Sulayman al-Da'am, the first ancestor of the Sultans of Darfur, had a brother named al-Musabba'. So he and his brother divided the two regions. Sultan Sulayman took the region of Darfur, and al-Musabba' took the region of Kordofan. They made a pact not to encroach on each other's territory. This right was in the time of Sultan Mahd-Tiz. The governor of Kordofan was from the sons of al-Musabba', al-Shamtan Hashim al-Musabba'awi. He possessed valor and courage, and was adept at difficult tasks. He launched many raids on the lands of the Fur and the Baqqara Arabs, until he amassed great wealth. He had over ten thousand slaves capable of bearing arms. The most valiant of people gathered around him, including the Danagla, the Shaj'iyya, the Kababish, and the Zayqat Arabs, until he had a large army. His ambition grew to possess Darfur. He consulted the leaders of his state about this matter, and they advised him to raid the outposts and not to attack the borders of the country, so as to weaken the people of the Kingdom of Darfur, and then to march upon it. He heeded their advice and raided the outposts on the borders of the Kingdom of Darfur. They killed, captured, and seized great wealth. Sultan Tirab then sent a message to Sultan Hashim, saying, "Peace be upon you, my cousin. You send your outposts to the borders of my country, and you know what exists between us..."