Yes, indeed. It was one of the Days of God.
Nothing can now stop us, God willing,
and we will enter Damascus, Hums, Qinnisrin and Jerusalem.
Well done, Abu Sulaiman.
Abu Bakr was right, may God have mercy...
May God have mercy on him and us, when he said:
'Women could never beget the like of Khalid.'
We did not achieve victory by the sword alone, Abu Ubaidah.
God will not cause to fail a community that has someone
like Abu Ubaidah, the trustee of the Muslim nation.
The clan of Makhzoom never knew two brothers like you.
God has willed that death will not seperate you.
To Him belongs whatever He takes.
Peace be to you until God gathers us all to Him.
Congratulations to you and to us all for this great victory.
May God reward you generously for what you have done.
You are the best of Muslim women.
As for you, Umm Hakeem,
I pray to God to comfort you after losing my cousin Ikrimah.
Submit him as an offering to God.
Muslims will cross the Yarmuk until the end of time and say:
Here are buried Ikrimah, as well as Ayyash Ibn Abi Rabeeah
and Salamah Ibn Hisham and other companions of the Prophet.
Here was the beginning of Islam in Syria and these were its keys.
Peace be to them all.
You will be all right, father.
Peace be to the people in the tent. May I come in?
Come in, Abu Sulaiman.
You will be all right, Abu Sufyan.
You have made your apology to God. Make your eye an offering to Him.
It is His. I would not mind if I lose both eyes.
now that God has honoured us with this victory.
As for avenging my eye, it will be by taking Damascus soon, Abu Sulaiman.
Now that the Byzantines are demoralized, you must not let them rest.
We will not, God willing.
How do you rate what my son, Yazeed, has done?
He has fought well and honoured his pledge to God.
It is right that you consider him the apple of your eye.
Which eye, Abu Sulaiman?
You will be all right. You will.
Lie down, son, until you recover.
I am all right.
I praise God who has seen me fighting for God's cause.
next to my father, Suhail Ibn Amr.
I would have loved to have joined my brother, Abdullah, as a martyr.
But God has willed otherwise.
How much Islam has changed us!
I can see myself in those old days when I used to say to people:
Do not alter the religion of your forefathers.
Follow their way and stick to their practices.
Now I praise God for guiding me to follow my two sons into Islam.
I am not ashamed that they took the lead over me.
My Lord, bestow Your grace on my son, Abdullah
May God have mercy on you, Abu Ubaidah.
Why have you kept the news from me so that I hear it from others?
May God bestow His mercy on Abu Bakr.
To God we belong and to Him we shall return.
He was certainly dearer to me than Umar, but Umar is now the Caliph,
and God requires me to obey him.
There would not have been anything amiss had I obeyed his order straightaway.
and become one of the soldiers,
to fight under the banner of our commander, Abu Ubaidah.
I am not here to fight for Umar's sake, but for the sake of Umar's Lord.
I wish you had told me right away and did not feel any embarrassment.
Yes, indeed. I felt very embarrassed.
I did not wish to spoil your delight at your great victory,
when you are God's own drawn sword.
Abu Sulaiman, God knows that I seek nothing of the glory of this world.
We are brothers, fulfilling God's orders.
You retain your position with me.
We shall not plan or fight without your guidance.
Do not worry, Abu Ubaidah. How could I disobey you when you have been a believer.
and follower of Islam long before me,
and when it was God's messenger who called you the 'trustee of the Muslim nation'?
Now, I would like you and all present to witness
that I am dedicating myself to God's cause, and I will never oppose you.
Your majesty.
You are aware of what befell us at Yarmuk
Certain matters have occurred at Constantinople
which require me to go back without delay.
I will monitor from there what happens here in Syria from now on.
I will do my best to send you all the reinforcements we can.
Repel the Muslims and keep them busy at msuch as you can.
Our losses of army personnel cannot be made good in a short while.
God decides what He will.
Farewell, Syria.
Farewell. I shall never see you again.
How much for one dirham? Two small measures.
Two small ones for a dirham! Why the high price?
I do not force anyone. Whoever finds my price high can go to someone else.
If sonemoe else will sell for less, you cannot sell your goods for this price.
Otherwise, you will be without customers. I know what you are doing.
when farmers bring their grains to Madinah, you beat the people to them,
buying all they bring so as to make it a monopoly.
You withhold the goods from widows and poor people.
By God, there will be no monopoly in our market.
There will be no monopoly in our market.
Whoever brings goods to Madinah to sell to all people...
will be Umar's guest
He can sell as he wants and holds what he wants.
Sell four small measures for one dirham, or else leave our market.
Otherwise, my punishment will be administered.
Pardon me. I did not know that it is unjust and forbidden.
