Battle of Mu'tah
| Battle of Mu'tah | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Byzantine-Arab Wars | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Muslims | Byzantine (Roman) Empire[1] and Ghassanids | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Zayd ibn Harithah, Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, Abdullah ibn Rawahah[2] Khalid ibn al-Walid | Theodorus | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 [2] | Unknown but in many reliable sources the count was(100,000 sassinad-100,000 eastern roman) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Mu'tah (Arabic: معركة مؤتة , غزوة مؤتة) was fought in 629 CE (5 Jumada al-awwal 8 AH in the Islamic calendar[3]), near the village of Mu'tah, located in the Jordan Valley, to the east of the Jordan River, between a force of Muslims dispatched by their prophet Muhammad and an army of the Byzantine Empire. In historical Muslim sources, the battle is usually portrayed as a heroic feat wherein the Muslims faced off against a vastly larger Roman force.[4] Western academic scholars however view the battle as an unsuccessful expedition aimed at conquering the Arabs living to the east of Jordan.[5]
Background
A year after the treaty of Hudaybiyyah brought a period of peace with the Quraish[6] and the conversion of Badhan the Sassanid governor of Yemen[7] to Islam bringing many of the southern Arabian sheikhs and their tribes to Islam, Muhammad began to focus on the Arab tribes in the Bilad al-Sham to the North. Here he is reported to have sent envoys and missionaries to the Banu Sulaym and Dhat al Talh who were killed. Accounts vary on the specific trigger for the muslim expedition, some report it as the murder of the 15 people sent to Dhat al Talh, others report an account of the murder of a messenger by Suhrabil a Ghassanid governor of al Balqa'.[8] headed to the governor of Basra. The expedition sent to the north was the largest muslim army raised against a non-meccan confederate force and would be the first with cronfrontation with the Byzantines who controlled the region through alliances with regional frontier.
Account from Islamic history
Mobilization of the armies
According to most accounts Muhammad dispatched 3,000 troops to the area in Jumada al-awwal of the year 8 A.H. (629 C.E.), for a quick expedition to surprise and punish the Ghassanids. The army was led by Zayd ibn Haritha, whose deputy was Jafar ibn Abi Talib, who in case of his death was supposed to be replaced by the poet Abdullah ibn Rawahah. Muhammed ordered the Muslim army:
"Fight the disbelievers in the Name of Allah, neither breach a covenant nor entertain treachery, and under no circumstances a new-born, woman, an ageing man or a hermit should be killed; moreover neither trees should be cut down nor homes demolished."
Suhrabil, however is reported to have gained word of the expedition and prepared his forces and sent to the Byzantines for aid. Muslim historians reported that the Byzantine emperor Heraclius himself had gathered an army and arrived to camp at Moab where they met up with their arab allies, while others relate that it was rather his brother Theodorus who did this. The combined force is usally reported as either 100,000 or, 200,000 strong. When the Muslim troops arrived at the area to the east of Jordan and learnt of the size of the Byzantine army, they wanted to wait and send for reinforcements from Medina. Abdullah ibn Rawaha however is reported to have taken them to task at this and inspired into the soldiers so that they immediately resumed their march upon the enemy.
The Battle
The Muslims engaged the Byzantines at their camp by the village of Musharif and then withdrew drawing them towards Mu'tah, with an aim to gain strategic advantages. Khalid ibn Al-Walid reported that the fighting was so intense that he used nine swords which broke in the battle. In the six days of the battle, [citation needed] all three Muslim leaders fell one after the other as they took command of the force: first, Zayd ibn Haritha, then Jafar ibn Abi Talib, then Abdullah ibn Rawaha. After the death of the latter, the troops asked Thabit ibn Arkan to assume command; however, he declined and offered Khalid ibn al-Walid to take the lead. Al-Walid, seeing that it was meaningless to remain in Mu'tah decided to prepare a withdrawal. He countinued to engage the Byzantines in skirmishes and avoid pitched battle. He rearranged his troop deployments one night by reshuffling the right and left flanks, as well as bringing forward a division from the rear. His intention was to convey to the Byzantines the impression that reinforcements had arrived from Medina. He also positioned the Muslim cavalry behind a hill, and ordered them to advance to the Muslim army the following morning while raising as much desert sand as they could, creating the impression that further reinforcements were arriving. The Byzantines disengaged from the conflict the following morning and withdrew from battle allowing the Muslim force to safely retreat to Medina. The Byzantines did not follow the Muslims as they thought that another army would be lying in wait for an ambush.
