Abū ʿUbayd al-Thaqafī, Ibn Masʿūd b. ʿAmr b. ʿUmayr b. ʿAwf (d. 13/634) was a Companion of the Prophet, a famous commander in the war against the Persians, and father of al-Mukhtār al-Thaqafī. When ʿUmar b. al-Khaṭṭāb became caliph, and learnt from al-Muthannā b. Ḥāritha about the progress and success of the Persian army, he incited the Muslims to fight the Persians. However, because of the Persian reputation for resilience and pugnacity, no one enlisted (al-Ṭabarī, 3/444; Ibn Aʿtham, 1/163, 164),…