Battle of Mu'tah

Battle of Mu'tah
Part of the Byzantine-Arab Wars
Date 629
Location Near Karak, Jordan
Result Stalemate according to Muslim sources,[1][2]
Byzantine victory according to Christian sources[3]
Belligerents
Muslim Arabs Byzantine Empire,
Ghassanids
Commanders and leaders
Zayd ibn Harithah  †,
Jafar ibn Abi Talib  †,
Abdullah ibn Rawahah  †,
Khalid ibn al-Walid		 Heraclius,
Theodore,
Shurahbil ibn Amr
Strength
3,000 [4][5][6]

[7]

 200,000 (primary sources)[2]
Casualties and losses
13 [6] 3,350 [6]
Campaigns of Muhammad

Ghazwah (battles where he took part)
Caravan Raids – Waddan – Safwan – Al Bawat – Dul Ashir – Badr – Banu Salim – Eid – Zakat – Banu Qaynuqa – Sawiq – Thi Amr – Ghatfan – Bahran – Uhud – Al-Asad – Dhatur-Riqa – Badru-Ukhra – Dumatul-Jandal – Banu Nadir – Trench – Banu Qurayza – Banu Lahyan – Banu Mustaliq – Thi Qerd – Hudaybiyyah – Khaybar – Mu'tah – Mecca – Hunayn – Autas – Ta'if – Hawazan – Tabouk

Sirya (battles which he ordered)
Nakhla – Expedition of Qatan

Early conflicts
Mutah – Tabouk – Dathin – Firaz

Rashidun conquest of Roman Syria
Qarteen – Bosra – Ajnadayn – Marj-al-Rahit – Fahl – Damascus – Maraj-al-Debaj – Emesa – Yarmouk – Jerusalem – Hazir – Aleppo

Rashidun conquest of Roman Egypt
Heliopolis – Alexandria – Nikiou

Umayyad conquest of North Africa
Sufetula – Carthage

Umayyad invasions of Anatolia and Constantinople
Iron Bridge – Marash – Phoenix – 1st Constantinople – Sebastopolis – Tyana – 2nd Constantinople – Nicaea – Akroinon

Arab invasions of European territories
Cyprus – Crete – Sicily – Southern Italy

Later conflicts
Anzen and Amorium – Lalakaon – Bathys Ryax – Thessalonica – John Kourkouas campaigns – Sayf al-Daula campaigns – Nikephoros Phokas campaigns – John Tzimiskes campaigns – Basil II campaigns – George Maniakes in Sicily – Damietta
Campaigns of
Khalid ibn al-Walid

Early campaigns in Arabia
Uhud – Trench – Hudaybiyyah – Mu'tah – Ta'if – Hunayn – Mecca – Tabouk

Ridda Wars
Buzakha – Ghamra – Yamama – Zafar – Daumat-ul-Jandal – Naqra

Conquest of the Persian Empire
Chains – River – Walaja – Ullais – Hira – Ein-ul-tamr – Daumat-ul-Jandal – Muzayyah – Saniyy – Zumail – Firaz

Conquest of Roman Syria
Firaz – Qarteen – Bosra – Ajnadayn – Marj-al-Rahit – Damascus – Maraj-al-Debaj – Fahl – Emesa – Yarmouk – Jerusalem – Hazir – Aleppo

Campaigns in Armenia and Anatolia
Iron Bridge – Armenia – Kahramanmaraş

The Battle of Mu'tah (Arabic: معركة مؤتة , غزوة مؤتة‎) was fought in 629 (5 Jumada al-awwal 8 AH in the Islamic calendar[6]), near the village of Mu'tah, east of the Jordan River and Karak, between an army of the Rashidun Caliphate and an army of the Byzantine Empire.

In Muslim histories, the battle is usually described as the Muslims' attempt to take retribution against a Ghassanid chief for taking the life of an emissary; it ended in a draw and the safe retreat of both sides.[2]

Contents

Background

The Treaty of Hudaybiyah initiated a truce between the Muslim forces in Medina and the Qurayshite forces in control of Mecca. Badhan, the Sassanid governor of Yemen, had converted to Islam and many of the southern Arabian tribes also joined the rising power in Medina.[8] Muhammad was therefore free to focus on the Arab tribes in the Bilad al-Sham to the North.

Muslim historians say that the immediate impetus for a military march north was the mistreatment of emissaries. Muhammad is said to have sent emissaries to the nomadic Banu Sulaym and Dhat al Talh tribes of the north (tribes under the protection of the Byzantines). The emissaries were killed.[8] The expedition sent for revenge was the largest Muslim army raised yet against a non-Meccan confederate force and would be the first to confront the Byzantines.[8] According to F. Buhl, another possible reason "seems to have been that he wished to bring the (Christian or pagan) Arabs living there under his control."[9]

Mobilization of the armies

According to later Muslim historians, Prophet Muhammad dispatched 3,000 of his troops to the area in Jumada al-awwal of the year 8 A.H. 629, for a quick expedition to attack and punish the tribes. The army was led by Zayd ibn Haritha; the second-in-command was Jafar ibn Abi Talib and the third-in-command was Abdullah ibn Rawahah.[6]

The leader of the Ghassanids is said to have received word of the expedition and prepared his forces; he also sent to the Byzantines for aid. Muslim historians report that the Byzantine emperor Heraclius gathered an army and hurried to the aid of his Arab allies. Other sources say that the leader was the emperor's brother, Theodorus. The combined force of Roman soldiers and Arab allies is usually reported to be approximately 200,000[6] according to Muslim sources.

