[His uprising began during the time of Musʿab ibn al-Zubayr. He overran many fortresses, provinces, and other territories, and his engagements became famous. Al-Ḥajjāj dispatched large armies against him, but he routed them all. It is related that a man from the Ḥarūrī Kharijites once rode out against him on a gaunt horse, brandishing an iron club. When he drew near, Qaṭarī uncovered his face; the man turned and fled. Qaṭarī called after him, “Where are you going? Are you not ashamed to run before you have felt either thrust or blow?” The man replied, “One need not be ashamed to flee from the likes of you.”
In the closing phase of his career, Sufyān ibn al-Abrad al-Kalbī marched out against him with an army. They met in battle at Ṭabaristān. Qaṭarī’s horse stumbled, throwing him to the ground; his foes swarmed over him and killed him, then carried his head to al-Ḥajjāj. Another report states that his killer was Sawrah ibn Abjar al-Dārmī (1).
Despite his extraordinary bravery and daring, Qaṭarī ibn al-Fujāʾah was also numbered among the celebrated Arab orators, renowned for eloquence, fluent speech, and fine poetry. Among the choicest of his verses are the following lines, with which he roused himself and others—anyone who hears them will profit:
I say to her, when the warriors have scattered like sparks in the wind:
“Alas! Be calm; have no fear.
Even if you were to ask (2) for the gift of a single day
Beyond the term appointed for you, it would not be granted.
So be steadfast—steadfast in the field of death—
For the prize of immortality is unattainable.
The cloak of mere life is no robe of honor,
Folded away from the brother whose spear lies idle.
Death’s road is the end of every living soul,
And its herald summons the people of the earth.
Whoever is not struck down (3) in youth will grow weary and old,
And pitiless Fate will hand him over to decline.
No good remains for a man in a life
That is counted among the worthless cast-offs.”
The compiler of the Ḥamāsa anthology recorded these lines, and Ibn Khallikān admired them greatly in his History (4).
In this same year there died:
ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abī Bakrah (5)—may Allah have mercy on him—commander of the force that invaded the lands of the Turks and fought Rutbīl, their king. A great number of his men were killed alongside Shurayḥ ibn Hāniʾ, as mentioned earlier.
On one occasion ʿUbayd Allah ibn Abī Bakrah entered upon al-Ḥajjāj with a ring on his hand. Al-Ḥajjāj asked, “How many seals have you placed with that ring?” He replied, “Forty million dinars.” Al-Ḥajjāj said, “And on what did you spend them?” He answered, “On cultivating acts of kindness, relieving the distressed, rewarding benefactors, and providing marriages for noble women.”