Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

18 The Life of Muhammad
It is said that among those put to death by Dhii Nuwas was 'Abdullah b.
a1-Thiimir, their leader and imam.'
I was told by 'Abdullah b. Abii Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. !:Iazm
that he was told that in the days of 'Umar b. al-Kha\!ab a man of Najran
dug up One of the ruins of Najran intending to make use of the land, when
they came upon 'Abdullah b. al-Thamir under a grave; he was in a sitting
posture with his hand covering a wound in his head and holding firmly to
it. When his hand was removed the blood began to flow; when they let go
of his hand it returned to its place and the flow of blood ceased. On his
finger was a ring inscribed'Allah is my Lord'. A report was sent to 'Vmar
and he replied: 'Leave him alone and cover in the grave' and his orders were
duly carried out.
OF DADS DHU THA'LABAN AND THE BEGINNING OF THE
ABYSSINIAN DOMINATION AND THE HISTORY OF
ARYAT WHO BECAME VICEROY OF THE YAMAN
A man of Saba' called Daus Dhii Tha'laban escaped on a horse, and taking
to the desert eluded them. 2 He pressed on until he reached the Byzantine
court, when he asked the emperor to aid him against Dhii Nuwlis and his
• 6 troops, telling him what had happened. The latter replied that his country
was too distant for him t9 be able to help by sending troops, but that he
would write to the Abyssinian king who was a Christian and whose
territory was near the Yaman. Accordingly he did write ordering him to
help Daus and seek revenge.
Daus went to the Negus with the emperor's letter, and he sent with him
seventy thousand Abyssinians, putting over them a man called Arya-t,
(T. He ordered him to kill a third of the men, lay waste a third of the
country, and seize a third of the women and children if he conquered.)
With the army there was a man called Abraha 'Split-face'. Arya~ crossed
the sea with Daus Dhii Tha'iaban and landed in the Yaman. Dhu Nuwiis
with the J:limyarites and such of the Yamani tribes as were under his command
came out against him, and after an engagement Dhii Nuw3s and his
force was put to flight.' Seeing that his cause was lost Dhii Nuwiis turned
his horse seawards beating it until it entered the waves and carried him
through the shallows out into the deep water. This was the last that was
seen of him. Aryli~ entered the Yaman and took possession of it. (T. He
1 Another tradition in T. says that