learn Islamic History

Wars and expeditions during the reign of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA)

1. Usama’s Expedition

Hadrat Zaid bin Harith (R A) was the freed slave and adopted son of the Holy Prophet (SAW) He (RA) was martyred at the hands of Syrians (Romans) at Mu’tah in 8 A.H. the Holy Prophet (S A W), appointed Hadrat Usamah (R A), the son of Zaid to lead an expedition against Syrians in order to avenge the death of his father, Hazrat Zaid (RA). When Hadrat Usamah (RA) was about to leave, the news of the demise of the Holy Prophet (SAW) came and the departure of the army was postponed.

After being chosen as Caliph, the first task before Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) was to send out this expedition. As a matter of fact, it was the most critical time in the history of Islam. The entire peninsula was in a state of turbulence and disorder. Some of the new converts thought Islam would come to an end with the Holy Prophet's life. Many of the tribes had entered the fold of Islam only a short time before and were not firm in Islam. About this the Holy Qur'an has already predicted

"The wandering Arabs (Bedouins) say: We have (firm) faith. Say (to them O Muhammad): You believe not (firmly), but rather say "We submit", for the Faith has not entered into your hearts." (39:14).

At the same time news came to Medina that renegades under the command of some false prophet were planning to assault Madinah. Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) was really facing a difficult situation. In the circumstances, the companions approached him to withdraw the expedition. In their opinion it was unwise to send troops out of Medina because they were needed at home.

Here was the test of Abu Bakr's (RA) faith in following the ways of the Holy Prophet (SAW). He got through in his test and proved to be the most firm among all of his companions including Hadrat Umar. Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) said he could never alter the decision taken by his master (the Holy Prophet). He firmly replied to his companions, "How can I fold up the flag which was unfurled by the Holy Prophet (SAW) himself?" When Muslims saw that Hadrat Abu Bakr was firm they requested him to change the command of Hadrat Usamah because he was too young and inexperienced -- not yet twenty, thus was not fit to lead the expedition. Hearing this Hadrat Abu Bakr was much annoyed and said, "Do you want me to dismiss a man appointed by the Messenger of Allah?"

The Contingent left under the command of Hadrat Usamah (RA)

After 3 weeks of Holy Prophet's death, the Contingent left under the command of Hadrat Usamah (RA). Hadrat Umar (RA) was also included in the army. Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) sought Usamah's permission to leave him in Madinah, and he agreed. Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) himself bid him farewell and went to some distance out of Medina. The young commander of the army was riding a horse and the great Caliph was walking by his side. After forty days Hadrat Usamah returned to Madinah with a great victory, the victory of Abu Bakr's (RA) firm Faith.

The success of Usamah's expedition also opened the eyes of those who thought Islam was dying out after the demise of the Holy Prophet (SAW). Some of the tribes again came back to Islam which they had left.

2. False Prophets

Some disbelievers declared their prophet hood and started revolt. Four of those were main figures among such false prophets. A brief account of them is given here.

i. Aswad Ansi

He rose in Yemen and was known as 'Ansi, "the Veiled prophet" because he put veil on his face all the time. After collecting a big army he stood up in open revolt against Islam. He was killed by Qais bin Makshuh and his followers dispersed.

ii. Tulaiha

He belonged to the tribe of Bani Asad in northern Arabia. Just after the death of the Holy Prophet (SAW) he rose in open revolt. Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) sent Hadrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) to crush the rebellion. After a fierce fight Tulaiha's army was defeated and he ran away to Syria. Afterwards he again accepted Islam.

iii. Sajah bint Al-Harith in Suwaid

She belonged to the tribe of Bani Tamim. After the death of the Holy Prophet (SAW) a number of chiefs of this tribe including Malik bin Nuwairah renounced Islam and Sajah declared her prophet hood. Four thousand people including some of the chiefs gathered around her to march to Medina. She also forced those who did not co-operate with her to follow. On her way to Madinah she was informed about the Islamic army led by Khalid bin Walid who had crushed the rebellion of Tulaiha. Hearing the news of Islamic army she was frightened and wrote a letter to Musailimah al-Kadh-dhab (the Liar) seeking his co-operation. Musailimah had also declared his prophet hood. A mutual understanding was reached in the beginning but later Sajah married Musailimah and accepted his prophet hood.

In the meantime Hadrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) reached the headquarters of the tribe of Bani Tamim. After the marriage of Sajah with Musailimah most of the people belonging to Bani Tamim had already re-entered Islam. Hadrat Khalid did not say anything to such persons but fought with those who were still apostates and defeated them.

After crushing the rebellion of Bani Tamim he turned his attention to the notorious false prophet Musailimah al-Kadhdhab (the Liar).

3. Expedition to crush Musailimah Al-Kadh-dhab (The Liar)

· Musailimah Al-Kadh-dhab was a Liar declared prophet hood

· Hadrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) sent the expedition to crush the rebellion.

