Ridda Wars

The were a series of military campaigns launched by the first Rashidun caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophethood claimants. These wars began shortly after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632 and concluded the next year, with all battles won by the Rashidun Caliphate.

In September 632, Laqit, the leader of the Banu Azd tribe, prepared an army to attack Oman. However, commander Hudayfa's forces defeated Laqit and his rebel army. The next month, more rebel attacks were faced in Northern Arabia and Yemen, which were also defeated. A few months later, Banu Hanifa's chief Musaylimah, a rival claimant of prophethood with an army of allegedly 40,000 soldiers, was killed in the Battle of Yamama. The last major rebel attack came from the tribe of Kinda in Hadhramaut in January 633. The campaigns came to an end in June 633 as Abu Bakr united all tribes of Arabia.

These wars established Khalid ibn al-Walid's reputation as a great tactician and cavalry commander. A detailed reconstruction of the events is complicated by the frequently contradictory and tendentious accounts found in primary sources.

Background

In May 632, Muhammad ordered a large expedition to be prepared against the Byzantine Empire in order to avenge the martyrs of the Battle of Mu'tah. He appointed Usama ibn Zayd, the son of Zayd ibn Harithah who was killed in the Battle at Mu'tah, as commander of this force so he could avenge the death of his father. However, as Muhammad was ailing, the expedition was delayed. In June 632, Muhammad died and Abu Bakr was chosen as the caliph at Saqifah.

On the first day of his caliphate, Abu Bakr ordered the army of Usama to prepare to march into battle. Abu Bakr was under great pressure regarding this military expedition due to rising rebellions, with many regions across Arabia withholding zakat and leaving Islam.Abu Bakr however refused his demands. On June 26, 632, the army of Usama broke camp and moved out. After leaving Medina, Usama marched to Tabuk where most of the tribes in the region opposed him fiercely, but were defeated. Usama raided far and wide in the region of Northern Arabia, starting with the Quza'a, and then made his way to Dawmatu l-Jandal (modern Al Jawf, Saudi Arabia). Usama next marched to Mu'tah, attacked the Christian Arabs of the tribes of Banu Kalb and the Ghassanids in a small battle. Then he returned to Medina, bringing with him a large number of captives and a considerable amount of wealth, part of which comprised the spoils of war and part taxation of the re-conquered tribes. The Islamic army remained outside of Medina for 40 days. This expedition became notable in Islamic history as the eighteen year old Usama had been appointed as overall commander, leading veterans and high ranked Companions of the Prophet such as Umar, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Sa'id ibn Zayd, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, and Qatada ibn al-Nu'man.

Usama's expedition succeeded in forcing several rebel tribes to resubmit to Medinan rule and rejoin Islam. The Quza'a remained rebellious and unrepentant, but 'Amr ibn al-'As later attacked them and forced them to surrender again.

Ridda Campaign

In the fourth week of August 632, Abu Bakr moved to Zhu Qissa with all available fighting forces. There he planned his strategy, in what would later be called the Campaign of Apostasy, to deal with the various rebel groups across Arabia.

Abu Bakr received intelligence of the rebel movements, and immediately prepared for the defence of Medina. Ibn Kathir recorded that Abu Bakr immediately formed organised elite guard units al-Ḥaras wa al-Shurṭa to defend Medina. Veteran companions like Ali ibn Abi Talib, Talha ibn Ubayd Allah and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam were appointed as commanders of these units.

On 4 August 632, Usama's army returned to Medina. Abu Bakr ordered Usama to rest and resupply his men there for future operations. Meanwhile, in the second week of August 632, Abu Bakr moved his army to Zhu Qissa. The following day, Abu Bakr marched the garrison troops from Medina with the main army and moved towards Dhu Hussa. with Abu Bakr leading from the center, while Al-Nu'man ibn Muqrin rode on the right flank, Abdullah ibn Muqrin on the left flank, and Suwaid ibn Muqrin was positioned in the rear. The Medinan forces finally capturing Dhu Qissa on 1 August 632.

Battle of Abraq

The defeated rebel tribes retreated to Abraq, where more clansmen of the Ghatfan, the Hawazin, and the Tayy were gathered. Abu Bakr left a residual force under the command of An-Numan ibn Muqarrin at Dhu Qissa and returned with his main army to Medina.

In mid-August of the year 632, Battle of Abraq occurred at the Abraq area, situated approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 miles) north of Al Hinakiyah. It is within the Nejd region against rebellious Arab tribes led by Hibal ibn Khuwailid. In response to the rebels retreating into Abraq, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq personally led a corps to Al-Rabadha where he met the rebels from Banu Dhubyan, Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat, and May others. There, they clashed at al-Abraq. Al-Harith ibn Fulan, a member of the Banu Subay', and Awf ibn Fulan ibn Sinan were killed in the fighting, while Al-Hutay'ah was taken prisoner. After the battle, Abu Bakr stayed in Abraq for a few days. The Banu Dhubyan, who dominated the region. Abraq was then reserved for the horses of the Muslims, while the rest of the land in Al-Rabadha was turned into communal pasture area.

