دراسات في تاريخ عمان

if they did not accept Islam the letters threaten to destroy their authority. It seems، however، that these letters show the early stages of the contacts be- tween the Islamic state and the people of "Uman. From a historian's point of view nothing substantial can be analysed from them as they contain no important political events.

Al-Izkawi relates 32 that Jayfar b. al-Julanda contacted the Persians of U- man calling on them to become Muslims، and when they refused، a tribal army marched against them. The Persians were defeated and their com- mander was killed in the battle. The triumphant Arabs marched on the main Persian centre at Suhar and laid siege to the fortified garrison quar- ters of Damstajird (Dastajird in other sources). Eventually the Persians sued for peace and accepted safe conduct for their ships on the condition that they and their families never attempted to return to Uman. The power of al-Julanda increased with the advent of Islam، but at the same time opposition to them grew too. It must be mentioned that this op- position was political and had nothing to do with Islam as a faith، nor with the new measures introduced by the Islamic administration in Uman. The opposition was gathered round Laqit b. Malik al-Azdi in Daba. He was an influential figure and enjoyed power which equalled that of al-Julanda; historians relate that one of his epithets was 'the one with crown'. He was supported by his own tribe and sections of other tribes. From Daba he ex- tended his authority towards the rich coastal plains، and forced the Julanda to flee to the mountains. Meanwhile the Prophet died in 11 A.H./ 632 A.D. and Jayfar b. al-Julanda sent a letter to the new caliph Abu Bakr al-Siddiq asking for help. 33

The 'Diba affair'، as Wilkinson calls it، was described by some accounts as an apostasy war، to fit in with the general political picture of the time. But

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