Conquer of Multan and death of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim's mother

During the siege of Multan, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim got the news of the death of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf.

Along with this, he received a letter from his wife in which, after mentioning the death of her father, she wrote about Muhammad ibn al-Qasim's mother that her health has again deteriorated but she wishes that you should live in India. Don't plan on coming home without finishing work.

Zubaydah wrote about herself.

I am no different from the thousands of wives whose husbands are fighting in Sindh, Turkistan and Andalus, and being the wife of the army chief of Sindh, it is my duty to separate you from the wives of ordinary soldiers.

Let me bear it with more patience.

You had written that after the victory of Multan, you will invite us to your place, but mother's health may not allow her to travel for the next few months.

I am afraid that your preoccupation with home will not affect the speed of your conquests. After hearing the news of your victory through great pain, their faces glow.

Whenever their heart is sad, I hear these prayers from their mouths.

Ya Allah!

Give me patience and independence and whenever she sees me sad, she says, "Zubaydah!" You are the wife of an army chief, convey my greetings to Naheed and Zahra.

I am jealous of the sisters who see soldiers flying around on the plains of Sindh every day.

The women and children whom you have freed from the prison of Brahmanabad are waiting in Basra.

When will you send them?

What more can I pray than that every step of yours is towards the heights.

After a few days of resistance, the inhabitants of Multan surrendered and Muhammad ibn al-Qasim,

Appointing Amir Dawood Nasir as Amir Ali of Multan, he returned to Ardur.

On the way, he got news that King ( Raja) Harichand of Kanauj was preparing to attack Sindh by sheltering Prince Jai Singh.

On hearing this news, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim marched to Kanauj without staying there.

The two armies faced each other on the border of Sindh and Rajputana.

King (Raja) Harichandra was willing to help him after hearing from Jai Singh that the number of foreign invaders did not exceed ten thousand, but when he saw with his own eyes that the Sindhi Arabs who were shouting for the safety of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, If there were more, he left the field and ran back, giving Jai Singh a hand.

Some of Jai Singh's colleagues advised him to extend the hand of peace to Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, but he did not accept this advice even though he was disappointed from all sides and fled to the south.

Only two chieftains supported him and the rest went to the shelter of Muhammad ibn al-Qasim.

Muhammad ibn al-Qasim then returned to Arur to reorganize the administration of Sindh and improve his forces before invading Sindh's neighboring states.

A messenger from Basra had reached Arur a day before his arrival.

As soon as he saw Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, he said,

Commander of Sindh!

I have brought a very bad news?

Mohammad ibn al-Qasim's calm face showed light signs of thought and he said with a sad smile on his lips.

Isn't this news about my mother?

The envoy nodded his head and took out the letter from his pocket and handed it to Muhammad ibn al-Qasim.

Muhammad ibn al-Qasim quickly opened the letter and read it and prayed to Allah to give him a high place in heaven.

In the evening, in the part of the royal palace which Muhammad ibn al-Qasim had chosen for his stay, many widows gathered besides the dignitaries of the city, in whose eyes the conqueror of Sindh had the status of a good-hearted brother and a kind-hearted father.

Who would have imagined him a new giant in the land of the gods.

Muhammad ibn al-Qasim came out of the palace and thanked him in a short speech.

At night, he read Zubaydah's letter once again in the light of a torch and his eyes remained focused on these words for a long time.

My mother's last words on her deathbed were that my soul would be freed from the prison of the body and fly over the fields where my son is hoisting the flags of Islamic conquests.