Part II: The Campaign of the Apostasy
Chapter 11
(The
Gathering Storm)
"The desert Arabs say, 'We believe.' Say, 'You
have not believed, but say: 'We have submitted,' for Faith has not yet entered
your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not belittle
anything of your deeds: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'
Only those are Believers who have believed in Allah
and His Messenger, and have never since doubted, but have striven with their
belongings and their persons in the Cause of Allah: such are the sincere ones."
[Quran
49:14-15]
Apostasy had actually begun in the lifetime of the Prophet, and the
first major action of the apostasy was fought and satisfactorily concluded
while the Prophet still lived. But the real and most serious danger of apostasy
arose after the Prophet's death, when a wild wave of disbelief-after-belief
moved across the length and breadth of Arabia and had to be tackled by Abu
Bakr. Hence the Campaign of the Apostasy is here taken up as a whole, although
chronologically the first of these events belongs to Part I of this history.
The first major event of the
apostasy occurred in the Yemen and is known as the Incident of Aswad Al Ansi.
Aswad was a chief of the Ans-a large tribe inhabiting the western part of the
Yemen. His actual name was Abhala bin Kab, but because of his very dark colour
he was called Aswad, i.e. the Black
One. A man of many qualities, few of them enviable, he was, before the
apostasy, known mainly as a tribal chieftain and a soothsayer.
During
the tenth year of the Hijra, the people of the southern and south-eastern
regions of the Arabian peninsula had been converted to Islam. The Prophet had
sent envoys, teachers and missions to various places to accomplish this task
and the task had been duly completed. But the majority of the inhabitants of
these regions had not become true Muslims, their conversion being more a matter
of form than a sincere change of heart.
Before this conversion the Yemen was governed, on behalf of the Persian
Emperor, by a noble-born Persian named Bazan. 1 This man became a Muslim
and was confirmed in his appointment as governor of the Yemen by the Prophet.
As he was a wise and virtuous officer, the province prospered under his rules;
but shortly before the last pilgrimage of the Prophet, Bazan died, and the
Prophet appointed Bazan's son, Shahr, as governor at San'a. Peace continued to
prevail in the Yemen, and no clouds darkened the southern skies.
Then, at about the time of the Prophet's last
pilgrimage, Aswad decided that he would become a prophet. He gathered his
tribe, recited some of his verses, claiming that they were verses of the Quran
revealed to him, and announced that he was a messenger of Allah.
Aswad had a donkey which he had trained to obey certain commands, and he
used this donkey to demonstrate his powers. He would give the order, "Bow before your lord", and
the donkey would bow its head before Aswad. He would then command, "Kneel before your lord!", 2 and the donkey would kneel. Because of
this, Aswad became known in the region
as Dhul Himar-the One of the Donkey, or 'Donkey-Walah'. Some chroniclers,
however, maintain that he was known not as Dhul Himar, but as Dhul Khumar, i.e.
the Drunk. 3
This could be true because he was heavily addicted to alcohol and often in a
drunken stupor. Nevertheless, his tribe followed him, believing him to be a
genuine prophet; and in this error they were joined by some of the lesser
tribes of the Yemen.
Aswad organised a column of 700 horsemen and rode to Najran. He captured
the town with no difficulty and drove out its Muslim administrator. Elated by
this easy victory, he left his own man to govern Najran and moved on San'a.
(See Map 7) Shahr, the newly appointed Muslim governor of the Yemen, heard of
the fall of Najran, came to know of the intentions of Aswad and decided to
tackle Aswad before he could reach San'a. Organising a small armed force (he
did not have many warriors), he marched out to meet his adversary, and the two
forces met some distance north of San'a. The short, brisk engagement that followed
ended in Aswad's favour. The Muslims suffered a defeat and Shahr was killed in
battle, leaving behind a beautiful young widow named Azad. Five days later
Aswad entered Sana' as a conqueror. He had worked fast for his unholy mission,
for it was now only 25 days since he had first gathered his tribe and
proclaimed his prophethood.
1. Called Bazam by some historians.
2. Balazuri: p. 113.
3. Ibid
Most of the Yemen was now his. And in order to get the maximum pleasure
from his military and political success, Aswad forcibly married the lovely
Azad. The poor widow had no choice but to submit to the drunken embraces of the
loathsome Donkey-Walah.
Having occupied Najran and San'a, Aswad consolidated his gains and
extended his sway over all Yemen, many tribes of which acknowledged him as
ruler and prophet. As his authority grew, he began to feel discontented with
the title of prophet and proclaimed himself Rahman of Yemen. 1
The word 'Rahman' means the Merciful One, and is one of the titles by which
Muslims know Allah. Thus Aswad attempted to enter the divine province to which
no man has laid claim without suffering disastrous consequences. Anyway, to his
followers he became known as the Rahman of Yemen. His drunken orgies continued,
as did his enjoyment of the ill-starred Azad, whose loathing for him grew so
intense that she confided to a friend: "To
me no man is more hateful than he." 2 In his viciousness Aswad
also turned against the family of the Persian Bazan and heaped every manner of
indignity and insult upon the surviving members. By doing so he earned the
bitter hostility of a stalwart and true Muslim by the name of Fairoz Al
Deilami-a member of this Persian family and a cousin of Azad.
Unknown to the false prophet, the real Prophet at Madinah had already
initiated measures to deal with him. Having received full reports of Aswad's
mischief, the Holy Prophet sent Qais bin Hubaira to organise the liquidation of
Aswad. Qais got to Sana' undetected, laid the foundations of an underground
movement against the impostor and made contact with the Persian Fairoz. Qais
and Fairoz became the brains of the organisation that was to draw the sword of
vengeance against Aswad and his apostates. In secret they laid their plans.
The killing of Aswad was not going to be an easy matter. The Black One
was a huge, powerfully-built man, known for his strength and ferocity, and he
already suspected Fairoz of disloyalty. Moreover, he lived in a palace that was
surrounded by a high wall and guarded by a large number of warriors who were
chosen for their loyalty and their faith in Aswad. They paced the wall and
treaded the corridors of the palace. The only possible entrance was over a
certain part of the wall adjacent to the chamber of Azad. The wall would have
to be scaled.
Fairoz got in touch with Azad, explained his purpose and sought her
help, which she readily promised, seeing this as the only way out of the
wretched life that she led.
The fateful night of May 30, 632 (the 6th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 11 Hijri)
was chosen as the night. Just after midnight, when the
moon had set, and at a moment when no guards were near, Fairoz scaled the wall of the palace with the aid of a rope
and slipped into the chamber of Azad. She hid him in the room and the two cousins,
fired by the same mission, waited.
Shortly before dawn Azad stole out of her room and walked to Aswad's
chamber, which was next to hers. She knew that there was a sentry on duty
nearby, though not in sight. She opened the door, looked in, and then returned
to Fairoz. The fire of vengeance burnt in her eyes as she whispered, "Now! He is lying drunk!"
Fairoz, followed by Azad, tiptoed out of her chamber and to the door of
Aswad's room. The woman stationed herself at the door while Fairoz entered with
drawn sword. Suddenly Aswad sat up in bed and stared in horror at Fairoz, whose
appearance left no doubt as to his purpose. In the face of this danger the
drunkenness of the Black one vanished; but before he could get off the bed,
Fairoz sprang forward and struck him on the head with his sword. Aswad fell
back on his pillow. According to the chroniclers, "He began to bellow like
a bull" 3
His cries attracted the attention of the sentry who rushed to Aswad's
chamber. He saw Azad standing by the door and asked, "What is the matter with the Rahman of Yemen?" The plucky
girl raised her finger to her lips. "Shush!"
she whispered. "He is receiving a
revelation from Allah!" 4 The sentry nodded knowingly, and
disregarding the shouts of his
master, walked away.
1. Balazuri: pp. 113 - 125.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 467.
3. Balazuri: p. 114.
4. Ibid
Azad waited until the sentry had turned the corner of the corridor, then
rushed into the room. She saw Fairoz standing beside the bed, waiting for a
chance to strike again, while the impostor writhed in his bed, waving his arms
about. The two now worked together. The woman hastened to the head of the bed,
caught the hair of Aswad in both her hands and held his head down. Fairoz drew
his dagger and with a few deft strokes severed the black head from the enormous
body. Thus ended the career of the false prophet, Abhala bin Kab, alias the
Black one, alias the Donkey-Walah, alias the Drunk. His mischief lasted three
months and ended with his death, six days before Prophet Muhammad passed away.
With
Aswad's death his movement collapsed. The Muslim resistance organised by Qais
in San'a turned in violent vengeance against the followers of Aswad, many of
whom were killed. But many escaped to create trouble for Muslim rulers at a later
stage. Many became Muslims again, and of these some again apostatised. Fairoz
was appointed governor of San'a.
The messenger who carried the good news to Madinah
arrived there shortly after the death of the Holy Prophet. The report of the
destruction of the mischief of Aswad Al Ansi brought some solace to the
heart-broken Muslims.
Madinah
was now going through a crisis which was at once emotional, spiritual and
political. The loss of the beloved Muhammad had left the Muslims devastated.
For the past 10 years the Prophet had been everything to them-commander, ruler,
judge, teacher, guide, friend. There was no aspect of life in which he had not
participated. They had taken all their problems to him, and he had settled,
decided, directed, comforted. In the warm light of his presence they had felt
safe from trouble and misfortune. Now that light had gone out. The Muslims felt
alone and frightened-in the words of the chroniclers: "like sheep on a cold,
rainy night." 1
The
crisis deepened as reports of the revolt spreading over Arabia began to arrive.
All the tribes of Arabia, with the exception of those in Makkah and Madinah and
the Thaqeef in Taif, revolted against the political and religious authority of
Madinah and broke their oaths of allegiance. False prophets arose in the land
and claimed a share in Muhammad's prophethood. These impostors, having seen the
affection and reverence in which the Holy Prophet was held, and unmindful of
the trials and sufferings which he had experienced before his efforts bore
fruit, decided that prophethood was a good thing and that they too should get
the benefit of it. Apart from Aswad, there were two impostors (possibly three)
and one impostress. There were others-chieftains and elders, who did not claim
prophethood, but united with the false prophets in their perfidious designs to
extinguish the flame of Islam and return to the tribal independence of the
Ignorance. The flames of the apostasy raced like wild fire across all Arabia,
threatening to engulf Makkah and Madinah-the spiritual and political centres of
the infant state of Islam.
The chief cause of the apostasy was lack of true faith. Most of the
tribes, converted in the ninth and tenth years of the Hijra, had taken to Islam
for political reasons. They had found it expedient. They saw Muhammad as a
powerful political boss rather than a prophet with a new message. The true
Muslims were the Muslims of Makkah and Madinah, especially the latter who had
been in contact with the Holy Prophet for many years and had drunk deep at the
fountain of truth which the Prophet had revealed. The outlying tribes had not
enjoyed this spiritual experience. In many cases, when a chief became a Muslim
the tribe followed his example out of tribal loyalty rather than religious
conviction. With the death of the Prophet the tribes felt free to renounce
their allegiance,
which, as they saw it, had been made to a person and not to Madinah or
to Islam. Muhammad was dead; and now they could throw off the yoke of
discipline which the new faith had imposed in limiting the number of wives a
man could marry, in collecting taxes for the benefit of the community, in
enforcing prayers and fasting. The strong leaders who led the revolt preferred
to be free to exploit the weak to their own advantage, unhampered by the
restrictions which Islam placed upon them.
The fears of the Muslims deepened when Abu Bakr became caliph-the first
caliph in Islam. Abu Bakr had never been known for any great quality of
leadership, let alone the ability to steer the ship of state through the storm
that gathered on every side and threatened the very existence of Islam. What
was needed at this critical juncture was a strong, robust and capable leader.
And what was the image of Abu Bakr? A small, slender, pale man, he had deep-set
eyes under thin, delicate eyebrows. By now he had a pronounced stoop which
heightened the impression of age and senility, in spite of the fact that he
dyed his beard. A mild, gentle and tender-hearted individual, he was easily
moved to tears.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 461.
As the Muslims gathered to take the oath of
allegiance, Abu Bakr made the first speech of his caliphate-a speech that
further emphasised his modesty and humility and gave no promise of strength. He
said:
"Praise be to Allah! I am now in authority
over you, but I am not the best among you. If I act virtuously, help me. If I
act wrongfully, correct me. Truth is honesty, falsehood is treachery.
The weak among you is strong in my sight, until I
give him what is due to him, if Allah wills it. And the strong among you is
weak in my sight, until I take what is due from him, if Allah wills it.
Let none
among you abjure the holy war in the way of Allah, for no people do so but
Allah strikes them with disgrace. And among no people does vice become general
but Allah inflicts upon them terrible punishment.
Obey me while I obey Allah and
His Messenger; and if I disobey Allah and His Messenger, you are not obliged to
follow me.
Forget not your prayers. May Allah have mercy upon
you!" 1
Abu Bakr's virtues and outstanding services to Islam were well known.
His personal courage, his devotion to the Prophet, who had given him the title
of the Truthful One, his high moral principles and his faith as one of the
staunchest of believers were unquestioned. As the third male to embrace Islam
his position among the Blessed Ten was high indeed. 2 But did such virtues make
for leadership in troubled times? And then there was the departure of the Army
of Usama, which further imperilled Madinah and increased the alarm of the
Muslims.
About the middle of May 632, the Holy Prophet, now ailing, had ordered a
large expedition to be prepared for the invasion of Jordan. Every body was to
join it. As commander of the expedition, he appointed Usama-a young man of
twenty-two. Usama was the son of Zaid bin Harithah, the Prophet's freedman, who
had been the first of the Muslim commanders to fall at the Battle of Mutah.
Although Usama was common-born and enjoyed no family standing among the
Quraish, the Prophet put him in command
over all the older and more distinguished warriors from the best clans.
The warriors gathered at a campsite just west of Uhud, and the force thus
concentrated became known as the Army of Usama. This was the last expedition
ordered by the Prophet; and it could mean war with the Romans.
Usama was given the Jordanian area of Mutah as his geographical
objective. "Go to the place where your father was killed",
ordered the Holy Prophet. "Raid those territories. Go fast; take
guides with you and send your scouts and agents ahead of you." 3 Shortly before
his death the Prophet remarked, "Remember to despatch the Army of
Usama!" 4 The army was still in camp when, on Monday,
June 5, 632, (the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 11 Hijri) the Holy Prophet passed
away. On the same day Abu Bakr, son of Abu Quhafa, became caliph.
The following day Caliph Abu Bakr issued instructions for the Army of
Usama to prepare for the march. All the distinguished Companions who were
available for war were sent to join the Army in its camp and serve under the
command of the youthful Usama. Even Umar, one of Abu Bakr's closest friends,
was sent to the camp.
For the next few days the preparations continued even as reports of the
rapid spread of the apostasy arrived. Then a group of prominent Muslims came to
the Caliph. "Will you send away the Army of Usama when most Arabs
have revolted, and disruption raises its head everywhere?" they
protested. "The Muslims are few. The
unbelievers are many. The army must not
be sent away!"
Abu Bakr was adamant. "Even
if wild dogs rove around the feet of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS)," he replied, "I would still despatch the Army of Usama as ordered by the
Prophet." 5
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 450.
2. The first was Ali, the second Zaid bin Harithah.
3. Ibn Sad: p. 707.
4. Ibid: p. 709.
5. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 461.
5
A few more days passed. Reports from the countryside became more
alarming. Then one day Usama, who feared for Madinah and for Islam no less than
the others, spoke to Umar. "Go to
the Caliph", he said. "Ask
him to permit the army to remain at Madinah. All the leaders of the community are with me. If we go, none will be
left to prevent the infidels from tearing Madinah to pieces."
Umar agreed to speak to the Caliph. As he was leaving the camp, he was
met by a group of leaders who made the same suggestion and added: "If he does not agree to our remaining in Madinah and we have to go, ask
him at least to place an older man than Usama in command of the army." 1 Umar agreed to put this across also.
In Madinah Abu Bakr sat on the floor of his house, getting used to the
tremendous burden which the assumption of the caliphate in these stormy days
had placed upon his shoulders. The strain would have shattered his nerves but
for his limitless faith. Umar entered. Umar was calm and confident, for he was
used to speaking to Abu Bakr as a strong, vigorous man would address a mild and
submissive, albeit beloved comrade.
Abu Bakr waited until Umar had delivered the message and also expressed
his own opinion regarding the proposed change of command. Then he leapt to his
feet and shouted at Umar, "O Son of
Al Khattab! It was the Messenger of Allah who appointed Usama as the commander. And you want me to remove him from command." 2
Umar hastily backed out of Abu Bakr's house. He returned to the camp
where the elders waited to see what news he would bring. Umar abused them
roundly! 3
On June 24, 632 (the 1st of Rabi-ul-Akhir, 11 Hijri), the Army of Usama
broke camp and moved out. Abu Bakr walked some distance beside the mounted
Usama and refused to let the young commander dismount from his horse. "Every step that a Muslim warrior takes
in the way of Allah", he
explained to Usama, "earns him the
merit of 700 good deeds and the forgiveness of 700 sins." 4
Abu Bakr asked if he could retain Umar with him as adviser, to which
Usama readily agreed. Then he gave his parting instructions to the Army
Commander: "Carry out your task. Start the operation with raids against
the Quza'a. Let nothing deter you from accomplishing the mission given you by
the Messenger of Allah." 5 And
the Army of Usama marched away.
The despatch of the Army of Usama was a mistake in the circumstances
which had arisen since the Prophet's death.6 Some Muslim writers have stated that it was
a wise move on the part of Abu Bakr, as it gave a show of strength to the
rebels and thus deterred them from greater violence. Actually, this was not the
case. Although Usama carried out his mission with efficiency and speed, his
operation had no bearing whatever on the major actions of the apostasy which
were fought in North-Central Arabia. The despatch of the Army of Usama was an
act of faith displaying complete submission to the will of the departed
Prophet, but as a manoeuvre of military and political strategy, it was anything
but sound. This is also proven by the fact that all the Muslim leaders were
opposed to the move-leaders who produced, in this and the following decades,
some of the finest generals of history.
Abu Bakr was moved to this decision by nothing other than his desire to
carry out the last military wish of the Prophet. It was not lack of strategical
judgement which led him to send of the Army of Usama, for Abu Bakr had ample
military ability, as he was to prove soon after in his direction and conduct of
the war against the apostates and the invasions of Iraq and Syria.
The Army of Usama was gone. Reports of ever-spreading revolt and of the
concentration of hostile tribes became more serious day by day. The
apprehensions of the Muslims increased. In contrast, the apostates rejoiced at
the news of Abu Bakr's assumption of the caliphate and the departure of the
army. With Abu Bakr at the helm of Muslim affairs, they thought, their
objective of crushing the new Muslim State would be more easily achieved. The
rebels were relieved that they did not have to deal with the fiery Umar or the
peerless Ali. They would only have to deal with a nice old man!
But the Muslims were in for some pleasant surprises
and the apostates for some rude shocks at the hands of 'the nice old, man'-such
shocks that one rebel chieftain, fleeing from the columns of Abu Bakr, would
cry in terror: "Woe to the Arabs
from the son of Abu Quhafa!" 7
2. Ibid: Vol. 2,
P. 462.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid: Vol. 2,
p. 463.
6.
Only a
purely material perspective could regard this as a mistake, and even then this
statement is difficult to defend categorically. It could easily be argued that
the astonishing victories against the apostates, Persians and Romans during Abu
Bakr's short caliphate were partly from the blessing of this decision to
continue a matter begun by the Prophet (SAWS), one of the first major decisions
made by Abu Bakr as caliph.
