My people are Iyad—had they but been whole nations,
or had they remained in place, even the camels would waste away. (1)
They are a folk to whom the courtyard of Iraq belongs
whenever they march as one, with the tablet and the pen. (2)

Khalid then concluded a pact with the inhabitants of al-Bawazij and Kulwatha, (3) but in the turmoil that followed the people of al-Anbar and those around them broke their covenant; only al-Bawazij and Banqiya stayed true to their word.

Saif [ibn Umar] (4) reports, on the authority of ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Shah, from Habib ibn Abi Thabit:

“None of the people of the Sawad possessed any treaty before the battle save the Banu Ṣulūbā—who are the people of al-Hira—together with Kulwatha and a few villages along the Euphrates. They acted treacherously, and only after their betrayal did they ask for dhimma (protected status).”

Saif (5) also narrates from Muhammad ibn Qays: I asked al-Shaʿbi, “Was the Sawad taken by force?” He replied, “Yes—every region was, except for some forts and strongholds. Some of these made peace, while others were subdued.”

I then asked, “Did the people of the Sawad hold any dhimma covenant before the war (6)?” He answered, “No; but once they were summoned, accepted the land-tax (kharaj), and it was collected from them, they became people of the covenant (dhimma).”

[The Battle of ʿAyn al-Tamr]

When Khalid (7) had secured al-Anbar he appointed al-Zibrqan ibn Badr as his deputy there, and then moved on to ʿAyn al-Tamr. At that time Mehran ibn Bahram (Jubin) was stationed there with a great host of Arabs, surrounded by Bedouin contingents from al-Namr (8), Taghlib, Iyad, and others who had joined them, all under the command of ʿAqqah (9) ibn Abi ʿAqqah.

As Khalid approached, ʿAqqah said to Mehran, “The Arabs know best how to fight the Arabs; leave Khalid to us.” Mehran replied, “They are before you—engage them, and if you need us, we will support you.” The Persians reproached their commander for this decision, but he said, “Leave them. If they defeat Khalid, he is yours; (10) and if they are beaten, we shall then fight Khalid—by that time they will be weakened while we remain strong.” They acknowledged that his judgment was superior to their own.