The Path of the Prophet

THE PATH OF THE PROPHET According to international conventions, this act amounted to aggression by one state against another. There were also signs that the Roman army based in Syria was planning to advance on Madinah: Byzantium could not tolerate the emergence and development of an independent power on Arab soil. When news of Harith ibn ‘Umayr’s murder reached Madinah, the Prophet decided that military action would have to be taken against the perpetrators of such coldblooded aggression. He gave orders that the Muslims should gather—with their weapons—at a place called Harq. A force of three thousand, under Zayd ibn Harithah, was assembled. After delivering some parting advice, the Prophet sent them to Syria. When the Muslim army arrived at Ma’an in Syria, they pitched camp. The governor of Basra had already prepared for battle, and he was further encouraged by the news that the Roman emperor, Heraclius, had arrived in nearby Ma’ab with a force of 1,00,000. The local Christian tribes, Lakhm, Juzam, Qayn, Bahra and Balli, supported their Byzantine co-religionists and agreed to fight under the leadership of the Banu Balli chieftain, Malik ibn Zafilah. Then, this Roman force of over 100,000 was amassed on the Syrian front to meet a Muslim army of only 3,000 men. Zayd ibn Harithah was slain in battle, and two subsequent leaders—Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and ‘Abdullah ibn Rawahah, were also martyred after him. The collapse of the standard led to disarray in the Muslim ranks. Then a soldier named