اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ مِنَّ الشِّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِ۝بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيْمَ۝
اَلْحَمْدُ لله، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا محمد وَعَلَى اَلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرًا
Lessons from the Haroob(حروب) of Ar-Riddah(ردَّة),
we're done with the Riddah(ردَّة) wars, the wars of the apostasy.
Some lessons to be learned from that.
Number one,
that Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه made Islam distinguished from all other.
And he refused to allow Islam to be contaminated with Shirk(شرك).
Religion in its early stage is very susceptible to change.
So it was very critical for Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه to ensure that
Islam, during that critical stage does not change from the way
it was left when Rasool Allah ﷺ passed away.
And that's why Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) as we mentioned in a statement, he said;
لقد انقطع الوحي وتم الدين، أينقص وأنا حي؟
The revelation has stopped, meaning Jibreel(جِبْرِيْل) will not come and fix our mistakes, now.
Jibreel(جِبْرِيْل) is not going to descend after the death of Rasool Allah ﷺ.
"وتم الدين"
And the religion is complete.
So I'm not going to allow to diminish, while I'm alive
I am not going to allow the religion of Islam to go down when I'm still alive.
And it would be an interesting research to study
a comparison between the early stage of Islam and the early stage of Christianity
and the involvement of government in the development of the religion because
government does have a role, on how religion is practiced.
So one cannot rule out the influence of government on the practice of religion.
And that was true even in the time of Khulafa Ar-Rashidoon(خلفاء ألراشدون)
it's true today and it was true with every religion.
With Christianity, there was a lot of involvement from the government side, in the development of the religion.
So the Christianity that we have today,
there is a strong influence of early Roman Empire government
in how the religion reached to the stage, it is in now.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه was now digging the roots for the Islamic government
and the way it will rule over Islam and he's setting the ground rules; as I mentioned to you earlier.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه wanted to ensure
that the people, who already became Muslim
would practice the same Islam they were practicing in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
and I'm not willing to compromise even on a saddle of a horse or a string of a camel,
a rope that you would tie to the camels neck.
He said: I'm not going to forgive them even on a rope tied to a camels neck
that they used to pay it to Rasool Allah ﷺ.
And Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) through a severe battle and conflict,
was able to enforce the law of Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ on the people, who were already Muslim before.
So by the end of the Riddah(ردَّة) wars, everybody in Arabia came to the conclusion
that our Islam will be, the Islam in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ
and it will continue as it is and we will have no say, in changing it.
He also purified the Peninsula from Shirk(شرك)
and he established the Hukm(حكم) of Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ on everyone, equally.
Number two: He purified the peninsula
and made it a launchpad for the conquest that would come later on.
Because you cannot start an expansion unless you have a base
and that base needs to be strong, if the conquest will continue.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه wanted to make sure that the bastion of Islam,
the base would be cleaned from all forms of Shirk(شرك)
and that it will be a strong Jama'ah(جماعة)
that abides by the law and follows the Ameer(أمير).
So it is ready to move on and start spreading the religion to the corners of the earth.
And he succeeded in doing that after the Huroob(حروب) of Ar-Riddah(ردَّة).
Number three, the wars of Riddah(ردَّة) were an opportunity for the Khalifah(خليفه)
to know the characteristics of men.
Because you only know people in time of conflict
in time of peace and security everybody can claim to be everything.
And that's why in time of peace, the Munafiqeen(مُنافقين) stick their heads out.
In the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ, when there's a truce or a lull in war
the Munafiqeen(مُنافقين) would be the loudest in the streets.
And then as soon as conflict breaks out,
they go underground and you can't see them anymore.
So you can't really tell the quality of the people,
until you put them in the Fitnah(فِتْنَه), in the Balla(بلاء), in the trials,
and that's where the reality of what's inside comes out.
So the Huroob(حروب) of Ar-Riddah(ردَّة) were an opportunity for As-Siddique(ألصديق) to know,
who was a true believer and who was a false believer.
أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ ۝
Do people think that they will claim to be believers
and they will not go through Fitnah(فِتْنَه) and then Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ says,
فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ۝
So, Allah will know who are true in their claims, and who are lying.
Everybody is saying that we're Muslim we're believers,
but the Fitnah(فِتْنَه) will determine, who is true in their claim and who's not.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) knew the quality of the people through the Huroob(حروب) of Ar-Riddah(ردَّة).
And that helped him in his choice of leaders.
So it was actually a training course for the leaders of the future.
The ones, who played the most important role in fighting the Riddah(ردَّة)
continue to be the same ones, who will spread the religion to the empires of the day.
Number four, it was the practical Fiqh(فقه) of Riddah(ردَّة),
there were Ayaat(آيات) in Qur'an and Ahadith(احاديث) in Sunnah(سنة) that talked about Riddah(ردَّة),
but it's remained the theoretical concept, because it didn't actually happen in Madina.
In the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ, and there was no actual Riddah(ردَّة) in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
so it was Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), who taught us how to understand
the Ayaat(آيات) and Ahadith(احاديث) of Rasool Allah ﷺ relating to Riddah(ردَّة).
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمرابن الخطاب) and many of the Sahabah(صحابه) did not understand
the meaning of the Hadith(حديث),
أُمِرْتُ أَن أُقاتِلَ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَشْهَدُوا أَن لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ اللَّه وأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
It was Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), who told them, what it means.
So now, the base was ready to send out the armies to spread out the Da'wah(دعوة) of Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ.
So now we're going to start talking about the conquests of Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه
and we'll start with the conquest of Iraq.
Ghazwa Al-Iraq(غزوة العراق) or Fath Al-Iraq(فتح العراق) - the opening of Iraq.
Al-Muthanna Bin Harissa Ash-Shaibani(ألمثنى بن حارثه ألشعيباني) from Bannu Shaiban(بنوشعيبان), from Iraq,
he came to the Khalifah(خليفه) and he proposed to him an idea that was already appealing to the Khalifah(خليفه) and he was thinking about it.
He told him;
I want you to give me authority and appoint me over my people in my area
to wage war against the enemies of Allah in Iraq.
Iraq was part of the Persian Empire.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه approved his proposal.
So now Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) does not have to send an army,
Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه), all what he wants from Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) is to get legitimacy for his position,
which he already had, he was a chief of his tribe,
and to fight with his own people against the enemy of Allah.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه agreed.
Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) started now, using the Karr(كرَءّ) and Far(فر)
the attack and retreat method of fighting against the Persian armies
because of the small group he has; he can't afford a fixed march ahead
to fight the enemy in large confrontation.
So he has used the method of Karr Wal Farr(كرء والفر)
you ambush the enemy in one place and then you retreat
and then you attack in another place and use the method of surprising the enemy.
