Part 46

Since Jareer bin ‘Abdullah bin Jabir 2 was the leader of the Yemeni delegation he spoke on their behalf and said:

“O Messenger of Allah 4%, we sincerely promise to respect all these commands of Islam.”

Saying this he moved forward and placed his palm in the palm of the

Prophet #, and gained the supreme blessing and gift of Islam. Thus the members of the delegation were elevated to the most excellent position among human beings, that of Muslims.

After becoming a Muslim, the first great achievement of Jareer bin ‘Abdullah bin Jabir % was the destruction of Zulkhalsah. The Yemenis considered Zulkhalsah to be a very holy temple and people came here to ask for the fulfilment of their desires. In fact it was well-known as the ‘Ka’bah of Yemen’. People would come from great distances and the worship of the idol installed there was considered a religious duty.

Addressing Jareer bin ‘Abdullah bin Jabir .%, the Prophet 38 said:

“O Jareer will you not destroy the largest temple of Yemen to please me?”

“O Prophet of Allah, what greater honour could there be for me than that you have selected me to accomplish this great mission. T am ever ready to obey you and very soon you will hear some good news in connection with this matter. But | have a request; I am not able to sit firmly on horseback due to some weakness inherent in me. So when riding I have to face embarrassment at times. Please offer supplications to Allah to make me stronger.”

So the Prophet # prayed thus:

“O Allah please grant Jareer bin ‘Abdullah # the ability to sit firmly on horseback and make him a righteous and true guide for his people.”

These auspicious words uttered by the Prophet # changed the life of Jareer bin ‘Abdullah bin Jabir 4 completely. From that day on he became an ace rider and became famous as a great officer of the cavalry.

Jareer bin ‘Abdullah # left for Yemen with the blessings and best wishes of the Prophet 3, at the head of a troop of a hundred and fifty soldiers. As soon as they reached there they attacked the temple and razed it to the ground in no time.

He sent Abu Artah to Al-Madinah to convey the good news to the Prophet 3s. When this news reached the Prophet 3%, his face lit up with joy, and he prayed for the prosperity and welfare of all the troops.

While Jareer bin ‘Abdullah bin Jabir 4 was still in Yemen, the Prophet 38 passed away. When Jareer # heard this tragic news, he was griefstricken and could not believe his ears. His wish had been to go and meet the Prophet 3 in person, but this was not to be. He went to AlMadinah to meet with the new Caliph, Abu Bakr Siddiq # and pledged loyalty to him and requested that he be acknowledged as the chieftain of the Bajeelah tribe, and allowed to play a prominent part in the battlefield of Jih@d. Since Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq was busy suppressing the seditious revolts which were threatening the very existence of the Islamic state, he did not pay much attention to his request. Getting no response to his request, Jareer bin’Abdullah bin Jabir quietly returned to Yemen, and spent the duration of the Siddiqi Caliphate in his country. He did not take part in any of the important wars being fought against the rebels and the apostates. The whole of this very critical and tempestuous period he spent in complete retirement.

During the caliphate of ‘Umar Farooq the famous battle of Jasr was fought in Iraq. The Muslims had to face defeat there. In the light of the prevailing circumstances, ‘Umar Farooq + called a meeting of all the tribes of Arabia, and appointing their chieftains as Generals, he ordered them to set out for Iraq.

Thus Jareer #& in his capacity as chieftain of his tribe also went to Iraq. On the way he met up with that great General of Islam, Mathna bin Harithah . He was at the time fighting against the Iranian army. The Iranian army and the Mujahideen finally confronted each other at Boyab. The Muslim army attacked the Iranians from all directions and Jareer 4, was given charge of the right wing. The enemy fought with great determination; and because of some strategic moves by the Iranians the Mujahideen faced difficulties. They scattered and split into smaller groups; the consequent weakening of the forces became apparent; Mathna bin Harithah 2 in order to rouse the flagging spirits of his men, shouted out a fresh challenge to the enemy. Hearing his thunderous voice their spirit of Jihad was revived and they became alert. Jareer bin ‘Abdullah %, displaying great courage and daring,

commanded his men to attack the enemy. Because of the encouragement and fearlessness of these two generals, the Mujahideen, once again risking their lives, launched a strong attack against the enemy. This was the critical point of time in the battle; the famous Iranian general., Mehran was killed, and his men lost courage and fled. Thus the army of Islam gained a decisive victory.