And that too?
To all people in the market.
Anyone who wants to sell goods in our market must acquire good knowledge
of what is permissible and what is forbidden in trade transactions,
so that his work has no element of injustice
Otherwise he may well be guilty of usury and illegal earnings,
whether willingly or unwillingly. Do you hear me?
You should also know that I shall be appointing officials in all markets,
to watch and monitor and to arbitrate in disagreements.
No one should keep silent when suffering injustice.
To suppress the truth is to be like a dumb devil.
Happy news, Ameer Al-Mu'mineen. Al-Yarmuk.
It is a great victory granted by God.
Here is a messenger from Abu Ubaidah.
All praise be to God; all praise be to God.
All praise be to God!
Now that God has granted victory to the people of Yarmuk,
and has demoralized the Byzantines,
our friends are heading to Damascus.
You should help them by thanking God for what He has given us all.
When you do, God will bestow more grace on them and us.
All praise be to God.
Some of you may say:
why has Ameer Al-Mu'mineen relieved Khalid of the command of the army in Syria,
when we know how much he has achieved?
You should know that I have not done so as a result of any grudge or for any misdeed.
My decision is based on three reasons.
The first is that I often heard people saying:
no one can replace Khalid or match his achievements,
or that without him this or that would not have been achieved.
Hence, I feared that people should give him a much higher status.
I want them to know that it is God who determines everything.
What if Khalid dies, will Islam be much weaker?
Will God's promise come to and end?
Before him, the best of mankind, Muhammad, God's messenger, died
and the faith progressed according to God's promise
A nation that attaches its affairs to one man is bound to fail
When that man goes, the whole system falls.
The second reason...
is that Khalid differs with me on the question of the authority of governors & commanders.
He sticks to his view and will not budge.
He feels that a governor is independent,
and should conduct the affairs of his area as he thinks fit,
without reference to the Caliph.
For my part, I believe that the Caliph is accountable to God
for his own actions and those of his governors and commanders.
The third reason is the governors and commanders
do not only lead armies and plan battles.
We would have preferred to avoid war altogether,
because our task is to provide guidance for people and to advocate Islam.
Governors and commanders are also responsible to manage people's affairs,
ensure justice, administer rights and look after their subjects.
Syria is about to be part of the Islamic state,
when political management becomes more important than war management.
Abu Ubaidah has the advantage of a longer companionship with the Prophet.
Besides, he is a devout believer who reflects on things, and he is kind to all people.
If Khalid is under him and employs his military talent
in accordance with Abu Ubaidah's policy,
we are sure that the two will perfect each other.
We can guarantee that the sword will not dictate matters of management and policy.
This is a basic principle of government.
I have given this explanation so that there will not be much talk about it
and to remove any suspicion from people's minds.
This is what I have felt.
If I am right, it is only by God's grace, and if I am wrong,
the fault is mine.
Prepare yourselves for a long siege.
I think we better divide our troops to watch all five gates:
Khalid, myself...
Who is the commander? Speak, may God give you guidance.
Amr, Yazeed, and Shurahbeel: each mans one gate.
Who is the commander? Speak, may God give you guidance.
We belong to the Arabs of Syria, the Jafnah clan of Ghassan.
Good people and good kings.
Before Islam, our people were always hosted well...
among you when they came with their trade caravans.
This is why we have come to you now.
Although we follow the same religion as the Byzantines,
we share with you our ancestry and language.
We hate them for their dictatorial rule. They treat us with arrogance,
when we are people of noble descent and the owners of the land.
We have noted your fair rule in the areas of Syria under your authority.
Therefore, we would like to join you.
We can command large forces.
In addition, we have knowledge of the machinery suited for siege,
like mangonels. We learnt these from the Byzantines.
We can help you with manufacturing them, if you wish.
If you accept our offer and we honour our commitment,
what do we get in return?
We will honour our commitment, and you will be under our care.
We will observe God's unjunctions and the instructions given to us by God's messenger,
his first successor and Ameer Al-Mu'mineen.
You shall not be force to convert to Islam. Your lives and property would be safe.
will leave you to run your land as you please,
with full autonomy as long as you administer justice in your land.
If you wish to refer anything to us for judgement,
we will give such judgement according to our law which applies to us.
We do not impose on you any tribute or land tax more than you can pay.
The tribute we call jizyah is less than the zakat which is a duty applicable to us
and an act of worship.
Were we to impose it on you in line with what is a duty to Muslims,
it would be taken as an act of religious imposition. This is forbidden in Islam.
God says: 'No compulsion is admissible in matters of religion'.
We also pledge to you that we will protect you from our common enemies.
If we cannot, we take nothing from you.
We accept these terms.