A Trusted Refrences said that casualties at the muslim army are 12 one and among the Byzantium army are 20000 men in six days which is a disaster for the Byzantium.
Muslim commentators on the battle have often lauded the skirmishing tactics of Khalid ibn Walid, and attributed the ferocity of the small muslim force, their gradual drawing of the Byzantine forces towards the desert and the sudden ruse and that they were drawing the Byzantine forces into the desert. [2] [4]
Criticism of the traditional Muslim account
Western academics find the traditional Muslim account of the events as an attempt to find excuses for a defeat, and as one which should not be taken seriously due to great exaggerations and embellishments, especially regarding the size of Byzantine army.[citation needed] Instead, they prefer the Byzantine chronicle written by the historian Theophanes, which is the earliest written mention of Muhammad.[citation needed] This is despite the bias inherent in any historical works written by nations of that time, a tradition that only the Arabs parted with. The Arabs were known for their impartiality in recording history according to popular opinion even today, while the Byzantines' habits were typical of the old rank and file. According to the Byzantines, the actual reason for Muhammad’s expedition is thus attributed to his desire to convert the Arabs living to the east of Jordan. According to Theophanes, the Muslim army intended to attack the local Arabs on a feast day (the word that Theophanes used most likely indicates a pagan rather than a Christian holiday). However, the vicar Theodorus learnt about their plans and gathered a force from the garrisons of local fortresses. He fell upon the Muslims at Mu'tah and routed them; three of the Muslim leaders were killed, and only Khalid ibn al-Walid managed to escape with the rest of the army. Though this does not conflict with the Muslim account except only in percieved victor. [5] Muslim academic scholars rejects the Western view, and find the traditional view to be more reliable. They also see the battle as victory for Muslims since they were able to archive the target of the battle, which was sending a message that killing a Muslim diplomatic envoy will not be left without a punishment[9]
Muslim veneration of the battle
Those muslim who fell at the battle are considered to be heroes and regarded as martyrs (shuhada). This battle was a strategic victory in the eyes of the Muslims because this was the first time that they began to expand northwards to the borders of the Byzantine empire and began to make their presence felt and drive a message of awe amongst the Arab bedouin tribes in the region. A mausoleum was later built at Mu'ta over their grave.[5]
Aftermath
When the Muslims force arrived at Medina, they were berated for withdrawing and accussed of fleeing. Salamah ibn Hisham is reported to have avoided even going to the mosque to avoid taunts. A few weeks later however Muhammad began to mobilize a new force to head north against the provocation provided by Bani Quda‘a in al-sham under Amr ibn al `As, to recover the muslim army's prestige that may have dwindled in the Battle of Mu'tah and resulted the Dhat As-Salasil campaign.
References
- ^ The Byzantine Empire is an exonym, based on the city of Byzantium, used to refer to the surviving eastern half of the Roman Empire after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The Byzantines were referred to as Romans by both themselves as well as the muslim historical sources.
- ^ a b c Saif-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom, "The Sealed Nectar", Islamic University of Medina, Dar-us-Salam publishers ISBN 1-59144-071-8
- ^ http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch6s6.html
- ^ a b Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad (Allah's peace and blessing be upon him), Translated by Isma'il Razi A. al-Faruqi, 1976, American Trust Publications ISBN 0-89259-002-5
- ^ a b c Buhl, F. "Mu'ta". In P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Edition. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link) - ^ Quraish refers to the tribe in control of Mecca. The plural and adjective are Quraishi. The terms "Quraishi" and "Meccan" are used interchangeably between the Hijra in 622 and the Muslim Conquest of Mecca in 630.
- ^ Yemen was nominally Sassanid, during this period there was also a struggle of succession ongoing in the Sassanid Empire.
- ^ These were a regional frontier vassal kingdom allied to the Byzantine Empire in their struggle with the Sassanids.
- ^ Al-Ali, Ibrahim (2004). The Authentic Sira (in Arabic) (7th ed.). Amman: Nafaes.
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References
Haykal, Muhammad Husayn (1995). The Life of Muhammad. Islamic Book Service. ISBN 1-57731-195-7