Bazigaar
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Omar Weeps
The rich booty from the White Palace at last reached Medina. It lay heeped in the Prophet's Mosque. The sight of it brought tears to Omar's eyes. "There is nothing to weep at," remarked one of the men standing near him.
"I weep," said Omar, "because riches beget enmity and mutual bitterness. A nation which has these evils loses its respect."
The botty also included the Emperor's sword. Its handle was inlaid with jewels or rare beauty. The Caliph admired the beauty of the sword and also praised the honesty of the troops, who has kept back nothing from what had fallen into their hands.
"Commander of the Faithful," remarked Ali, "When you yourself set a lofty example of honest, why should your people not be honest?"
The Battle of Nahawand
Omar had no wish to conquer Iran. All he wanted was to take back Arab lands from the Iranians. This done, he watned to be left alone. He often said, "I wish there was amountain of fire between us and the Iranians, so that we could live in peace." But Yezdgird would not let the Muslims live in peace. All the time he was trying to get back what was once his. This led to constand fighting, the one at Jalul being a most terrible battl.e Everywhere the Iranians were beaten. Yezdgird fled form place to place but he would not make peace. At last he went to Khorasan and settled down in Merv. Here he began preparations for an all-out war on the Muslims.
Saad wrote to the Caliph about what was going on in Iran. Some people suggested that Omar himself should lead an army against Yezdgird. But Ali differed with this view. He wanted the Caliph to remain in the capital. Omar liked Ali's advice. He appointed Naaman bin Maqran the Commander of the Army sent against Yezdgird. Naaman was ready to give battle in the month of Muharram, 19 A.H.
The Iranian Emperor led an army of one hundred and fifty thousand men. The two armies met at Nahawand. For two days they fought without a clear gain to either side. On the third day, the Iranians went behind fortifications. The Muslims did not want to prolong the fighting; so, by a clever stratagem, they lured the enemy out into the open.
Grim hand-to-hand fighting now began. It went on until late in the evening. So much blood flowed that the battlefiled became slippery. Commander Naaman's horse slipped. He fell down and got wounded. But his brother at once sent him to a safe place. Then he put on Naaman's turban and cloack, and rose his horse. Thus the army knew nothing about the Commander's absence and kept on fighting as desperatlye as ever.
Under cover of night, the Iranians took to flight. But they were pursued and killed by the thousands. Huge booty fell into the hands of the victors.
Naaman's wounds proved fatal. However, he liked to hear the happy news of victory. "A thousand thanks to Allah," he gasped, "send news to Omar." The next moment he was no more.
Omar was glad to hear the news of victory. But when the messenger told of Naaman's death, the Caliph started weeping and wept for a long time.
Iran in Muslim Hands
After the victory of Nahawand, Omar made up his mind to put an end to the problem of Iran once and for all. The cities of Basrah and Kufa had already been founded in Iraq. They served as military bases for the Muslims. From these bases, several armies were ordered to march under different commanders to the various provinces of Iran. They completed their task of conquest in about five years. By the year 23A.H., almost the whole of Iran was part of the Muslim empire. Hakam bin Omair Taghlabi marched as far east as [East Pakistan]. A big Baluch army came to oppose him. The Raja of Sind also sent his army to reinforce this host. Hakam won the day. Makran became a prt of the Muslim empire. Hakam wanted to march still farther east. He wanted to carry the standard of Islam to India. But Omar was not in favor of extending his empire. He did not want to spill Muslim blood for the sake of extending his frontiers. So he forbade Harkam to march beyond Makran.
Yezdgird continued to cause trouble for some time. He made several bids to win back power by raising armies. He even got military aid from the neighboring Turkish kingdoms. However, all his attempts failed. At last he gave up hope and fled to Transoxnia, where he was killed during the reign of Othman.
