by Asen Djinah
‘The narrow frontline will limit their numerical advantage and gives us a fighting chance,’ Khalid had explained to his commanders when laying out his strategy.
Everything had been set in place for more than a week and Khalid had been waiting patiently for the Byzantines to arrive. Two weeks earlier, he had dispatched a group of one thousand horsemen and two thousand men to Antioch to engage the Byzantine army.
‘I do not want you to fully take on the enemy. Your task is to lure them here, onto this plain. Do not take any unnecessary risk, for we will need you here for the actual battle,’ Khalid had issued strict orders.
After the first skirmishes, the advance party retreated tactically, only to go back and attack again but never engaging the enemy in a full battle. When Emperor Heraclius heard about the attacks from this advanced party, he became livid at the nerve shown by the Arabian soldiers and decided to move his plans forward.
‘How dare they attack our huge army? Vahan, I want you to pursue and destroy these aggressors. Besides, our preparations for the planned campaign are almost complete. When you’ve finished with them I want you to keep advancing and annihilate the entire Arabian army,’ he ordered his army commander.
Emperor Heraclius had every confidence that his huge army would easily overwhelm the enemy. But by alternating skirmishes and retreat, Khalid’s advance party gradually lured the enemy into the plain of Yarmouk. Following the Emperor’s order, Vahan had planned to travel across the Arab territory, fighting one division at a time; the intelligence gathered had indicated that the Arabian army was spread right across their vast territory. To his surprise, he found the entire Arabian army assembled into one single force, waiting for him. Unperturbed, he gathered his commanders in his tent.
‘The Gods are in our favour; we don’t have to travel across their vast territory and establish supply lines. Their entire army is gathered here for us to crush. Look at their ill-equipped soldiers. And they have only around 30,000 to 40,000 men at the most. This battle will be over in a few days and then we can return home to our families,’ he told them.
The commanders cheered at this stroke of luck and rejoiced at the prospect of going home sooner than expected. The sight of the disparate assembly of soldiers facing them boosted the morale of the Byzantines.
Khalid had already organised his frontline, with four infantry divisions, each six thousand strong, operating independently of one another – one on the south flank by the Yarmouk River, one on the north flank by the Jabiya road and two centrally placed. His 15,000 horsemen were divided into four cavalry units, one behind each of the two flanks, one behind the two central divisions and one mobile elite cavalry unit under the command of Al-Qaqa Ibn Amr held in reserve at the back.
‘We will set up our troops to mirror the Arabian’s frontline,’ Vahan informed his commanders.
His fifty thousand foot soldiers were grouped into four separate divisions, each twice the size of Khalid’s divisions. Although each Byzantine infantry division was much larger, their superiority was indeed limited by the narrow frontage of the battlefield. They were six men deep compared to the Arabian divisions, who were only three men deep. Both commanders had temporarily placed archers on the frontline, to prevent the other party from getting close. When the two armies would eventually engage, the archers would move back to make place for the foot soldiers to attack the advancing forces. Immediately behind them were the cavalry. Vahan had a total of 20,000 horses, compared to Khalid’s 15,000.
‘I want the horsemen to be grouped in six units, one for each of the four infantry divisions. The remaining two cavalry units are not to take part in combat but to remain at the back. Their task is to drive through once the Arabian frontline is broken and thus split the enemy in two. They will only take part in the endgame to finish the enemy,’ Vahan told his cavalry commanders.
Watching the preparations of the Byzantine army, Khalid felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on end. This would be the toughest and most important battle he had ever faced and defeat would mean the complete obliteration of the empire. Shaking these gloomy thoughts from his mind, a grave Khalid turned towards his officers. He knew that he needed to stay positive and motivate his men.
‘Brothers, tomorrow will be a momentous day, a day to be remembered for years to come. Tomorrow will be the day that will show military commanders of the future how a smaller army can defeat a larger, superior force… Tomorrow will be the day when many of us will die. And most importantly, tomorrow will be the day the doors of paradise will be wide open to welcome those who sacrifice their lives for the cause.’
Khalid paused and looked around the tent. He saw no fear or apprehension in the face of his commanders, many of whom were veterans of past battles.
‘We are fearless, for we are fighting for our right of existence and we are fighting for God. The rewards of martyrdom are awaiting us. Even for those who will be merely wounded, with the flow of their blood all their sins will be immediately forgiven and they will be as the newly born, pure and sinless. Our Holy Prophet has said so himself. For those who give their lives, not only will they be granted paradise, but they will also have seventy-two wives attending to all their heavenly needs.’
‘Crowns of dignity will be placed upon their heads as they enter paradise, where their places have been reserved. And when their close relatives and friends eventually come to leave this earthly world, our martyrs will be able to intervene on their behalf so they can be reunited in heaven. There is nothing better in this life.’
Khalid paused again and surveyed his faithful commanders before giving his instructions.
‘Go, my brothers, go to your men and throughout the night I want you to spread the words of the Holy Prophet. Remind them that tomorrow will be a day favoured by God and that God loves those who show fortitude.’
