[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Conquests (711–1206)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest) › [Chachnāma](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama) › [The Chachnamah, an Ancient History of Sind](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg) › 30 # The Chachnāma (Fatḥnāma-yi Sind) 30: Muhammad Kasim encamps at Arman Belah. The Chachnamah, an Ancient History of Sind 30 - **Language:** English ### Muhammad Kasim encamps at Arman Belah. ### [30.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.1) Muhammad Kasim now determined to carry on war at Arman Belah, in order to clear his way for his advance into the interior of the country. When he reached his camp, he received a letter which Rai Dahar had written to him. The letter ran thus: "In the name of the great God, the lord of Unity and the God of Selaij. This is a letter from Dahar son of Chach, the King of Sind, and the Sovereign of Hind and the ruler over land and water, to Muhammad Kasim, the vain insane who is fond of killing and slaughtering people, and is merciless towards his own army and has brought ruin on many other men. Some time ago another person had also come hither in the same manner with absurd dreams in his head, and with an awful and terrible presence. Abilas son of Hakam had also joined him, and he was led away by the vain idea of conquering Hind and Sind, and bringing those countries under his sway. But one or two of our meanest Thakurs, who then happened to go on a hunting excursion in the vicinity of Debal, killed him and his army was put to flight. It appears that the same mad thoughts have risen in Muhammad Kasim’s head, and he will ultimately bring ruin upon himself and his army owing to his foolhardiness. Be it known to you that the fortified town of Debal which you have taken is an insignificant town, where only traders and artisans reside. It contained neither a strong fortress, nor was it occupied by a garrison of any importance with whom it was worth your while to fight. ### [30.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.2) If there had been a single note-worthy warrior in it, there would not have been left a rack of you behind. If I had sent against you Rai Jaisiah who is the most victorious of all the rulers on the face of the earth, and who can wreak vengeance on the strongest men of this age, or the king of Kashmir who is the mighty possessor of a crown, kettle drums and standards, on whose royal threshold the other rulers of Hind have placed their heads, who sways the whole of Hind and even the country of Makran and Turan, whose chains a great many noblemen and grandees have willingly placed on their knees, who is the owner of one hundred elephants and is the rider of a white elephant, whom neither a horse can stand against, nor a man can put pressure upon; if I had sent these heroes against you, you could not have done the slightest harm to them and no army would have dared to pass through the remotest limits of this country, till the end of the world. Do not flatter or deceive yourself with vain dreams, since the end of your enterprise will be the same as Bazil’s. You can never stand against us in battle, nor should you hope to return safe from our wrath.” When Muhammad Kasim received this letter of Dahar, he had it translated to him by his dragoman, and learning its contents, he dictated the following reply:— “In the name of the most merciful and gracious God. ### [30.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.3) Letter addressed by Muhammad Kásim Sakifi, the avenger of Mussalmans, to the haughty, the rebellious, the crafty Brahmin Dáhar son of Chach, a foolish, stubborn and vainglorious infidel. This is to inform you that I have received your letter, which you have written out of excessive ignorance and folly, being led away by a weak and miserable policy, of which you have evidently become madly proud. I have acquainted myself with its contents, express and implied, and have informed myself of every thing that you have written relating to your power and pomp and numbers and weapons and elephants and horsemen and followers. We depend entirely upon the grace of God for power and strength, and on the favour of our sovereign for the number of our forces and for glory. ‘There is no power nor virtue but in God, the great and glorious one.’ ‘They play a trick with thee in their own way and then they do not depend upon it. Verily I trust fully in God, who is my maintainer as well as yours.’ ‘They lay a plot for them, but God is the best layer of plots.’ ‘The plot of the wicked does not recoil except upon those that lay it.’ ‘If God wishes it, a small number of men overpowers a large number; and God is with the patient.’ You are proud of men and horses and elephants, but what are they? The biggest elephant is the weakest and most helpless of all creatures. He cannot get rid of a gnat, which is the smallest and weakest of all animals. ### [30.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.4) As for horses and horsemen, whom you admire so much, they are an army of God. ‘But mind, God has many armies which are most powerful; the league of God and its Judgments are always successful.’ As to what you say about our coming, with armies arrayed for battle, know that that is wholly the result of your wicked deeds and bad manners and vain-glory, for you seized and detained the boats conveying valuable property from Sarandeb, and made the Musalmans prisoners. All the countries of the world acknowledge the rule and superiority of the Khalifah, who is the vicegerent of the Prophet. All pay allegiance to him, while you turn your head from him and rebel against him. All the former rulers and kings regularly paid tribute to his royal treasury, while you have stopped it. As you have thus befouled yourself with ugly manners and unpleasant habits like these, and have swerved from the path of obedience, and have taken such bad behaviour to be unobjectionable, I have received the ever-to-be-obeyed mandate from the Khalifah to exact vengeance for those wicked deeds of yours, and to carry on war with you (to the bitter end). I do hope that, with the help of the great God, who is the most powerful of all, in whatever place you may meet us and oppose us, I shall defeat and degrade you, and ultimately take your head to Irak, or sacrifice my life in the cause of the great God. ### [30.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.5) I consider it my bounden duty to carry on this religious war, in obedience to the orders of God who says in the Koran: ‘wage war against the infidels and dissemblers’; and I have undertaken this task simply to secure divine pleasure. I expect fully from the unbounded kindness of God, that He will help us and give us victory over you. God’s will be done. Written in the 73rd year.” The narrators of traditions and the recorders of histories have stated on the authority of Bananah son of Hantilah Kilabi that, when the conquest of Debal was complete and large spoils were secured, Muhammad Kasim ordered the battering rams to be put in boats and taken to the fort of Nerun. Accordingly the boats (with their burden) were put under way in the lake, called the lake of Sangrah, while he himself went by way of Sisam. When he arrived at Sisam, he received Hajjáj's letter, in reply to his own letters respecting his first victory. "From Hajjáj son of Yúsif. O Muhammad Kásim, you must know that our mind assures us that our wishes and hopes will be fulfilled, and you will be successful in every way. You will be successful and victorious, and by the grace of God, the great and glorious, your enemies will soon be vanquished and punished and will repeatedly be overtaken by present torment and future misery. Do not, pray, entertain the evil thought that all those elephants and horses and wealth and other property of your enemies will be your lot. ### [30.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.6) Live happily with your friends, and treat every one kindly. Encourage them all to believe that the whole country will be yours. Whenever you take any fortified place, let your soldiers spend according to their wants. Let the booty be utilised for the necessary expenditure of the army, and for keeping up the pomp and circumstance of war. Let them eat and drink as much as is good for them. Do not scold them or prevent them from doing so. Exert yourself to the utmost to supply provisions in abundance, and fix the rates, so that corn may be had cheap in your camp. Whatever has been left behind in Debal had better be spent in supplying the troops with provisions than in laying up stores in the fort. When you have conquered the country and strengthened the forts, endeavour to console the subjects and to soothe the residents, so that the agricultural classes and artisans and merchants may, if God so wills, become comfortable and happy, and the country may become fertile and populous. Written this 20th day of Rajjib 93." ### [30.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.7) It is related, on the authority of Abillais Tamími that Jaubat son of Ukbat Salmi gave the following narrative:—"I was with Muhammad Kásim, when the fortified town of Debal was taken." and (also when) he advanced towards the fort of Nerún. When the Arab army was defeated, and Bazil became a martyr, the people of Nerún settled the terms of peace with Hajjáj, promising to pay a fixed tribute. When Muhammad Kásim left Debal he went straight to the fortified town of Nerún which was about 25 leagues from Debal. This distance he travelled in 6 days. On the 7th day, he arrived in the vicinity of Nerún, and encamped in a meadow known by the name of Balbár. The floods of the Sehún, that is the Mehrán, had not yet spread out to that place, and so want of water was felt by the troops, who began to complain of thirst. Muhammad Kásim offered prayers, by making two genuflexions and saying: “O guide of the misguided and the surprised, O hearer of complainants and distressed ones, hear my prayer. ‘In the name of God, the most merciful and gracious.’” Instantly there was a downpour, by divine order, and all the tanks in that town were filled with water. The people of Nerún now closed the gates of the fort. The Samaní, who was the ruler of the place and headman of the people, had gone to Dáhar, and Muhammad Kásim became very anxious owing to the paucity of provisions for the army, especially of forage for animals. ### [30.8](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.8) But, after 5 or 6 days, when the Samaní returned, he sent two leading men with a letter from Hajjáj. He also sent provisions for men and horses to the Arab camp. Through those two men, he sent verbal messages to the Arab General, saying:—“I