SAJAAH, THE FALSE PROPHETESS
Among the false Prophets who rose in Arabia as a result of the apostasy movement was an Arab Christian lady named Sajaah Bint Al-Harith Ibn Suayd, of Taghlib, who claimed herself to be a Prophetess. She belonged to the tribe of Bani Tameem.
Sajaah was a beautiful lady of an attractive personality. She dabbled in clairvoyance, and professed to predict the future. She was a poetess, and mostly talked in verse. She had qualities of leadership, and was popular with her people. When she came to know that after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Tulayhah and Musaylmah had declared themselves as Prophet s, she also followed suite and claimed Prophethood. Soon she succeeded in mustering a good following from among the Banu Taghlib, the clan of her mother.
In her attempt to gather some followers from her father’s clan as well, Sa jaah contacted Malik Ibn Nuayrah, the chief of the Banu Yarboo’ section of the Bani Tameem. the clan of her father. At the invitation of Malik Ibn Nuayrah, Sajaah came to Bitaah. the headquarters of the clan and entered into a pact with him.
Malik felt that with the help of Sajaah and her people he could overpower such sections of the tribe who were opposed to him. He acknowledged Sajaah as a Prophet ess, and incited her to crush the Banu Yarboo’. Sajaah undertook to help him in asserting his authority over the section of the Banu Yarboo’, who were opposed to him. The combined forces of Malik and Sajaah received some initial success. Then Sajaah decided to proceed to Yamamahh, the stronghold of the false Prophet Musaylmah Ibn Habeeb Al-Kadhaab.
Musaylamah a cunning man did not go on war against Sajaah. Instead he invited her to visit Yamamah as his honored guest. Sajaah accepted the invitation, and proceeded to Yamamah in Central Arabia. Musaylamah held a royal reception in her honor. Musaylamah was a handsome man of attractive personality, and Sajaah was extremely beautiful and passionate. Both were mutually attracted. Musaylamah altered the vanity of Sajaah, and argued that as the Muslims were their common enemy, it would be to their mutual interest to join forces, and overpower the Muslims by united action. The idea appealed to Sajaah, and she voiced her willingness to make common cause with him.
Then Musaylamah took another step forward and suggested that in order to strengthen their alliance it was but meet that they should he physically united as well and become husband and wife. Sajaah fell in line with his way of thinking, and agreed to become his wife. Musaylamah said that in view of their mutual concurrence, it was necessary that such alliance should take place at once without losing any time. Under the spell of the magnetic personality of Musaylamah, Sajaah agreed that the marriage should take place ai once. Musaylamah took Sajaah to his camp where she remained with him for three days and three nights as his wife. As a wedding gift, Musaylamah declared that for their common followers the prayers in the morning and in the evening were no longer obligatory and that henceforward the number of prayers per day was to be reduced from five to three. He also agreed to pay Sajaah a share out of the revenues of Yamamah.
Instead of remaining with Musaylamah at Yamamah as his wedded wife, Sajaah decided to return to her people in Iraq. The followers of Sajaah felt frustrated at this turn of events, and they did not like their Prophetess becoming mistress of Musaylamah. Presumably Sajaah also realized that in marrying Musaylamah she had lost the battle. From some accounts it appears that Sajaah was already married, and she surrendered to Musaylamah under some hypnotic influence. When this spell was over, and she realized the depth to which she had degraded
herself she found safety in returning to Iraq. When she returned to her people in Iraq that was the end of the adventure of Prophethood. She lived in obscurity for the rest of her life. When the Muslims conquered Iraq she became a Muslim along with the other members of her tribe. During the caliphate of Muawiyiah she resided at Kufa, where she died at a sufficiently advanced age.
Having reduced the Bani Asad and Bani Fazara, Khalid bin Walid decided to march against the Bani Tameem who lived on a plateau to the east. The Bani Tameem had accepted Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet . After the death of the Prophet when the waves of apostasy spread over Arabia, the Bani Tameem were also affected. The tribe came to be divided into two sections. One section remained faithful to Islam, while the other section repudiated their allegiance to Islam. There was however some confusion as to who among the tribe favored Islam and who were against it.
When Khalid gave the order to march to Bitaah, the Ansacir in the army refused to join him. Their stand was that the Caliph had not sanctioned any operation against the Bani Tameem. Khalid said that being the Commander of the forces operating in the region, he was in the best position to know which operations should or should not be undertaken in the interests of the mission for achieving the supremacy of Islam. He said: “This matter is inevitable, and a chance that has to be seized. I did not receive any message from (the caliph), and 1 am the Commander and to me come the news, yet I will not force you to march, but I am heading for Al-Bitaah.”
