Chapter 16: Conquests in the East
Conquests in the East:
The city of Herat in present-day Afghanistan was conquered in the year 41 AH and two years later, the Muslims laid siege to Kabul.
The Muslim army had reached the Hindu Kush mountains during Uthman ibn Affan’s caliphate, but they did not conquer the region then.
Under Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the Muslim forces pushed up to Kabul and launched an attack, but initially failed to break into the city.
The next morning, the army stationed at Kabul launched a counterattack and they had a large war elephant, but this animal was eventually wounded by a Muslim soldier.
As the Muslims kept pressing, the enemy tried to retreat, but the injured elephant collapsed in the gateway, causing the gate to remain open.
The Muslims pushed through the gate and this is how they conquered Kabul.
The residents of Kabul later revolted again against Mu’awiyah’s authority.
The Muslims also established their own fortresses in Khurasan and Sistan but in the year 53 AH, Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, Mu’awiyah’s brother, passed away.
Mu’awiyah then appointed Ziyad’s son, Ubaydallah, as governor of Khurasan.
Conquests in Uzbekistan:
In the year 54 AH, Ubaydallah led an army of about twenty-four thousand soldiers across the Oxus (Amu Darya) and surrounded the city of Bukhara, where the residents accepted living under Muslim rule.
Ubaydallah ibn Ziyad later became governor of Basra, and Uthman ibn Affan’s son, Sa’id ibn Uthman, was made governor of Khurasan.
When the people of Bukhara rebelled, Sa’id crossed the Oxus with his army, recaptured the city of Bukhara and advanced as far as Samarkand.
After intense fighting, the people of Samarkand agreed to submit under Muslim rule and pay the Jizyah.
This is how Islam spread into Turkestan and what is now Uzbekistan and as a result of these campaigns, millions of Muslims today live in Central Asia.
During these battles, the son of Uthman ibn Affan, Sa’id ibn Uthman lost an eye.
Expanding Further:
During Uthman’s caliphate, an expedition had advanced through Makran in the Balochistan region, with the order to reach the borders of India.
The commander at that time reported that the water in Makran was insufficient and informed Uthman ibn Affan of this, who then stopped any further progress in that direction.
However, under the caliph of Mu’awiyah, the Muslims continued in that direction and under the leadership of Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, they reached Sindh (in modern Pakistan).
The conquest of Sindh, however, remained incomplete when Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan died.