Because of the small group that he had, he could afford this fast mobility
and it was also more protective for him and his group rather than
have a fixed base, from which to fight from.
Now, keep in mind that Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) is someone we already talked about
we talked about early on in this series.
When Rasool Allah ﷺ was in Makkah searching for support
he was searching for somebody to give him support.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه told him: These are good people, strong men let's go and talk to them.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه went and spoke
and he presented the message of Rasool Allah ﷺ.
So, they asked Rasool Allah ﷺ to speak and he recited some Ayaat(آيات) of Qur'an
and they said: We like this very much and these are words of truth
and a people, who have fought you because of this are an evil people, meaning the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
You remember that conversation?
And then Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) what did he say? He said;
We can offer you support from one side, but we cannot offer you support from the other side.
We can offer you support from the side of the Arabs
but we cannot offer you support from other side of the Persians because
we cannot fight them, we cannot stand up and fight the Persian Empire.
But things have changed now and Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) is a Muslim
and he is the one, who's coming to the Khalifah(خليفه) and urging him
to allow him to fight against them, see how Islam changes the heart.
And if Islam does not bring that change,
then there's a problem in the understanding of the person of Islam.
Because with the Sahara(سحرة) of Firaun(فرعون),
who were willing to stand up against the Nabi(نَبِي) of Allah for a small amount of money.
قَالُواْ إِنَّ لَنَا لَأَجْرًا إِن كُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْغَٰلِبِينَ۝
Are you going to pay us, are going to give us something, if we win?
Firaun(فرعون) said: Yes, I'm gonna pay you a lot and I will make you very close to me.
But when they became believers, these people, who're doing it for money.
Now, when Firaun(فرعون) said: I'm going to kill you,
they would said: We would rather die than give up our religion.
So instantaneously Eeman(ايمان) made them not only give up money,
but give up their lives for Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ.
So that's the transformational power that Eeman(ايمان) should have.
So Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) is saying that
I want you to give me authority and I will do it.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه did give Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) that authority
and he started out the conquest in Iraq.
There was a member of his people, this was a big tribe Bannu Shaiban(بنوشعيبان)
and they belong to Rabiyyah(ربيعة), one of them, his name is Mad'oor Bin Udae(مذعور بن عدي)
he was competing with Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) over the position of leading the effort.
And he sent a letter to Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه and he said;
We are Ahlaas Al-Khail(أحلاس ألخيل),
Ahlaas Al-Khail(أحلاس ألخيل) means, we're stuck to the backs of our horses.
In other words, we ride our horses so much we're so trained in it, we're so good at it.
We're Fursan As-Sabah(فرسان ألصباح), and we are the Knights of the morning.
We attack our enemies early in the morning,
and I have men with me, each one of them is equal to a 100.
And he is asking Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) to appoint him as a leader over the Army's in that area.
So now Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) is dealing with a situation where he already appointed Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه)
and here's somebody else asking for the same position.
And Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) sent a letter to Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) saying that there's a man from my people
who contended with me and try to take away my position or compete with me
in this role that you have appointed me to.
So, I just wanted to let you know about it.
Now, Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه is dealing with the realities of life.
You know, there are some interpersonal issues there are… it happens.
It happens even among Muslims, Muslims are not angels.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه he knows, how to run Jama'ah(جماعة)
he knows how to manage the affairs of the social life of people
and this is part of the ability of the leader.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه to solve this issue
because he was already sending in Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) to lead the entire enterprise.
He sent a letter to Mad'oor(مذعور), telling him I take your word for it, what you said.
Even though it might have been an exaggeration of his abilities Allah Ho Alam(ألله أعلم).
He said: I take your word for what you said and I believe you and I'm asking you
to join hands with Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and to be with him and to follow him, wherever he goes.
Rather than put Mad'oor(مذعور) and Muthanna(مثنى) in the same.
I mean, he could have told Mad'oor(مذعور) to go under the leadership of Muthanna(مثنى),
whom I already appointed, he could have done that and some complications could have came out of that situation.
He said: No! You go with Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد).
So he separated between the two.
Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) is leading an army
and Mad'oor(مذعور) with his group are following the leadership of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
and nobody can contest the leadership with Khalid(خالد).
They all agree to the ability and the leadership of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
I mean, Sahabah(صحابه) of Rasool Allah ﷺ, who are earlier in Islam than him would all admit
that Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه is the most capable among us, in leading Armies.
What was the plan of Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق)?
Al-Muthanna Bin Harisa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) played a role for some time.
But now, Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) wants to have a greater enterprise in the area of Iraq.
So his plan was to send two armies, one army to attack from the south east
and the second army to attack from the northwest.
The army that would attacked from the south east was the army of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
and he sent him a letter saying go on towards Iraq.
Because Khalid(خالد) was in Al-Yamamah(أليمامة) he just finished off
the Harb(حرب) with was Musailimah Al-Kazzab(مسيلمة ألكذاب).
Go on towards Iraq, until you enter it
began with the gateway to India, which is Al-Ubullah(ألأبلَّى),
they used to call the area of Al-Basra(ألبصرة), they used to call it the gateway to India,
because anybody traveling to India would go through the Persian sea.
So they would call it the gateway to India, he said: And start from the gateway to India
and Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) it is interesting as if Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه is seeing the map in front of him.
When there were no maps, in their hands.
He said: So you enter from the gateway to India, which is Al-Ubullah(ألأبلَّى)
render that people of Persia and those nations under their rule peaceable.
And then he sent an army from the northwest,
under the leadership of Ayyad Bin Ghanam(عياض بن غنم), one of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم
and he told him to attack from Al-Musayikh(ألمصيخ) which is the North West.
And then look at this strategic sense of Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق).
He said: You both start attacking inwards into Iraq
and try racing towards Al-Heira(ألحيرة)
and whoever gets to Al-Heira(ألحيرة) first is the Ameer(أمير) over the other one.
Al-Heira(ألحيرة) was midway between Al-Ubullah(ألأبلَّى) and Al-Musayikh(ألمصيخ).
And Al-Heira(ألحيرة) is in a very strategic position.
It is very close to Al-Madain(ألمدائن) which is the capital of the Persian Empire,
but it's towards the Arabian Peninsula side.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه wanted them to set base in a Al-Heira(ألحيرة).
So, the two armies attack from the north and the south.
They meet in Al-Heira(ألحيرة), they joined together
and then they make their final hit at the Capital, which was a very strategic plan.
This is his letter, he said: When you have joined each other at Al-Heira(ألحيرة),
have broken the defenses of Persia
and are sure that the Muslims will not be attacked from behind.
