he said, “What excuse and what proof do you have for breaking your covenant time after time? (1)”
He replied, “I fear you will kill me before I tell you.”
ʿUmar said, “Do not fear that.”
Hurmuzān then asked for water. It was brought to him in a thick cup, and he said, “Even if I were dying of thirst, I could not drink from this.” So they brought him another cup that he approved of. When he took it, his hand began to tremble and he said, “I am afraid I will be killed while I am drinking.”
ʿUmar said, “You have nothing to worry about until you have drunk it.” Thereupon Hurmuzān poured the water out.
ʿUmar said, “Give it back to him; do not combine death and thirst for him.”
Hurmuzān answered, “I have no need of the water; I only wanted to feel at ease with it. (2)”
ʿUmar told him, “I am going to kill you.” He replied, “But you granted me amān (safe-conduct).” ʿUmar retorted, “You are lying.”
Anas interjected, “He is telling the truth, O Commander of the Believers.”
ʿUmar said, “Woe to you, Anas! Would I grant security to the man who killed Majzaʾah and al-Barāʾ? Bring me a way out, or I shall punish you.”
Anas replied, “I told him, ‘No harm will come to you until you inform me,’ and I told him, ‘No harm will come to you until you drink.’ Those present said the same.”
ʿUmar then turned to Hurmuzān and declared, “You have tricked me; by Allah, I will not be tricked again—unless you embrace Islam.” So he accepted Islam, and ʿUmar assigned him a stipend of two thousand and settled him in Madinah.
In another report, the interpreter between ʿUmar and Hurmuzān was al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah. (3) ʿUmar said to him, “Ask him, ‘From which land are you?’” He replied, “From Mihrajan.” ʿUmar said, “Present your proof.” Hurmuzān asked, “Do you want the words of the living or of the dead?” He answered, “The words of the living.” Hurmuzān said, “Then you have granted me security.” ʿUmar replied, “You have deceived me, and I will accept nothing short of your embracing Islam.” He thereupon did so, and ʿUmar allotted him the same stipend of two thousand and housed him in Madinah. Later Zayd came and also served as interpreter between them.
I say: Hurmuzān’s conversion to Islam proved sound, and he scarcely ever left ʿUmar’s side until the caliph was killed. Some people therefore suspected him—and Jufaynah—of collaborating with Abū Luʾluʾah, so ʿUbayd Allah ibn ʿUmar killed both Hurmuzān and Jufaynah, as will be detailed later. It is related that when ʿUbayd Allah struck Hurmuzān with the sword, the latter said, “There is no god but Allah,” whereas Jufaynah was crucified face-forward.
The point is that ʿUmar had been restraining the Muslims from expanding into Persian territories, fearing for them on account of the Persians. Al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays advised him that the greater interest lay in continuing the conquests, for King Yazdagird kept urging his subjects to fight the Muslims; unless the roots of the Persians were utterly cut, they would continue to covet Islam and its followers. ʿUmar approved and concurred, and he authorized the Muslims to press farther into Persian lands. By Allah’s grace they therefore captured a great deal, most of which took place in the year 18 AH (4), as will be explained in its proper place.
Let us now return to the capture of Sūs, Jundaysābūr, and Nahāwand according to Sīf’s account. It has already been mentioned that Abū Sabrah marched with the senior commanders from Tustar to Sūs, laid siege to it for some time, and many people on both sides were killed, whereupon the scholars of—