a mihmāndār for such visitors as an envoy arriving at the emir’s court, intelligence agents and others of that kind, for whom hospitality is provided, from whom reports and letters are obtained, and to whom the same and similar things are given.

For the ending -ān marks the plural in their language, as when they say muslimān, faqīhān and ʿālimān, meaning Muslims, jurists and scholars. Another such expression is farāsh khānāh, meaning “house of horses”; they use the Arabic word for furnishings. They also say zard khānāh, meaning “house of mail armour.”

Although this expression names something specific, customary usage gives it a general meaning: it denotes an armoury as a whole, even though only mail armour is mentioned. Similarly, the Companions used the word halqa for weaponry, although halqa means coats of interlinked mail, from sard, which is called zard, the s having been changed to z. Sometimes they said “mail armour and weapons,” meaning coats of mail and weapons.

Thus, when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concluded treaties with certain Jews, he stipulated that their mail armour should be his. In accounts of the Prophet’s life, it is said that such-and-such clans of the Ansār possessed mail armour and fortresses: that is, they possessed the arms with which they fought and the fortresses in which they sought refuge. Likewise, rulers of various kinds possess strongholds, fortresses and citadels, as well as weapons. These things provide protection in warfare; through them, both combatants and those being pursued can defend themselves, unlike someone who has neither weapons nor a fortress, for he is vulnerable