The Syrian Campaign
War with Byzantium was on when Omar became Caliph. In a few more days the enemy suffered a big defeat at Yarmuk. But the enemy was not oging to take this defeat as a final settlement of relations with the Arabs. Byzantium was bent upon wiping out the blot of the defeat. Soon big armies were gathered at Damascus and at Fahl. The emperor of Byzantium wanted to take back what he had lost. He also wanted to teach the Arabs a lesson, which they might never forget. The Muslim Commander, Abu Obaida wrote to the Caliph asking for instructions. Omar wrote b ack that he must offer a fight on both fronts. So Obaida laid a seige to both the cities.
Fall of Damascus
Damascus was the capital of Syria. Its defences were very strong. Abu Obaida, assisted by able generals like Khalid bin Walid, Amr bin As and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan, was directing the attack. But the Byzantine forces had shut themselves up in the city, and would not come out to fight. Khalid was constantly on the look-out for an oppurtunity. He hardly slept at night. One night he noticed unusual excitement inside the city. Spies brought the news that a son had been born to the Governor and people had given themselves up to drinking and merry-making.
Khalid saw his chance. He crossed the moat, in the company of a few picked men. They had strong ropes with them. With these they succeeded in climbing onto the city wall. Then they jumped down, killed the guards and threw open the gate. Up went the shout of, "Allah is Great," Khalid's troops had rushed into the city!
The Byzantine commanders were taken by complete surprise. Hastily they opened the opposite gate of the city, went to Abu Obaida and begged for peace. Abu Obaida knew nothing of Khalid's daring exploit. He readily granted them peace on easy terms.
Marching from the opposite gates, Khalid and Abu Obaida now knew of the cleverness of the enemy. However, he stuck to the terms that had been granted. Damascus fell in the month of Rajab 14A.H.
Yazid bin Abu Sufyan was appointed governor of Damascus. He and his younger brother, Muavia, conquered the surrounding country and its towns.
Bazigaar
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Rustam Humbled
With an army of hundred and twenty thousand, Rustam advanced to Qadisiya. Here he dug up for the battle. But he feared the Muslims at heart. So he went on putting off the battle for weeks. Envoys kept coming and going from one side to the other. The last envoy to visit Rustam was Mughira bin Shaaba. Rustam did all he could to dazzle the eyes of the Arab envoy. He sat on a throne of gold with a crown of diamonds on his head. The whole court was decked with brocades, gold and diamonds.
Mughira got down from his hourse and walked straight to Rustam's throne. He climbed onto it and sat by Rustam's side. All present were taken back. The guards ran forward and made Mughira get down from the throne.
Mughira remained cool. Addressing the courtiers, he said:
"O nobles of Iran, I thought you were wise. But you have proven quite silly. We Muslims do not raise men to the position of gods. The weak among us do not beleive in the overlordship of the strong. I thought you also followed the same practice. I never knew that the strong among you were raised high and were worshipped by the weak. I never knew that you did not believe in the equaitly of men. If I had known that, I would never have come to your court. But let me tell you that you cannot save your empire by these methods. Unrest among the weak will turn the tables against you." Mughira's speech ended the peace talks. But his words continued to ring in the ears of the Iranian nobles.
The Battle at Last
In the month of Muharram, 14A.H., the battle of Qadisiya began at last. Saad bin Abi Waqqas, the Muslim Commander, was sick with sever pain. So he sat on the roof of a near-by house and directed the operations from there. After the early afternoon prayers, Saad ordered the attack. As was the Muslim practice, the commander raised three shouts of "Allah is Great!" At the fourth shout, the army went into action. The fight went on until late in the evening. Iranian elephants were again a bug-bear fo the Arab horses. Muslim archers did their best to him them and their riders. But the elephant problem still remained unsolved. The first day ended with an advantge for the Iranians.
On the morning of the second day, the battle began again. The dead were buried. The wounded were left to the care of the women. Before fighting started, reinforcements from Syria arrived. These troops were six thousand in number. But they came galloping in small parties. Thus they kept pouring in until evening. The strategy made the Iranians think that the Muslim army was swelling at a fearful rate. The thought sowed dread in the hearts of the Iranians.
