—the city?”
He answered, “Yes, provided you give me a spear with which to thrust at them while they are still on the plain, and a sword with which to strike them when they take to the hilltops—I would certainly do it.”

Muḥammad fell silent and then said to me, “Woe to you! The people of Syria, Iraq, and Khurasan have already donned white—that is, they have put on white garments—in solidarity with me and have cast off the black.”

The man retorted, “What good would it do me even if the whole world were creamy white butter, while I am no more than the tuft of wool that wipes the inkwell? Besides, ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā is already camped at al-Aʿwaṣ.”

ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā advanced and halted about a mile outside Madinah. His guide, Ibn al-Aṣamm, said, “I fear that if we expose them they will hurry back to their camp before the cavalry can overtake them.” He therefore pressed on and made him dismount at al-Jurf, by the cistern of Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik, four miles from Madinah. That was on Saturday morning, the twelfth of Ramadan of that same year. He added, “A man on foot who runs away cannot keep up a trot for more than two or three miles before the horsemen catch him.”

ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā then sent five hundred horsemen who encamped at al-Shajarah on the road to Mecca. He said to them, “If this man flees, he will have no refuge but Mecca; kill him and cut him off from it.” (1)

Next, ʿĪsā dispatched a messenger to Muḥammad, summoning him to hear and obey the Commander of the Faithful al-Manṣūr, assuring him of safety for himself and his family should he comply. Muḥammad said to the envoy, “Were it not that messengers are not to be killed, I would have killed you.”

He then sent word to ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā: “I summon you to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Beware of refusing, for if you do I shall kill you and you will be the worst of those slain; or else you will kill me and thus slay the one who called you to Allah and His Messenger.”

Envoys passed between them for three days—each side inviting the other. During those three days ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā would stand daily on the pass by Mount Salʿ and proclaim:

“O people of Madinah, your blood is sacrosanct to us. Whoever comes to us and stands beneath our banner is safe; whoever leaves the city is safe; whoever enters his house is safe; whoever lays down his weapon is safe. We have no desire to fight you. We want only Muḥammad, so that we may take him to the Caliph.”

But they reviled him, insulted his mother, hurled vile abuse at him, and spoke to him most harshly, saying, “The grandson of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—is with us, and we are with him, fighting on his behalf.”

When the third day arrived, ʿĪsā came against them with cavalry, infantry, weapons, and spears the like of which had never been seen, and called out, “O Muḥammad! The Commander of the Faithful has ordered me not to fight you until I have first invited you to obedience. If you comply he will guarantee your safety, settle your debts, and bestow upon you wealth and land. If you refuse, I will fight you. I have summoned you more than once already.”

Muḥammad shouted back, “Nothing awaits you from me but battle!” War then broke out between them.

ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā’s force numbered more than four thousand. Ḥumayd ibn Qaḥṭaba led the vanguard, Muḥammad ibn al-Saffāḥ the right wing, Dāwūd ibn Karrāz (2) the left, and al-Haytham ibn Shuʿbah the rear guard; they possessed equipment the like of which had never been seen. ʿĪsā posted detachments of his men in every direction, while Muḥammad and his followers took their stand in the manner of the warriors of Badr, and the two armies fought with extraordinary ferocity.