7. Balazuri: p. 104.
Chapter 12
(Abu Bakr Strikes)
"If the faith of Abu Bakr were to be weighed
against the faith of all the people of the earth, his faith would outweigh
theirs." [Umar bin Al-Khattab]
"Abu
Bakr was the bravest of the people." [Ali ibn
Abi Talib]1
The apostasy had become so general that it affected every tribe in Arabia
with the exception of the people in Makkah and Madinah and the tribe of Thaqeef
at Taif. In some cases the entire tribe apostatised. In other cases part of the
tribe apostatised while part continued to follow the true faith; and among
those who remained Muslims, many had to pay with their lives for their faith.
The flames of disbelief were fanned by two false prophets, Tulaiha bin
Khuwailid and Musailima bin Habib, and a false prophetess by the name of Sajah
bint Al Harith. Musailima had been an impostor for some time, while Tulaiha
made his claim to prophethood during the illness of the Holy Prophet. The most
immediate threat to Madinah was posed by Tulaiha and the tribes of West-Central
and North-Central Arabia that followed him. These tribes were the Ghatfan, the
Tayy, the Hawazin, the Bani Asad and the Bani Sulaim.
The concentrations of apostates nearest Madinah were located in two
areas: Abraq, 70 miles north-east of Madinah, and Zhu Qissa, 24 miles east of
Madinah. 2
(See Map 8) These concentrations consisted of the Ghatfan, the Hawazin and the
Tayy. A week or two after the departure of the Army of Usama, the apostates at
Zhu Qissa sent a delegation to Abu Bakr. "We
shall continue the prayers", said the delegates, "but we shall not pay any taxes."
Abu Bakr would have none of it.
"By Allah", he replied,
"if you withhold a single ounce of what is due from you, I shall fight
you. I allow you one day in which to give your reply."
The
envoys were taken aback by the determination and confidence of the new Caliph
who seemed to be entirely unaware of the weakness of his position. And he had
given them one day! The following morning, before the single day's ultimatum
had expired, the envoys slipped out of Madinah, which meant a rejection of Abu
Bakr's demands. Soon after their departure, Abu Bakr sent his own envoys to all
the apostate tribes, calling upon them to remain loyal to Islam and continue to
pay their taxes.
But the
apostate envoys from Zhu Qissa, before leaving Madinah, had had a good look at
the place, and their keen eyes had noticed the absence of warriors. On
returning to Zhu Qissa they told their comrades about their conversation with
Abu Bakr and the very vulnerable state of Madinah. Meanwhile Tulaiha, who was now
at Samira, had reinforced the apostates at Zhu Qissa with a contingent under
his brother, Hibal-a wily and resourceful general. When the apostates heard the
reports of the envoys, the temptation proved too much for them; they decided to
have a crack at Madinah while it was still defenceless. Consequently, the force
at Zhu Qissa moved forward from Zhu Hussa 4 , from where, after forming a base, part of
the force advanced still nearer Madinah and went into camp, preparatory to
attacking the town. It was now the third week of July 632 (late Rabi-ul-Akhir,
11 Hijri).
Abu Bakr received intelligence of this move and at once undertook the
organisation of the defences of Madinah. The main army was out under Usama, but
Madinah was not as defenceless as the rebels had imagined. Quite a few warriors
were still there, especially from the clan of Bani Hashim (the Prophet's own
clan) who had remained behind to mourn their departed kinsman. From these
remnants Abu Bakr scraped together a
fighting force. The confidence of Abu Bakr, never shaken, was
strengthened by the thought that he had such stalwarts with him as Ali, Zubair
bin Al Awam and Talha bin Ubaidullah. Each of these was appointed to command
one?third of the newly created force.
For three days nothing happened. The apostates, uncertain of how they
should set about their task, remained inactive. Then, on orders from Abu Bakr,
the Muslims sallied out of Madinah. They launched a quick attack on the forward
camp of the apostates and drove them back. The apostates withdrew to Zhu Hussa.
The Muslims informed Abu Bakr of their success, and the Caliph ordered them to
stay where they were and await his instructions.
1. Tarikh
Al-Khulafaa of As-Suyuti.
2.
Abraq is
now just a stony plain (the word means a spur or bluff) 5 miles north of
Hanakiya. Zhu Qissa does not exist; its location is known only in terms of its
distance from Madinah (Ibn Sad: p. 590), and it was on the road to Rabaza,
which is 20 miles north-east of Hanakiya. The latter is the old Batn Nakhl.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 487; Balazuri: p. 103.
4. The location of Zhu Hussa is not known.
2
The following day Abu Bakr set out from Madinah with a long string of
pack camels, for the riding camels had all gone with Usama and these inferior
camels were the best that Abu Bakr could muster in the way of transportation.
As the convoy got to the abandoned apostate camp, the Muslims who had driven
the apostates away mounted these camels and the force advanced towards Zhu
Hussa-the apostate base.
Here the enemy waited, and Hibal, the brother of Tulaiha, showed his
military cunning. He kept his men behind the crest of a slope, some distance
ahead of the base towards which the Muslims were advancing.
The Muslims, mounted on their pack camels, rode up the slope unaware of
the enemy who waited just beyond the crest. When the unsuspecting Muslims got
near the crest, the apostates stood up and hurled upon the forward slope a
countless number of goatskins filled with water. As these goatskins rolled down
the crest towards the Muslims, a wild din arose from the apostate ranks as they
hammered on drums and screamed at the top of their voices. The pack camels,
untrained for battle and not used to sudden loud noises or the sight of
unfamiliar objects rolling towards them in large numbers, turned and bolted.
The Muslims did their utmost to control their panic-stricken mounts but failed,
and very soon the entire Muslim force was home again!
Hibal had reason to feel pleased with himself. He had pulled a fast one
on the Muslims and driven them back to Madinah without, so to speak, firing a
shot. In view of this clever trick which Hibal pulled off, it is possible that
the preceding apostate withdrawal had been a feint, planned by Hibal, to draw
the Muslims out of the security of their town towards Zhu Hussa. We do not
know. But Hibal now made the mistake of assuming that the Muslims were
frightened, and that their hasty move back to Madinah was a sign of weakness.
He did not know that the Muslims were mounted on pack camels, and that it was
these animals that had panicked and not the men who rode them. The part of his
force that had remained at Zhu Qissa was informed of this success and called
forward. The same evening the full force of the apostates advanced and
re?established the camp
near Madinah, from which they had withdrawn only the day before. The
spirits of the apostates were high.
The
Muslims, on the other hand, were very angry, and every man was determined to
set the record straight in a return engagement. Abu Bakr knew that the apostates
had returned to their camp near Madinah, and decided to assail them before they
could complete their preparations for battle. Under his instructions, the
Muslims spent most of the night reorganising their small army and preparing for
battle.
During the latter part of the night Abu Bakr led his army out of Madinah
and formed up for the assault. He deployed the army with a centre, two wings
and a rear guard. Keeping the centre under his direct command, he placed the
right wing under Numan, the left wing under Abdullah and the rearguard under
Suwaid-all three of whom were sons of Muqaran. Before dawn the army was set in
motion towards the enemy camp where the apostates, confident of an easy victory
on the morrow, slept soundly.
This time it was Hibal who was surprised. The first glow of dawn had not
yet appeared when a furious, screaming mass of Muslims fell upon the camp with
drawn swords. The apostates did not stand upon the order of their going. Many
were killed, but most of them found safety in flight, and did not stop until
they had got to Zhu Qissa, where they paused to rest and reorganise. Their
spirits were no longer so high.
This round had been won by Abu Bakr, and his was no empty success. It
was a bloody tactical action in which the enemy had been driven back by the
sword and not by deception alone. Abu Bakr had decided to catch the enemy
unawares and thus get the benefit of surprise to offset his numerical
inferiority, and in this he had succeeded. He needed quick tactical victory and
he had got it. As a matter of interest it may be noted that this is the first
instance in Muslim history of a night attack-a tactical method which did not
achieve popularity until the First World War.
Having won this round, Abu Bakr decided to give no respite to his
opponents. He would catch them before the effect of the shock wore off and
while alarm and confusion kept them disorganised. As the sun rose, he marched
to Zhu Qissa.
On arrival at Zhu Qissa, he formed up for battle as he had done the
night before, and then launched his attack. The apostates put up a fight, but
their morale was low and after some resistance they broke contact and retreated
to Abraq where more clansmen of the Ghatfan, the Hawazin and the Tayy were
gathered. Abu Bakr, on capturing Zhu Qissa, sent a small force under Talha bin
Ubaidullah to pursue the enemy. Talha advanced a short distance and killed some
stragglers, but the small size of his force prevented him from doing any great
damage to the retreating apostates.
3
The capture of Zhu Qissa took place on or about
July 30, 632 (the 8th of Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 11 Hijri). Abu Bakr left Numan bin
Muqaran with a detachment to hold Zhu Qissa, and with the rest of his force
rode back to Madinah. On August 2, the Army of Usama returned to Madinah; the
capital of Islam was no longer in danger.
On leaving Madinah, Usama had marched to Tabuk. Most of the tribes in
this region opposed him fiercely; but Usama, with the zeal and vigour of youth,
swept across the land with fire and sword. He raided far and wide in the region
of Northern Arabia, starting with the Quza'a, who scattered under the blows of
his columns and then made their way to Daumat-ul-Jandal (where Khalid had
captured Ukaidar two years before). Usama killed all those who fought him and
burnt orchards and villages, leaving in his wake 'a hurricane of smoke.' 1
As a
result of his operations several tribes resubmitted to Madinah and re-embraced
Islam. But the Quza'a remained rebellious and unrepentant, and had to be dealt
with again a short while later by Amr bin Al Aas.
Usama next marched to Mutah, fought the Christian Arabs of the tribes of
Kalb and Ghasan and avenged the death of his father. There was, however, no
major battle. Then he returned to Madinah, bringing with him a large number of
captives and a considerable amount of wealth, part of which comprised the
spoils of war and part the taxes paid by the repentant tribes. The Army of
Usama was warmly welcomed by Abu Bakr and the people of Madinah, to whom its
return brought comfort and assurance. It had been away for 40 days.
After the defeat of the apostates at Zhu Qissa, several apostate clans
turned viciously upon those of their members who remained Muslims and
slaughtered them. The killing was done mercilessly, some Muslims being burnt
alive and others thrown from the tops of cliffs. Abu Bakr heard the news of
these atrocities with cold anger, and swore that he would kill every infidel
who had murdered a Muslim and carry fire and sword to every apostate clan.
Things were now looking up for the Muslims. The recent victories of Abu
Bakr, though not decisive, had raised spirits. Some of the apostate tribes
living near Madinah had repented, rejoined the faith and paid their taxes and
more. The Army of Usama was back with captives and wealth. The coffers of the
Muslim State were full again, providing a sound financial base for all-out war
against the enemies of Islam.
But Abu
Bakr decided that he needed more time before launching a general offensive, in
order to rest and re-equip the Army of Usama. He consequently ordered Usama to
rest his men at Madinah and while doing so also ensure the safety of the
capital. His own hastily scraped together force had now begun to feel like an
army; and he decided to use this army, while the Army of Usama rested and
re-equipped, to fight another offensive battle against the apostates gathered
at Abraq. Now Abu Bakr really prepared for war, not only to punish the tribes
for the heinous crime of apostasy, but also to avenge the innocent blood of the
faithful Muslims who had been murdered by the apostates.
When Abu Bakr announced his intention of leading his army to Abraq,
Muslim elders tried to restrain him. "May
Allah bless you, O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah!" they said. "Do not endanger yourself by leading
the army in person. If you should be killed, it would upset the order of things. Your very existence is a source of
trouble to the unbelievers. Appoint another to command the army. Then, if he is
killed, you can appoint yet another."
Abu Bakr was shortly going to place an immense burden on the shoulders
of the Muslims, both commanders and troops. He was going to ask them to strive
as they had never done before and to face dangers which would appal most
warriors. He could think
1. Ibn Sad: p. 709.
4
"No, by Allah!" he replied. "I shall not do
that. I shall not trouble others with my burden." 1
And it was under Abu Bakr that the small army marched out to Zhu Qissa,
where Numan awaited him. (This Numan was later to achieve everlasting fame as
the victor of Nihawand in Persia.) Here Abu Bakr placed Numan and his brothers
in command of the wings and the rear guard, as he had done for his night
attack, and set out for Abraq. It was now the second week of August (third week
of Jamadi-ul-Awwal).
When the Muslims got to Abraq they found that the enemy was already
formed up in battle array. Without delay, Abu Bakr deployed his army and
attacked the apostates.
The apostate spirits now were not as high as they had been a fortnight
before. The defeated elements, which had escaped from Zhu Qissa, had joined the
apostates at Abraq, and as is usual in such cases their arrival had had a
depressing effect on others. For some time the apostates, who were numerically
superior, resisted the Muslim attack, then they broke and fled. Abu Bakr had
won another victory.
The remnants of the apostates fleeing from Abraq, and certain other
clans from this region, travelled to Buzakha, whither Tulaiha the Impostor had
moved from Samira. But other clans living in this area submitted to the columns
that Abu Bakr sent out after the capture of Abraq to subdue the countryside.
Now more taxes were gathered, to which the repentant clans gladly added gifts
that were as gladly accepted.
The following day the Caliph left Abraq for Madinah. On arrival at
Madinah he spent a few days in dealing with matters of state; then he moved to
Zhu Qissa with the Army of Usama. But it had now ceased to be the Army of
Usama, for Usama had completed his work and his army was now the Army of
Islam-to be used by the Caliph as required. Usama's tenure of command was over.
At Zhu Qissa, Abu Bakr organised the Army of Islam into several corps to
deal with the various enemies who occupied the entire land of Arabia except for
the small area in the possession of the Muslims. This was the first time that
the Muslim Army was organised into separate corps, each with its own commander,
for independent missions under the general strategical guidance of the Caliph.
Muslim commanders, until now essentially tacticians, would henceforth enter the
higher realms of strategy and master those realms with a sure-footedness and
ease that would astonish the world.
At Zhu Qissa, in the fourth week of August 632 (early Jamadi-ul-Akhir,
11 Hijri) Abu Bakr planned the strategy of the Campaign of the Apostasy. The
battles which he had fought recently against the apostate concentrations at Zhu
Qissa and Abraq were in the nature of immediate preventive action to save
Madinah and discourage further offensives by the enemy, thus gaining time for
the preparation and launching of his main forces. These actions could be
described as spoiling attacks; they had enabled Abu Bakr to secure a base from
which he could fight the major campaign that lay ahead.
Abu Bakr had no illusions about the task that faced him. He had to fight
not one but several enemies-Tulaiha the Impostor at Buzakha, Malik bin Nuwaira
at Butah, Musailima the Liar at Yamamah. He had to deal with widespread
apostasy on the eastern and southern coasts of Arabia-in Bahrain, in Oman, in
Mahra, in Hadhramaut, in the Yemen. There was apostasy in the region south and
east of Makkah, and in Northern Arabia the Quza'a had staged a comeback after
the return of the Army of Usama.
The situation of the Muslims can be compared with a small island of
belief in an ocean of disbelief, a lamp shining in the darkness which held
every manner of danger for the Faithful. Abu Bakr had not only to keep the
flame alive, but also to dispel the darkness and crush the forces of evil that
gathered threateningly on all sides. In numerical strength the apostates vastly
outnumbered the Muslims, though they were not united. Abu Bakr's military
strength lay in his having, among the Muslims, the finest fighting men of the
time. And he had a tremendous weapon-Khalid bin Al Waleed: the Sword of Allah.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 476.
5
Abu Bakr planned his strategy accordingly. He formed the army into
several corps. The strongest corps, and this was the main punch of the Muslims,
was the corps of Khalid. This was used to fight the most powerful of the rebel
forces, to crack the toughest nuts. Other corps were given areas of secondary
importance in which to bring the less dangerous apostate tribes to their
senses, after the main enemy opposition was crushed. Two corps were kept as
reserves to reinforce the corps of Khalid or any other corps that might need
assistance. The first corps to go into action was that of Khalid, and the
timing of the despatch of other corps hinged on the operations of Khalid, who
was given the task of fighting the strongest enemy forces one after the other.
Abu Bakr's plan was first to clear the area of West Central Arabia (the area
nearest Madinah), then tackle Malik bin Nuwaira, and finally concentrate
against the most dangerous enemy of the lot-Musailima the Liar. Thus Abu Bakr
would achieve concentration of force, by dealing with the main enemy armies
separately and in turn, progressing step by step from nearer to farther
regions.
The Caliph formed 11 corps, each under its own commander. 1
A standard was given to each corps. The available manpower was distributed
among these corps and while some commanders were given immediate missions,
others were given missions for which they would be launched later. The
commanders were also instructed to pick up brave men on the way as they marched
to their objectives. The 11 corps commanders and their assigned objectives were
as follows:
1. Khalid: First Tulaiha at
Buzakha, then Malik bin Nuwaira, at Butah.
2. Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl: Contact Musailima at Yamamah but not to get
involved until more forces were
built up.
3. Amr bin Al Aas: The apostate tribes of Quza'a and Wadi'a in the
area of Tabuk and Daumat?ul-Jandal.
4. Shurahbil bin Hasanah:
Follow Ikrimah and await the Caliph's instructions.
5. Khalid bin Saeed:
Certain apostate tribes on the Syrian frontier.
6. Turaifa
bin Hajiz: The apostate tribes of Hawazin and Bani Sulaim in the area east
of Madinah and Makkah.
7. Ala bin Al Hadhrami: The
apostates in Bahrain.
8. Hudhaifa bin Mihsan: The
apostates in Oman.
10. Muhajir bin Abi Umayyah: The apostates in the Yemen, then the Kinda
in Hadhramaut.
11. Suwaid bin Muqaran: The
apostates in the coastal area north of the Yemen.
As soon as the organisation of the corps was complete, Khalid marched
off, to be followed a little later by Ikrimah and Amr bin Al Aas. The other
corps were held back by the Caliph and despatched weeks and even months later.
Their despatch was conditioned by the progress of Khalid's operations against
the hard core of enemy opposition.
Before the various corps left Zhu Qissa, however, envoys were sent by
Abu Bakr to all apostate tribes in a final attempt to induce them to see
reason. These envoys were given identical instructions: they were to call upon
the tribes to return to Islam and render full submission, for those tribes
which submitted there would be forgiveness and peace, those tribes that
resisted would be fought until no opposition remained and their women and
children would be enslaved: before the attack, against any tribe, the Muslim
forces would call the Adhan (the
Muslim call to prayer), and if the tribe responded with the Adhan it would be assumed that it had
submitted.
To the corps commanders, too, the Caliph gave identical general
instructions, apart from their specific objectives. These instructions were as
follows:
a. Seek the tribes which are your
objectives
b. Call the Adhan.
c. If the tribe answers with the Adhan, do not attack. After the Adhan,
ask the tribe to confirm its
submission, including the payment of taxes. If confirmed, do not attack. d. Those who submit will not be
molested.
e. Those who do not answer with the
Adhan, or after the Adhan do not confirm full submission, will be dealt with by fire
and sword.
f. All apostates who have killed Muslims will be killed, those who have
burnt Muslims alive will be burnt
alive. 2
With these instructions Abu Bakr, no longer the meek, submissive
Companion, launched the forces of Islam against the apostates.
1.
The word
'corps' has been used in a loose sense to indicate an independent tactical
command. These corps had no organisational resemblance with the modem army corps
of about three divisions.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 482.
Chapter 13
(Tulaiha
The Imposter)
1
Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet (SAWS) said,
"The nations were presented to me. I saw the prophet having a party of
people with him, the prophet having one or two men with him, the prophet having
no one with him. Then a great mass of people was shown to me, so I thought that
they were my nation, but it was said to me, 'This is Musa and his people, but
look at the horizon.' Behold! A great mass of people! It was said to me, 'Look
at the other horizon.' Behold! A great mass of people! It was said to me, 'This
is
your nation, and among them are
seventy thousand who will enter the Garden without reckoning or
punishment'."
