183 — Ismāīl narrated to us; Muāwiya ibn Amr narrated to us, from Abū Ishāq al-Fazārī, from Hishām, from Muhammad, who said:

“Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—dispatched al-Ahnaf ibn Qays at the head of an army toward Khurāsān. The enemy launched a surprise attack against them at night, dividing their forces into four contingents and advancing with drums. The men were alarmed. Al-Ahnaf was the first to mount; he took his sword, girded it on, and proceeded toward the sound, reciting:

[Rajaz meter]
Every leader bears a duty:
to stain his spear with blood—or have it shattered.

“He then charged the drummer and killed him. When the drummer’s comrades no longer heard the sound, they fled. Al-Ahnaf then charged the next cavalry contingent and did the same, then the next and did the same, and then the next and did the same—all by himself. The men then arrived, and the enemy had already been routed. They pursued them, killing them as they went. They continued onward until they conquered a city called Marw al-Rūdh.”