There was no better rider to be found in his father’s army than this prince, al-Qurajan, who used to charge alone against three thousand foes. He now pitched his tents outside the city, while all his champions came out, equipped and armed themselves and followed their leader, squadron after squadron. Al-Qurajan, swollen with pride, recited the lines:
I am al-Qurajan, the famous,
The conqueror of nomads and settled folk.
How many a rider have I killed,
Felling him like a cow!
How many an army have I scattered,
Rolling their skulls like balls!
I shall attack Iraq,
Shedding enemy blood like rain.
I shall capture Gharib and his paladins,
And their punishment will be a lesson to all those who can see.
When his army had been on the move for twelve days, they saw a dust cloud rising to cover the horizon, and at the sight of it he sent out his scouts to discover what it meant. They went off, and after they had passed beneath the banners of the advancing force, they returned to tell al-Qurajan that these were the Muslims. He was glad to hear that and he asked the scouts whether they had counted the numbers, to which they replied that they had made out twenty standards. ‘By the truth of my religion,’ he said, ‘I shall not send out anyone else against them, but I alone shall attack them, leaving their skulls to be trampled by our horses.’
The dust was that of al-Jamraqan’s men, and when he looked at the infidels and saw that their army was like the swelling sea, he halted his force and ordered his tents to be pitched. His men dismounted and raised their banners, calling on the Name of the Omniscient King, the Creator of light and darkness, the Lord of all things, Who looks out from on high and sees but is not seen, praise be to Him, Almighty as He is, for there is no god but He. The infidels also dismounted and pitched camp, but al-Qurajan told them not to sleep until they were armed and ready, adding: ‘When it comes to the last third of the night, mount and ride down this small band.’ His orders were heard by one of al-Jamraqan’s spies, who was standing there to listen to the infidels’ plans. When al-Jamraqan had been told of this, he turned to his paladins and said: ‘Arm yourselves and at nightfall bring me the mules and the camels, as well as all the kinds of bells that you can find, and hang these around their necks.’ There were more than twenty thousand camels and mules, and the Muslims waited until the infidels were asleep, after which al-Jamraqan ordered them to mount and ride, trusting in God and seeking help from the Lord of creation. He told them to drive the animals towards the infidels, pricking the beasts with their lance points, and, having done this, they launched an attack on the tents of the infidels. All the bells sounded as the Muslims, following the animals, raised the shout of ‘God is greater!’ and the mountains and hills rang with the Name of the Almighty King, the Omnipotent and Great. When they heard the noise, the horses charged, trampling the tents, as the infidels lay sleeping.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the six hundred and forty-sixth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that al-Jamraqan launched a night attack against the infidels with his men, his horses and his camels as they lay asleep. Al-Qurajan’s men woke in dismay and, snatching up their weapons, they attacked each other until most of them had been killed. Then, when they looked and found no single Muslim corpse but only armed Muslims on horseback, they realized that they had been tricked. Al-Qurajan called out to the survivors: ‘You bastards, they have done to us what we wanted to do to them, and their scheme has worked better!’ They were about to charge when a huge dust cloud rose up, blocking the horizons, and was carried high into the air by the wind, while underneath it could be seen gleaming helmets and glittering mail worn by none but famous heroes carrying Indian swords and flexible lances. When the infidels saw the dust they stopped fighting, and both sides sent out scouting parties, which rode there, looked and came back with the news that this was a Muslim force.
The newcomers were the troops sent out by Gharib with Sa‘dan the ghul, and it was he who was riding at their head. He joined his pious co-religionists and at that point al-Jamraqan and his men charged the infidels like sparks of fire, striking at them with sharp swords and quivering Rudaini lances. So thick was the dust that the day was darkened and men were blinded; the courageous fighters stood firm while the cowards took flight, making for the open spaces of the deserts, while blood flowed in streams on to the ground. Fighting continued until evening came and darkness fell. The Muslims then broke off the battle and went to their tents, where they ate their food and passed the night until darkness had cleared away and the next day’s dawn had broken, when, after the morning prayer, they rode out again to battle.
