Part 16

"His name was Al-Mundhir Tbn An-Nu*maan fbn Al-Mundhir.

and blessings be upon him, affect his Prophet hood? I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad, whether dead or alive. is His Messenger.” The argument of Jarood carried weight with his tribe. and they continued their allegiance and tenaciousness to Islam.

At that time, Al-Hadrami returned to Madeenah to seek help. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, sent him at the head of a force for the relief of the besieged Muslims. In the meantime the battle of Yamaamah was over, and the Banu Haneefah had been won over to Islam. Many men of Banu Haneefah joined the ranks of Al-Hadrami, as his forces passed through the Yamaamah valley on their way to Bahrain.

In the meantime the non-Muslims of Bahrain received considerable help from the Persians, and they were fully prepared for a confrontation with the Muslims.

Al-Hadrami called upon the Bahrain authorities to offer submission, but they ridiculed the offer and declared that the sword would decide the issue. The Bahrain forces were sufficiently strong, and that made Al-Hadrami_ halt. He sent words to the besieged Muslims at Jwaatha to persevere for he was coming to their relief. He had a ditch dug round his camp, and the Muslims waited for a suitable opportunity to overpower the enemy. This state of stalemate lasted for a month, and that made the Bahrain forces feel that the Muslims were no match for them.

One night the Muslims heard a lot of noise from the nonMuslim camp. It was reported to Al-Hadrami_ that the nonMuslims were celebrating their national festival, were dead drunk and were giving themselves to fun and frolic. AlHadrami, deciding to avail of the opportunity, ordered his troops to take up arms, cross the ditch and pounce upon the

enemy. The surprise attack unnerved the Bahrain forces. They ran helter-skelter in all directions and were cut to pieces by the pursuing Muslim forces.

Al-Hatam, the Commander of the Bahrain forces, was killed, while Prince Gharoor was captured alive. Over 10,000 apostates died in the operation. The Bahrain forces laid down arms and surrendered. Jarood and his Muslim forces came and joined the victorious Muslim army. The people of Bahrain were admitted to the fold of Islam. Those who refused to accept Islam escaped to the island of Dareen in the Persian Gulf.

Al-Hadrami reorganized the administration and appointed his agents in various parts of Bahrain, After settling the affairs in Bahrain proper, Al-Hadrami decided to take action against the persons who had taken refuge in the island of Dareen. Al- * Alaa’ crossed the shallow Gulf water by using donkeys, horses and camels. The apostates were literally annihilated, and the booty collected was tremendous.

The victory of the Muslims in Bahrain was significant in more than one way. Bahrain was at considerable distance from Madeenah, and the victory at Bahrain showed that the Muslim military army was sufficiently long and powerful, and could reach far. The assistance that the Persians gave to the people of Bahrain was originally a cause of great concern to the Muslims, but in the long run this worked to the advantage of the Muslims. The Muslims had originally intended to confine their operations to Arabia proper, but the alliance of the people of Bahrain with the Persians provided the Muslims an opportunity for settling accounts with the Persians. The Banu Haneefah who had been at one time the greatest opponents of Islam now became the ardent supporters of the faith. Muthanna, a chief of the Banu Haneefah, organized a flying column, and undertook to protect the barriers against the Persians. The battle of Bahrain thus

proved a prelude to the war with Persia, But for the interference of the Persians in the affairs of Bahrain, the Muslims might not have advanced in Persia, and history would have taken a different course.

Campaigns in Oman and Mahrah:

During the lifetime of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Oman bordering on the Persian Gulf was under Persian influence. It was ruled by Jayfar Ibn Al-Jalandi who owed allegiance to Persia. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, sent letters inviting the various rulers to Islam, a letter was addressed to Jayfar as well. As the Persian power was on the decline, Jayfar stood in need of some outside support to bolster up his rule, He responded favorably to the Prophet 's invitation, and said he was inclined to accept Islam, but the difficulty was that his people were not likely to agree to the payment of Zakaah to Madeenah. The Prophet assured him that if he and his people became Muslims, the amount realized from Zakaah could be distributed among the poor and the destitute in Oman itself. Thereupon Jayfar became a Muslim, and under his influence most of his people embraced Islam.

After the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a false Prophet Laqeef Ibn Malik Al-Azdyy came into prominence. He belonged to the Azdi tribe, which was very numerous. The Azdi felt elated at having a Prophet of their own. They apostatized from Islam. Jayfar, however, remained faithful to Islam, but he lost his hold on the people of Oman most of whom accepted the new creed. Laqeet gained power, overthrew Jayfar, and captured political power. Jayfar and the few people who remained true to [slam had to seek refuge in the mountains. Laqeet declared himself as the king of Oman.

