Futuhusham_-_The_Islamic_Conquest_of_Syria_-_Al_Waqidi

Futiihushdm
AbU 'Ubaydah ~: What do you offer in return?
Governor: State whatever you want.
AbU 'Ubaydah ~ : Were Allah to grant us the city peacefully filled with gold and
silver, it would still not be worth the blood of one Muslim to me. However, Allah
grants the martyrs more than that in the Hereafter. .
Governor: 1offer 1000 Uqiyah (122.5 kg) of white silver and 1000 robes of brocade.
41) The treaty
Abu 'Ubaydah ~ smiled and went to the Muslims saying, "Have you heard what this
patrician says?"
Muslims: Yes.
AbU 'Ubaydah ~ : What is your opinion on the conditions that he has offered?
Muslims: We accept, but increase his fine.
AbU 'Ubaydah ~ returned to him and said, "I will grant you peace on condition of
2000 Uqiyah (244.9 kg) of red gold, 2000 Uqiyah of white silver, 2000 robes of
brocade, 5000 swords of your city and all the weapons of those men besieged at the
building. You will also have to pay the annual land-tax as from next year as well as
the annual Jizyah. You will never again bear arms against us. You will have no
correspondence with foreign powers. You will not start any new insurrection. You
will not erect any new churches. You will always act with goodwill towards the
Muslims."
Governor : 1 accept all that except that 1 wish to impose my own condition on you
and your men.
AbU 'Ubaydah ~ : What is your condition?
Governor: None of your men may enter the city. Your representative must stay
outside the city to receive the Jizyah and land-tax. You will let me enter the city so
as to placate the people and see to their affairs. We will also establish outside our city
a market for the benefit of your representative. That market will stock all the
different kinds of goods which can be found in our city. Your men may not enter the
city because we fear that they may be rude to our elders thus spoiling relations
between us which will lead to betrayal and breaking of the treaty.
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