Golden Mein: Muslims in Persia [Part 10]

Initially, Shybani (RA) started the Arab-Ajam (Arabic for non Arab) interaction on his own and Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid (RA) was sent by Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr Sidiq [RA] to command and sustain the Persian campaign. Hazrat Musna (RA) had a geopolitical concept, hard to associate with the head of a Bahraini tribe, Al-Shybani, in those early years. He realized that rapid rise of Islam would entail a Persian reaction, which would be hard to counter unless the fight is taken to the Persians. The strategy virtually robbed the Persians of the room to think and plan.

How could the uncivilized, the uncouth men from desert, lost in their inter tribal conflict for long ever think of venturing into Persian lands and even think of locking horns? Before the Persians could shape an answer, Hazrat Musna (RA) had convinced the Caliph, Hazrat Abu Bakr Sidiq (RA) that his strategy is working. However, he was short on logistics. In came Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid (RA) to work it out. This was his specialty - the count of men in his command and that of the enemy, the armour, the battle plan, the supply routes…keeping his own open and choking those of the enemy’s. No detail ever escaped one of the greatest commanders of all times. Moreover, he loved the job.

The heat generated by Hazrat Khalid (RA) had the cooling effect of the calm Bahraini. The counterfoil worked until Hazrat Khalid (RA) got an urgent call to cross the desert and do to Romans what he hard been doing to Persians, letting them know what sword of Alla, the Saifullah signifies. The finest sword in Islamic armour, next only in significance to Al-Zulfqar of Hazrat Ali (RA) was getting unsheathed in another Ajmi land. The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) had realized much before the unknown Bahraini, the unsung soldier of Islam, Hazrat Musna (RA), that pre-emptive measures are needed to fulfill the geopolitical demand, so Ajmi Romans were engaged much before Ajmi Persians. The intention was not conquest but propagation of the massage. It was a battle to finish all battles, remove barriers between nations (Ummah in Arabic) and usher in an era of Sulh-i-Kul (total peace).

The Prophet of Islam (PBUH) had realized much before the unknown Bahraini, the unsung soldier of Islam, Hazrat Musna (RA), that pre-emptive measures are needed to fulfill the geopolitical demand, so Ajmi Romans were engaged much before Ajmi Persians. The intention was not conquest but propagation of the massage. It was a battle to finish all battles. It was a battle to finish all battles, remove barriers between nations and usher in an era of Sulh-i-Kul.

We have seen the state of Arabs making significant moves for the first time in history. In fact, prior to the advent of Islam it is hard to find their mention in historical accounts of ancient times. For over a millennium and a half ever since the Caesars and Chosroes set up their empires in Rome and Persepolis [Takte-i-Jamshid in Persian] ‘all the roads’ as the saying goes ‘led to Rome’ we may add ‘or to Persepolis’. Even before Rome, it was Athens. Persepolis predated Rome. Jam-i-Jim, the poetic allegory signifies the heady wine of statecraft. The Achemanians and the Sasanians or Sassanid’s held the Empire, crossing swords with the Greco-Romans time and again.

Legends are made of Darius, the heir to Cyrus and Alexander joining the battle. Sasanians were in command at the advent of Islam. Anusherwan, the Just, the pride of Sasanians predated Islam. His grandson Khusroo Parvaiz received the Dawa, or offer to join Islam, from Prophet [PBUH]. He ridiculed the offer, his progenies lived to rue it.

The worry of Parvaiz and those who followed him was not the advent of Islam, Romans were on their priority list, they had cornered Caesar, with their forces targeting his castle across Bosporus in Constantinople while rejecting his plea for peace. In a remarkable reversal of fortunes, the Caesar soon had Chosroe on the mat. With it a quick decay was witnessed, as the Empire weakened. One after another, the successors followed Parvaiz--Shiruyah [Pavaiz’s son reportedly killed his 15 brothers] Ardesher, Shiruyah’s son didn’t last long. Only the young Yazidgard was left among male successors. Buran Dukht, a lady painted with glitter by some historical accounts as an epitome of beauty, enticed some significant courtiers to choose her in preference to Puran Dukht, another claimant.

While these Iranian court intrigues were going on, Muslims were making strides in Iraq-i-Arab, the Arab quarter of Persian Empire, bounded on north by Jazirah (the land between Tigris and Euphrates) on south by Persian Gulf, on east by Khuzestan and on west by Diyar-i-Bakr. The departure of Saifullah left a void, the new Commander, Hazrat Abu Obaidah Tahqifi (RA) was duly appointed. Buran Dukht appointed a new general to take him on. The general was Rustum [not the legendary Rustum] son of Farukhzad, Governor of Khurasan. She also appointed Japan and Narsi to re-enforce Rustam. Japan had Mardan Shah and Joshun Shah, high in Persian hierarchy in his command. Japan was engaged in the battle of Namarak, where Joshun was killed. Narsi’s forces were overcome in battle of Kaskar. However, in Marwah, contrary to the advice of saner elements, love of valour and chivalry got the better of discretion of Hazrat Abu Obaidah Tahqifa (RA). He crossed to the eastern bank of Euphrates, where the room for maneouver was limited. Here Islamic forces had one of the major reverses in their ‘never say die’ first century march. The Islamic commanders, his brother, seven high-ups of the tribe of Tahqif were martyred.

Those Muslims who had escaped, caring for their lives more than the dignity attained in martyrdom could not face the Ummah. In shame, they hid their faces in public places in Medina or got interred in their homes

Hazrat Musna (RA) pulled out the remaining forces with great difficulty. Soon, in Buwaib, the brave Bahraini won a great victory as the Iranians were re-enforced, when Buran Dukht placed 12,000 elite troops, the royal dragoons under command of Mehran Hamdani. Hazrat Musna (RA)’s brother Hazrat Masud (RA) was martyred in this battle. Marwah was avenged, but not erased completely.
Those Muslims who had escaped, caring for their lives more than the dignity attained in martyrdom could not face the Ummah. In shame, they hid their faces in public places in Medina or got interred in their homes.

Hazrat Musna (RA) had another surprise in store for the Persians. He took them unawares at a place, where present day Baghdad is, on a day of their great fair. It was a daring move, moving deep inside the enemy territory, a short distance away from the Persian Capital, Madian. In the resultant chaos, Buran Dukht was deposed and Yazidgard placed on throne. The Islamic forces were getting depleted in battle after battle, as the new Persian monarch started mass mobilization. Hazrat Musna (RA) made a strategic pull back. As he waited for re-enforcements from Medina, the brave warrior’s life was claimed by Chaldean fever. He died saying that in pre-Islamic era, 100 Persians could take a 1000 Arabs, in post Islamic period one Muslim could easily take 10 Persians!

That is what Islam did to Arabs, later to Ajmis as they came into Islamic fold. The miracle of the massage, contained in the Holy Quran made men of ordinary beings. Didn’t the Prophet say the Umm-ul-Kitab [the mother of books] was the one and only miracle, he had. It was following the dictates of Umm-ul-Kitab that made Muslims the conquerors.

By Dr. Javid Iqbal