He then got up and entered his house, and the people began speculating
about those special believers. Some of them said, "Perhaps they are those
who accompanied the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace." Others said, "Perhaps they are those who were born in Islam
and so never associated any partners with Allah at all." Others said
various things.
Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, came out to them and they informed him of their
discussion, so he said, "They are those who do not seek spiritual cures
for physical ailments, who do not practice cauterisation, and who do not draw
omens, but put their trust totally in their Lord."
So 'Ukkashah bin Mihsan stood up
and said, "Pray to Allah to make me among them."
He
replied, "You are among them."
Another
man stood up and said, "Pray to Allah to make me among them."
He
replied, "'Ukkashah beat you to it."1
Of the false prophets who remained after the death
of Aswad, the first to clash with the Muslims was Tulaiha bin Khuwailid. He was
a chief of the tribe of Bani Asad, and had been opposing the Holy Prophet off
and on for many years.
Tulaiha first showed his hostility to Islam three months after the
Battle of Uhud. Believing that the Muslims had been badly hurt in that battle,
he got his clan together with the intention of raiding Madinah and thus
exploiting what he regarded as a fine opportunity; but the Prophet came to know
of the concentration of the clan and sent a mounted column of 150 horsemen to
deal with it. Before Tulaiha could get wind of this counter-move the Muslim
horsemen were upon him. The infidels scattered without a fight, and the Muslims
captured the flocks of the clan and drove them off to Madinah as spoils. This
setback so discredited Tulaiha in the eyes of his tribe that he had to lie low
for a while.
Then he took part in the Battle of the Ditch. Responding eagerly to the
invitation of the Jews to take up arms against the Muslims, he got together a
contingent from the Bani Asad and commanded it in the coalition that besieged
Madinah. When Abu Sufyan withdrew from Madinah, the Bani Asad also returned to
their settlements. Again Tulaiha got nowhere.
The next
occasion on which he opposed the Muslims was their campaign against the Jews of
Khaibar in 628 (7 Hijri). The Bani Asad, operating under Tulaiha, sided with
the Jews. During the movement of the Muslim army towards Khaibar, Tulaiha
fought a number of minor engagements with the Muslims but was worsted every
time. Then he pulled out his forces and abandoned the Jews to their fate.
Two years later, during the 'Year of Delegations', the Bani Asad sent a
delegation to Madinah which offered submission to the Prophet. The whole tribe
accepted Islam, but like many other tribes of Arabia its conversion was a
matter of political convenience rather than genuine belief. Outwardly Tulaiha
also embraced Islam. Whether infidel or Muslim Tulaiha continued to enjoy
considerable influence in his tribe as a chief and a soothsayer. He would
foretell the future, dabble in clairvoyance and recite poetry.
During the illness of the Prophet, in fact a few days before the Prophet
died, Tulaiha made a bid for independence. He declared himself a prophet! He
called upon his people to follow him, and many did. When word arrived of the
Holy Prophet's death, he
intensified his efforts to establish himself as the new prophet, and as
the contagion of the apostasy spread over Arabia, the entire tribe of Bani Asad
flocked to his standard, accepting him as chief and prophet. To mark the
severance of his ties with Madinah, Tulaiha expelled the Muslim tax collector
of his area-a valiant young man by the name of Barar bin Al Azwar, of whom the
account of the Campaign in Syria will have much to say.
Having proclaimed himself prophet, Tulaiha felt that he had to do
something about religion in order to prove that he really was an apostle of
Allah. He could think of no better way of creating a spectacular effect than by
altering the form of prayer. He abolished prostration, which is an integral
part of the Muslim prayer ritual. "Allah
does not want us to invert our
faces", he declared, "or
bend our backs in an ugly posture. Pray standing!" 2 And the Bani Asad prayed without
prostration after their impostor.
With the spread of the apostasy the ranks of his followers swelled. He
received offers of support from the major tribes of North-Central Arabia, the
staunchest of which were the Ghatfan, followed by the Tayy, with both of which
the Bani Asad had an old and abiding alliance. There was support also from the
Hawazin and the Bani Sulaim, but this was lukewarm. Although these two great
tribes also apostatised and fought the Muslims, they did not join Tulaiha and
did not fight under his standard.
1.
Bukhari,
Muslim and Ahmad. Sahih Al-Jami Al-Saghir No. 3999 and Kitab Al-Tawhid of
Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, Chapter 3.
2. Ibn-ul-Aseer: Vol. 2, p. 131.
2
The most powerful single supporter of Tulaiha was Uyaina bin Hisn, the
one-eyed chief of the Bani Fazara-a powerful clan of the Ghatfan. This was the
man who had commanded the Ghatfan contingent at the Battle of the Ditch and
whom the Holy Prophet had nicknamed the Willing Fool. Now he lived up to that
name by following Tulaiha. He did not, however, believe whole-heartedly in the
impostor, for he is known to have said, "I
would rather follow a prophet from an allied tribe than one from the Quraish.
Anyway, Muhammad is dead and Tulaiha is alive." 1 His support proved invaluable, for he brought the entire tribe of Ghatfan under the sway of Tulaiha.
Tulaiha gathered the Bani Asad at Samira. The Ghatfan lived in the
neighbourhood of the Bani Asad and would join him soon. The Tayy also accepted
him as chief-of-chiefs and prophet, but remained in their own region north and
northeast of Khaibar, except for a small contingent, which joined him at
Samira. Here Tulaiha began his preparations to fight the power of Islam.
When he heard of the gathering of the clans at Abraq and Zhu Qissa, he
sent a contingent from his tribe to reinforce them under his brother, Hibal.
The Muslim operations against Zhu Qissa and Abraq have already been described.
While these operations were in progress, Tulaiha moved with his army to
Buzakha, where he was joined some time later by the remnants of the apostates
driven from Abraq.
At Buzakha, Tulaiha's preparations progressed rapidly. He sent couriers
to many clans, inviting them to join him, and many clans responded to the call.
Uyaina brought 700 warriors from the Bani Fazara. The largest groups were from
the Bani Asad and the
Ghatfan. There also was a contingent from the Tayy, but the main part of
the Tayy did not come to Buzakha.
Tulaiha
was ready for battle when Khalid set out from, Zhu Qissa.
Before launching Khalid against Tulaiha, Abu Bakr sought ways and means
of reducing the latter's strength, so that the battle could be fought with the
maximum prospects of victory. Nothing could be done about the tribes of Bani
Asad and Ghatfan which stood solidly behind Tulaiha; but the Tayy were another
matter. They were not nearly so staunch in their support of the impostor, and
their chief, Adi bin Hatim, was a devout Muslim. (A man, who was to live to the
incredible age of 120 years, Adi was so tall that when he sat on his horse, his
feet would touch the ground! 2) When Adi had tried to prevent the apostasy
of the Tayy, they had renounced him, with the result that he had left the
tribe, along with a group of his faithful supporters, and joined the Caliph.
Abu Bakr now decided to make an attempt at drawing the Tayy away from Tulaiha.
And if they could not be persuaded to abandon the impostor, they should be
fought and crushed quickly in their present location before they could join him
at Buzakha. Thus Tulaiha would be denied the support of the Tayy.
Abu Bakr sent the Tayy chief to work on his tribe.
With him marched Khalid, whose corps numbered about 4,000 men. "If the efforts of Adi are not
successful", Abu Bakr instructed Khalid, "fight the Tayy in their present location." 3
After dealing with the Tayy, Khalid was to, march on Buzakha. (See Map 8.)
Setting off from Zhu Qissa, Khalid marched in a northerly direction,
making for Buzakha. When still a few marches from Buzakha, he turned left and
approached the area south of the Aja Mountains, where the tribe of Tayy was
gathered. Here Adi went forward and addressed the tribe: he spoke of Allah and
His Messenger, of the fire of hell, of the futility of resistance; but in spite
of his great eloquence he made no headway. The tribal elders rejected him,
whereupon Adi warned them: "Then
prepare to meet an army that comes to
destroy you and take your women. Do as you please."
The warning had the desired effect. The elders reflected for a while and
then said, "Keep this army away from us until we have
extricated our brethren who are with Tulaiha. We have a pact with him. If we
break it, he will either kill our brethren or hold them as hostages. We must
get them away from Tulaiha before openly renouncing him."
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 487.
2. Ibn Qutaiba: p. 313.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 483.
3
Adi returned to the Muslim camp and explained the position to Khalid,
but Khalid was in no mood to waste time on negotiations. He held strong views
about the apostasy and was not inclined to be kind to those who turned to
disbelief-after-belief. "Three days,
O Khalid!" Adi pleaded. "Just three days! And I shall get you
500 warriors from my tribe to fight beside you. That is better than sending
them to the Fire." 1 Khalid
agreed to wait.
The elders of the Tayy sent off a detachment of
horsemen to Tulaiha, ostensibly as a reinforcement for their contingent. And
there they started working secretly to get the Tayy contingent away from
Tulaiha before Khalid's arrival at Buzakha. In this they
succeeded. If any members of the Tayy remained with Tulaiha, and it
appears that a few did, they took no part in the Battle of Buzakha.
Khalid had agreed not to attack the Tayy. Meanwhile he decided to turn
on another apostate tribe which lived close by-the Jadila. The Caliph had said
nothing about the Jadila, but Khalid did not need an invitation to fight. When
he announced his intention of attacking the Jadila, Adi again came forward with
an offer to persuade the tribe to submit without bloodshed. Khalid was not the
man to worry about bloodshed, but in view of the possibility of augmenting his
own strength with more warriors, he agreed to Adi's suggestion. The eloquence
of Adi bore fruit. The Jadila submitted, and 1,000 warriors joined Khalid. With
the strength of his corps augmented with the 500 horsemen from the Tayy and the
1,000 from the Jadila, Khalid, now much stronger than when he had left Zhu
Qissa, marched for Buzakha. On his way he was to pick up more warriors.
When a day's march from Buzakha, Khalid sent forward two scouts on a
reconnaissance mission. Both these men were Ansars, one of them a renowned
Companion by the name of Ukasha bin Mihsan. These scouts met two apostates
engaged on a similar mission for the enemy, one of whom was Hibal, the brother
of Tulaiha. Hibal was killed, but the other escaped to carry the sad news to
the impostor.
Enraged at the news of his brother's death, Tulaiha came forward in
person with another brother, Salma. The two pairs met. There were two duels.
Tulaiha and Ukasha were expert swordsmen and continued to fight long after
Salma had killed the other Muslim. But at last Ukasha went down before Tulaiha.
The bodies of the Muslims remained where they had fallen until the rest of the
Muslims arrived to discover and bury them. The loss of these two Muslims was
deeply mourned, for they were fine fighters and beloved comrades.
When Khalid got to the southern part of the plain of Buzakha, he went
into camp a short distance from where the apostates were encamped. From these
two camps the opposing forces would move out to battle. The battlefield
consisted of the plain of Buzakha-a level, open plain with a few low, rocky
hillocks on its western and northern edges. These hillocks were an extension of
the south-eastern foothills of the Aja Range. 2 (See Map 8)
The stage for the Battle of Buzakha was set. The Muslims prepared for
the morrow, as did the apostates. Khalid, the Sword of Allah, with about 6,000
men, faced Tulaiha the Impostor, the strength of whose army is not recorded but
is believed to have been much more than that of the Muslims. It was now about
the middle of September, 632 (late Jamadi-ul-Akhir, 11 Hijri).
On the morning after the arrival of Khalid, the two armies formed up for
battle on the plain of Buzakha. Khalid commanded the Muslims in person and
stood ahead of his corps. Tulaiha, however, appointed Uyaina to command his
army, in the centre of which stood the 700 Bani Fazara (Uyaina's clan). The
impostor himself sat in a tent a short distance behind his army, his head
wrapped in a scarf and a cloak draped over his shoulders. He assumed a meditative
posture and let it be known that he would receive guidance from Jibril, Allah's
messenger angel, on the conduct of battle.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 483.
2.
Nothing
remains of Buzakha, but the plain which bears its name starts 25 miles
south-west of the present Hail and runs in a south-westerly direction.
Soon after the two forces were arrayed for battle, Khalid launched an
attack along the entire front. For some time the apostates resisted stubbornly,
especially the Bani Fazara, but after a while the pressure of the Muslims began
to tell and dents appeared in the apostate front line. Uyaina, alarmed at the
severity of the Muslim attack, rode to Tulaiha's tent, hoping that divine
guidance would come to their aid. "Has
Jibril come to you?" he enquired. "No",
replied the impostor with a solemn expression. Uyaina returned to battle.
Some more time passed. Then Khalid was able to
drive a wedge into the infidel centre, but it still held, and the fighting
became more intense with every inch of ground hotly contested. Uyaina again
rode to Tulaiha and asked, "Has
Jibril come to you?" "No, by Allah!"
replied the impostor. Again Uyaina returned to battle.
Scenting
victory, the Muslims now attacked more fiercely and gained some more ground. It
was all the apostates could do to prevent a complete rupture of their position.
Seeing the situation turn hopeless Uyaina went for the third time to Tulaiha.
There was a nervous impatience in his voice as he asked the familiar question: "Has Jibril come to you?" The
impostor answered, "Yes."
"What did he say?" asked Uyaina.
Calmly
Tulaiha replied, "He said 'You have
a handmill just like his, and this is a day that you will not forget!'" "By Allah!" Uyaina exploded
as the scales fell from his eyes,
"This is a day that you shall
certainly not forget." He then dashed to his clan. "O Bani Fazara!" he shouted. "This man is an impostor. Turn away from the fight!"1
The Bani Fazara, the hard core of Tulaiha's centre, turned and rode
away. With their departure the entire front gave way and the apostate
opposition collapsed. Groups of infidels raced from the battlefield in all
directions. The victorious Muslims cut those who resisted to pieces. Some
hapless fugitives rushed to Tulaiha and asked, "What are your commands?"
Tulaiha replied, "Let those who
can, do as I do and save themselves and their families." 2
With this parting instruction Tulaiha placed his
wife on a fast camel, which he had kept ready saddled for just this
eventuality. He himself sprang on to his horse, and man and wife disappeared in
a cloud of dust.
The Battle of Buzakha was over. Khalid had been victorious. The second
most powerful enemy of Islam had been defeated and his forces scattered.
Tulaiha fled to the border of Syria, where he took up residence among
the Kalb. His imposturing days were over. But he had not been long with this
tribe when he heard that the Bani Asad had re-entered Islam. Consequently he
too became a Muslim and rejoined his tribe. He even visited Makkah for the
pilgrimage during the time of Abu Bakr, but the Caliph, though informed of his
visit, took no notice of him.
About two years later he visited Madinah and came to see Umar, who did
not forgive easily. On seeing Tulaiha, Umar said to him, "You killed two noble Muslims, including Ukasha bin Mihsan. By Allah, I shall never love you."
Tulaiha had a subtle wit. He replied, "Allah blessed them with paradise by my hand, while I did not benefit by theirs. I seek
forgiveness from Allah."
"That", replied Tulaiha, "arose
from the mischief of disbelief which Allah has destroyed. I cannot now be
blamed for it."
Umar saw that he was not getting far with this exchange and made a last
attempt. "O trickster! What remains of your clairvoyance?"
"Nothing but a gust or two from the
bellows!" 3
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 485.
2. Ibid
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 489; Balazuri: pp. 105-6.
5
A sense of humour was not one of Umar's strong points; and not being
able to think of a suitable rejoinder, he turned away.
Tulaiha returned to his tribe and lived amongst them until the third
invasion of Iraq. Then he volunteered for service in Iraq as a Muslim warrior
and commander. He served with distinction, performing prodigies of valour and
skill, and took part in the great battles of Qadissiyah and Nihawand, where he
fell a martyr. Tulaiha thus more than earned his redemption.
As soon as the battle was over, Khalid sent out columns to pursue the
fleeing apostates and subdue the neighbouring tribes. One column caught up with
some apostates in the hilly region of Ruman, 30 miles south-south-east of
Buzakha, but they submitted without a fight and became Muslims again. Khalid
led a fast column in pursuit of Uyaina, who had fled to the south-east with his
clan of Bani Fazara and some elements of the Bani Asad. Uyaina had only got as
far as Ghamra, 60 miles away 1 (see Map 8),
when Khalid overtook him. Uyaina then turned to fight again, for although he
was now totally disillusioned about Tulaiha, he remained defiant and
unrepentant. There was a sharp clash in which several apostates were killed and
the rest fled. Uyaina was taken prisoner.
Uyaina's father had been a very prominent and highly respected chieftain
of the Ghatfan, as a result of which Uyaina regarded himself as second to none
in birth and rank. But this proud scion of a long line of chiefs, with whom the
Holy Prophet himself had sought to negotiate peace at the Battle of the Ditch,
was now put in irons and led as a humble captive to Madinah.
As he entered Madinah, the children, on discovering his identity and
circumstances, crowded around him. They began to prod him with sharp sticks,
chanting awhile "O Enemy of Allah! You
disbelieved-after-belief." Uyaina protested piteously, "By Allah, I never was a
believer." In other words, since he had never become a Muslim (as he
now falsely claimed), he could not be
accused of apostasy.
He pleaded his case before Abu Bakr, who pardoned him, and so Uyaina
became a Muslim again and lived in peace amidst his tribe for many long years.
In the time of Caliph Uthman, Uyaina, now grown old, visited Madinah and
called on the Caliph. It was well after sunset. Uthman, as always the generous
host, asked him to stay for supper and was taken aback when Uyaina declined the
invitation on the plea that he was fasting. (The Muslim fast begins at the
first light of dawn and ends at sunset.) Seeing the look of surprise on
Uthman's face, Uyaina exclaimed hastily, "I
find it easier to fast by night than
by day!" 2
After the action at Ghamra, Khalid set off for Naqra where certain clans
of the Bani Sulaim had gathered to continue the struggle against Islam. (See Map 8) In command of this group of Bani Sulaim
was a rash chieftain whose name was Amr bin Abdul Uzza, but who was more
commonly known as Abu Shajra. This man had learnt no lesson from the defeat of
Tulaiha, and in order to encourage his men to remain firm in their defiance of
Muslim authority, he composed and recited the following lines:
My spear shall play havoc
With the regiments of Khalid.
And I trust thereafter
It shall also crush Umar 3
1.
Ghamra
lies 15 miles north north-east of Samira, and a hill overlooking the present
village is also named Ghamra. This place has been called Ghamr by Ibn Sad who
places it at two stages from Feid (p. 590). It is actually 30 miles from Feid
as the crow flies, and would be a little farther by caravan route.
2. Ibn Qutaiba: p. 304.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 494.
6
As soon as he arrived at Naqra, Khalid launched his column into a
violent attack on the Bani Sulaim. Actually, he had pleasant memories of the
Bani Sulaim. They had served under him during the conquest of Makkah and the
Battle of Hunain and the advance to Taif. Except for their flight when ambushed
in the Hunain defile (when most troops would have done the same), they had
served him well. But now they had apostatised and deserved no mercy.
Fighting against their ex-commander, the Bani Sulaim resisted fiercely
for some time and were able to kill several Muslims, but they too found the
powerful blows of Khalid too hard to take and broke up. A large number of them
were slaughtered before the rest found safety in flight. Their commander, Abu
Shajra the soldier-poet, was taken prisoner and sent to Madinah, where he too pleaded
his case with Abu Bakr and was pardoned. He also re-entered Islam.
In later years Abu Shajra fell upon bad times, he was impoverished.
Hoping to get some help from Madinah, he rode thither, tied his camel outside
the town and went in. Soon he came upon Umar who stood surrounded by the poor
to whom he was distributing alms.
Entering the throng, Abu Shajra, called, "I too am in need." Umar turned and looked at him but
failed to recognise him. His appearance had changed much since the days of his
apostasy. "Who are you?"
