Yarmouk is one of the most crucial battles for Muslims in the history of the world. It marks the beginning of an Islamic era as a new empire. The primary objective of Muslims was to introduce and propagate the Islamic Tawhid to every people who were unknown to Islam.
Islam spread from one area to another through the movement of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Khalid Ibn al Walid was one of the most outstanding leaders of Islam who confronted much resistance from the Romans and Byzantines.
"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion." (Surah Al Maidah, Verse 3).
The war occurred in 636 AD from the 15th to the 20th of August. It was six days of struggling, defending, and striking the Romans.
Omar (RA) appointed Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah (RA) as the commander of all Muslims in the mission. He embraced Islam one day after Abu Bakr and was among the ten companions of the Prophet guaranteed Paradise. He was fifty-three years old when the battle took place.
Omar (RA) released the commandership of Khalid al Walid (RA) after becoming the Caliph. There were many opinions on his infamous decision. Some Muslims believed that Omar (RA) did that because the Muslims started to have a stronger belief in Khalid Ibn al Walid (RA) rather than Allah SWT. On the other hand, some said both have two powerful characters that made them always infighting on many issues.
Many of the Muslims who respected both leaders supported neither side. Khalid al Walid (RA) did not show retaliation or disobedience towards Omar (RA). On the other hand, the event showed that Khalid al Walid (RA) was not only a fighter but a noble and sincere leader; Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah had the wisdom and requested Khalid Ibn al Walid to continue giving commands and leadership on the battlefield. At the same time, he took charge of the overall management of Muslims.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Romans gave the best of everything they had in preparation for the armies. They brought in the best-armed trained soldiers, with the best war general from Persian to Rome:
1) Vahan (Commander of Byzantine)
2) Theodore,
3) Jabahan Ibn al Alham (The last leader from Ghassan, who led the Arab Christian groups),
4) Dairjan,
5) Niketas (Persian),
6) Buccinator (Qanatir), and
7) Gregory (Byzantine General).
Background
Three years before the Yarmouk battle (633 AD), Abu Bakr RA (573 AD to 634 AD) assigned six big groups of Muslims to propagate Islam to the Persians and the Romans. The Muslims were all prepared for all the possibilities of the mission.
The six groups of Muslims, led by six well-known Sahabahs:
1) Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah (RA) led 5,000 Muslims to Jordan, Palestine, and Syria.
2) Amr Ibn al-As (RA) led 7,000 Muslims to Palestine
3) Shurahbil Ibn Hasana (RA) led 6,000 Muslims to Jordan
4) Yazid Ibn Abu Sufyan (RA) led 6,000 Muslims to Syria.
5) Ikrimah Ibn Abu Jahl (RA) led 2,000 Muslims to Jordan, Palestine, and Syria
6) Khalid Ibn al Walid (RA) led 10,000 Muslims to Iraq
During the year 633, there was no record of a battle that had taken place between the Muslims and the Byzantines. While in Iraq, Khalid Al Walid maneuvered the Muslims into many battles and sieges in the Persian territory; Khalid won eight with his groups:
1) Battle of Dhat al-Salasil (633)
2) Battle of Nahr al-Mar'a (633)
3) Battle of Ullays (633)
4) Battle of Walaja (633)
5) Capture of al-Hira (633)
6) Siege of Anbar (633)
7) Siege of Ayn al-Tamr (633)
8) Battle of Firaz (634)
When Khalid Al Walid (RA) and the Muslims reached Firaz (a place name in Kuwait), Khalid Al Walid (RA) received a letter from Abu Bakr (RA) instructing him to bring his soldiers to Syria as immediately as possible, assist the Muslim troops, and take leadership of the Muslims in Syria, Palestine, and Jordan.
Khalid Al Walid (RA) brought 10,000 soldiers with him. He took the shortest path, passing through the desert. They took fifteen days compared to the typical journey of thirty days.
History recorded the mission as one of the best military moves by Khalid Al Walid (RA). They brought the usual twenty camels, and before the journey, they fed the camels with hard grass and gave them a lot of water. Then, they tied up the camel's mouth to protect the water in the camel's body.
While traveling, they slaughter the camel to eat the meat and drink the water. Unfortunately, in the last few days of their mission, they were already running out of food and water.
It was a brave and high-risk decision taken by Khalid al Walid, but due to their strong faith, they accomplished their mission to reach Syria in a shorter time and distance from the ordinary journey.
Khalid Ibn al Walid, with his leadership and the Muslims (RA), started to move forward and engage in sieges and battles and won five battles in Syria, Jordan, and Palestine:
1) Battle of Marj Rahit (634)
2) Siege of Bosra (634)
3) Battle of Ajnadayn (634)
4) Battle of Fahl (634 or 635)
5) Siege of Damascus (634–635)
In 634 AD, after Abu Bakr (RA) passed away in Medina, Omar (RA) resumed Caliphship. However, Omar (RA) ordered Khalid Al Walid (RA) to release the commandership and return to Medina. Instead, Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah (RA) regained commandership.
The Battle of Yarmouk
Before the battle began, Khalid Al Walid (RA) returned to the troops under Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah's (RA) command. Khalid Al Walid suggested all the troops must be collectively stationed in one place to avoid any small attacks from Romans, and they prepared the spell from the Romans at the green plateau of Yarmouk.