At the close of the fighting, al-Qurajan found that two-thirds of his men had fallen to the swords and lances of the Muslims, while most of the rest were wounded. So he told them that the next day he himself would go to the battlefield to challenge the Muslim heroes. When it was light the next morning both sides rode out, and while shouts rose, swords flashed, brown lances were levelled and the battle ranks formed up, it was he who came out to begin the fight, calling out: ‘Let no idle weakling come out to face me today!’ Both al-Jamraqan and Sa‘dan the ghul were standing under the Muslim banners, but it was the chief of the Banu ‘Amir who rode out to answer the challenge. The two opponents charged at each other like butting rams, but after a while al-Qurajan took hold of his opponent’s coat of mail and used it to drag him from the saddle, dashing him to the ground. While he was distracted by his fall, the infidels tied him up and took him to their camp. Al-Qurajan wheeled and turned, repeating his challenge. He captured a second leader, and went on to capture a series of others, one after the other, until he had taken seven before midday.
At that point al-Jamraqan bellowed so loudly that the battlefield resounded and both armies heard it. Then, full of fury, he charged at al-Qurajan, reciting these lines:
I am al-Jamraqan the bold,
All riders fear to face me, the ravager of fortresses
That are left to mourn the loss of their defenders.
Al-Qurajan, follow the path of right guidance,
Quitting the way of error.
Acknowledge the unity of God, Who raised the heavens,
Who causes the waters to run and sets fast the hills.
The Muslim will be sheltered in Paradise,
And spared the painful punishment.
When al-Qurajan heard this, he snorted and roared, cursing the sun and the moon, and he then charged at al-Jamraqan, reciting:
I am al-Qurajan, Time’s greatest hero;
The lion in his covert trembles at my shadow.
I conquer castles and hunt down wild beasts;
All riders fear me in the fight.
Al-Jamraqan, if you do not believe me,
Then come out now and challenge me.
At this, al-Jamraqan charged with a stout heart; such were the sword blows of both champions that the ranks cried out. They thrust with their lances, shouting at each other, and they continued to fight until the afternoon had passed and the day was drawing to its close. It was then that al-Jamraqan rushed at al-Qurajan and struck him to the ground with a mace blow on his chest. He fell like the trunk of a palm tree and the Muslims tied him up, dragging him off with a rope, like a camel. When the infidels saw their chief a prisoner, they were filled with pagan fanaticism and charged at the Muslims in the hope of setting him free, but the Muslim champions met them and left them cast down on the ground, while the survivors took flight, looking for safety as the sword strokes whistled through the air behind them. The Muslims pursued until the infidels had been dispersed through the mountains and deserts, after which the Muslims came back to collect spoils in plenty, horses, tents and so on, amounting to enormous booty. Al-Jamraqan invited al-Qurajan to accept Islam, but in spite of threats he refused and as a result his head was cut off and carr
ied on a lance point as the Muslims resumed their march on Oman.
When the infidels told their king, al-Jaland, that his son had been killed and his army destroyed, he dashed his crown to the ground and struck his face until blood flowed from his nostrils and he fell to the ground unconscious. Rosewater was sprinkled on him and when he had recovered, he called for his vizier and instructed him to write to all his governors with orders to fetch every man who could wield a sword, thrust with a lance or carry a bow. The letters were written and sent off with couriers, after which the governors made their preparations and left with a huge army numbering a hundred and eighty thousand men. The tents, the camels and the horses were ready and they were about to march when al-Jamraqan and Sa‘dan the ghul arrived with seventy thousand mail-clad riders like grim lions. At the sight of them, al-Jaland exclaimed joyfully: ‘By the truth of the radiant sun, I shall leave them no lands nor any to carry back news, for I shall ravage Iraq and revenge my heroic son before the fire of my anger cools.’ He then turned to ‘Ajib and said: ‘Iraqi dog, it is you who have brought this on us, and I swear by my God that if I fail to avenge myself on my foes I shall see that you die the worst of deaths.’
On hearing this, ‘Ajib was filled with distress and began to blame himself, but he waited until the Muslims had halted and pitched their tents. Then, under cover of darkness, he took the survivors of his clan away from the tents and told them: ‘Cousins, when the Muslims advanced, both I and al-Jaland were filled with fear, and I realized that he didn’t have the power to protect me from my brother, or from anyone else. What I think we should do is to set off when everyone is asleep and make for King Ya‘rub ibn Qahtan, who has more troops and greater power.’ When his clan heard this they agreed with him, and so he told them to light fires at the entrances of their tents and leave under cover of darkness. They did what he told them and by the time morning broke they were already far away.
