CONQUESTS IN THE LIFE-TIME OF ‘ UTHMAAN
Rebellion of Azerbaijan and Armenia
Azerbaijan and Armenia were conquered during the lifetime of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab. There arose a rebellion against the Islamic government after his death. ‘Uthmaan ordered Waleed Ibn ‘Uqbah, the governor of Kufah at that time, to crush the rebellion, sent Islamic forces and regained the territory taken over by the rebels. This happened in the year 26 AH.
During the same period, Mu’awiyah sent an army to Armenia to face the Byzantines. The Muslim army was under the command of Habeeb Ibn Maslamah Al-Fihri. l ie occupied some of the forts, but Constans II sent a huge army of 80,000 men to face the Muslims. Seeing the situation, Mu’awiyah wrote to ‘ Uthmaan for reinforcement. He ordered Al-Waleed Ibn ‘Uqbah. He received the Caliph’s order when he was returning from Azerbaijan after taking it over from the rebels and immediately sent an army of 8,000 under the command of Salmaan Ibn Rabee’ah to Armenia. The two armies conquered the whole region of Armenia after defeating the Roman forces. They also conquered some more parts of Asia Minor including Aran and Garjastan. Thus by the end of the 26 All the territory up to the Caucasus Mountains came under the sway of Islam.
Byzantine Invasion of Alexandria
In the year 25 All (645 AC) there was a big rebellion in Alexandria, and in 26 AH, the Byzantine army took possession of the city after a fight with the Muslims. The Muslims wrote to the Caliph asking him to bring ‘ Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas back to the rule of the city in order to regain Alexandria. ‘ Uthmaan accepted the plea, and directed ‘ Amr Ibn Al-‘ Aas to crush the rebellion and beat back the invasion. ‘Amr again attacked the city, drove the Byzantines out and recovered the port city of Alexandria.
Conquest of Khurasan and Tabrastan
In 30 AH Sa’eed Ibn AI-‘Aas, newly appointed governor of Al-Kufah, marched towards Khurasan with an army in which some prominent figures like Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Abbaas, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar, Az-Zubayr, Hudhayfah Ibn Al-Yamaan, may Allah be pleased with all of them, joined in the expedition. At the same time ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Aamir, the governor of Basrah, also marched there. Before ‘Abdullaah Ibn Aamir reached Sa’eed Ibn Al-‘Aas conquered a number of places including Tabrastan and Jarjan.
In the year 31 AH ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘Aamir again journeyed there after hearing the news of rebellion. Then he conquered the remaining part of Khurasan.
Conquest of North Africa
For the defense of Egypt it was necessary to drive away the Byzantines from North Africa. During Umar’s caliphate, ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas suggested to the Caliph that he should conquer North Africa, but the Caliph rejected the idea.
When Abdullaah Ibn Sarh was appointed as a full-rank governor of Egypt, he took permission from the Caliph to advance into the northern territory. In the year 27 AM he went with an army to conquer Tripoli, the main Byzantine fort of North Africa at that time. ‘ Uthmaan also sent a reinforcement from Madeenah which included men like Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, ‘Abdullaah Ibn ‘ Umar, ‘Abdullaah Ibn Az-Zubayr, ‘Abdullaah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas, and ‘ Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Abi Bakr, may Allah be pleased with all of them. After some disagreements, the inhabitants of Tripoli agreed to negotiate peace and promised to pay the Jizyah annually. This victory cleared the way for the advance of Muslims in North Africa and soon they conquered Tunisia and Morocco and a part of Algeria.
The Conquest of Cyprus
Cyprus is one of the largest islands of the Mediterranean sea and it lies on the eastern side with two mountain chains. Cyprus, which was part of the Byzantine Empire, was an agricultural economy due to its fertile land.
The conquest of Cyprus was carried out by the Mu’awiyah Ibn Abi Sufyaan who invaded it with an army that included a group of the Prophet’s Companions. Some of them were: Abu Pharr, ‘Ubaadah Ibn As-Saamit and his wife Um Haram, Abu Ad-Dard’ and Shaddaad Ibn Qays. Mu’awiyah had repeatedly asked ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab to invade the Byzantine forces through the sea because they were so near Hims constituting a threat on Muslims. He said to ‘ Umar: “People in the villages of Hims can hear the dogs barking and the sound of the chicken on the Byzantine side”. Umar then wrote to ‘ Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas saying: “Describe to me the sea and those who sail in it.” ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas wrote back saying: “I have seen one of Allah’s greatest creation (i.e. the sea) being sailed in by a small creation (i.e. men); if it lies stagnant it tears hearts apart, and if it moves and flows it astonishes minds. In it (the sea) certainty diminishes, and doubt inflates. And people (in the sea) are like worms clinging to a branch; if it leans they drown, and if it stands upright they glimmer.”