Umar enquired.
"I am Abu Shajra."
Suddenly old memories flashed across the mind of Umar and he recalled
the entire story of the wretched man. "O
Enemy of Allah!" Umar roared. "Was
it not you who recited:
My spear shall play havoc
With the regiments of Khalid.
And I trust thereafter
It shall also crush Umar. . .
!"
Umar did not wait for a reply. He raised his whip, without which he
never left his house, and struck at the man. Abu Shajra raised his arm to
protect his head even as he pleaded, "My
submission to Islam has cancelled all that." 1 Then the second blow fell!
Abu Shajra realised that no amount of pleading would stay the whip of
Umar, who was clearly in a mood to strike first and ask questions later. He
turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, with Umar in hot pursuit,
brandishing his whip. But he outran Umar, got to his camel, leapt onto its back
and sped away.
Abu
Shajra never showed his face in Madinah again!
While the Battle of Buzakha was being fought, certain tribes had stood
aside and watched. These were the tribe of Bani Amir and certain clans of the
Hawazin and Bani Sulaim. Though inclined towards Tulaiha, they had wisely
refrained from battle and preferred to sit on the fence until the outcome of
battle was known.
The outcome was soon known. Peace and quiet had hardly returned to
Buzakha when these tribes came to Khalid and submitted. "We re-enter what we came out of", they declared. "We believe in Allah and His Messenger.
We shall submit to his orders with our lives
and property." 2
Soon other sections of repentant Arabs began to pour into Buzakha. "We submit!" was the universal
cry. But Khalid remembered the instructions of the Caliph-to kill all those who
had killed Muslims. He refused to accept their submission (which meant that
they could be attacked, killed, enslaved) until they had handed over every
murderer in the tribe. To this the tribes agreed.
1. Balazuri: p. 107
2. Tabari: Vol. 2 pg. 486.
7
All the murderers were lined up. Khalid's justice was swift. He had each
murderer killed in exactly the same manner as he had employed to kill his
Muslim victim. Some were beheaded, some were burnt alive, and some stoned to
death. Some were thrown from the tops of cliffs, while others were shot to death
with arrows. A few were cast into wells.1 An eye for an eye!
Having completed this task, Khalid wrote to Abu Bakr and gave him a
complete account of all that had passed. The Caliph wrote him a complimentary
letter in reply, congratulating him on his success, approving his actions and
praying for his continued success.
After the action against the Bani Sulaim at Naqra, Khalid stayed at
Buzakha for three weeks, receiving the submission of the tribes and punishing
the murderers. Then he turned his steps towards Zafar, where a lady needed his
attention. He looked forward eagerly to the rendezvous; and she awaited him
with breathless anticipation!
Salma, alias Um Zhiml, was a first cousin of Uyaina. Her father too was
a big chief, Malik bin Hudaifa, of the Ghatfan. Not only was her father a noted
chief, but her mother, Um Qirfa, also was a great lady, held in esteem and
veneration by the tribe. In the time of the Holy Prophet, the mother had fought
against the Muslims and had been captured in battle and killed, but memories of
the chieftainess had remained alive among the Ghatfan. Salma had been taken
captive and led to Madinah, where the Prophet presented her as a slave to his
wife, Aisha. But Salma was not happy, so Aisha set her free, and she returned
to her tribe.
After the death of her parents, Salma rose in stature until she began to
command the same respect and affection in her tribe as her mother had enjoyed.
She became-and this was unusual among the Arabs-a chief in her own right. Her
mother had owned a magnificent camel which was now inherited by Salma, and
since the daughter looked just like the mother, whenever she rode the camel she
reminded her people of the departed grande
dame.
Salma became one of the leaders of the apostasy and an implacable enemy
of Islam. After the Battle of Buzakha and the action at Ghamra, some of those
who had lost to Khalid, along with many die-hards from the Hawazin and the Bani
Sulaim, hastened to Zafar, at the western edge of the Sulma Range, and joined
the army of Salma. 2 (See Map 8)
She upbraided them mercilessly for their defeat and their abandonment of
Uyaina, and such was the awe of this lady that they took it without a murmur.
With her strong hand she whipped this motley collection into shape as a
closely-knit, well-organised army, and within a few days she had become a
threat to the authority of Islam. She knew that Khalid, now free of the problem
of Buzakha, would come to deal with her, and she eagerly awaited a clash with
the Sword of Allah.
Khalid marched his corps from Buzakha to Zafar where the army of Islam
again came face-to-face with the army of disbelief. Again Khalid took the
initiative and attacked.
But it proved a hard battle. While Khalid was able to drive back the
wings, he could make no progress against the centre of the apostates. The
centre stood firm. Here rode Salma in an armoured litter atop her mother's
famous camel, and from this command post she personally conducted the battle.
Around her camel were gathered the bravest of her warriors, determined to
sacrifice their lives in defence of the noble animal and its venerated rider.
Khalid realised that in the person of Salma lay the moral strength of
the enemy force, and that as long as she survived in her litter the battle
would continue and turn into a bloodbath. She had to be eliminated.
Consequently, leading a picked group of warriors, he made a determined thrust
towards the camel, and after some vicious sword-fighting was able to get to the
animal. With a few slashes the camel was brought down and with it fell the
prized litter. Salma was killed immediately. Around her sprawled the bodies of
100 of her followers who had fought to the last in defence of their chief.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 490.
2. While the general location of Zafar can be
established, its exact location is not certain.
Tabari gives Zafar as the scene
of the battle and also mentions Ark as the town of the chieftainess Salma. Ark
is now a village named Rakk, 35 miles from Hail, nestling at the foot of the
northern spurs of the Salma Range. Twelve miles south of Rakk there is a hill
called Zafar, on the western slope of the range, and I regard this as the Zafar
where the battle was fought.
8
With the death of Salma, all resistance collapsed and the apostates
scattered in all directions. Salma had given Khalid the hardest fight since
Tulaiha.
The Salma Range-a range of black, rugged hills standing some 40 miles
south-east of the town of Hail-is believed to have been named after Salma, Um
Zhiml…a fitting tribute to a grand lady who had the courage to stand and fight
against the greatest soldier of the day, and who went down fighting.
The Battle of Zafar was fought in late October 632 (late Rajab, 11
Hijri). For a few days Khalid rested his men. Then he gave orders for the march
to Butah, to fight Malik bin Nuwaira.
The first phase of the Campaign of the Apostasy ended with the death of
Salma. The major tribes of North-Central Arabia which had rebelled against
Islam as followers of Tulaiha had now been defeated and subdued, and their
leaders were either killed or captured or driven away. No more rebel chieftains
raised their heads again in this region.
But one man remained, more of a bandit leader than a tribal chief, who
was still causing anxiety to the Muslims. This man's name was Ayas bin Abd
Yalil, but he was more commonly known as Al Faja'a. He was an adventurer.
At about the time when Khalid was consolidating his gains at Buzakha, Al
Faja'a came to Abu Bakr. "I am a
Muslim." he said. "Equip me
with weapons and I shall fight the infidels."
1
Abu Bakr was only too glad to hear the offer and equipped him with
weapons. The man rode away from Madinah, formed a gang of bandits and began to
waylay unwary travellers, many of whom were killed. The gangsters operated in
the region lying to the east of Makkah and Madinah, and Muslim and infidel
alike suffered at the hands of Al Faja'a.
When Abu Bakr heard of the depredations of Al Faja'a, he decided to make
an example of him for the deceit he had practised on the Caliph. He sent a
column to get the man alive, and a few days later the brigand was brought to
Madinah in irons.
Abu Bakr ordered a large pile of faggots arranged
in front of the mosque. When ready, the pile was set on fire. As the wood
crackled and the flames rose skywards, Al Faja'a, still in irons, was thrown
into the fire!
When Abu Bakr was dying, two years later, he expressed certain regrets.
There were, he said, three things that he had done and wished he had not done,
and three things that he had not done and wished he had. One of these related
to Al Faja'a "I wish", said
Abu Bakr, "I had had Al Faja'a
killed outright and not burnt alive." 2
2. Ibid: Vol. 2,
p. 619; Balazuri: p. 112; Masudi: Muruj,
Vol. 2, p. 308.
Chapter 14
(False
Lords and Ladies)
1
"The Hour will not be established until there
arise thirty impostors, liars, each one
imagining that he is a messenger of Allah, a
prophet, but I am the Seal of the
Prophets: there is no prophet after me."
[Prophet
Muhammad (SAWS)]1
Malik bin Nuwaira was a chief of
the Bani Yarbu', a large section of the powerful tribe of Bani Tamim which
inhabited the north-eastern region of Arabia, above Bahrain. Being close to
Persia, some elements of the Bani Tamim had embraced Zoroastrianism, but by and
large the tribe was pagan until Islam came to Arabia. The centre of Malik's
clan was Butah. 2 (See Map. 8).
Malik was a chief of noble birth. Famous for his generosity and
hospitality, he would keep a light burning outside his house all night so that
any traveller passing that way would know where to find shelter and food. He
would get up during the night to check the light. A strikingly handsome man, he
had a thick head of hair and his face, a contemporary has said, was "as
fine as the moon." 3 He was skilful in the use of weapons and
noted for his courage and chivalry, and he was an accomplished poet. Thus Malik
possessed all the qualities which the Arabs looked for in the perfect male. He
had everything!
Laila was the daughter of Al Minhal and was later also known as Umm
Tamim. A dazzling beauty, she was one of the loveliest girls in Arabia, the
fame of whose stunning good looks had spread far and wide. She was known
especially for her gorgeous eyes and her lovely legs. She too had everything! 4
When she came of age she was pursued by every swain in the region but
rejected the suit of one and all. Then she met Malik, with whom she was
destined to enter the s of history.
Malik married Laila. Thus Malik, in addition to all his other enviable qualifications,
also had as wife one of the loveliest women of the time.
Malik bin
Nuwaira certainly had everything. Everything, that is, but faith.
During the Year of Delegations, when the tribe of Bani Tamim embraced,
Islam, Malik also moved with the popular trend and became a Muslim. In view of
his distinguished position in the tribe and his unquestionable talents, the
Holy Prophet appointed him as an officer over the clan of Bani Handhalah. His
main responsibility was the collection of taxes and their despatch to Madinah.
Malik performed these duties honestly and efficiently for some time.
Then the Holy Prophet died. When news of his death reached Butah, Malik had
just collected a good
deal of tax, prior to its despatch to Madinah. Forgetting his oath of allegiance,
he at once opened the coffers and returned the money to the taxpayers. "O Bani Handhalah!" he
announced, "your wealth is now our
own." 5 Malik had apostatised.
Sajjah was the daughter of Al Harith. Born in a family of chiefs, she
had qualities of leadership, personality and intellect with which few women
have been endowed. She was clairvoyant, would predict future events, and was so
versatile a poetess that practically everything that she said was in verse.
When people spoke to her, she rhymed back at them.
Later known as Um Sadira, she also belonged, on her father's side, to
the Bani Yarbu' and thus was a kinswoman of Malik bin Nuwaira. On her mother's
side, however, she belonged to the Taghlib, one of the tribes in the large
group known as Rabi'a which inhabited Iraq. Sajjah lived mostly among the
Taghlib who followed the Christian faith, and because of her mother's
influence, Sajjah also had become a Christian, but Christianity did not have a
very strong hold upon her, nor upon many members of the Taghlib, as we shall
see.
When apostasy began to spread, Sajjah heard that Tulaiha and Musailima
had proclaimed their prophethood. Her fertile imagination was intrigued by the
possibilities that these false claims opened up. Why should only men be prophets?
Why could a woman not enter the sacred precincts of prophethood? An adventuress
at heart, she finally gave in to the temptation. "I am a prophetess!" she declared, and elucidated the
point with a few appropriate verses.
1.
Bukhari,
Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Hakim. Sahih Al-Jami' Al-Saghir No. 7417-8.
2.
Butah is
now nothing more than a tiny Bedouin settlement 14 miles south-south-west of
the present Ras. It shows signs of having been a bigger place at one time.
3. Balazuri: p. 108.
4.
Isfahani:
Vol. 14, p. 65. "It used to be said that never had legs more beautiful
than hers been seen."
5. Balazuri: p. 107.
2
Strangely enough, most of her mother's clan accepted her as prophetess
and pledged to obey her. They had been Christians! She mustered many armed
followers and came down into Arabia, where her father's tribe also flocked to
her standard. No doubt many that followed her, elders and clansmen, were led by
the temptation of plunder and the desire to settle old scores with some of the
tribes in north-eastern Arabia which had old feuds with them.
Elated by her success in gathering followers, she arrived at Al Hazn
with a fair-sized force and exchanged envoys with her kinsman, Malik bin
Nuwaira. 1
She proposed a pact: they would operate jointly against the tribes that were
their mutual feudal enemies and would thereafter war against the Muslim power
at Madinah. In order to assure Malik that she had no aggressive designs upon
the lands of the Bani Yarbu', she declared, "I
am only a woman of the Bani Yarbu'.
The land is yours." 2
Malik accepted Sajjah's proposal and entered into a pact with her.
However, he cooled her martial ardour somewhat and dissuaded her from warring
against the Muslims. This happened in June 632.
The combined forces of Malik and Sajjah now turned upon the hapless
tribes that had offended the Bani Tamim and the Taghlib. There was nothing
religious in this operation, the underlying motives were revenge and the lust
for loot. Any tribe that resisted was fought, subdued and plundered. Malik was
joined to the impostress by the pact and his followers fought alongside hers in
these raids. It appears, however, that he did not personally take part in these
depredations.
Then Sajjah came to Nibbaj and began plundering the neighbourhood. 3
And here she suffered a serious setback. The local clans, driven by their
common fear of the terrible lady, united in opposition to her and this
resistance resulted in a battle. It was not by any means a decisive battle, but
she got the worst of it; a few of her important officers were captured by her
opponents, who refused to release them unless she pledged to depart from their
area. To this she agreed.
The elders of the tribes which made up her following now gathered around
their impostress. "Where now?"
they asked.
"To Yamamah," she
replied.
"But the people of Yamamah
are mighty", they pointed out, "and their Chief, Musailima, is a very
powerful man."
"To Yamamah",
repeated Sajjah and then broke into verse:
Onward to
Yamamah!
With the
flight of soaring pigeons;
Where the
fighting is the fiercest;
And no
blame shall fall upon you.
Onward to
Yamamah! 4
1.
The
location of Hazn is not certain, but according to local information in Hail, it
is the same as the area of Hazm which lies between Samira and Butah. This seems
to fit in with Yaqut's statement (Vol. 1. p. 661) that it was near Butah.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 496.
3.
Nabbaj is
the present Nabqiya (also called Nabjiya by the inhabitants) 25 miles
north-east of Buraida. Now it is a village; then it was a sizeable town.
4. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 498.
3
Musailima the Liar was the most formidable of the enemies of Islam who
rose to threaten the existence of the new state. He was the son of Habib, of
the Bani Hanifa, which was one of the largest tribes of Arabia and inhabited
the region of Yamamah.
Musailima first mounted the stage of history in late 9th Hijri, the Year
of Delegations' when he accompanied a delegation of the Bani Hanifa to Madinah.
The delegation included two other prominent men who were to exercise a profound
influence on Musailima and his tribe-one in aiding Musailima's rise to power
and the other in saving
the tribe from destruction. These men were, respectively, Nahar
Ar-Rajjal bin Unfuwa 1 and Muja'a bin Marara.
The delegation arrived at Madinah. The camels were tied in a traveller's
camp, and Musailima remained there to look after them while the other delegates
went in. They had talks with the Prophet, submitted to him and embraced Islam.
As was his custom, the Prophet presented gifts to the delegates, and when they
had received their gifts one of them dropped a hint: "We left one of our comrades in the camp to look after our
mounts." The Prophet gave them gifts for him also, and added, "He
is not the least among you that he should stay behind to guard the
property of his comrades." 2 These words were to
be used by Musailima later to his own advantage.
On their return, this delegation passed on the message of Islam and
established the new faith among the Bani Hanifa. The whole tribe was converted.
They built a mosque at Yamamah and started regular prayers.
Thus some months passed. Then Musailima resiled from his faith and
proclaimed his own prophethood. He gathered the people and, referring to
Muhammad, addressed them: "I have been given a share with him in this
matter. Did he not say to our delegates that I was not the least among them?
This could only mean that he knew that I had a share with him in this
matter." 3 (The
matter was the prophethood.)
He then dazzled the crowd with his marvellous tricks. He was a superb
conjuror and could do what no one had done before. He could put an egg in a
bottle; he could cut off the feathers of a bird and then stick them on so the
bird would fly again; and he used this skill to persuade the people that he
really was divinely gifted. He took to addressing gatherings as an apostle of
Allah, and would compose verses and offer them, as Quranic revelations. Most of
his verses extolled the superiority of his tribe, the Bani Hanifa, over the
Quraish. Some, however, were utterly ridiculous, like the following,
Allah has blessed my wisdom.
It is as strong as the gust that
blows
From between the belly and the
intestines! 4
And the people marvelled at his wisdom and flocked to him. Strangely
enough they did not doubt or dispute the divine mission of Muhammad. They
accepted Muhammad as the apostle of Allah. But they also accepted Musailima as
co-prophet-which is all that Musailima claimed.
Gradually
the influence and authority of Musailima increased. Then one day, in late 10
Hijri, he
wrote to Prophet Muhammad:
"From Musailima, Messenger of Allah, to
Muhammad, Messenger of Allah. Salutations to you. I have been given a share
with you in this matter. Half the earth belongs to us and half to the Quraish.
But the Quraish are a people who transgress."
1. Some early historians have given this man's name as
Rahhal.
2. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, pp. 576-7.
3. Ibid
4. Ibid
4
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad,
Messenger of Allah, to Musailima the Liar. Salutations to whosoever follows the
Guidance. Lo! The earth belongs to Allah. He gives it to whomsoever He chooses
from among His servants. And the Hereafter is for the virtuous." 1
The impostor was henceforth known
as Musailima the Liar!
Now Nahar
Ar-Rajjal, whom we have mentioned earlier as a member of the Bani Hanifa
delegation, came into action. This man had stayed behind at Madinah when the
rest of the delegation returned home; and had attached himself to the Holy
Prophet, from whom he acquired a great deal of knowledge about Islam. He learnt
the Quran and rose in stature as a close and respected Companion of the
Prophet. In a few months he had built up an enviable reputation as a devout and
virtuous Muslim, and so he became known over most of Arabia.
When reports of the spread of Musailima's mischief became more alarming,
the Holy Prophet began to consider ways and means of countering the influence
of the Liar. Yamamah was too far away for a military operation, so he decided
to send a man to work against Musailima amongst the people. And who could be
better suited to this task than Rajjal? He was a chief of the Bani Hanifa, he
had learnt the Quran; he had acquired wisdom and grace at the feet of the
Prophet. And so Rajjal was sent by the Prophet to undo the mischief that
Musailima had wrought at Yamamah.
As soon as he arrived at Yamamah, the rascal declared that Musailima was
indeed a prophet. "I have heard
Muhammad say so", he lied 2 and who could doubt the words of this
respected Companion! The arrival of the renegade proved a windfall for
Musailima, and the Bani Hanifa came in even larger numbers to swear allegiance
to 'Musailima, Messenger of Allah!'
Musailima and Rajjal now formed an evil and accursed partnership. Rajjal
became the right hand man of Musailima, and the impostor made no important
decision without consulting him.
With the death of the Holy Prophet, Musailima's hold over the Bani
Hanifa became total. People flocked to him, and Musailima began making his own
rules in matters of moral and religious conduct. He made alcohol lawful. He
also ordered that once a man had fathered a son he would live in celibacy
unless the son died, in which case women were permitted to him until he got another
son.
