ بْنُ عُمَرَ: وَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ الْوَقْعَةُ فِي شَعْبَانَ مِنْ سَنَةِ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ بَعْدَ الْيَرْمُوكِ بِأَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا. فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ - وَتَرَاجَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ، وَكَانَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ فَرَّ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، وَبَلَغَ، عُمْرَ الْخَبَرُ فَاشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ: لَوْ أَنَّ أَبَا عُبَيْدٍ انْحَازَ إِلَيَّ لَكُنْتُ لَهُ فِئَةً. وَقَالَ لِلْمُنْهَزِمِينَ: أَنَا فِئَتُكُمْ. وَأَشْغَلَ اللَّهُ الْمَجُوسَ بِأَمْرِ مَلِكِهِمْ ; وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْمَدَائِنِ عَدَوْا عَلَى رُسْتُمَ فَخَلَعُوهُ، ثُمَّ وَلَّوْهُ، وَأَضَافُوا إِلَيْهِ الْفَيْرُزَانَ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا عَلَى فِرْقَتَيْنِ، فَرَكِبَ الْفُرْسُ إِلَى الْمَدَائِنِ، وَلَحِقَهُمُ الْمُثَنَّى بْنُ حَارِثَةَ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَعَارَضَهُ أَمِيرَانِ مِنْ أُمَرَائِهِمْ فِي جَيْشِهِمْ، فَأَسَرُهُمَا وَأَسَرَ مَعَهُمَا بَشَرًا كَثِيرًا، فَضَرَبَ أَعْنَاقَهُمْ، ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَ الْمُثَنَّى إِلَى مَنْ بِالْعِرَاقِ مِنْ أُمَرَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ يَسْتَمِدُّهُمْ، فَبَعَثُوا إِلَيْهِ بِالْأَمْدَادِ، وَبَعَثَ إِلَيْهِ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ بِمَدَدٍ كَثِيرٍ، فِيهِمْ جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْبَجَلِيُّ فِي قَوْمِهِ بَجِيلَةَ بِكَمَالِهَا، وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ سَادَاتِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، حَتَّى كَثُرَ جَيْشُهُ. وكَانَ فِيمَنْ قُتِلَ بِالْجِسْرِ عُقْبَةُ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ ابْنَا قَيْظَى بْنِ قَيْسٍ، وَكَانَا شَهِدَا أُحُدًا، وَقُتِلَ مَعَهُمَا أَخُوهُمَا عَبَّادٌ، وَلَمْ يَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمَا أُحُدًا، وَقُتِلَ أَيْضًا قَيْسُ بْنُ السَّكَنِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ أَبُو زَيْدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ، وَهُوَ بَدْرِيٌّ لَا عَقِبَ لَهُ، وَقُتِلَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ قَيْسِ بْنِ الْحُطَيْمِ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ، شَهِدَ أُحُدًا، وَفِيهَا قُتِلَ أَبُو أُمَيَّةَ الْفَزَارِيُّ، لَهُ صُحْبَةٌ، وَالْحَكَمُ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ أَخُو أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ، وَابْنُهُ جَبْرُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ.
Translation
✧ [The Battle of al-Qirqis] It is also called Quss al-Nāṭif, and it is said: al-Marwaḥa or the Battle of the Bridge of Abū ʿUbayd, in which the commander of the Muslims and a great many of them were killed—so to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. When al-Jālīnūs returned fleeing from what he had encountered from the Muslims, the Persians urged one another on and gathered to Rustum, who sent a dense army under Dhū al-Ḥājib Bahman Jādhuwayh, and gave him the banner of Afrīdūn, called Dirafsh Kābiyān, which the Persians regarded as a good omen, and they carried with them the banner of Kisrā, which was made of leopard skins, eight cubits wide. He encamped at Quss al-Nāṭif. Abū ʿUbayd advanced and encamped at al-Marwaḥa. Then Dawma—his wife, the mother of his son al-Mukhtār—saw in a dream that a man descended from the sky with a vessel containing a drink, and Abū ʿUbayd drank from it along with a group of men. She told Abū ʿUbayd of it, and he said: "This, if Allah wills, is martyrdom!" He gave instructions to the people, saying: "If I am killed, then so-and-so is in command of the people; if he is killed, then so-and-so," until he appointed as commanders those who had drunk from the vessel. Then he said: "If he is killed, then al-Muthannā is in command of the people." Bahman Jādhuwayh sent to him: "Either you cross over to us or we cross over to you." The Muslims said to their commander Abū ʿUbayd: "Order them to cross over to us." He said: "They are no bolder in facing death than we are." Then he plunged toward them, and they met in a narrow place and fought there a fierce battle the like of which had not been known. The Muslims numbered about ten thousand, and the Persians came with many elephants, laden with bells and with palm fronds standing upright, to startle the horses of the Muslims. Whenever they charged the Muslims, their horses fled from the elephants and from the sound of the bells on them, and only a few held firm under compulsion. When the Muslims charged them, their horses would not advance against the elephants. The Persians shot arrows at them and struck a great many of them. Even so, the Muslims killed six thousand of them. Abū ʿUbayd ordered the Muslims to kill the elephants first, so they surrounded them and killed them all. The Persians had placed before them a huge white elephant. Abū ʿUbayd advanced toward it and struck the elephant's trunk with his sword, and the elephant trampled him. When Abū ʿUbayd saw the elephant, he said: "What is this?"