"...how often has a small force vanquished a large force by the permission of Allah? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere."
(Quran 2:249)
Day 6
Standing on the hilltop of Jummu’a, Khalid (RA)
placed his foot on top of a large boulder. His forearms bore the brunt of his
weight as he leaned forward on his thigh. Khalid (RA) watched intently as the
Romans lined up into battle formation. He was looking for cracks in the defense
that he could exploit and make last minute adjustments to his plan. Khalid (RA)
was going to rely on speed and mobility, he was going to blitz this army and
anything that could slow him down had to be dealt with.
His train of thought was interrupted when a hulking Roman
on a heavy war horse trotted out arrogantly into no man’s land and threw down a
challenge. Judging by his colorful ornamentation, Khalid (RA) deduced that he
must be a high ranking general; and a warrior of similar status had to meet him. Khalid
(RA)’s pulse quickened at the thought of fighting this fine specimen. Khalid
(RA) straightened to study his opponent for a second then quickly hastened down
the hill. He mounted his Arab steed and rode off toward Abu Ubaidah (RA), his
Supreme commander.
From Abu Ubaidah (RA), he learned that the warrior
was Gregory; the general of the Roman right flank. Gregory had a reputation for
being a powerful fighter and he looked it too. Khalid (RA) assumed he would
answer the call but Abu Ubaidah (RA) insisted; as the Supreme commander he
would answer the challenge. Khalid (RA) protested but Abu Ubaidah (RA) ignored
him. He gave the army standard to Khalid (RA) and with an intense look said,
“If I do not return you shall command the army, until the Caliph decides the
matter,” and rode off to meet Gregory.
Who is Abu Ubaidah (RA)
Abu Ubaidah (RA) was a man in his early fifties. He
was tall, slim and wiry. He had a lean and clear cut face with a thin beard.
His eyes showed understanding and gentleness.
Abu Ubaidah (RA) didn’t need a title to be
respected. His toothless smile displayed his high rank. He accepted Islam after
Abu Bakr (RA) and was one of the blessed ten guaranteed paradise. The Prophet
(SAW) called him the “Trusted one of the Nation”. At the battle of Uhud, Abu Ubaidah (RA) was at
the Prophet’s (SAW) side when the Prophet’s (SAW) helmet was struck and two links
of chain mail were deeply embedded in his cheek. Abu Ubaidah (RA) bent over,
clenched the link with his front tooth and yanked it out; and did it again for
the second link. It gave visible comfort to the Prophet (SAW) but he ripped out
his own front teeth at the same time. From that day forward he had the
toothless smile which was the envy of all Muslims.
The two generals met in the middle. Both armies
watched in expectation as their commanders squared off.
Abu Ubaidah (RA) and Gregory were both excellent
swordsmen. They circled each other and after exchanging blows for several
minutes, Gregory withdrew and started to retreat back to his line. Abu Ubaidah
(RA) watched and nudged his horse forward. Gregory’s retreat was a trick
designed to bring down Abu Ubaidah (RA)’s defenses. As Abu Ubaidah (RA) caught
up, Gregory turned and raised his sword to strike. But Abu Ubaidah (RA) was no
novice. He lurched forward and struck Gregory at the base of the neck. Gregory’s
sword fell from his hand and the enormous man slumped to the ground.
Shouts of “Allahu Akbar” rang out from the Muslims
side along with the rattle of swords banging against their shields. Abu Ubaidah
(RA) stared at the dead general and ignoring the ornate armour and weapons, he pulled
on the reins and trotted back to his men.
Abu Ubaidah (RA) had a habitual disregard for
worldly possessions.
Khalid (RA) stood just ahead of the infantry
watching his commander dispose of the Roman general. Convinced the duel was
over, he slipped through the Muslim line and urged his horse into a gallop to
join his men of the cavalry.
The officers stood in a group, displaying a quiet
confidence. As Khalid (RA) approached, they fell silent. Their orders were clear
so Khalid (RA) reminded them that speed would be the deciding factor on this
day; they had to move fast and without hesitation. With this small pep talk,
the officers disbursed and joined their units, leaving Khalid (RA) alone in
contemplation.
“Have I committed the entire army to death?” thought
Khalid (RA).
The burden of command rested on his shoulders. The
previous day he convinced the senior commanders to continue the battle. They
accepted his opinion and trusted him completely.
Khalid (RA) closed his eyes and the air drained from
his lungs. His shoulders sagged and his head bowed down. He whispered a prayer
of assistance to Allah. Satisfied, he opened his eyes and thought “this is not
the time for doubt.” He called out to his deputy and ordered the general
assault.
The Start of the Battle
 |
| Order of Battle on Day 6 |
The mid morning dew on the blades of grass had just
evaporated when the air filled with the Mu’azzin’s cry of “Allahu Akbar!” signalling
the attack. The men of the right flank directly in front of Khalid (RA) charged
the Roman line with screams of “Allahu Akbar!”
