The Origins of the Islamic State/Part 2/Chapter 1

by Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyá al-Balādhurī

PART II

SYRIA

CHAPTER I

The Conquest of Syria

The "tying of the three banners." When abu-Bakr was done with the case of those who apostatized, he saw fit^[1] to direct his troops against Syria. To this effect he wrote to the people of Makkah, aṭ-Ṭâʾif, al-Yaman, and all the Arabs in Najd and al-Ḥijâz calling them for a "holy war" and arousing their desire in it and in the obtainable booty from the Greeks. Accordingly, people, including those actuated by greed as well as those actuated by the hope of divine remuneration, hastened to abu-Bakr from all quarters, and flocked to al-Madînah. Abu-Bakr gave three banners^[2] to three men [appointed them commanders] namely: Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Umaiyah, Shuraḥbîl ibn-Ḥasanah, an ally of the banu-Jumaḥ and ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi ibn-Wâʾil as-Sahmi. (Shuraḥbîl, according to al-Wâḳidi, was the son of ʿAbdallâh ibn-al-Muṭâʿ al-Kindi, Ḥasanah being his mother and a freedmaid of Maʿmar ibn-Ḥabîb ibn-Wahb ibn-Ḥudhâfah ibn-Jumaḥ. But according to al-Kalbi, Shuraḥbîl was the son of Rabîʿah ibn-al-Muṭâʿ descended from Ṣûfah, i. e., al-Ghauth ibn-Murr ibn-Udd ibn-Ṭâbikhah.)^[3] The tying of these banners took place on Thursday the first of Ṣafar, year 13, after the troops had camped at al-Jurf throughout the month of Muḥarram with abu-ʿUbaidah ibn-al-Jarrâḥ leading their prayers. Abu-Bakr wanted to give a banner to abu-ʿUbaidah; but the latter begged to be relieved. Others claim that he did give one to him, but that report is not confirmed. The fact is that when ʿUmar became caliph, he conferred on him the governorship of all Syria.

Abu-ʿUbaidah commander-in-chief. Abu-Mikhnaf states that ʿUmar said to the commanders, "If ye altogether are to lead a fight, your commander will be abu-ʿUbaidah ʿÂmir ibn-ʿAbdallâh ibn-al-Jarrâḥ al-Fihri, otherwise Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân."^[4] Others assert that ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi acted only as a reinforcement for the Moslems and commanded only those who joined him.

Abu-Bakr replaces Khâlid by Arwa. The assignment of Khâlid ibn-Saʿîd by abu-Bakr to the leadership displeased ʿUmar who approached abu-Bakr with a view to dismissing him, charging him with being "a vain-seeking man who tries to make his way through dispute and bigotry."^[5] Accordingly abu-Bakr dismissed Khâlid and directed abu-Arwa ad-Dausi to take the banner from his hand. Abu-Arwa met him at dhu-l-Marwah where he received the banner from him and carried it back to abu-Bakr. Abu-Bakr handed it to Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân^[6] who left, with his brother Muʿâwiyah carrying the banner before him. Others say that the banner was delivered to Yazîd at dhu-l-Marwah whence he started at the head of Khâlid's army. Khâlid went with the army of Shuraḥbîl for the divine remuneration.^[7]

Abu-Bakr gives instructions to the commanders. Abu-Bakr instructed ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi to follow the way of Ailah with Palestine^[8] for objective. Yazîd he instructed to follow the way of Tabûk. To Shuraḥbîl, he wrote to follow the way of Tabûk, too. At the outset each one of the commanders had three thousand men under his leadership, but abu-Bakr kept on sending reinforcements until each one had 7,500. Later the total was increased to 24,000.

It is reported on the authority of al-Wâḳidi that abu-Bakr assigned ʿAmr to Palestine, Shuraḥbîl to the Jordan, and Yazîd to Damascus saying, "When ye all fight together, your commander is the one in whose province ye are fighting." It is also reported that to ʿAmr he gave oral instructions to lead the prayers in case the armies are united, and to have each commander lead the prayer of his own army when the armies are separate. Abu-Bakr ordered the commanders to see that each tribe flies a banner of its own.

Abu-Bakr directs Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd to Syria. On his arrival in the first district of Palestine, ʿAmr ibn-al-ʿÂṣi sent a message to abu-Bakr informing him of the great number of the enemy, their great armament, the wide extent of their land and the enthusiasm of their troops. Abu-Bakr, thereupon, wrote to Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd ibn-al-Mughîrah-l-Makhzûmi—who was at that time in al-ʿIrâḳ—directing him to go to Syria. According to some, he thereby made him a commander over the commanders in the war. According to others, Khâlid only commanded his men who accompanied him; but whenever the Moslems met for a battle, the commanders would choose him as their chief for his valor and strategy and the auspiciousness of his counsel.

The battle of Dâthin. The first conflict between the Moslems and the enemy took place in Dâthin,^[9] one of the villages of Ghazzah, which lay on the way between the Moslems and the residence of the patrician^[10] of Ghazzah. Here the battle raged furiously, but at last Allah gave victory to his friends and defeat to his enemies whom he dispersed. All this took place before the arrival of Khâlid ibn-al-Walîd in Syria.

The battle of al-ʿArabah. Thence Yazîd ibn-abi-Sufyân went in quest of the partrician, but hearing that a large host of Greeks were gathered in al-ʿArabah, which lay in Palestine, he directed against them abu-Umâmah aṣ-Ṣudai ibn-ʿAjlân al-Bâhili, who, falling upon them, put most of them to the sword and went his way. Regarding this battle of al-ʿArabah, abu-Mikhnaf reports that six of the Greek leaders at the head of 3,000 men camped at al-ʿArabah when abu-Umamah with a body of Moslems advanced against them and defeated them, killing one of their leaders. Thence he pursued them to ad-Dubbiyah (i. e. ad-Dâbiyah)^[11] where he inflicted another defeat on them, and the Moslems carried off a large booty.

According to a tradition communicated by abu-Ḥafṣ ash-Shâmi on the authority of certain sheikhs from Syria, the first conflict of the Moslems was the Battle of al-ʿArabah before which no fighting at all took place since they left al-Ḥijâz. In no place between al-Ḥijâz and al-ʿArabah did they pass without establishing their authority and taking possession of it without resistance.

Footnotes

1. Cf. Yaʿḳûbi, vol. ii, p. 149.
2. Zaidân, vol. i, pp. 135–136.
3. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2079.
4. Abu-Ismâʿil al-Baṣri, Futûh ash-Shâm, p. 5; Ḥajar, vol. iii, pp. 1352–1353.
5. Skizzen, vol. vi, p. 62, note 1; Yaʿḳûbi, vol. ii, p. 149.
6. Masʿûdi, vol. iv, pp. 186–187.
7. As a volunteer.
8. Ar. Philasṭîn. For a description of these provinces see al-Yaʿḳûbi Kitâb al-Buldân, p. 325 seq.; Yâḳût, vol. iii, p. 913.
9. Ṭabari, vol. i, p. 2108: "ad-Dâthinah, and some say ad-Dâthin"; cf. Caetani, vol. ii, pp. 1138–1139.
10. A leader of an army, from the Latin "patricius".
11. De Goeje, Mémoire sur la Conquête de la Syrie, p. 31.