As for provisions and supplies, we have enough to last us six months.
Soon winter will come and they cannot tolerate the cold weather,
considering that they come from a hot desert climate.
They do not have the machines used in siege which we know.
This means that we are safe within the city.
Return the milk to him.
This milk has been adulterated with water.
Do you not know that such cheating is forbidden and God punishes for it
Give her back his money.
If you wish, take the milk home and give it to your family.
If you do not, I will pour it here
and give orders for you to be flogged in front of the people in the market.
If you do it again, I will kick you out of the market and punish you severely.
Why do you interfere in my work? Who are you to give orders?
All glory to God. Cheating and arrogance
Pardon me, Ameer Al-Mu'mineen. but this woman...
Didn't I promise to appoint officials to watch how business is conducted
and to settle disputes between people
This woman is As-Shifa Bint Abdullah. I have appointed her as controller of your market.
Whatever she rules is my ruling.
Any punishment she orders is my order.
If any of you is unsure of what is permissible and what is forbidden regarding anything
should ask her.
she is competent, and she enjoys my full trust.
What have you ruled in this man's case?
That he gives his milk to his own family, or we will spill it.
If he does it again, we flog him and kick him out of the market.
Had I seen him first I would have flogged him first,
but now we approve As-Shifa's ruling. Obey her.
Now return to your work.
Return the milk to him.
What is this? A blessing from God.
Rather, punishment by God.
I say to all of you:
guard yourselves against getting fat,
because that will make you slacken for prayer, and it spoils your bodies,
and brings you illnesses.
Eat moderately, for that helps you to be well and keeps you from extravagance.
You will be better able to conduct you worship
Your highness, Princess Buran. At last, Commander Rustom.
You haven't let me down.
When I wrote to you in Khurasan,
I was certain that you are the one to save our kingdom.
I would not have undertaken this responsibility
except for the fat that the scheming of Queen Azarmidukht
and her commander Siyawakhsh threatened to do away with all that
our forefathers have built over a thousand years.
Then these noblemen grouped together and placed the fate of the kingdom in my hand.
They know that I do not want to be queen, but I want to save Persia.
Therefore, it was necessary to get rid of Azarmidukht and her commander,
and to put and end to this long struggle for the Persian throne.
This has been accomplished.
We have got rid of Azarmidukht and Siyawakhsh the murderer.
My father was the first victim.
Nothing pleased me more than killing him in revenge of my father
and for what he perpetrated.
These noblemen have done well to join you. I am one of them to serve you.
Just give me your orders.
This is not the milk of my she-camel. It tastes different.
Indeed, Ameer Al-Mu'mineed. Where did you get it, man?
Your she-camel, Ameer Al-Mu'mineen, was left dry by her calf.
I milked for you one of the she-camels of the state.
How dare you give me a drink of fire? Are you not one of the Muslim community?
You have the right to your share in the state property like any one of them.
It is just a drink of milk.
Nothing of the state property is permissible for me other
than what I get the people's approval of.
Then get them to approve what you need for your living and your family.
We have suffered much since you have taken charge of the state.
You have abandoned your business to attend to the affairs of the people.
We do not find enough to eat, and no allowance has been given to you so far.
How shall we live?
They could not have reached this stage without our help.
Our great kings have gone,
and their throne became the property of the winner.
Every prince tries to overthrow the incumbent.
Little do they realize that they may lose the throne itself ot the Arabs.
Yes, commander.
Unless we are reunited, we will soon see them besieging Al-Mada'in.
Could a day come when the Arabs are the rules of Persia and we are their slaves?
Isn't death better than that? Yes, Your highness. Death is better.
Well, make up your minds before it is too late.
We have heard that they have raised another army which is on its way to Al-Heerah
to join their army already there.
You know, Your highness, that the surviving descendant of Khosrau Parves
has disappeared, fearing for his life, after Shirweih killed his father the Khosrau
and his father's male offspring.
Then we plunged into what you know of the other princes' rivalries for the throne.
They resorted to treachery and internal war.
Khosrau's descendants have the rightful claim to the throne of Persia.
However, the present time and circumstances
do not allow us a chance to search for them and appointing one of them.
You are the only one who can unite us now.
I think you should assume the throne for a period of ten years,
so that we can get rid of that Arab threat and regain stability.
Then the kingdom may go back to the descendants of Khosrau.
Yes, this is right.
If this is the only way,
then Commander Rustom is my minister and the Commander-in-Chief.
I authorize him to manage the affairs of the state on war footing.
Al-Fairuzan will be his deputy,
to manage the affairs of the state when Rustom leads his armies.
Your throne, your majesty.
I pledge to you that I will defend it with all my power.
The destiny of Persia is now in your hand, minister and commander!