Let one of you cover the Muslims and his comrade by staying at Al-Heira(ألحيرة).
Let the other attack Allah's enemy and your enemy
in their own house and the abode of their power, Al-Madain(ألمدائن).
Masaleh Kisra(مصالح كسرى), the army base of Kisra(كسرى) was towards the south.
So it was the job of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) to take care of the army basis,
and Ayyad Bin Ghanam(عياض بن غنم) will come from the desert side
and descend south, until they meet in Al-Heira(ألحيرة),
whoever reaches Al-Heira(ألحيرة) first leads the other
and then one of you stays behind and protects the rear of the army
and the other should make a move towards Al-Madain(ألمدائن), the capital of the Persian Empire.
A word on this, Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه wanted to
hit the capital and bring an end to the Persian Empire.
Islam does not recognize a government that does not rule by the Hukm(حكم) of Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ,
but Islam does allow the existence of other religions in the form of Ahluz-Zimmah(أهل الذمة).
So there is tolerance of Ahluz-Zimmah(أهل الذمة) people following another religion,
but the rule should belong to Allah over all the earth.
So there's no recognition at all, in Islam to any disbelieving government.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) wants to hit the Persian Empire at its capital
and bring an end to it and it was a very ambitious plan,
especially that Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه has just finished off Harb Ar-Riddah(حرب الردَّة)
and immediately he is sending out these two armies
and he's not telling them just to take the outskirts.
He's saying: You go straight to Al-Madain(ألمدائن).
Now in his letter, he said;
Render the people of Persia and those nations under their rule peaceable.
It was a Persian Empire, not all of the people were Persian, there were some Arabs.
there were some different races because their rule covered a major part of Asia.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه was saying;
تعلف أهل الفارس ومن كان تحتهم من الأمم
Render these people peaceful, try to attract them towards Islam,
which is a very different message than he was giving to his leaders regarding Al-Murtaddeen(ألمرتدين),
with Al-Murtaddeen(ألمرتدين) he was saying: Whoever lands in your hands, finish them off.
But here he is saying try to attract them, try to bring them close to Islam
because the objective of this war is completely different than the objective of the wars of Riddah(ردَّة).
The wars of Riddah(ردَّة) was intended to bring back Muslims back to the rule of Islam.
While these are wars against people, who have not harmed the Muslims, have not conspired against them.
So now Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه is getting into territories that didn't harm the Muslims.
they didn't break any Muslim law or anything,
this was a war for Da'wah(دعوة)
the purpose of it was Da'wah Ilallah(دعوة الى الله).
So he's saying, when you get into Persia,
try to attract the commoners to Islam, try to bring them closer to the folds of the religion.
So you can see that Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) is dealing with a different standard, with Harub Ar-Riddah(حروب الردَّة)
and these wars of conquest which are done for the sake of Da'wah(دعوة), calling the people to Allah.
He also told the Armies call to arms those who fought against the apostates
and those who have remained steadfast to Islam after the Prophet,
do not let anyone who had apostasized campaign with you, until I give my opinion.
Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) is giving clear instructions to his generals
that you should not allow any of the former Murtaddeen(مرتدين) to join in your armies,
even though they're now Muslim, but they shall not fight with you.
Why would Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه do that?
When, he is in great need for as much reinforcements as he can.
Allah Ho Alam(ألله أعلم) but what you could say is that Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه,
did not want people who have given up Islam at one point of time, join in armies
because maybe their intention would not be pure.
These are wars of Jihad(جهاد) Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله)
these are not wars for booty, these are not wars for expansion
this is not a war for pride, these are not wars to oppress others
this is to bring the people to Islam.
So people who have formerly given up Islam,
how could they go out and invite the people to it?
Even though they were Muslim today, and then he said;
"حتى أرَا رائ"
Until I make a decision otherwise, so he wants to wait.
Therefore, none of the people who participated in the Riddah(ردَّة) were allowed to join in the Muslim armies.
To add to the complication of the situation, he sends them a letter telling them,
ولا تستفتح بمستكرح
And do not force anyone to go along with you.
From the original soldiers that you had, from the people who were Muslim
if they don't want to go along, don't force them to go along,
because this is a voluntary war, this is not a defensive war, this is an offensive war.
Therefore, it is what is called Jihad At-Talab(جهادألطلب).
There is Jihad At-Talab(جهادألطلب), and Jihad Ad-Dafah(جهادألدفع).
Jihad Ad-Dafah(جهادألدفع) is when you're defending yourself, this is Fard Aein(فرض عين) on everyone.
But now this Jihad At-Talab(جهادألطلب) you're attacking somebody else's land,
therefore it's voluntary, it's not Fard Aein(فرض عين)
it's Fard Kifayah(فرض كفاية).
So he told his leaders do not force anyone to go along with you.
So no Murtaddeen(مرتدين) and don't force the Muslims to go, made it difficult.
But Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه saw this as being the most appropriate way to deal with this situation.
Khalid(خالد) asked for reinforcements.
I mean, some of his forces are deserting him.
They're exhausted because of one battle after another, I mean,
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) was described as
لا ينام ولا يترك أحد ينام
He would not sleep and not allow anybody to sleep
Friend or Foe, he could keep everyone busy.
I mean, if you look at the record of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), he's jumping from one battle to another within days.
He's going on from one place to another all over like a tornado.
So obviously, some of his soldiers are having a hard time keeping up with him.
So they start to deserting him, so he's asking for reinforcements.
Who can Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) send?
He doesn't want to force people to go, he doesn't want to allow the Murtaddeen(مرتدين) to join.
So he sends him Al-Qa'Qaa Bin Amr(ألقعقاع بن عمرو), one man.
So, the Khalifah(خليفه) was told.
Are you reinforcing a man who's troops have deserted him, with only one man?
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه said;
An army in which there is the like of this man, will not be defeated?
If Al-Qa'Qaa(ألقعقاع) is in an army, don't worry, that army would not lose.
So he sends one man as reinforcement to Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) gets into Iraq, and he's appointed the general Ameer(أمير) of all of the forces.
So now he has under him 18,000 troops.
So Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), he sends a message and this was the Sunnah(سنة) of our generals,
before war, they would send a letter giving Da'wah(دعوة) to the people.
So he sent a letter to Al-Hurmozan(ألهرمزان), who was in the area of Al-Ubullah(ألأبلَّى),
which is very close to Al-Basra(ألبصرى).
He says: I call you to Allah and to Islam.
If you respond to the call, then you are Muslims.
You obtain the benefits they enjoy, and take up the responsibilities, they bear.
