CHAPTER II
The Advance of Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd on Syria and
the Places he reduced on his Way
Khâlid takes ʿAin at-Tamr and Sandaudâʾ by force. When Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd received abu-Bakr's letter at al-Ḥîrah, he left in his place al-Muthanna ibn-Ḥârithah ash-Shaibâni over the district of al-Kûfah, and set out at the head of 800 men in Rabîʿ II, year 13. (Some give 600 and others 500 as the number of men.) On his way, he passed through ʿAin at-Tamr and reduced it by force. (According to others, he received abu-Bakr's message in ʿAin at-Tamr after having subdued it.) From ʿAin at-Tamr Khalid made his way to Ṣandaudâʾ[1] in which lived some of the Kindah and Iyâd tribes and non-Arabs.[2] These people fought against him; but Khâlid won the victory and left in the city Saʿd ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Ḥarâm al-Anṣâri whose descendants still live in it. Khâlid, having learnt that a body of the banu-Taghlib ibn-Wâʾil at al-Muḍaiyaḥ and al-Ḥuṣaid had apostatized and were led by Rabîʿah ibn-Bujair, made his way to them. They fought against him; but he put them to flight and took captives and booty. The captives he sent to abu-Bakr, and among them was umm-Ḥabîb aṣ-Ṣahbâʾ, daughter of Ḥabîb ibn-Bujair, and [later] the mother of ʿUmar ibn-ʿAli ibn-abi-Ṭâlib.
Khâlid crosses the desert to Suwa. Then Khâlid made an incursion on Ḳurâḳir which was a spring belonging to the
