Life of Abu Bakr – Episode 21:
Byzantine Reconnaissance:
A military commander from the Byzantine Empire, Al-Qubqular, sent an Arab spy to go and infiltrate the Muslim camp and observe what they were doing.
The Muslims assumed that this Arab spy was a Muslim soldier and the spy observed them for a period of time and came back to Al-Qubqular.
The spy said: In the nights, they spend their nights praying and in the day, they are brave warriors and they command good and forbid evil. Even if someone from a high ranking status amongst them does something wrong, they will bring him to account for it. They are people of justice.
Al-Qubqular then replied: If what you are telling me is the truth, then the inside of the Earth (for me to be buried inside) is better for me than to confront the people and fight them on the surface of this Earth. Even if I have to fight with these people, I will be satisfied with a tie. (draw) I don’t even ask for a victory against the Muslims because I know it is too much to ask.
Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam’s Courage:
One of the greatest companions of the Prophet, Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam showed his courage in the Battle of Yarmuk.
He was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the son of Safiyyah bint Abdul Muttalib.
He was also the son-in-law of Abu Bakr and one of the ten companions that were promised Jannah.
When Az-Zubayr was five years old, his mother would keep him in a dark, isolated room, where he would cry for help.
People would tell his mother, Safiyyah: what are you doing, this is a little kid, how are you putting him in the dark and scaring him like this?
Safiyyah bint Abdul Muttalib replied: I am doing this so that he learns at this age not to be afraid of anything. I want him to be brave and courageous so I am training him for this.
During the Battle of Yarmuk, a group of forty brave soldiers approached Az-Zubayr and said: we want to charge right through the enemy lines and we want you to lead us into them.
Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam accepted this and led a charge into the enemy, where he infiltrated through the thousands of the Byzantine soldiers.
The Muslims valiantly fought but they were so greatly outnumbered that many of them got injured and they retreated.
Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam continued alone on his horse to infiltrate the thousands of Byzantine soldiers and he was able to slaughter a number of the Romans single-handedly.
Az-Zubayr’s fighting style was very unique and only him and Khalid ibn al-Walid were known for this fighting style. They would fight with two swords in each of their hands while they were riding on a horse and would control the horse with only their legs.
Az-Zubayr was able to infiltrate the Byzantines starting from the front of the army all the way to the back, and he killed many of the Roman soldiers.
The Byzantine Counterattack:
The morale of the Byzantine soldiers was damaged after they witnessed what Az-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam had done single-handedly. They gathered in numbers and mounted a huge attack on the Muslim army.
A lot of Muslims died from this attack by the Romans and even the women at Yarmuk valiantly fought against them.
Some of the Martyrs of the Battle of Yarmuk.
Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal was martyred at the battle of Yarmuk and his son, Amr ibn Ikrimah, was also martyred.
Salamah ibn Hisham and Amr ibn at-Tufayl ibn Amr also passed away during this battle.
Khalid ibn Al-Walid’s Strategy:
After this attack from the Byzantines, Khalid ibn al-Walid came up with another strategy.
He took a number of horsemen and positioned himself and the horsemen in an area that separated the Byzantine army from the foot soldiers.
Khalid ibn al-Walid came in between them and split them apart, and the Muslim army started fighting with the Byzantine horsemen.
The Roman foot soldiers could not defend their horsemen because they had been separated.
Khalid ibn al-Walid left an open area for the Byzantine horsemen to escape and they fell right into his trap and ran away.
Khalid did this so he could face the foot soldiers of the Byzantine army without any interference from the horsemen.
Khalid ibn al-Walid and the Muslim army inflicted great casualties on the foot soldiers of the Romans.
Contrast of Motivations:
Because the Byzantine army was fighting only for this Dunya, when things got difficult they would run away.
However, when the Muslims fought, they would welcome death as they knew the reward of the Akhirah is greater than anything in this Dunya.
Allah says: ‘Do not falter in pursuit of the enemy—if you are suffering, they too are suffering. But you can hope to receive from Allah what they can never hope for. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.’ (Quran, 4:104)
Outcome of the Battle:
Khalid ibn al-Walid and the Muslims were able to inflict very heavy casualties on the Byzantine army and this is how the Battle of Yarmuk ended.
It was another resounding victory for the Muslims.
Casualties and Injuries:
Even though the Muslims were victorious, the Muslims had suffered many casualties and injuries.
Abu Sufyan lost his eyesight in this battle. He had already lost one eye in the Battle of Hunayn, during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, so after the Battle of Yarmuk, he was blind.
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’ba, who was known as the personal bodyguard of the Prophet, also lost his eye during the battle of Yarmuk.
Long-Term Significance of the Battle of Yarmuk:
The Byzantines had now retreated and this was the first victory of the Muslims at As-Sham, during the Caliph of Abu Bakr.
This was the key to many continuous victories that happened later on, including the conquest of Damascus.
This victory also opened the door for the Islamic Empire to be spread in all of the different directions from As-Sham.
Over the years, the Muslims conquered Egypt, north Africa, Turkey and Western Europe.
The Battle of Yarmuk was the stepping stone for all of these conquests and it was one of the greatest and most important victories in the history of Islam.
It cemented the legacy of Khalid ibn al-Walid as one of the greatest military commanders in the history of mankind.