The Mu’azzin several hundred meters away, upon hearing
the cry of the Mu’zzin on the right, yelled “Allahu Akbar!” From the periphery Khalid
(RA) watched the center army charge screaming “Allahu Akbar!” A domino effect
went all the way down the line.
The men along the entire 11 mile front surged
forward across no man’s land. 30000 Muslims slammed into 80000 Romans.
Phase 1 – Outflank the Enemy
 |
| The start of the Muslim offensive |
Khalid (RA) ordered his cavalry forward in formation;
they trotted close behind Amr al–Aas’s men. Khalid (RA) noticed a gap forming
between the Roman infantry and the Roman cavalry. As soon as Amr’s men engaged,
Khalid (RA) broke out into a fast gallop and surged right. The entire cavalry
followed Khalid (RA)’s lead and formed an arc behind him as he raced around the
Roman flank. Khalid (RA) could see over his left shoulder the fight raging
between the opposing armies. He could hear the clash of swords and shields and
the shouts of men but he kept nudging his Arab stead faster.
As Khalid (RA) passed the scrimmage line, the arc
turned into the Roman flank. As they turned, a small detachment broke loose
from the main body and charged the stunned Roman cavalry. Their purpose was to
keep the Roman cavalry occupied while Khalid (RA) and the rest laid waste to
the infantry.
 |
| The Muslim cavalry attack the exposed Roman flank |
As Khalid (RA) neared the Roman infantry, he slowed
and allowed the rest of the cavalry to form up beside him in a line several
rows deep.
Khalid (RA) steadied his lance and yelled “Allahu
Akbar!” The others followed his lead. Each drew his weapon of choice and yelled
“Allahu Akbar!” With lances, swords and spears pointing directly at the Roman
flank, Khalid (RA) and the cavalry crashed into the defenceless Roman infantry.
The Roman foot soldiers on the flank saw a black
cloud of horses fall upon them like thunder. Those who could broke formation
and ran. Those further in were blindsided.
Khalid (RA) impaled the first soldier with such
force that his lance snapped like a twig. He threw the snub away, drew his
sword and slashed at anything in a red tunic. His horse twisted and turned to
keep the foot soldiers away and at times stood on her hind legs if anyone came too
close.
The cavalry wreaked havoc in the ranks. The Roman
soldiers fought a determined Amr from the front and now the cavalry from the
side. With no support from their own cavalry, the infantry of the Roman left
flank collapsed and fled.
 |
| Resistance from the Roman left flank collapses |
Blood dripping off his sword, Khalid (RA) surveyed
his handy work. The Roman infantry with their backs to the Muslims were in full
retreat. He displayed no expression of satisfaction, the battle had just
begun.
Swords and shields, amour and helmets lay strewn on
the ground among dying and dead bodies. He scanned the field with steely eye, searching
for Amr’s standard. He found it; it was still standing.
He searched for assurance that Amr was following
through with the next phase, which was to swing his division around and attack
the exposed flank of the Armenians (Roman centre). He could see the regimental
banners swing around, the squad leaders barking orders and the disarrayed men quickly
flocking to their colours.
He looked further down the line to see if he could
find Abu Ubaidah (RA) and Yazeed’s standard, but they were too far away.
Abu Ubaidah (RA) and Yazeed were to engage but they
were not to press the attack. Their role was to distract the Roman infantry on
their front while Khalid (RA) took care of the right flank. Khalid (RA) could
only hope things were under control.
Satisfied, he snapped orders in quick succession to reorganize
the cavalry. Without waiting for the
entire unit, he charged straight for the Roman cavalry tied down by his small
detachment.
 |
| Khalid (RA) attacks the Roman cavalry; Amr attacks the center |
Shell shocked at the speed at which the infantry
collapsed in front of them, the Roman cavalry had mentally lost the fight
before Khalid (RA) and his reinforcements arrived. After taking a severe
beating by the reinforced cavalry, they were driven from the field and galloped
north to safety. Their day was done.
Phase 2 – Force the Cavalry off the Field
Mahan, sitting on his horse behind the Armenians, watched
in horror at the debacle unfolding before him. Before he had a chance to move,
his infantry on his left had been routed and now his supporting cavalry was
being mauled.
Khalid (RA) moved with astonishing speed.
He realized that if he didn’t move quickly the
entire army would be enveloped. He gave desperate orders to all cavalry
commanders to form into one powerful fighting force to counter Khalid (RA) and
to move to the center. Mahan decided he would lead the cavalry himself.
Cowardice was not in Mahan’s nature.
