The Counsel of Durayd ibn al-Ṣimmah

When Mālik brought together his army and they set out, they were accompanied by a wise old man — a man who was famous, a well-known knight and fighter in his youth, and a very prominent poet among the Arabs — and his name was Durayd ibn al-Ṣimmah. Durayd was blind at the time, and very frail, old in age. And there was this conversation between Durayd and Mālik. Qāla Durayd: bi-ayyi wādin antum? Fa-qālū: bi-Awṭās. Durayd said: where are we? They said: we are at Awṭās. Qāla: niʿma majālu al-khayl, lā ḥaznun ḍirsun wa lā sahlun dahs — he said: a fine place for cavalry; it is neither rugged ground with rocks, nor is it soft ground. So he liked the location.

And then he said: mā lī asmaʿu rughāʾa al-baʿīri wa nuhāqa al-ḥamīri wa yaʿāra al-shāʾi wa bukāʾa al-ṣaghīr? — why is it that I hear the grunting of camels, the braying of donkeys, the bleating of sheep and the crying of babies? What Mālik ibn ʿAwf did was bring along with the army their women, their children, their cattle — everything. And his reasoning was that he thought this would prevent them from running away: because if they ran away, they would realise that they would lose everything, because the Muslims would take it over. Qālū: sāqa Mālikun maʿa al-nāsi dhālik — they told him: this is what Mālik did; he brought all their wealth along with the people.

And through this discussion one can see the difference in perception between the old and the young — the man who has experience and the young man who does not — and the wisdom of an old warrior, Durayd ibn al-Ṣimmah. And one can see in it Mālik ibn ʿAwf, the aspiring young man who wants to win a victory for himself and make a name for himself, and who is taking large and unnecessary risks. Fa-qāla: yā Mālik, inna hādhā yawmun lahu mā baʿdah — O Mālik, this day has great consequences for the future. This is not a normal day; this day will determine our future. Mā ḥamalaka ʿalā mā ṣanaʿt? — why did you do what you have done? Qāla: suqtuhum maʿa al-nāsi li-yuqātila kullu insānin ʿan ḥarīmihi wa mālih — I brought them with the army so that everyone would fight for his family and his wealth.

Qāla Durayd: rāʿī ḍaʾnin wa-llāh! Hal yaruddu al-munhazima shayʾ? Innahā in kānat laka lam yanfaʿka illā rajulun bi-sayfihi wa rumḥih, wa in kānat ʿalayka fuḍiḥta fī ahlika wa mālik. He said: you sheep grazer! Would anything ever turn back someone in retreat? If the battle goes well, it will be only men with swords and lances who do you good; if the battle goes badly, you will be disgraced with regard to your family and possessions anyway. He said: nothing will turn back a person who is in retreat. When a person is afraid, he is not going to think about anything; he is going to flee.

And then he asked him: mā faʿalat Kaʿbun wa Kilāb? — what did Kaʿb and Kilāb do? These are two tribes of Hawāzin. Qālū: lam yashhadhā aḥadun minhum — none of them has come. Qāla: ghāba al-ḥaddu wa al-jidd; law kāna yawmu ʿalāʾin wa rifʿatin lam taghib ʿanhu Kaʿbun wa lā Kilāb, wa la-wadidtu annakum faʿaltum mā faʿalū. So then, he said, skill and courage are absent. If it were a day of fine, noble deeds, Kaʿb and Kilāb would not miss it. I wish you had done the same as them. And then he said: fa-man shahidahā minkum? — so who is with you? Qālū: ʿAmru bnu ʿĀmirin wa ʿAwfu bnu ʿĀmir — these are two clans. Qāla: dhānika al-jadhaʿāni min ʿĀmir, lā yanfaʿāni wa lā yaḍurrān — well, those two young branches of ʿĀmir will do neither good nor harm.

Thumma qāla: yā Mālik, innaka lam taṣnaʿ bi-taqdīmi bayḍati Hawāzina ilā nuḥūri al-khayli shayʾā. He then said to Mālik: you have achieved nothing by sending forward the main body of Hawāzin to face the cavalry. So he saw it as suicide. And then he gave his recommendation. Thumma qāla: yā Mālik, irfaʿ man maʿaka ilā ʿulyā bilādihim, thumma alqi al-ṣubāta ʿalā al-khayl; fa-in kānat laka laḥiqa bika man warāʾak, wa in kānat ʿalayka kunta qad aḥrazta ahlaka wa mālak. He said: O Mālik, take the families and the cattle away to the high lands of Hawāzin — the fortified lands and the mountains; take them to the mountain parts of our land — and then meet the apostates on horseback. Al-ṣubāt: this is the name they used for the Muslims. Meet the apostates on horseback. If it goes for you, then the rest will come; if it goes against you, then you have at least protected your family and your wealth.

Mālik responded by saying: wa-llāhi lā afʿalu dhālik; innaka qad kabirta wa kabira ʿilmuk — by Allah, I am not going to do that; you are an old man, and your knowledge has grown old. Wa-llāhi la-tuṭīʿunnanī yā maʿshara Hawāzin aw la-attakiʾanna ʿalā hādhā al-sayfi ḥattā yakhruja min ẓahrī — O Hawāzin, you will either follow me, or I will lean on this sword. He put his sword on the ground, with the hilt down and the tip at the top, and he said: I will throw myself on this sword and kill myself, until it comes out of my back. Wa kariha an yakūna li-Durayd fīhā dhikr: Durayd did not want to have anything to do with the consequences of this battle, and he made it clear. He had given them his opinion; they refused to take it; so he wanted to make it clear that he was not responsible for the consequences. Thumma qāla Mālik: ayyuhā al-nās, idhā raʾaytumu al-qawma fa-ksirū jufūna suyūfikum wa shuddū ʿalayhim shaddata rajulin wāḥid — O men, when you see the enemy, break the sheaths of your swords and charge them as one man; meaning, all of you attack at the same time.