Ibn Jarir said: In this year, Sa'd b. Waqqas established Kufa as a city. Ibn Bukayla showed him the location of Kufa, saying:
"For the sake of Allah's pleasure, I will show you a place. There are no bedbugs or mosquitoes or similar pests here. It is a flat land, with a slight incline."
In this year, the Battle of Marj al-Rum took place. As mentioned on previous pages, Abu Ubayda and Khalid b. al-Walid, after the incident at Fihl, set out towards Homs by the order of ʿUmar. They camped at the location of Zi'l-Kila. Heraclius, on the other hand, sent an army under the command of Theodore, and this army camped at Marj Dimashq and to its west. Winter had set in. Abu Ubayda began operations first at Marj al-Rum. Another Byzantine commander named Shanas arrived, commanding a large army. Abu Ubayda confronted him. They prevented him from joining Theodore. Theodore continued on the road towards Damascus, intending to settle there and wrest it from Yazid b. Abi Sufyan. Khalid b. al-Walid followed him towards Damascus. Yazid b. Abi Sufyan came from Damascus to confront him, and the two sides fought.
While they were fighting, Khalid b. al-Walid arrived and began to attack the Byzantines from the rear. Yazid separated the soldiers at the front from those at the rear, leaving them isolated. Eventually, night fell. They routed the Byzantines, and only those who fled managed to escape death. Khalid b. al-Walid also killed Theodore. They captured a large amount of booty from the Byzantines and divided it among themselves. Yazid returned to Damascus. Khalid b. al-Walid also returned to Abu Ubayda. He found him at Marj al-Rum, engaged in battle with Shanas. A great battle took place between them. Abu Ubayda killed Shanas and pursued his soldiers, continuing the chase as far as Homs. Then Abu Ubayda laid siege to Homs as well.