Part 39

“You will find him engrossed in hunting a cow. You just have to move forward and capture him.”

When he got the orders from the Messenger of Allah 38, he set out for his destination. It was an enchanting moonlit night; Chief Akidar was enjoying himself, relaxing on his the balcony of his fort with his consort Rubéb and drinking wine. A few minutes later a beautiful healthy cow came running and started beating on the door of the fort. The queen rose up languorously and told her husband:

“Sweetheart your favourite prey has himself come up to your doorstep; darling why don’t you go and hunt it down and bring it back. Then we can enjoy our night together even more with its roasted meat and wine.”

The king, in order to please his beloved wife, ordered that his horse be readied. He went in pursuit of his prey with his brother Hassan and two slaves. All of them rode out of the fort arrogantly on their fast horses. They did not realise that somebody was surreptitiously watching all their movements. Khalid bin Waleed was with his faithful followers, watching this scene angrily; he noted that the king had come out of his fort without any fear of danger. He had taken no precautionary steps. As soon as they raced out of the fort on their horses, they assaulted them suddenly. Akidar’s brother Hassan was killed in the encounter, Akidar himself was captured and presented to the Prophet 38. He forgave him on condition that he paid jaziyah annually. He returned to his kingdom and was installed on the throne. All the tribes inhabiting his kingdom and those living in the coastal areas off the Quizam Sea next to Syria were to pay jaziyah. The Prophet 3 appointed Sharjeel 4 as his ambassador to collect these taxes.

The king of Eela, Yahna bin Robah, on his own reached the court of the Prophet 3%, at the head of a delegation of tribal chiefs. He wished to buy peace by paying jaziya. In reality these tribes were frightened by the domination of the Muslims. The Prophet 3% gave them a written guarantee; it was also noted down in the document that Sharjeel bin Hasanah 4 would perform the duties of an ambassador of the Prophet 38, thus Sharjeel 48 was honoured by the Messenger of Allah 3.

After the Prophet 3% passed away, Abu Bakr Siddiq succeeded to the caliphate. Immediately sedition and revolts reared their head all over the Islamic Empire. The most terrible treachery was the threat of apostasy. The newly converted Muslims started deserting Islam and turning towards kuffar.

Hardly Usamah bin Zaid # had returned from Syria after taking part in Jihad continuously for two months, Abu Bakr Siddig installed him as Caliph and left Al-Madinah leading a Muslim army, He reached Rabthah where Banu ‘Abas, Banu Zabyan and Banu ‘Abdah Manah bin Kandnah had turned traitors to Islam. He raised the flag of

Jihad against them and after a violent war they had to face defeat. But the apostate tribes did not learn any lesson from this satiation. On the other hand many of them established relations with Taleehah bin Khawaled Asdi and Musalimah Kaththab. These two took advantage of the opportunity to declare that they themselves were prophets. The net of deceit and falsehood that they had spread succeeded in entrapping people very fast. To control this threat to the infant Islamic state, Abu Bakr Siddiq 4 did not leave any stone unturned.

The other big evil rearing its head during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr Siddiq , people started refusing to pay zakah. Abu Bakr Siddiq # declared Jihad against such people and he faced this tempestuous period with great courage, daring and determination. He declared in no uncertain terms:

“TL will claim zakah from the person who handed in even a piece of rope as zakah during the reign of the Prophet 38. If he refuses to pay what is due, I will use force to extract it from him and hand it in to the Baitul-Mal.”

In order to root out and exterminate these evils once and for all, Abu Bakr Siddiq # organised eleven armies. He sent ‘Ikrimah e to oppose Musialimah Kaththab, and he ordered Sharjeel bin Hasanah 4 to provide him with reinforcements. But ‘Ikrimah was a little hasty and attacked Muslimah as soon as he reached Yamamah. Musalimah Kaththab had entered the battlefield with forty thousand warriors, and naturally, ‘Ikrimah faced defeat. Since he had not waited for the reinforcements of Sharjeel bin Hasanah -& and tried to win this difficult engagement, he suffered heavy damages. When the Caliph learnt of this he was very annoyed and he dismissed him. He told him net to return to Al-Madinah but to reach Huthaifah and ‘Arafjah who were battling against the peoples of ‘Oman and Muhrah.

