تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 13.81.1

13.81.1

Sultan Jamāl al-Dīn had fitted out fifty-two ships for an expedition against Sandābūr. A dispute had arisen between its sultan and his son, and the son had written to Sultan Jamāl al-Dīn asking him to come and conquer Sandābūr, on condition that the son would become a Muslim and the Sultan would marry him to his sister. When the ships were ready, it occurred to me to go with them to the holy war. I opened the Qurʾān to look in it, and at the top of the page was: "in which the name of God is mentioned much; and God will surely help those who help Him." I took this as a good omen. The Sultan came for the afternoon prayer, and I said to him: "I wish to go." He said: "Then you will be their commander." I told him what had come out for me at the top of the page of the Qurʾān; this pleased him and he resolved to go in person, which had not occurred to him before. He boarded one of the ships, and I with him. That was on a Saturday, and on Monday evening we reached Sandābūr. We entered its inlet and found its people prepared for battle, having set up mangonels, so we spent that night off the town.