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. The land of al-Baḥrain formed a part of the Persian kingdom. In its desert lived a great many Arabs from the tribes of ʿAbd-al-Ḳais, Bakr ibn-Wâʾil and Tamîm. At the time of the Prophet, the one who ruled the Arabs in it in the name of the Persians was al-Mundhir ibn-Sâwa one of the sons of ʿAbdallâh ibn-Zaid ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-Dârim ibn-Mâlik ibn-Ḥanẓalah. This ʿAbdallâh ibn-Zaid was surnamed al-Asbadhi after a village in Hajar called al-Asbadh. Others claim that he was named after the al-Asbadhi people, who were worshippers of horses in al-Baḥrain.

. At the beginning of the year 8, the Prophet delegated al-ʿAlâ ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-ʿImâd al-Ḥaḍrami, an ally of the banu-ʿAbd-Shams, to al-Baḥrain, giving its people the choice between following Islâm or paying tax. With him, the Prophet sent a letter to al-Mundhir ibn-Sâwa and Sibukht the satrap of Hajar, giving them the choice between following Islâm or paying tax. They both were converted and, together with them, all the Arabs living there and a few Persians. The rest of the population, however, including Magians, Jews and

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