CALIP H AT E O F

ZR AT U MA R (R A)
HA
ar Ah me d
: S h eh ry
By
Becoming the caliph
 Elected as second Caliph of Islam
 22 Jamadi uth sani, 24 August 634 AD.
 Hazrat Abu Bakr nominated Hazrat Umar as the next Caliph.
 After Hazrat Abu Bakr’s death, most of the eminent
Companions of Muhammad (PBUH) swore allegiance to Hazrat
Umar.
 East-West the expansion happened.
 Largest territorial addition to the state.
Fall of Persian Empire
 Main reason: Safety & self defense
 The king created trouble for them. They
dignified the others outside Arab against
muslims.
 Iraq was their platform to trade.
Battle of Namarraq (October, 634 AD):
 Muslims had captured Hira under the caliphate of Abu Bakr, the infuriated
 Persian Emperor sent a large force under a famous general Rustam.
 Ubaid ath thafi was appointed commander under Hazrat Umer RA.
 The two armies met 10 miles from Hira.
 Persians were defeated and put to flight.
 Battle of the Bridge (October, 634 AD):
 Persian Emperor dispatched a large army, commanded by Bahman.
 The Muslim army was led by Hazrat Abu Ubaydah but before this mighty force, the Arabs fell back and re-
crossed the Euphrates.
 The Persian commander challenged Hazrat Abu Ubaydah to cross the river again or allow him to come to the
Arab side. Acting rashly and against his advisors’ warnings, Hazrat Abu Ubaydah ordered the Muslim army to
build a bridge of boats and cross the river.
 Once on the opposite side, the Muslims found themselves in an alarming situation. They were hemmed in
between the Persian war-elephants in their front and the swift river Euphrates on their backs.
 The Arabs and their animals had never seen elephants before and were terrified by these fierce and gigantic
beasts. These elephants routed the Muslim cavalry.
 Hazrat Abu Ubaida ordered the cavalry to dismount and fight on foot.
 Although the Muslims fought bravely and brought down many elephants, they were trampled in large numbers
under the beasts’ feet.
 Hazrat Abu Ubaida himself was martyred by one of the elephants. His brother succeeded him, but one by one,
the Muslim commanders were martyred.
 A Muslim had cut the boat-bridge so that the Muslim army would not lose heart and retreat easily. The new
Muslim commander, Hazrat Musanna, ordered the bridge to be rebuilt. He and a small detachment held back
the Persians while the survivors crossed over to the Arab side.
 Out of the original Muslim force of 9,000 men, approximately: 3000 survived, 2,000 fell fighting, 2,000 drowned
in the river, 2,000 fled to Madina and elsewhere.
Battle of Buwayb (November, 634 AD):

 Acting wisely and calmly after the disastrous Battle of Jasr, Umar rallied his
allies to fight against the Persian Empire.
 When the Persians came to know of this, they sent a large force under the
command of Mehran, an expert in Arabian warfare techniques.
 The Muslim army was commanded by Hazrat Musanna.
 Like the Battle of Jasr, the Persian army camped on the eastern side of the
Euphrates.
 This time, however, the Muslims allowed the Persians to cross over to the
Arabian side.
 The next day, the two armies engaged in a fierce battle at Buwayb. Even though
the Persian force was many times larger than the Muslim army, they were put
to rout when Mehran was killed.
 The Muslim force destroyed the bridge over the Euphrates when the Persians
tried to fall back. Persians were killed in large numbers and their army was
almost completely destroyed.
 Battle of Qadisiya:
 Hazrat Saad was ordered to march to Qadisiya, a little fortress on the western bank of the Ateeq (a branch
of the Euphrates). From here, Hazrat Saad sent an envoy to the court of Yazdgard, the Persian Emperor,
with the message of Islam.
 The Persian Emperor insulted the envoy and turned him out of his court. To teach the Muslims a lesson,
he dispatched a large army of 120,000 men, including 300 war-elephants. This army was commanded by
Rustum.
 The Muslim army now numbered 30,000, including 1400 of Muhammad (PBUH)’s Companions and 99
veterans of Badr. The soldiers had also brought their families along, as they intended to settle on the
conquered land.
 Rustum encamped with his army on the opposite bank of the river. He intended to tire out the Muslims or
make them short of supplies before attacking.
 Arab raiding parties, which attacked the fertile Persian fields, forced the Emperor to order Rustum to
commence fighting. Rustum and his army crossed the river in the secrecy of the night by building a dam
to check the flow of the water.
 The battle that ensued was very fierce and lasted for 3 days and 4 nights. Hazrat Saad directed his forces
from his sick bed. Eventually, the Persians lost and were killed in large numbers. Rustum was killed as he
tried to flee the battlefield.
 Losses: Muslims --- 8500 men. Persians --- 30,000 to 40,000 men.
 Booty: 6,000 pieces to every soldier. 70,000 pieces from the jewels stripped from the body of Rustum.
100,000 pieces from the Persian banner made from panther’s skin.
 Consequences: Put an end to the military might of the Persian Empire. Arab tribes no longer hesitated
to fight against Persia and the enemies of Islam. Way to Madain opened.
 Siege and capture of Madain:

 After resting his troops , Hazrat Saad marched on Madain with the intention
of capturing it.
 The army defending the city fell back before the Muslim assault, fled into the
city and closed the gates.
 The Muslims captured the city after a siege and a brave assault by the troops.
 Booty:

I) Vessels and statues of gold and silver.

II) Stores of precious stones.
III) Luxurious wardrobes.
IV) Thousands of prisoners of war.
V) Each soldier received 12,000 dirhams.
 Battle of Jalula:
 The Persian king, fleeing from Madain, took refuge in Hulwan.
 As a result, his remaining army occupied Jalula, a place in the neighborhood of Madain.
 This army made great preparations for battle; the entire town was converted into a
fortress and a deep ditch was dug around the town. Hazrat Saad, with Hazrat Umar’s
permission, sent a strong army to Jalula under the command of Qaka.
 The siege of Jalula stretched over 7 months. Eventually, the Persians decided to
counterattack and drive out the Muslims.
 The Muslim commander pulled back his army so that the whole of the Persian army
 could come into the field.
 Fierce fighting ensued.
 Eventually, a fierce storm started blowing into the Persians’ faces and they fell back and
 were killed in large numbers. The residents of Jalula surrendered on the usual terms of
Jizya.
 Battle of Nahawand:

 After the Battle of Jalula, Hazrat Umar stopped further conquest and sought to
consolidate Muslim rule in the lands already occupied.
 Towards this end, a peace treaty was signed with the Persians.
 However, the Persians soon broke the treaty and marched with 60,000 men against the
30,000 Muslims.
 The two armies fought at Nahawand for 2 days. On the 3rd day, the Persians took refuge
in their forts.
 By a clever strategy, the enemy was coaxed out of hiding and hand-to-hand fighting
took place. The Persian might was shattered forever and their emperor fled to Isfahan.
 This battle was a decisive one for the whole world, as it signaled the end of Persian
power and the rise of Muslims.
 Wars with the Byzantine
Empire
 The Eastern Roman Empire consisting of Syria, Jerusalem and Egypt was called the
Byzantine Empire.
 Although relations between the two parties had been cordial when Muhammad
(PBUH) sent his envoy to Heraclius, things had begun to cool down.
 The Christian prince of Syria had murdered Muhammad (PBUH)’s envoy at Mu’tah.
This led to an increase in the hostility.
Causes:
• Rebellion of the Bedouin tribes on the Syrian border against Muslim rule on instigation of
the Byzantine Empire.
• Bedouin tribes in the Byzantine Empire on the Syrian border rendered help to their
kinsmen in Arabia to raid Muslim territory.
• Natural expansive need of Arabia as it was not very rich in resources as compared to its
neighbours.