The number of Muslims was estimated to be about 40,000, while the Byzantines were 140,000, fully equipped with weapons and well-trained soldiers. So Abu Ubaidah Ibn Jarrah (RA) surrendered the task of commanding the Muslims in the battle. Instead, Khalid al Walid (RA) led the war and gave the command on the battlefield.
Khalid reorganized the army into 36 infantry and four cavalry regiments, with his cavalry elite, the mobile guard, held in reserve. They organized the military in the "Tabi'a" (like a sock formation), a tight, defensive infantry formation. The army was lined up on a front of 12 kilometers facing west, with its left flank lying south on the Yarmuk River a mile before the ravines of Wadi al Allan began. (Wikipedia, 2022, September 1st).
Khalid Ibn al Walid's Strategy
These are a few of the strategies that were used by Khalid Al Walid (RA):
1) To form into smaller units of 1000 soldiers for each infantry regiment, where every 1,000 unit has its commander. With many smaller units of troops, it could be much easier to mobilize and change the tactics penetrating the enemy's left or right flanks. Thirty-six units were ready to be maneuvered in the hostile and grueling conditions. The Muslims used the double envelope and pincer strategy, which was Khalid's favorite tactical move.
2) Khalid requested the Muslims to be patient in absorbing the attack from the Romans. As expected by Khalid (RA), the Byzantines would attack first because of their strength in numbers. In contrast, the Muslims attacked the Byzantines quickly and surprisedly.
3) The Muslim army fought behind enemy lines to fight with the advancing infantry. The Muslims expected the enemy would rage a cavalcade of horses at the front.
In the Battlefield
1) Khalid Al Walid (RA) used provocatively to instill fear and distort the mind of his enemy. But psychologically, it gave the upper hand and confidence to the Muslims when they fought their enemies who had fear in their hearts.
During the conversation between Khalid and the Byzantine Commander, Khalid (RA) said, "The Muslims drink the blood of the dead Byzantine."
Commander Vahan asked why Arabs were coming to our place. If you want to eat, we can provide you with the food; if you wear clothes, we will provide you with the material. We can give you 100 dinars if you wish to do it. Nexyearea,r we will distribute the money again here.
Khalid Ibn al Walid replied we came here not for those purposes. We came here to ask you to accept Islam. Or you pay "Jizyah." Lastly, we will war against you and your armies if you disagree. So, we heard that the Byzantines had sweet blood. We want to drink your blood. Moreover, Muslims love to die on the battlefield as much as their armies love to live in this world.
2) Gregory (War General of Byzantine) embraced Islam
Before the war ended, he visited Khalid (RA) and asked him about the title "Sword of Allah." "Did you have the sword of God sent from the sky?" Khalid replied, "No. It was only the supplication made by Prophet SAW to me after I embraced Islam."
Then Gregory asked, "If somebody converts to Islam, can he become a better Muslim than the person who embraced earlier." Khalid Ibn al Walid (RA) replied, "Yes, he could be better, based on his deeds." Gregory asked, "What is the proof?". Khalid (RA) said, "Myself is the proof."
"Before I became a Muslim, I made many mistakes; I fought against the Muslims and even killed a few. After embracing Islam, I fought for Islam and became their leader. Many praise my privilege to be their leader in the wars. If you become Muslim and continue fighting for Islam, you could be better than me. You will be clean from your past sins when you become Muslim."
Khalid Ibn al Walid answered with honesty and respect. Later, Gregory embraced Islam. The next day, he fought for the Muslims but sadly was killed by a Roman soldier. Nevertheless, he became one of the lists of Muslim martyrs in the battle.
Conclusion
Yarmouk was the fourth and last battle in which Khalid Ibn al Walid (RA) participated. The title "Sword of Allatakinga deserved to be given to him based on his contribution to the battlefield. He led the Muslims in the battle without any defeat. Many Historians reported that Khalid Al Walid is among the top five war generals. His name is on the list among (1)Napoleon Bonaparte. (2)Julius Caesar, (3)Arthur Wellesley, and (4) Takeda Shingen.
Despite Khalid's (RA) outstanding success, there is no record that he had undergone any formal training in Military and War Strategy Study. Khalid al Walid (RA) was probably a talented war general who learned through experience and observation. He was cunning in manipulating his enemies' minds, imaginative on the battlefield, and opportunistic in taking advantage of his opponents.
One of the other reasons that made the Arabs capable on the battlefield was the training they had received since childhood. It was a tradition of the Arabs to send their children adopted by families living in remote and nomadic environments. As a result, the children were taught many survival skills in the desert, such as horse riding, archery, wrestling, herding, and hunting.
Critics of non-Muslims also said the Muslims won the battle, not due to divine support but because they are better at individual strength. Literary, Arab Muslims are robust and have a better physique. They are used to living in a harsh environment in the desert, which makes them quickly adapt to any other setting. They are more skillful in horse riding, using swords and archery. This can be seen when they fought one-to-one with the Romans; continually, the Muslims defeated the Romans. Lastly, the Muslims are better at using the correct war tactical move led by Khalid al Walid (RA). These are all the factors that made them formidable to the Byzantines Romans.
Let us watch the video of the battle event with the illustration below:
Reference:
1. Yarmouk River. (2022, September 1st). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarmouk_River
2. By Mohammad Adil at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13482953
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