Lands were conquered by people whose swords were not adorned with gold or silver. Their adornment was only sinew, lead, and iron.
لقد فتح الفتوح قوم، ما كانت حلية سيوفهم الذهب ولا الفضة، إنما كانت حليتهم العلابي، والآنك والحديد.
Bukhari related it in the Book of Jihad and Campaigns (2909), from Ahmad bin Muhammad, who said, Abdullah told us, Uzai told us, I heard Sulayman bin Habib say, I heard Abu Umama say, then he mentioned it.Ibn Majah related it (2807) through Walid bin Muslim, from Uzai, with the same chain, and at its beginning are the words of Sulayman bin Habib, "We came to Abu Umama, and he saw some silver ornamentation on our swords, so he became angry and said," then he mentioned it.His saying, "al-alabi," with a fatha on the letter ayn and a light lam, is the plural of ilba. It is said that these are raw hides that have not been tanned. Other explanations have also been given. See Fath al-Bari (2/96).His saying, "al-anuk," with a long vowel and a damma on the nun followed by a kaf, refers to lead.