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 the end of the first year of ʿUthmân's caliphate, at which time ʿUthmân appointed as-Sâʾib ibn-al-Aḳraʿ.

. Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd, a freedman of the banu-Hâshim, from Bashîr ibn-abi-Umaiyah:—Al-Ashʿari camped at Iṣbahân and proposed to the people the idea of Islâm, which they refused. He then proposed that they pay tax, upon which they made terms agreeing to pay it. The very next morning they rebelled; and he fought against them and, by Allah's help, defeated them. Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd, however, adds, "In my view this refers to the inhabitants of Ḳumm."

. Muḥammad ibn-Saʿd from Muḥammad ibn-Isḥâḳ:—ʿUmar sent ibn-Budail al-Khuzâʿi to Iṣbahân, whose satrap [marzubân] was an aged man called al-Fâdûsafân. Ibn-Budail besieged the city and wrote to the people inciting them to forsake him. Seeing the lukewarmness of his men, al-Fâdusafân chose thirty archers, in whose courage and obedience he confided, and fled away from the city towards Karmân with a view to joining Yazdajird. As soon as ʿAbdallâh knew of it, he sent after him a heavy detachment of cavalry. As the Persian reached a high place, he looked behind and said to ʿAbdallâh, "Take heed for thyself, no arrow of ours misses its mark. If thou charge, we shoot; and if thou fight a duel, we will fight!" A duel followed in the course of which the Persian gave ʿAbdallâh a blow [with the sword] which, falling on the pommel of his saddle, broke it and cut the breast-girth [of the horse]. The Persian then said to ʿAbdallâh, " I hate to kill thee because I see thou art wise and brave. Wouldst thou let me go back with thee that I may arrange terms with thee and pay tax for my