Futuhusham_-_The_Islamic_Conquest_of_Syria_-_Al_Waqidi

Futuhushdm
51) Jonah and his wife
'Umar bin 'lsi narrates from 'Abdul Wihid bin 'Abdillih al-Bagd who
narrates from Withilah bin al-Asqa''':
I was in the Damascus army of Khalid bin al-Walid •. It was he who put me in
Qiriir's • cavalry which had to patrol the city from the Eastern Gate to the Thomas
Gate to the Peace Gate to al-Jabiyah Gate to the Small Gate to the Songstresses' Gate.
One day, before the conquest of Damascus, we heard the screeching of the gate. A
horseman emerged whom we left until he came near. Then we seized him by the hand
and said, "Say a word and we will kill you." He was silent. Then another came out
calling for the first one whom we had captured, so we said to the prisoner, "Speak to
him until he comes here." So he said in his gibberish Greek, "The bird is in the net."
The other realised that he was captured and so returned and locked the gate. We
wanted to kill the prisoner but some said, "Do not kill him until we take him to
Commander Khiilid."
So we took him to Khalid ~ who asked him, "Who are you?"
Jonah : I am from the Roman lands. I had married a girl of my nation before your
invasion. I love her very much, so when the siege lengthened, I asked her family to
send her to me, but they refused, saying, "We are too busy to send her to you."
I wanted to meet her, so we agreed to meet at a recreation ground in which we used
to spend time. We met there where she asked me to go with her outside the city. We
opened the gate and I went out to see the situation when your men captured me. She
called out to me so I said, "The bird is in the net," to warn her against you for I feared
for her. If it was someone else I would not have bothered.
Khdlid ~ : What is your opinion of Islam?
Jonah : I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and I bear witness that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah,
Thereafter he fought with us and fought fiercely. When we entered the city
peacefully he went to seek his wife. It was said to him, "She has become a nun."
He went to her but she did not recognise him. He said, "Why have you become a
nun?"
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