Part 36

“Send any of your heroic warriors to engage with me in single combat. Today we will find out who has the real power, and who has the right to live here.”

When Khalid bin Waleed heard this scornful declaration he came forward and faced him in regal rage. The contest started and their swords flashed; in no time Khalid bin Waleed 4 had Hormuz flat on the ground. He had made such a violent thrust with his sword that the Iranian General’s head rolled away in the dust. When the Iranian army saw the fate of their General, they broke all the rules and traditions of warfare and attacked Khalid bin Waleed -. According to the unwritten rules of warfare, in single combat only one soldier should have advanced to take the place of the fallen man. When Qa‘ga’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi # saw this dangerous situation, he immediately jumped into the fray. Flashing his sword left and right, he advanced reaping the heads of the enemy as if they were a field of crops ready for harvesting. He did not want any harm or injury to befall his Commander-in-Chief. The Iranian army was stunned to see that one man was spreading destruction and ruin with the speed of lightening and racing forward so swiftly that no man could overtake him or stop him. Khalid bin Waleed 4 escaped this dangerous assault on his life by the skin of his teeth and acclaimed the exploits of this great soldier very highly. At this critical juncture, Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr AtTameemi < displayed such courage and daring that every soldier of the army had only praise for him. It was not for nothing that Abu Bakr Siddiq had once said that the army which boasted a soldier of the calibre of Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi could not face defeat. Surely this was an award for bravery received from the court of the Caliph for services rendered.

Terrified of the power and daring of the Muslim army, many of the top ranking Iranian leaders and chieftains of tribes offered to compromise. Very politely Khalid bin Waleed < accepted their offer and set the terms of their duties and responsibilities. When the army of Islam won the Battle of Hira, Khalid bin Waleed offered eight extra units of prayer as thanks to Allah and then turned his attention

to his companions, Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr -# being one of them. He said:

“T fought the most dangerous battle of my life at Motah. In suppressing the insurgency of the enemy I broke nine swords; in the field of war I have not seen any enemy as tough as the Iranians. Especially in the Battle of Alees, they reached the peak of their ability to endure.”

He was not bragging; in reality he was informing the Mujahdien under him of his military exploits, so that they could learn from his experiences. After this Khalid bin Waleed # declared Hira to be the main cantonment area or barracks and appointed Qa’ qa’ bin ‘Amr AtTameemi > Commander of the barracks. He himself marched onwards.

Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi < started work to extend the area of the barracks. He targeted a nearby area called Haseed. This led to a conflict with the enemy and a fierce battle broke out. The enemy General was killed, their troops were demoralised, and Haseed came under the complete control of the Muslims. This success was of course due to the efforts of Qa’qa’ bin’ Amr At-Tameemi <s.

After this he sent a messenger to inform him that the vital need of the hour was to advance towards the Romans in order to teach them a lesson. Immediately he got the order from the court of the Caliph, Khalid bin Waleed @ organised an army to oppose the Romans using the military skills of Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi <, who was his trustworthy confidant.

Half the army was left there under the command of Mathna bin Harithah and with the other half of the army he set out for Syria. Bringing to the fore his military skills, he divided the army into four sections. The Maimnah or right wing was placed under the Command of ‘Amr bin ‘Aas %; he appointed Yazid bin Abu Sufyan Commander of the left wing. In the centre was the man with the title of Ameen-ul-Ummah, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah #. ‘Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl 8 was appointed to lead the last section of the army. Qa’qa’ bin

‘Amr At-Tameemi +3 used his sword to achieve astounding feats that will be remembered in history for all time. After winning a splendid victory against the Romans, Qa‘qa’ bin ‘Amr -@ recited some verses extempore, which are considered gems of classic Arabic literature.

