# The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 10/Chapter 3

CHAPTER III
Ad-Dînawar, Mâsabadhân and Mihrijânḳadhaf
Ad-Dînawar makes terms. Abu-Mûsa-l-Ashʿari left Nihâwand, to which he had come with the army of al-Baṣrah for the reinforcement of an-Nuʿmân ibn-Muḳarrin. On his way, he passed by ad-Dînawar where he camped for five days, in which he was offered resistance for only one day. The people of ad-Dînawar then agreed to pay tax and kharâj, and sought safety for their lives, possessions and children. Abu-Mûsa granted their request and left over the city his ʿâmil, together with some horsemen, and proceeded to Mâsabadhân, whose people offered no resistance.
As-Sîrawân makes terms. The people of as-Sîrawân made terms similar to those of ad-Dînawar, agreeing to pay poll-tax and kharâj; and abu-Mûsa sent detachments and conquered all the lands of ad-Dînawar. Others assert that abu-Mûsa conquered Mâsabadhân before the battle of Nihâwand.
Aṣ-Ṣaimarah capitulates. Abu-Mûsa ʿAbdallâh ibn-Ḳais al-Ashʿari sent as-Sâʾib ibn-al-Aḳraʿ ath-Thaḳafi—who was his son-in-law through his daughter umm-Muḥammad ibn-as-Sâʾib—to aṣ-Ṣaimarah the chief city of Mihrijânḳadhaf. The city capitulated; and it was agreed that the lives of the inhabitants be spared, that no captives be taken, and that no pieces of gold or silver be carried away, ​provided the inhabitants paid poll-tax and kharâj on the land. As-Sâʾib reduced all the districts of Mihrijânḳadhaf. The more reliable report is that abu-Mûsa dispatched as-Sâʾib from al-Ahwâz; and the latter reduced Mihrijânḳadhaf.
Sinn Sumairah. Muḥammad ibn-ʿUḳbah ibn-Muṣrim aḍ-Ḍabbi from certain sheikhs of al-Kûufah:—When the Moslems invaded al-Jibâl, they passed by the eastern summit called Sinn Sumairah, Sumairah being a woman of the Ḍabbah [a branch] of the banu-Muʿâwiyah ibn-Kaʿb ibn-Thaʿlabah ibn-Saʿd ibn-Ḍabbah and one of the Emigrants. Sumairah had a tooth [sinn protruding beyond the others]; hence the name of the peak Sinn Sumairah.
Ḳanâṭir an-Nuʿmân. Ḳanâṭir [arches] an-Nuʿmân, according to ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi, were named after an-Nuʿmân ibn-ʿAmr ibn-Muḳarrin al-Muzani, who camped by these Ḳanâṭir, which had been standing from ancient time.
Kathîr ibn-Shihâb. Al-ʿAbbâs ibn-Hishâm al-Kalbi from ʿAwânah:—Kathîr ibn-Shihâb ibn-al-Ḥuṣain ibn-dhi-l-Ghuṣṣah-l-Ḥârithi belonged to the ʿUthmân party and often spoke evil of ʿAli ibn-abi-Ṭâlib, and dissuaded men from following al-Ḥusain. He died either before or at the beginning of the rebellion of al-Mukhtâr ibn-abi-ʿUbaid. Al-Mukhtâr ibn-abi-ʿUbaid referred to him when he said: "By the Lord of heavens, the severe in punishment, the revealer of the Book, I shall surely dig the grave of Kathîr ibn-Shihâb, the transgressor, the liar." Muʿâwiyah gave him for some time the governorship of ar-Rai and Dastaba, which he held on behalf of Muʿâwiyah and his two ʿâmils, Ziyâd and al-Mughîrah ibn-Shuʿbah. After that, he incurred Muʿâwiyah's anger and was flogged and imprisoned by him in ​Damascus. Shuraiḥ ibn-Hâniʾ al-Muradi interceded in favor of Kathîr; and he was released. Yazîd ibn-Muʿâwiyah, for selfish reasons, approved of following Kathîr and siding with him, and wrote to ʿUbaidallâh ibn-Ziyâd, asking him to appoint Kathîr over Mâsabadhân, Mihrijânḳadhaf, Ḥulwân and al-Mâhain [the two Mâhs] , which he did, giving Kathîr many villages of the crown-domains in al-Jabal as fief. Here Kathîr built the castle which bears his name and which lies in ad-Dinawar. Zuhrah ibn-al-Ḥârith ibn-Manṣûr ibn-Ḳais ibn-Kathîr ibn-Shihâb had secured many crown-villages at Mâsabadhân.
Al-Khashârimah. I learned from a descendant of Khashram ibn-Mâlik ibn-Hubairah-l-Asadi that the Khashârimah came first to Mâsabadhân towards the end of the Umaiyad dynasty, their grandfather being an emigrant from al-Kûfah.
Kathîr made governor. Al-ʿUmari from al-Haitham ibn-ʿAdi:—Ziyâd was one day on a trip when the belt of his robe became loose. Kathîr ibn-Shihâb immediately drew a needle, that was stuck in his cap, and a thread and mended the belt. Seeing that, Ziyâd said, "Thou art a man of discretion; and such a one should never go without an office." Saying this, he appointed him governor over a part of al-Jabal.
* ↑ Cf. Athîr, vol. ii, p. 409; Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2477; Yâḳût, vol. iv, p. 393.
* ↑ Cf. Maḥâsin, vol. i, p. 700, and Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2458: "ʿUḳbah ibn-Mukram".
* ↑ Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2648.
* ↑ or al-Jibâl == Persian ʿIrâḳ or Media. Meynard, p. 151; Ḳazwîni, p. 228; Hamadhâni, p. 209; Rustah, p. 106.