—its learned people called out, “O Muslims, do not exhaust yourselves in besieging this town, for we have inherited (1) from our forefathers, the former inhabitants of this land, that none will take it but the Dajjāl (Antichrist) or a people accompanied by the Dajjāl. Now it so happened that Saf ibn Sayyad was in the army of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, so Abū Mūsā sent him with the detachment laying siege to it. He went to the gate and struck it (2) with his foot; the chains snapped, the locks shattered, and the Muslims entered the city, killing whomever they met until the inhabitants sought safety and asked for a truce, which the Muslims granted. In command of Sūs was Shahryār, the brother of Hurmuzān, and thus the Muslims gained complete control of Sūs—a city of ancient construction, said by some to have been the very first settlement placed on the face of the earth, and Allah knows best.

Ibn Jarīr (3) reports that they discovered the grave of Daniel in Sūs. When Abū Mūsā remained there (4) after Abū Sabrah had moved on to Jundaysābūr, he wrote to ʿUmar about it (5); ʿUmar instructed him to bury the grave and conceal its location from the people, and Abū Mūsā complied. We have discussed this in detail in the Life of ʿUmar—praise be to Allah.

Ibn Jarīr also said: Some maintain that the conquest of Sūs and Rāmhurmuz, and the dispatch of Hurmuzān from Tustar to ʿUmar, took place in the year 20 AH, and Allah knows best. A letter from ʿUmar had likewise arrived directing al-Nuʿmān ibn Muqarrin to march against the people of Nahāwand. He set out, passed by Māh—a large town on the way—captured it, then advanced to Nahāwand and opened it; praise belongs to Allah.

I say: What is widely known is that the opening of Nahāwand occurred in 21 AH, as will be explained in its proper place. It was a tremendous engagement, a great victory, an extraordinary report, a wondrous event. During the same period Zarr ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Fuqaymī captured the city of Jundaysābūr, so those regions were firmly secured (6) for the Muslims.

Meanwhile Yazdagird kept moving from one land to another [and from that land to yet another] until he finally settled in Isfahan. He had detached a contingent of roughly three hundred noblemen (7) under a leader called Siyāh. They continued to flee from the Muslims from town to town until the Muslims conquered Tustar and Istakhr.

Siyāh then said to his followers, “These people—after misery and humiliation—have come to rule the very seats of the ancient kings. They never meet an army without crushing it. By Allah, this cannot be falsehood.”

Faith in Islam and its majesty entered his heart, and they said to him, “We are behind you.” Around that time ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir was dispatched to invite them to Allah; so they sent word to Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī announcing their acceptance of Islam. [He wrote concerning them to ʿUmar, who ordered that each be allotted a stipend of two thousand, and that six of them receive two thousand…]