THE CONQUEST OF AYN AT-TAMR
Khalid left a garrison at AI-Anbaar under the command of Az-Zabraqaan Ibn Badr and himself marched further afield with the main Muslim army. The Muslim army re-crossed the Euphrates, and marched southward. This time his objective was ‘Ayn At-Tamr, a large fortified town surrounded by date palms which was of strategic importance and garrisoned by Persian forces and the Arab auxiliaries.
The Persian forces at’Ayn At-Tamr were commanded by Mahraan Ibn Bahrain who was a skillful military commander. The Christian Arabs belonged to the tribe of Namr and led by their chief ‘ Aqqah Ibn Abi ‘ Aqqah. ‘ Aqqah was a man of formidable dimensions and enjoyed a great reputation for his prowess. He was a devout Christian and was very hostile to Islam.
Aqqah was proud of his bodily strength and Arab lineage. In a war council with Mahran, ‘Aqqah volunteered to fight against the Muslims with his men. He argued: “Diamond cuts diamond, and we Christian Arabs know best as to how to Fight the Muslim Arabs. Let us fight the Muslims in the first instance”. Mahran accepted the offer and said, “You are right; you are the best men to fight against the Muslims. Go ahead, and give the Muslims a tough fight. We will remain close to you and will come to your assistance when you need reinforcement.”
The Persian forces remained at ‘ Ayn At-Tamr, but the Christian Arab auxiliaries under the command of ‘Aqqah marched on the road to Al-Anbaar to intercept the advance of the Muslim force under the command of Khalid. The two forces met at a distance of some ten miles from ‘ Ayn At-Tamr. As soon as the two forces came in sight, they went in for action immediately. Khalid deployed the Muslim forces in the usual way, the center and the wings. Khalid had heard of the boastings and vaunts of ‘ Aqqah, and his plan was to take ‘Aqqah captive and alive. ‘Aqqah led the center of his force and with his heavy body he looked very defiant. When the battle began, the wings of the Muslim army charged with considerable vehemence, but the center under the direct command of Khalid charged less vehemently. That gave ‘ Aqqah the impression that the center of the Muslim army was showing signs of exhaustion. He decided to avail of this advantage. He launched an attack at the central wing of the Muslim force with considerable vehemence. Before this attack, the Muslim center withdrew. That made the central wing of Aqqah’s force rush forward. Such an impetuous advance cut the central wing of ‘ Aqqah’s force off from the other wings of the army of the Christian Arabs. At this stage the Muslim force somersaulted, and launched a furious charge enveloping the forces of ‘ Aqqah. In the hand to hand fighting that followed, the men surrounding ‘ Aqqah were cut to pieces, and ‘ Aqqah was captured alive according to plan.
With the capture of ‘ Aqqah. The Christian Arabs lost nerve, and lied to ‘ Ayn At-Tamr, hoping to be reinforced by the Persian forces. When the Arab fugitives reached ‘Ayn At- Tamr. they found that the Persian forces under Mahran had already evacuated the town. Finding themselves abandoned and betrayed, the Christian Arabs rushed into the fort, closed the gates and prepared for a siege.
The Muslims soon arrived at ‘ Ayn At-Tamr, and laid siege to the fort. Aqqah and other prisoners in the Muslim camp were paraded outside the fort, and that had an unnerving effect on the defenders. The Christian Arabs soon asked for terms, but Khalid said that there would be no terms and that the surrender must be unconditional. After a few days, the resistance of the Christian Arabs broke down, and (hey surrendered unconditionally. ‘Aqqah and the leaders of the Christian Arabs were beheaded. The people agreed to pay Jizyah. A huge booty was collected and distributed according to the usual formula.
At ‘Ayn At-Tamr there was a monastery where boys were trained for priesthood. These boys embraced Islam. Among these boys was Nusayr whose son Moosa (Moosa Ibn Nusayr) later became the Governor of Africa, and the Conqueror of Spain.
(Source: Biographies of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.)
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