If you refuse, then you must pay Jizya(جزية),
if you refuse the Jizya(جزية) I will bring against you tribes of people
who are more eager for death than you are for life.
We will then fight you until Allah decides between us and you.
Very decisive, clear, to the point, no confusion whatsoever, he sends this letter,
Al-Hurmozan(ألهرمزان) refuses and he decides to fight
so they go out to the battlefield and it was called Marakah Tis-Salasil(معركة السلاسل), the Battle of the chains.
Because the enemy, the heart is so weak, they have to tie themselves to each other in chains.
So, that they wouldn't run away.
While the Muslims are so eager to die, you want the chain to bring them back, to slow them down.
And these are having chains so that they wouldn't run away.
It was a disastrous defeat for the enemy.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) immediately moves on to Al-Mazar(ألمضار), another defeat to the enemy,
Al-Walajah(ألولجة).
When he gets to Al-Walajah(ألولجة) now he's getting into the beautiful places of Iraq
in terms of the farmland and the produce.
So Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) he gave a Khut'ba(خطبة) to his troops before the battle.
He said: Can't you see all of the produce of this land?
By Allah! It struggled for Allah's sake, if Jihad(جهاد) for Allah's sake
and calling the people to Islam were not required of us,
and there were no consideration except our livelihood.
The wise opinion would still have been that we strike this countryside, until we possess it.
And that we leave hunger and decrease whoever stayed behind and didn't join you.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is looking at this blessed land.
He is saying: If Jihad(جهاد) was not a duty on us, and Da'wah(دعوة) is not a duty on us,
just the beauty of this land and the wealth of it, is sufficient enough as a reason to invite us to come here.
And then he said: Let's leave hunger to the ones,
تثاقل عما أنتم عليه
To the ones who are clinging behind to the earth.
The ones who don't want to fight in the path of Allah, let's leave the life of poverty to them.
And Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله),
even though Jihad(جهاد) is not done for the sake of Ghanimah(غنيمه),
it's not done for the sake of booty and livelihood,
but as a reward from Allah,
Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ gives them a life of wealth and gives them longer lives.
And the ones, who stay behind Allah makes them die in loads,
and they live a life of weakness, despair, humiliation,
if we would draw a curve of the number of Muslims, who die during the time of Jihad(جهاد)
and when they stopped Jihad(جهاد)
you would find out that when Muslims are fighting, no one dies, a very small number
and when they stop, millions died.
So it is actually a protection of life, even though it seems as a way to means to deprive it.
Now Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is not inviting the people
to the It-imaat(إطعمات) or the food that's coming out from the land,
he is just telling them that:
I mean, we have a nobler cause, we're not doing it for the sake of Ghanimah(غنيمه).
But Ghanimah(غنيمه) comes as a byproduct of our struggle
Ghanimah(غنيمه) comes as a byproduct.
And the scholars have talked about the issue of having the intention of fighting for the sake of Allah
and also fighting for the sake of Ghanimah(غنيمه).
Some scholars approve that intention and some of them say: No!
The intention should be purely for the sake of fighting.
But this again, an issue of Fiqh(فقه). We're not going to get into.
Another defeat of the enemy.
I mean with Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), it's redundance.
I mean, we're going to keep on saying that he won, he won, he won.
Because that's all what happened to him, he never really lost, at all.
In the next battle, Ulais(أليس) and Amkeshia(أمكيشية).
Again, he defeated the enemy and a great number of them were killed in that battle.
So all of this news was getting to Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) one victory after another.
So, Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق), he said;
O people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ): Your lion has attacked the enemy's lion and overcome him,
taking away the pieces of his prey.
And then he says: Women are incapable of ever giving birth to the like of Khalid(خالد).
Women cannot give birth to a man like this.
So now they reached to Al-Heira(ألحيرة).
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) wasn't only good at fighting,
but he was very good at diplomacy and he would succeed in many occasions,
in having people give up and surrender without a fight.
So he talks to the four chiefs of the major castles or forts in Al-Heira(ألحيرة)
and these were Christian Arabs.
So he gives them the three options of becoming Muslim or paying the Jizya(جزية) or fighting.
So, they said: We're gonna pay Jizya(جزية).
Khalid(خالد) told them: May you perish, woe to you.
Disbelief is a desert that makes one lose his way.
It is only the foolish one, among the Arabs, who would follow it.
And this also shows that the intention of Jihad(جهاد) wasn't Jizya(جزية), wasn't money,
because the Muslims would be better off, if people didn't become Muslim.
Financially it's better for the government that people do not embrace Islam, because of Jizya(جزية).
So, these people agreed to pay a huge amount of money but
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) told them: Woe to you, may you perish.
Can't you understand, that disbelief is a desert that makes one lose himself.
But they insisted and they said: We don't want to become Muslim.
So, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), knows that,
فو اللَّهِ لأنْ يهْدِيَ اللَّه بِكَ رجُلًا واحِدًا خَيْرٌ لكَ من حُمْرِ النَّعم
For Allah to guide one man through you, is better than a flock of camels.
That's a Hadith(حديث) in Bukhari(بخاريْ).
So they wrote a contract, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), he wrote:
In the Name of Allah, the all Compassionate, the Merciful.
This is the covenant that Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) has made with so and so, the four names.
Khalid(خالد) has given them a covenant in return for 190,000 Dirham(درهم)s payable annually
for the Jizya(جزية) of those working in this world, including their monks and priests,
except for those among them, who have no work cut off from worldly life, or those who are traveling.
In other words, the monks who are in monasteries
and living a life of Zuhud(زهد) and devotion and are far away from Duniyah(دُنِيَّا), they don't pay Jizya(جزية).
But the other monks who are practicing a normal life should pay it.
Khalid(خالد) promises them protection.
So you pay Jizya(جزية) and the Muslims promise protection, if he does not protect them,
then they have no obligations, until he does protect them.
So if the Muslims cannot protect them, they pay them their money back.
If they commit betrayal indeed or word,
then the Muslims conscious is free of any obligation to them.
So this was the agreement between Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and the people of Hiera(حيرة).
So now Heira(حيرة) is the new base of the Muslim forces in Iraq.
Now, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is sending the letters to the kings of Persia
he has a base inside their land.
So now he took the step of sending out letters to all of their prominent leaders.
There was one version sent to the kings and another version sent to the governors.
The letter sent to the kings:
In the Name of Allah, the all Compassionate, The Merciful
from Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) to the kings of Persia.
Praise be to Allah, Who has dissolved your order,
made your plotting weak and divided you among yourselves.
Therefore enter into our faith, we will leave you and your land alone
and pass beyond you to others different than you.
If not, that will happen anyway.
