Abū Sabra set out with his army, accompanied by Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī and Nuʿmān b. Muqrin. They also had Hurmuzān with them. They began to pursue those who had been defeated among the Farsh. Eventually, they reached the city of Sūs and laid siege to it. Abū Sabra informed ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) of this situation by letter. In the reply, ʿUmar ordered Abū Mūsā to return to Basra and commanded that Zirr b. ʿAbdullāh b. Kulayb al-Akimī from among the Companions (ṣaḥāba) proceed toward Jundī Sābūr. Then Abū Sabra sent one-fifth of the spoils and Hurmuzān to ʿUmar with a delegation that included Anas b. Mālik and Aḥnaf b. Qays. As this delegation, together with Hurmuzān, approached Medina, they dressed him in his gold-embroidered silk garments, his crown adorned with rubies, and all his gold and various ornaments, so that ʿUmar and the Muslims could see them. When the delegation entered Medina, they looked for ʿUmar but, upon asking his whereabouts, were told: He has gone to the mosque to meet a delegation from Kufa. So they went there. They found ʿUmar in the mosque, lying down, leaning on his cloak. ʿUmar had dressed in this manner to receive the delegation. After the delegation left, he used it as a pillow and slept. They approached him while he was asleep, whip in hand. Hurmuzān asked:
– Where is ʿUmar? They replied:
– This is ʿUmar. Then Hurmuzān asked:
– Where are his guards and chamberlains? They replied:
– He has neither guards, nor chamberlains, nor scribes. Hurmuzān then said:
– Then he must be a prophet. Those with him replied:
– He is not a prophet, but he acts like the prophets.
ʿUmar awoke due to the commotion around him, sat up, and, upon looking closely at Hurmuzān, asked:
– Is this Hurmuzān? They replied:
– Yes. Then ʿUmar scrutinized Hurmuzān and his ornaments, then said: "I seek refuge in Allah from the Fire of Hell and ask His help. Praise be to Allah who has humbled this and its like through Islam. O community of Muslims, hold fast to this religion and follow the path of our Prophet. Let not the world delude you, for the world is very treacherous."
Those present said:
– O Commander of the Believers, this is the ruler of Ahvaz. Speak with him. But ʿUmar said:
– No, I will not speak with him until he removes all his ornaments. So they obeyed ʿUmar's command, removed Hurmuzān's ornaments, and dressed him in a thickly woven garment. ʿUmar asked him:
– O Hurmuzān! Have you seen the outcome of breaking treaties and opposing Allah's commands?
– O ʿUmar! In the time of ignorance, Allah left us to ourselves, and in the end, we defeated you, but now you have defeated us.
– So, on what did you rely when you repeatedly broke your treaty?
– I fear you will kill me before I can explain.
– No, do not fear that, replied ʿUmar. Upon this, Hurmuzān asked for water. When a rather rough and thick cup was brought, Hurmuzān said:
– Even if I were dying of thirst, I would not drink from such a vessel. Then they brought him water in a cup he approved of. When the water was brought, Hurmuzān said:
– I fear being killed while drinking. ʿUmar replied:
– No, there is nothing to fear for you until you finish drinking this water. Hurmuzān took the water and poured it out. ʿUmar said:
– Bring him water again, and do not kill him while he is thirsty. But Hurmuzān replied:
– I have no need for water. I only used it as a pretext to seek protection. ʿUmar said to him:
– I will kill you! Hurmuzān replied:
– You granted me protection. ʿUmar said:
– You are lying. Then Anas b. Mālik said:
– O Commander of the Believers! He is telling the truth; you did indeed grant him protection. Upon this, ʿUmar said:
– O Anas, how can I grant protection to one who killed Majzaʾ b. Thawr and Barāʾ b. Mālik? By Allah, either you show me a way out or I will punish you. Anas replied:
– You told him: "There is nothing to fear until you explain your situation to me, and nothing to fear until you finish drinking this water." When those present said similar things, ʿUmar turned to Hurmuzān and said:
– You have deceived me. By Allah, I will not accept this unless you become Muslim. So he became Muslim. Upon this, ʿUmar allotted him 2,000 dirhams and settled him in Medina.
According to another narration, Mugīra b. Shuʿba acted as interpreter between ʿUmar and Hurmuzān. ʿUmar said to Mugīra:
– Ask him where he is from. Hurmuzān said he was from Mihrijān. ʿUmar said:
– State your proof. Hurmuzān replied:
– Shall I give you the words of the living or the dead? ʿUmar said:
– Give me the words of the living. Hurmuzān said:
– You have granted me protection. ʿUmar said:
– You have deceived me, and unless you become Muslim, I will not accept it. So Hurmuzān became Muslim. ʿUmar allotted him a salary of 2,000 dirhams. Then Zayd came and also acted as interpreter between ʿUmar and Hurmuzān.
I say: After becoming Muslim, Hurmuzān practiced Islam well. He did not leave ʿUmar's side. Eventually, ʿUmar was killed, and some accused him and Jufayna of collaborating with Abū Luʾluʾ. As a result, ʿUbaydullāh b. ʿUmar killed Hurmuzān and Jufayna. Further details will be given later. According to a narration that has reached us, when ʿUbaydullāh drew his sword to kill Hurmuzān, the latter said, "Lā ilāha illā Allah." ʿUbaydullāh also drew a cross on Jufayna's forehead.