His people began to believe that Musailima had miraculous powers, and
Rajjal helped foster this image. Once Rajjal suggested that he stroke the head
of every newborn babe, as Prophet Muhammad used to do as a form of blessing.
Orders were issued accordingly. Thereafter every newborn babe in Yamamah was
brought to Musailima to have its head stroked. Historians narrate that when
these infants had grown to full manhood or womanhood, they did not have a
single hair on their heads! But it this was not, of course, known till after
Musailima's death. Many are the instances of Musailima emulating the acts of
Muhammad with opposite and disastrous results.
Though all the Bani Hanifa followed him, not all believed in his divine
mission, certainly not the intelligent ones. Some accepted him for political
convenience or for reasons of
personal advancement while many were motivated by feelings of tribal
loyalty. One day Musailima appointed a new man as Muazzin, to call the men to
prayer. This man, Jubair bin Umair, was a doubter. Instead of the words "I
bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah", in which the name
of Musailima had to be substituted for that of Muhammad, this new muazzin 3 called, at the top of his
voice: "I bear witness that Musailima thinks he is the messenger of
Allah." 4
Once a man-a clear headed fellow-who had never seen Musailima before
came to visit the impostor. When he got to the door of Musailima's house, he
asked the guard "Where is Musailima?" "Silence!" replied
the guard. "He is the messenger of
Allah." "I shall not accept him as such until I have seen him",
asserted the visitor, whose name was Talha.
1. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, pp. 600-1
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 505.
3. One who calls the Adhan - the call to prayer
4. Balazuri: p. 100.
5
The
visitor met the impostor. "Are you
Musailima?" he enquired.
"Yes."
"Who came to you?"
"Rahman." (i.e. the
Beneficent One).
"In light or in darkness?"
"In darkness."
"I bear witness", declared Talha, "that you
are an impostor and Muhammad is genuine. But an impostor from our tribe is
preferable to a true one from the Quraish." 1 This man later fought
and died beside Musailima.
In appearance Musailima was terrible. A short?statured man, though
immensely strong, he had a yellow complexion, small, close-set eyes and a flat
nose. He was extremely ugly. But as often happens with very ugly and evil men,
he had an irresistible fascination for women. They could not say
"No!" He was such a talented and unscrupulous Casanova that no woman
left alone with him could resist his advances or escape his devilish charm.
But Sajjah the impostress did not know this facet of Musailima's
many-sided character as she set out for Yamamah. She would soon learn!
Sajjah marched with her army towards Yamamah. Musailima came to know of
this move and was perturbed, for he did not know whether her intentions were
hostile or friendly. He could certainly defeat her army in battle, but Ikrimah
with his corps was camped some distance to the west, and Musailima had been waiting
for several weeks for the Muslims to advance. If Ikrimah were to move at the
time when he was engaged with the army of Sajjah, he would be in a most
vulnerable position. It would mean simultaneous war with two enemies, Sajjah
and the Muslims. Musailima decided to win over Sajjah and
neutralise her. He knew how to deal with her: he would handle her as he
would handle any woman, the art of which he knew so well.
He sent a message to Sajjah not to bring her warriors, as there was no
work for them at Yamamah. She could come alone for talks. Consequently Sajjah
left her army in camp and rode forward with 40 of her warriors to meet
Musailima the Liar. She arrived at Yamamah to find the gate of the fort closed,
and she received Musailima's instructions to leave her men outside and enter
alone. Sajjah agreed, and leaving her 40 followers to bide their time in a
camp, entered the fort.
Musailima had had a large tent pitched for her in the courtyard of his
house. Since the weather was chilly, he had the tent properly heated so that
she would be comfortable. And he had a certain incense burning in the tent that
would affect Sajjah's senses in the way that he desired. It would make her shed
her inhibitions!
She entered the tent. Some time later Musailima also entered. They were
alone. The impostor began to talk, weaving a spell over the woman. He talked of
Allah and of politics, of the trouble that he was having with the Quraish who
were as numerous as 'the scales of a fish'.
After
this preamble he said, "Tell me of
our revelations."
"A woman should not
begin", she replied. "You tell me first what has been
revealed to you."
She gazed
at him with awe as he intoned, as if reciting a Quranic verse:
Do you not see your Lord?
How he deals with pregnant women?
He extracts a living being
From
between the belly and the intestines.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 508.
6
"And what more?" she asked
excitedly.
"He has revealed to me", continued Musailima, "that
He created woman a receptacle and, created man as her mate, to enter her and
leave her at his pleasure. And then a little lamb is brought forth!"
Sajjah
was fascinated. "You are indeed a
prophet!" she gushed.
Musailima moved closer. "Do
you feel like marrying me?" he asked. "Then with my tribe and
yours I shall eat up the Arabs."
"Yes", she
answered. 1 Musailima had conquered again.
She stayed with him for three days, then he sent her back to her army.
On arrival at her camp, she assembled the elders of the tribe. "I have found the truth", she
declared. "I have accepted him as prophet and married
him."
Sajjah
confessed that she had received no wedding gift.
These elders knew a little more about Musailima than she did, and feared
that their girl had been taken for a ride. "Then
go back to him", they insisted, "and
do not return without a wedding
gift."
Again Sajjah rode with her 40 companions to Yamamah. Musailima saw her
coming and closed the gate of the fort. "What
is the matter?" he asked angrily from within.
"Give me a wedding gift" she
pleaded from outside.
Musailima thought for a moment, and then replied, "I give you a wedding gift for all your people. Announce to your followers that I, Musailima bin Habib,
Messenger of Allah, remit two of the prayers that Muhammad had imposed-the
prayer of the early morning and the prayer of the night." 2
With this
wedding gift Sajjah returned to her army.
A few days later, wishing to establish more durable ties with her people
than those of the tent in his courtyard, Musailima sent an envoy to Sajjah. He
offered her political and economic partnership: she could have half the grain
of Yamamah. Sajjah refused. But Musailima sent his envoy again to insist that
she accept at least a quarter of the grain. She accepted this and left for
Iraq. This happened around late October 632 (late Rajab, 11 Hijri), shortly
before Ikrimah's clash with Musailima.
Musailima had finished with her. And she had finished with politics and
prophethood. She took up residence amongst her mother's tribe and lived in
obscurity for the rest of her life. Later she embraced Islam and was believed
to be a pious and virtuous Muslim. During the caliphate of Muawiyah she moved
to Kufa, where she died at a ripe old age.
1. Tabari Vol. 2, p. 499.
2. Ibid.
Chapter 15
(The End
of Malik ibn Nuwaira)
1
"We were like the drinking-mates of Jadhimah
For a time, till it was said we would never separate. We spent the best days of
our lives, but before us Death had destroyed the nations of Kisra and Tubba'.
When we parted it was as though Malik and I,
Despite long association, were never together for
even a night."
[Mutammim bin Nuwayrah, mourning
the death of his brother Malik.]1
When, after finishing with Salma and her followers, Khalid gave orders
for the march to Butah against Malik bin Nuwaira, he had no suspicion that some
of his own men would oppose his plan. Preparations for the move were carried
out as ordered, but when the time to march came, a large group of his soldiers
refused to move.
These were the Ansars. Their elders came to Khalid and said that they
would not march to Butah. "What you
plan now", they asserted, "was
not included in the instructions of the Caliph.
His instructions were to fight at Buzakha and free this region of apostasy.
Thereafter we were to await his instructions."
Khalid was surprised at this statement. He had no intention of letting
this group, even if it was a highly honoured group of Companions, deter him
from conducting operations as he saw fit. "That
may be the Caliph's instructions to you," he replied, "but his instructions to me were to operate against the infidels. In
any case I am the commander of this force. I am better informed of the
situation than you are. If I see an opportunity for which I have received no
instructions, I shall certainly not let it slip by. Should we be faced with a
challenge for which there were no instructions from the Caliph, would we not
accept it? Malik bin Nuwaira is there, and I shall go to fight him. Let the Emigrants
and those who are willing follow me. The others I shall not compel." 2
Khalid
marched off without the Ansars.
Hardly an hour had passed when the Ansars realised the seriousness of
their error in refusing to march with the rest of the corps. "If they meet with success, we shall be
left out of it", said one.
Others added, "And if they come to
grief, nobody will ever talk to us again." Their minds were soon made
up. They sent a fast rider after Khalid to say, "Wait! We are coming." Khalid waited until they had
joined him and then resumed the march to Butah.
During the first week of November 632 (mid-Shaban, 11 Hijri) Khalid
arrived at Butah, all set for battle. But Butah had no opposition to offer.
There was not a single warrior in sight.
When Sajjah the impostress left Arabia for Iraq, Malik bin Nuwaira began
to have second thoughts about the part that he had played in the conspiracy
against Islam. He received reports of how the Sword of Allah had destroyed the
army of Tulaiha, and also heard of the swift and severe punishment Khalid had
meted out to the murderers of Muslims. Malik was afraid. With the departure of
Sajjah he had lost a strong ally, and he felt abandoned, betrayed.
He began to realise the seriousness of his action
in making a pact with the impostress. His guilt of apostasy was clear and could
not be disputed. Then came reports that Khalid had defeated Salma and was now
marching in the direction of Butah. Malik was a brave man, but he did not feel
up to fighting Khalid.
1. Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, Dar Abi Hayyan,
Cairo, 1st ed. 1416/1996, Vol.
6 P.394.
2.
Tabari:
Vol. 2, p. 501. From this exchange it would appear that Khalid's decision to
march to Butah was his own and not part of the over-all plan of the Caliph, but
again according to Tabari (Vol. 2, pp. 480, 483) Abu Bakr's instructions to
Khalid definitely included Malik bin Nuwaira at Butah as the next objective
after Tulaiha had been dealt with. Perhaps Khalid's men did not know that the
Caliph had given this task to their commander.
2
Feeling helpless and forsaken, Malik decided to save what he could from
the wreckage. He would atone for his crimes by repentance and submission, which
was also a political necessity, for there was nothing else that he could do.
Malik gathered the clan of Bani Yarbu' and addressed them as follows:
"O Bani Yarbu'! We disobeyed our rulers when they called upon us to
remain steadfast in faith. And we prevented others from obeying them. We have
come to no good."
"I have studied the
situation. I see the situation turning in their favour while we have no control
over it. Beware of fighting them! Disperse to your homes and make peace with
them." 1
Under these orders his warriors dispersed. Malik then went quietly to
his house, not far from Butah, to be consoled by the charming Laila.
In one more gesture to show his change of heart, Malik collected all the
tax that was due to Madinah and sent it to Khalid, who was on the march to
Butah when the envoys bringing the tax met him. Khalid took the tax, but did
not accept this as sufficient atonement, for the tax was in any case due as an
obligation.
"What made you enter into a
pact with Sajjah?" Khalid asked the envoys. "Nothing more", they replied, "than a desire for tribal revenge
against our feudal enemies." 2
Khalid did not question the envoys further, but retained his suspicions.
This could be a trick to lull him into a false sense of security and draw him
unsuspecting into an ambush. Ever since the ambush at Hunain, Khalid had never
relaxed his vigilance. He continued the advance as a military operation against
an armed opponent.
Khalid found Butah undefended and unmanned. There was no army to
fight-not even an occasional group of soldiers. He occupied Butah and sent out
mounted detachments to scour the countryside and deal with the apostate clans
of the tribe of Bani Tamim. To the commanders of these detachments, he repeated
the instructions of the Caliph-on approaching any clan, they would call the Adhan, if the clan responded with the Adhan, it would be left alone; if it did
not, it would be attacked.
The following day a detachment commanded by Dhiraar bin Al Azwar got to
the house of Malik bin Nuwaira, where Dhiraar seized Malik and Laila and a few
men of the Bani Yarbu'. The other detachments had no trouble, for all the clans
submitted without opposition.
Malik and Laila were ushered into the presence of Khalid, Malik
appearing as a rebel and apostate chief on trial for crimes against the State
and Islam. He looked defiant, true to the nature of a proud, noble?born
chieftain who faced the trials of life with dignity. He could not be humble.
Khalid began to talk. He spoke of the crimes that Malik had committed
and the damage that he had done to the cause of Islam. Then Khalid asked him
some questions. In his reply, Malik referred to the Holy Prophet as "your
master". Khalid was angered by the unrepentant and supercilious attitude
of the accused. He said, "Do you not
regard him as your master?" 3
Khalid felt convinced that Malik
was guilty, that he remained an unbeliever. He gave the order for his
execution. Dhiraar took Malik away and personally carried out the sentence. And
it was the end of Malik bin Nuwaira.
Laila became a young widow, but not for long. That same night Khalid
married her! She had hardly made up her mind to mourn her departed husband when
she became a bride again, this time of the Sword of Allah!
When Khalid announced his intention of marrying Laila some Muslims did
not take kindly to the announcement. Some even began to suggest that perhaps
Malik was not really an unbeliever but had returned to the Faith, that perhaps
Khalid had ordered his execution in order to be able to have Laila for himself.
One man in particular, Abu Qatadah, a Companion of high standing, remonstrated with
Khalid, but Khalid put him in his place with a few well-chosen words. Feeling
slighted and angry at what he regarded as Khalid's high-handedness, Abu Qatadah
next day mounted his horse and set off at a gallop for Madinah. On arrival at
the capital, he went straight to Abu Bakr and told him that Malik bin Nuwaira,
was a Muslim and that Khalid had killed him in order to be able to marry the
beautiful Laila. This Abu Qatadah was the same man who, shortly after the
conquest of Makkah, had ridden to the Holy Prophet and complained that Khalid
had ruthlessly killed the Bani Jazima despite their surrender. His disapproval
of Khalid was not new.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, Pp. 501-2.
2. Ibid
3. Ibid: Vol. 2,
p. 504.
3
Abu Bakr, however, was not pleased to see Abu Qatadah,
especially as he had left the army without his commander's permission. "Return at once to your post!"
ordered the Caliph; and Abu Qatadah rode back to Butah.1
But even before he had gone his words were all over Madinah. They were
heard by Umar who leapt to his feet and rushed to Abu Bakr. "You have appointed a man to
command", he said, "who
kills Muslims and burns men alive." 2 Abu Bakr was not
impressed. He had clear evidence of Malik's distributing the tax money on
getting news of the Prophet's death and of his pact with Sajjah. There was no
doubt about Malik's apostasy. As for burning men alive, the Caliph had himself
ordered that those apostates who had burnt Muslims alive would be treated in
like manner. 3
Khalid had burnt no others.
Umar continued: "There is
tyranny in the sword of Khalid. He should be brought home in fetters. Dismiss the man!"
Abu Bakr knew that there was little love lost between these two great
men. "O Umar", he replied
firmly, "keep your tongue off
Khalid. I shall not sheathe the sword that Allah has drawn against the infidels." By now Khalid was being commonly
referred to as the Sword of Allah.
Umar persisted: "But this
enemy of Allah has killed a Muslim and taken his wife!" 4
Abu Bakr agreed to go into the matter. He sent for Khalid.
By now Khalid had come to know of the resentment that his actions had
aroused. He shrugged it off with the words: "When
Allah decides a matter, it is done." 5 Anyway, a little criticism
did not worry Khalid. Then came the summons of the Caliph to present himself at
Madinah. Khalid guessed that this was connected with the allegations against
him, and was now more than a little worried.
On arrival at Madinah, Khalid went straight to the mosque. In those
early days the mosque was not merely a place of worship. It was also a meeting
place, an assembly hall, a school, a place of rest, and the centre of civic
activity. Khalid was wearing an arrow in his turban as an adornment, and this
made him look a bit of a dandy, for most Muslims preferred simplicity in their
dress and avoided all forms of ostentation.
Umar was in the mosque and saw Khalid. Livid with anger, he walked up to
Khalid, tore the arrow from Khalid's turban and broke it in two. "You killed a Muslim and snatched his wife", Umar shouted. "You ought to be stoned to
death." 6 Khalid
knew that Umar had much influence
with Abu Bakr, and fearing that the Caliph might have similar opinions, he
turned away in silence.
He next went to see Abu Bakr, who demanded an explanation. Khalid told
him the whole story. After due consideration, the Caliph decided that Khalid
was not guilty. He did, however, upbraid his general for marrying Laila and
thus leaving himself open to criticism, and since there was some possibility of
a mistake, as certain people believed that Malik was a Muslim, Abu Bakr ordered
the payment of blood-money to the heirs of Malik.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 501-2.
2. Balazuri: p. 107.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 482.
4. Ibid: Vol. 2,
pp. 503-4; Balazuri: p. 107.
5. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 502.
6. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 504.
4
Khalid came out of the house of the Caliph. His step was light and his
manner carefree as he walked to the mosque where Umar sat conversing with some
friends. This time Khalid was surer of his position and could afford to repay
the compliment. He called to Umar, "Come
to me, O left-handed one!" 1 Umar
guessed that the Caliph had acquitted Khalid. He stood up and without a word marched off to his house.
This matter of Malik and Laila has been the subject of much dispute in
Muslim history. Some, quoting sources like Abu Qatadah, have said that the
household of Malik had called the Adhan
and that Malik had returned to the faith before he was taken captive. Others
have said that Khalid never ordered the killing of Malik, that the weather was
chilly and Khalid had said, "Warm
your prisoners", that in certain dialects the same word is used to
denote 'warming', and 'killing', thus Dhiraar misunderstood Khalid's order and
went and killed Malik.
These versions of the story are, in all probability, not true. They have
been offered by factions-one to explain away Umar's hostility towards Khalid
and the other to clear Khalid of the possible guilt of murdering a Muslim.
There is no doubt about the apostasy and sedition of Malik bin Nuwaira,
his distribution of the tax money, his pact with Sajjah, and the participation
of his warriors, on his orders, in the depredations of Sajjah. All historians
have, without exception, reported these incidents as facts. There is also no
doubt, in the mind of this writer that Khalid ordered the killing of Malik and
did so with the honest and sincere conviction that Malik was an apostate and a
traitor. But suspicion continued to lurk in the minds of some Arabs, certainly
in the mind of Umar, that this was a crime de passion. Umar was further
encouraged in this belief by the brother of Malik, who came to see him and told
him what a wonderful man Malik was and how tragic it was that he had fallen a
victim to Khalid's lust!
The long and short of the whole affair was that Malik was killed and the
beautiful Laila with the gorgeous eyes and the lovely legs became the wife of
Khalid bin Al Waleed. He would one day pay a very high price for the pleasure!
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 504.
Chapter 16
(The
Battle of Yamamah)
1
"Musaylimah! Recant - do not contend,
For in prophethood you have not been given a share.
You lied about Allah regarding His revelation
And your desires are the whims of a stupid fool.
Your people have indulged you instead of preventing
you, But if Khalid comes to them you will be abandoned. Then you will have no
stairway to the heavens And no path to travel in the earth." [Thumamah bin Uthal, a Companion from the tribe of Musaylimah]1
When Abu Bakr organised the Muslim forces into 11 corps at Zhu Qissa, he
appointed Ikrimah, son of Abu Jahl, as the commander of one of them. Ikrimah's
orders were to advance and make contact with the forces of Musailima the Liar
at Yamamah, but not to get involved in battle with the impostor. Abu Bakr knew
better than most of his generals the power and ability of Musailima, and did
not wish to risk fighting him with insufficient forces. Since Khalid was his
finest general, the Caliph had made up his mind to use him to deal with
Musailima after he had finished with the other enemies of Islam.
Abu Bakr's intention in giving Ikrimah this mission was to tie Musailima
down at Yamamah. With Ikrimah on the horizon, the Liar would remain in
expectation of a Muslim attack and thus not be able to leave his base. With
Musailima so committed, Khalid would be free to deal with the apostate tribes
of North-Central Arabia without interference from Yamamah. In selecting Ikrimah
for this task Abu Bakr had picked a valiant man. Moreover, Ikrimah was anxious
to prove his devotion to Islam and atone for his violent hostility to the Holy
Prophet before his entry into the new faith.