Meaning become Muslim so that we can go beyond you and give Da'wah(دعوة) to other people.
If you don't become Muslim that will still happen, we'll cross over you and reach others.
If not, that will happen anyway, even though you loath it,
by force at the hands of the people who love death, just as you love life.
Now, this letter took their kings by surprise, they couldn't believe this.
These people came out of nowhere they established base in our land,
and then they're telling us either become Muslim otherwise,
and in these very stern and straightforward terms, it just drove them crazy and they became very angry.
Because when Rasool Allah ﷺ sent a letter to the king of Persia, what did he do?
See this was an empire, they were very proud and arrogant.
He tore the letter of Rasool Allah ﷺ apart.
Rasool Allah ﷺ smiled when he heard that news and said;
مضَّك الله ملكة
Allah will tear apart his kingdom.
He sent a letter to the governors, these are the governors of the different states.
In the Name of Allah, they are Compassionate, The Merciful
from Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) to the governors of Persia,
embrace Islam, so that you may be safe,
if not make a covenant of protection with me and pay the Jizya(جزية)
otherwise, I have brought you a people who love death, just as you love drinking wine.
Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه a Karamah(كرامة) happened to him, in Al-Heira(ألحيرة).
One of the leaders of the people of Al-Heira(ألحيرة), who got into a contract with Khalid(خالد),
he was carrying something on his belt.
So Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) grabbed it,
and he poured it in his hand and he said: What is this?
So the man said;
"هذا ولله صم الساعة"
This is a poison that kills in an hour, instantaneously?
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) said: Why are you carrying it?
He said: Because I wanted to see, if you people are truthful or not,
because if you are not, I will try to kill you to save my people, from you.
So he wants to know are these people really following the truth or not?
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) said;
"بسم الله"
In the Name of Allah,
ألذي لا يضرُّ ما إسمه شيءٌ في ألسموات والأرض
"بسم الله"
In the Name of Allah,
whom in His name, nothing can harm you, in the heavens on earth
and he wanted to swallow up the poison.
So everyone around Khalid(خالد) jumped at him, trying to prevent him, What are you doing?
And he was faster than them and he swallowed the whole thing.
So the man was just shocked at that.
And he said: If it's true, then you people are going to rule over the world.
And nothing happened to Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), no harm whatsoever.
Now, this is a very amazing Karamah(كرامة).
Many of our scholars mentioned it, and they didn't say that it was weak.
It was mentioned by At-Tabari(ألطبري), Ibn Sa'ad(إبن سعد), Ibn Kathir(اِبْنِ كَثِيْر),
Ibn Hajr(إبن حجر), Ibn Taymiyah(اِبْنِ تَيْمِيَّه), they all mentioned this story.
So the fact that it was mentioned by so many sources, gives it strength.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد), would not do that.
If he even had a slight doubt that he might be killed because to would be suicide.
So when Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) did that he was at the level of Yaqeen(يقين).
And Allah سبحانه وتعالى inspire to him, that nothing will harm you.
And that the Dua(دُعَا) that you're making is a sword that will destroy your enemy.
And because Dua(دُعَا) is like a sword, if it's in a weak hand, it wo'nt.
You see, we say that we make Dua(دُعَا) but Allah does not accept our Dua(دُعَا).
The problem is not in the Dua(دُعَا), the problem is in the person making the Dua(دُعَا).
Because Dua(دُعَا) is like a sword, it's very sharp.
The problem is with the one carrying the sword,
some people are strong they can use it and some people are weak they can't.
So the problem is not with the sword itself, the problem is with the one, who was holding it.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) has Yaqeen(يقين) in Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ he makes that Dua(دُعَا),
in the name of Allah, Dhikr(زكر) of Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ and he swallows the whole thing.
And nothing happens, to him.
Karamah(كرامة) that happened to Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه.
He moves on to Al-Anbaar(ألأنبار) massacres the enemy, Ain Tamr(عين تمر) same thing,
Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل) and now Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) has left out of Iraq.
And he has reached the crossroads between Arabia,
the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire.
Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل) very critical place.
So it gets to Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل).
And Rasool Allah ﷺ already had interest in Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل) during his lifetime,
so he sent armies to Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل) because it's very critical place.
It's at a triangle where the Arabian Peninsula meets with Iraq and with the Roman Empire.
So, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is now moving towards Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل) and he is moving swiftly.
So the news reaches to Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل),
which was under the leadership of two men, one of them was Ukaidar(أوكيدر).
Ukaidar(أوكيدر) has made a peace agreement with Rasool Allah ﷺ and then he broke it.
What happened was Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) has captured Ukaidar(أوكيدر) and took him to Madina.
So Ukaidar(أوكيدر) met with Rasool Allah ﷺ
and he promised Rasool Ullah, that he is not going to be against him anymore.
So Rasool Allah ﷺ gave him peace, granted him peace, so he left.
But then Ukaidar(أوكيدر) betrayed his promised to Rasool Allah ﷺ
and turned against the Muslims, so this is the background of Ukaidar(أوكيدر).
Ukaidar(أوكيدر) is now hearing the news that Khalid(خالد) is on his way towards us.
And he knows Khalid(خالد), he was captured by Khalid(خالد). He said:
I am the most knowledgeable of you, about Khalid(خالد).
No one is better omen than he, he has such a good omen,
nor sharper in war - there's nobody sharper than him in war.
No people, regardless of whether they are few or many
ever see Khalid(خالد)'s face but that they flee from him.
Therefore obey me and make peace with the enemy.
He said: Listen, I know this man. No one ever meets him and sees his face in battle, but loses.
There is nobody sharper than him in war,
and there is no one who has good luck like him, they blame it on luck.
He said: Make peace with him, his people refused.
So he said: I'm gonna leave you then.
And he decides to leave his people alone.
Khalid(خالد) hears news of that.
He succeeds in capturing him again and he executed him.
Because of his betrayal, and Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) opens Daumat-Ul-Jandal(دومة الجندل),
Al-Haseid(ألحصيد) he wins in that battle,
Al-Musaikh(ألمصيخ), he wins in that battle.
I'm not going through all of the details of the battles
because of the complications of the names and the places.
But two things in Al-Musaikh(ألمصيخ), Udae(عدي) narrates that
there was a man in his house surrounded by his family, his wife, his daughters, his sons,
and he had a big pot of wine in front of him, and it's late at night, and he's telling them to drink.
They said: It's so late.
He said: Drink a partying draft.
For I do not think that you will drink wine after it.
Here is Khalid(خالد) and his troops and will not leave us alone.
Khalid(خالد) is on his way, have your last drink.
