The Chachnāma (Fatḥnāma-yi Sind) 28.1.2

28.1.2

When Muhammad Kasim conquered Armanbelah, he received a letter from Hajjaj at that very place. It contained instructions in the following words: “When you arrive at stages, within the limits of Sind, and come within sight of Debal, be very careful about your camping places. When you arrive at Nerun, dig a ditch round your camp, that it may give you protection and safety. Be awake for the greater part of the night; and let those of you, who can read the Koran, be busy reading it, while the rest should devote their time to prayer and be watchful at the same time. Make taciturnity an ornament of yours. Be repeating the praises of the great and glorious God, and ask help of the divine grace that the most glorious and most high God may give you assistance. Seek His protection by often reciting the well-known religious saying: ‘There is no power nor virtue but in God, the great and glorious.’” When you come in the vicinity of Debal, make a ditch, 12 cubits wide and 6 cubits deep. When you hear enemy, be silent; and (even) if the enemy shout at you, “and use obscene language, and assault you, do not engage in (a pitched) battle, till I send orders to that effect. You will be constantly hearing from me, and you must make it a point to follow literally the instructions I may give you, and the plan I may suggest. By taking my opinion as the right one, and following it, you will be successful in your undertaking, if the great God wills it.