Amr could detect no lapse on the Artabun’s part that he might exploit, and the messages brought by envoys failed to satisfy him, so he resolved to act personally. Disguised as a messenger, he went in to the general, conveyed what he wished, listened to the man’s words, and closely observed his court ⦗1⦘ until he fathomed the Artabun’s intentions.
The Artabun said to himself, “By Allah, this is surely Amr—or at least the man whose counsel Amr follows. Nothing would harm their army more than killing him.” He therefore summoned a guardsman, whispered to him, and ordered that Amr be put to death ⦗2⦘, saying, “Go and stand at such-and-such a spot; when he passes you ⦗3⦘, strike him down.”
Amr ibn al-As, however, sensed the plot and said to the Artabun, “Commander, I have heard your words and you have heard mine. I am one of ten men whom Umar ibn al-Khattab has sent to accompany this governor and observe his affairs. I should like to bring them so that they may hear what you have said and see what I have seen.”
“Very well,” replied the Artabun, “go and fetch them.” Then he called another man aside and whispered, “Go to that guard and bring him back.” Amr rose, returned to his army, and the Artabun realized that the visitor had in fact been Amr ibn al-As. “The man has outwitted me,” he exclaimed. “By Allah, he is the shrewdest of the Arabs!”
When the story reached Umar ibn al-Khattab, he said, “May Allah reward Amr.”
Amr then advanced and fought the Artabun at Ajnadayn in a mighty engagement, as fierce as the Battle of Yarmuk, until the dead lay thick on both sides. The rest of the Muslim forces subsequently joined Amr, for the ruler of Iliyaʾ had wearied them, withdrawn behind the city walls, and his army had grown large.
At this the Artabun wrote to Amr: “You are my friend and my counterpart; among your people you hold the same rank that I hold among mine. By Allah, you will not conquer any part of Palestine beyond Ajnadayn. Turn back and do not be deluded, lest you meet the same defeat as those before you.”
Amr summoned a man who spoke Greek, dispatched him to the Artabun, and said, “Listen to what he tells you and then report back to me.” With the envoy he sent this letter: “Your message has reached me. You are indeed my counterpart and peer among your people; yet were a single virtue to escape you, you would overlook my merit. You already know that I am the one destined to open these lands. Read this letter of mine aloud in the presence of your companions and ministers.”
When the letter arrived, the Artabun assembled his ministers and read it to them. They asked, “How do you know that he is not the conqueror of these lands?” He replied, “Their conqueror will be a man whose name consists of three letters.”
The envoy returned and relayed these words to Amr, who at once wrote to Umar requesting reinforcements: “I am engaged in a war ⦗4⦘ that is heavy and unyielding, in lands that have been set aside for you. Advise me of your decision.”
When Umar received the letter, he realized that Amr would not have written in this way unless he had discerned something important, so he resolved to travel to Syria himself to capture Jerusalem, as will be detailed shortly.
[Umar entered Syria four times]
Sayf ibn Umar, quoting his teachers, said: “Umar entered Syria on four occasions: the first time he was on horseback when Jerusalem was conquered; the second time he rode a camel; the third time he reached Sargh ⦗5⦘ but turned back on account of what had befallen the region….”