In summary, we say: ʿUmar forbade the Muslims from spreading into the Persian lands, fearing harm from the Persians. However, Aḥnaf b. Qays explained to him that it was beneficial to expand the conquests in Persian lands, and that King Yazdegerd was constantly inciting the Persians to war against the Muslims. He warned that if the Muslims did not eradicate the Persians, the latter would always be eager to fight against Islam and the Muslims. ʿUmar approved and agreed with this view, and permitted the Muslims to expand their conquests in Persian lands. As a result, the Muslims conquered many more places. Praise be to Allah. As will be explained later, most of the conquests in Persian lands occurred in the eighteenth year of the Hijra.
Let us return to the conquest of the city of Sūs and the conquests of Jundī Sābūr and Nihāwand. As previously mentioned, Abū Sabra, together with his high-ranking commanders, went from Tustar to Sūs, besieged it, and began fighting. Many men were killed on both sides. The scholars of Sūs leaned over the walls toward the Muslim army and called out:
– O community of Muslims, do not tire yourselves in vain with this siege. According to what our ancestors have told us, this city will only be conquered by the Dajjāl or by a people among whom the Dajjāl is present. Among the soldiers of Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī was Ṣafī b. Sayyād. Abū Mūsā sent him among those besieging Sūs. Ṣafī b. Sayyād came to the city gate, kicked it with his foot, the chains broke, the locks shattered, and thus the Muslims entered the city and killed the enemies they found there. Eventually, the enemies sought protection and called for peace. The Muslims responded to their call. The governor of Sūs was Hurmuzān's brother, Shahrīyār. In the end, the Muslims took Sūs. It was one of the oldest cities on earth. It is even said that it was the first city established on earth, but Allah knows best.
According to Ibn Jarīr, the Muslims found the grave of Dānyāl in Sūs. After Abū Mūsā arrived there and Abū Sabra went to Jundī Sābūr, he informed ʿUmar of this by letter; ʿUmar, in his reply, ordered him to conceal the grave of Dānyāl from the people and to make its location unknown. Abū Mūsā carried out this order. We have explained this matter in detail in our work "The Biography of ʿUmar." Praise be to Allah.
Ibn Jarīr said: Some have said that the conquest of Sūs and Rām Hurmuz, and the sending of Hurmuzān from Tustar to ʿUmar, occurred in the twentieth year of the Hijra. Allah knows best.
ʿUmar sent a letter ordering Nuʿmān b. Muqrin to march against the people of Nihāwand. In compliance, he set out for Nihāwand, and before reaching it, he passed through the large city of Māh, conquered it, and then went on to conquer Nihāwand as well. Praise be to Allah.
I say: As will be explained later, the city of Nihāwand was conquered in the twenty-first year of the Hijra. This was truly a great event and an important conquest. Zirr b. ʿAbdullāh al-Fakimī also conquered the city of Jundī Sābūr, bringing those lands into the fold of the Muslims.
It should also be noted that Yazdegerd, while moving from city to city, eventually settled in Isfahan. He placed 300 of his leading companions under the command of a man named Siyāh, and they kept fleeing from city to city ahead of the Muslims. When the Muslims conquered Tustar and Istakhr, Siyāh said to his companions: "These people, after misfortune and humiliation, have inherited the abodes of former kings. They have crushed every army they have faced. By Allah, this is not in vain." The greatness of Islam entered Siyāh's heart. After this speech, his companions told him they would follow him. Meanwhile, ʿAmmār b. Yāsir sent them a message inviting them to iman (faith) in Allah. They then informed Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī that they had become Muslims. Abū Mūsā wrote to ʿUmar informing him of their conversion. ʿUmar ordered that each of them be given a salary of 2,000 dirhams, and for six of them, 2,500 dirhams each. They practiced Islam well and were of great benefit to the Muslims in defeating their fellow Persians. For example, one day, when the Iranians were besieged in a fortified castle and the Muslims could not enter, one of them came to the castle gate at night, stained his clothes with blood, and when the Persians saw him, thinking he was one of their own, they let him in and opened the gate to protect him. He then attacked and killed the gatekeeper, and his companions rushed in and conquered the castle, killing the Magians inside. Many other astonishing feats like this were witnessed.
Allah guides whom He wills to the straight path.
According to Ibn Jarīr, ʿUmar prepared banners and standards for the purpose of fighting the Iranians in Khurāsān and Iraq and to expand the conquests in the Persian lands, upon the advice of Aḥnaf b. Qays.
For this reason, as we will explain and draw your attention to later, many conquests took place in the eighteenth year of the Hijra.
In the seventeenth year of the Hijra, the Commander of the Believers, ʿUmar son of al-Khaṭṭāb, led the people in the ḥajj. Afterwards, he announced the names of the governors he had appointed to the provinces. We have previously listed the names of these governors. Only Mugīra b. Shuʿba was removed from his post as governor of Basra and replaced by Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī.
I say: In the seventeenth year of the Hijra, some people passed away. There are those who say they died earlier. We have listed the names of those who died. Some say they died not in the seventeenth year but later. We will mention them when appropriate. Allah knows best.