An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin (RA)
Leadership of the Tribe of Muzaynah:
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin was the leader of the tribe of Muzaynah.
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin’s Speech To His Tribe:
He once addressed his tribe and said: O my people, by Allah, we have learnt only good about Muhammad and of His mission, we have heard nothing but mercy, kindness and justice. What is wrong with us? Why do we tarry (delay) while people are hastening to him?
He continued: As for myself, I have made up my mind to leave early in the morning to join him. Whoever wishes to go with me, let him get ready.
The words of An-Nu’man had an instant impact on the tribe of Muzaynah.
Preparations for Yathrib:
His ten brothers and four hundred horsemen were all ready and prepared to go to Yathrib (Madinah) to meet with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
An-Nu’man felt embarrassed to go to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ without carrying any presents for him and the Muslims.
In that particular year, it was a year of drought so they did not have many gifts to carry. He gathered whatever sheep and goats were left and made his way to Madinah.
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin’s Conversion to Islam:
The whole of Madinah was waiting in excitement for the arrival of An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin as they had never witnessed a family with eleven brothers all accepting Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was also very happy with this.
Allah SWT revealed the following words in the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: ‘And among the nomad Arabs are such as believe in Allah and the Last Day, and regard all that they spend in Allah’s cause as a means of drawing them nearer to Allah and of (their being remembered in) the Apostle’s prayers. Oh, verily, it shall (indeed) be a means of (Allah’s) nearness to them, (for) Allah will admit them into His grace. Verily, Allah is much-Forgiving, most Merciful’. (Quran, 9:99)
Service During The Life of the Prophet:
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin lived under the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and participated in all the campaigns.
Role During the Caliph of Abu Bakr:
In the Caliph of Abu Bakr, An-Nu’man and his tribe of Muzaynah played a huge role in putting an end to the fitnah of the apostates.
Service in Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Caliphate:
During the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, he distinguished himself especially during the battles with the Sasanian Empire.
Before Qadisiyah:
Before the Battle of Qadisiyah, the commander of the Muslims, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas sent a delegation to the Sasanian Emperor, Yazdegerd.
The delegation was headed by An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin and their main objective was to invite the emperor to Islam. When An-Nu’man and his army reached Ctesiphon, the Sasanian capital, the people of the city looked at the Muslims with disgust.
They made comments about their simple appearance, their rough clothes and their weak-looking horses.
The Muslims were not bothered by this and wanted an audience to be present with Yazdegerd.
Yazdegerd granted them permission and called for an interpreter and said: Say to them (the Muslims): why have you come to our dominions and why do you want to invade us? Perhaps, seek to venture against us because we are preoccupied with you. But we do not wish to inflict punishment on you.
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin‘s Response to Yazdegerd:
An-Nu’man replied: Indeed Allah has been Kind and Merciful to us and has sent us a Messenger to show us the good and command us to follow it, to make us realise what is evil and forbid us from it. The Messenger of Allah promised us that if we were to respond to what he summoned us, Allah would bestow on us the good of this world and the good of the hereafter. not much time has elapsed but Allah has given us abundance in place of hardship, honour in place of humiliation and mercy and brotherhood in place of our former enmity.
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin continued: The Messenger has commanded us to summon mankind to what is best for them and to begin with those who are our neighbours. We therefore invite you to enter our religion. It is a religion which beautifies and promotes all good and which detests and discourages all that is ugly and reprehensible. It is a religion which leads its adherents from the darkness of tyranny and unbelief to the light and justice of faith. Should you respond positively and come to Islam, it would be our duty to introduce the Book of Allah in your midst and help you live according to it and rule according to its laws. We would then return and leave you to conduct your own affairs. Should you refuse, however, to enter the religion of Allah, we would take the Jizyah from you and give you protection in return. If you refuse to give the Jizyah, we shall declare war on you.
Reaction of Yazdegerd:
Yazdegerd was angry when he heard this and he said: Certainly I do not know of a nation on earth who is more wretched than you and whose numbers are so few, who are more divided and whose condition is more evil. We have been used to delegate your affairs to our governors and they exacted obedience from you on our behalf.
Yazdegerd continued: If there is any need which has pushed you to come to us, we would enlist forces to help you make your land fertile. We would clothe your leaders and the notables of your people and place a king from among ourselves over you who would be gentle to you.
One of An-Nu’man’s delegates responded to this, which angered Yazdegerd again.
Yazdegerd’s Threat to the Messengers:
Yazdegerd shouted: Were it for the fact that ambassadors are not killed, I would kill you all.