myself and all my men are subjects of the Khalifah, and we hold this place subject to the command and in accordance with the terms of the letter of Hajjáj. In fact we owe our permanent position to his help and patronage and encouragement, but as I was absent, the people became afraid and closed the gates.” Then the Samaní opened the gates of the fort, and the natives began to make bargains and have dealings with the soldiers. Muhammad Kásim was thereupon so much pleased that he wrote a letter to Hajjáj, acknowledging, with thanks, the services rendered by the Samaní and informing him of the faithfulness and friendship of the people of Nerún. In reply, Hajjáj wrote a very kind letter recommending the conciliation and encouragement of the people. ‘Try,” wrote he, “to show kindness to them in every way and give them hopes of our patronage. I entertain full confidence that, with the grace of God, wherever you may go you will be successful. Whoever seeks mercy and protection from you, let him have it. Those of the nobles and great men who take your side and join you, honour them by giving them robes of honour and make them grateful to yourself. Give proper rewards to them, and respect them according to their rank. ### [30.9](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.9) Make reason and discretion your guide, so that the chief men of the place and the notables of the neighbourhood may repose complete trust in your word.” Then Muhammad Kasim sent some trustworthy men out of his nobles and chiefs to the fort of Nerun with the following message:— “At first ye were much annoyed to see the gates of the fort closed against us, but, on hearing the explanation of the ruler’s absence, our anger subsided, and every kindness and favour was shown to you. It behoves the head of the town, Bhandarkan Samani, to take heart of grace and muster courage to come to us so that we may try our best to patronise him and bestow fresh favours upon him.” ### [30.10](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.10) The next day when the true dawn appeared from behind the dark curtain (of the sky) with a cloak of ash-coloured satin, the Samani came to the presence of Muhammad Kasim with many presents and plentiful offerings, and obtained an honourable reception. To entertain Muhammad Kasim as a distinguished guest, he supplied him with provisions to such an extent that the soldiers got sufficient corn for their needs. Muhammad Kasim then appointed a representative within the fort. He (also) built a mosque in the place of the idol-temple of Budh, and appointed a crier to call the people to prayer, and a priest (Imam) to be their guide in prayers and other religious matters. After some days, he resolved to go to Siwistan. That fortified town is to the west of the Mehrán on the top of a hill. Muhammad Kásim entertained hopes that the whole of that country would be conquered by the Musalmans. After that end was attained in regard to the country of Siwistán, he thought of returning thence and arranging to cross the river, in order to proceed against Dáhar. He prayed to the great and glorious God to give enlightened reason and right thought to the people of Arabia for their guidance, and to make it possible for them to fight successfully against the infidels. When Muhammad Kásim had completely settled the affairs at Nerún, he prepared to go to Siwistán, and he, accompanied by the Samaní, started for that place. ### [30.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.11) He travelled, stage by stage, till he arrived at a town called Maúj, about 30 leagues from Nerún. In that town, there was a Samaní, who was a chief among the people. The ruler of that fortified town was a cousin of Dáhar Chach, by name Bachehra son of Chandar. On the approach of the Arabs, the Samaní party assembled, and sent a message to Bachehra, saying:—"We people are a priestly class (Násiks), our religion is peace and our creed is good will (to all). According to our faith, fighting and slaughtering are not allowable. We will never be in favour of shedding blood. You are sitting quite safe in a lofty palace; we are afraid that this horde will come and, taking us to be your followers and dependents, will deprive us of our life and property. We have come to know that Amír Hajjáj has, under the order of the Khalífah, instructed them to grant pardon to those who ask for it. So when an opportunity offers, and when we consider it expedient, we shall enter into a solemn treaty and binding covenant with them. The Arabs are said to be faithful to their word. Whatever they say they act up to and do not deviate from." Bachehra refused to accept this advice, and paid no attention to what they said. Then, Muhammad Kásim sent a spy to gather information as to the inclinations of these men, whether they were all unanimous or whether there was a difference of opinion among them. ### [30.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30.12) As some of the residents of the fortified town were ready to fight, and, with that intention, had issued out of the town, Muhammad Kásim encamped on the sand-hills near the gate of the town, since there was no other open field for a battle and there was a flood of rain-water all around, and to the north the river of Sind was flowing. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.conquest.chachnama~en-kalichbeg.30) · Pramāṇa