Khyber Expedition - Battle of Mu'ta
Khyber Expedition - Battle of Mu'ta
“Allah has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture [in the
future] and has hastened for you this [victory]” (48:20)
Khayber which means to be “fortified” was an oasis divided into two parts
with several forts. The first part had five major forts and the second part
known as ‘al-Kitabah’ had three main forts including the strongest fort; the
fort of Qammus, also known as ‘an-Nizar’. The majority of the fight took place
in the first part and all the five forts were successfully captured, including
al-Na’im. The Prophet sent Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar to capture the
fort of Qammus, but they returned unsuccessful, and all of the Muslims were
disappointed. The Holy Prophet then said,
“Tomorrow I will give the banner to someone who loves God and His
messenger, and God and His messenger love him”
The next morning the Prophet pointed his finger toward Hazrat Ali. Hazrat
Ali’s eyes were hurting and that’s why the Holy Prophet first applied ointment
to his eyes. Then the Holy Prophet himself put the armor on him, handed him
a sword, and sent him as the commander of the army. Witnessing this
Marhab came out of the fort for one-to-one combat against Hazrat Ali.
Marhab was an exceptionally brave warrior however, he was killed in the very
first attack. Then a fierce battle took place and 93 Jews were killed whereas 19
Muslims were martyred. Hazrat Ali also broke the door of the fort which was
approximately 900Kg. Therefore, Hazrat Ali was given the title of ‘Asadullah’
which means the ‘lion of God’. After this the Holy prophet told Hazrat Ali to
ask the Jews of Khyber to embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet said,
"Proceed and do not hurry. When you enter their territory, call them to
embrace Islam and inform them of Allah's Rights which they should
observe, for by Allah, even if a single man is led on the right path (of
Islam) by Allah through you, then that will be better for you than the nice
red camels.” (Sahih Bukhari: 4210)
The leader of the fort, Kinnana surrendered. The Jews refused to fight further,
and as a result, the second part of Khyber was besieged by the Muslims. Then
the Jews sent Ibn Abul Huqaiq for negotiations. Finally, the Treaty of Khyber
was signed. Under this, the Jews agreed to pay jizya which would be equal to
half of their total produce. The fight ended and the Muslims received a huge
booty. The booty was so huge that Hazrat Abdullah bin Umaar stated,
“He has also caused you to take over their lands, homes, and wealth, as
well as lands you have not yet set foot on. And Allah is Most Capable of
everything.”
After this other Jewish territories like Fadaq, Wadi-al-Qara, Tayma, and Ayala
also embraced Islam.
Battle of Mu’ta:
“If Zaid is killed Ja’afar bin Abu Talib will be your commander, and if he is
also martyred then Abdullah bin Rawahah will take the command. If he
too dies, then you can select a commander from among yourselves”
(Bukhari)
The Muslims had to fight an army of 200,000, 100,000 of whom were sent by
the leader of the Romans; Heraclius. soldiers. When fighting began, Zaid Ibn
Harithah (R.A.) fought holding the Messenger's standard, until he died from
loss of blood among the spears of the enemy. Then as per instructions of
Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.), Jafar ibn Abi Talib (R.A.), who was subsequently
called "the flying Jafar" or "Jafar with two wings due to his bravery” took the
banner until he was martyred. Abdullah bin Rawaha then proceeded to hold
up the banner and fight bravely on his horseback while reciting enthusiastic
verses until he died a martyr. The honor was unanimously granted to Khalid
bin Al-Waleed (R.A.), a skilled brave fighter and an outstanding strategist. It
was reported by Al-Bukhari that he used nine swords that broke while he was
relentlessly and courageously fighting the enemies of Islam. At that time the
Prophet's eyes were shedding tears. He added,
"Then the flag was taken by a Sword amongst the Swords of Allah (i.e.
Khalid ibn Al-Walid) and Allah made them (i.e. the Muslims) victorious.”
Allah knows how many unbelievers Khalid (R.A.) were wounded and killed
while breaking nine swords.
Khalid Ibn Al-Walid (R.A.) said:
“On the day of Mu'tah, nine swords were broken in my hand and only a
Yemenite sword of mine remained in my hand.” (Sahih Bukhari: 4266)
During the night, he thought about some plans and tactics that would startle
the enemy. When the sun rose, Khalid (R.A.) positioned his men in such a way
that they appeared to look greater in number. The strategy was to cast fear
into the hearts of the Byzantines by fooling them that fresh reinforcements
had arrived. The Muslims sustained twelve martyrs (some sources say 15)
whereas the number of casualties among the Byzantines was unknown
although the details of the battle point clearly to a large number. The
Muslims were victorious but this battle led to the Arab-Romans hostility.
Q (b) Choose one of the four battles mentioned and explain what Muslim
leaders now can learn from it. [4]
Battle of Khyber:
Despite experiencing discomfort in his eyes, Hazrat Ali engaged in the battle
and successfully captured the fort of Qammus. This incident exemplifies the
importance of not losing hope and placing strong faith in Allah. Allah
manifests in Surah Al-Imran,
“So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are
[true] believers.” (3:139)
Battle of Mu’ta:
Even though they were vastly outnumbered, with only 3,000 Muslims against
an imposing force of 200,000 Romans, the Battle of Mu'ta imparts a crucial
lesson to Muslim leaders. They can learn that they should have strong faith in
Allah and that they should never give up. As stated in Surah Ash Sharh,
"Men, what you dislike is that which you have come out in search of, viz,
martyrdom. We are not fighting the enemy with numbers, or strength or
multitude, but we are confronting them with this religion with which
Allah has honored us. So come on! Both prospects are fine: Victory or
martyrdom."
Muslim leaders can also learn strategic planning before the planning as
exemplified by the Prophet. The Prophet had told his army that initially Zaid
would take the command if he was martyred then Ja’far and if too is martyred
then Abdullah bin Rawahah and similarly if he was also martyred then the
Muslims should choose themselves. This teaches leaders to always plan for
the worst. Muslim leaders can also learn to use diplomatic skills like Hazrat
Khalid bin Walid. He shifted the right and left flanks of his army to make the
Muslim army look bigger, the Romans thought that the Muslims had received
new reinforcements. This battle showed how strong and determined the
Muslim army was. Even though they had fewer soldiers, they fought with
courage and determination against a much larger enemy.