Futuhusham_-_The_Islamic_Conquest_of_Syria_-_Al_Waqidi

Futuhushdm
Someone who had witnessed the scene went to ask Jabalah for an explanation. He
explained: When Bannes was told of the three, including the first patrician, he said,
"They are helped against you." The patrician then came and said in his ear, "0 king,
what you say is true. Last night I dreamt that men mounted on grey and pie-bald
horses descended from the sky. They were completely armed and surrounded the
'Arabs whom we faced. None of us would come out against them except that they
would kill him until they had killed most of us. I think that they are the same men. I
now see how one of them killed three of us. They are certainly helped against us from
the sky."
This broke Bannes's heart and he would not reply to anyone. The people gathered to
question him as to what the patrician had told him, but he would not inform them.
After persistent questioning he said as ifhe were delivering a sermon, "0 people of
this religion, if you do not fight you will be losers and Christ's wrath will fall upon
you. God rerrains the Helper and Defender of this Faith. God has ample proof against
you in that He sent a Messenger and Book unto you. That Messenger did not hanker
after the world and he ordered you not to hanker after it. In His Book He
commanded you not to oppress for He neither loves oppression nor oppressors. Now
that you are hankering after the world, oppressing and opposing Him, He is helping
your enemies against you. What excuse can you offer your Creator for abandoning
the command of your Prophet and what has been revealed in the Book of your Lord?
These 'Arabs who are facing you desire to kill your warriors and capture your
children and women. Yet, you still remain in disobedience and sin, not fearing the
Knower of the unseen. If God should snatch your Empire from your hands and grant
victory to your enemy then that is only fair and just on His part, for you neither order
good nor forbid evil."
Bannes had ordered the patrician who had seen the dream to keep it concealed. As
for Qays and 'Abdurahman ~ they took the spoils of the three Romans and returned
to the Muslim camp where they gave the spoils to Abu 'Ubaydah ss, He said to them,
"Whoever kills a horseman keeps the spoils - that is our order from 'Umar,"
They took the spoils back.
Qays remained stationed where Khalid ~ had positioned him while' Abdurahman ~
went out to the battlefield between the two parties. He had mounted the grey Turkish
horse of the patrician he had killed but found that it did not proceed the way 'Arab
horses do so he returned and changed it. He first attacked the right-wing where he
caused much confusion and killed two horsemen. He returned to attack the centre
then the left-wing where he was showered with arrows.
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