When ‘Umar read the message he wrote back to Mu’awiyah saying: “I swear to Allah, Who sent Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, with the right guidance, I will never send Muslims to sea, for I have heard that Ash-Shaam sea is very high and every day and night it threatens the earth with drowning. But Allah restrains it! So how could I send Muslims to that tyrant (unbeliever)! The lives of Muslims are much more precious than all that the Byzantines have. So do not ever ask me that again, and remember what I have done to Abi Al- ‘ Alaa’.”
This message reflects the Arabs’ fear of the sea. ‘Umar considered that it threatened the earth with drowning every day and night. In any case, ‘ Umar did not want to take the risk of sending Muslims to sea.
When ‘Uthmaan, may Allah be pleased with him, became Caliph, Mu’awiyah wrote to him asking his permission to invade via the sea and insisted that he approves. Finally, ‘Uthmaan approved, but he did not make recruitment compulsory. It was voluntary so that if they were defeated no one would blame him. This reflects that he was influenced by ‘ Umar’s opinion about the dangers of the sea.
The first Muslim fleet was the one sent to conquer Cyprus in 28 AH under the command of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Qays. Another fleet from Egypt sailed from Alexandria under the command of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Sa’d and joined the first fleet in invading Cyprus.
When they arrived at Cyprus, the people of Cyprus made peace with the Muslims. The condition was that they pay 7000 dinars to the Muslims annually and a similar amount to the Byzantines and to fight with the Muslims against their enemies.
Therefore, Cyprus fell easily in the hands of Muslims because its Christian garrison was weak. It is said that ‘ Abdullaah Ibn Qays led 50 battles at sea and no member of his fleet drowned. He was killed while he was on a mission exploring a Byzantine harbor. He sailed in a reconnaissance boat, and when they reached the harbor, the enemy was able to recognize him, and they killed him.
During this conquest Umm Haram Bint Milhaan Al- Ansaariyyah, the wife of ‘ Ubadah Ibn As-Saamit lost her life exactly as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had predicted. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to honor her by visiting her, and sleeping at her house. One day the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was visiting her and he slept for a while, then he woke up smiling and said: “I dreamt that some people amongst my followers were sailing on the green sea in Allah’s Cause, and they were like kings on thrones.” Umm Haraam said: ”0 Messenger of Allah! Pray for me to be one of them”. The Prophet said to her: “You are amongst them”. Then he slept again, and when he woke up he smiled. Umm Haraam asked him: “O Prophet of Allah, what makes you smile?” He said: “1 dreamt that some people amongst my followers were sailing on the sea like kings”. She then told him again: “O Prophet! Pray for me to be one of them”. He said: “You will be amongst the first group of them.” Later on she married ‘ Ubadah Ibn As-Saamit, and she sailed to Cyprus. When they reached the shore, she mounted her riding animal, which threw her down breaking her neck and she died. Al-Waaqidi and Abu Ma’shar say that this took place in 34 AH.
The Battle of Dhaat As-Sawaari (31 AH – 652 AC)
Three years after the Muslims seized Cyprus, the Byzantines mustered an unprecedented large fleet of 500 ships to face the Muslims who were under the command of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Sa’d Ibn Abi Sarh. He added around 200 Egyptian ships to the Muslim fleet and prepared an army of courageous men. The two parlies did not fight until the two ships became close to each other, then a strong wind struck them and the Muslims anchored at shore. They tied the ships to each oilier near Alexandria and the battle broke out between the two sides. Men fought fiercely and a huge number were killed on both sides to the extent that the sea turned red and the dead bodies became jetsam. It was a day on which Muslims showed great valor and perseverance till the Byzantines failed in facing up to them and were defeated. Their commander fled to Syrcausc, the largest city in Sicily. When the Muslims inhabited Cyprus, they made it quite prosperous and bustling with life.
(Source: Biographies of the rightly guided Caliphs )
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