So they started drinking and he recited lines of poetry. He said;
Will you not drink before the disaster
a little after the people have been puffed up with abundant drinks
and before our deaths, which by fate will strike at a time that will neither increase or decrease?
I mean, this guy was at a fatalistic stage, pretty much given up living.
So he just wants to have a last drink of wine before he leaves this world.
Udae Bin Hatim(عدي بن حاتم) said: We landed in his tent, and we
cut off his head and it landed in his pot of wine.
And then we executed his sons and took his wife and daughters.
Also in Al-Musaikh(ألمصيخ) another incident happened.
There were two Muslims, who had a contract of peace from Rasool Allah ﷺ,
granting them peace and they were Muslim and they got killed.
So the family complained to Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه they said;
These are two Muslims and they were killed.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه, he did pay blood money but then he said;
This is what happens to the ones, who live besides Ahlul-Harb(أهل الحرب) in their land.
You are living in the land of Harb(حرب) and this is what happens to people, who do that.
He is sort of saying that, it's your fault.
So there were collateral damage, they ended up dying.
The Muslims did not know that they were Muslim.
So in those days, the Muslims did not see it acceptable at all to live among Non-Muslims
we are living in an exceptional time
because of the lack of the existence of the rule of Allah is different.
But to understand the mindset of the early Muslims, they didn't see this as something acceptable.
And Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) now he's getting deep into the areas between Al-Iraq and Ash-Sham(ألشام).
I mean, he has left Iraq now and set base there,
and now he's getting into the territory that is between the Persians and the Romans,
and he reaches to Al-Firat(ألفرات).
This battle is not famous, but it's very important event,
because Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) in Al-Firat(ألفرات) is going to meet an international coalition
of the two superpowers, alongside the puppet Arab governments of the time.
You had the Roman Empire alongside the Persian Empire,
with the tribes of Taghlub(تغلب), Nimr(نمر) and Iyaad(عياد).
At-Tabari(ألطبري), he narrates he says the Romans became hot an angry
and sought help from the nearby outposts of the Persians,
who had also become hot and angry
and sought reinforcements from Taghlub(تغلب), Iyaad(عياد) and Nimr(نمر).
Now the arch enemies were the Romans and Persians.
But the Romans were so furious with what's going on,
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is now in our land.
They were seeking help from the Persians.
They said: Send us reinforcements, let's have an international coalition and fight these people.
And the Christian Arabs of the area joined in with them.
So it was a massive army, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) he dealt with it and he defeated them.
What happened is before the battle, see they were separated by the river.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and his army on one bank and the enemies on the other bank.
So they told, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) either cross over to us or we will cross over to you.
He said: No you cross over to us.
They said: All right, then back away so that we may cross.
He said: No, I'm not gonna back away, go from over there.
Find the place and come I'm not gonna move from my place.
So they had to go around, cross from another place and come and meet him.
But again, he defeated them.
The Romans and Persians did sense the danger in Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد),
they said to one another, protect your kingdoms.
This is a man who is fighting on the basis religion.
He is intelligent and knowledgeable, they gave him credit.
Now, when this coalition was defeated.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) was not satisfied with that.
He said: Pursue them and grant them no respite.
Don't give them any rest just stick at their backs and don't give them a break and he kept on pursuing them as far as he could.
So Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) in his way of fighting.
Whenever he gets a break through, he pursues it
and he keeps on at the enemy's neck as far as he could go.
So his reputation was, Yani(يعني), the enemy used to have this terror from Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
because they know that even if they turn their backs,
he's not gonna allow them to leave.
So before they come to battle, their knees are already shaking.
When they hear the name of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and all of the stories about him
swallowing poison, nothing happens to him
and the rumors are going around that he has received a sword from heaven.
See, they misunderstood SaifUllah(سيف الله)
because the name of Khalid(خالد) was SaifUllah(سيف الله) the sword of Allah.
What they understood is that he received a sword from God.
So in one battle with the Romans, they actually asked Khalid(خالد) to come forth
and the leader of the army went to investigate this matter.
He asked Khalid(خالد), He said: Is it true that you are given by your Prophet a sword that came from God?
He said: No, that's not true.
It's just that the Prophet said that I am a sword of the swords of Allah.
He didn't lie, he told him the truth.
Now, this is an amazing story, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and his army are in Al-Firat(ألفرات),
which is between Syria and Iraq, very faraway land.
He wants to go back to Iraq, he wants to go back to Al-Heira(ألحيرة).
That's where his base is, that's where he belongs, and he's made it huge distance now.
So he wants to go back.
So he sends his army and usually when you send an army and you're traveling long distance,
you would break the army up,
and it would have a rear army to protect the army that is ahead to protect it from behind
so the army is marching in two segments.
There's a separation between them could be hours, it could be days.
So he sends the major part of the army ahead,
and then he has a small branch of the Army, marching behind it to protect it
so that it wouldn't be ambushed from behind, especially that he just finished
fighting with the three powers of the area's the Arabs, Romans and the Persians.
He wants to make sure that the back is protected.
So they're traveling from the extreme west of Iraq or actually in Syria, to Al-Heira(ألحيرة),
which is in the central area of Al-Iraq close to Karbala(كربلا), and Najaf(نجف).
So Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه is with the rear army.
Khalid(خالد) goes to his close friends, and he tells them, how about to make Hajj(حَجْ) this year?
And that was the season of Hajj(حَجْ).
And for those of you, who have been to Makkah, and who has seen Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه),
Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) is like a magnet
that draws you close to it wherever you are on the face of the earth.
If you visited the Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه) once you're addicted.
"وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا"
We have made the house of Allah Masabah(مثابة),
Masabah(مثابة) is a place that you would always want to go back to, Yatuboo Alai(يطوبو عليه)
you want to go back to again and again.
You see it once, you're hooked for life,
and people who have this feeling they start getting this feeling before Hajj(حَجْ),
you know, like a person who's on drugs.
You feel that aching feeling whenever you see it.
So when the season of Hajj(حَجْ) comes, you feel it in your blood, you want to go there.
So, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) now, wants to go to Hajj(حَجْ), it's too late.
They're telling him what are you talking about, we're hundreds of miles away.
He said: Just believe me, let's go.
So he chooses this close group of his friends
and they decide they're going to give it a shot and go to Hajj(حَجْ).
Now they have never enter Al-Firat(ألفرات) before they don't know the territory
they have never traveled in that land ever before and they have no guide whatsoever.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) wants to give it a shot and try it out.
Khalid Ibn Walid رضي الله عنه you would assume that these things would come from a teenager.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) at the time was a mature old man.
But Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) was an enterpriser,
an audacious person willing to take any risk,
that was his personality, that was his makeup. Let's try!
