salahdin
Junior Member
بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Abu Bakr Al Seddeeq: Abu Bakr Strikes
The loss of the beloved Muhammad had left the Muslims devastated. Madinah was now going through a crisis which was at once emotional, spiritual and political. The flames of the apostasy raced like wild fire across all Arabia, threatening to engulf Makkah and Madinah-the spiritual and political centers of the infant state of Islam. The flames of disbelief were fanned by two false prophets, Tulaiha bin Khuwailid and Musailima bin Habib. Tulaiha made his claim to prophethood during the illness of the Holy Prophet. The most immediate threat to Madinah was posed by him and the tribes of West-Central and North-Central Arabia that followed him..
A week or two after the departure of the Muslim Army from Madinah, the apostates at Zhu Qissa* sent a delegation to Abu Bakr. "We shall continue the prayers", said the delegates, "but we shall not pay any taxes." Abu Bakr would have none of it. "By Allah", he replied, "if you withhold a single ounce of what is due from you, I shall fight you. I allow you one day in which to give your reply." The apostates were taken aback by the determination and confidence of the new Caliph who seemed to be entirely unaware of the weakness of his position.
The following morning the apostates slipped out of Madinah, which meant a rejection of Abu Bakr's demands. Soon after their departure, Abu Bakr sent his own envoys to all the apostate tribes, calling upon them to remain loyal to Islam and continue to pay their taxes. But the apostates from Zhu Qissa, before leaving Madinah, had noticed the absence of warriors. On returning to Zhu Qissa they wanted to take advantage of the very vulnerable state of Madinah and decided to have a crack at Madinah while it was still defenseless. Part of the apostate force advanced towards Madinah. Abu Bakr received intelligence of this move and at once undertook the organization of the defences of Madinah.
The main army was out, but Madinah was not as defenseless as the rebels had imagined. Quite a few warriors were still there, especially from the clan of Bani Hashim (the Prophet's own clan) who had remained behind to mourn their departed kinsman. From these remnants Abu Bakr scraped together a fighting force. The confidence of Abu Bakr, never shaken, was strengthened by the thought that he had such stalwarts with him as Ali, Zubair bin Al Awam and Talha bin Ubaidullah. Each of these was appointed to command one-third of the newly created force. For three days nothing happened. The apostates remained inactive. Then, on orders from Abu Bakr, the Muslims sallied out of Madinah. They launched a quick attack on the forward camp of the apostates and drove them back.
The Muslims informed Abu Bakr of their success, and the Caliph ordered them to stay where they were and await his instructions. The following day Abu Bakr set out from Madinah with a long string of pack camels. As he reached the apostate camp, the Muslims who had driven the apostates away mounted these camels and the force advanced towards Zhu Hussa-the apostate base. Here the enemy waited, and Hibal, the brother of Tulaiha, showed his military cunning. He kept his men behind the crest of a slope, some distance ahead of the base towards which the Muslims were advancing. The Muslims rode up the slope unaware of the enemy who waited just beyond the crest. When the Muslims got near the crest, the apostates stood up and hurled upon the forward slope a countless number of goatskins filled with water. As these goatskins rolled down the crest towards the Muslims, a wild din arose from the apostate ranks as they hammered on drums and screamed at the top of their voices.
The pack camels, untrained for battle and not used to sudden loud noises turned and bolted. The Muslims did their utmost to control their panic-stricken mounts but failed, and very soon the entire Muslim force was home again. Hibal had thought that he had pulled a fast one on the Muslims and driven them back to Madinah. He made the mistake of assuming that the Muslims were frightened, and that their hasty move back to Madinah was a sign of weakness. He did not know that it was the animals that had panicked and not the men who rode them. That same evening the full force of the apostates advanced and re-established the camp near Madinah, from which they had withdrawn only the day before. The spirits of the apostates were high.
The Muslims, on the other hand, were very angry, and every man was determined to set the record straight in a return engagement. Abu Bakr knew that the apostates had returned to their camp near Madinah, and decided to assail them before they could complete their preparations for battle. Under his instructions, the Muslims spent most of the night reorganizing their small army and preparing for battle. During the latter part of the night Abu Bakr led his army out of Madinah and formed up for the assault. He deployed the army with a center, two wings and a rear guard. Keeping the center under his direct command, he placed the right wing under Numan, the left wing under Abdullah and the rearguard under Suwaid-all three of whom were sons of Muqaran.
