- Messages
- 1,358
- Reaction score
- 1,289
- Points
- 173
Expansion of the Islamic Empire:
Fighting with the Persian Empire had begun during the rule of the previous Caliph. Muslim forces defeated the Persian in Namaraq in October 634 AD and crossed the Euphrates. The Persian supreme command then sent a huge force under Bahman. The two armies fought a fierce battle, the Battle of Bridge. Here the Muslims suffered heavy losses including their commander Abu Ubaid bin Zaid.
The Muslims regrouped under Mutanna, in November 634 AD defeated the Persian army led by Mehran in the Battle of Buwaib. Commanding an army of 20,000 troops, Saad bin Abi Waqas met the Persian 120,000 army led by Rustam at Qadisiya. The Battle of Qadisiya thus began in 635 AD. A fierce battle was fought resulting in Rustam’s death. Now Saad and his army advanced to the Persian capital Al-Madain. He laid a siege for several days and the king Yazdigard escaped to north while the Muslims captured Al-Madain. The king was finally defeated at Jalula.
In the meantime the Persians, Romans and Christian Arab tribes combined their forces in upper Iraq near Tekrit. Saad dispatched an army that defeated the joint forces. Saad, on Umar’s advice, founded the new cities Kufa and Basra near Madain for the Muslim armies and their families. Umar completed the final capture and subjugation of Persia in the Battle of Nihawand in 642 AD, marking the end of the Sassanid Dynasty in Persia.
In Syria the Muslim forces were advancing rapidly when Umar became the Caliph. Khalid bin Waleed added Damacus, Jordan and Emmessa, one after another to the Muslim Empire. After the loss of these important cities the Roman Emperor sent an army of 260,000 men against the Muslims. This force too was defeated in 635 AD in the Battle of Yarmouk under the leadership of Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah. Many other important Syrian towns were also captured leaving only Jerusalam and its surrounding towns. Finally Jerusalem was also taken in a peaceful manner on the request of Patriarch Sophronius. He requested that the ‘king’ of Muslims should himself come and receive the keys of the city. Umar himself met Sophronius and signed a peace treaty under which full religious freedom was given to the citizens of Jerusalem on the condition of paying Jizya. Sanctity of the Church of Resurrection and other churches was also guaranteed.
Finally Egypt was also conquered in 640 AD by Amr bin Al-Aas who had to persuade Umar with great difficulty. Amr bin Al-Aas argued that Egypt could be used by the Romans as the naval base to launch operations against the Muslims. By April 641 AD Babylon was also captured and the new city of Fustat was founded in 642 AD on the eastern bank of the Nile. Umar appointed able and efficient governors in all these conquered territories.
