differences and mobilized their forces to serve their countryeven in
the face of death. Rustamand Fayrouz )prime minister of thePersian
Empire( were the pillars of the State, but a violent friction raged
between them. Now both of them were persuaded to shake hands in the
interest of thePersian Empire. The coronation of Yezdgird also infused
new life into those who were disheartened because of the adverse state
of affairs in every field. The provinces and cities under the
possession of Muslim officers began to show signs of unrest and
rebellion. ThePersian camps were packed with soldiers and the Persian
forts andmilitary outposts were fortified and strengthened. Many other
regions under Muslim control broke into revolt and rose in support of
the Persians.
The Caliph decides to lead the Muslim army
'Umarcame to know of thesefresh developments in the monthof
Thul-Qi'dah in Al-Madeenah. He issued prompt orders for Muthannaa bin
Haarithahtogether with all the troops to fall back towards the
frontiers ofArabia. He summoned the tribes of Rabee'ah and Mudhar that
were scattered throughoutIraqstrengthened his forces and vacated the
threatened areas to gather close to the frontiers ofArabia. He also
issued orders to the governors to collect and sendwarriors to fight in
the way of Allaah. As the season for the pilgrimage had arrived,
'Umarset off to Makkah.
On returning from the Hajj, he found Arab tribes pouring into
Al-Madeenah from all sides. The suburbs of Al-Madeenah were now
teeming with groups of warriors. He entrusted the divisional command
of the vanguard to Talhah and that of the right wing to Az-Zubayrwhile
'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Awfwas appointed to the command of the left wing
of the army. When the army was drawn up, he put 'Ali in charge of the
Caliphate, left Al-Madeenah, and advanced towardsPersia. At Sirar, the
first halt was ordered.
The fact that the Caliph himself was leading the army filled them with
unbounded confidence and enthusiasm. However, 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaancalled on the Caliph and said that it was not expedient that he
should go personally into the battlefield. Following this advice,
'Umarset up a general council of war atSirar and invited the opinion
of everyone present. Everyone unanimously exclaimed that the
expedition could not terminate successfully unless he led it himself.
Thereupon, 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Awfsaid: "I disapprove of such a
suggestion. The Caliph's presence on the battlefield is too risky. In
case a commander is killed in action, the Caliph can do what is
necessary to keep the situation under control; but if Allaah forbid,
the Caliph himself iseliminated, it would be extremelydifficult to
manage the affairs." 'Aliwas also called from Al-Madeenah to take part
in this crucial deliberation. He and the other Companions lent support
to 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Awf's opinion.
The Caliph agreed not to lead the campaign. After a long discussion
about who would take command of the Muslim army at this juncture, Sa'd
bin Abu Waqqaaswas named. The entire council, including 'Umaragreed.
TheBattleof Qaadisiyah
Sa'dwas at Siraf whenhe received a fresh order from the Caliph
directing him to proceed towards Qaadisiyah. The order further
enjoined him to arrange himself and his troops in such a manner, so as
to have the plains ofPersiain front and the hills ofArabiain the rear.
In this way, he might advance as far as he chose in case of victory,
and take refuge by retreating to the hills in case of defeat.
News began to pour into the Persian capital that the Arabian army was
encamped in Qaadisiyah and they had ravaged the surrounding areas of
theEuphrates. The Persian leader, Rustom, marched up to Sabat where he
was joined by forces from almost every part of the country in such
great numbers that, in a short time, the Persian army numbered nearly
180,000 men. It was not only a well-equipped army, but also showed a
rage and enthusiasm against the Islamic forces.
Armed with war equipment and weapons on such a massive scale, Rustam
marched from Sabat and camped at Kutha. Now the distance between the
Persian and the Muslim armies was much closer. Small raiding squads
would come out from both sidesto pounce on the other's provisions and
other things of necessity.
Rustam ordered preparations for a decisive battle. He ordered a bridge
to be constructed over a canal that separated the armies, and it was
completed within a short period. Rustam then enquired from his
counterpart as to who should cross the bridge, and Sa'dinvited him to
cross. Thus, the large and strong Persian army moved across the bridge
and battle lines were drawn up. Rustam launched an all-out assault on
the Muslim troops, and by way of a war strategy, combat elephants were
set off to attack the Muslim ranks. The Bujaylah tribe obstructed them
at the cost of heavy casualties. Sa'dwho was watching the battle scene
very minutely, reinforced the Bujailah with Banu Asad who showed
utmost manliness in the assignedduty. However, when they too showed
signs of reverses, the warriors of Banu Kindah took the field and made
such a heavy charge that the Persians were forced to retreat. In view
of constant retreat and repulses, Rustam ordereda joint attack.