The Syrian troops thought of a very clever way of fighting the elephant danger. They covered their camels with big black, flowing cloaks. The sight made the Iranian elephants unmanageable. The two armies remained locked in a life and death struggle until midnight. Bahman, Prince Shahr Baraz and many other Iranian leaders were killed. The Muslims had a clear advantage on the whole.
A Strange Incident
A strange incident took place on the second day of the battle. Abu Mahjan Thaqfi was a great warrior and a good poet. Saad put him in prison because he had been found drunk. From the prison window, the brave warrior looked at the stirring scenes of the battle. He longed very much to be in the thick of the fighting. Presently Saad's wife, Salma, passed by. He entreated her to set him free so that he might also fight. "If I live until evening," he assured her, "I will walk back into this cell and put on the fetters." Salma was moved by the appeal. She set him free. Abu Mahjan at once darted into the thick of the battle. Saad noticed from the house top the outstanding feats of a particular warrior. Whichever way he turned, he broke the lines of the enemy. Saad was full of praise for his courage and wanted to know who he was.
At night, Abu Mahjan came back to his prison and put on the fetters. In the morning Saad's wife told her husband all about the brave prisoner. Saad then knew who the wonderful warrior of the previous day was.
"By Allah!" declared Saad, "I cannot keep behind bars a man who loves Muslims so much."
"By Allah!" declared Abu Mahjan as he got his freedom, "I will never touch wine again."
Rout of the Iranians
The battle entered the third day. The Iranian elephants were still a problem. Saad asked to Iranian Muslims how best to solve the problem.
"Put out their eyes," they said. There were two big elephants the led the rest of the herd. Two Muslim warriors took it upon themselves to deal with one of the giant bests. At one and the same time, they put out both its eyes with their spears. Then one of them cut off its trunk. The same thing was done to the second giant beast. Mad with pain both the elephants reeled back into the river. The rest of the herd followed the blinded leaders. From then on, the elephants were seen no more.
The battle raged with full fury the whole day and throughout the night. When morning came, the chiefs of different Arab tribes shouted out to their men to make one final rush. At this call, men jumped down from horses. With drawn swords they thrust themselve into enemy lines. Before noon they were in the heart of the Iranian host. Some of them reached as far deep as Rustam, the Iranian Commander. Sitting on his throne of gold, Rustam was directing the fight. Take by surprise, he jumped down and gave a good fight. But he was slain at last by a Muslim soldier, Halal bin Alqama. Halal jumped onto Rustam's throne of gold and shouted out, "By the Lord of the Kaaba, I have slain Rustam.!"
The death of Rustam completed the Iranian rout. Darufsh-i-Kawiyani fell in Muslim hands. Thirty thousand Iranians were killed. The Muslim loss was eight thousand killed.
Calpih Receives the News
Omar was very anxious about the outcome of the battle. Each morning, he walked a few miles out of Medina and waited for the messenger of Qadisiya. One day, as he sat waiting, a camel-rider appeared in the distance. "Wherefrom?" asked Omar, as the man came near.
"From Qadisiya," came the reply, and the man kept galloping on.
Omar ran by his side to keep pace and asked, "But what news have you brought?"
"Allah has granted victory to the Muslims," was the answer.
Thus Omar went on running by the side of the messenger, getting more details from him. When the two reached the town, people greeted Omar as the "Commander of the Faithful". The messenger was taken aback. He had never seen Omar before.
"O Commander, of the Faithful," he said in a low voice, "why did you not tell me who you were?"
"No harm has been done," said Omar. "Please go on with the details of your message."
The Conquest of Iran
A party of Muslims will take the White Palace of the Iranian Emperor," the Holy Prophet had foretold several years ago. Madain was the proud capital of Iran. Here lived the mighty Emperor, in his well-known White Palace. The imperial city was not more than forty miles for Qadisiya.
Saad's army rested after the Qadisiya victory for two months. When the men were fresh again, Saad ordered them to march towards Madain. Cities and forts that stood on the way were easily taken. Soon the Muslims reached the banks of the Tigris. The White Palace shimmered in the sun, on the oppostie bank.
