The Conquest of Sijistan

The conquest of Sijistan [Sistan] also took place in 23 AH. Sijistan is vaster than Khorasan and its borders are spread far and wide. This region was situated between the Sindh province and the Balkh River. The terrain on its borders was very challenging and the area had a large population.

Sijistan is also called Sistan by the Iranians. The famous Iranian commander Rostam also lived here. It was situated north of Kerman, and its central headquarters were in Zaranj.

In ancient times, this was a very vast region and was very important during the time of Hazrat Muawaiyah (ra). The people of this region were always at war against Kundhar Turks and other nations. Asim bin Amr aimed to conquer Sijistan and Abdullah bin Umair also joined him with his army.

The battle against the people of Sistan took place in a nearby area and the Muslims attained victory while the enemy fled. The Muslims gave chase until they were able to surround the fleeing army in Zaranj. On their way, the Muslims conquered different areas where possible. Eventually, the people of Sistan became willing to reconcile and negotiate about Zaranj and other conquered territories and agreed to a treaty with the Muslims.

In their treaty, they stipulated the condition that their forests would be considered as protected pastures. For this reason, Muslims were always wary of the forests when passing by, lest they cause damage and break their covenant. This is the extent to which Muslims would be considerate. Thus, the people of Sistan agreed to pay taxes and the Muslims accepted the responsibility of their safety and security.

(Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari Translation, Vol. 3, Pt. 1 [Karachi, Pakistan: Dar al-Isha‘at, 2003], p. 197)