Throughout the night the commanders tirelessly walked around the camp, moving from one group to the next as they tried to motivate and inspire their men.
‘You will not have a better opportunity to reap such heavenly prizes,’ Commander Amr told his men as he explained the rewards of paradise.
He was joined by the wives of the fighters, who reminded the men of the stakes involved. As was customary, many Arabian fighters had brought their wives along with them since they would be useful in tending to the wounded. Many of these women had previous experience of battle. Khalid moved around speaking to the men when a young man, shaken by the large number of enemy soldiers, approached him.
‘Commander-in-Chief, there are too many of them and too few of us. How are we going to defeat them?’ he asked with trepidation.
‘Because we are fighting for God, each one of us is worth two of them, so in fact we are superior in number. Go and tell the others what you now know,’ Khalid replied, patting him on the back.
Grateful for the responsibility assigned to him by the commander-in-chief himself, the reassured young soldier walked away with a spring in his step.
‘Yes, Commander Khalid, we will defeat them.’
Countless campfires burned throughout the night, lighting up the dark plain like stars in the sky as both sides waited for the day to come with apprehension. The night was hot and humid and many found it difficult to sleep. Prayer sessions were organised by Khalid’s officers throughout the night to ease the morale of their men. Although the fear of the Arabian soldiers was great, their hope was greater.
Immediately after morning prayers, the soldiers rushed to take their positions and when the sun rose, the two armies stood facing each other less than a mile apart. The colourful Byzantine banners were flying high and the enemy looked impressive and intimidating. Everyone waited for commanders from both sides to step forward and challenge each other in duels as was customary. Soon enough, a lone rider peeled off from the Byzantine central division and approached the Arabian frontline. Khalid was impatient for the duels to start, as he was eager to undermine the morale of the enemy whilst boosting that of his men. Wh
en the rider got within earshot, instead of taunting his counterpart for a fight, he called out.
‘I want to speak to Commander Khalid. I pledge not to harm him,’ he shouted, raising both his hands and leaving his sword sheathed by his side.
Khalid moved forward, ready to defend himself at the slightest suspicious move from the Byzantine.
‘My name is Jorjeah and I am one of the Byzantine commanders,’ the rider introduced himself.
The two men came so close that the necks of their horses were almost touching.
‘Commander Khalid, tell me the truth for a true warrior does not lie. My question is: Did God send a heavenly sword to your Prophet who passed it on to you and this sword enables you to kill anyone who comes within range?’ Jorjeah asked.
Khalid was known far and wide as the ‘Drawn Sword of God’ and a rumour had spread that he used a heavenly sword which made him invincible. Khalid smiled at the young man.
‘It is simply not true,’ he replied, ‘It is my faith and the love and courage of my men that make me victorious in battle.’
Khalid could have lied to undermine the Byzantine’s confidence, but to him that was not an option.
‘Why do they call you the ‘Drawn Sword of God’ then?’ Jorjeah persisted.
‘You will have to ask my men,’ Khalid replied with a smile.
Jorjeah remained silent for a moment as he mulled over Khalid’s answer. His next words were so unexpected that even Commander Khalid was taken by surprise.
‘May I join you and fight alongside your army?’ Jorjeah asked bluntly.
The battle had not even started and one of the enemy commanders was already defecting to his side.
‘God is sending me a good omen,’ Khalid thought.
He edged his horse forward and placed his right hand on the officer’s shoulder.
‘You are one of us now, my brother. Every one of my men, including myself will be willing to give our life for you,’ he solemnly promised.
‘Now, ride with me,’ he then told Jorjeah.
As they rode along the front line, Khalid called out to his men and informed them that Jorjeah had defected to their side and that this was indeed a sign from God. The men cheered and their belief in victory increased even more.
The Arabian army had a special unit called the Mubarizun, consisting of elite lancers, swordsmen and archers. At the start of any battle they would step forward one at a time and challenge their counterparts to come and fight them in a duel. Their purpose was to slay as many champion warriors of the opposing army as possible, so as to undermine the enemy’s morale. Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar, a skilled swordsman, was the first to step forward. He was widely known as ‘The Naked Warrior’ due to his tendency to plunge into battle without armour or upper garments.
‘Who is brave enough to come and fight me?’ he challenged the enemy.
A Byzantine officer answered his call and as he rushed forward, swinging his sword, Dhiraar swiftly stepped out of range of each of his blows. As he parried and deflected his enemy’s blows, Dhiraar seemed to be toying with him until unexpectedly, he delivered his first blow and slew the Byzantine officer.
‘That was too easy. Who is next?’ he goaded the Byzantines again.
Dhiraar fought a total of four duels in succession, killing three of the four enemy fighters. The last one, injured in the shoulder, dropped his sword and cowered on the ground.
‘Please spare me,’ he pleaded.
Seeing that the fighter was barely in his twenties, Dhiraar extended his arm and pulled the wounded soldier to his feet. He knew that the sight of the bloodied officer running away would have more impact on the enemy’s morale than a dead body on the field.
‘Go back to your lines,’ he told the young man mercifully.
