but look instead at judgment, speech, and conduct. The Arabs pay little heed to clothes or food, yet they jealously protect their noble pedigree.

On the second day they asked for another spokesman, so Saʿd sent them Ḥudhayfah ibn Miḥṣan, who spoke in roughly the same vein as Ribʿī.

On the third day al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah went, delivering a long and eloquent address. During it Rustam said to him,

“Your coming into our land is like a fly that spots honey and says, ‘Who will get me to it for two dirhams?’ When it settles on the honey it drowns in it, seeks a way out and finds none, and then cries, ‘Who will rescue me for four dirhams?’ Another likeness is that of a scrawny fox that slipped into a hole in a vineyard. When the vineyard’s owner saw how weak it was, he took pity on it and left it alone. Once the fox had grown fat, it ruined a great deal, so the owner came with his men-at-arms and servants. The fox tried to flee but, grown too fat, could not squeeze out, and they beat it until they killed it. That is exactly how you will leave our land.”

Rustam then flew into a rage and swore by the sun, “Tomorrow I shall kill you.”

Al-Mughīrah replied, “You will soon know.”

Rustam went on, “I have ordered garments for you, and for your commander one thousand dinars, a set of clothes, and a mount. Then you must depart from us.”

Al-Mughīrah answered, “After we have undermined your kingdom and shaken (1) your might, while our forces already range near your territory, do you imagine we will accept jizyah (tribute) from you—taken from your hands while you are humiliated—and that you will become our slaves against your will?” At these words Rustam’s anger blazed anew.

Ibn Jarīr (2) related: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣafwān al-Thaqafī told us, ‘Umayyah ibn Khālid told us, Abū ʿAwānah told us, from Ḥuṣayn ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, who said: Abū Wāʾil reported:

Saʿd came and encamped at al-Qādisiyyah with the people; I do not know, perhaps we were no more than 7,000 (or 8,000) men or thereabouts, while the idol-worshippers were 30,000 or so. They said to us, “You have neither power, nor strength, nor weapons. Why have you come? Go back.”

We replied, “We are not going back.” They laughed at our arrows (3), saying “dok-dok,” and sniffed at them as though they were spindles.

When we persisted in refusing to retreat they said, “Send over to us a sensible man from among you to explain what has brought you.”

Al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah said, “I will go.” He crossed over to them, sat with Rustam on the throne, and they snorted (4) and shouted.

He said, “This seat has neither raised my status nor diminished that of your leader.”

Rustam said, “True. What has brought you?”

He replied, “We were a people sunk in evil and misguidance. Allah sent us a Prophet, by whom He guided us and provided for us. Among what He provided was a grain that grows in this land. When we ate it and fed it to our families, they said, ‘We cannot do without it; settle us in that land so we may eat of this grain.’”

Rustam said, “Then we shall kill you.”

He answered, “If you kill us, we enter Paradise; if we kill you, you enter Hellfire and you will pay the jizyah (tribute).” (When he mentioned “and you will pay the jizyah”) they poked (5) and shouted at him, crying, “There can be no truce between us and you!”

Al-Mughīrah said, “Will you cross over to us, or shall we cross over to you?”

Rustam replied, “Rather, we shall cross to you.” The Muslims drew back until they had crossed; then they charged them and routed them.