Laqit
bin Malik
It has been mentioned above that Abu
Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
had sent Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
bin Mihsan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
to Oman and Arfajah bin Harthamah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) to the people of Mahrah with the order that they should keep
together. On hearing the news of the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), Laqit declared his prophethood in Oman.
The people of Oman and Mahrah turned apostate and forced out of their territory
the collectors of charity appointed by the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم). Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had sent a message to Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) bin Mihsan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
Himyari (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to first go to Oman
and then leave for Mahrah after finishing his task. He had also directed
Ikrimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) to join Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and Arfajah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) in Oman. Thus all
the three commanders of the Muslim detachments stayed together in Oman. On
being informed, Laqit collected his fighters and moved ahead to face the Muslim
army. Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl was the head of the advance guard while Hudhaifah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had the command of
the right wing and Arfajah the left one and in the middle of the army were the
rich and influential persons of Oman who had been firm on Islam.
Fighting broke out at the time of
the dawn prayer. The Islamic army was fighting from the low-lying areas while
the enemy force was giving battle from the high ground. At the outset the
Muslim troops suffered reverses but the proverbial patience and firmness of the
believers turned the tables and forced the enemy to retreat. They turned and
ran away leaving behind a thousand dead, four thousand as captive and a large
quantity of booty. The Muslim army returned to Al-Madinah victoriously. Ikrimah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) left for Mahrah and
after a short period of time, the entire Oman returned firmly to Islam.
Apostasy
in Mahrah
Mahrah had some people from Oman and
some others from Abdul-Qais, Azd and Banu Saad tribes that inhabited this
territory. But they were divided in two factions after turning apostate, each
faction fighting with the other. In this situation Ikrimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) arrived in Mahrah and one of the factions
accepted Islam. The next one, whose head was Musabbih, rejected the offer and
remained adamant in his attitude. Thereupon Ikrimah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) attacked the apostates giving them a crushing defeat and
killing their chief. This victory led a large number of people from all the
tribes to join the forces of Islam.
Apostasy
in Yemen
Aswad Ansi, referred to before, had
claimed prophethood for himself and created disturbances all over Yemen. But he
met his doom during the lifetime of the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم). Although Islam had been gaining ground after
the cloud of apostasy cleared, the death of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) let it stage a comeback. They were now
getting strong under the leadership of two chiefs, Qais bin Makshuh and Amr bin
Madikarib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). The Muslims were
small in numbers and were brutally tortured by the Yemeni apostates, with the
result they had left the area. Abu Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had sent Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) with a detachment to pass through Makkah and Ta'if and then to
go to Najran taking Muslim fighters from these cities. Qais and Amr had already
received the news of Muhajir's arrival. Amr bin Madikarib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was a well known wrestler whose
swordsmanship had won him admiration throughout the country.
Muhajir (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) saw himself and his army surrounded by a swarm of enemy forces
and this infused in them a sense of courage, fervor and determination, and they
attacked the enemy with full force and vigor. The chieftains, Qais and Amr were
caught after a thorough defeat of the enemy troops. Qais and Amr were sent to
Al-Madinah and both of them admitted their wrongs and returned to Islam.
Muhajir bin Umayyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) reached San'a' and
cleared the entire territory of apostates. It was there that Ikrimah bin Abu
Jahl met him. From there both the commanders made a joint march to punish Banu
Kindah who were busy making large-scale preparations against the Muslims under
the command of Ash'ath bin Qais and their strength was increasing day by day.
Informed of this, Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) took a fast squad of horsemen from his army and hurried
towards Ash'ath leaving his army under the command of Ikrimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ). He attacked the
enemy force so suddenly and violently that they fled in terror. Ash'ath made a
quick escape and took refuge in a fort where he was joined by other apostates.
Muhajir bin Abu Umayyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
besieged the fort. In the meantime he was joined by Ikrimah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ).
The severity of the siege and the blockade
of reinforcements forced him to lay down his arms. He then appealed to the
Muslim commander to spare the lives of only nine persons including his wife and
children. But Ash'ath forgot to include his own name. Thus all, exclusive of
those nine persons were held captive. Ash'ath was also among the captives. They
were presented before Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
Ash'ath expressed regret for his past deeds and accepted Islam on the spot. Abu
Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
set free all the captives including Ash'ath issuing them strong warnings not to
repeat their past actions.
Complete
Eradication of Apostasy
Abu Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was able to put down all the uprisings of
apostasy in less than one year. Now the entire Arab Peninsula was free from the
filth of polytheism and apostasy. Not a tinge of malaise of this nature was to
be traced anywhere within the bounds of Arabian continent. Only a few months
before, the sky of Islam looked cloudy everywhere except Al-Madinah, Makkah and
Ta'if, and swords and spears, lances and arrows seemed to be flying everywhere.
However, in this very short period the situation turned around completely.
It was unflinching courage and
unyielding determination that faced the hostile storm and stress on all fronts
and came out victorious in all events. Even the legendary grit and valor of
Rustam and Isphandiyar could not come face to face with the hundredth part of
what was shown by Abu Bakr Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ). And the reason is that the qualities of head and heart
displayed by the Caliph of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) were the direct result of his upbringing under the blessed
shadow of the (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
The army of Siddiq (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had no doubt,
matchless men of lasting courage like Khalid, Ikrimah, Shurhabil, and Hudhaifah
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), but it was the
dauntless courage of Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
which kept control over the state of affairs, organized the campaigns and
dispatched the detachments to far off lands. He never allowed fear, anxiety or
timidity to enter the hearts of the true believers. His strategies of war had
no parallel and Muslim commanders were leading their detachments and Muslim
troops were fighting only according to the plans chalked out by the Caliph of
the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
At first consideration it appears
that the eleven detachments sent to various places were instrumental in wiping
out apostasy from the face of Arabia, but in fact, it was simply the clever
devices and the expert opinion of Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) alone that swept away all the rubbish lying in the path of
Islam. And this gigantic task was accomplished within a very short span of a
few months. In the discouraging and frustrating situation that he was facing,
none else was there to show such a magnificent farsightedness as he
demonstrated. He neither agreed to hold back the expedition of Usamah bin Zaid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) planned by the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) himself during his
last days nor did he pay heed to Umar's outbursts nor did he delay the
collection of Zakat from the apostates. Who could then be the true successor of
the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
in his temporal affairs?
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