The role played by Jareer bin ‘Abdullah was instrumental in demoralising the enemy, and the Muslim Mujahideen were amazed by his skill with the sword and his audacious courage.

After the decisive victory at Qadissiyah the great general, Sa’d bin Abi Waqas 4, conquered ail the minor chieftains and leaders of the surrounding areas and reorganised the Muslim army and advanced towards Madyan, the capital of Iran. En route they had to cross the River Dajlah; realising the imminence of the danger, the Iranians destroyed the bridge on the river to prevent the Mujahideen from crossing it easily. The daring general Sa’d bin Abi Wagas 4, stepped into the deep waters of the River Dajlah astride his horse and all the men followed. They were chatting and joking with each other as if they were out on a picnic on dry land. The Iranians were shocked to see this; they had never expected that the Muslim army would take the destruction of the bridge so lightly and adopt this confident and bold alternative. Their horses were led fearlessly into the waters!

When the Muslim army had crossed the river and almost reached the shore, the Iranians fled panic stricken, screaming;

“Run the jinns are coming! Run for your life, the devils are coming!”

Thus, without any opposition, Madyan was captured. The Shah of Iran, Yazdagar, fled with his family. There were vast treasures in this capital city of Madyan which fell into the hands of the hands of the Muslims. After this all the major cities of Iran such as Jalula’, Nahawind, Khozastan, Tibristan, Khoozistan, Hamdan, Rai, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Faris, Karman, Seestan etc were conquered.

Shah Yazdagar fled in such a cowardly and dishonourable manner that he is remembered even to this day with scorn and derision.

After the conquest of Damascus in Syria, the Islamic flag was soon flying high in Jordan and Hamas as well. The army of Islam next moved on to the banks of the River Yarmook. The platoons of the Muslim army had gathered here from all directions according toa certain set plan. The Romans were alerted by this movement of troops, and moving to the opposite banks of the river, encamped there to challenge the Muslim army. Their considered opinion was that this was the most secure spot from the military point of view. On one side there were mountains and on the other was the River Yarmook. The Christian army consisted of two hundred and forty thousand soldiers. The Mujahideen entrenched themselves opposite the Roman army. As a result the Roman army was now encircled from all sides. On one side was the river, behind them were the mountains and encamped right opposite them was the Muslim army. In the event of a defeat all routes of escape were cut off. Thus the very objectives they had in mind when selecting this site were defeated.

As soon he reached Yarmook, Khalid bin Waleed held a meeting with the four other great Generals - Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah &, ‘Amr bin ‘Aas, Sharjeel bin Hasanah # and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan . He said:

“Since the Romans are planning to launch a very powerful attack with their huge numbers; the only way to counter-attack them is to unite all the armies. My suggestion is that the armies should be united under one Commander-in-Chief. instead of fighting separately under the different generals.

The generals approved of the suggestion unanimously, and by common consent Khalid bin Waleed ¢ was chosen to be Commanderin-Chief.

The Romans too organised their ranks very well. In spite of this the Christian cavalry could not face the attack of the Mujahideen and fled from the battlefield defeated. But, there was no way of escape either as they were encircled from all sides. Behind them were the mountains, on one side was the river and on the other were the Mujahideen. Many Romans were killed and about a hundred thousand were drowned in the river.

Yarmook was of great significance in the conquest of Syria. After this decisive victory the backbone of the Roman resistance was broken. They could not resist the onslaught of the Muslims at any other place after this defeat. The terrible destruction left such a powerful effect on Hergal that he left Syria saying:

“O earth of Syria, greetings to you; you have proved to be very advantageous for the enemy!”

He left Syria for good and took up permanent residence in Rome. A few months later the whole of Syria came under the control of the Muslims. In this battle Jareer bin “Abdullah #s had the distinction of etching his saga of courage and daring on the pages of Islamic history in golden letters. His effective control of the members of his tribe brought to the fore his exceptional qualities of leadership. This youth, brought up in the lap of luxury proved himself to be an excellent general. His expert advice in the planning of military strategy contributed greatly to the success at Yarmook. In recognition of his military and organisational skills he was appointed to a suitable post by the Caliph.