Part 19

opened the dam, and as the water level rose the Muslim army resumed their advance by land as well as the river.

Khalid was expecting that he would have to fight for AlHeerah. Therefore, instead of approaching Al-Heerah from the front, Khalid made a detour and approached the city from the rear. When the Muslims reached the gates of the city, there was no Persian army to oppose them. Azarbeh came to know of the death of his son and was smitten with grief. In the meantime Ardsheer, the emperor of Persia, died and Persia experienced a succession of disputes. That unnerved Azarbeh. He abandoned Al-Heerah, and fled with the Persian forces to Madyan leaving the city to its fate.

When Khalid reached Al-Heerah, he found that Christian Arabs had locked themselves in four citadels and refused to surrender. Khalid ordered the Muslims to give them three options: to embrace Islam, to pay the Jizyah, or to fight. However, the people of Al-Heerah refused to accept Islam or to pay the Jiziyah.

Refusing to accept Islam or to pay the Jizyah, the inhabitants resisted the Muslim attack, but the fortresses were stormed. Five delegates met Khalid to negotiate peace terms. According to the terms of the agreement, they had to pay the Muslims 190,000 dirhams every year in return for protection.

After signing the pact, Khalid led a mass victory prayer at Al-Heerah. When the news of the conquest of Al-Heerah reached Madeenah, along with the amount of Jiziyah collected from the people of Al-Heerah, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, led a thanksgiving prayer at Madeenah. Central Iraq was now under the complete occupation of the Muslims. After the peace treaty was concluded, similar treaties were signed between Khalid and other dignitaries; and before long all the

regions between the Arabian Gulf and Al-Heerah, which extended as far as the Tigris, passed under Muslim control.

Thereafter, Khalid sent two letters to the people of Persia, one for the kings and another for the masses and their Persian leaders, to invite them to embrace Islam and warn them of showing stubbornness and resistance. The First letter read: "All praise and thanks are due to Allah, Who has overthrown your regime, weakened your power, and set your word apart. If He had not done this, there would have been tumult and oppression on earth, and great mischief. Embrace Islam, and we will leave you to live in peace on your lands, and we will set for another people to call on them (to embrace Islam). If you do not do this, you will have to accept this forcefully through a people who desire death as ardently as you desire life.” The second letter read: "In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, from Khalid Ibn Al-Waleed to the ruler of Persia: embrace [slam in order to live in peace. If you do not, you will live under my protection in return for the Jizyah. Otherwise, you are up against people who love death just as much as you love wine,”

Khalid's letters reached Persia while the people were disputing over who would rule the country after the death of Ardsheer, but they were all unanimous that Khalid must be fought and driven away from Iraq.

The Conquest of Al-Anbaar:

With the conquest of Al-Heerah, Khalid had achieved the objective that Abu Bakr had set for him. Having succeeded in his objective, a man like Khalid could not be expected to rest on oars. After taking stock of the situation around him, Khalid decided to advance further afield.

In fact, he was following the instructions of Abu Bakr, who forbade him to leave Al-Heerah unless his comrade, * lyaad Ibn Ghanam, arrived after subduing Doomat Al-Jandal. which was a long way to the south. But Khalid grew impatient, as he was anxious to continue his conquests. He wanted to spread Islam everywhere, so he looked westwards along the banks of the Euphrates and saw Al-Anbaar. It was an important town and commercial center to which caravans came from Ash-Shaam and Persia. Khalid chose Al-Anbaar as his next objective. Leaving Al-Qa’qaa’ Ibn “Amr in charge of Al-Heerah, he marched quickly to the city and lay siege to it.

However, the governor of the district, Sheerzad, decided to defend the town with the help of his Persian garrison and the Arab auxiliaries. The town was protected by walls and a large deep moat. The town of Al-Anbaar was situated at a height, and the Muslim army had to camp on the low plain below the town. As the Persians saw the height that intervened between them and the Muslim army they felt that their position was invulnerable. The Persians stood on the top of the walls of the citadel carelessly, in groups, looking at the Muslim army as if they were watching a tournament.

Khalid collected the best of his archers, and commanded them to shoot at the eyes of the Persians. The Muslim archers shot several rounds, and as a result thousands of Persians lost their eyes. Because of this action the battle of Al-Anbaar came to be called 'the Battle of the Eyes’. As a result of the efforts of the Muslim archers, a panic was created in the ranks of the Persians, and Sheerzad sent an offer to negotiate terms. Khalid rejected the offer and demanded that the surrender should be unconditional. Under the circumstances, Sheerzad decided to continue resistance.

