The Nāṣirī Generations 62.4

62.4

He pushed on with such speed, and made such long marches, that in the space of sixteen or seventeen days—God knows the truth of the statement—he appeared at the foot of the walls of that fortress, which was situated on the bank of the Furat, from Balasaghun. Adopting such means of procedure as the occasion demanded, he called upon the governor of that fortress to embrace the Muhammadan faith, and caused him to be ennobled with the robe of Islam; and, with the aid of Almighty God, he released the Khalifah from confinement. He accompanied the Khalifah's sacred cavalcade to the precincts of the capital of Islam, and then solicited permission to return [to his own dominions]. Having obtained it, at the time of taking leave, Alb-Arsalan dismounted from his horse, and honoured his imperial lips by placing them to the hoof of the animal which bore the Lord of the Faithful, and kissed it. On this occasion, in return for these signal services rendered by him, during all this time, to the Court of Islam, he received this much commendation and esteem, that the Lord of the Faithful, Al-Ka’im Bi-amr-’ullah, thus expressed himself: — “Thou hast saved the servants of God from slaughter, and the country from destruction.” Let those who read these words calmly ponder in their minds between the extent of the services of Alb-Arsalan-i-Ghazi. and on the sublime fortitude and high resolve expressed in the words of the Lord of the Faithful, and what amount of eulogium every one of them conveyed.