Ikrimah advanced with his corps and established a camp somewhere in the
region of Yamamah. The location of his camp is not known. From this base he
kept the forces of the Bani Hanifa under observation while awaiting
instructions from the Caliph, and the
presence of Ikrimah had the desired effect of keeping Musailima in
Yamamah. However, whether or not he had any intention of ever leaving Yamamah
we do not know.
When Ikrimah received reports of the defeat of Tulaiha by Khalid, he
began to get impatient for battle. The waiting irked his fiery temperament.
Ikrimah was a fearless man and a forceful general, but he lacked Khalid's cool
judgement and patience-qualities which distinguish the bold commander from the
rash one.
The next development that Ikrimah heard of was that Shurahbil bin
Hasanah was marching to join him. Shurahbil too had been given a corps by the
Caliph with orders to follow Ikrimah, and await further instructions. In a few
days Shurahbil would be with him.
Then came news of how Khalid had routed the forces of Salma the queenly
leader of men. Ikrimah could wait no longer. Why let Khalid win all the glory?
Why wait for Shurahbil? Why not have a crack at Musailima himself? If he could
defeat Musailima single-handed, he would win glory and renown such as would
eclipse the achievements of all the others. And what a delightful surprise it
would be for the Caliph! Ikrimah set his corps in motion. This happened at the end
of October 632 (end of Rajab, 11 Hijri).
A few days later he was back in his camp, having received a sound
thrashing from Musailima. Chastened and repentant, he wrote to Abu Bakr and
gave him a complete account of his actions, including the inglorious outcome.
Shurahbal also heard the bad news and stopped some distance short of Ikrimah's
camp.
Abu Bakr was both pained and angered by the rashness of Ikrimah and his
disobedience of the orders given to him. He made no attempt to conceal his
anger in the letter that he wrote to Ikrimah. "O son of the mother of Ikrimah!" he began. (This was a
polite way of expressing doubt regarding the identity of the man's father!) "Do not let me see your face. Your return under these circumstances would
only weaken the resolve of the people. Proceed with your force to Oman to
assist Hudaifa. Once Hudaifa has completed his task, march to Mahra to help
Arfaja and thereafter go to the Yemen to help Muhajir. I shall not speak to you
until you have proved yourself in further trials." 2 The three men to be assisted were among the 11 corps commanders.
1.
Mukhtasar Sirat al-Rasul sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 504, 509.
Smarting under the shame of his ignominious repulse at the hands of
Musailima and the harsh words of the Caliph, Ikrimah took his corps and,
bypassing Yamamah, marched to Oman.
Shurahbil remained in the region of Yamamah. To ensure that he did not
fall into the error of Ikrimah, Abu Bakr wrote to him: "Stay where you are and await further instructions." 1
Having ordered the payment of blood money to the heirs of Malik bin
Nuwaira, the Caliph sent for Khalid and gave him the mission of destroying the
forces of Musailima the Liar at Yamamah. In addition to his own large corps,
Khalid would have under
command the corps of Shurahbil. Another body of Ansars and Emigrants was
being scraped together by Abu Bakr at Madinah, and this too would be sent to
Butah shortly to join the forces of Khalid. Thus Khalid would command the main
army of Islam.
Khalid rode to Butah where his old corps awaited him. Meanwhile the
Caliph wrote to Shurahbil: "You will
come under Khalid's command as he joins you. When the problem of Yamamah has been solved, you will proceed
with your men to join Amr bin Al Aas and operate against the Quza'a." 2 This was the apostate tribe, which
Usama had punished but not subdued,
near the Syrian frontier.
Khalid waited at Butah until the arrival of the Ansars and Emigrants
from Madinah, then marched for Yamamah. He was glad to think that the fresh
troops of Shurahbil would also be available to him. He did take them under his
command, but they were not all that fresh. A few days before Khalid's arrival
Shurahbil had given in to the same temptation as Ikrimah, seeking glory, he had
advanced and clashed with Musailima. Feeling sorry about the whole affair,
Shurahbil expressed his regrets to Khalid, who rebuked him severely.
Khalid
was still some distance from Yamamah when his scouts brought word that
Musailima was encamped in the plain of Aqraba, on the north bank of the Wadi
Hanifa through which, the road led to Yamamah. Not wishing to approach his
enemy through the valley, Khalid left the road a few miles west of Aqraba,
moved from the south and appeared on the high ground which rose a mile south of
the wadi opposite the town of
Jubaila. 3
From this high ground Khalid could see the entire plain of Aqraba, on the
forward border of which stretched the camp of the Bani Hanifa. Khalid
established his camp on the high ground. The strength of his army amounted to
13,000 men.
Khalid had not gone many days from Butah when Musailima's agents
informed him of the march of the Muslims and of the fact that this was the main
army of Islam. The route from Butah to Yamamah came through the Wadi Hanifa,
and on the north bank of this wadi, behind Jubaila, lay the plain of Aqraba
which marked the outer limit of the fertile region that stretched from Aqraba
to Yamamah and further south-east. It was a region of farms and orchards and
cultivated fields. Yamamah itself, to be more accurate, was a province rather
than a place, with its capital at Hijr, which was also generally, called
Yamamah. The Hijr of old stood where Riyadh stands today. 4
Musailima
had no intention of letting the Muslims play havoc with the towns and villages
of his people. Consequently he took his army forward to Jubaila, 25 miles
north?west of Yamamah, and established his camp near Jubaila, where the plain
of Aqraba began. From this location Musailima could not only defend the fertile
plains of Yamamah but also threaten Khalid's route of advance, so that should
Khalid blunder through the Wadi Hanifa, the Bani Hanifa would fall upon his
left flank. And Khalid could not avoid battle here and proceed to Yamamah,
because Musailima would then pounce upon his back. (The principle here was the
same as applied by the Holy Prophet at Uhud.)
Musailima was ready for battle on the plain of Aqraba with an army of
40,000 warriors, all eager for combat. The two successful actions fought by
them against Ikrimah and Shurahbil, both of whom had recoiled from the blows of
Musailima, had increased their confidence in themselves and created an aura of
invincibility around the Liar. His men were now prepared to sacrifice their
very lives in defence of their leader and his cause. And Musailima had no doubt
that he would inflict the same punishment upon Khalid as he had inflicted upon
his two predecessors.
2. Ibid: Vol. 2,
p. 509.
3. Jubaila is now a small village. According to local
tradition, it was then a large town.
4.
The
village of Yamamah which exists about 50 miles south-east of Riyadh, near Al
Kharj, is not the Yamamah of history; not the Yamamah of this battle.
A few days before the arrival of Khalid, Musailima lost one of his
ablest commanders-the chief, Muja'a bin Marara, who has been mentioned as one
of the important members of the Bani Hanifa delegation to the Holy Prophet.
This man had set off with 40 riders to raid a neighbouring clan with which he
had an old feud. On its way back from the raid, the group stopped for the night
at a pass called Saniyat-ul-Yamamah, a day's march from Aqraba. Muja'a's men
slept soundly, but it was their last sleep, for early in the morning the entire
group was captured by one of the mounted detachments which preceded the army of
Khalid. The apostates were taken before the Sword of Allah.
Khalid questioned them about their faith. In whom did they believe? In
Muhammad or in Musailima? Without exception they remained unrepentant. Some
sought to meet Khalid half way by suggesting: "Let there be a prophet from among you and a prophet from among us!" 1 Khalid was not going to waste his time on such trash, he had them
all beheaded with the exception of
the leader, Muja'a who was kept in chains as a prisoner. He was a prominent
chief and might come in useful as a hostage. With this captive chief in tow,
the Muslim army arrived near Aqraba and pitched camp as has already been
described. Both armies were now ready for battle.
The actual valley of Wadi Hanifa marked the battle front. On the
northern side the bank rose to about 100 feet, rising gently at places, steeply
at others, and precipitously at yet others. On the southern side it rose more
gently and continued to rise up to a height of 200 feet, a mile away from the
valley where Khalid had pitched his camp. On the north bank also lay the town
of Jubaila and on the western edge of the town a gully ran down to the wadi.
The Muslim front ran along the southern bank for a length of about 3 miles, on
the northern bank stood the apostates. The town and the gulley marked the
centre of Musailima's army. Behind the apostates stretched the plain of Aqraba;
and on this plain, about 2 miles from the wadi,
stood a vast walled garden known as Abaz. As a result of this battle it was to
become known as "The Garden of Death." 2 (See Map 9 below)
On the
following morning the two armies deployed for battle. Musailima organised his
40,000 men into a centre, a left wing and a right wing. The left was under the
command of Rajjal, the renegade, the right under Muhakim bin Tufail, and the
centre directly under the Liar. In order to strengthen the determination of the
men, the son of Musailima, also named Shurahbil, rode in front of all the
regiments exhorting them to fight with courage. "O Bani Hanifa" he called. "Fight today for your honour. If you are defeated your women will
be enslaved and ravished by the enemy. Fight to defend your women!" 3
Musailima decided to await the attack of Khalid. He would fight on the
defensive initially, and go on to the offensive when he had blunted the attack
of his adversary and thrown him off balance.
The
Muslims had spent the night in prayer. This was the largest and most fanatical
enemy force they had ever faced and its commander was the most vicious and
cunning of men. After the prayer of dawn Khalid drew up his 13,000 men for
battle on the south bank, and he too organised his army into a centre and two
wings. The left was commanded by Abu Hudeifa, the right by Zaid (elder brother
of Umar), while the centre was directly under Khalid. For this battle Khalid
formed his men not in tribal groups, as had been the custom heretofore, but in
regiments and wings as required for battle, with tribal contingents
intermingled.
Khalid
planned, as was usual with him, to attack at the very outset, throw his
opponent on the defensive and keep him that way. Thus Musailima would be robbed
of his freedom of
manoeuvre and could do no more than react helplessly to the thrusts of
the attacker. But Khalid had no illusions about the trial that faced the
Muslims. This was going to be a bitter and bloody battle as had never been
fought before by the forces of Islam. The rebels had a numerical superiority of
three-to-one and were led by a wily and brave general. But Khalid was confident
of victory. He had confidence in himself and in the skill and courage of his
officers and men. As he rode in front of his army, he looked with pride and
satisfaction at his stalwarts. There were famous men in this army, and some who
would rise to fame in later years. There was Zaid, brother of Umar, and
Abdullah, son of Umar. There was Abu Dujanah, who at Uhud had shielded the Holy
Prophet from the arrows of the enemy with his body. There was the Caliph's son,
Abdur-Rahman. There was Muawiyah, son of Abu Sufyan, who would become the first
caliph of the Umayyid Dynasty. There was Um Ammarah, the lady who had fought
beside the Prophet at Uhud, with her son. And there was the Savage with his
deadly javelin.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 510.
2.
The exact
location of the Garden of Death is not known. I have guessed its location from
the course of the battle.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 509.
The officers of the Muslim army paced in front of the regiments,
reciting verses of the Quran. They reminded the Faithful of the promise of
paradise for the martyrs and of the threat of hell for the faint-hearted.
Early on a cold morning in the third week of December 632 (beginning of
Shawal, 11 Hijri), began the Battle of Yamamah.
Khalid ordered a general attack, and the entire Muslim front surged
forward with cries of Allah-o-Akbar.
Khalid led the charge of the centre while Abu Hudaifa and Zaid led the charge of the wings. The two armies clashed
and the air was rent by shouts and screams as strong men slashed and thrust at
each other. Khalid cut down every man who came before him. The Muslim champions
performed prodigies of valour and Khalid felt that his warriors would soon
break through the army of disbelief.
But the army of disbelief stood as firm as a rock. Many fell before the
onslaught of the Faithful, but there was no break in the infidel front. The
apostates fought fanatically, preferring death to giving up an inch of ground;
and the Muslims realised with some surprise that they were making no headway.
After some time spent in hard slogging, a slight lack of order became apparent
in the Muslim ranks as a result of their forward movement and their attempts to
pierce the front of the infidels. But this caused no concern. So long as they
remained on the offensive and the enemy on the defensive, a certain amount of
disorder did not matter.
Then Musailima, realising that if he remained on the defensive much
longer the chances of a Muslim break-through would increase, ordered a general
counter-attack all along the front. The apostates moved forward like a vast
tidal wave, and the Muslims now found to their horror that they were being
pressed back. The fighting became more savage as they struggled desperately to
stem he advance of the apostates, who paid heavily in blood for every yard of
ground that they gained, but strengthened by their belief in the Liar's promise
that paradise awaited those who fell, they pressed on relentlessly. Some lack
of
cohesion was now felt in the Muslim regiments due to the mixture of
tribal contingents which were not yet accustomed to fighting side by side.
Gradually the numerical superiority of the apostates began to tell.
Fighting in massed, compact bodies against the thinner Muslim ranks, they
increased their pressure. The Muslims proceeded to fall back steadily. Then the
pace of withdrawal became faster. The apostate assaults became bolder. And the
Muslim withdrawal turned into a confused retreat. Some regiments turned and
fled, others soon followed their example, causing a general exodus from the
battlefield. The officers were unable to stop the retreat and were swept back
with the tide of their men. The Muslim army passed through its camp and went on
some distance beyond it before it stopped.
As the Muslims left the plain of Aqraba, the apostates followed in hot
pursuit. This was not a planned manoeuvre, but an instinctive reaction, like
the reaction of the Muslims to the Quraish flight in the first part of the
Battle of Uhud. And like those Muslims, the apostates stopped at their
opponents' camp and began to plunder it. Again as at Uhud, his opponents'
occupation with looting gave Khalid time to prepare and launch a riposte. But
more of that later.
In the Muslim camp stood the tent of Khalid and in this tent sat his
latest wife, Laila, and the captive chief, Muja'a, still in irons. A few
infidels, flushed with success and excited by thoughts of the orgy of plunder
that awaited them, entered the tent of Khalid. They saw and recognised Muja'a.
They saw Laila and wanted to kill her, but were restrained by the chief. "I am her protector", he
warned them. "Go for the men!"
1
In their haste to lay their hands on the booty the infidels did not stop to
release their chief.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 511.
For some time the devastation of the camp proceeded at a horrible pace
as the infidels snatched what they could carry and smashed what they could not.
They cut the tents to shreds. Then, as quickly as it had started, the looting
stopped. The apostates hastened back to the plain of Aqraba, for in the south
they could see the Muslim army, formed in perfect order with solid ranks,
advancing again.
Amazingly, as they stopped to regain their breath and think about what
had happened, there was no fear in the hearts of the Muslims. There was only
anger at their own disorganisation and the consequent retreat. Just how had
this happened? How could it have happened? They had certainly inflicted greater
losses on the enemy than they themselves had suffered.
Their courage remained steadfast, but they also felt baffled. Their
frustrated anger found an outlet in mutual tribal recrimination-tribe against
tribe, clan against clan, city against desert. They blamed each other for the debacle.
"We know more about war than
you", said the city dwellers. "No",
replied the desert Arabs, "we know
more." A clamour went up: "Let
us separate into our tribal groups. Then we shall see who vindicates his honour." 1
Khalid could see what had gone wrong. The apostate
front had not given way under the terrible onslaught of the Muslims, as all
fronts had done before this. What is more, the apostates had counter-attacked
while the Muslims were somewhat disorganised. The
Muslims had lost their balance and under the pressure of the
counter-attack were unable to regain it. There had been no lack of bravery.
Khalid saw that forming regiments out of mixed tribal contingents had
been a mistake, for the clan feeling was still very strong among the Arabs. It
added another pillar of strength to the Islamic zeal and the individual courage
and skill which distinguished the Muslim army. In face of the three-to-one
superiority of the enemy and the blind, fanatical determination of Musailima's
followers, the absence of tribal loyalty had resulted in a weakening of
cohesion in the Muslim regiments.
Khalid corrected this mistake and regrouped the army. He deployed it in
the same battle formation with the same commanders, but the soldiers were now
formed into clan and tribal units. Thus every man would fight not only for
Islam but also for the honour of his clan. There would be healthy rivalry among
the clans.
Once the reorganisation was complete, Khalid and his senior commanders
went about the regiments. They spoke to the men and strengthened their resolve
to punish Musailima for the disgrace that they had suffered. The men swore that
if necessary they would fight with their teeth.
Khalid also picked a handful of warriors and formed them into a personal
bodyguard. It was his intention to set an example for his men by throwing
himself into the thick of the fighting. This bodyguard would prove useful. "Stay close behind me", he
told these men.
Thus reorganised and reformed into orderly ranks, the Muslims once again
advanced to the plain of Aqraba. They returned to battle not like lions, but
like hungry lions!
Meanwhile Musailima the Liar had redeployed his army in the same battle
formation as before. He awaited the second strike of the Sword of Allah,
confident that he would once again send the Muslims reeling from the
battlefield.
On the orders of Khalid, the Muslim army again swept forward with cries
of Allah-o-Akbar and the war cry of
this battle: "Ya Muhammad!"2 The smaller army again engaged the superior massed forces of the
apostates. The wings clashed with the wings and the centre with the centre. The
commander of the Muslim right, Zaid, confronted Rajjal the renegade who
commanded the infidel left. Wishing to save the renegade from the fire of hell,
Zaid called, "O Rajjal! You left the
true faith. Return to it. That would be more noble and virtuous." 3 The
renegade refused, and in the fierce duel that followed Zaid despatched Rajjal to the Fire.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 513.
2.
This is a
misunderstanding. The actual slogan, as recorded by Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah, Vol. 6 P. 397, was 'Ya
Muhammadah! (O for Muhammad!)', rather than 'Ya Muhammad! (O Muhammad!)'; this is like the cry 'Ya Islamah! (O for Islam!)'. The Ya here is for exclamation, not for
prayer, as in the Prophet's statement (SAWS), 'Ya tuba lil-Sham! (O joy for Syria!)', and this is further
confirmed by the suffix "ah".
The Companions understood Islam far
too well to pray to the Prophet (SAWS)!
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 511.
The Muslims launched violent assaults all along the front, and the
apostates were hard put to hold their ground; yet hold it they did. Their front
would not break. Apostates fell in hundreds, and Muslim casualties also began
to mount. With the apostates superior in numbers and the Muslims superior in
skill and courage, the two sides were evenly matched. Parts of the two fronts,
locked in mortal combat, heaved back and forth. The dust from thousands of
stamping feet rose and hung like a cloud over the heads of the belligerents. Broken
swords and spears littered the wadi and the plain as mangled and torn bodies
fell in heaps on the blood-sodden earth. The most dreadful carnage took place
in the gulley in which human blood ran in a rivulet down to the wadi. As a
result, this gulley became known as the Gulley of Blood-Shueib-ud-Dam-and it is still known by that name. But the battle
hung in the balance and gave no promise of a decision.
Khalid now realised that with their fanatical faith in their false
prophet the apostates would not give in. It was evident that only the death of
Musailima could break the spirit of the infidels, it would be a moral setback,
which would lead quickly to physical defeat. But Musailima was not duelling in
front like Khalid. He would have to be drawn out of the safety of the apostate
ranks in which he stood surrounded by his faithful followers.
As the
first violent spasm of combat spent itself, the warriors stopped to regain
their breath. There was a lull. Then Khalid stepped out towards the enemy
centre and threw a challenge to single combat: "I am the son of Al Waleed! Will anyone duel?" Several
champions came out of the apostate ranks to accept the challenge of Khalid and
advanced towards him one by one. Khalid took perhaps a minute to dispose of
each opponent. After each duel he would recite his own extemporised verses:
I am the son of many chiefs.
My sword is sharp and terrible.
