EVENTS FOLLOWING THE BATTLE OF CADESIYA--CAPTURE
OF MEDAIN.
A.H. XV., XVI. A.D. 636–7.
[Sidenote: Sád re-occupies Hîra, end of A.H. XIV. January, A.D. 636.]
After his victory, Sád, by desire of the Caliph, paused for a little on
the field of Câdesîya, and allowed the weary troops to rest. Fragments
of the great Persian host escaped, broken and dispersed, in the
direction of the ruins of Babylon, and rallied there, on the right bank
of the Euphrates. After two months’ repose, Sád, now recovered from his
sickness, advanced to attack them. One or two short marches brought him
to Hîra. It was the third time the unfortunate city had been taken and
retaken. The punishment for this its last helpless defection from the
Moslem cause, was the doubling of its tribute. Soon supplanted by Kûfa,
at a few miles’ distance, the once royal city speedily dwindled into a
common village. But the neighbouring palace of Khawarnac, the beautiful
residence of the Lakhmite princes, was left standing on the lake of
Najaf, and was sometimes visited, as a country seat, by the Caliphs in
after days.
[Sidenote: The Persians driven across the plain to Madâin, and the
Sawâd reoccupied.]
As the Moslems advanced, the Persian troops made a stand, first at
Birs Nimrûd,[280] and then, recrossing the Euphrates, under the great
mound of Babylon. Driven from thence with loss, they fell back upon
the Tigris. Sád then pitched a standing camp at Babylon, and, himself
remaining there, sent forward his lieutenants, Hâshim and Zohra.
[Sidenote: A.H. XV. A.D. 636.] These, in a series of minor but decisive
engagements, cleared the plain of Dura, here about fifty miles broad,
from the Euphrates to the Tigris.[281] The territorial chiefs from all
sides came in, tendering their allegiance, some as converts, some as
tributaries; and the Arabs again became undisputed masters of the whole
_Sawâd_, with the channels and canals intersecting it. Several months
thus passed; and at last, in the summer of A.D. 636, Sád found himself
able, now with the full consent of Omar, to make an advance upon
Medâin.[282]
[Sidenote: The queen-mother is discomfited.]
This royal city of Persia was built, as we have seen, on both banks
of the Tigris, at a sharp and double bend of the river, fifteen miles
below the modern Baghdad. Seleucia, on the right bank, was the original
seat of the Alexandrian conquerors. On the opposite shore had grown up
Ctesiphon, the winter residence of the Persian monarchs. The combined
city had now for ages superseded Babylon as the capital of Chaldæa.
Though repeatedly taken by the Romans, it was now great and prosperous,
but helplessly torn by intrigue and enervated by luxury. The main
quarter, with its royal palaces, was on the eastern side, where the
noble arch, the _Tâk i Kesra_, still arrests the traveller’s eye
as he floats down the Tigris.[283] On the nearer side was the suburb,
Bahar Sair;[284] and towards it, as immediately accessible to attack,
Sád now directed his march. Burân, the queen-mother, animated by the
ancient spirit of the Sassanides, and swearing with a great oath that
so long as the dynasty survived, the empire was invincible, herself
took the field, with an army commanded by a veteran general, ‘the lion
of Chosroes.’ She was utterly discomfited, and her champion slain by
the hand of Hâshim. When he came to announce the victory, his cousin
Sád kissed Hâshim’s forehead, in token of approval and delight; and
Hâshim kissed the feet of Sád.
[Sidenote: Sád besieges the western suburb of Medâin. Summer, A.H. XV.
A.D. 636.]
