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Mahan next sent Jabla,
hoping that as an Arab he would have more success in talking the
Muslims into leaving Syria in peace. Jabla tried his best to persuade
the Muslims, but like Gregory, returned unsuccessful.
Mahan now realized that a battle was inevitable
and nothing could be done to avoid it. Consequently he sent Jabla
forward with the bulk of his Arab army to put in a probing attack
on the Muslims. This was not so much an offensive as a reconnaissance
in force to test the strength of the Muslim front. For such an action
the mobile Christian Arab was better suited than his more heavily
equipped comrades of the imperial army. This happened some time
in late July 636 (middle of Jamadi-ul-Akhir, 15 Hijri).
Jabla moved up with his Arabs and found
the Muslims arrayed in battle order. Cautiously the Christian inched
his way forward wanting to get as close as possible before ordering
a general attack; but before he could give such an order, he found
himself assailed by powerful groups of Muslim cavalry operating
under the Sword of Allah. After a certain amount of half-hearted
resistance the Christian Arabs withdrew confirming Mahan's fear
that battle with these Muslims would not be an easy matter.
Thereafter, for almost a month, there was
no major action on the Plain of Yarmuk. The cause of this inactivity
is not known. We can only guess that the Muslims were not strong
enough to take the initial offensive, and the Romans did not feel
brave enough to do so. The respite, however, proved beneficial to
the Muslims, as during this period a fresh contingent of six thousand
Muslims arrived to join them, the majority of whom were from the
Yemen. The Muslims now had an army of 40,000 warriors, including
1,000 Companions of the Prophet, and these in turn included 100
veterans of the Battle of Badr-the first battle of Islam. The army
included citizens of the highest rank, such as Dhulbair
(the Prophet's cousin and one of the Blessed Ten), Abu Sufyan and
his wife, Hind.
When a month had passed after the repulse
of Jabla, Mahan felt strong enough to take the offensive, but decided
to make one more attempt at peace. This time he would hold talks
himself. He asked for a Muslim envoy to be sent to his headquarters,
and in response to his request, Abu Ubaidah sent Khalid with a few
men. Khalid and Mahan met in the Roman camp, but nothing came of
these talks as the positions taken by the two sides were too rigid
to allow for adjustment. Mahan threatened Khalid with his great
army and offered a vast sum of money to all the Muslims, including
the Caliph at Madinah; but this made no impression on Khalid, who
offered the three alternatives: Islam, the Jizya or the sword. The
Armenian chose the last. It appears, however, that as a result of
this discussion, both commanders were favourably impressed by each
other and the Muslims began to regard Mahan as a fine man except
that, to quote Abu Ubaidah: "Satan has got hold of his reason!"
1
As the two leaders parted, they knew that
henceforth there would be no parleys. The point of no return had
been reached, and the following day the battle would begin.
The rest of the day was spent in feverish
activity. Both sides prepared for battle. Plans were finalized and
orders issued. Corps and regiments were placed in position so that
everyone would know his place in the forthcoming battle. Officers
and men checked their armour and weapons.
Both sides offered fervent prayers for victory,
beseeching Allah for His help to 'the true faith', and of course
they prayed to the same Allah! On the Roman side the priests brandished
crosses and exhorted the soldiers to die for Jesus. Tens of thousands
of Christians took the oath of death, swearing that they would die
fighting and not flee from the enemy. Many of them would remain
true to their oath.
The battlefield which stretched between
the two camps consisted of the Plain of Yarmuk which was enclosed
on its western and southern sides by deep ravines. On the west yawned
the Wadi-ur-Raqqad which joined the Yarmuk River near Yaqusa. This
stream ran north-east to south-west for 11 miles through a deep
ravine with very steep banks, though less so at its upper end. The
ravine was crossable at a few places but there was only one main
crossing, at a ford, where the village of Kafir-ul-Ma stands today.
South of the battlefield ran the canyon of the Yarmuk River, starting
at Jalleen and twisting and turning for 15 miles, as the crow flies,
down to its junction with the Wadi-ur-Raqqad, beyond which it continued
on its way to join the Jordan River south of Lake Tiberius (Sea
of Galilee). At Jalleen a stream called Harir, running from the
north-east, flowed into, and became the Yarmuk River. On the north
the plain continued beyond the battlefield, while to the east it
stretched for a distance of about 30 miles from the Wadi-ur-Raqqad
to the foot of the Azra hills. The western and central part of this
plain was the battlefield.
1. Waqidi: p. 128.
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