It is the mightiest of things
When the pot of war boils
fiercely. 1
Slowly and steadily Khalid advanced towards Musailima, killing champion
after champion. Then there were none left brave enough to come forth against
him. But by now he was close enough to Musailima to talk to him without
shouting. The Liar, however, was surrounded by his guards, and Khalid could not
get at him.
Khalid proposed talks. Musailima agreed. He stepped forward cautiously
and halted just outside duelling distance of Khalid. "If we agree to come to terms, what terms will you accept?" 2 enquired Khalid.
Musailima
cocked his head to one side as if listening to some invisible person who stood
beside him and would talk to him. It was in this manner that he 'received
revelations'! Seeing him thus reminded Khalid of the words of the Holy Prophet,
who had said that Musailima was never alone, that he always had Satan beside
him, that he never disobeyed Satan, and that when worked up he foamed at the
mouth. Satan forbade Musailima to agree to terms, and the Liar turned his face
to Khalid and shook his head.
Khalid had already determined to kill Musailima. The talks were only
bait to draw him close enough. He would have to work fast before Musailima
withdrew to the safety of his guards. Khalid asked another question. Again
Musailima turned his head to one side, intently listening to 'the voice.' At
that instant Khalid sprang at him.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 513.
2. Ibid: Vol. 2,
p. 514.
Musailima was safe once again in the arms of his guards. But in that
moment of flight something meaningful happened to the spirit of the two armies,
depressing one and exalting the other. The flight of their 'prophet' and
commander from Khalid was a disgraceful sight in the eyes of the apostates, the
Muslims rejoiced. To exploit the psychological opportunity which now presented
itself, Khalid ordered an immediate renewal of the offensive.
With shouts of Allah-o-Akbar
the Muslims again went into the attack. They fought with fresh vigour and dash,
and at last victory beckoned. The apostates began to fall back as the Muslims
struck with sword and dagger. The retrograde movement of the apostates gathered
speed. The spirits of the Muslims rose as they redoubled their efforts. Then
the infidel front broke into pieces.
Musailima could do nothing. His top commander, Rajjal, was dead. It was
now the commander of his right wing, Muhakim, who came to the rescue of the
apostates. "Bani Hanifa!" he shouted. "The garden! The garden! Enter the
garden and I shall protect your rear."
But the disintegration of the apostates had gone too far to be halted.
The bulk of the army broke and fled, scattering in all directions. Only about a
fourth of Musailima's army remained in fighting shape, and this part hastened
to the walled garden while Muhakim covered its retreat with a small rear-guard.
This rear-guard was soon cut to pieces by the Muslims, and Muhakim fell to the
arrow of the Caliph's son, Abdur-Rahman.
The Muslims now pursued the fleeing apostates across the plain of
Aqraba, striking down the stragglers left and right. Soon they arrived at the
walled garden where a little over 7,000 apostates, Musailima among them, had
taken shelter. The infidels had closed the gate, and as they looked at the high
wall that surrounded the vast garden, they felt safe and secure. Little did
they know!
The major portion of the Muslim army assembled in the vicinity of the
Garden of Death. It was now afternoon, and the Muslims were anxious to get into
the garden and finish the job that they had started early that morning, before
darkness intervened. But no way could be found into the garden. The wall
stretched on all sides as an impenetrable barrier, with the gate securely
bolted from within. There was no siege equipment, nor time to spend on a siege.
While Khalid searched his brain for ideas, an old warrior by the name of
Baraa bin Malik, who stood in the group that confronted the gate, said to his
comrades "Throw me over the wall into the garden." 1 His comrades refused, for Baraa was a
distinguished and much-respected Companion, and they hesitated to do something
which would certainly result in his death. But Baraa insisted. At last his
comrades agreed to his request and lifted him on their shoulders near the gate.
He got his hands onto the edge of the wall, swung himself up and jumped into
the garden. In a minute or so he had killed two or three infidels who
stood between him and the gate, and before others could intercept him,
he had loosened the heavy bolt. The gate was flung open and a flood of Muslims
roared through it like water thundering through a breach in a dam. The last and
most gory place of the Battle of Yamamah had begun.
Initially the infidels were able to contain the advance of the Muslims,
who were confined by the gate to a narrow front and lacked elbow?room. But
steadily the Muslims cut their way through the apostates, who began to fall in
heaps under the attacker's blows. The apostates stepped back as the Muslims
poured into the garden in ever?increasing numbers.
The fighting became more vicious. Since there was no room for manoeuvre,
both sides engaged in a straight slogging match. Gradually the ranks of the
apostates thinned as they fell in combat. But Musailima was still fighting: he
had no intention of giving up. As the front moved closer to him, he drew his
sword and joined in the combat, surprising the Muslims by his strength and
dexterity. The wily general was also a brave and skilful fighter. He began to
foam at the mouth, for desperation had turned the ugly impostor into an awesome
demon.
The last phase of the battle now entered its climax. The Muslim army
pressed the apostates everywhere and it was only the endeavours of Musailima
which prevented a general collapse. The Muslims cut, slashed and stabbed with
wild fury. Maimed and mutilated bodies covered the ground. Those who fell
suffered a painful death under the trampling feet of those who would not give
in. The carnage was frightful and the dust on the ground turned into red mud.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 514.
Many apostates ran in despair to Musailima. "Where is the victory that you
promised?" they asked. "Fight
on, O Bani Hanifa!" was the impostor's set answer. "Fight on till the end!" 1
Musailima knew that he would get no quarter from Khalid, that he was
doomed, and evil genius that he was, he decided to take his tribe down with
him. The blood of several Muslims dripped from his sword, and his guards, as
fanatical as ever, fought around him. Then he came under the hawk-like gaze of
the Savage. The Savage was one of the 'war criminals' whose names had been
announced by the Holy Prophet on the eve of the conquest of Makkah. Fearing the
worst, he had fled Makkah and gone to Taif, where he lived among the Thaqeef
for some time. In 9 Hijri, when the Thaqeef submitted to the Prophet, he too embraced
Islam and went personally to swear allegiance to the Prophet.
The
Prophet had not seen him for many years, and was not certain if he was the man.
"Are
you the Savage?" he asked.
"Yes, O Messenger of Allah!"
"Tell
me how you killed Hamza." 2
The Savage recounted the whole story from beginning to end. It never
occurred to him that there was an ethical angle too to this episode, that he
had killed one of the noblest
and most gallant of the Faithful. He narrated the story as a proud
veteran would regale his audience with tales of his daring exploits. And the
killing of a matchless warrior like Hamza was undoubtedly a military
achievement. The Savage excelled himself as a story-teller.
But there was no applause. On the face of the Prophet was a look of deep
sorrow as he said "Never let me see you again." 3 Something inside him
warned the Savage that to remain in Madinah, where the memory of Hamza was
deeply cherished, might be unhealthy for him. He left at once.
For the next two years he lived in various settlements around Taif,
seeking obscurity and avoiding travellers. He was troubled by his conscience
and feared for his life. It was a wretched existence. Then came the apostasy.
The Savage remained loyal to his new faith and elected to fight for Islam
against the unbelievers. Now he was serving under the banner of the Sword of
Allah.
The Savage tightened his grip on his javelin when he saw Musailima-the
javelin that had sent so many men to their death. The Liar was fighting
ferociously. In beating off the assaults of Muslims who strove to get to him,
he would fight now in front of his guards, now amongst them. At times he was
covered by his guards, but he was never lost to the unblinking gaze of the
black killer. The Savage had chosen his next victim-one whose death might ease
the gnawing pain in his heart.
From his position some distance behind the Muslim front, the Savage
stealthily moved forward to get within javelin range of his target. The throng
of swearing, sweating, blood-covered warriors around Musailima seemed to
disappear from his sight. In the terrible mind of the Savage only his victim
remained.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 514.
2. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, p. 72.
3. Ibid.
The Savage saw Um Ammarah, the grand lady of Uhud (though at this moment
there was nothing ladylike about her appearance or actions), struggle to get to
Musailima. She was duelling with an infidel who barred her way. Suddenly the
infidel struck at her and cut off her hand. Her son, who stood next to her,
felled the infidel with one mortal blow and helped his mother away. She was
heart-broken at being unable to get to Musailima.
The Savage moved closer. In his mind appeared a vision of the noble
martyr of Uhud, Hamza, whose killing had been the cause of all his troubles. He
could picture the fine, strong, handsome features of Hamza. With an effort he
drove the memory of that painful episode from his mind and looked again at
Musailima. He was shocked at the contrast. The ugly, yellow, flat-nosed face of
the impostor, distorted with rage and hate, with foam discolouring his mouth,
was a frightening sight. All the evil in this demoniac man seemed to have come
out on his face.
With a practised eye the Savage measured the distance. The range was
just right. As he poised for the throw and aimed his javelin, he noticed Abu
Dujanah (the human shield of the Prophet at Uhud) slashing away with his sword
to get to Musailima. Abu Dujanah
was a superb swordsman and would soon reach his objective. With a grunt
the Savage hurled his weapon.
The javelin struck Musailima in the belly. The false prophet fell, his
face twisted with pain, his hands clawing at the shaft. The next moment Abu
Dujanah was upon him. With one neat stroke of his sword he severed the evil
head of the Liar. As Abu Dujanah straightened up to announce the good news, a
flashing infidel sword struck him down. One apostate, looking at the Liar,
shouted, "A black slave has killed
him." The cry was taken up by Muslim and infidel and rang across the
garden: "Musailima is dead!"
1
The Savage later served in the Syrian Campaign under Khalid. When Syria
had been conquered and established as a province of the Muslim State, the
Savage settled down at Emessa and lived to a ripe old age. But he spent most of
his days in a drunken stupor. He was even awarded 80 stripes by Umar for
drinking (he was the first Muslim to be punished for this offence in Syria), 2
but refused to stay away from the bottle. Umar gave up, with the philosophical
remark, "Perhaps the curse of Allah
rests on the Savage for the blood of
Hamza." 3
In Emessa, in later years, the Savage became a famous figure and a
tourist attraction. Visitors would go to his house, hoping to find him sober,
and ask him about Hamza and Musailima. If sober, he would recount in detail
first the killing of Hamza and then the killing of Musailima. Coming to the end
of his story, he would raise his javelin with fierce pride and say, "With this javelin, in my days of
unbelief I killed the best of men, and in
my days of belief I killed the worst!" 4
The news of the death of Musailima the Liar brought about a rapid
collapse of the apostates. Some turned in suicidal desperation to greater
violence, but they could only prolong their agony, not save their lives. Most
of the apostates ceased to struggle, and in total despair waited for a Muslim
sword to end their suffering. With one last superhuman effort the Muslims
charged into the confused, helpless mass of apostates, and with their swords
fulfilled the promise of the wrath of Allah against the unbelievers. Now it was
no longer a battle, it was plain slaughter.
By the time the sun set, peace and quiet had returned to the Garden of
Death. The Muslims were too tired to raise their swords. And there was no one
left to kill.
1. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, p. 73.
2. Ibn Qutaiba: p. 330.
3. Ibn Hisham: Vol. 2, p. 73.
4. Ibid.
For the night the Muslims dropped where they stood, and escaped from the
nightmare of the battle into the sleep of the victorious.
Next morning Khalid walked about the battlefield. Everywhere he saw the
wreckage of battle. Broken, twisted bodies, lying in grotesque shapes, littered
the wadi and the plain of Aqraba and the Garden of Death. In places he picked
his way over blood-soaked earth.
All the important leaders of the apostasy in Yamamah had been killed-all
save the captive Muja'a who now, still in irons, dragged his feet beside the
victor. Khalid had taken him
along so that he could identify
some of the dead leaders and also feel the full impact of the defeat of the
Bani Hanifa.
The state of the Muslims too was appalling. The battle had taken a heavy
toll, and right now they were in no condition even to defend themselves, let
alone fight a battle. Exhausted and worn-out, they lay where they had dropped
the night before, resting their weary limbs. But Khalid had reason to be
satisfied with the outcome of the battle: Musailima was dead and his army had
been torn to pieces. A glow of pleasure warmed the heart of Khalid. But Muja'a
soon dispelled it.
"Yes, you have won a
victory", he conceded. "But you should know that you have
fought only a small portion of the Bani Hanifa-all that Musailima could hastily
gather. The major portion of the army is still in the fort at Yamamah."
Khalid stared at him
incredulously, "May Allah curse you!
What are you saying?"
"Yes,
that is so", Muja'a went on. "I suggest that you accept a peaceful
surrender. If you will state your terms, I shall go into the fort and try to
persuade the army to lay down its arms."
It did not take Khalid long to realise the impossibility of fighting,
with his exhausted men, an even larger army than the one he had just tackled. "Yes", he replied, accepting
Muja'a's proposal. "Let there be
peace."
The terms of surrender were worked out by the two leaders. The Muslims
would take all the gold, the swords, the armour and the horses in Yamamah, but
only half its population would be enslaved. Muja'a was released from his
fetters and, on giving his word to return, allowed to proceed to the fortified
city. After some time he returned, shaking his head sadly. "They do not agree. They are all set to fight. In fact they turned
against me. You can attack now if you
wish."
Khalid decided to take a look at the city himself. Leaving the bulk of
his weary army to bury the martyrs and gather the spoils, he took a mounted
detachment and rode to Yamamah, accompanied by Muja'a. As he got near the
northern wall of the fortified city he stopped in amazement, for the
battlements were crowded with warriors whose armour and weapons glinted
ominously in the sun. How on earth would he deal with this fresh army in an
impregnable fort? His men were in no state to fight, they wanted nothing but
rest.
The voice of Muja'a broke the silence. "They might be prepared to surrender the fort if you do not enslave any of them. You could
have all the gold, the swords, the armour, the horses."
"Have they agreed to this?" asked
Khalid.
"I have discussed the matter, but they gave no decision."
Khalid was prepared to go so far and no further. He looked at Muja'a
sternly. "I will give you three days", he said. "If the gates are not opened on these
revised terms, I shall attack. And then there shall be no terms of any
kind."
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 515-7; Balazuri: pp. 99-100.
11
The pact was drawn up accordingly. It was signed on behalf of the
Muslims by Khalid and on behalf of the Bani Hanifa by Muja'a bin Marara. 1
When the pact had been signed, Muja'a returned to the fort, and soon
after the gates of the fort were thrown open. Khalid, accompanied by his
mounted warriors and Muja'a, rode into the city, expecting to see hordes of
armed warriors, but wherever he looked, he saw nothing but women and old men
and children. He turned in amazement to Muja'a. "Where are the warriors I saw?"
Muja'a pointed at the women. "Those
are the warriors you saw", he explained. "When I came into the
fort I dressed these women in armour, gave them weapons, and made them parade
on the battlements. There are no warriors!"
Furious
at being tricked, Khalid swore at Muja'a, "You
deceived me, O Muja'a!"
Muja'a
merely shrugged his shoulders. "They
are my people. I could do nothing else."
But for the pact, Khalid would have torn Muja'a apart with his bare
hands. However, the pact had been signed and its terms had to be respected. The
Bani Hanifa, those of them who were in the city, were safe. Soon they had come
out of their city roamed freely in the neighbourhood.
A day or two later a message arrived from the Caliph, who was not yet
aware of the end of the Battle of Yamamah, instructing Khalid to kill all the
apostates of the Bani Hanifa. Khalid wrote back explaining that the Caliph's
order could not be implemented because of the pact that he had signed. Abu Bakr
agreed to the observance of the terms of the pact.
But the pact only applied to those who had been in the fort. The rest of
the vast tribe of Bani Hanifa-tens of thousands of people living in the region
around Yamamah-were not covered by the pact. The most important element of the
Bani Hanifa now was the remnants of the army of Musailima which had fled from
the plain of Aqraba. These warriors, amounting to more than 20,000 men, were
moving at random in clans and groups. After Musailima's death they posed no
great danger to Islam, but they could nevertheless cause considerable mischief.
They had to be crushed. Under the harsh laws of war, they had no claim to
immunity from attack until they had fully submitted.
Khalid was determined to wipe out all resistance among the Bani Hanifa
so that undisturbed peace might prevail in the region. He allowed his army a
couple of day's rest: then he divided it into several columns which he
despatched to subdue the region around Yamamah and to kill or capture all who
resisted. These columns fanned out in the countryside.
The fugitives were sought out wherever they had taken shelter. Thousands
remained unrepentant and defiant, these were attacked and wiped out, and their
women and
children taken captive. But other thousands submitted and were spared.
Eventually all the survivors re-entered Islam.
Khalid set up his headquarters near Yamamah, where he was to stay about
two months before receiving his next military task from the Caliph.
With the successful conclusion of the Battle of Yamamah, most of Arabia
was freed of the mischief of the apostasy. Some of it still remained on the
fringes of the peninsula, but this posed no serious threat. Some battles were
still to be fought, but they were minor affairs compared with the great clashes
which have been described in this and the preceding chapters.
1.
There is
some difference of opinion among early historians about the exact terms of the
pact, but the details are not important.
12
The Battle of Yamamah was the fiercest and bloodiest battle so far
fought in the history of Islam. Never before had the Muslims been faced with
such a trial of strength, and they rose gloriously to the occasion under the
leadership of the Sword of Allah. By crushing the vastly superior forces of the
Bani Hanifa led by the redoubtable Musailima, the Muslims proved themselves to
be men of steel. Half a century later old men would describe this battle in
vivid detail to their grandchildren and end the account with the proud boast: "I was at Yamamah!"
The casualties were staggering. Of the apostates 21,000 were
killed-7,000 in the plain of Aqraba, 7,000 in the Garden of Death, and 7,000 in
the mopping up operations of the columns sent out by Khalid.
The Muslims suffered lightly in comparison with the apostates, but
compared with their own past battle losses, their casualties were heavy indeed.
Twelve hundred Muslims fell as martyrs-most of them in or near the wadi. 1 Half this loss was
suffered by the Ansars and the Emigrants-the closest and most revered
Companions of the Prophet. It is also said that the martyrs included 300 of
those who knew the whole Quran by heart. Some of the finest of Muslims fell in
this battle-Abu Dujanah, Abu Hudaifa (the commander of the left wing), Zaid
(brother of Umar and commander of the right wing). While Zaid fell, Umar's son,
Abdullah, survived.
When Abdullah returned to Madinah he went to pay
his respects to his father, but there was no welcome in the eyes of Umar as he
looked at his son. "Why were you not
killed beside Zaid? Zaid is dead and
you live! Let me not see your face again!"
"Father", pleaded this brave young man,
"my uncle asked for martyrdom and Allah honoured him with it. I also
sought martyrdom but did not attain it." 2
In the Battle of Yamamah, Abu Bakr's campaign against the apostates
reached its high-water mark. This was the climax. Abu Bakr's strategy of using
Khalid as his right arm to fight the main apostate chiefs in turn, going from
nearer to farther objectives, had met with admirable success. Henceforth things
would be easier.
One episode remains to be
narrated before we finish with the Battle of Yamamah. On the day that the city
of Yamamah opened its gates, Khalid sat outside his tent in the evening. Beside
him sat Muja'a. They were alone.
Suddenly
Khalid turned to Muja'a. "I want to
marry your daughter!"
Muja'a
stared in amazement at Khalid. He could not possibly have heard aright!
Khalid,
his tone more insistent, repeated, "I
want to marry your daughter!"
Muja'a now realised that Khalid was not mad, that he knew what he
wanted. Yet in view of the occasion, the whole idea seemed utterly ridiculous. "Steady, O Khalid!" he
replied. "Do you want the Caliph to
break your back and mine also?"
"I want to marry your daughter", repeated Khalid. And that very evening he married the beautiful daughter of Muja'a bin
Marara.