The Iranians had destroyed the bridge on the river. So Saad ordered some of his men to get across and make the opposite bank safe for a landing. At once sixty horse-men threw themselves into the river. The sight so frightened the Iranian guards that they ran off, shouting, "The gians have come! The giants have come!"
Saad crossed over with his army. There was no opposition. Yezdgird and his courtiers had already fled.
At last the Muslims were inside the White Palace. Here they met with heaps of precious stones and untold treasures. One-fifth of this rich booty was sent to Medina. The rest was divided among the men. Every soldier got twelve-thousand pieces of gold, in hard cash, in addition to other valuable objects.
Saad and Omar were both grateful to Allah. Their men had shown perfect honesty and uprightness throughout the campaign.
Bazigaar
Age: 124
8286 days old here
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Hazrat Omar bin Khattab The Second Caliph of Islam
...continued from pervious posts...
Yezdgird Hears Strange Talk
Saad received orders that an offer of peace be made to the enemy before fighting was begun. So he chose fourteen chiefs of different tribes to be the envoys of Islam. Yezdgird held his court to receive the envoys. The court was a mirror of the pomp and glory of Iran. The Iranians wanted to dazzle the eyes of the desert dwellers by the display of their splendour. But the Muslims turned out to be made of a different stuff. With shawls of Yemen flung across their shoulders, leather boots on their feet and whips in their hands, they walked fearlessly into the court. The courtiers and the Emperor alike were amaed at the dauntless bearing of the Arabs.
The peace talks began. Yezdgird asked the envoys what had brought them into his territory. Naaman bin Maqran, the leader of the deputation, came forward and said:
"O king, not long ago we were an ignorant and wild people. Allah had mercy on us. He sent to us His chosen Prophet. The Prophet showed us the path of truth. He called us towards good life and rid us of all evils. He had said that if we accepted his message, we would be successful in this world as well as in the next. We accepted his message. He then ordered us to carry his message to the people living in the neighborhood. This message is Islam. It is the fountain-head of all good. It clearly tells what is good and what is bad."
"O nobles of Iran, we call you to the path of the holy faith. If you accept it nothing can be like it. We will leave you alone. We will hand you the book of Allah. That will be your guide. You will have to follow its commandments. But if you reject the message of Islam, you will have to pay the jizya and live under us. You will have to give an undertaking that there will be no more injustice of evil doing in your country. If you refuse to accept this offer too, the sword must decide."
Yezdgird calmy heard this speech, then said:
"O Arabs, not very long ago no people on earth were so wretched or rotten as you. The smallest favor from us was enough to win you. Whenever you did a mischief, we wrote to a frontier chief and he set you right. I advise you to give up your whims of conquest. If you do not have enough food or other necessities, let us know. We will send you supplies. We will also appoint a good ruler over you, that he may treat you kindly."
When the king had finished, Mughira bin Zarara rose and spoke back:
"O king, we were certainly as wretched as you have said; perhaps worse. We ate dead animals, wore skins and slept on the bare ground. But ever since Allah's chosen Prophet appeared among us, we have totally changed. His wonderful teachings and his lofty example have made us leaders of the world. Even proud kings like you fear us now." "O king, any further talk is useless. Either accept the chosen Prophet of Allah and bow before his blessed teachings or agree to pay the jizya. If you accept neither of the two things, then wait for the sword to decide."
Mughira's words made the king lose his temper. "By Yazdan," he roared in anger, "if it were not against the law to shed the blood of envoys, I must have got you beheaded. But I am sending Rustam to deal with you. He will bury you and all your commanders in the trenches of Qadisiya. You are going to get nothing from us except dust." Then the king asked, "Who is the most respectable among you?"
"I" replied Asim bin Omar.
The king got a basket full or earth and had it placed on Asim's head. Asim galloped away, carrying the basket. He took the basket to the Commander, Saad, and placing it before him said, "Congratulations for the victory! The enemy himself has handed over his soil to us." Then he recounted all that had taken place at the Iranian court.
Saad felt much pleased. He took it as a good omen for Muslim victory. Later events proved that he was right.
bazi alien hai