It's time for Hajj(حَجْ). Let's give it a try!
So he doesn't tell anybody about the idea.
He only tells a few of the key members of the rear army.
He tells them we're gonna be absent for some time, we're going for Hajj(حَجْ).
Now they are heading in a direction they have no idea where they're going.
فسلك الطريق لم يسلقها إنسانٌ قبلهم قط
At-Tabari(ألطبري) says: They followed the path that was not walked by man before them at all.
Because you had such routes in the desert where people would travel
and you'd have posts along the way to cater to the needs of people.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is now taking a route that hasn't been taken by anybody before him.
وسارع إلى مكة في طريق لم يسلق قبله قط وتعتله في ذالك أمرٌلم يقعل لغيره
And he did something and Allah has given him Karamaat(كرامات)
that happened to nobody before him.
فجعل يسير متعصفًا على غير جاد حتى إنتهاء إلى المكة
At-Tabari(ألطبري) says: He was rushing recklessly
going in a path that he doesn't know until it came out in Arafah(عرفة).
They just made their way through and At-Tabari(ألطبري) says: It was a reckless move.
I mean, they have no guide, they don't know their directions well, they just went ahead.
And these are veterans of war, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) and the men around him.
They can handle such a situation but it was such a great risk.
They went, they made it to Arafah(عرفة) finish their Hajj(حَجْ).
Soon after, shaved their heads and sneaked out without telling anybody.
Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) only hears the news when he's back in Madina and he was very angry.
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) rushes back
and believe it or not, he makes it to the rear of the army before it gets into Al- Heira(ألحيرة).
So this army is traveling within Iraq,
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) rushes makes Hajj(حَجْ)
and goes back and hits the rear of his army
and comes into Al- Heira(ألحيرة) as if nothing happened.
And nobody knew about it, except when they saw their heads were shaved.
What have you done?
Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), just imagine the feeling of Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق),
hearing the news that Khalid(خالد) deserted his army came and made Hajj(حَجْ) and goes back.
So I can only imagine the feeling of Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق)
it will be an ambivalent feeling of both anger and odd.
And he would be surprised that's Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is doing.
And how could anybody do that?
So Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) writes him a letter.
He says: Go until you reach the Muslim armies at Al-Yarmook(أليرموك).
Al-Yarmook(أليرموك) is now in Jordan, so he's sending him back again.
Go until you reach the Muslim armies at Al-Yarmook(أليرموك) for they are distressed and they are causing distress.
The Muslims are having a hard time with the Romans.
Go and save them and then he says;
And do not by any means return to the like of what you have done.
Do not do something like that again, giving him clear orders,
do not do the like of what you have done again.
So it was a very sharp tone.
But when I said the ambivalence of the feeling of Abu Bakr(ابوبكر), he said;
Because no one after the help of Allah can break the enemy like you.
Don't put yourself at risk.
Because no one can break the enemy of Allah like you.
And no one will relieve the distressed Muslims like you.
Our Muslim armies are distressed fighting the Romans.
No one can relieve that distress but you.
So take care of yourself.
And then he says: Congratulations, Abu Sulaiman(أبوسليمان)
on your intentions and your favorite position.
Now it's time for the Khalifah(خليفه) to congratulate Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
for the status that he has achieved.
Therefore complete your work so that Allah may make it complete for you.
Finish your work.
Your role is not over yet, so that Allah will even raise you further up.
Do not by any means let self admiration enter you.
See Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) was not only a leader for them was not only the Khalifah(خليفه)
he was a fatherly figure for all of the Sahabah(صحابه).
He was a scholar, he was their Shaikh(شيخ) because he was the closest one to Rasool Allah ﷺ.
And Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) at that time was in his 60s and he was the most knowledgeable.
So, the relationship was not that of a politician to one of his Cabinet members
it was a relationship of an older brother.
So he's giving them advice.
I mean, you would find it amazing, he's sending out this army
and he's telling the leader of the army have Khushoo(خشوع) in Salah(صلاة).
You know teachings like this, that are usually given by a teacher to the student,
but that was the relationship of Al-Khalifah(خليفه) to his followers. He said;
Do not by any means let self admiration enter you because
Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is at such a high status.
Al-Khalifah(خليفه) wants to make sure that his heart is clean.
That Shaytan(شَيْطَانْ) does not get into his heart.
Do not by any means let self admiration enter you, so that you lose and fall.
See that you do not rely upon any works of yours,
for Allah controls the bestowal of favor and He is the owner of rewards.
Don't let Ujb(عجب) enter your heart and don't depend on your deeds depends on Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ.
So, the letter reaches to Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد)
and he is told to leave Iraq(عراق) and go back to Ash-Sham(ألشام), Al Yarmook(أليرموك), Jordan.
So now Khalid(خالد) was told by Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) to split the army
between him and Al-Muthanna Bin Harissa(ألمثنى بن حارثه).
Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) now is going to lead the armies of Iraq,
while Khalid(خالد) leaves with half of the troops to Ash-Sham(ألشام).
So Khalid(خالد) splits the army into two.
And what he does is, he puts all of the companions of Rasool Allah ﷺ in his half.
Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) goes to him and said: Listen,
I'm not gonna accept this half that you gave me.
You take all of the companions of Rasool Allah ﷺ with you, I'm not gonna allow that to happen.
So Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) I mean, they have the same number of forces.
But even though it was past the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
they would still fighting of what Rasool Allah ﷺ, left them with.
He was the one, who gave them the ammunition for all of this.
So the Fatuhaat(فتوحات) that happened the time of Abu Bakr(ابوبكر),
and that happened in a time of Umar(عُمَر),
were just a product of the Tarbiyat(تربيعة) of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
one Sahabi(صحابي) counts like an entire army.
Rasool Allah ﷺ trained them in Madina.
And the Persian Empire and Roman Empire, they didn't care about Madina,
many of them didn't even know what Madina was?
But they didn't know that the seeds of their destruction were planted in Madina,
that Rasool Allah ﷺ even though he was miles and miles away from them,
he was raising up in the poor quarters of Madina,
the ones, who will spread light to the corners of the world.
So Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) is saying I'm not going to allow you to take these.
So, Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) is giving him one companion after another.
"حتى ألرضى"
Until he pleased him.
And then he moved on to Ash-Sham(ألشام).
And that's another adventure that we're going to talk about later.
Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى), see Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى), again, we said what was his opinion
in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ and how it changed in the time of Abu Bakr(ابوبكر)?
