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Tribal contingents responded
eagerly to the call from Madinah. They came in thousands from all
over the peninsula. From as far away as Oman and the Yemen. They
came mounted and armed for battle, but also brought their women
and children with them. Only those who had apostatised were excluded
from the summons. The concentration of the able-bodied manhood of
Muslim Arabia was both begun and completed in March 634 (Muharram,
13 Hijri).
Abu Bakr now organised the available manpower
into four corps, each of about 7,000 men. The commanders of these
corps and the objectives given to them were as follows:
a. Amr bin AI Aas: Objective
Palestine. Move on Eila route, then across Valley of Araba.
b. Yazeed bin Abi Sufyan: Objective Damascus. Move
on Tabuk route.
c. Shurahbil bin Hasanah: Objective Jordan. Move on
Tabuk route after Yazeed. (Shurahbil had fought in the Iraq Campaign
under Khalid, and had recently been sent as a messenger to Madinah,
where the Caliph detained him and gave him the command of a corps
for the Syrian Campaign).
d. Abu Ubaidah bin Al Jarrah: Objective Emessa. Move
on Tabuk route after Shurahbil.
Abu Bakr's intention was to invade Syria
and take as much of it as possible. (See Map 16 below.) Not being
aware of the size and detailed dispositions of the Roman army, he
did not strengthen any one corps at the expense of the others. But
he realised that the Romans could concentrate a very large army
in any sector of the theatre of operations, and consequently ordered
that the corps commanders would, keep in touch with each other and
that any one of them could seek the help of his comrades if a serious
clash with Roman forces appeared imminent on his front. In case
the corps had to concentrate for one major battle, the command of
the entire Muslim army would be taken by Abu Ubaidah.
In the first week of April 634 (beginning
of Safar, 13 Hijri), the Muslim forces began to move. The first
to leave Madinah was Yazeed; and as his column started from its
camp outside Madinah, Abu Bakr walked for a short distance by his
side. His parting words to Yazeed, which he repeated to the other
corps commanders, were as follows:
In your march be not hard on yourself
or your army. Be not harsh with your men or your officers, whom
you should consult in all matters.
Be just and abjure evil and tyranny,
for no nation which is unjust prospers or achieves victory over
its enemies.
When you meet the enemy turn not your back on him; for whoever turns
his back, except to manoeuvre for battle or to regroup, earns the
wrath of Allah. His abode shall be hell, and what a terrible place
it is!
And when you have won a victory over
your. enemies, kill not women or children or the aged and. slaughter
not beasts except for eating. And break not. the pacts which you
make.
You will come upon a people who live
like hermits in monasteries, believing that they have given up all
for Allah. Let them be and destroy not their monasteries. And you
will meet other people who are partisans of Satan and worshippers
of the Cross, who shave the centre of their heads so that you can
see the scalp. Assail them with your swords until they submit to
Islam or pay the Jizya.
I entrust you to the care of Allah 1
In making this speech Abu Bakr was following
the example of the Holy Prophet, who, when despatching a military
expedition, would instruct its commander: "Fight in the
name of` Allah: fight but do not exceed the bounds; and do not be
treacherous; and do not mutilate; and do not kill women and children;
and do not kill the inmates of monasteries." 2
It is reported that Abu Bakr walked beside Yazeed for nearly 2 miles,
and when Yazeed asked him to return, said, "I heard the
Messenger of Allah say that the feet that get covered with dust
in the way of Allah shall not be touched by the fire of hell."
3
1. Waqidi: p. 4.
2. Abu Yusuf: pp. 193-5.
3. Ibid.
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