Yazdegerd then informed the Muslims: Get up. You shall have nothing from me, and tell your commander that I am sending Rustum against him to bury him and you together in the ditch of Al-Qadisiyah.
Battle of Qadisiyah:
The battle of Qadisiyah occurred and after four days of fighting, the Muslim forces emerged victorious.
This victory allowed the Muslims to advance to the Euphrates and the Tigris Rivers.
The Persian capital, Ctesiphon fell and the Muslims had now taken control of this city.
Despite this defeat, Yazdegerd constantly continued to plot new ways to attack the Muslims.
Umar’s Decision and Appointment of Commander:
Umar ibn al-Khattab had received news that a massive Persian army of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers were coming to attack the Muslims.
Umar thought about leaving Madinah to face the threat himself but he was advised to appoint a military commander to confront this situation instead.
Umar then said: By Allah, I shall appoint as commander of the Muslim army, a man who when the two armies meet, will be the most active. He is Nu’man ibn Muqarrin al-Muzani.
Umar’s Letter to An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin:
Umar ibn al-Khattab then sent him a letter saying: From the servant of Allah, Umar ibn al-Khattab to An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin: I have received news that large numbers of Persians have gathered to fight you in the city of Nahavand. When my letter reaches you, go forward (to confront them) with the help of Allah, with whoever of the Muslims are with you. Don’t take the Muslims over difficult terrain lest they may be hurt, for one Muslim person is dearer to me than a thousand dinars. And peace be unto you.
The Persian Trap Outside Nahavand:
An-Nu’man responded to the orders of Umar ibn al-Khattab and organised the Muslim army.
Just outside Nahavand, the Muslims got off their houses and realised that there were nails in the hooves of the horses. They looked down and found that the pathway towards the city were full of iron spikes, in order to stop the Muslim army from entering.
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin’s Strategy:
When An-Nu’man was informed by this, he ordered the Muslim army to remain where they were and at night they lit fires for the enemy army to see them. This was done in order to entice them to come out to the Muslims, and in the process, clear the approaches of the iron spikes.
When the Persians saw the Muslim army appearing defeated, they sent workers to clear the area of the spikes.
These workers were then captured by the Muslim army, who now gained control of the approaches of the city.
On the Eve of the Battle of Nahavand:
An-Num’an ibn Muqarrin then set up a camp on the outskirts of Nahavand and told his soldiers: I shall say Allahu Akbar three times. At the first time, get yourselves ready (by performing wudu) At the second time, let every man of you get his weapons ready. And the third time, I shall move against the enemies of Allah and you must join the attack with me.
He continued: And if An-Nu’man is killed, let no one tarry (delay) over him. For I shall (now) make a supplication to Allah Almighty and I want every one of you to say Ameen.
An-Nu’man’s Dua to Allah SWT:
An-Numan then prayed: May Allah grant martyrdom to An-Nu’man on this day and may He grant victory to the Muslims.
The Battle of Nahavand:
An-Nu’man then shouted Allahu Akbar three times.
After the third Takbir, he entered into the enemy army and the Muslims rushed behind him.
The Muslims were outnumbered six to one in terms of soldiers, but inflicted a lot of damage on the Persian army.
The Martyrdom of An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin:
An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin suffered a fatal blow during the battle.
His brother took the flag of the Muslims from his hand and covered him with a burdah, concealing his death to the rest of the Muslim army
Aftermath of the Battle of Nahavand:
The Muslims emerged victorious and the Persian army never recovered after this loss.
The victory has been labelled famously as ‘the Victory of Victories’
When the battle was over, the soldiers asked about their commander, An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin.
An-Nu’man’s brother lifted the burdah and said: This is your Amir, Allah had shown him victory and blessed him with martyrdom.
Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Reaction to An-Nu’man’s Martyrdom:
When the news was brought to Umar ibn al-Khattab in Madinah, a companion who was present with him said: I saw Umar and when he heard about the death of An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin, he placed his head in his hands and wept.
Hadith Narrated by An-Nu’man ibn Muqarrin:
An-Nu’man narrated: I fought along with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and if Fajr had begun, he would wait until the sun rose and when the sun rose, he would fight. If it was in the middle of the daytime, he would wait until the sun passed the zenith and when it passed the zenith, he would fight till Asr. Then, he would wait until he prayed Asr and he would fight. He (The Prophet) said: And it is used to be said during that time, the wind of victory was raging, and the believers would supplicate for their armies in their Salah. (Tirmidhi)