Iraq after the Muslim Conquest - Michael G. Morony

PEOPLE

claims that the Persians suffered one hundred thousand casualties at
Jalula'. In any case, it was a second major disaster and left their
dependents and property all but unprotected at Khariqin, While Hashim
stayed at Jalula', a flying column under Qa'qa' ibn 'Amr pursued
the survivors to Khaniqin, where every fighting man who could be
caught, including Mihran ar-Razi who had fled from Jalula', was
killed.^82 When he heard of the defeat at Jalula' and the death of
Mihran, Yazdagerd abandoned Hulwan and headed for Rayy, leaving
the troops at Hulwan under Khusrawshunum. The last major en-
gagement in this campaign was that fought at Qasr-i Shirin between
Khusrawshunum and Qa'qa', in which the Persians were again de-
feated and Khusrawshunum was put to flight.^83
About the time of Sa'd's campaign through central Iraq, a separate
expedition under 'Utba ibn Ghazwan produced a similar dislocation,
mainly affecting the Persian garrison troops and local nobles, in south-
eastern Iraq. All four thousand horsemen (M.P. uswar), with which
the lord (~a~ib) of Furat attacked 'Utba at the site of Basra, are said
to have been killed and the lord of Furat was taken captive.^84 The
marzban of Dast-i Maysan was captured and killed by 'Utba,85 and
at 'Madhar a Persian force was routed with thirty thousand casualties
while the marzban and lord (~a~ib) of Madhar was captured and
beheaded.^86

DISLOCATIONS DUE TO THE CONQUEST: CAPTIVITY

The location of Persians in Iraq was also altered through the

capture by Muslims of the noncombatants and dependents associated

with the Persian army and administration. Peasants were generally left

unharmed as long as they did not resist, because the Muslims were

mainly interested in taking captive the sons of military men who knew

Persian methods and procedures.^8? There are at least two explicit

examples of this practice in operation. In one case, in the course of

82 Baiadhuri, Futu~, pp. 264-65; Tabari, Ta'rtkh, I, 2460, 2464, 2473.

83 Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 2473.

84 Ibid., I, 2379.

85 Ibid., I, 2385-86.

86 Baiadhurl, Futu~, p. 342; Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, VII(l), 3; Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 2028.

After 'Utba returned to Madina, one of the dahaqln of Maysan who had come to terms

rebelled and was killed by Mughira ibn Shu'ba at ai-Man'araj (Baiadhuri, Futu~, p.

343).

87 Tabari, Ta'rlkh, I, 2026, 2031.