The duels lasted till midday, with most of them seeing Khalid’s champions victorious. Seeing his officers falling at the hands of the Arabians and fearing that his army’s confidence would be dented, Vahan ordered the duels to be stopped.
‘We are wasting time when we really want to go back to our families as soon as possible. Let us use our superior numbers to crush them,’ Vahan told his officers, realising that the one-to-one fights could only benefit Khalid.
‘I want the two central divisions to advance and test the Arabian frontline. We will leave the flanks untouched today,’ he instructed his commanders.
As the first three lines of his men moved forward, Arabian archers fired their arrows to repel them, but this was not effective for the advancing party interlocked their large shields to protect themselves until they reached the front line. Both sides unsheathed their swords and engaged in close combat. With Khalid’s men fighting bravely, Vahan sent line after line of reinforcement with no significant advance as the Arabian soldiers were fresh and rested. The fighting continued until sunset, when the failing light caused both parties to retreat for the night with only minor casualties on either side.
During the night while the men rested, the wives attended to the injured.
‘Your sins have already been forgiven,’ the women praised the wounded soldiers.
The veterans of previous wars walked around the camp congratulating the younger soldiers and reminding them of the pleasures of Paradise. Again, prayer sessions were arranged throughout the night to calm the nerves as well as to motivate the soldiers.
‘Today was just the beginning and tomorrow will be more difficult. Rest and gather your strength. Access to Paradise is not an easy affair and has to be earned,’ Commander Ikrimah told his men.
Khalid gathered his officers to plan his strategy for the following day. Putting himself into Vahan’s shoes, he tried to outguess his opponent.
‘Tomorrow I expect the enemy to attack our flanks. Today they were just testing us,’ he warned Commanders Yazid and Amr.
The south flank by the river was commanded by Yazid, an experienced veteran from previous wars, whilst the northern flank by the Jabiya road was led by Amr, a valiant fighter and very astute in reading the enemy’s moves. He was much loved by his men, who looked up to him.
‘As in any battle, the flanks are the most vulnerable parts of the frontline and must be defended at all cost,’ Khalid reminded them.
Everyone knew that if the flanks weakened and gave way, the enemy would go around and attack the main body of the army from behind in a pincer move, which would be deadly. Turning to Al-Qaqa, the commander of the mobile reserve cavalry unit, Khalid gave him specific instructions.
‘I want you to keep a lookout for flag signals from the hill and respond promptly. If any of the flanks become overwhelmed, I will send you a signal to go to their help.’
Khalid and his officers toured the camp during the night and chatted with groups of men around the campfires. Only when most of the men were asleep did Khalid retire for the night. He managed to get a couple hours of sleep before the next round of fighting.
At the crack of dawn the men woke up and were getting ready for morning prayers, when the sound of drumbeats suddenly started. Everyone knew instantly that the Byzantines were attempting a surprise attack. Khalid had anticipated such a move and placed one regiment on guard throughout the night. Quickly the soldiers rushed to their positions while archers kept the enemy at bay with a barrage of arrows. As the fighting grew in intensity, it became clear that Khalid had correctly predicted Vahan’s move. Whilst the two Byzantine central divisions were engaging his own central soldiers to pin them down, Khalid could see from his elevated vantage point that Vahan was concentrating all his effort on the flanks, where the most ferocious fighting was taking place. Both the southern left flank and the northern right flank were bearing the full pressure of the Byzantine divisions. Being superior in number, the Byzantine commanders were able to relieve their exhausted fighters with fresh soldiers and did so throughout the day. The Arabian soldiers did not have that luxury and by mid-afternoon they were exhausted and were being pushed back.
‘Get the women to go to the frontline
and give the men water to drink. The sight of the women will give the men renewed energy,’ Khalid ordered.
From his observation post on the hill, Khalid saw the northern flank by the Jabiya road being breached and pushed back. He realised that it was only a matter of time before they were completely overrun. A significant number of men had already retreated back to camp, demoralised by the sheer force of the Byzantine attack.
‘Get back to the frontline, you cowards. Your brothers are fighting and you left them on their own?’ the soldiers’ wives berated and threw rocks at them, forcing the men to return to battle.
The men rejoined the fighting just in time to avoid complete destruction of the flank. Many women joined them and fought alongside, fearing that if they lost, the Byzantines would enslave and violate them. Hind bint Utbah, a forty-year old woman who had fought in previous battles, led the women forward.
‘Come on, let us fight side by side with our husbands,’ she called out.
The sight of women fighting gave the men renewed vigour. When some of the men lost heart and tried to flee, the wives sang to encourage them:
O you who flees from his loyal lady!
She is beautiful and stands firmly.
You're abandoning them to the Romans
to let them the forelocks and girls seize.
They will take what they want from us to the full
and start fighting among themselves.
(Islamic Conquest of Syria - Fatuhusham by al-Imam al-Waqidi translated by Sulayman al-Kindi)
‘Send visual instructions to Al-Qaqa to ride to the support of the northern flank,’ Khalid finally ordered his officer, fearing the worst for Amr and his men.