Sâd then marched forward; and, in reference to the vainglorious boast
of the vanquished princess, he publicly recited this passage from the
Corân:--
Did ye not swear aforetime that ye would never pass away? Yet ye
inhabited the dwellings of a people that dealt unjustly by their
own souls; and ye saw how We dealt with them; for We made them a
warning and example unto you.[285]
In this spirit, they came upon the bend of the river; and lo! the
famous Iwân, or palace, with its great hall of white marble, stood
close before them on the opposite shore. ‘Good heavens!’ exclaimed
Sád, dazzled at the sight; ‘_Allah akbar!_ What is this but the
White Palace of Chosroes! Now hath the Lord fulfilled the promise
which He made unto His Prophet.’ And each company shouted, _Allah
akbar!_ ‘Great is the Lord!’ as it came up and gazed, wondering, at
the great white building, almost within their grasp. But the city was
too strong to storm, and Sád sat down before it. Catapults and testudos
were brought up, but they made no impression on the massive ramparts
of sunburnt brick. The besieged issued forth in frequent sallies; and
the siege is mentioned as the last occasion on which the warriors
of Persia adventured themselves in single combat with the Arabs. The
investment was so strict that the inhabitants were reduced to great
straits. The army lay for several months before the city.[286] But
it was not inactive in other directions; for bands were despatched
throughout Lower Mesopotamia, wherever the great landholders failed
to tender their submission. These ravaged the country between the
two rivers, and brought in multitudes of prisoners; but, by Omar’s
command, they were dismissed peaceably to their homes.[287] Thus, all
Mesopotamia, from Tekrît downwards, and from the Tigris westward to the
Syrian desert, was brought entirely and conclusively under the sway of
Islam.
[Sidenote: Persians evacuate western suburb. Dzul Hijj A.H. XV.
January, A.D. 637.]
The siege at last pressed so heavily on the western quarter, that the
king sent a messenger, proposing terms. He would give up Mesopotamia
and all beyond the Tigris, if they would leave him undisturbed on the
eastern side. The offer was met by an indignant refusal.[288] Not long
after, observing the walls no longer manned, an advance was ordered.
They entered unopposed; the enemy had crossed in boats, and entirely
evacuated the western bank. Not a soul was to be seen. Sád, however,
was unable to follow up the success by storming the further capital;
for the ferry-boats were all withdrawn to a distance beyond his reach.
So the army, for some weeks, was forced to rest; and, occupying the
deserted mansions of the western suburb, enjoyed a foretaste of Persian
luxury.
[Sidenote: CAPTURE OF MEDÂIN. Safar, A.H. XVI. March, A.D. 637.]
When Medâin was first threatened, Yezdegird despatched his family,
with some of the regalia and treasure, to Holwân, a fortified town in
the hilly country to the north: and now, leaving Mihrân in command, he
contemplated flight himself in the same direction. The heart of Persia
had sunk hopelessly; for otherwise, the deep and rapid Tigris formed
an ample defence against sudden assault. Indeed, the Arabs themselves
were, for some considerable time, of this opinion; they were occupied,
we are told, for two months, in the search for boats, which had all
been removed from the western bank. Unexpectedly, a Persian deserter
apprised Sád of a place where the river could be swum or forded. But
the stream, always swift, was then upon the rise, and they feared lest
the horses should be carried down by the turbid flood. Just then, news
came in that Yezdegird was arranging to flee to the mountains on the
third day with the rest of his treasure. Sád at once resolved upon the
enterprise. Gathering his force together, he thus addressed them:--‘We
are now at the mercy of the enemy, who, having the river at command,
is able to attack us unawares. The position is intolerable. Now, the
Lord hath shown unto one amongst us a vision of the Faithful upon
their horses, crossing the stream triumphantly. Arise, and let us stem
the flood!’ The desperate venture, supported by Salmân the Persian,
was carried by acclamation.[289] Six hundred picked cavalry were
forthwith drawn up in bands of sixty. The foremost rank plunged in,
and bravely battled with the rapid flood. Down and across, they neared
the other shore, as a Persian picket dashed into the water, and vainly
endeavoured to beat them back. ‘Raise your lances,’ shouted the leader
Asim, ‘and bear right into their eyes.’ So they drove them back, and
safely reached dry land. Sád no sooner saw them land safe on shore,
than he called on the rest to follow; and thus, with the cry--‘Allah!