As for al-Jaland, he rode out in the morning with two hundred and sixty thousand armoured men wearing closely woven coats of mail. The war drums were beaten and the battle ranks drawn up, while, on the other side, al-Jamraqan and Sa‘dan came with forty thousand fierce and excellent fighters, prompt in pursuit, one thousand of whom were grouped beneath each standard. When both sides had formed up, they came out to fight, drawing their swords and levelling their flexible lances in order to pour cups of death.
The first to begin the battle was Sa‘dan, like a granite mountain or a marid of the jinn, and when he had killed his first opponent and thrown him down on the battlefield, he shouted to his sons and his servants to light a fire and roast the corpse. When this had been done, they brought it to him, and he proceeded to eat it, crunching the bones as the infidels stood looking on from a distance, calling on the radiant sun. As they were flinching from him, al-Jaland shouted out: ‘Kill this foul creature!’ but the first leader to challenge him fell and he continued to kill one rider after another until, after he had left thirty dead, the base infidels held back, saying: ‘Who can fight against jinn and ghuls?’ Al-Jaland then ordered a hundred of them to attack and to bring him Sa‘dan alive or dead. They made at him with swords and lances, but he met them with a heart stronger than flint, proclaiming the unity of God, the Judge, Whose attention nothing can distract, and shouting: ‘God is greater!’ He struck at their heads with his sword, cutting them off, and in a single charge he killed seventy-four of them, routing the remainder. At this point al-Jaland ordered ten leaders, each commanding a thousand men, to shoot at Sa‘dan’s horse so that when it fell under him they could seize him. Ten thousand charged and were met by Sa‘dan with a stout heart, and when al-Jamraqan and the Muslims saw this, they shouted ‘God is greater!’ They charged in their turn, but before they could reach Sa‘dan, his horse had been killed and he himself had been captured.
The Muslims continued to fight until darkness fell and they could no longer see. Sharp swords were clashing as bold riders stood firm while cowards were discomforted, but in relation to the unbelievers the Muslims were like a white blaze on the body of a black bull.
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the six hundred and forty-seventh night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that the battle continued to rage between Muslims and unbelievers, and that in relation to the latter the Muslims were like a white blaze on the body of a black bull. The battle had continued until nightfall, when both sides broke off, the infidels having suffered innumerable casualties. Al-Jamraqan and his men were filled with such sadness for the loss of Sa‘dan that they could enjoy neither food nor sleep, but on inspecting their ranks they found that fewer than a thousand were dead. Al-Jamraqan promised that the next day he himself would take the field, killing the infidel champions and capturing their families to use as ransom for Sa‘dan, with the permission of God, the Judge, Whose attention nothing can distract. This consoled and cheered the Muslims, who dispersed to their tents.
As for al-Jaland, when he had entered his pavilion and taken his seat on the royal throne, surrounded by his guards, he called for Sa‘dan, and when he had been brought before him, al-Jaland said: ‘You mad dog, least of the Arabs, wood carrier, who was it who killed my son, al-Qurajan, the hero of the age, the slayer of his foes, the overthrower of champions?’ Sa‘dan told him: ‘He was killed by al-Jamraqan, the leader of the army of King Gharib, the prince of champions, and I roasted him and ate him because I was hungry.’ When al-Jaland heard this, his eyes sank back into his head and he ordered that Sa‘dan’s head be cut off. The executioner advanced eagerly, but Sa‘dan strained against the ropes that bound him and broke them, after which he attacked the executioner, snatched the sword from him and struck off his head. He then made for al-Jaland, but al-Jaland threw himself down from his throne and took flight, so Sa‘dan fell on the bystanders and killed twenty of the king’s intimates while the rest of the commanders fled. Shouts were raised throughout the infidel army as Sa‘dan attacked, striking right and left, and as he continued to cut at them with his sword, they dispersed, leaving him a clear path out of their camp as he fought his way to the Muslim tents. The Muslims had heard the infidels shouting and had wondered whether they had received reinforcements, but while they were in a state of uncertainty, they were cheered by Sa‘dan’s arrival. The most delighted of them was al-Jamraqan, who joined the others in greeting him and congratulating him on his escape.
So much for them, but as for the infidels, they and al-Jaland returned to their tents after Sa‘dan had gone, and al-Jaland exclaimed: ‘I swear by the truth of the radiant sun, the dark night, the light of day and the planets, I didn’t think that I would escape death today, for had I fallen into the hands of the ghul he would have eaten me and he would have thought no more of me than of an ear of wheat or barley or a grain of corn.’ His men confirmed that they had never seen anyone do what the ghul had done, and al-Jaland then told them that the next day they were to arm themselves, mount and crush the Muslims beneath their horses’ hooves.