Then the army of Khalid marched forward, while the Ansacir stayed behind. After some time on second thought, the Ansacir also decided to accompany Khalid. They accordingly rejoined the main Muslim army at the next stage of their march.
The orders of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, were that if any tribe professed faith in Islam, no action should be taken against it. If a tribe did not profess faith in Islam, it was to be invited to repent and be reverted to Islam. Operations were to be undertaken against a tribe only in the event of its refusal. It was laid down that if on reaching the settlement of a tribe, the Muslim army heard the tribe give Adhaan, it was to be understood that the people of the tribe acknowledged Islam. In the absence of such a response it was to be presumed that the people had apostatized.
Before the Muslim army reached Bilaah, a delegation of Bani Tameem waited on Khalid. They brought with them the amount of the Zakaah payable to the Muslims. Khalid took the amount, but continued his advance to Bitaah. When the Muslim army reached Bilaah, there were no forces of the Bani Tameem to oppose the Muslims. The position was confused. Malik Ibn Nuayrah, the chief of the Bani Tameem, neither came forward to give his loyalty, nor did he come forward to oppose the Muslims. On the other hand he went into hiding. That made him the subject of suspicion. Khalid directed his soldiers to forage in the neighborhood. As a result of such operations, Malik and his wife Layla were taken captive and brought before Khalid. Malik’s wife, Layla was known far and near for her breathtaking beauty.
Abu Qatadah, Al-Harith Ibn Rib’yy Al-Ansaaryy, testified that the prisoners offered Salaah, while others said they neither gave Adhaan nor offered prayer. The prisoners retired for the night. At the dead of night, Khalid ordered that the night being cold, the prisoners should be kept warm, but this order was misunderstood to be an order for murder. Accordingly, Malik and his male companions were killed. It was Daraar Ibn Al-Azwad who murdered Malik I bn Nuwayrah. Having seen Malik and his companions killed, Khalid remarked, “If Allah wills that something should occur, it surely occurs.”
After the death of Malik, the entire tribe of Bani Tameem surrendered and professed faith in Islam. Khalid immediately married Layla, the beautiful widow of Malik Ihn Nuwayrah.
The campaign against the Bani Tameem was a masterstroke from the political point of view. It brought the entire tribe to the fold of Islam. From the military point of view the significance of the action at Bitaah was that the rear of Sajaah. the false Prophetess, was cut off, and she could no longer count on the support of Bani Tameem.
The episode, however, led to considerable scandal. In some quarters it was held that Malik was indeed a Muslim, and that he had been murdered merely because Khalid coveted his pretty wife. Some of the Ansaar in the army of Khalid led by Abu Qatadah refused to fight under the command of Khalid. Abu Qatadah along with Malik’s brother set out for Madeenah to lodge a complaint against Khalid before the Caliph. Mutameem was a distinguished poet, and he composed an elegy mourning the death of his brother, and condemning Khalid as his murderer. These verses became popular in Madeenah and those who listened to them grieved at the murder of Malik.
Khalid was summoned to Madeenah and was asked to clarify his position. There were two charges against him: murdering a Muslim man and marrying his wife. Khalid’s defense of himself was that if according to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he was the “Sword of Allah”, such sword could not fall on the neck of a Muslim.
On entering the Grand Mosque in his rusty armor with arrows stuck in his turban, Klialid was noticed by ‘ Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, who went up to him, pulled out the arrows and broke them into pieces. He said threateningly: “You have killed a Muslim in cold blood and taken his wife for yours! By Allah! You deserve to be stoned!” Nevertheless, when Khalid met the Caliph, he managed to defend himself and was excused, though he did not escape being criticized for his disgraceful marriage with Layla.
Umar was of the view that Khalid was to be blamed, and he should be suitably punished. Abu Bakr felt that a military commander, Khalid, was indispensable. His view was that even if it was held that Khalid was guilty of a lapse, such lapse could be passed over in the broader interest of Islam. Musaylamah in the Yamamah valley was posing a great threat to the Muslims. Two Muslim Generals sent against Musaylamah had suffered defeat. The position was critical, and at that stage a General of the caliber of Khalid alone could vindicate the honor of Islam. Abu Bakr decided to overlook the lapse of Khalid, and directed him to undertake operations against Musaylamah. As there were doubts whether Malik was or was not a Muslim, Abu Bakr decided that blood money should be paid out of the Baytul-Maal to the heirs of Malik for his murder.
Umar did not feel happy at this decision of Abu Bakr. When ‘ Umar remonstrated, Abu Bakr observed: “Umar, I cannot sheathe the sword, which Allah has intended to be wielded against the non-Muslims.”
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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