· Commander of the Muslim army : Hazrat Khalid bin Walid (RA)

· Commander of the Musailimah Al-Kadh-dhab army: Musailimah Al-Kadh-dhab himself

· Strength of the Muslim army :13,000

· Strength of Musailimah Al-Kadh-dhab army :40,000

· Casualities: 800 Muslims were martyred among whom were 360 Companions of the Holy Prophet and Musailimah's army was defeated. He himself was killed by Wahshi, (RA) the same person who was responsible for Hadrat Hamzah’s martyrdom in the battle of Uhad at a time when he was not a Muslim.

Who was Musailimah?

Musailimah belonged to a tribe of central Arabia. His tribe did not want to follow the "Prophet of Quraish" (the Holy Prophet), so they accepted him as a prophet. According to some historians he declared his prophethood during the later period of the Holy Prophet. However he openly did so after the death of Holy Prophet (SAW).

Hadrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) sent Shurahbeel bin Hasnah and 'Ikrimah (RA) to crush the rebellion

Hadrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) sent Shurahbeel bin Hasnah and 'Ikrimah (RA) to crush the rebellion. Later on Hadrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) also joined them.

Musailimah was commanding an army of forty thousand Bedouins. Some of them joined only to support their tribe although they did not believe in Musailimah. The Islamic army of thirteen thousand men was under the command of Khalid bin Walid (RA). A fierce battle was fought. A number of prominent Companions were slain in the fight. In the end Musailimah's army was defeated. He himself was killed by Wahshi, (RA) the same person who was responsible for Hadrat Hamzah’s martyrdom in the battle of Uhad at a time when he was not a Muslim.

Causalities

In this battle about 800 Muslims were martyred among whom were 360 Companions of the Holy Prophet. A number of Huffaz were also martyred.hi

Musailimah's defeat raised the standing of Muslims once more in the whole of Arabia. Thus in a short period the false prophets and their followers were wiped out by virtue of firm Faith and Wisdom of As-Siddiq al-Akbar.

4. Apostasy Movement

The new converts had not learnt the spirit of Islam. For centuries, the Arabian tribes knew no authority. Islam disciplined them and put them under certain moral obligations. Drinking and gambling of pre-Islamic days had been prohibited. Their wild spirit rebelled against this moral control. They wanted a chance which they got after the death of the Holy Prophet (SAW), and considered it the right time to throw off the yoke of Islam. That was the time when virtually the whole of Arabian peninsula was under the grip of civil war. It was the firm determination of As-Siddiq al-Akbar which permanently quelled the rebellions. Professor Hitti says: "The short khilafat of Abu Bakr was mostly occupied with the so-called Ridda (apostasy) wars". "The Arabs, throughout the peninsula," says another historian W. Muir, "were relapsing into apostasy". But As-Siddiq al-Akbar did not lose heart and faced the situation with utmost courage and Iman.

The rebellion started with the refusal of the tribes to deposit Zakat fund in the Baitul Mal (Public Treasury) as was done during the days of the Holy Prophet (SAW). Hadrat Abu Bakr called a meeting of his "Shura" (Advisory Council) and sought its advice. Most of the Companions did not consider it advisable to take action for the time being because of the wars against false prophets and major revolts. But Hadrat Abu Bakr was firm on taking strong and prompt action so that others may have a lesson. He therefore declared, "I swear by Allah I will fight alone, if others do not support me, against everybody whosoever refuses a single kid due on him in Zakat." He launched a big campaign without delay. He collected the troops in Medina and divided them into eleven battalions, each under the command of an experienced commander, and sent them out to different parts of Arabia. His instructions for them were to call rebels to Islam first, and if they failed, to fight them. Some of the rebel tribes submitted to Islam without fighting. Wars were waged against those who remained adamant.

With the help of these battalions As-Siddiq al-Akbar crushed all the forces of rebellion, disorder and apostasy. He actually showed wonderful courage and ability in suppressing the movement. The apostasy movement which affected the whole of Arabia besides Makkah and Medina, was totally suppressed within a year and Islam was once again the only religion of the Peninsula. When the rebellion was subdued and Islam was re-established, As-Siddiq diverted his attention towards outside Arabia. Hadrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) was considered to be the fittest and most suitable commander for the external expeditions, which would be described later.

5. The rebellion of Bahrain

Bahrain is a small state in the north-east side of the Arab Peninsula by the Persian Gulf. The people of Bahrain accepted Islam in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (SAW). Soon after the Holy Prophet's demise the Muslim governor of Bahrain died and there was disorder in the province. As-Siddiq al-Akbar sent a battalion under the command of 'Ala bin al-Hadrami who defeated the rebelled tribe, Banu Bakr of Bahrain. The other tribe of Bahrain, Banu 'Abdul-Qais, was loyal to Islam and helped the Muslims against the rebels.

6. Other rebellions

There were other rebellions as well in the adjoining small states like Oman, Mahra, Hadarmaut and Yemen. All these were also suppressed and crushed.