Khalid (RA)’s mind raced. He was deep behind enemy
lines. He overran the infantry and spanked the cavalry but he knew the Romans
could still carry the day. Victory was within reach but he had one last obstacle
forming to the south of his position, the combined Roman cavalry.
He snapped quick orders to reorganize his cavalry
but this time he waited. He was outnumbered at least 3 to 1 and would need
every mounted warrior to take on this next challenge. He formed two units, one to
attack from the front, the other from the flank leaving the north wide open. Khalid
(RA) gave the order and the mounted warriors charged.
 |
| Khalid (RA) attacks the main body of the Roman cavalry |
The sun was just about to reach its noon time peak
when Khalid (RA) led the charge on the flank. Pinched between the Armenian infantry
on his left and the forming Roman cavalry on his right he raced across the
field with his shadow racing to keep up.
As he approached, he saw confusion in the Roman ranks.
Some squads were in a tight formation and ready; others were in a loose
formation and confused; and some even took a couple steps back at the sight of
a fast moving and determined opponent. Khalid (RA) dug his heals and pushed his
Arab steed hard.
Mahan had a problem. He normally dispatched the
Cataphracts as shock troops. This armoured heavy cavalry made up the back bone
of his cavalry. They typically charged the main body of a set enemy position in a tight
formation and plowing through. They had a devastating impact and usually
decided the outcome of most battles. The Cataphracts were tough warriors; but
in this type of fluid situation the heavy cavalry was at a disadvantage against
the Muslim light cavalry. Khalid (RA)’s men could strike, disengage, manoeuvre
and strike again.
Mahan furiously shouted orders to position the
various regiments into a fighting formation but before he could, shouts of
distress came from the outside perimeter. He looked up and saw a black jagged
line of horses charging his position. A cloud of dust billowed behind, covering
the blue sky in a dark pall of doom. He was out of time.
The Muslim cavalry scattered and engaged in small
groups or individually. Without a target to charge at, the Roman Cataphracts took
hits from all sides and could not counter. Seeing the futility of their
situation, the cavalry broke and retreated, taking the protesting commander of
the army, Mahan, against his will.
40000 Roman cavalry rode away leaving the infantry
to their fate.
For hours, Khalid (RA) and his men had ridden hard
from one battle to the next, racing to stay ahead of the Romans. Now, silence
fell over the field.
The hooves of the retreating Roman cavalry slowly
faded away in the distance, leaving a trail of dust.
Beads of sweat rolled down Khalid (RA)’s cheek,
absorbed by his beard. He slowly lowered his sword to his side, looked up to the
heavens, closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks. He felt a sense of
calm run all over his body and relax his taut muscles. It was not apparent to
everyone but he knew this battle was over.
Victory!
But just as quickly, reality checked in. The noise
of fighting men behind him off in the distance filtered in. He may have run the
Roman cavalry off the field but he still had to deal with the abandoned Roman
infantry.
He opened his eyes and saw his men staring at him
with pride. These were men who followed him with unquestioning loyalty and
faith; men who did not understand the meaning of defeat under Khalid (RA). Although
their orders were obvious, they wanted to hear it from their great general.
Phase 3 – Attack From Behind
 |
| Roman Infantry attacked from behind by Khalid (RA) |
Khalid (RA) wheeled around in the direction of the
Roman center. The standards of the regimental leaders were brought forward and
the men flocked towards them.
Khalid (RA) started out at a trot to keep his
formation intact. As the sound of fighting grew louder, the wisp of arrows showered
around them as the Roman archers became aware of the new threat behind them. As
Khalid (RA) approached, panic took hold and an uncoordinated barrage of arrows
rained down. Khalid (RA) finally broke out into a full gallop towards the
helpless Armenians.
The horror started in the rear as the archers turned
and started shooting without orders. Loud shouts from stricken soldiers began
to reach the front lines. The officers were hand cuffed. Men were committed to
holding off Shurahbeel from the front and Amr on the flank. If the Armenians
had a little more time, the officers may have been able to put up some defense,
but Khalid (RA) was moving too fast.
Once terror took hold, the infantry disintegrated.
It was every man for himself. Swords and shields
were discarded. Helmets were thrown aside. Men trampled over one another to get
away from the carnage in the center. Those who escaped ran towards the banks of
the Wadi ur Raqqad.
To their surprise, Khalid (RA) did not pursue them.
Further down the line, Deirjan saw that his Roman flank
and rear were exposed and did an orderly withdrawal towards the Wadi. Khalid
(RA) did not pursue them either.
The rabbit was running straight into Khalid (RA)’s
snare!
 |
| The Roman infantry retreat towards the only escape route available |
Phase 4 – Block All Escape Routes
Khalid (RA) and the cavalry blocked the northern
escape route which forced the Roman infantry to flee into a part of the battle
field which made escape almost impossible.
On the southern end of this field, the Yarmuk river
ran through a 15 mile canyon with steep banks reaching as high as 1000 feet. On
the western end flowed the Wadi ur Raqqad which was a deep ravine with steep
banks. To add to this treacherous corner, precipices with a sheer drop of 100
to 200 feet lined the banks of both the Yarmuk and the Raqqad making a crossing
across either river incredibly difficult if not impossible.
But, there was one escape route.
There was a ford located on the northern part of the
Raqqad. The slope on the eastern bank was easy to traverse. The western side
had a road on a steep bank and both sides of the road were precipitous creating
a bottle neck at the top.
The Roman officers were guiding their men to this ford.
The leading elements of the retreating infantry
dashed across the field trying to put as much distance between them and the advancing
Muslim army. There were expressions of relief as they finally reached the ford.
Some slowed to a jog and others started to walk trying to catch their breath.
They made it!
They quickly ran down the eastern slope, crossed the
ravine and hiked up the western slope. As the road narrowed, they formed up
into a column of men.
As they reached the top, there were men standing,
staring down at them. The Romans called out but, there was no response. They
didn’t look like Roman soldiers, could they be slaves from the camp? It didn’t
matter, they were safe. They quickened their pace to reach the top.
Suddenly, rocks started to fall on their heads,
arrows started to wisp by and then they heard the dreaded Muslim battle cry
“Allahu Akbar!” Their passage was blocked!
Dhirar’s Wide Detour
The previous night, Khalid (RA) had sent a
detachment of 500 horsemen lead by Dhirar to make a wide detour around the
Roman left, get behind the Wadi ur Raqqad and secure the river crossing on the western
bank. They concealed themselves during the night and waited during the day.
Because the road on the western bank was narrow, a small force could hold back
an entire army.
 |
| Dhirar takes 500 mounted warriors around the Roman flank and occupies the only river crossing on the Raqqad |
Several Romans reached the top but they were cut
down. The leading elements fell back on those behind them and they fell back on
those behind them. Once Dhirar and his men charged, an avalanche of men fell down
the western slope.
The Romans on the eastern bank saw their stricken comrades
and realized they were trapped; surrounded by the impossible terrain behind
them and the Muslims in front. The generals that remained hastily formed up
their men for defense.
The Muslims commanders formed a semi circle and moved
in for the final kill.
The snare tightened.
Phase 5 – Cornered
 |
| The Romans infantry's last stand |
The final phase of the battle of Yarmuk had begun.
The Romans were packed tight. There was little room
for maneuver. Those on the front line fought heroically but in a futile effort.
Rank after rank were cut down. Screams of delirium from the defenders were
mixed with shouts from the attackers. Khalid (RA) and his cavalry used their
hooves to knock down the tired defenders. Many dropped to their knees and
raised their heads exposing their neck; indicating they were prepared to die...
with honour.
The last of the Roman defense collapsed and the
battle turned to butchery. The sound of swords striking shields ceased and the
sound of sword cutting flesh and cracking bones could be heard. The Roman
rabble made a final mad dash to the edge of the ravine. The view to the bottom
was terrifying, 200 foot drop with jagged rocks jutting out. Those reaching the
edge of the ravine blindly pushed those already there. Ranks after ranks were
pushed off the precipice with blood curdled cries. Those pushing from behind were
hacked down.
The carnage would continue from the late afternoon
to evening. It would be nightfall before the blood soaked field would fall
silent.
Victory
The full moon lit the mounds of dead bodies. The
stench began to fill the air. Soldiers searched for their wounded and dead
comrades, others rested. As soon as news reached the camp, the women and slaves
rushed out to tend to the exhausted army.
The victory was total. Any chance of the remnants regrouping
to challenge the Muslim army perished on the fields of Yarmuk. Syria lay open.
As Khalid (RA) trotted back to the Muslim camp, he
raised his right hand with his index finger pointing up into the black sky and testified.
“La illah ila illallah muhammadur rasulullah.”
The battle of Yarmuk, Khalid (RA) bin Waleed’s
greatest victory, came to its final bloody end.
Part 1 – Roman Offensive Day 1 and 2
Part 2 – Roman Offensive Day 3 and 4
Part 3 – Roman Offer of Truce Day 5
Part 4 – Muslim Counter Offensive Day 6
Next Part 5 – Epilogue
Naeem Ali
--
End--
Read
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Sources
Akram.
A.I.”Khalid Bin Al-Waleed: Sword of Allah”.Birmingham: Maktabah Publishers and
Distributors, 2007.
Ghadanfar,
Mahmood Ahmad. "Commanders of the Muslim Army." Riyadh: Darussalam
Publishers and Distributors, 2001.
Kennedy,
Hugh. “The Armies of the Caliphs.” London: Routledge, 2001.
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