When the Muslim troops arrived at the area to the east of Jordan and learnt of the size of the Byzantine army, they wanted to wait and send for reinforcements from Medina. Abdullah ibn Rawahah scolded them for their timidity, so they continued marching towards the waiting army.

The battle

The Muslims engaged the Byzantines at their camp by the village of Musharif and then withdrew towards Mu'tah. It was here that the two armies fought. Some Muslim sources report that the battle was fought in a valley between two heights, which negated the Byzantines their numerical superiority. During the battle, all three Muslim leaders fell one after the other as they took command of the force: first, Zayd ibn Haritha, then Jafar ibn Abi Talib, then Abdullah ibn Rawahah. Al-Bukhari reported that there were fifty stab wounds in Jafar's body, none of them in the back. After the death of the latter, some of the Muslim soldiers began to rout. Thabit ibn Arkan, seeing the desperate state of the Muslim forces, took up the banner and rallied his comrades, and managed to save the army from complete destruction. After the battle the troops asked Thabit ibn Arkan to assume command; however, he declined and asked Khalid ibn al-Walid to take the lead.[6]

Khalid ibn Al-Walid reported that the fighting was so intense that he used nine swords which broke in the battle. Al-Walid, seeing that the situation was hopeless, prepared to withdraw. He continued to engage the Byzantines in skirmishes, but avoided pitched battle. One night he completely changed his troop positions and brought forth a rearguard that he had equipped with new banners; all this was intended to give the impression that reinforcements had arrived from Medina. He also ordered his cavalry to retreat behind a hill during the night, hiding their movements, and then to return during daytime when the battle resumed, raising as much dust as they could. This also was intended to create the impression that further reinforcements were arriving. The Byzantines believed in the fictitious reinforcements and withdrew, thus allowing the Muslim force to safely retreat to Medina.

Military commentators on the battle have often praised the skirmishing tactics of Khalid ibn al-Walid. [2][6]

Aftermath

Medina.

When the Muslim force arrived at Medina, they were berated for withdrawing and accused of fleeing. Salamah ibn Hisham is reported to have avoided going to the mosque to avoid having to explain himself. Prophet Muhammad ordered them to stop, saying that they would return to fight the Byzantines again and bestowed upon Khalid the title of 'Saifullah' meaning 'The Sword of Allah'.

Today, Muslims who fell at the battle are considered martyrs (shahid), by some/many. Some have claimed that this battle, far from being a defeat, was a strategic success; the Muslims had challenged the Byzantines and had made their presence felt amongst the Arab Bedouin tribes in the region. A mausoleum was later built at Mu'tah over their grave.[10]

Criticism of the traditional Muslim accounts

Aside from the Muslim accounts, there may be a reference to the battle in the chronicle written by ninth century Byzantine monk and chronicler Theophanes.

According to Theophanes, the Muslim army intended to attack the local Arabs on a feast day (the word that Theophanes used most likely indicates a pagan rather than a Christian holiday). However, the vicar Theodorus learnt about their plans and gathered a force from the garrisons of local fortresses. He fell upon the Muslims and routed them; three of the Muslim leaders were killed, and only Khalid ibn al-Walid managed to escape with the rest of the army. It has been argued by some scholars such as Walter Kaegi, that this is a reference to the Battle of Mu'tah, but this is not certain.

Fred Donner, author of The Early Islamic Conquests, argues that Muhammad sent his troops on numerous raids into Byzantine territory: Dhat al-Atla, Mut'ah, Dhat al-Salasil, Tabuk, and Dumat al-Jandal. Donner writes of Muhammad's aims in these raids:

'He probably had as his immediate objective the subjugation of Arabic-speaking nomadic tribes living in the northern Hijaz and southern Syria, or at least the extension of Medina's influence sufficiently to bring these tribes into alliance with the Islamic state.' (p. 102)

Donner terms the raid upon Mut'ah a failure. He writes:

'Both the Bani Judham and the Bani Lakhm were among the Byzantine allies that defeated the Muslims at Mu'tah in A.H. 8/A.D. 629.' (p. 105)

Notes

  1. ↑ Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham report a stalemate for both Muslims and Romans. Ibn Kathir however reports a Muslim victory.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad (Allah's peace and blessing be upon him), Translated by Isma'il Razi A. al-Faruqi, 1976, American Trust Publications ISBN 0-89259-002-5
  3. ↑ F. Donner, The Early Islamic Conquests, p.105
  4. ↑ Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya, Zad al-Ma'ad 2/155
  5. ↑ Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari 7/511
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Saif-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom, "The Sealed Nectar", Islamic University of Medina, Dar-us-Salam publishers ISBN 1-59144-071-8
  7. ↑ General A. I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin Al-Waleed, Chapter 6, p. 2
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sayed Ali Asgher Razwy (1996), A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims, The Battle of Mootah, ISBN 0-9509879-1-3
  9. ↑ "Mu'ta", Encyclopedia of Islam Online.
  10. ↑ Buhl, F. "Mu'ta". In P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Encyclopaedia of Islam Online Edition. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912. 

References

Online References

See also