reviewing those foreigners, shearing them, and selling [the wool]. Then he said: "How long will this misery last?" He proceeded to sell that donkey and those harnesses and bought clothing. Then he went to the King’s door and began offering them advice, and his status rose until they reached the gatekeeper of the Firkhan who was over him. The Firkhan said to him: "A man with you has been mentioned to me, what is he like?" He replied: "I have never seen anyone like him!" He said: "Bring him to me." He spoke with him and was impressed by him. He said: "Jerusalem and those lands have resisted us, and we are sending an expedition against them, and I am sending someone to the lands to test them." He looked then at men of intellect and stratagem and sent spies. When they departed, Bukhtanassar arrived with his two saddlebags on a mule. He asked: "Where are you headed?" He said: "With them." He said: "Why did you not notify me so that I could send you against them?" He said: "No." When they arrived in the land, they dispersed. Bukhtanassar asked about the best of the people of the country and was directed to him. He dropped his two saddlebags in his house and said to the master of the house: "Will you not tell me about the people of your country?" He said: "You have hit upon an expert. They are a people who have a Book but do not uphold it, and they have prophets but do not obey them, and they are divided."

Bukhtanassar said, as if astonished by him: "A Book they do not uphold, and prophets they do not obey, and they are divided!" He wrote these things down on a sheet of paper, dropped his saddlebags, and said: "Depart." They came forward until they arrived at the Firkhan. He began asking every man among them, and the man would say: "We arrived at such-and-such a land, and it has such-and-such a fortress, and such-and-such a river." He said: "O Bukhtanassar, what do you say?" He said: "We arrived at a land of a people who have a Book they do not uphold, and prophets they do not obey, and they are divided." He then ordered that the people be summoned, and he sent seventy thousand against them and placed Bukhtanassar in command of them. They marched until they were high in the land when the post arrived to them: "The Firkhan has died, and he did not appoint a successor." He said to the people: "Stay in your place." Then he turned to the messenger until he arrived before the people and said: "How did you act?" They said: "We hated to decide any matter without you." He said: "The people have pledged allegiance to me." So they pledged allegiance to him. He then appointed a successor over them, wrote an agreement between them, and departed with them quickly until he arrived at his companions. He showed them the document, and they pledged allegiance to him, saying: "We have no desire to be against you." They marched, and when the people of Jerusalem heard, they dispersed and fled under every star. He brought ruin to what was there—meaning he corrupted it—and killed those who were killed, destroyed Jerusalem, and took the sons of the prophets as captives, among whom was Daniel. The man of the gold coins heard of him, came to him, and said: "Do you recognize me?" He said: "Yes." He brought his seat closer but did not intercede for him regarding anything, until he descended into Babylon, and no banner was turned back against him. He remained like that as long as Allah willed. Then, he saw a vision that terrified him, and he woke up having forgotten it. He said: "Bring me the sorcerers and the priests." He said: "Tell me about a vision I saw tonight; by Allah, you will tell me what it was or I will kill you." They said: "What was it?" He said: "I have forgotten it." They said: "We have no knowledge of this, except that you send for the sons of the prophets." He sent for the sons of the prophets and said: "Tell me about a vision I saw tonight; by Allah, you will tell me what it was or I will kill you." They said: "What was it?" He said: "I have forgotten it." They said: "It is an unseen matter, and no one knows the unseen except Allah. You must tell us what it was, or I will strike your necks." They said: "Let us be until we perform ablution, pray, and call upon Allah the Almighty." He said: "Do so." They left, performed their ablution well, came to a clean place, and called upon Allah, and they were informed of it. They returned to him and said: "You saw as if your head were of gold, your chest of pottery, your waist of brass, and your legs of iron." He said: "Yes." He said: "Tell me its interpretation, or I will kill you." They said: "Let us be to pray to our Lord."

He said: "Go and pray to your Lord." He answered them, and they returned to him and said: "You saw that your head was gold; this kingdom of yours will pass away by the end of the year from this night." He said: "Then what?" They said: "Then there will be a king after you who will boast over the people, then there will be a king whom people will fear for his severity, then there will be a king who will not be moved by anything; he is only like iron," meaning Islam. He ordered a fortress, and it was built for him between him and the sky. He then began to position the men and the guards in their seats and said to them: "It is only this night; no one may pass by you, and if someone says 'I am Bukhtanassar,' you must kill him where he stands, whoever he may be among the people." Every group sat in the place to which they were assigned. His stomach was agitated during the night, and he disliked being seen in his seat there. He relieved himself on the threshold of the people, and they became heavy with sleep. He came upon them while they were asleep, then he came upon them [again], and some of them woke up and said: "Who is this?" He said: "Bukhtanassar." He said: "This is the one about whom he warned us tonight," and he killed him. The wicked man woke up having been killed.