دراسات في تاريخ عمان

and helped al-Ala' to achieve final victory.

Before the advent of Islam al-Bahrayn was semi-independent. One should not exaggerate the connections between the Sasanids and the people of al- Bahrayn which were not strong at all. The Sasanid rule was only nominal and limited to certain coastal areas where the Sasanid ships put into har- bour. It seems that their aim was only to prevent the Arabs from carrying out 'hostile actions' against Persian interests، especially trade. It is also probable that the Sasanids were trying in vain to stop the Arab immigra- 24 tion to the east coast of the Arab Gulf،" and to control the contacts be- tween the Arabs of eastern and western coasts.

Before Islam Sibukht the Sasanid marzuban was residing in Hajar with a small garrison. There was an exchange of letters between him and the Prophet Muhammad، and the latter invited him to visit Medina، the capital of the new Islamic state، but it seems that he did not accept Islam. Howev- er، neither did Sibukht ally himself with the enemies of Islam or the apos- tates in al-Bahrayn. This non-aligned stand taken by the marzuban did not satisfy the Sasanids who dismissed him and appointed a new marzuban called al-Muka bir Faruz who was the commander of the Persian garrison in al-Bahrayn. Al-Muka bir transferred his residence from Hajar to the coastal port of al-Zara to be near the Persian fleet، and prepared himself to withstand attack. Al-Muka bir's resistance to Islam did not last long as he was defeated and killed in 13 A.H./ 634 A.D. during the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.

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After the defeat of the apostates، al-Bahrayn became part of the Muslim state، and al-Mundhir al-Tamimi stayed as the real ruler of al-Bahrayn، helped by other tribal chiefs. We have a list of the governors (wulat) of al- Bahrayn sent from the caliphs of Medina but the real power was still in the

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