In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the book:
Ramadan: Events and Lessons.
The Battle of al-Buwayb.
The timing during the month of Ramadan.
From the thirteenth year of the Hijrah.
Affairs had stabilized for the Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula
following the suppression of the Apostasy movement,
which had sought to return the people to the pre-Islamic era.
Allah, the Exalted, had prepared for this the Rightly Guided Caliph,
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him,
who extinguished its embers
and halted its flood with his unique wisdom
and firm resolve.
Through this, the people were firmly established upon Islam,
the dreams of the apostates crumbled,
and their hopes vanished like dust in the wind.
After the Muslims achieved this great victory,
which led to internal stability,
the Muslims aspired to conquer the lands of the Levant and Iraq.
The seasoned commander,
al-Muthanna ibn Harithah al-Shaybani,
sought permission from the Caliph Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with them both,
to invade Iraq,
which was then under the control of the Persians.
Al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, received
this request with approval,
and he sent word to Khalid ibn al-Walid, may Allah be pleased with him,
ordering him to invade Iraq from its southern flank.
He then reinforced him with al-Muthanna,
and ordered Iyad ibn Ghanm
to begin at al-Musaykh from the upper reaches of Iraq,
all occurring at the beginning of the twelfth year of the Hijrah.
Khalid marched with ten thousand fighters,
and al-Muthanna joined him with eight thousand.
They began at al-Hirah,
where they encountered the Persians
and dealt them a crushing defeat.
Khalid then spread out across Iraq,
conquering it city by city.
However, the ongoing developments in the Levant,
represented by the massive Roman mobilizations
to fight the Muslims,
caused Abu Bakr to send word to Khalid,
requesting him to hasten to the aid of the Levant.
Khalid departed,
leaving al-Muthanna with a group of Muslims in Iraq.
Al-Muthanna remained there,
and sensing Persian mobilization movements,
he hurried personally to Medina
to seek aid from the Caliph of the Muslims,
requesting reinforcements.
His arrival was in the final days
of the life of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.
The successor to al-Siddiq, Umar al-Faruq, then provided
the reinforcements for al-Muthanna.
Without delay,
Umar, upon assuming the Caliphate, hastened
to reinforce al-Muthanna with a group of Muslims
under the command of Abu Ubayd ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi.
He marched with his force to Iraq,
and they met the Persians at the Battle of the Bridge,
which ended in the defeat of the Muslims
and the death of a large number of them,
foremost among them the Muslim commander, Abu Ubayd.
When the news reached the Caliph Umar,
he realized that Iraq required large numbers
due to the sheer size of the Persian forces
and their use of elephants, from which horses and camels would flee.
Umar called upon the tribes for aid,
and large crowds came to Medina
from various parts of the Arabian Peninsula.
Umar dispatched these reinforcements to aid al-Muthanna,
and with this force, the Muslims fought at al-Buwayb.
The time and place of the event:
This battle is called the Battle of al-Buwayb,
named after the location where it took place.
Al-Buwayb is a river in Iraq near the site of Kufa,
branching off from the Euphrates at Dar al-Rizq.
This battle took place in the month of Ramadan,
in the year thirteen of the Hijrah.
Before the battle:
When the reinforcements reached al-Muthanna,
the Muslim army was complete,
and it was fully prepared to engage the Persians.
Its overall command was held by al-Muthanna ibn Harithah.
When the Persians heard of this preparation,
they sent an army led by Mihran al-Hamadhani.
When the Muslims were defeated at the Battle of the Bridge,
it emboldened the Persians against them,
thinking that the Muslims had been weakened by the previous loss.
As for the Muslims,
their enthusiasm for the Battle of al-Buwayb intensified,
seeking revenge for their previous defeat.
In addition to the army that came from Medina,
al-Muthanna sought the help of Arab tribes in Iraq,
such as the tribes of Namir and Taghlib,
who were Christians,
and they desired to fight
in support of the Arabs against the Persians.
The Muslim army camped on the western bank of the Euphrates,
while the Persian army camped
on the eastern bank.
The Persian army advanced in three ranks,
with an elephant in each rank,
and their infantry in front of their elephants,
making a great clamor.
Then Mihran sent word to al-Muthanna, asking him:
"Either you cross over to us,
or we shall cross over to you."
Al-Muthanna replied:
"You cross over."
So they crossed over to them.
This was a wise plan by al-Muthanna,
learned from the lesson of the Bridge.
Since it was the time of Ramadan,
al-Muthanna resolved that the Muslims should break their fast,
so that it would strengthen them.
Thus, they all broke their fast.
Al-Muthanna then organized the army,
passing by each banner of the tribal leaders,
exhorting them and urging them to jihad, patience, and silence.
To all of them he said:
"I hope that the people will not be defeated through you today.
By Allah, nothing pleases me today for myself
except that it also pleases me for all of you."
They responded to him in kind.
He was fair with them in both word and deed,
so no one could find fault with any of his words or actions.
