Battle of Yamama

After Muhammad's death in June 632, Abu Bakr was pledged allegiance as the caliph.[1] After his selection as caliph, most tribes in Arabia, except those inhabiting the environs of Mecca, Medina and Ta'if, apostatized from Islam, and discontinued their allegiance to the nascent Muslim state.[2] Abu Bakr assembled a small force of the Ansar and Muhajirun, reinforced by friendly Bedouins, and defeated a rebellious group of apostates, led by Tulayha, at Dhu al-Qissa in the Hejaz.[3] After the threat to Medina was quashed, Abu Bakr dispatched Khalid ibn al-Walid against the rebel tribes in Najd, which were led by Musaylima.[4] Khalid was Abu Bakr's third nominee to lead the campaign after his first two choices, Zayd ibn al-Khattab and Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba, refused the assignment.[5]

Abu Bakr organized 11 corps to deal with the rebels. Abu Bakr appointed Ikrimah as the commander of one of the corps. Ikrimah's orders were to advance and make contact with the forces of Musaylimah at Yamamah, but not to get involved in battle with him. Ikrimah had insufficient forces to attack the overwhelmingly more numerous foe. Khalid ibn al-Walid was chosen to command the forces opposing Musaylima after he dealt with other smaller apostates. Abu Bakr's intention in giving Ikrimah this mission was to tie Musaylimah down at Yamamah. With Ikrimah on the horizon, Musaylimah would remain in expectation of an attack and thus not be able to leave his base. With Musaylimah so committed, Khalid would be free to deal with the rebels of North-Central Arabia without interference from Yamamah. Ikrimah advanced with his corps and established a camp somewhere in the region of Yamamah. At the Battle of Yamama on December 632, Zayd ibn al-Khattab carried the Muslims' standard.[6][7]

The location of his camp is not known. From this base he kept the forces of the Bani Hanifa under observation while awaiting instructions from the Caliph, and the presence of Ikrimah had the desired effect of keeping Musaylimah in Yamamah.[8]

The following passage has been quoted directly from and is written in the form of a legend or epic with a moral at the end. When Ikrimah received reports of the defeat of Tulayha by Khalid, he began to get impatient for battle. Ikrimah was a fearless man and a forceful general, but he lacked Khalid's cool judgement and patience – qualities which distinguish the bold commander from the rash one. The next development that Ikrimah heard of was that Shurahbil ibn Hasana was marching to join him. Shurahbil too had been given a corps by the Caliph with orders to follow Ikrimah, and await further instructions. In a few days, Shurahbil would be with him. Then came news of how Khalid had routed the forces of Salma, the queenly leader of men. Ikrimah could wait no longer, and he set his corps in motion. This happened at the end of October 632 (end of Rajab, 11 Hijri). He was defeated by Musaylimah. He wrote to Abu Bakr and gave him a complete account of his actions. Abu Bakr was both pained and angered by the rashness of Ikrimah and his disobedience to the orders given to him. Abu Bakr ordered him to march to Mahra to help Arfaja and thereafter go to the Yemen to help Muhajir. Shurahbil remained in the region of Yamamah. To ensure that he did not fall into the error of Ikrimah, Abu Bakr wrote to him: "Stay where you are and await further instructions."

The Caliph sent for Khalid and gave him the mission of destroying the forces of Musaylimah at Yamamah. In addition to his own large corps, Khalid would have under his command the corps of Shurahbil. Khalid rode to Butah where his old corps awaited him. Meanwhile, the Caliph wrote to Shurahbil to work under Khalid ibn al-Walid's command. A few days before Khalid's arrival Shurahbil had given in to the same temptation as Ikrimah; he had advanced and clashed with Musaylimah, but was defeated. The two successful actions fought by them against Ikrimah and Shurahbil had increased their confidence in themselves and created an aura of invincibility around Musaylimah.[9]

On the orders of Khalid, the Muslims advanced. They launched a series of attacks along their entire front. The most dreadful carnage took place in a gulley where human blood flowed like a stream as a result of the slaughter. As a result, this gulley became known as the Gulley of Blood-Shueib-ud-Dam, and it is still known by that name.

But the battle hung in the balance. As the first period of combat ended, the warriors retired to rest.

The next phase of battle - known as the second strike of the Muslims - is clouded with legend but from the myths alone we can determine that the apostate force largely disintegrated.

Only about a quarter of Musaylimah's army remained in fighting shape, and this part hastened to the walled garden while Muhakim (commander of the right wing) covered its retreat with a small rear-guard. Soon the Muslims arrived at the walled garden, Musaylimah among them, had taken shelter. The rebels had closed the gate. The Muslims were anxious to get into the garden and finish the job.

Soon a Muslim soldier Al-Bara' ibn Malik asked his fellow men to let him climb the wall so that he could open the gate by killing the guards there. The soldier jumped in to the garden and opened the gate. The Muslims entered the garden and the last phase of the Battle of Yamamah had begun.

The battle played a major role in motivating Abu Bakr to complete the compilation of the Qur'an. During the life of Muhammad, many parts of the written Quran were scattered among his companions, retained as private possession. However, about 360 huffaz (Muslims who had memorized the Qur'an) died at Yamama. Consequently, upon the insistence of his future successor Umar, Abu Bakr ordered the collection of all the surviving pieces (whither on papyrus, palm stock, etc.) of the Qur'an into one copy and the rest be burnt.[11][12][13]

• A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 0-7101-0104-X.
• Shoufani, Elias S. (1973). Al-Riddah and the Muslim Conquest of Arabia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-1915-3.
• Kennedy, Hugh (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates: The Islamic Near East from the 6th to the 11th Century (Second ed.). Harlow: Longman. ISBN 978-0-582-40525-7.
• Lecker, M. (2004). "Al-Ridda". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume XII: Supplement. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 692–695. ISBN 978-90-04-13974-9.
• Kister, M. J. (2002). "The Struggle against Musaylima and the Conquest of Yamama". Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam. 27: 1–56.

• A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns Lahore, 1969