Before the battle of Qadissiyah the great general, Sa’d bin Abu Waqas .%, had asked the famous orators and poets of the day to put to use their skills of creativity and eloquence to arouse and revive the spirits and emotions of the Mujahideen. Among them were Mughaira bin Sho’ba, ‘Asim bin Umr At-Tameemi, Huthaifah bin Yaman, Talah and

Qais bin Thabith -++ 51,2, who were all noteworthy poets. They used their inborn talents skilfully and aroused the yearning for Jihdd so well that in the eyes and hearts of the Mujahideen all else was forgotten.

After listening to these rousing speeches and verses the hearts of the Mujahideen were moved so deeply that they were all agog and ready to enter the battlefield as if they were going to attend a joyous reception. Everyone was talking eagerly and excitedly about the forthcoming battle. Suddenly the booming voice of the renowned General Sa‘d bin Abu Waqas @ echoed in the air and everyone fell silent to listen to him. He said;

“All the Mujahideen should recite the Surah of Jihad that is Surah Al-Anfal, and Surah At-Tauba and remain standing at their positions. First we will offer the Zu/r (noon prayers); then I will raise the cry of ‘Allaho Akbar’. You will be expected to be ready at the first cry; then when I shout out the slogan a second time, everyone should be ready and set to go. When I repeat the cry the third time, alf of you will also roar out ‘Allaho Akbar’ after me. And simultaneously the cavalry will come forward into position in front of the infantry. When] call out Allaho Akbar’ the fourth time, then you will say ‘la haula wala quwwatha illa billa’ - ‘There is no power, but for the Power of Allah ‘- and all together assault the enemy.”

When the great General gave the call the fourth time, appearing on the ramparts of the city, the enthusiastic Mujdltideen fell on the enemy attacking them. Sa‘d bin Abu Wags +4 himself was sick and could not take an active part in the battle, but seated on the ramparts he kept on issuing instructions on the strategy to be used. The first day of the Battle of Qadissiyah was very hard on the Muslims. Huge elephants were being used by the enemy and were wreaking havoc on all sides. Sa’d_ bin Abu Wags - was watching this dreadful sight sorrowfully, Ina pained voice he called out to his men.

“O Banu Tameem you are very experienced, you can very easily use your swift steeds and camels. Can’t you manage to overcome these elephants? Think of some tactics you can use, otherwise they will prove to be a real threat to the Muslim forces.”

Listening to the words of their leader, Banu Tameem became even more enthusiastically alert and told their best marksmen to take aim and shoot their arrows into the eyes.of the elephants. When this was done the elephants panicked and ran amok; stampeding they trampled their own army. Taking advantage of the situation some Mujahideen started cutting off their trunks; this move caused an even greater stampede. That day the fighting carried on till late into the night and almost five hundred Muslims were martyred.

The first day of the Battle of Qadissiyah is known as the ‘Youm’ or day of Armath. General Qa‘qa’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi -4 did not take part in the fighting that day as he was expecting to be called to the court of the Caliph any moment. ‘Umar Farooq sent a message to Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah 4% that he should send fresh reinforcements to Sa‘d bin Abu Waqas -% without delay. Obeying his orders, Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah % sent an army under Qa‘ga’ bin ‘Amr AtTameemi #2. This great General brilliant strategist and tactician divided his men into groups of ten, and ordered them to enter into the battlefield after regular intervals. His aim was to give the enemy the impression that this was not an army but a tide of men in full endless flow! The enemy would think that they could not possibly fight against such endless numbers, and their morale would sink. This plan proved very successful. The Muslim army had six thousand men; of these five thousand were from the Banu Rabee‘ah and one thousand were Yemenis. Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah appointed Hisham bin ‘Utbah as the leader of this contingent and Qa‘qa’ bin ‘Amr AtTameemi + was given the title of Commander of the advance guard. The latter, giving proof of his extraordinary bravery and courage shouted out a challenge asking who would step forward and oppose him that day. One of the enemies called out that he would answer his challenge. Qa’qa’ bin ‘Amr At-Tameemi asked who he was and what was his name. He answered: