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The Battle of Yamamah was
the fiercest and bloodiest battle so far fought in the history of
Islam. Never before had the Muslims been faced with such a trial
of strength, and they rose gloriously to the occasion under the
leadership of the Sword of Allah. By crushing the vastly superior
forces of the Bani Hanifa led by the redoubtable Musailima, the
Muslims proved themselves to be men of steel. Half a century later
old men would describe this battle in vivid detail to their grandchildren
and end the account with the proud boast: "I was at Yamamah!"
The casualties were staggering. Of the apostates
21,000 were killed-7,000 in the plain of Aqraba, 7,000 in the Garden
of Death, and 7,000 in the mopping up operations of the columns
sent out by Khalid.
The Muslims suffered lightly in comparison
with the apostates, but compared with their own past battle losses,
their casualties were heavy indeed. Twelve hundred Muslims fell
as martyrs-most of them in or near the wadi. 1
Half this loss was suffered by the Ansars and the Emigrants-the
closest and most revered Companions of the Prophet. It is also said
that the martyrs included 300 of those who knew the whole Quran
by heart. Some of the finest of Muslims fell in this battle-Abu
Dujanah, Abu Hudaifa (the commander of the left wing), Zaid (brother
of Umar and commander of the right wing). While Zaid fell, Umar's
son, Abdullah, survived.
When Abdullah returned to Madinah he went
to pay his respects to his father, but there was no welcome in the
eyes of Umar as he looked at his son. "Why were you not
killed beside Zaid? Zaid is dead and you live! Let me not see your
face again!"
"Father", pleaded this
brave young man, "my uncle asked for martyrdom and Allah
honoured him with it. I also sought martyrdom but did not attain
it." 2
In the Battle of Yamamah, Abu Bakr's campaign
against the apostates reached its high-water mark. This was the
climax. Abu Bakr's strategy of using Khalid as his right arm to
fight the main apostate chiefs in turn, going from nearer to farther
objectives, had met with admirable success. Henceforth things would
be easier.
One episode remains to be narrated before
we finish with the Battle of Yamamah. On the day that the city of
Yamamah opened its gates, Khalid sat outside his tent in the evening.
Beside him sat Muja'a. They were alone.
Suddenly Khalid turned to Muja'a. "I
want to marry your daughter!"
Muja'a stared in amazement at Khalid. He
could not possibly have heard aright!
Khalid, his tone more insistent, repeated,
"I want to marry your daughter!"
Muja'a now realised that Khalid was not
mad, that he knew what he wanted. Yet in view of the occasion, the
whole idea seemed utterly ridiculous. "Steady, O Khalid!"
he replied. "Do you want the Caliph to break your back and
mine also?"
"I want to marry your daughter",
repeated Khalid. And that very evening he married the beautiful
daughter of Muja'a bin Marara.
A few days later Khalid received an angry
letter from Abu Bakr. "O son of the mother of Khalid!"
wrote the Caliph. "You have time to marry women while in
your courtyard the blood of 1,200 Muslims is not yet dry!"
When he had read the letter Khalid muttered, "This must
be the work of that left-handed one!" 3
However he continued to enjoy his new bride.
It seems that he had discarded the glamorous widow of Malik bin
Nuwaira. We do not know what happened to that lady, for history
makes no further mention of the beautiful Laila with the gorgeous
eyes and the lovely legs.
1. The visitor to Jubaila today is shown
a graveyard on the southern bank of the wadi where the Muslim martyrs
lie buried, and on the northern bank he is shown a low mound between
the village and the gully, where the apostate dead were buried.
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, pp. 512-3.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 519.
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