The moat stood between the Persians and the Muslims, and the problem before Khalid was to cross the moat. Khalid

selected a point where the moat was the narrowest. Here he placed his archers in position to shoot at the enemy ruthlessly. Under the cover of these archers Khalid pushed ahead his army. The old and lean camels of the army were slaughtered and dumped into the moat. As the pile of carcasses rose, it formed a bridge over which the Muslim army crossed the moat and assaulted the fort. Finding his position insecure, Sheerzad made another offer to surrender provided the Persian army was allowed to withdraw in safety. Khalid agreed to the offer on the condition that the Persians did not carry any arms or other property with them.

Thereafter the Muslims occupied the town of Al-Anbaar. The Christian Arabs, the auxiliaries of the Persians, had no option but to lay down arms after the withdrawal of the Persian forces. They agreed to pay the Jizyah. Khalid stayed at AlAnbaar for a few days, and received the submission of the tribes living in the neighborhood.

The Conquest of * Ayn At-Tamr:

Khalid left a garrison at Al-Anbaar under the command of Az-Zabraqaan Ibn Badr and himself marched further afield with the main Muslim army. The Muslim army re-crossed the Euphrates, and marched southward. This time his objective was “Ayn At-Tamr, a large fortified town surrounded by date palms which was of strategic importance and garrisoned by Persian forces and the Arab auxiliaries.

The Persian forces at “Ayn At-Tamr were commanded by Mahraan Ibn Bahram who was a_ skillful military commander. The Christian Arabs belonged to the tribe of Namr and led by their chief ~ Aqgah [bn Abi ~ Aqqah. ~ Aqgah was a man of formidable dimensions and enjoyed great reputation for

his prowess. He was a devout Christian and was very hostile to Islam.

~Aqqah was proud of his bodily strength and Arab lineage. In a war council with Mahran, ~ Aqqah volunteered to fight against the Muslims with his men. He argued: "Diamond cuts diamond, and we Christian Arabs know best as to how to fight the Muslim Arabs. Let us fight the Muslims in the first instance". Mahran accepted the offer and said, "You are right; you are the best men to fight against the Muslims. Go ahead, and give the Muslims a tough fight. We will remain close to you and will come to your assistance when you need reinforcement.”

The Persian forces remained at ~Ayn At-Tamr, but the Christian Arab auxiliaries under the command of *Aqqah marched on the road to Al-Anbaar to intercept the advance of the Muslim force under the command of Khalid. The two forces met at a distance of some ten miles from “Ayn At-Tamr. As soon as the two forces came in sight, they went in for action immediately. Khalid deployed the Muslim forces in the usual way, the center and the wings. Khalid had heard of the boastings and vaunts of ~Aqqah, and his plan was to take ~Aqqah captive and alive. ~Aqqah led the center of his force and with his heavy body he looked very defiant. When the battle began, the wings of the Muslim army charged with considerable vehemence, but the center under the direct command of Khalid charged less vehemently. That gave ~Aqqah the impression that the center of the Muslim army was showing signs of exhaustion. He decided to avail of this advantage. He launched an attack at the central wing of the Muslim force with considerable vehemence. Before this attack, the Muslim center withdrew. That made the central wing of *Aqqah's force rush forward. Such impetuous advance cut the central wing of * Aqqah's force off from the other wings of the

army of the Christian Arabs. At this stage the Muslim force somersaulted, and launched a furious charge enveloping the forces of ~Aqqah. In_ the hand to hand fighting that followed, the men surrounding *Aqqah were cut to pieces, and * Aqqah was captured alive according to plan.

With the capture of ~Aqqah, the Christian Arabs lost nerve, and fled to * Ayn At-Tamr, hoping to be reinforced by the Persian forces. When the Arab fugitives reached * Ayn AtTamr, they found that the Persian forces under Mahran had already evacuated the town. Finding themselves abandoned and betrayed, the Christian Arabs rushed into the fort, closed the gates and prepared for a siege.

The Muslims soon arrived at * Ayn At-Tamir, and laid siege to the fort. ~Aqqah and other prisoners in the Muslim camp were paraded outside the fort, and that had an unnerving effect on the defenders. The Christian Arabs soon asked for terms, but Khalid said that there would be no terms and that the surrender must be unconditional, After a few days, the resistance of the Christian Arabs broke down, and_ they surrendered unconditionally. ~Aqqah and the leaders of the Christian Arabs were beheaded. The people agreed to pay Jizyah. A huge booty was collected and distributed according to the usual formula.

At “Ayn At-Tamr there was a monastery where boys were trained for priesthood. These boys embraced Islam. Among these boys was Nusayr whose son Moosa (Moosa Ibn Nusayr) later became the Governor of Africa, and the Conqueror of Spain.