With the change in the affairs of Oman, Jayfar sent a letter to Abu Bakr As-Sideeq, may Allah be pleased with him, to inform him of the developments in Oman, and sought his help. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, dispatched a force under the command of Hudhayfah Ibn Muhsan to undertake operations in Oman. The wave of apostasy overwhelmed the neighboring state of Mahrah as well. The Caliph sent another force under the command of * Arfajah AlBariqyy to subdue the apostates in Mahrah. Both the forces under Hudhayfah and *Arfajah were required to collaborate. The operations were required to be commenced from Oman. The instructions of Abu Bakr were that it there was a battle in Oman, Hudhayfah was to lead the combined forces, and if the operations were undertaken in Mahrah, ~ Arfajah was to hold the Command. When *Ikrimah Ibn Abi Jahl met a reverse at the battle of Yamaamah, he was required not to return to Madeenah, but to proceed with his men to Oman and Mahrah. All the three forces of Hudhayfah, ~ Arfajah and ~ Ikramah were directed to act in concert.

The Battle of Daba:

“Ikrimah and his force reached Oman first. The force of Hudhayfah soon joined him. Word was then sent to Jayfar and his followers to descend from the hills and join the Muslim forces. Thereafter, the combined forces marched to Daba, and it was at this place that the battle flared up. Lageet had a large force at his command, and the Muslims were outnumbered. It was fierce battle, and to start with, the forces of Laqeet appeared to dominate the field and it seemed as if they were going to win the battle.

At the nick of time, when the Muslim ranks were likely to disintegrate under the pressure of the forces of Laqeet, the Muslims received unexpected reinforcement came from Bahrain

and the tribe of ~ Abdul Qays. That turned the tide of the battle. The Muslims charged with great vehemence, and the forces of Lageet were unable to stand the charge. They found safety in retreat, As the enemy fled, the Muslims pursued them, and overtaking them they cut them to pieces. As many as 10.000 rebels fell on the battlefield. Lageet himself was killed, and with his death all resistance broke down, and_ the forces of Oman laid down the arms. As a result of the battle of Daba, Jayfar was restored as the ruler of Oman, and the apostates were re-admitted to the fold of Islam.

After order was restored in Oman, and the Muslim rule was re-established, “Ikrimah crossed over with his force to attend to the affairs of Mahrah, Like the people of other parts of Arabia, the people of Mahrah also apostatized after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The people of Mahrah came to be divided into two sections: one section was led Shikhreet, and the other was led by Al-Musabbih. Taking stock of the affairs in Mahrah, “Ikrimah_ felt that instead of fighting against the people as a whole, it would be expedient to take advantage of the rift between the two sections. *[krimah accordingly opened negotiations with the minority party led by Shikhreet. The negotiations succeeded, and Shikhreet and his men accepted Islam. “Ikrimah offered them full support to capture political power and overthrow their rival scction. The majority section led by Al-Musabbih was asked by *Ikrimah to return to Islam, but they rejected the offer. The combined forces of Shikhreet and *Ikrimah accordingly marched to crush the forces of Al-Musabbih. In the battle that followed the fighting was severer than the fighting at the battle of Daba. It was a hotly contested battle, and the apostates fought with a spirit of vengeance. The chances of victory were balanced, but ultimately the faith and determination of the Muslims carried the day, and the forces of Al-Musabbih found safety in capitulation. Immense booty fell into the hands of the victor

Muslims, including two thousand dromedaries and a large supply of arms. The defeated people reverted to Islam, and they were granted amnesty. ~ Arfajah carried one fifth of the booty to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, while *Ikrimah stayed in Mahrah to re-organize the administration.

When the people of Yemen accepted Islam, the Prophet , peace and blessings be upon him, made Badhaan their ruler. Badhaan continued to be the ruler of Yemen until he died. After Badhaan's death, the Prophet appointed his son, Sharhra, the head of Sanaa’, and entrusted other towns of Yemen to some other leaders. Mu*aadh Ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, used to move from one town to another in order to teach them Islam.

At this stage a false Prophet rose in Yemen. He was called Al-Aswad Al--Ansi, who belonged to the clan of * Ans. By dubious methods, Al-Aswad succeeded in winning a considerable number of followers. Within a short time, he became powerful enough to challenge Shahra, who remained faithful to Islam. In the confrontation that followed, Shahr was defeated and killed, and Al-Aswad captured power. He now crowned himself as the king of Yemen, and repudiated allegiance to Madeenah. He forcefully married the beautiful widow of Shahra, Azad by name. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was informed of these news, he sent Wabar [bn Yahnas with a letter to the people of San’ aa’ asking them to defend their religion by confronting Al-Aswad and availing of every chance to kill him,