Part 23

Huthifah bin Muhsin was sent to ‘Oman to oppose the chieftain Lageet bin Malik. Sa’d was sent to battle against the Banu Saleem and Banu Hawazan. ‘Ala’ bin Hadhrami was sent to Bahrain. Khalid bin Sa‘eed bin ‘Aas was sent in the direction of Syria. Mohajir bin Abu Umayyah was given the task to crush Aswad ‘Ansi in Sana’a’. He had also claimed to bea prophet. And similarly, ‘Arfajah bin Harshamah was to war against Mahrah people.

These were very daring steps taken by Abu Bakr Siddiq . which created alarm and consternation all over Arabia. All the eleven armies, which had been delegated to cut off the heads of all those powers rising in rebellion, set off for the destinations assigned to them. After reaching their destinations all of them scored remarkable victories. The rearing head of Kuffar was chopped off, the rising evil of rebellion died a natural death and the false prophets were embarrassed by their own bogus claims.

The great General, ‘Amr bin Al-’ As 8, exhibiting his political acumen and unbending faith established total supremacy over the tribe of Qadha‘ah. He had fought against them and punished them during the life of the Prophet 38 also. When these people heard of the passing away of the Prophet 3 they had turned against Islam. They refused to pay zakah. ‘Amr bin Al-‘As #2, knew very well the nature and habits of these people and was also familiar with the roads leading to their area. So Abu Bakr Siddiq 2 sent him to crush them. Following the familiar routes he led his men to attack them. After intense fighting they were again defeated. The great General, ‘Amr bin Al-‘As 28, was blessed with a resounding victory. The tribe again entered the fold of Islam and their zakah was received and sent to the Baitul-Madl (treasury).

After gaining complete control over the evil mischief of apostasy, Abu Bakr Siddiq % set in motion a plan to conquer the territories of Iraq, Iran and Syria. He consulted some of the greatest Companions such as ‘Umar Farooq, ‘Uthman bin ’Affan, ’Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf, Zubair bin ‘Awwam, Sa’d bin Abu Waqas, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, Muath bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit, Abi bin Ka‘ab and Talhah -+ 4) 2).

After gaining victory in the battlefield, “Amr bin Al-’As , wrote to the Commander-in-Chief, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah 4s giving him the good news. He wrote:

“Tam in Palestine now. We faced a very large Roman army. They consisted of a hundred thousand soldiers and we were only nine thousand. Fifteen thousand of their warriors were killed and we lost only hundred and thirty Mujahdieeen. We took seven hundred prisoners of war and also a lot of spoils of war. The Roman General was killed in the very first skirmish. If you have any further orders I will be only too happy to obey.”

The Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinians, Arthaboon had fled to Egypt from Palestine. When the Caliph went to BaitulMugaddas ona tour, ‘Amr bin Al-’As 4, suggested to him that an army should be mobilised to subjugate Egypt immediately. If there was a delay in taking steps towards this objective, there was a possibility that the Commander-in-Chief of the Palestinians, Arthaboon, who had taken refuge there, would mobilise an army and challenge the Muslim forces again. He said:

“In my opinion, it is batter to plan to conquer Egypt first. Noa moment should be lost. If we set out for Egypt right away and take control of the important key positions there, we will avoid a potentially dangerous situation.”

At that time, Egypt was known all over the world for its rich greenery and fertility. Grains, raw cotton and cotton cloth were exported from here. In short, Egypt had become the core of the world’s markets of trade and commerce. The sciences, industry, arts and crafts flourished here. Hence it was considered the most attractive world nexus in terms of culture and civilization, industry and trade.

Cargo boats used to ply in the Sea of Rome and Red Sea regularly. ‘Amr bin AlAs 2, travelling along the very same ancient route which, the Prophet Yusuf -*—' + had used, reached Egypt at the head of his army. This was also the trade route linking Asia and Africa. ‘Amr bin AlAs - was very familiar with these roads having traveled along them often during his trading days. When the Romans heard of the advance of the Muslim army, they did not think it advisable to confront them in the desert. They knew that the Arab Mujahideen were very good at wars in the desert and Romans were ina state of total panic.

When ‘Amr bin Al-’As #5 entered Egypt he adopted a practical military strategy. He avoided war in the open battlefield and decided to lay siege to important places. First he lay siege to the border city of Alfara; the siege lasted for two months before the finally subjugated by the Muslim army. Since this city was located in a strategically important place, its capture led to the road to Syria being secured. ‘Amr bin Al-’As 4 commanded that the ramparts and walls of the city be destroyed; this was in order to prevent the enemy from taking shelter there again. He also ordered that the boats and ships with anchors be burnt; thus the enemy could not use them to cause any harm to the Muslim army. ‘Amr bin Al-As 4 had a very small army of Mujahideen and he asked the Caliph for reinforcements. An army of twelve thousand Mujahideen reached Egypt under the command of Zubair bin ‘Awam -#, and joined the army under the leadership of ‘Amr bin Al-‘As %. Conquering rapidly all the other cities as well as other regions, they established complete control over the whole of Egypt.

Alexandria is a famous city of Egypt, which was built on the Sea by Alexander. It is marvel of architecture. It glitters at night because a large quantity of the best quality marble was used to build it. It used to be the second capital of Rome and the world’s business and commercial centre to save it from enemy attacks the latest techniques and most modern methods were adopted. Fifty thousand trained warriors were kept ready and alert all the time.

It was located on the best position from the point of view of defence. The ocean was on the north. The Muslim army could enter the city, but it was not an easy task. ‘Amr bin Al-’As 4 bringing into play his gifts of political sagacity and practical wisdom he used the tactic of blockade, which proved to be very effective.

It is said that three months later, reduced to sheer helplessness, the army came out. (Agreed to sign peace terms.)

There was a very tough battle and chasing and destroying the enemy the Muslim army succeeded in entering the city. As soon as Alexandria was taken the whole of Egypt also was conquered. A special emissary was sent to Al-Madinah to give the news of the victory.

When Caliph ‘Umar bin Khattab heard the news he prostrated to Allah Almighty in gratitude; it seemed every part of his body was expressive of his joy. He took the messenger home to entertain him to dinner which, consisted of olive oil and bread; and for dessert he served him dates.