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The Apostasy of the Arabs
151

"Nobody did ever console me," said ʿUmar, "as well as thou didst."[1]

Sajâḥ the Prophetess. Umm-Ṣâdir Sajâḥ, daughter of Aus ibn-Ḥiḳḳ ibn-Usâmah ibn-al-Ghanîz ibn-Yarbûʿ ibn-Ḥanẓalah ibn-Mâlik ibn-Zaid Manât ibn-Tamîm (others say she was Sajâḥ, daughter of al-Ḥârith ibn-ʿUḳfân ibn-Suwaid ibn-Khâlid ibn-Usâmah), claimed to be a prophetess and a soothsayer.[2] She was followed by some of the banu-Tamîm and some of her uncles on her mother's side of the banu-Taghlib. One day she composed the following rhyming sentences: "The Lord of heavens orders you to carry out against ar-Ribâb[3] invasions." She invaded them but was defeated by them, they being the only ones who fought against her.[4] She then came to Musailimah-l-Kadhdhâb [the false Prophet] at Ḥajar and married him,[5] making her religion one with his. When he was killed, she returned to her brethren and there she died. According to ibn-al-Kalbi, however, Sajâḥ accepted Islâm and emigrated to al-Baṣrah and remained a good Moslem. ʿAbd-al-Aʿla ibn-Ḥammâd an-Narsi heard it said by certain sheikhs of al-Baṣrah that Samurah ibn-Jundab al-Fazâri led her funeral service as he was the governor of al-Baṣrah under Muʿâwiyah before the arrival of ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ziyâd from Khurâsân to assume the office of governor of al-Baṣrah. Ibn-al-Kalbi added that the muezzin of Sajâḥ was al-Janabah[6] ibn-Ṭâriḳ ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Ḥauṭ ar-Riyâḥi, and others say[7] it was Shabath ibn-Ribʿi ar-Riyâḥi.

  1. Ibn-Ḳutaibah, Kitâb ash-Shiʿr, pp. 193–194.
  2. Ar. kâhin; see Skizzen, vol. iii, p. 130; Goldziher, Abhandlungen zur Arabischen Philologie, vol. i, pp. 107–108; Zaidân, vol. iii, pp. 16–18; J. G. Frazer, Golden Bough, vol. i, p. 230.
  3. The confederate tribes of Ṭai, ʿAdi and ʿUḳl.
  4. Skizzen, vol. vi, p. 14.
  5. Aghâni, vol. xii, p. 157; abu-l-Fida, vol. i, p. 157 (Cairo, 1325).
  6. Dhahabi, Mushtabih, p. 141.
  7. Duraid, p. 137.