Battle of Mu'tah

The Prophet sent 3,000 fighters to confront the Ghassanids and their Byzantine allies who had killed his envoy al-Harith ibn Umayr. He appointed three commanders in sequence: Zayd ibn Harithah, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, and Abdullah ibn Rawahah. All three were martyred in succession. Ja'far fought holding the banner until both his hands were severed, earning the title 'The Flying One' (Dhu al-Janahayn). Khalid ibn al-Walid took command and skillfully withdrew the army against a force of 200,000.