Now that the Princes of the house of Mundzir are gone, shall I ever again behold the royal herd of camels returning at eve from the pastures of Khawarnac and Sedîr?
Now that the horsemen of Nomân are passed away, shall I ever again feed the young she-camel on the pastures between Mecca and Hafîr?
Like a flock of goats on a stormy day, we are scattered by the Beni Maád (the invading Moslems), even as pieces of camels slaughtered for the feast.
Heretofore our homes were sacred, and we like the teats of a well-filled udder,
Yielding tribute at the appointed times to the Chosroes, and imposts in cattle and gold.
Alas! even so is the changeful wheel (bucket) of the well of fortune. Now the day brightens with joy and gladness, and now it is dark with sorrow and grief.
Masûdi speaks of the Ibâdites (the Christian aborigines of Hîra) as still in his time inhabiting this neighbourhood.
[125] For the field of Mûta, where Khâlid rallied the fragments of the Moslem army broken by the Roman legions, see Life of Mahomet, chap. xxiii.
[126] The ‘Service of Victory’ consisted of eight continuous Rakâats, or series of prostrations, with the appointed Sura of Victory.
In this first campaign there is no mention of any Moslems killed. There were, no doubt, casualties among the rank and file of the Bedouin tribes, but these are taken little account of. If any ‘Companion,’ or leader of eminence, had been slain, the fact would, no doubt, have been mentioned. We must remember that most of the soldiers from Medîna had returned to their homes from Yemâma, so that there may not have been many Companions present with Khâlid at this time.