I promised you that I would take nothing from the treasury
while I have enough of my own. Now my money is gone.
What am I allowed to have from the treasury?
Ameer al-Mu'mineen knows this better than us.
Say what you think. we either accept or tell you what we think.
The mount I need to travel for pilgrimage or Umrah,
and my two robes for summer and two robes for winter,
the food for my family, and my share as a Muslim individual.
This is fair.
Do you all agree to this? Yes.
Ameer al-Mu'mineen, the one who is most entitled to have good food,
comfortable mount, fine clothes is you.
By God I do not think you said this in honesty to God.
You only said it to have some favour with me. I used to think well of you.
Do you know, man, what my standing with these people is?
It is like a group of people travelling together. They gave their expenses
to one of them and told him to look after them.
It is permissible for him to take of it something extra for himself?
No. This is my case with them.
Why is this man walking in such a way?
Since when has devotion meant a faint walk and a miserable look?
You are killing our religion, may God kill you.
Walk upright and show the dignity of Islam.
How come that some people think that devotion means looking dead,
in the midst of the living?
Why would they speak softly, bend their heads when walking,
and drop their heads and shoulders in prayer?
Do they not fear that they may be suspected of hypocrisy?
Hypocrisy may be in a show of piety just as it may be in arrogance?
Both aim to show others that one is better than them,
either in religion or in what relates to the present life.
We have learnt that the new Muslim army has not arrived in Iraq yet.
Their resident commander at Al-Heerah, I mean...
Al-Muthanna Yes
He has only a few thousand soldiers.
We better attack them before the new reinforcements arrive.
We will send two armies: one goes to Al-Heerah, commanded by Jaban.
The other army joins the force between the two rivers.
Its commander will be Nersi.
I thought you would go at the head of the armies.
No.
My plan is to send several armies, one following the other.
This is harder for the enemy.
I fear that the princes, or commanders, might be plotting against Princess Buran.
We have seen what others did.
They represent a greater danger to the state than the Muslims.
I will discharge both responsibilities. Let no one entertain any doubt.
God is supreme. God is supreme.
Your face tells me that your news is not good. Say it.
It is the worst news.
Jaban's army has been defeated at Al-Namariq,
then Nersi's army was defeated first at Al-Saqqatiyyah in Kaskar,
then at Baruka.
The Muslims then smashed Jalinus's army which set out to reinforce Nersi.
The Muslims defeated four of our armies in less than a month.
They regained the entire countryside before conquering the city of Kaskar.
What has happened to Persia which had previously defeated all corners?
Where are our soldiers who used to spread panic wherever they went?
No. The fault is not with the soldiers;
It is with the commanders who want to lead the soldiers to great victories
while they remain in their palaces here at Al-Mada'in.
You mean Rustom. Yes, Rustom.
Your majesty made him Commander-in-chief and minister,
assigning to him the task of managing the affairs of the state.
I advised him to raise the armies and go out himself, but he refused.
Now we have the outcome, one defeat after another.
The Muslims are now in control of the whole of Iraq, north to south.
Show us how they work.
The traitors!
By God, if the Muslims are turned back,
I shall punish all Syrian Arabs who have helped them.
I shall crucify them in every city.
They have seen their brethern outside the city siding with the Muslims.
I have no doubt that some of them here communicate to their Arab brothers
outside news of what take place here in Damascus.
Haven't I ordered that spies should move among them?
Whoever they determine to be favouring their own people over us
should be made a lesson to all others.
I have placed you ahead of all commanders and princes.
I went against other people's advice.
I was content to allow you to manage matters on a war footing.
I do not wish to say that I am let down, but... such successive defeats!
The war is still evenly balanced, your majesty
I am the one who is let down by Nersi, Jaban, Jalinus and the tax collectors.
But you are the commander-in-chief, and whatever these do will be attributed to you,
in victory or defeat.
You know that some princes and commanders are watching what you do.
They have started whispering. I do not know how to respond to them.
It is al-Fairuzan. I know that he is the one who tries to undermine me.
He is jealous of my standing with you,
and would prefer that I should dissapear, even if this meant that Persia is gone as well.
Don't you see, your majesty? It is because of this that I preferred
that I do not go myself at this stage to fight the Muslims.
If I did, I would be playing into his and his friends' hands.
They would be able to plot against me when I am away.
If they did when we are at war, then the whole future of Persia is gone.
If you want me to sack him now, that will only precipitate what you fear.
You know that he has supporters.
If he is sacked, they will revolt against me and you.
That will be the end of Persia.
What is needed is that you should achieve a great victory over the Muslims.
Victory in the battlefield will be a victory for us over those who have ambitions here.
The two go hand in hand. There is no other way.