Abu Bakr Siddiq sent a messenger to Sharjeel bin Hasanah asking him to wait where he is for the arrival of Khalid bin Waleed &. When Sharjeel bin Hasanah received this ordered from the Caliph he stopped; the soldiers under him were rested and fresh. Some time later Khalid bin Waleed #2 reached there, and took him along with his army and set off for Yamamah to oppose Musalimah Kaththab, He was already encamped in the battlefield, at the head of his forces, ready and

fully armed and equipped. Their morale was very high after their previous victory. But under the command of Khilid bin Waleed #é, the Muslim army routed them displaying courage, daring and experience. Musilimah and his army fled and found refuge in a garden. The Muslim army pursued them and started mowing them down. There were the bodies of all those killed lying all everywhere; in fact this garden came to be known as, ‘Hadeegatul-Maut’ (Garden of Death). Musalimah Kaththab. was clinging to a wall, terrified out of his wits. Wahshi bin Harb targeted him and killed him. He was the same person who had martyred Hamzah 4%. When Musilimah fell to the ground lifeless, a female voice could be heard wailing out in grief. She was screaming.

”O people look! A dark-skinned Negro has killed my handsome chieftain! What will happen to me now? Now even the day will seem like night to me!”

In the Battle of Uhud the same Wahshi bin Harb, in the days of ignorance, before he had accepted Islam, had martyred Hamzah <e, the uncle of the Prophet 38. After he was enlightened with the knowledge of Islam, he often used to remember this black deed of his and weep. Seeing his state the Prophet 3, who was sent by Allah 3% to be the very image of Mercy and Kindness for all the worlds, said to him gently,

“Don’t worry, all the sins committed by a person, before he accepts Islam are automatically forgiven and erased.”

But Wahshi bin Harb had decided that he would atone for his sin by killing a very powerful enemy of Islam. At last he had achieved his aim, and breathed easy after killing a very strong and dangerous adversary of Islam, Musalimah Kaththab.

Next it was the turn of the Romans. Abu Bakr Siddiq 4 heard that the Romans had started military movements on the borders of the Arabian Peninsula and planned to inflict irreparable damages on the Muslim army; he also came to know that they had developed relations with the tribes inhabiting the northern areas. Considering the overall situation, he sent written orders to the generals in command on all the frontiers.

* He wrote to Khalid bin Waleed #e:

“Settle down in the Valley of Teema’ do not move out from there. It is essential that you stay there and try your utmost to cultivate relations with the tribes inhabiting the surrounding areas and form alliances with them. You are strictly ordered not to launch any offensive on any tribe first; if on the other hand, if any tribe should attack you first you should give a fitting reply. Under all circumstances you should continue to ask for Divine Assistance. The duty of a Muslim is to advance and not to retreat. Remember you are to move forward and not to back off.”

The next orders were sent to ‘Amr bin ‘Aas .

“O Abu ‘Abdullah, though I had appointed you to collect zakah from certain tribes, I now wish to give you a duty which will be beneficial for you both in this world and in the Hereafter.”

Amr bin ‘Aas replied:

“I am just an arrow and you are he arksman of Islam you have full authority to send me in any direction you wish.”

Abu Bakr siddiq appointed him Governor of Palestine and instructed him to reach there immediately and take charge.

situation he did not betray his true feelings as it might have affected their morale. He felt they would lose courage. Abu Bakr Siddiq 4 was debating within himself as to whom to appoint as Commander of the forces going to Yarmook, when Sharjeel bin Hasanah reached AlMadinah after travelling all the way from Iraq. He exclaimed:

“The man I was looking for has come to me on his own!”

He named him commander of three thousand men and ordered him to go to Yarmook. It is to be noted that Sharjeel bin Hasanah <> was the commander of one of the armies; there were three others who were ordered to march towards Yarmook. The strategy was that all four would meet up and surround Yarmook.