In this year, Walīd b. Kaʿka went on a military expedition (ghazā) to Anatolia. In this year, Asad b. ʿAbdullāh b. Kusān killed the great khagan of the Turks. The reason for this was as follows: Asad b. ʿAbdullāh was the governor of Khurasan and appointed his brother Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh as his deputy in Iraq. Then, together with his troops, he went to the city of Huttal and conquered it. His soldiers dispersed throughout the area, killing people, taking captives, and collecting spoils. Spies went to the Turkish khagan and informed him that Asad’s troops had spread around the city of Huttal. The khagan seized this opportunity, immediately gathered his troops, and set out towards Asad. He and his soldiers took with them a large quantity of weapons, preserved meat, and salt. They were extremely enraged.
When Asad received news that the Turkish khagan was advancing against him with a large army, he began to make preparations. He sent word to his soldiers and gathered them. Some people spread the rumor that the khagan had attacked Asad b. ʿAbdullāh, killing him and his men. The aim was to further disperse Asad’s men and prevent them from regrouping with him. But Allah, the Exalted, turned their plot against themselves. He transformed their stratagems into ruin. For when the Muslims heard this rumor, they were stirred by zeal for Islam, became even more enraged against their enemies, and resolved firmly to take revenge. They headed towards the place where Asad was, and saw that he was alive and that soldiers from all directions had gathered around him.
Asad advanced towards the khagan. He went to Mount Milh and wanted to cross the river Balkh, with a great amount of spoils with them. Asad did not want to leave these spoils behind, so he ordered each cavalryman to load one sheep in front and another around his neck. He threatened to cut off the hand of anyone who did not comply. He himself took a sheep around his neck and entered the river. Before they had fully crossed, the khagan caught up with them with his cavalry. He killed those he caught and some weak Muslim soldiers who could not cross to the other side. When they reached the bank, they paused. The Muslims thought the Turks would not be able to cross the river and reach them. However, the Turks consulted among themselves on the bank and then decided to attack together. They numbered 50,000. They crossed the river and began to beat their war drums fiercely, so much so that the Muslims thought the Turks had entered the Muslim garrison. Then, all together, they plunged into the river. Their horses began to neigh loudly. The Turks came to the Muslims’ side. The Muslims took up defensive positions in their garrison, having dug a trench around themselves. The Turks could not approach them. The two armies spent the night facing each other, seeing each other’s fires. In the morning, the khagan attacked some Muslim soldiers, killed some, took others captive, and seized loads and camels as spoils.
The two armies faced each other on the day of the Ramadan festival. Asad’s soldiers feared they would not be able to perform the festival prayer, so they performed it as a prayer of fear (ṣalāt al-khawf). Then Asad set out with his soldiers, went to Marj-i Balakh, and encamped there, spending the winter. On the day of the Sacrifice festival, he rose and delivered a sermon to the soldiers. He consulted them, saying: “Shall we go to Merv, or confront the khagan, or try to defend ourselves in Balkh?” Some suggested defending themselves in Balkh. Others proposed, relying upon Allah (tawakkul), to confront the khagan. Asad agreed with this view and advanced towards the khagan with his soldiers. At that time, he led his soldiers in a long two-unit prayer. After the prayer, he made a lengthy supplication (dua). When he finished his supplication, he said to his soldiers: “God willing, you will be victorious.” Then he set out with the Muslims accompanying him. The vanguard forces met the khagan’s vanguard. The Muslims killed some of the Turks. They captured the commander of the vanguard and seven other commanders with him. Then Asad advanced, reached the enemy’s sheep, and drove the flocks before him. There were 150,000 sheep. After this, he encountered the Turkish army.
The khagan had about 4,000 soldiers with him, and there was an Arab named Ḥāris b. Shurayḥ acting as his amir. He was informing the khagan of the Muslims’ vulnerabilities. When the two armies met, the Turks began to flee in all directions. The khagan and his amir, Ḥāris b. Shurayḥ, who was protecting him, were routed and fled. Asad pursued them. At noon, the khagan was left with about 400 men, their faces covered with silk veils. Their war drums were with them. When the Muslims caught up with them, they ordered the drums to be beaten fiercely. This was the signal for a retreat, and they beat them three times, but could not escape. The Muslims advanced and surrounded the Turkish camp, seizing all the great and valuable possessions, gold and silver vessels, women and children within. The spoils were beyond count, their value and beauty inestimable.
Only the khagan, realizing he was about to die, stabbed his wife with a dagger. When the Muslims reached the camp, the khagan’s wife was dying. They saw the Turks’ cauldrons boiling and their food cooking. The khagan fled with his companions and took refuge in a city. Previously, the khagan had played backgammon with one of his commanders, and when the commander defeated him, the khagan threatened him with the punishment of hand-cutting. The commander became angry and harbored resentment. He waited for an opportunity to kill him, and when the khagan was taking refuge in this city, he killed him. Upon the khagan’s death, the Turks began to scatter, plunder each other’s possessions, and attack one another.
Asad sent word to his brother Khālid, informing him that they had defeated the khagan and were victorious and triumphant. He also sent him the khagan’s drums and war drums, whose sounds resembled thunder. He sent many of the khagan’s goods and possessions to his brother as well. His brother sent these items to Hishām, the trustworthy of the believers. Hishām was very pleased, and gave the envoys who brought the news and goods large sums from the public treasury (bayt al-māl). One of the poets praised Asad for this heroism as follows:
“Even if you measured the earth length and breadth,
You would not find an emir and commander better and more resolute than Asad.
He showered us with goodness and kindness, restored our condition, and removed our disorder.
The khagan could not escape from his hand. He scattered the khagan’s gathered troops.
O Asad, son of Shurayḥ, you displayed such valor that
You extinguished the fire of hatred in our ailing hearts and brought us relief.”
In this year, Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh al-Qusarī killed Mughīra b. Saʿīd and a group of his followers who were with him in falsehood. Mughīra was a sorcerer, a wicked man, a Shiʿi, and a vile person.
Ibn Jarīr narrated that Mughīra b. Saʿīd said: “If I had wished, I could have revived the peoples of ʿĀd and Thamūd and some generations between them.”
Al-Aʿmash said: “Mughīra used to go to the cemetery, speak, and things like locusts would appear over the graves.”
Ibn Jarīr also related other things proving his sorcery and wickedness. When Khālid b. ʿAbdullāh al-Qusarī heard of his evil, he ordered him to be brought before him, and he was brought with six or seven men. Khālid ordered that his throne be brought to the mosque. He asked for reed stalks to be brought. He ordered Mughīra to embrace one of these stalks. When Mughīra refused, he had him beaten. Finally, he embraced one of the stalks, and naphtha was poured over his head. Then he was set alight and burned. The same method was applied to his other companions.
In this year, a man named Bahlūl b. Bishr, known by the nickname “Kussāre,” rebelled. Nearly a hundred Khārijites followed him. They intended to kill Khālid al-Qusarī. Khālid sent detachments against them. They defeated the troops sent against them. Because of their courage and endurance, their situation became quite strong. However, the troops sent against them were not sincere men. They repelled armed, mounted units numbering in the thousands, while their own number did not even reach a hundred. Then they set out for Syria with the aim of killing the caliph Hishām. In al-Jazīra, a military unit confronted them. The two sides fought fiercely. Most of the Khārijites with Bahlūl were killed. Then, in al-Jazīra, a man known as Abū’l-Mawt (the father of death) struck Bahlūl down. The remaining men of Bahlūl also dispersed. Altogether, they were only seventy men. One of their companions composed this elegy for them:
“After the death of Abū Bishr, I saw people who aided the enemy.
As if yesterday they were not our friends and companions. O eye, now shed tears for us and weep. They emptied the world inside and out for us. In the eternal gardens they became our neighbors.”
Then another group of them gathered around some of their leaders and fought. They killed and were killed.
Khālid al-Qusarī sent troops against them. These troops eradicated them, leaving none behind.
In this year, Asad al-Qusarī went on a military expedition (ghazā) to the Turkish lands. The Turkish ruler Turkhān offered him 1,000,000 dirhams, but he did not accept it at all. He seized the Turkish lands by force. He had Turkhān killed before him, bound hand and foot. He took his city, fortress, crops, goods, and women as spoils.
A Khārijite named Sahārī b. Shabīb rebelled. A small group of about thirty people followed him. Khālid al-Qusarī sent a detachment against him. This detachment killed him and all his companions. Not a single one of them remained.
Abū Shākir Maslama b. Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik led the people in the pilgrimage (ḥajj). Ibn Shihāb al-Zuhrī also performed the ḥajj with him to teach him the rites of pilgrimage.
The governor of Mecca, Medina, and Ṭāʾif was Muḥammad b. Hishām b. Ismāʿīl. The governor of Iraq, the eastern province, and Khurasan was Khālid al-Qusarī. His deputy in Khurasan was Asad b. ʿAbdullāh al-Qusarī. It is reported that he died in this year. There is also a weak report that he died in the year 120 of the Hijra. Allah knows best.
In this year, the governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan was Marwān al-Ḥimār, known as “the Donkey Marwān.” Allah knows best.