Summary of the Prophet’s biography | Episode (169) | Battle of Mu'tah

0:00 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

0:03 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

0:13 An Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah),

0:17 Authored by Sheikh Musa ibn Rashid al-'Azimi,

0:22 May Allah preserve him.

0:25 The Eighth Year of the Hijrah:

0:33 The Battle of Mu'tah.

0:36 This battle took place in Jumada al-Ula in the eighth year of the Hijrah.

0:43 Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said:

0:45 "This expedition served as a prelude to the subsequent campaigns against the Byzantines,

0:50 And as an act of deterrence against the enemies of Allah and His Messenger."

0:53 Its army was known as the "Army of the Commanders."

0:56 For Imam Ahmad recorded in his *Musnad* with a good chain of transmission

1:01 On the authority of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

1:04 "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) dispatched the Army of the Commanders,

1:09 Saying, 'Your leader is Zayd ibn Harithah;

1:13 If Zayd is struck down, then Ja'far;

1:16 And if Ja'far is struck down, then 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah al-Ansari.'"

1:24 The cause of this battle:

1:26 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) dispatched al-Harith ibn 'Umayr al-Azdi (may Allah be pleased with him)

1:33 With his letter to the ruler of Busra.

1:36 When he arrived at Mu'tah,

1:38 Shurahbil ibn 'Amr al-Ghassani intercepted him

1:41 And killed him.

1:43 No emissary of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was ever killed other than him.

1:48 Killing envoys and emissaries was among the most heinous of crimes,

1:53 As established custom and diplomatic norm forbade killing them or harming them.

1:58 Imam Ahmad recorded in his *Musnad*, Abu Dawud in his *Sunan*,

2:03 And al-Hakim in his *Mustadrak* with a good chain of transmission

2:07 On the authority of Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

2:11 "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say to the two emissaries of Musaylimah,

2:17 When he read Musaylimah's letter,

2:20 'What do you two say?'

2:22 They replied,

2:24 'We say as he says.'

2:26 Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

2:30 'By Allah, were it not that emissaries are not to be killed,

2:33 I would have struck off your necks.'"

2:36 The Preparation of the Army of the Commanders:

2:41 When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) received

2:47 The news of the murder of his emissary al-Harith ibn 'Umayr al-Azdi (may Allah be pleased with him),

2:52 He mobilized the people to go out and fight the Byzantines and the Ghassanids.

2:57 The people prepared to march forth,

3:00 And the strength of the Army of the Commanders was

3:02 Three thousand fighters,

3:05 Which was the largest Muslim army ever assembled up to that time.

3:10 The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed in command of this army

3:15 His freedman Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him).

3:19 Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his *Sahih*

3:22 On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:

3:26 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) appointed over the expedition of Mu'tah

3:31 Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him),

3:34 And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

3:38 'If Zayd is killed, then Ja'far;

3:41 And if Ja'far is killed, then 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah.'"

3:45 In the narration of Imam Ahmad in his *Musnad* with a good chain of transmission,

3:50 On the authority of Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

3:54 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) dispatched the Army of the Commanders,

3:59 Saying: 'Your leader is Zayd ibn Harithah;

4:03 If Zayd is struck down, then Ja'far;

4:06 And if Ja'far is struck down, then 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah al-Ansari.'"

4:11 The Army of the Commanders set out for Mu'tah,

4:18 And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) tied a white banner for them

4:23 And handed it to Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him).

4:29 He instructed them to march to the place where al-Harith ibn 'Umayr (may Allah be pleased with him) had been slain,

4:34 And to invite the people there to Islam;

4:37 If they accepted, well and good; otherwise, they were to seek Allah's help against them and fight them.

4:42 Among those who marched forth in this momentous campaign was

4:46 Khalid ibn al-Walid (may Allah be pleased with him),

4:49 And this was his first military engagement in Islam.

4:52 The Army of the Commanders marched toward their enemy in the Levant

4:56 Until they reached Ma'an.

4:59 There, news reached them that Heraclius, Emperor of the Byzantines, had encamped at Ma'ab in the region of al-Balqa'

5:05 With one hundred thousand Byzantine troops,

5:07 Joined by Christian Arab tribes from Lakhm and Judham,

5:12 As well as the Quda'ah clans of Bahra', Bali, and al-Qayn.

5:17 Thus the combined army of the Byzantines and Ghassanids numbered

5:21 Two hundred thousand fighters.

5:27 Faced with this overwhelming force of Byzantines and Ghassanids,

5:30 The Muslims had never anticipated confronting such an enormous host

5:37 As the one that took them by surprise.

5:39 They remained in Ma'an for two nights deliberating their course of action,

5:43 Saying, "Let us write to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

5:49 To inform him of our enemy's numbers,

5:52 So that he may either reinforce us with more men

5:55 Or issue us a command that we will carry out."

5:58 Thereupon 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

6:02 "O my people! By Allah, the very thing you dread

6:06 Is that which you came out seeking:

6:08 Martyrdom!

6:10 We do not fight the enemy by virtue of numbers, nor by strength;

6:13 We fight them only with this religion with which Allah has honored us.

6:18 So march forward!

6:20 For it is surely one of the two best outcomes:

6:23 Either victory or martyrdom."

6:26 The men agreed with him,

6:28 And they rose to advance.

6:32 The Army of the Commanders advanced toward their enemy:

6:36 At that point, the Army of the Commanders advanced into enemy territory,

6:42 After the Muslims had spent two nights in Ma'an.

6:46 When they reached the borders of al-Balqa',

6:50 The Byzantine and Ghassanid forces, along with Christian Arabs and others, met them

6:55 At a village called Masharif.