—for he had never seen one. They said: "This is the elephant." He recited rajaz and said: What a four-legged one you are—how great you are! What a day of battle—how well suited you are! I shall strike your trunk with the sword, and I shall perish, and in perishing is my attainment. Then he struck its trunk and cut it, and the elephant fell upon him and killed him. Then the successor of Abū ʿUbayd, whom he had designated to be commander after him, charged the elephant and was killed, then another, then another, until seven men of Thaqīf whom Abū ʿUbayd had named one after another were killed. Then command passed to al-Muthannā b. Ḥāritha by virtue of the same will. Dawma, the wife of Abū ʿUbayd, had seen a dream indicating exactly what happened. When the Muslims saw that, they weakened at that point, though nothing remained but victory over the Persians, but their strength failed, their spirit departed, and they turned in flight. The Persians drove after them killing many people. The people were exposed, and it was a grave affair. They came to the bridge, and some of the people crossed, then the bridge broke, and the Persians had full power over those who were behind it. They killed some of the Muslims, and about four thousand drowned in the Euphrates—so to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Al-Muthannā b. Ḥāritha went and stood at the bridge by which they had come. When the people were routed, some of them threw themselves into the Euphrates and drowned. Al-Muthannā called out: "O people, proceed calmly, for I am standing at the mouth of the bridge and will not cross it until none of you remains here." When the people had crossed to the other side, al-Muthannā went and halted with them at the first stopping place, and he and the brave men of the Muslims stood guard over them, while most of them were wounded and severely weakened. Some of the people went off into the desert, and it is not known where they went, and some of them returned to the Prophetic City in terror. ʿAbd Allāh b. Zayd b. ʿĀṣim al-Māzinī brought the news to ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb and found him on the pulpit. ʿUmar said to him: "What news do you bring, O ʿAbd Allāh b. Zayd?" He said: "The certain news has come to you, O Commander of the Believers." Then he climbed up to him on the pulpit and told him the news secretly. It is said that the first to bring the news of the people was ʿAbd Allāh b. Yazīd b. al-Ḥuṣayn al-Khaṭmī—but Allah knows best. Sayf b. ʿUmar said: This battle took place in Shaʿbān of the year 13 AH, forty days after al-Yarmūk—but Allah knows best. The Muslims rallied to one another, and among them were those who fled to Madinah. The news reached ʿUmar, and it weighed heavily upon him. He said: "If Abū ʿUbayd had withdrawn to me, I would have been a supporting force for him." And he said to the routed men: "I am your supporting force." Allah occupied the Magians with the affair of their king, for the people of al-Madāʾin turned against Rustum and deposed him, then reinstated him, and attached al-Fayrūzān to him. They split into two factions. The Persians rode to al-Madāʾin, and al-Muthannā b. Ḥāritha overtook them with a group of Muslims. Two of their commanders confronted him with their army, and he captured the two of them and captured many men with them, and struck off their necks. Then al-Muthannā sent to the Muslim commanders in Iraq asking for reinforcements, and they sent him reinforcements. ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb sent him a large reinforcement, among them Jarīr b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Bajalī with his people Bajīla in full, and other leaders of the Muslims, until his army became numerous. Among those killed at the Bridge were ʿUqba and ʿAbd Allāh, the two sons of Qayẓā b. Qays, who had been present at Uḥud, and their brother ʿAbbād was killed with them, though he had not been present at Uḥud with them. Also killed was Qays b. al-Sakan b. Qays Abū Zayd al-Anṣārī, who was a Badrī with no descendants, and Yazīd b. Qays b. al-Ḥuṭaym al-Anṣārī, who had been present at Uḥud. In it was killed Abū Umayya al-Fazārī, a Companion, and al-Ḥakam b. Masʿūd, the brother of Abū ʿUbayd, and his son Jabr b. al-Ḥakam b. Masʿūd.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.