Among the leaders was Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali, may Allah be pleased with him, with his tribe,
and a group of the notables of the Muslims.
Al-Muthanna said to them:
"I will say 'Allahu Akbar' three times;
be prepared.
When I say it the fourth time, then charge."
They met his command with hearing, obedience, and acceptance.
The bloody encounter:
When al-Muthanna said the first takbir,
the Persians rushed them,
and they charged until they clashed.
They fought a fierce battle.
Al-Muthanna noticed a weakness in some of the ranks of Banu 'Ijl,
so he sent a man to them saying:
"The commander sends you his greetings and says to you:
'Do not disgrace the Arabs today.'"
They straightened their lines.
When he saw that from them, he was pleased and smiled.
He sent word to the people saying:
"O company of Muslims, be steadfast!
Help Allah, and He will help you."
Al-Muthanna and the Muslims continued to call upon Allah for victory and triumph.
When the battle dragged on,
al-Muthanna gathered a group of his heroic companions to protect his rear,
and he charged at Mihran,
forcing him from his position until he entered the fray.
Then they intermingled, and the two centers clashed.
Dust rose, and the flanks were engaged in fighting,
unable to break away to help their commander.
Both the Muslims and the polytheists were locked in combat.
A young man from the Christian tribe of Taghlib charged,
killed Mihran, and mounted his horse.
It is also said
that al-Muthanna ibn Harithah ibn Dirar al-Dabbi charged at him and stabbed him,
and Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali severed his head.
This struck the heart of the Muslims into the heart of the polytheists.
Mas'ud, the brother of al-Muthanna, was wounded that day,
along with a group of Muslim notables.
When Mas'ud was wounded, those with him were shaken,
so he said:
"O company of Bakr,
raise your banner, may Allah raise you up!
Do not let my fall alarm you."
Al-Muthanna had told them:
"If you see that we have been struck,
do not abandon your positions.
Hold your ranks,
and perform the duty of those next to you."
When the Muslims saw that al-Muthanna
had broken the center and decimated its ranks,
and that the Muslim flanks were holding against the flanks of the polytheists,
they began to drive the Persians back.
Al-Muthanna and the Muslims in the center continued to pray for victory,
sending men to encourage them, saying:
"Be steadfast as your peers are!
Help Allah, and He will help you."
Until they defeated the Persians.
The Magians fled when their resistance weakened,
and the Muslims pursued them, cutting them down.
Al-Muthanna ibn Harithah raced to the bridge,
standing upon it to prevent the Persians from crossing,
so that the Muslims could finish them off.
They pursued them for the rest of that day and that night.
Many were killed that day,
and many drowned in the river.
Results of the battle:
This battle was a great blow to the Persians
and a great joy for the Muslims.
Its results were a prelude to the great victory over the Persians.
Among the outcomes of the battle:
First:
The killing of the Persian commander, Mihran,
Along with a large number of his soldiers and officers.
Nevertheless, a significant number of Muslims were also killed,
Estimated at four thousand.
Yet, this is a small number compared to the Persian casualties.
Second:
This victory encouraged the Muslims to continue their campaign in Iraq,
And to advance toward new conquests thereafter.
This battle served as a prelude to the decisive Muslim victory over the Persians at al-Qadisiyyah.
Third:
When the polytheist Persians suffered this crushing defeat,
The Persian nobility agreed upon a series of leadership changes.
They began by deposing their former monarch,
Boran-dukht,
And installing a new ruler from the lineage of Khosrow,
Who was Yazdegerd ibn Shahriyar, son of Khosrow.
And installing a new ruler from the lineage of Khosrow,
Who was Yazdegerd ibn Shahriyar, son of Khosrow.
This new king proceeded to reorganize the general military command,
Entrusting it to Rostam,
And tasking him with fighting the Muslims in the future.
Fourth:
The abundant spoils of war that the Muslims seized from the Persians.
In this event, there are lessons to be learned:
First:
Defeat is not a final loss;
Rather, it is a profound lesson that reveals mistakes,
To be avoided in the future.
Thus, al-Muthanna benefited from the lesson of the Battle of the Bridge,
And consequently triumphed at al-Buwayb.
Second:
Arrogance leads to defeat.
A wise person, no matter how thoroughly they defeat their enemy,
Does not underestimate them in future encounters,
Nor does it slip from their mind the Sunnah that war is a cycle of turns,
That days alternate between people,
And that time is ever-changing.
Third:
The sincere mujahid does not seek titles,
Nor does he chase fame or strive to cast the spotlight upon his heroism.
It is sufficient for him that Allah knows him,
Even if humans and their leaders do not.
Fourth:
Battle is not merely about courage;
Rather, it is about preparation, planning, and tactics,
As well as wisdom and patience.
Fifth:
The importance of turning to Allah the Exalted
When encountering enemies,
The immense impact of supplicating to Him,
And placing one's trust in Him.
Ramadan: Events and Lessons.