The Tale of Sāṭirūn, Lord of al-Ḥaḍr

ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām relates his story here (1) because some specialists in genealogy say that al-Nuʿmān ibn al-Munḏhir—whose meeting with Sayf ibn Dhī Yazan and plea for help in reclaiming the throne of Yemen we have already mentioned—is in fact (2) descended from Sāṭirūn, the master of al-Ḥaḍr. We have previously quoted Ibn Isḥāq to the effect that al-Nuʿmān traces his lineage to Rabīʿah ibn Naṣr, and he also transmitted from Jubayr ibn Muṭʿim that al-Nuʿmān was from the offspring of Qaysar ibn Maʿd ibn ʿAdnān. Thus, three different opinions exist concerning his ancestry, and for this reason Ibn Hishām digresses to recount the story of the lord of al-Ḥaḍr.

Al-Ḥaḍr is a mighty fortress erected by this king—Sāṭirūn—on the bank of the Euphrates. Lofty in construction and vast in its precincts and courtyards, its circumference equals that of a great city. It was the epitome of strength, grandeur, beauty, and splendor, and the revenues of the surrounding regions were brought to it.

Sāṭirūn’s given name was al-Ḍayzan ibn Muʿāwiyah ibn ʿUbayd ibn Salīḥ ibn Ḥilwān ibn al-Ḥāf ibn Quḍāʿah, according to Ibn al-Kalbī (3). He adds that other authorities claim Sāṭirūn belonged to the Jarāmiqah (4); he was one of the “kings of the provinces,” presiding over them (5) whenever they assembled, and his fortress lay between the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Ibn Hishām (6) states that the Sasanian monarch Kisrā Shāpūr Dhū al-Aktāf campaigned against Sāṭirūn (7), king of al-Ḥaḍr. Others (8) maintain that the attacker was Shāpūr son of Ardashīr ibn Bābak, the first king of the Sasanid line, who humbled the provincial rulers and restored sovereignty to the Khosrows. As for Shāpūr Dhū al-Aktāf son of Hurmuz, that occurred much later. Allah knows best; al-Suhaylī records this (9).

Ibn Hishām says he besieged him for two years, while others say it lasted four years (10), because Sāṭirūn had raided Shāpūr’s lands earlier.