The Battle of Yamamah and the Defeat of Apostasy in Bahrain

Furious Fight:

The forty thousand strong army of Musailamah the liar attacked the Muslim troops not exceeding thirteen thousand in number. A very furious and dreadful fight broke out. The Muslim fighters sustained the fierce attack of the enemy with exemplary patience and firmness. Soon after they collected themselves at the center and fell on the enemy like hungry tigers and routed them thoroughly. The apostates fled the field but collected at the gate of the garden and showed some courage and firmness. At this stage Thabit bin Qais (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the standard bearer of the Muslim army was honored with martyrdom. Zaid bin Khattab (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) lifted the standard and the Muslims showed such valor and virility that the enemy had to retreat behind the walls of the garden but the Muslims broke into it.

Now the people asked Musailamah, "When will the promise of victory be fulfilled that your god has given to you?" He replied, "This is not the time to talk all this; everything is now required to fight for the safety of his wife and children." When his garden too turned into the battleground, Musailamah got on his horse and began to call his people to give battle. However, when he witnessed that the situation was under the full control of the Muslims, he got down and moved secretly towards the exit. Wahshi (the one who assassinated Hamzah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) happened to be at the gate of the garden aiming at Musailamah, he threw his lance so forcefully that it cut through his double coat of mail and cut across his belly. Panic and terror overtook the enemy and in a short while there was none left to be seen on the battlefield other than the Muslims. This battle took a heavy toll on the enemy force leaving seventeen thousand dead while one thousand from the Muslim side were honored with martyrdom. Among them were a large number of Huffaz (those who had committed the entire Qur'an to memory).

The rest of Banu Hanifah fled the battlefield fleeing for their lives leaving their women and children behind. Since a great number of Muslims had sustained injuries, Khalid bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) decided to conquer the city of Yamamah the next day. Mujja'ah bin Murarah, the captive took advantage of this decision. He misled Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) by saying that the greater number of men of his tribe were still alive and they were well-equipped and formidable enough to win by the power of the sword. He then asked Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that if he was freed, he could go to persuade them not to give battle. Thus both the city and its citizens would come under their control without blood and toil. Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) accepted his proposal and freed him.

Mujja'ah went into the city and asked the women to get on the ramparts with their weapons. He then came back and said to Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), "My people are not ready to make peace merely in return for their safety." When Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) looked towards the city, he found that the ramparts showed nothing but swords and spears, which verified the statement of Mujja'ah. Keeping an eye on his injured soldiers and the expectation of a long drawn out battle, Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) thought it reasonable to make peace with the enemy. Thus he offered to leave for them half of their wealth and possessions, half of the planted gardens and half of the captives of Banu Hanifah. Mujja'ah went to the city once again and came back with the report: "They are not ready to accept this offer, you can win peace by taking from them one-fourth of their possessions." Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) agreed to the proposal and the peace treaty was written down.

Following this, Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) went inside the city. He, to his utmost amazement, found there none but women and children. "Why did you play a trick on me?" Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) asked Mujja'ah. "My people were virtually on the brink of death and destruction, so it was my duty to pull them out of this situation, please excuse me," Mujja'ah replied. Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) kept silent not thinking in the least about breaking the agreement. A short while after Musailamah bin Waqsh, an emissary of Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) gave Khalid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) a letter from the Caliph directing him to kill their men and make their women and children captives in case the battle was won. But the peace treaty was signed before the arrival of the emissary, so the order from Al-Madinah could not be implemented. This event is a memorable example of how particular the Muslims were about keeping their promises and upholding their treaties.

Khalid bin Walid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) sent a deputation of Banu Hanifah to Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) with a letter. He had mentioned in it the details about the recent victory and Banu Hanifah's re-entry to Islam. Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) held them in high esteem and bade farewell to them in the same spirit. The battle of Yamamah took place in Dhul-Hijjah 11 AH.

Hatm bin Dubai'ah

It has already been mentioned that Abu Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had sent Ala' bin Al-Hadrami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to Bahrain at the head of a detachment. Banu Abdul-Qais and Banu Bakr bin Wa'il along with their branches inhabited Bahrain. It has also been stated that Jarud bin Al-Mualla (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had once represented Abdul-Qais tribe to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). The people of Abdul-Qais tribe renounced Islam when they heard of the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) with the idea that had he been a Prophet, he would not have died. Jarud bin Al-Mualla (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) assembled his people and put the question to them, "Had there been other Prophets before Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)?" "Yes, there had been many," they admitted with one voice. "Had they not passed away after passing their lives like common people?" he put another question. "They all passed away after passing their days of life," they admitted. "The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) also completed his span of life and then passed away exactly in the same manner," he said and called in a loud voice: "I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad in His slave and Messenger." The hearts of the people of Abdul-Qais tribe were moved so deeply that they all expressed deep sorrow for their wrongdoing and returned to the fold of Islam.

Though Abdul-Qais tribe was saved through the timely efforts of Jarud bin Al-Mualla (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), but Banu Bakr bin Wa'il tribe took to apostasy and made Hatm their chief. He marched ahead with a large number of men from Banu Bakr and camped between Qatif and Hijr. He then sent a small party to Abdul-Qais tribe to make them apostates and to come back. However, Abdul-Qais flatly refused to turn apostate. Hatm then sent Ma'rur bin Suwaid with a group to either make them apostate or fight with them. In the meantime Ala' bin Al-Hadrami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) arrived in Bahrain with his detachment. He sent word to Jarud bin Al-Mualla (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to launch an attack on Hatm in the company of Banu Abdul-Qais.

With the spread of this news, Muslims from the surrounding areas collected around Ala' bin Al-Hadrami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) while the apostates gathered round Hatm. Ala' bin Al-Hadrami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) moved ahead with his army and camped near the military camp of Hatm. Hatm had dug trenches around his camp. The fight between the two started but none of them was crowned with victory even after a long period of one month. However, Ala' bin Al-Hadrami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) lost his patience and launched such a furious attack across the enemy trenches that the enemy force was filled with wild terror, and with the killing of Hatm at the hands of Qais bin Asim, the entire enemy front was completely routed. Gradually all the apostates turned back to Islam.