Annals of the early Caliphate from the death of Mahomet to the Omeyyad and Abbaside dynasties A.H. XI-LXI (A.D. 632-680) from original sources — John Shaqi
Annals of the early Caliphate from the death of Mahomet to the Omeyyad and Abbaside dynasties A.H. XI-LXI (A.D. 632-680) from original sourcesMuir, William, Sir
Islamic
Annals of the early Caliphate from the death of Mahomet to the Omeyyad and Abbaside dynasties A.H. XI-LXI (A.D. 632-680) from original sources
Muir, William, Sir
Islamic Empire -- History
Thus reinforced, Khâlid advanced against Toleiha. On the march his army
was exasperated by finding the bodies of two of their scouts--one a
warrior of note named Okkâsha--who had been slain, and left by Toleiha
to be trampled on the road.[33] The armies met at Bozâkha, and the
combat is said to have been hot and long. At last (so we are told) the
tide of battle was turned by certain utterances of Toleiha, who was on
the field in his prophetic garb of hair. Oyeina fought bravely with his
700 of the Beni Fezâra.[34] The situation becoming critical, he turned
to Toleiha, saying, ‘Hath any message come to thee from Gabriel?’
‘_Not yet_,’ answered the prophet. A second time he asked, and
received the same reply. ‘Yes,’ said Toleiha, a little after, ‘a
message now hath come.’ ‘And what is it?’ inquired Oyeina eagerly.
‘Thus saith Gabriel to me, _Thou shalt have a millstone like unto
his, and an affair shalt happen that thou wilt not forget_.’ ‘Away
with thee!’ cried Oyeina scornfully; ‘no doubt the Lord knoweth that
an affair will happen that thou shall not forget! Ho, ye Beni Fezâra,
every man to his tent!’ So they turned to go; and thereupon the army
fled. Toleiha escaped with his wife to Syria. His subsequent history
proved him a brave warrior; but he had a poor cause, and the combat
could hardly have been very severe, as no mention is made of loss on
either side.
[Sidenote: Toleiha’s sequel.]
His sequel is curious. At the first, Toleiha took refuge with the Beni
Kelb on the Syrian frontier; then when the Beni Asad were pardoned, he
returned to them and again embraced Islam. Passing Medîna soon after
on pilgrimage, he was seized and carried to Abu Bekr, who set him at
liberty, saying, ‘Let him alone. What have I to do with him? The Lord
hath now verily guided him into the right path.’ When Omar succeeded to
the Caliphate, he presented himself to take the oath of allegiance. At
first Omar spoke roughly to him: ‘Thou art he that killed Okkâsha and
his comrade. I love thee not.’ ‘Was it not better,’ answered Toleiha,
‘that they by my hand should obtain the crown of martyrdom, rather than
that I by theirs should have perished in hell-fire?’ When he had sworn
allegiance, the Caliph asked him concerning his oracular gift,[35] and
whether anything yet remained of it. ‘Ah,’ he replied, ‘it was but a
puff or two, as from a pair of bellows.’ So he returned to his tribe,
and went forth with them to the wars in Irâc, where, in the great
struggle with Persia, he became a hero of renown.
[Sidenote: Beni Asad and other tribes received back into Islam.]
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