Before dawn the army was set in motion towards the enemy camp where the apostates, confident of an easy victory on the morrow, slept soundly. This time it was Hibal who was surprised. The first glow of dawn had not yet appeared when a furious, screaming mass of Muslims fell upon the camp with drawn swords. The apostates did not stand upon the order of their going. Many were killed, but most of them found safety in flight, and did not stop until they had got to Zhu Qissa, where they paused to rest and reorganize. Their spirits were no longer so high.
This round had been won by Abu Bakr, and his was no empty success. It was a bloody tactical action in which the enemy had been driven back by the sword and not by deception alone. Abu Bakr had decided to catch the enemy unaware and thus get the benefit of surprise to offset his numerical inferiority, and in this he had succeeded. He needed quick tactical victory and he had got it. As a matter of interest it may be noted that this is the first instance in Muslim history of a night attack-a tactical method which did not achieve popularity until the First World War. Having won this round, Abu Bakr decided to give no respite to his opponents. He would catch them before the effect of the shock wore off and while alarm and confusion kept them disorganized.
As the sun rose, he marched to Zhu Qissa. On arrival at Zhu Qissa, he formed up for battle as he had done the night before, and then launched his attack. The apostates put up a fight, but their morale was low and after some resistance they broke contact and retreated to Abraq where more of their clansmen were gathered. Abu Bakr, on capturing Zhu Qissa, sent a small force under Talha bin Ubaidullah to pursue the enemy.
Talha advanced a short distance and killed some stragglers, but the small size of his force prevented him from doing any great damage to the retreating apostates.
Source:Taken from "The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed: His Life and Campaigns." by Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The complete online book can be found at www.swordofallah.com
?
*Zhu Qissa does not exist nowadays; its location is known only in terms of its distance from Madinah
Abu Bakr Al Seddeeq: Abu Bakr Strikes
The loss of the beloved Muhammad had left the Muslims devastated. Madinah was now going through a crisis which was at once emotional, spiritual and political. The flames of the apostasy raced like wild fire across all Arabia, threatening to engulf Makkah and Madinah-the spiritual and political centers of the infant state of Islam. The flames of disbelief were fanned by two false prophets, Tulaiha bin Khuwailid and Musailima bin Habib. Tulaiha made his claim to prophethood during the illness of the Holy Prophet. The most immediate threat to Madinah was posed by him and the tribes of West-Central and North-Central Arabia that followed him..
A week or two after the departure of the Muslim Army from Madinah, the apostates at Zhu Qissa* sent a delegation to Abu Bakr. "We shall continue the prayers", said the delegates, "but we shall not pay any taxes." Abu Bakr would have none of it. "By Allah", he replied, "if you withhold a single ounce of what is due from you, I shall fight you. I allow you one day in which to give your reply." The apostates were taken aback by the determination and confidence of the new Caliph who seemed to be entirely unaware of the weakness of his position.
The following morning the apostates slipped out of Madinah, which meant a rejection of Abu Bakr's demands. Soon after their departure, Abu Bakr sent his own envoys to all the apostate tribes, calling upon them to remain loyal to Islam and continue to pay their taxes. But the apostates from Zhu Qissa, before leaving Madinah, had noticed the absence of warriors. On returning to Zhu Qissa they wanted to take advantage of the very vulnerable state of Madinah and decided to have a crack at Madinah while it was still defenseless. Part of the apostate force advanced towards Madinah. Abu Bakr received intelligence of this move and at once undertook the organization of the defences of Madinah.
The main army was out, but Madinah was not as defenseless as the rebels had imagined. Quite a few warriors were still there, especially from the clan of Bani Hashim (the Prophet's own clan) who had remained behind to mourn their departed kinsman. From these remnants Abu Bakr scraped together a fighting force. The confidence of Abu Bakr, never shaken, was strengthened by the thought that he had such stalwarts with him as Ali, Zubair bin Al Awam and Talha bin Ubaidullah. Each of these was appointed to command one-third of the newly created force. For three days nothing happened. The apostates remained inactive. Then, on orders from Abu Bakr, the Muslims sallied out of Madinah. They launched a quick attack on the forward camp of the apostates and drove them back.
