Tarikh (al-Tabari) 1395
The Expedition of Muʾtah
غَزْوَةُ مُؤْتَةَ كَانَتْ غَزْوَةُ مُؤْتَةَ فِي جُمَادَى الْأُولَى مِنْ سَنَةِ ثَمَانٍ مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ وَكَانَ سَبَبُهَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَعَثَ الْحَارِثَ بْنَ عُمَيْرٍ الْأَزْدِيَّ بِكِتَابِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِ إِلَى مَلِكِ الرُّومِ أَوْ بُصْرَى فَعَرَضَ لَهُ شُرَحْبِيلُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْغَسَّانِيُّ فَقَتَلَهُ وَلَمْ يُقْتَلْ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَسُولٌ غَيْرُهُ فَاشْتَدَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حِينَ بَلَغَهُ الْخَبَرُ. فَبَعَثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَيْشَ مُؤْتَةَ وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِمْ زَيْدَ بْنَ حَارِثَةَ وَقَالَ: "إِنْ أُصِيبَ زَيْدٌ فَجَعْفَرُ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ، فَإِنْ أُصِيبَ جَعْفَرٌ فَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ عَلَى النَّاسِ" وَكَانَ عَدَدُ الْجَيْشِ ثَلَاثَةَ آلَافٍ فَوَدَّعَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَخَرَجُوا حَتَّى بَلَغُوا مَعَانٍ مِنْ أَرْضِ الشَّامِ فَبَلَغَ النَّاسُ أَنَّ هِرَقْلَ قَدْ نَزَلَ مَآبَ مِنْ أَرْضِ الْبَلْقَاءِ فِي مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ مِنَ الرُّومِ، وَانْضَمَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَعْضِ الْقَبَائِلِ الْمُحَالِفَةِ لَهُمْ مِائَةُ أَلْفٍ أُخْرَى، فَلَمَّا عَلِمَ ذَلِكَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ أَقَامُوا فِي مَعَانٍ لَيْلَتَيْنِ يُفَكِّرُونَ فِي أَمْرِهِمْ، فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ مُشَجِّعًا لَهُمْ: يَا قَوْمِ، وَاللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّتِي تَكْرَهُونَ لَلَّتِي خَرَجْتُمْ تَطْلُبُونَ، الشَّهَادَةُ، وَمَا نُقَاتِلُ النَّاسَ بِعَدَدٍ وَلَا قُوَّةٍ وَلَا كَثْرَةٍ، مَا نُقَاتِلُهُمْ إِلَّا بِهَذَا الدِّينِ الَّذِي أَكْرَمَنَا اللَّهُ بِهِ، فَانْطَلِقُوا فَإِنَّمَا هِيَ إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْنِ، إِمَّا ظُهُورٌ وَإِمَّا شَهَادَةٌ فَقَالَ النَّاسُ: قَدْ وَاللَّهِ صَدَقَ ابْنُ رَوَاحَةَ. فَمَضَى النَّاسُ. فَانْحَازَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ إِلَى مُؤْتَةَ وَهُنَاكَ كَانَتِ الْمَلْحَمَةُ، فَأَخَذَ زَيْدُ بْنُ حَارِثَةَ الرَّايَةَ وَقَاتَلَ بِهَا حَتَّى أُصِيبَ، فَأَخَذَ الرَّايَةَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَعَقَرَ فَرَسَهُ وَاقْتَحَمَ عَنْهُ فَقَاتَلَ حَتَّى أُصِيبَ وَقَدْ قُطِعَتْ يَدَاهُ، ثُمَّ أَخَذَ الرَّايَةَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ رَوَاحَةَ فَقَاتَلَ بِهَا حَتَّى أُصِيبَ، وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ الرَّسُولُ ﷺ أَصْحَابَهُ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ بِمَا حَصَلَ لِإِخْوَانِهِمْ. وَعِنْدَئِذٍ أَخَذَ الرَّايَةَ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ الرَّسُولُ ﷺ فَقَالَ: «اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّهُ سَيْفٌ مِنْ سُيُوفِكَ فَانْصُرْهُ» وَقَدْ قَاتَلَ خَالِدٌ حَتَّى تَقَطَّعَتْ فِي يَدَيْهِ تِسْعَةُ أَسْيَافٍ حَتَّى هَزَمَ اللَّهُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَقَدْ قَتَلَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ مَقْتَلَةً عَظِيمَةً وَغَنِمُوا، ثُمَّ انْحَازَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَرَجَعَ خَالِدٌ بِهِمْ، وَقَدِ اسْتَقْبَلَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ ﷺ وَالْمُسْلِمُونَ مُسْتَبْشِرِينَ. وَقَدْ جَاءَ فِي فَضْلِ الْأُمَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ اسْتُشْهِدُوا الْكَثِيرَ مِنَ الْأَحَادِيثِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ. هَذَا وَقَدِ اسْتُشْهِدَ فِي هَذِهِ الْغَزْوَةِ رَغْمَ كَثْرَةِ عَدَدِ الرُّومِ وَقِلَّةِ عَدَدِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ اثْنَا عَشَرَ رَجُلًا.
Translation
✧ The Expedition of Muʾtah The Expedition of Muʾtah took place in Jumādā al-Ūlā of the blessed year eight of the Hijrah. Its cause was that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent al-Ḥārith b. ʿUmayr al-Azdī with his letter to Syria, to the king of the Romans, or to Buṣrā. Shuraḥbīl b. ʿAmr al-Ghassānī confronted him and killed him. No messenger of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ other than him was killed. That weighed heavily upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when the news reached him. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched the army of Muʾtah and placed Zayd b. Ḥārithah in command over them, saying: "If Zayd is struck, then Jaʿfar b. Abī Ṭālib is over the people; if Jaʿfar is struck, then ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah is over the people." The army numbered three thousand. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ bade them farewell, and they departed until they reached Maʿān in the land of Syria. News reached the people that Heraclius had encamped at Maʾāb in the land of al-Balqāʾ with one hundred thousand Romans, and joined to them from some of the allied tribes another one hundred thousand. When the Muslims learned that, they stayed in Maʿān for two nights deliberating over their situation. ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah said, encouraging them: "O my people, by Allah, what you dislike is indeed what you went out seeking: martyrdom. We do not fight people by number, nor strength, nor multitude. We fight them only by this religion with which Allah has honored us. So go forth, for it is only one of the two best outcomes: either victory or martyrdom." The people said: "By Allah, Ibn Rawāḥah has spoken truthfully." So the people went on. The Muslims withdrew to Muʾtah, and there the battle took place. Zayd b. Ḥārithah took the banner and fought with it until he was struck. Then Jaʿfar b. Abī Ṭālib took the banner; he hamstrung his horse, dismounted from it, and fought until he was struck, his two hands having been cut off. Then ʿAbd Allāh b. Rawāḥah took the banner and fought with it until he was struck. The Messenger ﷺ had informed his companions in Madinah of what had befallen their brethren. At that point Khālid b. al-Walīd took the banner, and the Messenger ﷺ had said of him: "O Allah, he is a sword of Your swords, so grant him victory." Khālid fought until nine swords broke in his hands, until Allah routed the polytheists. The Muslims inflicted a great slaughter upon them and took spoils. Then the Muslims withdrew and Khālid returned with them. The Messenger ﷺ and the Muslims met them rejoicing. Many hadiths have come from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding the virtue of the commanders who were martyred. In this expedition, despite the large number of the Romans and the small number of the Muslims, twelve men were martyred.
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