his very limbs. Then Ibn ʿIyāḍ seized the Roman by the waist; I saw the blood welling beneath Ibn ʿIyāḍ’s fingers. He hoisted the man up, slammed him to the ground, and his brains flew out.

He has another exploit. A cavalryman from the Roman horse once rode up before Lārida and demanded single combat. Ibn ʿIyāḍ came out to meet him in a long-sleeved tunic, into whose sleeve he had slipped a rounded stone and tied the cuff, his sword fastened at his side, while the Roman was clad head-to-toe in armor. Ibn ʿIyāḍ charged; the Roman thrust his lance at Ibn ʿIyāḍ’s buckler so that it stuck fast. Ibn ʿIyāḍ immediately slipped the buckler from his arm, sprang forward, and struck the Roman with the weighted sleeve, scattering his brains. We marveled and proclaimed “Allāhu akbar!”, and his fame spread widely, though he was still very young.

For my part, I fought beside him in several wars during the days of his rule; he was like a rock that nothing could chip, and in stature he looked like a tower of singular build.

Masʿūd said: When we had concluded our business and reached al-Zaytūnah, we made for Lārida in the pre-dawn hours. We fell upon the enemy’s tents that ringed the town, beating on our bucklers and shouting; the horses panicked while we cut down everyone we encountered, and we entered the city unharmed.

I say: Ibn ʿIyāḍ had many celebrated stands; in his time he was the champion knight of Islam. He seems to have lived until after the year 540 (1) AH. After him his servant Muḥammad (2) ibn Saʿd ibn Mardanīsh succeeded him over the people, and his tenure lasted until the year 568 AH.

Al-Yasaʿ says in the History of the Maghrib: he had served Ibn ʿIyāḍ and later became his secretary.