Battle of Buzakha

As soon as the expedition of Usama ibn Zayd had returned, Abu Bakr immediately started preparing his forces for further combat against the rebels close to Medina. Before dispatching Khalid against Tulayha, Abu Bakr sought to reduce the latter's strength. Nothing could be done about the tribes of Bani Assad and Banu Ghatafan, which stood solidly behind rival prophet claimant Tulayha, but the Tayy were not so staunch in their support of Tulayha, and their chief, Adi ibn Hatim, was a devout Muslim. Adi was appointed by Abu Bakr to negotiate with the tribal elders to withdraw their contingent from Tulayha's army. The negotiations were a success, and Adi brought with him 500 horsemen of his tribe to reinforce Khalid's army. Khalid next marched against another rebel tribe, Jadila. Here again Adi ibn Hatim offered his services to persuade the tribe to submit without bloodshed. Bani Jadila submitted, and their 1000 warriors joined Khalid's army.

Khalid, now much stronger than when he had left Zhu Qissa, marched towards Buzakha. There, in mid-September 632 CE, he defeated Tulayha in the Battle of Buzakha. Khalid led a fast column in pursuit of rebel commander Uyaina, who had fled to the south-east with his clan of Bani Fazara and some elements of the Bani Asad led by Uyaina as far as Ghamra, 60 miles away. As part of his campaigns against the resistance of the Banu Tamim tribe, Khalid sent Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar to quell this rebellion. Dhiraar was one of the Arabian chieftains of the Asad clan who had stayed loyal to the Islamic government in Medina by pledging allegiance to the newly appointed caliph, Abu Bakr, Dhiraar showed his loyalty by warning and chastising the conduct of the peoples who rebelled against the caliphate.

Caliphate Army Divisions

300px|thumb|Mobilizations of 11 caliphate divisions to different areas

The caliph distributed the available manpower among 11 main corps, each under its own commander, and bearing its own standard. The available manpower was distributed among these corps, and while some commanders were given immediate missions, others were given missions to be launched later. The commanders and their assigned objectives were:

thumb|400x400px|Map detailing the route of Khalid ibn Walid's conquest of Arabia.

Meanwhile, another anti-Medina led by Sajah from Banu Tamim rose up from the north. The situation of Tamim tribe during the life of Sajah was they are the subject of Sasanian Empire. This relationship was established through the Kingdom of Hira. A kingdom that was an extension of Persia in the Arabian Peninsula. Persian traders passed through several regions first to reach Hirah. Bani Tamim played a role in maintaining the security of Persian trade caravans that crossed the Arabian Peninsula. Meanwhile, due to their adherence to Christian religion, the Tamim tribe also develop close relationship with the Christians in the Euphrates region and northern Syria. The Yarbu branch which Sajah hailed from has monopoly in Souk Okaz However, their domination of Souk Okaz came into abrupt end two years before Muhammad preaching Islam. Thereafter, 4,000 people gathered around her to march on Medina. Others joined her against Medina. However, as the time passed on, the alliance between Musaylima and Sajah came into abrupt end as Musaylima grew suspicious towards Sajah. Thus, Sajah left Musaylima's force alone to fought against the Muslim army in al-Yamama. Most scholars agreed that he was adhering to the normal beliefs of the Arabs of his time in which they could cease to pledge their allegiance to a tribe upon the death of its Sheikh.

His riders were stopped by Khalid's army at the town of Buttah. Khalid asked them about the pact they signed with the rival prophetess claimant Sajjah; they responded it was merely for revenge against their enemies.

When Khalid reached Najd he found no opposing army. He sent his cavalry to nearby villages and ordered them to call the Azaan (call to prayer) to each party they met. Zirrar bin Azwar, a squadron leader, arrested the family of Malik, claiming they did not answer the call to prayer.

Malik avoided direct contact with Khalid's army and ordered his followers to scatter, and he and his family apparently moved away across the desert. He refused to give zakat, differentiating between prayer and zakat.

Nevertheless, Malik was accused of rebellion against the state of Medina. He was also to be charged for his entering into an alliance with Sajjah against the caliphate. Malik was arrested along with those of his clan.

Malik was asked by Khalid about his crimes, and responded, "your master said this, your master said that", referring to Muhammad. Khalid declared Malik a rebel apostate and ordered his execution.