The Muslims, for their part, were all delighted by their victory and by Sa‘dan’s escape. Al-Jamraqan promised: ‘Tomorrow I shall display my prowess on the battlefield and show you what befits a man like me. I swear by the truth of Abraham, the Friend of God, that I shall savagely slay the infidels, bemusing all men of understanding with my sword blows. I intend to charge against the right wing and then the left, and when you see me attack the king underneath the banners, then do your best to charge behind me, so that God may bring about what is due to be accomplished.’
Both sides spent the night on guard until the sun rose the next day, when they mounted faster than the blink of an eye, facing each other to the ominous croaking of the crows as the battle ranks were drawn up. Al-Jamraqan was the first to start the battle, wheeling, advancing and challenging his enemies. Al-Jaland was about to charge with his men when a dust cloud was seen, filling the horizons and darkening the day. When it was scattered by the w
inds, under it could be seen mail-clad champions, with sharp swords, piercing lances and men like lions, fearless and dauntless. At the sight of it, both sides held back from the battle and sent out scouts to discover who was stirring up the dust. The scouts vanished from sight underneath it, and when they came back later in the day the infidel reported that this was a Muslim army under King Gharib, while when the Muslim scout brought back the same news, it was received with joy by al-Jamraqan’s men, who rode out to meet their king, dismounting and kissing the ground before him in greeting…
Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the six hundred and forty-eighth night, SHE CONTINUED:
I have heard, O fortunate king, that the Muslims were delighted by the arrival of King Gharib, and they kissed the ground before him in greeting as they circled around him. He returned their greeting cheerfully, delighted at their safety, and when they had returned to their camp and set up pavilions and standards for him, he took his seat on his royal throne, surrounded by his ministers of state. They then told him all that had happened to Sa‘dan.
As for the infidels, they came together to look for ‘Ajib, but when they failed to find him either in their own ranks or in their camp, they reported to al-Jaland that he must have fled. In a fit of rage al-Jaland bit his fingers and said: ‘By the truth of the radiant sun, the treacherous dog must have escaped into the deserts with his worthless clansmen. It is only by hard fighting that we can drive back these enemies, so take heart, strengthen your resolve and be on your guard against the Muslims.’ Gharib for his part exhorted his men in the same terms, adding: ‘Seek help from your Lord and ask Him to give you victory over your enemies,’ to which they replied: ‘O king, you will see what we shall do on the field of battle.’
Both sides waited until dawn broke on the following day, and as the sun rose over hilltops and valleys Gharib performed two rak‘as, in accordance with the practice of Abraham, the Friend of God, upon whom be peace. He then wrote a letter which he sent with his brother Sahim to the infidels. ‘What do you want?’ al-Jaland’s men asked him when he arrived, and he told them: ‘I’m looking for your leader.’ ‘Stay where you are until we consult him,’ they said, and when they had gone to tell al-Jaland of his arrival, al-Jaland said: ‘Bring him before me.’ So they fetched Sahim and al-Jaland asked: ‘Who sent you?’ ‘King Gharib,’ he replied, ‘to whom God has given rule over the Arabs and the Persians. Take his letter and give him a reply.’ Al-Jaland took the letter, opened it and read what Gharib had written, which was: ‘In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, the One, Eternal, Omnipotent and Omniscient Lord, the God of Noah, Salih, Hud and Abraham, the Master of all things. Peace be on those who follow right guidance and fear the consequences of evil, in obedience to the Exalted King and in pursuit of the right path, preferring the next world to this. To continue: al-Jaland, there is no object of worship apart from God, the One, the Omnipotent, the Creator of night and day and of the celestial sphere. It is He Who sent out the righteous prophets; it is He Who caused rivers to run, Who has raised up the heavens, spread out the earth and caused trees to grow. It is He Who gives food to the birds in their nests and to the beasts in the deserts, for He is the Great God, Forgiving and Compassionate, the Veiler, Whom no eye can see, Who makes night alternate with day. It is He Who sent out the messengers and Who revealed the holy books. You must know that the religion of Abraham, the Friend of God, is the one true religion and if you accept it you will save yourself from the cutting swords and, in the world to come, from the torment of hellfire. If you refuse, you will be destroyed, your lands ravaged and all traces of you wiped away. Send me the dog ‘Ajib so that I may avenge my father and mother.’
The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1,001 Nights: Volume 2 Page 89