The Muslims informed Abu Bakr of their success, and the Caliph ordered them to stay where they were and await his instructions. The following day Abu Bakr set out from Madinah with a long string of pack camels. As he reached the apostate camp, the Muslims who had driven the apostates away mounted these camels and the force advanced towards Zhu Hussa-the apostate base. Here the enemy waited, and Hibal, the brother of Tulaiha, showed his military cunning. He kept his men behind the crest of a slope, some distance ahead of the base towards which the Muslims were advancing. The Muslims rode up the slope unaware of the enemy who waited just beyond the crest. When the Muslims got near the crest, the apostates stood up and hurled upon the forward slope a countless number of goatskins filled with water. As these goatskins rolled down the crest towards the Muslims, a wild din arose from the apostate ranks as they hammered on drums and screamed at the top of their voices.
The pack camels, untrained for battle and not used to sudden loud noises turned and bolted. The Muslims did their utmost to control their panic-stricken mounts but failed, and very soon the entire Muslim force was home again. Hibal had thought that he had pulled a fast one on the Muslims and driven them back to Madinah. He made the mistake of assuming that the Muslims were frightened, and that their hasty move back to Madinah was a sign of weakness. He did not know that it was the animals that had panicked and not the men who rode them. That same evening the full force of the apostates advanced and re-established the camp near Madinah, from which they had withdrawn only the day before. The spirits of the apostates were high.
The Muslims, on the other hand, were very angry, and every man was determined to set the record straight in a return engagement. Abu Bakr knew that the apostates had returned to their camp near Madinah, and decided to assail them before they could complete their preparations for battle. Under his instructions, the Muslims spent most of the night reorganizing their small army and preparing for battle. During the latter part of the night Abu Bakr led his army out of Madinah and formed up for the assault. He deployed the army with a center, two wings and a rear guard. Keeping the center under his direct command, he placed the right wing under Numan, the left wing under Abdullah and the rearguard under Suwaid-all three of whom were sons of Muqaran.
Before dawn the army was set in motion towards the enemy camp where the apostates, confident of an easy victory on the morrow, slept soundly. This time it was Hibal who was surprised. The first glow of dawn had not yet appeared when a furious, screaming mass of Muslims fell upon the camp with drawn swords. The apostates did not stand upon the order of their going. Many were killed, but most of them found safety in flight, and did not stop until they had got to Zhu Qissa, where they paused to rest and reorganize. Their spirits were no longer so high.
This round had been won by Abu Bakr, and his was no empty success. It was a bloody tactical action in which the enemy had been driven back by the sword and not by deception alone. Abu Bakr had decided to catch the enemy unaware and thus get the benefit of surprise to offset his numerical inferiority, and in this he had succeeded. He needed quick tactical victory and he had got it. As a matter of interest it may be noted that this is the first instance in Muslim history of a night attack-a tactical method which did not achieve popularity until the First World War. Having won this round, Abu Bakr decided to give no respite to his opponents. He would catch them before the effect of the shock wore off and while alarm and confusion kept them disorganized.
As the sun rose, he marched to Zhu Qissa. On arrival at Zhu Qissa, he formed up for battle as he had done the night before, and then launched his attack. The apostates put up a fight, but their morale was low and after some resistance they broke contact and retreated to Abraq where more of their clansmen were gathered. Abu Bakr, on capturing Zhu Qissa, sent a small force under Talha bin Ubaidullah to pursue the enemy.
Talha advanced a short distance and killed some stragglers, but the small size of his force prevented him from doing any great damage to the retreating apostates.
Source:Taken from "The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed: His Life and Campaigns." by Lieutenant-General A.I. Akram, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The complete online book can be found at www.swordofallah.com
?
*Zhu Qissa does not exist nowadays; its location is known only in terms of its distance from Madinah
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