Because of Islam! He talks about that himself. He says,
قد قاتلت العرب والعجم في الجاهلية والإسلام
والله لمائة من العجم في الجاهلية كانوا أشد على من ألف من العرب
ولمائة اليوم من العرب أشد على من ألف من العجم ؛ إن الله أذهب مصدوقتهم
، ووهن كيدهم ؛ فلا يروعنكم زهاء ترونه
ولا سواد ولا قسي فج ، ولا نبال طوال، فإنهم إذا أعجلوا عنها
أو فقدوها، كالبهائم أينما وجهتموها اتجهت
Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) said:
I have fought against the Arabs and Al-Ajam(ألعجم), in Jahiliyyah(جَاهلِيَّة) and Islam.
Al-Ajam(ألعجم) are the non Arabs.
He said: I fight with them in Islam and before Islam,
he says: It used to be that 100 of Al-Ajam(ألعجم) were stronger than 1000 of the Arabs.
But now 100 of the Arabs are stronger than 1000 of Al-Ajam(ألعجم) because of Islam.
And then he says: So don't let their numbers strike fear in your hearts.
And don't let their tall Lance's, spears and powerful bows intimidate you.
Because if they lose them, or if their equipment is taken away from them,
they turn into cattle that you could chase away however you want.
He is saying that the disbeliever without his equipment is like cattle
take him out of the cockpit and he is done.
So, Al-Muthanna Bin Harissa(ألمثنى بن حارثه) is giving here a very strong note to the Muslims,
telling them that the numbers should not have intimidate you,
nor the equipment that they have.
Because in terms of numbers, and in terms of Uddah(عدة), preparation,
they were way stronger than the Muslims.
Ibn Qayyim(إبن ألقيم) says, that the Romans and the Persians had more numbers
and had more equipment and they're well built while their opponents were slim and thin.
I mean, we say that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab(عمرابن الخطاب) was tall and Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد) was tall,
but in general these were people, who came out of the desert.
So in terms of the stature, definitely the armies of the Romans were stronger built than them.
But then Ibn Al-Qayyim(إبن ألقيم) says,
ولكن قلوبهم خانتهم حين كان أهج ألناس عليها
But their hearts failed them, when they needed them most.
So, these big bodies don't have a strong heart
and their hearts failed them when they needed them most.
So the Muslim should not fear all of these worldly calculations
that we have in terms of numbers and equipment and all that stuff because it's meaningless.
I mean, there's something called Al-Wahn(ألوهن), weakness.
Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ can put Wahn(ألوهن) in the heart of somebody,
whose fingers are on buttons of the most powerful weapon on the face of the earth,
but he will not be able to function it.
Because Allah has put Wahn(ألوهن) in his heart.
Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ talks about the Battle of Rasool Allah ﷺ with Al-Yahood(أليهود),
وَقَذَفَ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلرُّعْبَ
Allah cast fear in their hearts, they had the strongest forts,
but Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ when he put fear in their hearts, their force did not help,
their weapons did not help and their numbers did not help.
And Allahعَزَّوَجَلْ is the One, Who controls the hearts and He can put Wahn(ألوهن)
or Ro'ub(رعب) in any heart. Rasool Allah ﷺ says:
نصرت بالرعب مسيرة شهر
I was given victory a distance of a month through fear.
Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) was now given the sole authority over the forces in Iraq.
So, he was the leader there.
Al-Muthanna Bin Harissa Ash-Shaibani(ألمثنى بن حارثه شعيباني), was such a great leader
and general it's a name that you must remember.
He was the one, who played a very important role in Iraq, in opening Iraq
and he continued with Al-Fatoohaat(ألفتوحات) in Al-Iraq(ألعراق), in the absence of Khalid Ibn Walid(خالد ابن وليد).
So, he needed some reinforcements because he was getting deep into the territory of the enemy.
He sends a letter to Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه.
But Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) was busy with a more important priority at the time
and that was the conquest of the Holy Land.
So Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) delayed his response to Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى), he was busy.
When Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) saw that he didn't get back a response from the Khalifah(خليفه).
He decided that he's going to go himself and meet with the Khalifah(خليفه).
So he leaves Iraq and it goes to Madina and he meets with the Khalifah(خليفه)
and explains to him the situation, the Khalifah(خليفه) doesn't have anybody to give him.
Al-Khalifah(خليفه) has mobilized and squeezed,
the tribes for all of their fighting forces and sent them to the Holy Land.
So Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى) said: Then reinforced me with the Muslims, the ex Murtaddeen(مرتدين).
Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) was on his deathbed at that time.
So for his entire Khilafah(خِلَافَه), he has refused to allow Murtaddeen(مرتدين) to join.
Now since things are different, Al-Murtaddeen(ألمرتدين) have stood firm on Islam,
he attested them for two years, Abu Bakr As-Siddique(أبوبكرالصديق) considered it.
So he told Umar(عُمَر), who was next to him.
He said: O Umar(عُمَر), Listen O Umar(عُمَر) to what I say to you, then act according to it.
I hope to die on this day of mine.
If I die, do not by any means let the evening enter before you have summon the men to go with Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى)
if I delay, until the night do not by any means,
let the morning come before you summon the men to go with Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى).
Do not let any catastrophe at all even if it is great, keep you from the matter of your religion and your Lord's counsel.
You saw what I did, on the day of the Messenger of Allah.
See Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) is telling Umar(عُمَر): Do not let any catastrophe hold you back
from fulfilling your duties towards Allah and His messenger, he's alluding to his death.
He is saying: Even if I die, don't let that hold you back from mobilizing the forces on the same day I die
and sending them out with Al-Muthanna(ألمثنى).
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) Abu Bakr(ابوبكر) is not even willing to give a break.
And then he said: You saw what I did on the day the Messenger of Allah died
and the people were never stricken with the like of it.
I mean, you saw what I did on that day
that is when the Khalifah(خليفه) was given Baiyah(بَيْعة) to.
Three days after that I'm sending out the army of Osamah(أسامة).
So the death of Rasool Allah ﷺ was much greater catastrophe than my death.
Did not hold me back from fulfilling my duties.
So I want you O Umar(عُمَر) to follow my way.
Then he says: By Allah! If I were to weaken in the affair of Allah and the affair of His Messenger,
He would abandon me and punish me
so that Madina would be consumed in fire.
If Allah grants victory to the commanders in Syria.
Return the troops of Khalid(خالد) to Iraq, for they are its people,
the governors of its affair alone, and the people of violence and courage against the enemy.
He says: If we finished with the affair of the Holy Land, send the people of Iraq back to Iraq.
That's their land and they are the people of courage and violence against their enemy.
So Al-Muthanna Bin Harissa Ash-Shaibani(ألمثنى بن حارثه شعيباني) was reinforced.
صَلَّى الله عَلى سَيَّدِنَا محمد وَعَلى اَلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