|
2
The three men
to be assisted were among the 11 corps commanders.
1.
Mukhtasar Sirat al-Rasul sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam
, of Sheikh Muhammad bin
Abdul Wahhab.
2.
Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 504, 509.
Page 2
Smarting under the shame of his ignominious repulse at the hands of Musailima and the
harsh words of the Caliph, Ikrimah took his corps and, bypassing Yamamah, marched to
Oman.
Shurahbil remained in the region of Yamamah. To ensure that he did not fall into the
error of Ikrimah, Abu Bakr wrote to him:
"Stay where you are and await further
instructions."
1
Having ordered the payment of blood money to the heirs of Malik bin Nuwaira, the
Caliph sent for Khalid and gave him the mission of destroying the forces of Musailima
the Liar at Yamamah. In addition to his own large corps, Khalid would have under
Created by PDF Generator (http://www.alientools.com), to remove this mark, please register the software.
command the corps of Shurahbil. Another body of Ansars and Emigrants was being
scraped together by Abu Bakr at Madinah, and this too would be sent to Butah shortly to
join the forces of Khalid. Thus Khalid would command the main army of Islam.
Khalid rode to Butah where his old corps awaited him. Meanwhile the Caliph wrote to
Shurahbil:
"You will come under Khalid's command as he joins you. When the problem of
Yamamah has been solved, you will proceed with your men to join Amr bin Al Aas and
operate against the Quza'a."
2
This was the apostate tribe, which Usama had punished
but not subdued, near the Syrian frontier.
Khalid waited at Butah until the arrival of the Ansars and Emigrants from Madinah, then
marched for Yamamah. He was glad to think that the fresh troops of Shurahbil would
also be available to him. He did take them under his command, but they were not all that
fresh. A few days before Khalid's arrival Shurahbil had given in to the same temptation
as Ikrimah, seeking glory, he had advanced and clashed with Musailima. Feeling sorry
about the whole affair, Shurahbil expressed his regrets to Khalid, who rebuked him
severely.
Khalid was still some distance from Yamamah when his scouts brought word that
Musailima was encamped in the plain of Aqraba, on the north bank of the Wadi Hanifa
through which, the road led to Yamamah. Not wishing to approach his enemy through the
valley, Khalid left the road a few miles west of Aqraba, moved from the south and
appeared on the high ground which rose a mile south of the
wadi
opposite the town of
Jubaila.
3
From this high ground Khalid could see the entire plain of Aqraba, on the
forward border of which stretched the camp of the Bani Hanifa. Khalid established his
camp on the high ground. The strength of his army amounted to 13,000 men.
Khalid had not gone many days from Butah when Musailima's agents informed him of
the march of the Muslims and of the fact that this was the main army of Islam. The route
from Butah to Yamamah came through the Wadi Hanifa, and on the north bank of this
wadi, behind Jubaila, lay the plain of Aqraba which marked the outer limit of the fertile
region that stretched from Aqraba to Yamamah and further south-east. It was a region of
farms and orchards and cultivated fields. Yamamah itself, to be more accurate, was a
province rather than a place, with its capital at Hijr, which was also generally, called
Yamamah. The Hijr of old stood where Riyadh stands today.
4
Musailima had no intention of letting the Muslims play havoc with the towns and villages
of his people. Consequently he took his army forward to Jubaila, 25 miles north?west of
Yamamah, and established his camp near Jubaila, where the plain of Aqraba began. From
this location Musailima could not only defend the fertile plains of Yamamah but also
threaten Khalid's route of advance, so that should Khalid blunder through the Wadi
Hanifa, the Bani Hanifa would fall upon his left flank. And Khalid could not avoid battle
here and proceed to Yamamah, because Musailima would then pounce upon his back.
(The principle here was the same as applied by the Holy Prophet at Uhud.)
Musailima was ready for battle on the plain of Aqraba with an army of 40,000 warriors,
all eager for combat. The two successful actions fought by them against Ikrimah and
Shurahbil, both of whom had recoiled from the blows of Musailima, had increased their
confidence in themselves and created an aura of invincibility around the Liar. His men
were now prepared to sacrifice their very lives in defence of their leader and his cause.
And Musailima had no doubt that he would inflict the same punishment upon Khalid as
he had inflicted upon his two predecessors.
Created by PDF Generator (http://www.alientools.com), to remove this mark, please register the software.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
