THE CONQUEST OF AL-ANBAAR
With the conquest of Al-Heerah, Khalid had achieved the objective that Abu Bakr had set for him. Having succeeded in his objective, a man like Khalid could not be expected to rest on oars. After taking stock of the situation around him, Khalid decided to advance further afield.
In fact, he was following the instructions of Abu Bakr, who forbade him to leave Al-Heerah unless his comrade, ‘lyaad Ibn Ghanani, arrived after subduing Doomat Al-Jandal. Which was a long way to the south. But Khalid grew impatient, as he was anxious to continue his conquests. He wanted to spread Islam everywhere, so he looked westwards along the banks of the Euphrates and saw Al-Anbaar. It was an important town and commercial center to which caravans came from Ash-Shaam and Persia. Khalid chose Al-Anbaar as his next objective. Leaving Al-Qa’qaa” Ibn ‘Amr in charge of Al-IIeerali, he marched quickly to the city and laid siege to it.
However, the governor of the district, Sbeerzad, decided to defend the town with the help of his Persian garrison and the Arab auxiliaries. The town was protected by walls and a large deep moat. The town of Al-Anbaar was situated at a height, and the Muslim army had to camp on the low plain below the town. As the Persians saw the height that intervened between them and the Muslim army they felt that their position was invulnerable. The Persians stood on the top of the walls of the citadel carelessly, in groups, looking at the Muslim army as if they were watching a tournament.
Khalid collected the best of his archers, and commanded them to shoot at the eyes of the Persians. The Muslim archers shot several rounds, and as a result thousands of Persians lost their eyes. Because of this action the battle of Al-Anbaar came to be called ’the Baltic of the Eyes’. As a result of the efforts of the Muslim archers, a panic was created in the ranks of the Persians, and Sbeerzad sent an offer to negotiate terms. Khalid rejected the offer and demanded that the surrender should be unconditional. Under the circumstances, Sbeerzad decided to continue resistance.
The moat stood between the Persians and the Muslims, and the problem before Khalid was to cross the moat. Khalid selected a point where the moat was the narrowest. Here he placed his archers in position to shoot at the enemy ruthlessly. Under the cover of these archers Khalid pushed ahead his army. The old and lean camels of the army were slaughtered and dumped into the moat. As the pile of carcasses rose, it formed a bridge over which the Muslim army crossed the moat and assaulted the fort. Finding his position insecure, Sheerzad made another offer to surrender provided the Persian army was allowed to withdraw in safety. Khalid agreed to the offer on the condition that the Persians did not carry any arms or other property with them.
Thereafter the Muslims occupied the town of AI-Anbaar. The Christian Arabs, the auxiliaries of the Persians, had no option but to lay down arms after the withdrawal of the Persian forces. They agreed to pay the Jizyah. Khalid stayed at AI- Anbaar for a few days, and received the submission of the tribes living in the neighborhood.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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