Sa'dcried the Takbeer)Allaahu Akbar – Allaah is the Greatest( at the
top of his voice and the entire Muslim army joining his Takbeer,
charged against the Persian troops. It looked as if two oceans or
mountains had collided with each other. When the rival forces were in
the thick of battle, the Persian elephants began to cause heavy
casualties on the Muslim side. Sa'dimmediately ordered the archers to
shoot arrows at the elephants and their riders. 'Aasim charged at the
elephants with his lance, followed by others who inflicted deep wounds
on the elephants' trunks with their spears and swords. As a result,
the elephants retreated leaving the Muslim swordsmen to display their
bravery. After a daylong battle, night intervened to stop it until the
next day.
After fierce fighting that lasted for three days, all the tribes rose
as one man to charge forcefully at the enemy. When the horsemen of
Al-Qa'qaa' reached near Rustom, he got down from his throne and began
to fight. However, on being wounded he took to his heels. But Hilaal
bin Ulafah chased him and hit him so powerfully with his spear that
his hip was broken and he fell down in a nearby canal. Hilaal
dismounted from his horse at once, pulled him out by his legsand put
him to death. Following this, Hilaal called out at the top of his
voice standing on Rustam's throne: "By Allaah, I have killed Rustam."
Having heard this announcement, the Muslim troops cried Allaahu Akbar
)Allaah is the Most Great( and the Persian soldiers were left shocked
and astonished. They fled the battlefield. Out of 30,000 Persian
cavaliers, only 30 saved their lives. About 6000 Muslims were honored
with martyrdom.
Conquest of the Persian capital
After their flight from Qaadisiyah, the Persians quartered themselves
atBabylon. A number of renowned generals prepared themselves for
battle again. The fugitives of the battle of Qaadisiyah were also
collected and encouraged to avenge their defeat. Sa'dstayed in
Qaadisiyah for about two months after the Muslim victory. On receiving
fresh orders from the Caliphate, he marched to Madaa'in leaving his
family in Qaadisiyah. With the news of the arrival of Sa'dthe Persian
generals left Babylon andmoved to Madaa'in, Ahwaz and Nihawand
destroying the bridges on the way and making the Tigris and its canals
impossible to cross. WhenSa'd arrived at the bank of theTigrishe found
neither bridge nor boats.The next day Sa'dmounted on his horse and
said after getting his troops ready: "Who among you is brave enough to
promise to save me from an enemy onslaught while I cross the river?"
'Aasim bin 'Amr came forward and offered his services.
He then charged right into the surging water ofthe Tigris. Others also
followed suit and rushed their horses into the river. The river was
deep and fast moving but the turbulent conditions could not affect the
resolute and undaunted spirits of the Muslim army. The waves slammed
furiously against the sides of the horses, but the horsemensteered
their course calmly and in perfect order. When the cavalry was halfway
across the river, the Persian archers began to shoot arrows atthe
Muslim troops but in vain. The Muslim fighters crossed the river by
forceand put the opposing force to death.
With the news of the crossing of the river by the Muslims, Yezdgird
took flight from Madaa'in. The Muslim troops began to enter the city
from different directions. Sa'dstepped in the White Palace )royal
palace( reciting the verses)which mean(:
"How much they left behind of gardens and springs. And crops and noble
sites. And comfort wherein they were amused. Thus! And we caused to
inherit it another people. "]Quran 44:25-28[
He offered eight Rakahs)units( of victory prayer. In the palace of
Kisra)Chosroes(, a pulpit was set up in place of the royal throne and
the Friday prayer was performed there. This was the first Friday
prayer that was performed in the Persian capital.
The fall of Madaa'in, the Persian capital, was followed by that of
Ahwaz, Nahawand and Hamadan but the latter rose in revolt after only a
few days. Being fed up with the continual revoltsof the Persian
regions, 'Umarlater ordered a general attack which resulted in
victory. Thus, the Muslims captured all the Persian land and the
empire of Magians became extinct.
To Be Concluded
No comments:
Post a Comment