6:58 Then the enemy drew closer,

7:00 And the Muslims pulled back toward a village called Mu'tah.

7:04 There the two forces met,

7:07 And the Muslims drew up their battle lines:

7:09 They placed Qutbah ibn Qatadah over their right wing,

7:13 And 'Ubayah ibn Malik al-Ansari over their left wing.

7:18 The Outbreak of Battle and Succession of Commanders:

7:25 The two armies clashed at Mu'tah,

7:29 And fierce, bitter fighting began:

7:31 Three thousand fighters confronting two hundred thousand warriors—

7:37 A battle watched by the world in awe and astonishment.

7:41 Yet when the winds of faith blow, they bring forth wonders.

7:47 The banner in the hand of Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him):

7:55 Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) took up the banner,

8:00 The beloved of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),

8:04 And fought with tremendous ferocity and rare valor,

8:09 With the Muslims fighting alongside him,

8:12 Until he fell, pierced by spears,

8:15 Collapsing as a martyr (may Allah be pleased with him).

8:18 Al-Hakim recorded in *al-Mustadrak* with an acceptable *mursal* chain

8:23 On the authority of 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:

8:27 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) dispatched

8:31 An expedition to Mu'tah,

8:33 And Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) fought

8:36 Holding the banner of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

8:40 In Jumada al-Ula of the eighth year,

8:43 Until he fell amidst the enemy's spears."

8:46 The banner in the hand of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him):

8:54 When Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) fell,

8:58 Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) took up the banner

9:03 And fought with peerless courage,

9:07 Until, when the fighting grew overwhelming around him,

9:10 He dismounted from his horse and hamstrung it—

9:13 It being the first horse to be hamstrung in Islam—

9:16 Reciting:

9:18 "How wonderful is Paradise and its drawing near,

9:21 Sweet and cool is its water!

9:24 While the Byzantines, their torment has drawn near,

9:28 Disbelievers of distant lineage;

9:31 It is upon me, when I meet them, to strike them down."

9:35 Then his right hand was severed (may Allah be pleased with him),

9:38 So he took the banner in his left hand,

9:41 And his left hand was severed as well,

9:43 So he clasped the banner with his upper arms

9:45 Until he was martyred (may Allah be pleased with him).

9:48 Allah, Glorified be He, rewarded him

9:50 In exchange with two wings in Paradise,

9:53 With which he flies wherever he wills (may Allah be pleased with him),

9:57 Which is why he was called Ja'far the Flying (al-Tayyar).

10:00 Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said:

10:03 "He was killed (may Allah be pleased with him)

10:05 At thirty-three years of age, according to the correct view."

10:08 Abu Dawud recorded in his *Sunan*

10:11 And al-Hakim in his *Mustadrak*—

10:13 The wording being al-Hakim's—

10:15 With a good chain of transmission

10:17 On the authority of Yahya ibn 'Abbad ibn 'Abdillah ibn al-Zubayr,

10:21 From his father, from his grandfather, who said:

10:23 "My foster father,

10:25 Who had nursed me from Banu Murrah, told me:

10:28 'It is as though I am looking at Ja'far ibn Abi Talib

10:32 (May Allah be pleased with him) on the day of Mu'tah;

10:35 He dismounted from a reddish mare of his and hamstrung it'—

10:38 Meaning he cut its hocks—

10:41 'Then he advanced and fought until he was killed.'"

10:44 Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his *Sahih*

10:47 On the authority of Nafi', who said:

10:49 "Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported

10:52 That he stood over Ja'far on that day

10:55 While he lay slain:

10:57 'I counted on his body fifty wounds from spear-thrusts and sword-strikes,

11:01 Not a single one of them on his back'"—

11:04 Meaning from behind.

11:06 Imams al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, and Ibn Hibban recorded—

11:11 The wording being that of Ibn Hibban—

11:13 With a good chain of transmission

11:15 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

11:18 "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

11:22 'I was shown Ja'far as an angel flying with his two wings in Paradise.'"

11:27 Imam al-Bukhari recorded in his *Sahih*

11:30 On the authority of 'Amir al-Sha'bi, who said:

11:33 "Whenever Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both)

11:36 Greeted the son of Ja'far,

11:39 He would say, 'Peace be upon you, O son of the Two-Winged.'"

11:44 The banner in the hand of 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah (may Allah be pleased with him):

11:51 'Abdullah ibn Rawahah took up the banner

11:55 And carried it after Ja'far (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred.

11:59 He then advanced with it while on his horse,

12:03 Urging himself to dismount

12:05 Yet experiencing a moment of hesitation,

12:08 Whereupon he said:

12:10 "I swear, O soul of mine, you shall certainly dismount,

12:13 You shall dismount willingly, or you shall be compelled!

12:16 If the men raise their battle-cries and the clamor intensifies,

12:19 Why do I see you loathing Paradise?"

12:23 He also said:

12:25 "O soul, if you are not slain, you will still surely die;

12:28 This is the fate of death into which you have entered.

12:31 What you have long wished for, you have now been granted;

12:34 And if you do as the two of them did, you are rightly guided."

12:38 Then he advanced and fought until he was killed, may Allah be pleased with him.

12:43 *Abridged Prophetic Biography (Seerah)*:

12:48 "Though the longing of people for one another may stretch long,

12:55 The longing for you knows no bounds.

13:02 May Allah send blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,

13:08 And as long as lips move

13:15 In utter devotion."

Summary of the Prophet’s biography | Episode (169) | Battle of Mu'tah

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