Triumph to thy people--Destruction to thine enemies!’--troop after
troop leaped into the river. So thick and close-arrayed were they,
horses and mares together,[290] that the water was hidden from view;
and, treading as it had been the solid ground, without a single loss,
all gained the farther side.[291] The Persians, taken by surprise,
fled panic-stricken. The difficulty of the passage afforded them
time but barely to escape with their families, and with such light
stuff as they could hastily carry with them. The few inhabitants
remaining, submitted themselves as tributaries. The Moslems, already
in undisturbed possession, pursued the fugitives; but, meeting with no
opposition, soon hastened back to share the royal spoil. They wandered
over the gorgeous pavilions of a court into which for ages the East
had poured its treasures, and they revelled in beautiful gardens,
decked with flowers and laden with every kind of fruit. The conqueror
established himself in the palace of the Chosroes. But first he was
minded to render thanks in a Service of Praise. One of the princely
buildings was turned for the moment into a house of prayer; and there,
followed by as many as could be spared (for military precautions were
yet observed), he ascribed the victory to the Lord of Hosts. The lesson
was taken from the Sura _Smoke_, which speaks of Pharaoh and his
host being overwhelmed in the Red Sea, and contains a passage thought
to be peculiarly appropriate:--
How many Gardens and Fountains did they leave behind,
And Fields of Corn, and fair Dwelling-places,
And pleasant things which they enjoyed!
Even thus have We made another people to inherit the same.[292]
The booty was rich beyond conception. Besides millions of treasure,
there was countless store of silver and golden vessels, gorgeous
vestments and garniture, and precious things of untold rarity and
cost.[293] A lucky capture of sumpter mules disclosed an unexpected
freight--the tiara, robes, and girdle of the king. The Arabs gazed
in wonder at the crown and jewelled swords and all the splendour of
the throne, and, among other marvels, at a camel of silver, large as
life, with its rider of gold; and at a golden horse, having emeralds
for teeth, its neck set with rubies, and the trappings of gold. The
precious metals lost their conventional value, and gold was parted with
for its weight in silver. Works of art in sandal-wood and amber were in
the hands of everyone, with hoards of musk and the spicy products of
the East. Camphor lay about in sacks, and was kneaded with the cakes
as salt, till the pungent taste revealed the mistake.[294] The agents
of the prize had a heavy task, for each man’s share (and the army now
numbered 60,000, all mounted) was twelve thousand pieces,[295] besides
special largesses to the more distinguished warriors. The army could
afford to be generous, and so they despatched to Medîna, over and
above the royal Fifth, such rare and precious things as might stir the
wonder of the simple citizens at home. To the Caliph they sent as a
fitting gift the regalia of the empire, and the swords of the Chosroes
and of Nómân, the prince of Hîra.[296] But the spectacle of the day
was the banqueting carpet of the king, seventy cubits long and sixty
broad. It was a garden, the ground of wrought gold and the walks of
silver; green meadows were represented by emeralds, running rivulets
by pearls; trees, flowers, and fruits by diamonds, rubies, and other
precious stones. When the rest of the spoil had been distributed at
the Great Mosque, and special gifts allotted to the more distinguished
Companions, Omar took counsel what should be done with the royal
carpet. The most advised to keep it as a trophy of Islam. But Aly,
reflecting on the instability of earthly things, objected; and the
Caliph, accepting his advice, had it cut in pieces and distributed with
the other booty. The piece that fell to Aly’s lot (and it was by no
means the richest) fetched Twenty thousand dirhems.
[Sidenote: Sád establishes his head-quarters at Medâin.]
As Medâin offered every convenience for the seat of government, Sád
established his head-quarters there. The palaces and mansions of the
fugitive nobles were divided amongst his followers. The royal residence
he occupied himself. The grand hall, its garnishing unchanged, was
consecrated to Divine worship, and here, as a cathedral service, the
Friday ritual was first celebrated in Irâc.