Yamamah

Ikrimah ibn Abi-Jahl, one of the corps commanders, was instructed to make contact with Musaylima at Yamamah, but not to engage until Khalid joined him. Abu Bakr's intention in giving Ikrimah this mission was to tie Musaylima down at Yamamah, thereby freeing Khalid to deal with the rebel tribes of north-central Arabia without interference.

Meanwhile, Abu Bakr sent Shurhabil's corps to reinforce Ikrimah at Yamamah. Ikrimah, however, in early September 632, attacked Musaylima's forces before the reinforcements arrived, and was defeated. He reported his actions to Abu Bakr, who, both pained and angered by the rashness of Ikrimah and his disobedience, ordered him to proceed with his force to Oman to assist Hudaifa; once Hudaifa had completed his task, he was to march to Mahra to help Arfaja, and thereafter go to Yemen to help Muhajir.

Meanwhile, Abu Bakr sent orders to Khalid to march against Musaylima. Shurhabil's corps, stationed at Yamamah, was to reinforce Khalid's corps. In addition to this, Abu Bakr assembled a fresh army of Ansar and Muhajireen in Medina that joined Khalid's corps at Butah before the combined force set out for Yamamah.

Though Abu Bakr had instructed Shurhabil not to engage Musaylima's forces until Khalid's arrival, Shurhabil engaged Musaylima's forces anyway and was defeated. Khalid linked up with the remnants of Shurhabil's corps early in December 632.

The combined force of Muslims, now 13,000 strong, finally defeated Musaylima's army in the Battle of Yamama, which was fought in the third week of December. The fortified city of Yamamah surrendered peacefully later that week.

Hudaifa entered Oman, but not having sufficient strength to fight Dhu'l-Taj, he requested reinforcements from the Caliph, who sent Ikrimah from Yamamah to aid him in late September. The combined forces then defeated Dhu'l-Taj at a battle at Dibba, one of Dhu'l-Taj's strongholds, in November. Dhu'l-Taj himself was killed in the battle.

Hudaifa was appointed governor of Oman, and set about the re-establishment of law and order. Ikrimah, having no local administrative responsibility, used his corps to subdue the area around Daba, and, in a number of small actions, succeeded in breaking the resistance of those Azd who had continued to defy the authority of Medina.

Second Rebellion of Yemen

In the later phase after the death of Aswad al-Ansi, two Yemenite chieftains, Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib and his nephew, Qays ibn Makshuh revolted against Fairuz. Amr and Qays ibn Maksuh then conspired to kill three caliphate deputies in Yemen.

A caliphate commander Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya led the Al-Abna' opposing Qays. Ultimately, the forces of Qays and Amr were defeated by the force of Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl. According to the record of Usd al-ghabah fi marifat al-Saḥabah, Amr came to Medina as a prisoner, guarded by a caliphate soldier named Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya. Amr was then brought before Caliph Abu Bakr, who invited him to rejoin Islam, to which Amr agreed. Thus, Amr was pardoned by the caliph.

Mahra

From Oman, following the orders of Abu Bakr, Ikrimah marched to Mahra to join Arfaja bin Harthama. As Arfaja had not yet arrived, Ikrimah, instead of waiting for him, engaged the local rebels on his own.

At Jairut, Ikrimah met two rebel armies preparing for battle. Here he persuaded the weaker to embrace Islam and then joined up with them to defeat their opponents.

Having re-established Islam in Mahra, Ikrimah moved his corps to Abyan, where he rested his men and awaited further developments.

Bahrain

After the Battle of Yamamah, Abu Bakr sent Ala bin Al Hadhrami's corps against the rebels of Bahrain. Ala arrived in Bahrain to find the rebel forces gathered at Hajr and entrenched in a strong position. Ala mounted a surprise attack one night and captured the city. The rebels retreated to the coastal regions, where they made one more stand but were decisively defeated. Most of them surrendered and reverted to Islam. This operation was completed at about the end of January 633.

Hadhramaut

The last of the great revolts against Islam was that of the powerful tribe of Kinda, who inhabited the region of Najran, Hadhramaut, and eastern Yemen. They did not revolt until January 633.

Third rebellion in Yemen

At some point during the rule of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph, the people of Yemen revolted once again under the leadership of a man named Ghayth ibn Abd Yaghuth. The avowed aim of the rebels was to drive the Muslims out of Yemen by assassinating Fairuz and other key Muslim leaders. Fairuz somehow escaped and took shelter in the mountains in June or July 632. For the next six months, Fairuz remained in his stronghold, during which time he was joined by thousands of Yemeni Muslims.

Background

Ridda Campaign

Battle of Abraq

Battle of Buzakha

Caliphate Army Divisions

Yamamah

Second Rebellion of Yemen

Mahra

Bahrain

Hadhramaut

Third rebellion in Yemen

See also

References

Notes

Sources

Further reading

External links