A few days later Khalid received an angry letter from Abu Bakr. "O son of the mother of Khalid!" wrote the Caliph. "You have time to marry women while in
your courtyard the blood of 1,200 Muslims is not yet dry!" When he had
read the letter Khalid muttered,
"This must be the work of that left-handed one!" 3
However he continued to enjoy his new bride. It seems that he had
discarded the glamorous widow of Malik bin Nuwaira. We do not know what
happened to that lady, for history makes no further mention of the beautiful
Laila with the gorgeous eyes and the lovely legs.
1.
The
visitor to Jubaila today is shown a graveyard on the southern bank of the wadi
where the Muslim martyrs lie buried, and on the northern bank he is shown a low
mound between the village and the gully, where the apostate dead were buried.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 512-3.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 519.
Chapter
17
(The
Collapse of the Apostasy)
1
"There was not born to Adam among his
descendants anyone better than Abu Bakr, after the Prophets and Messengers. Abu
Bakr took a stance in the Days of Apostasy which was like the stance of one of
the Prophets."
[Abu
Husain]1
What remained of the apostasy in the less vital areas of Arabia was
rooted out by the Muslims in a series of well planned campaigns within five
months.
Amr bin Al Aas had been sent with his corps to the Syrian border to
subdue the apostates in that region. The most important tribes that needed
chastisement were the Quza'a and the Wadi'a, the latter being a section of the
large tribe of Kalb. While Khalid was fighting in Central Arabia, Amr struck at
the apostates in the north, but achieved only limited success. He was not able
to beat the tribes into submission.
When the Battle of Yamamah was over, Shurahbil bin Hasanah proceeded
with his corps, on the orders of the Caliph, to reinforce Amr, and the two
commanders operated in unison to bring about the subjugation of the northern
tribes. Most of the apostates were concentrated in the region of Tabuk and
Daumat-ul-Jandal, and it was here that Amr and Shurahbil struck their hardest
blows. In a few weeks the apostasy was destroyed and the tribes re-entered
Islam. Peace returned to Northern Arabia.
The main tribe inhabiting Oman was the Azd. The chief of this tribe was
Laqeet bin Malik, known more commonly as Dhul Taj, the Crowned One. These
Arabs, like those whose apostasy is described later in this chapter, had
embraced Islam in the time of the Prophet and agreed to abide by the terms
imposed by the Muslim State.
On hearing the news of the Holy Prophet's death, the bulk of the Azd,
led by Dhul Taj, revolted and renounced Islam. It is not certain that this man
was an impostor. Going by a brief comment of Tabari that he "claimed what
prophets claim", 2 we could assume that he probably did make
some claim to prophethood. Be that as it may, while Abu Bakr was busy dealing
with the immediate threat to Madinah, Dhul Taj declared himself King of Oman
and established himself as its undisputed ruler with his headquarters at Daba.
(See Map 7)
After Khalid had left Zhu Qissa to seek Tulaiha, the Caliph despatched
Hudaifa bin Mihsan (one of the corps commanders) to tackle the apostasy in
Oman. Hudaifa entered the province of Oman, but not having strong enough forces
to fight Dhul Taj, he decided to await reinforcements. He wrote to the Caliph
accordingly, who, as has already been noted, instructed Ikrimah to march from
Yamamah to the aid of Hudhaifa. On his arrival, the two generals combined their
forces and set out to fight Dhul Taj at Daba.
The Battle of Daba was fought towards the end of November 632 (early
Ramadan, 11 Hijri). At first the battle went badly for the Muslims; but at a
critical moment a force of local Muslims, who had clung to their faith in spite
of Dhul Taj, appeared on, the battlefield in support of their co-religionists.
With this fresh addition to their strength the Muslims were able to defeat the
infidel army. Dhul Taj was killed in battle.
Being appointed governor of Oman, Hudaifa next set about the
re-establishment of law and order. Ikrimah, having no local administrative
responsibility, used his corps to subdue the neighbourhood of Daba; and in a
number of small actions, succeeded in breaking the resistance of those of the
Azd who had continued to defy the authority of Islam. Thereafter the Azd once
again became peaceful, law-abiding Muslims and gave no further trouble to
Madinah.
1. Tarikh
Al-Khulafaa of As-Suyuti
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 529.
2
From Oman, following the orders of Abu Bakr, Ikrimah marched to Mahra.
Here too the germs of apostasy had infected the local population, though not in
such virulent a form as in some other provinces. Mahra actually was the
objective of Arfaja bin Harsama (one of the corps commanders) and Ikrimah's
instructions were to assist Arfaja; but as the latter had not yet arrived,
Ikrimah decided that instead of waiting for him he would tackle the local
apostasy on his own.
The army of local rebels that had gathered at Jairut consisted of two
unequal factions. Ikrimah arrived at Jairut and confronted the infidels in
early January, 633 (mid-Shawal, 11 Hijri). When ready to engage the enemy, he
called upon the apostates to return to the fold of Islam. Of the two apostates
factions, the larger rejected the call, but the smaller one accepted it and
came over to join the Muslims, whereupon Ikrimah attacked and defeated the
rebels. Their commander was killed, and a large quantity of booty came into
Ikrimah's hands.
Having re-established Islam in Mahra, Ikrimah moved his corps to Abyan,
where he rested his men and awaited further developments.
In Bahrain an independent action against the rebels was fought by the
corps of Ala bin Al Hadhrami. It was after the Battle of Yamamah that Abu Bakr
had sent this general to crush the apostasy in Bahrain, telling him that he
would get no help from other Muslim forces, that he would be entirely on his
own.
Ula arrived in Bahrain to find the apostate forces gathered at Hajr and
entrenched in a strong position. (This was the only instance of entrenchment
being used in these campaigns.) Ula mounted several attacks and the battle
continued for some days but without success, as he found it difficult to cross
the trench line. Whenever he managed to get some forces across they were
repulsed. Ula began to wonder just how he was going to crack this virtually
impregnable position.
Then early one night Ula heard wild, joyous shouts coming from the rebel
position. At a loss to understand this phenomenon, he sent spies to
investigate. These spies returned soon after to inform him that there was wild
revelry in the enemy camp and that everybody was drunk. Ula at once ordered a
night attack. As the Muslims went into the assault they found no sentries and
caught the enemy completely by surprise. They plunged into the rebels, and
hundreds of them were killed before they realised that their celebration had
been disturbed! Hundreds, more were slain before the rest could come to their
senses and escape.
The following day Ula pursued the fugitives to the coast, where they
made one more stand but were decisively defeated. Most of them surrendered and
re?entered Islam.
This operation was completed at about the end of January 633 (second
week of Dhul Qad, 11 Hijri).
The Yemen had been the first province to rebel against the authority of
Islam when the tribe of Ans rose in arms under the leadership of its chief and
false prophet-Aswad, the Black One. The affair of Aswad has already been
described. He was killed by Fairoz the Persian, while the Holy Prophet still
lived, and thereafter Fairoz had acted as governor at San'a.
When word
arrived that the Holy Prophet had died, the people of the Yemen again revolted,
this time under the leadership of a man named Qais bin Abd Yaghus. The avowed
aim of the apostates was to drive the Muslims out of the Yemen, and they
decided to achieve this objective by assassinating Fairoz and other important
Muslim leaders, thus rendering the Muslim community leaderless. Its subsequent
expulsion would then, present no difficulty.
To
implement this perfidious plan Qais invited Fairoz and other Muslim officers to
his house for talks. Some Muslims fell into the trap and were speedily
despatched by the assassins; but at the eleventh hour Fairoz got wind of the
plot and of the organisation behind it. Having no military force at his
disposal for immediate use, Fairoz sought safety in flight. He left San'a. Qais
came to know of his departure and pursued him, but Fairoz was able to evade his
pursuers and reach the hills where he found a safe refuge. This happened in
June or July 632 (Rabi-ul-Awwal or Akhir, 11 Hijri).
For the next six months Fairoz remained in his mountainous stronghold,
where over the months he was joined by thousands of Muslims who were prepared
to shed their blood to oust Qais and restore Muslim rule in the Yemen. Fairoz
organised these Muslims into an army. When he felt strong enough to face Qais
in the field, he marched to San'a with this army. Qais awaited him here, and in
mid-January 633 (late Shawal, 11 Hijri) they joined battle just outside the
town. The Muslims were victorious, and Qais fled to Abyan, where Ikrimah was to
rest later, after subduing Mahra.
At Abyan,
Qais was joined by other apostate chiefs, but they fell out amongst themselves.
Seeing no hope of further successful opposition to Madinah, they all
surrendered to the Muslims and were subsequently pardoned by the Caliph. Some
of these apostate chiefs, after re-entering Islam, fought bravely in Iraq and
Syria during the years that followed.
The last
of the great revolts of the apostasy was that of the powerful tribe of Kinda,
which inhabited the region of Najran, Hadhramaut and Eastern Yemen. The
progress of events in this revolt followed much the same pattern as elsewhere.
On the death of the Prophet, the Kinda became
restive, though they did not break into revolt immediately. The governor of
Hadhramaut was Ziyad bin Lubaid who lived at Zafar, the capital of Hadhramaut.
An honest, Allah-fearing Muslim, he was extremely strict in the collection of
taxes, which caused some heart-burning among the Kinda. All their attempts at
evading full payment of taxes were thwarted by Ziyad.
In January 633 (Shawal, 11 Hijri), the discontent of the Kinda came to a
head. One of their minor chieftains had handed in a rather fine camel as part
of the tax. He later changed his mind and asked to have it back but Ziyad
rejected the request. This chieftain then sent some of his men to steal the
camel.
In return
Ziyad sent a few soldiers to catch the camel-lifters. Shortly afterwards the
camel and the culprits were brought in and locked up. Next morning a riotous
assembly of the Kinda demanded the return of their imprisoned comrades. Ziyad
refused to release the thieves, announcing that they would be tried under
Muslim law. At this the situation exploded.
Large sections of the Kinda revolted and apostatised. They not only
refused to pay taxes or abide by the laws of Islam but also took up arms to
oppose the authority of Madinah with violence. Several other dissident elements
joined them in this purpose, and together they established military camps and
prepared for war.
One of these rebel camps was at Riyaz, not far from Zafar. To this Ziyad
sent a column on a night raid which turned out to be eminently successful. Some
apostates were killed, several captured, and the rest driven away. As the
captives were being taken to War, they
passed the greatest of the Kinda
chiefs, Ash'as bin Qais, who had not yet turned apostate. "O Ash'as", the captives called to him, "We are of your mother's clan." The
tribal loyalty of Ash'as proved
itself stronger than his faith or his respect for central authority.
Accompanied by many of his warriors, he intercepted the Muslim column,
liberated the captives, and sent the Muslims home empty-handed.
This marked the beginning of the revolt of Ash'as. The Kinda flocked to
his standard in large numbers and prepared for battle, but the strength of the
two forces, apostate and Muslim, was so well balanced that neither side felt
able to start serious hostilities. Ziyad waited for reinforcements before
attacking Ash'as.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 545.
4
Reinforcements were on the way. Muhajir bin Abi Umayyah, the last of the
corps commanders to be despatched by Abu Bakr, had just subdued some rebels in
Najran and was to go on to the Yemen. Abu Bakr directed him to proceed instead
to Hadhramaut to join Ziyad and deal with the apostasy of the Kinda. Similar
instructions reached Ikrimah, who was now at Abyan.
The forces of Muhajir and Ziyad combined at Zafar, under the overall
command of the former, and set out to fight Ash'as.
Ash'as bin Qais was one of the most remarkable men of his time. Coming
from a princely family of the Kinda, he was a man of many parts. An able
general, a clever chief, a bold warrior and an accomplished poet, he had a
fertile imagination and a smooth tongue. A man of charm and wit, he was the
most colourful of the many colourful personalities thrown up by the apostasy.
But he had one big flaw; he was treacherous! Historians have noted that his was
the only family that produced four breakers of pacts in an unbroken line,
Ash'as, his father, his son, and his grandson.
Ash'as lived close to the borderline between virtue and evil, between faith
and unbelief, but never quite crossed that fine. Practising a kind of moral and
spiritual brinkmanship, he was clever enough to get away with it. And now, in
late January 633 (the second week of Dhul Qad, 11 Hijri), he faced the Muslim
army in battle.
The battle did not last long. Ash'as was defeated, though the defeat was
not decisive. He speedily withdrew his army from the battlefield and retreated
to the fort of Nujair, where he was joined by other dissident clans. Here
Ash'as prepared for a siege.
Just after this battle the corps of Ikrimah also arrived. The three
Muslim corps, under the over-all command of Muhajir, advanced on Nujair and
laid siege to the fortified city. There were three routes leading into the
city. The generals deployed their forces on all three of these routes,
completely surrounding and isolating the city. Reinforcements and provisions
coming to Ash'as were either captured or driven back.
The siege continued for several days. A number of sallies were made by
the beleaguered garrison, but all were repulsed with losses. Yet the Kinda
remained firm in their determination to fight on.
Some time in mid-February 633 (early Dhul Hajj, 11 Hijri) Ash'as
realised that the situation was hopeless. There was no possibility of success.
It was only a matter of time before the fort fell to the Muslims, and then
there would be a blood?bath. The next action of Ash'as was characteristic of
the man: he decided to sell his tribe to save himself!
He sent a message to Ikrimah proposing talks. Ash'as knew Ikrimah well,
for in their days of unbelief they had been good friends. As a result of the
proposal talks were arranged with Ikrimah and Muhajir on one side and Ash'as on
the other. Accompanied by a few men, Ash'as came out of the fort secretly to the
rendezvous.
"I shall open the gates of
the fort to you if you will spare the lives of 10 men and their families", Ash'as offered. To this the Muslims agreed. "Write down the names of the 10 men," said Muhajir, "and we shall seal the document."
Ash'as went aside with his men and began to write down the names. It was
his intention first to write the name of nine favoured ones and then add his
own as the tenth, but he did not notice that one of his men was looking over
his shoulder and reading the names as he wrote. This man, named Jahdam, was not
one of the favoured nine. As Asha's wrote the ninth name, Jahdam drew his
dagger. "Write my name," he
hissed, "or I kill you."
Hoping to save himself later by his wits, Ash'as wrote down Jahdam as the tenth
name. The list was complete. Muhajir sealed the document.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 547.
5
Ash'as and his men returned to the fort. At the agreed time he opened
one of the gates, and the Muslims poured into the fort and fell upon the
unsuspecting garrison. There was a terrible slaughter, and it continued until
everyone in the fort had laid down his arms. Ash'as and a group of men and
families that remained near him were scared.
The fort of Nujair had now fallen. When Muhajir checked the list
prepared by Ash'as, he noticed that the name of Ash'as was not in it. He was
delighted. "O Enemy of Allah!"
he said to Ash'as. "Now I have a
chance to punish you." 1 He would have killed Ash'as, but Ikrimah
intervened and insisted that Ash'as be sent to Madinah, where Abu Bakr could
decide his fate. Consequently Ash'as was put in chains.
Within the fort the Muslims had taken many captives who were to be sent
to Madinah as slaves, and these included a large number of attractive young
women. They were led out of the fort and passed Ash'as, of whose perfidy they
had by now come to know. As they slowly filed past him, the captive women
looked at him reproachfully and wailed, "You
traitor! You traitor!" 2 To add to his discomfiture, Ash'as was
sent with this same group of captives
to Madinah. It could not have been a very pleasant journey!
Ash'as was no stranger to Madinah. He had visited the place during the
Year of Delegations, when the Kinda submitted to the Holy Prophet and embraced
Islam. During that visit he had also married Um Farwa, sister of Abu Bakr, but
when leaving Madinah he had left her behind with Abu Bakr, with the promise of
picking her up on his next visit. This next visit was now taking place under
very different and uncongenial circumstances.
The Caliph charged Ash'as with
all his crimes against Islam and the State. He expressed his low opinion of the
way Ash'as had betrayed his own tribe. Was there any reason why the accused
should not be beheaded at once?
Attention has been drawn to the smooth tongue of Ash'as. This time he
excelled himself. Not only did he win a pardon, he also persuaded Abu Bakr to
return his wife to him! He remained in Madinah, though, unwilling to return to
his own tribe. In later years he fought with distinction in Syria, Iraq and
Persia, and in the time of Uthman he was made governor of Azerbaijan.
But his treacherousness never left him. Many were the people, including
Abu Bakr, who wished that he had not been pardoned after his apostasy. In fact
when Abu Bakr was dying, and spoke to his friends of his regrets about things
he had not done and wished he had, he said, "I
wish I had had Ash'as beheaded." 3
Students of Muslim history might recollect that Imam Hassan's wife, who
poisoned him4
at the instigation of Caliph Muawiyah, for which service he paid her 100,000
dirhams, was the daughter of Ash'as. 5
With the defeat of the Kinda at Nujair the last of the great apostate
movements collapsed. Arabia was safe for Islam. The unholy fire that had raged
across the land was now dead. Arabia would see revolt and civil war many times
in its stormy history, but it would never again see apostasy.
The Campaign of the Apostasy was fought and
completed during the eleventh year of the Hijri. The year 12 Hijri dawned, on
March 18, 633, with Arabia united under the central authority of the Caliph at
Madinah. 6
This campaign was Abu Bakr's greatest political and military triumph.
Although the Caliph would launch bold ventures for the conquest of Iraq and
Syria, it was by his able and successful conduct of the Campaign of the
Apostasy that he rendered his greatest service to Islam. And this would not
have been possible without the arm of the Sword of Allah.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 548.
2. ibid.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 619, Masudi: Muruj, Vol. 2, p. 308; Balazuri: p. 112
4.
Qadi Abu
Bakr ibn al-'Arabi says in Al-'Awasim min
Al-Qawasim (Al-Maktabah al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut, pp. 213-4), "If it is said that Muawiyah intrigued
against Al-Hassan in order to poison
him. We replied that this is impossible for two reasons. One of them is that he
did not fear any power of Al-Hassan once the latter had surrendered authority.
The second is that this is an unseen matter which only Allah knows. How can you
state it without proof and accuse any of His creatures in a distant time when
we do not have any sound transmission about it? Moreover, this occurred in the
presence of the people of sects who were in a state of sedition and
partisanship. Each of them ascribed what he should not ascribe to his
companion. Only the pure is accepted from it. Only the resolute just man is
listened to regarding it."
Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib comments on the above as follows, "In the Minhaj as-Sunnah (2:225) Ibn Taymiyya spoke about the Shi'a
claim that Mu'awiyah had poisoned Al-Hassan, 'That was not established by any
clear proof in the Shariah nor by any plausible statement nor by a clear
transmission. This is part of what it is not possible to know.
Hence this saying is a statement
without knowledge … In our time, we saw people among the Turks and others who
said that he was poisoned and died of poisoning. People disagree about that and
even the place where he died and the fortress in which he died. You will find
each of them relating something different from what the other people related.'
After Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned that Al-Hassan died in Madinah while Muawiyyah
was in Syria, he mentioned the possibilities of the report, assuming it to be
sound. One of them is that Al-Hassan was divorced and did not remain with a
wife …" (see also Al-Muntaqa, [al-Dhahabi's abridgement of the Minhaj], p. 266)"
See also Defence against Disaster,
Madinah Press, 1416/1995, pp. 203-4.
A report mentioned by As-Suyuti in Tarikh
Al-Khulafaa says that Yazid bin Muawwiyah bribed Al-Hassan's wife to poison
him by offering to marry her in return. This illustrates the conflicting and
contradictory nature of these reports, which are almost certainly Shi'ite
fabrications. Ibn Hajr Al-Asqalani merely says in his biography of Al-Hassan in
Al-Isabah, "It is said that he was poisoned to death."
5.
Ibn
Qutaiba: p. 212; Masudi: Muruj, Vol.
3, p. 5. This is Masudi's figure. Some historians have given the sum as 150,000
dirhams.
6.
For an
explanation of the chronology of the Campaign of the Apostasy, which is subject
to some possible sources of error, see Note 3 in Appendix B.
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