7. Persian Empires

The Arabian Peninsula was surrounded by the two great Empires of that time. On its north-eastern side was the border of Persian Empire. At that time Iraq was under the control of the Persian Empire. The Northern part of the Peninsula was bordered by the Byzantine Empire (the Eastern Roman Empire). It consisted of Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Byzantine was a Greek city on the Bosphorus and Byzantines were named after this city. It was made the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 B.C. by Constantine, the Great. The name of the city was changed later on to Constantinople after the name of Constantine, the Great. (Now it is known as Istanbul in Turkey).

After suppressing the rebellions of internal tribes and adjoining small states, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) turned his attention to the adjoining territories that were doing a lot of damage to Muslims and Islam and were continuously conspiring against Muslims. The Aim of as-Siddiq was not only to suppress their conspiracy against Muslims but, as a matter of fact, to spread the universal message of Islam. As we will see later, each expedition was advised first to invite the enemy towards Islam in a peaceful way, if they accepted the Message Of Allah, they were treated as brothers otherwise Muslims had to accept their challenge. The sword was used as a last resort for self-defense. Some of the main expeditions would be discussed in the following lines in brief which took place during the time of Hadrat Abu Bakr.

Expedition to Iraq

There was a lot of confusion during those days in the Persian Empire. A child, Yezdgird, was ruling over the Empire under the supervision of a lady, Puran Dukht. The Persians helped the rebels of Bahrain and had done all they could do to crush Islam. There were certain Arab Tribes living near the border. Some of them accepted Islam while others were Christians. Hazrat Muthanna (RA), the chief of a border tribe (Wa’il) accepted Islam.

Since the bordering Arabs tribes of Iraq were the main target of persecution by the Persians, Hazrat Muthanna and his companions took advantage of the internal conflict of Persian Empire and started small fights. In order that the Persians may not wage a full scale war against Muslims, Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) permitted Hazrat Muthanna to go ahead with his scheme. But later Hazrat Muthanna came to Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) and sought his permission for a regular fight. The Muslims were endangered by the Persian Empire which wanted to wipe out the increasing power and might of Muslims. Moreover they were not pleased with the help given by the Persians to the Bahrain rebels. Abu Bakr (RA) after consulting his "Shura" (Advisory Council) permitted him to start full scale war on the condition that first he must invite Persians to Islam peacefully. Since Hazrat Muthanna was not much experienced, Hadrat Abu Bakr (RA) ordered his great general Hadrat Khalid bin Walid (RA) to proceed immediately to reinforce Muthanna's army. It was the first month of the year 12 A.H. (633 A.C.). Hadrat Khalid met Muthanna's army at Ubullah.

8. Battle of Chains:

· Location of war: Hifar

· This battle was took place the Muslims and The Persians in 12 A.H.

· Commander of the Muslims: Hadrat Khalid bin Waleed (RA)

· Commander of the Persians: Hurmuz

This battle was fought between The Muslims and the Persians. In order not to run from the battlefield, the Persians soldiers had tied themselves to one another with chains. Due to this the battle is known as the Battle of Chains. Hafir was the place where the battle took place. Persians were under the command of Hurmuz, a famous Persian general.

According to the Islamic practice and advice given by the Caliph, Hadrat Khalid (RA) invited the Persians to Islam and wrote to them: "We have brought for you the Message of Allah, Islam. Our aim is not to fight. Accept Islam, the peaceful way, and you will be safe. If not then clear our way to the people so that we may explain this beautiful way of life to them. If you accept Islam you will have to pay Jizya (Defence Tax) to the Caliphate. If you do not agree to any of these conditions then the only alternative is the use of sword. Before deciding on the third alternative you should keep in your mind that I am bringing against you the people who love death more than you love your life".

Persians were too proud and paid no attention to Hadrat Khalid's invitation. A battle took place at Hafir and Persians were defeated and routed. In order not to run from the battlefield the Persians soldiers had tied themselves to one another with chains. Due to this the battle is known as the Battle of Chains. But it proved fruitless because of the effective attack of Muslims. Even the commander of the Persian army was killed in this battle.

After the Battle of Chains at Hafir some other small skirmishes took place at Madhar, Walja & Ullis etc. Each time the Muslims fought with a new force several times bigger than them but they defeated the Persians not because of their number and weapons but due to the power of Iman and trust in Allah.

The fall of Hira

Hira was a famous fort of Persians. After fighting the small battles described above Hadrat Khalid besieged the city of Hira. Persians resisted in the beginning but later on they surrendered to Muslims. Hadrat Khalid imposed Jizya (Defence Tax) on them. Then he captured other places including Dumatal-Jandal. Some frontier Arab chiefs also submitted to Khalid. The last battle of this expedition of Hadrat Khalid took place at Firad. A huge force of Persian Arabs (residing in Iraq) and Syrians who joined Persians in that battle crossed the river Euphrates. A fierce battle was fought on the l5th Dhul Qa'dah, 12 A.H. Hadrat Khalid routed the enemies and conquered the place. By this victory whole of South and most of the North Iraq were conquered. Then Hadrat Khalid returned to Hira.

Search This Blog

learn Islamic History

Popular posts from this blog

The Al-Fateh Mosque (Bahrain)

The Hassan II Mosque (Morocco)