The Battle of Marj aṣ-Ṣuffar
185
"He who acquired the Ṣamṣâmah of ʿAmr az-Zubaidi
is the best of all men—Mûsa-l-Amîn.
It is the sword of ʿAmr which as we know,
is the best that a scabbard ever sheathed.
Green in color between the edges of which is a garment
of poison in which death is clad.
If one unsheathes it, its brilliancy dazzles
that of the sun, so that the sun would scarcely be seen.
When the one to be smitten is at hand,
it does not matter whether the left or the right hand applies it.
What a good sword it is for him, who wants to defend his honor,
to smite with in the battle, and what a good companion!"[1]
Later on, al-Wâthiḳ-Billâh, the "Commander of the Believers," called a polisher and ordered him to temper it. On doing so, the sword was changed.
- ↑ Cf. De Slane, ibn-Khallikân, vol. iii, p. 637.
