Why Arab Muslims Killed 20,000 IRANIAN PERSIANS
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the month of Sha’ban, the Muslim army of Umar bin al-Khattab killed over twenty-two thousand Persian soldiers. This is why:
It is fifteen years after the Hijrah – five years after the death of the Prophet ﷺ.
Umar bin al-Khattab is the caliph of the Muslims. He appoints Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas as commander of the ‘Iraqi troops.
The antagonistic Persian polytheistic state has been stabilized by a new ruler, Yazdagird.
Between the Rashidun caliphate and the Persian Sassanid empire is the land of ‘Iraq.
The town of al-Qadisiyyah, southwest of Kufa is the main gateway into Persia.
Yazdagird provokes the local populations to break their treaties with the advancing Muslims.
The Persians amass a force of over one-hundred and twenty-thousand warriors – not counting support and reinforcements sent daily. The Muslims have thirty-thousand brave mujahidin who are outnumbered four-to-one.
Yet, this did not cause the believers to hesitate – not even for a moment. They knew the great value in their marching forth in Allah’s cause. The Prophet said said,
وَأُخْرَى يَرْفَعُ اللهُ الْعَبْدَبِهَا مِايَةَ دَرَجَةٍ فِي الْجَنَّـةِ مَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالاْأَرْض
There is a deed for which Allah raises the servant a hundred grades in Paradise, between each two grades is the distance between heaven and Earth.
The sahabi said, “What is it, O’ Allah’s Messenger?”
He said,
الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله
Jihad in Allah’s cause.
[Sahih Muslim]
Due to the massive manpower on the other side, ‘Umar sent every commander, wise man, nobleman, powerful person, orator and poet against the Persians. The most prominent and powerful men of the entire Muslim nation were gathered to face this foe.
The command came from the caliph to Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas to set out to Iraq in preparation for this decisive battle with the Persians. Umar advised Sa’d,
“I am ordering you and the troops who are with you to fear Allah in all circumstances, for fear of Allah is the best weapon against the enemy and the strongest weapon in war. I am commanding you and those who are with you to be more careful in avoiding sin than in avoiding your enemy, for the sins of the army are to be feared more than their enemy. The Muslims are supported by their enemy’s disobedience towards Allah, were it not for that, we would not have any strength, for our numbers are not like theirs and our weapons are not like theirs.”
Before fighting the mushrikun, the Muslims attempted to call them to Islam. Sa’d sent a delegation of fourteen blessed du’at to debate with the Persian king. They entered to meet the Persian king Yazdagird,
“Allah had mercy on us and sent to us a Messenger who commanded us to do good and forbade us to do evil, and promised us, if we responded, the good of this world and the Hereafter.
…
Then he commanded us to start with the nations that were closest to us, and we called them to justice. We are calling you to our Way, which is a Way that recognizes what is good and confirms it as such, and recognizes what is evil and confirms it as such. If you refuse, then you may choose one of the bad options rather than the worst option: jizyah, but if you refuse, then fighting… .”
Yazdagird said: “Were it not that envoys are not to be killed, I would have killed you. I have nothing for you.”
Upon return one of them said to Sa’d,
“Be cheerful! By Allah, Allah has granted us the keys to their kingdom.”
Not their men, nor their steeds, nor their steel – could stand in its path. The path of an army filled with the righteous. Allah’s promise – delivered. The victorious group – advancing. The establishment of Allah’s Way on the earth and the obliteration of falsehood at the hands of the believers was imminent.
Sa’d sent another delegation, this time to the Persian commander Rustam. When they called him to Islam he said,
“By God! these are real men whether they are sincere or are liars. By God! if their discipline and their way of keeping secrets has reached such a level that they all have the same approach, never differing, there are no people who are able to achieve what they want like them. If they are sincere, no one will be able to stand up to them.”
Rustom began preparing his huge army, full of infantry, heavy calvalry, and elephant corps. He sent a detachment of cavalry to the bridge to prevent the Muslims from crossing over towards his army. Rustam sat on his throne where he would watch the battle.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas addressed the people and recited the following verse:
وَلَقَدْ كَتَبْنَا فِى ٱلزَّبُورِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱلذِّكْرِ أَنَّ ٱلْأَرْضَ يَرِثُهَا عِبَادِىَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ ١٠٥
And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] mention that the land [of Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants.
[Surah al-Anbiyah, The Prophets (21):105]
The battle lasted for four days. On the first day of Armaath Rustam ordered nearly half of his army to attack a section that represented only a small part of the Muslim mujahidin. The Persians were desperate to put a stop to the one-on-one combat in which they had been defeated. This one flank of the Muslim army was attacked with thirteen elephants, each of which accompanied by four thousand warriors. Despite these odds, the Muslims were able to beat back the Persian advance, moving from defensive to offensive, by virtue of nonstop combat.
What gave the Muslims the ability to fight against massive creatures they had never seen before, outnumbered by ninety-thousand men, the strength to stand up unflinchingly before one of the greatest empires history has ever known? It was because they loved fighting in Allah’s cause. In fact, they loved it more than anything else.
قُلْ إِن كَانَ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَأَزْوَٰجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلٌ ٱقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَـٰرَةٌۭ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَـٰكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَآ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَجِهَادٍۢ فِى سَبِيلِهِۦ فَتَرَبَّصُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ ٢٤
Say, [O Muḥammad], “If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allāh and His Messenger and jihād [i.e., striving] in His cause, then wait until Allāh executes His command. And Allāh does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.”
[Surah al-Tawbah, Repentance (9):24]
These were a people that loved the dust under their feet, for their blood to be spilled, to kill and be killed more than they loved their own wives and children. A people like this can never be defeated for they are assisted by the Creator of the Sky and the Earth.
On the second day, called Aghwath, a division of the Muslim army from Syria arrived. Led by al-Qa’qa ibn ‘Amr al-Tamimi.
Al-Qa’qa ibn ‘Amr went forward to the front lines and called out to the Persians:
“Who will fight with me in single combat?”
A Persian commander came forth to face him and al-Qa’qa’ recognized him for a previous massacre he committed against the Muslims.
They engaged in an intense swordfight before the troops and al-Qa’qa’ slew him in front of the Persian soldiers, unnerving the Persians and raising the morale of te Muslims. The coammnder of twenty-thousand Persians struck down by the great mujahid Qa’qa’!
Al-Qa’qa’ continued single one-on-one combat and killed a second Persian commander – leaving only three left.
He turned to his forces and shouted, “0′ Muslims! Use your swords to reap the harvest!”
The Muslims launched thirty charges that day.
The third day was called Imas. By this point, the Muslims had purged the battlefield of Persian elephants. The soldiers clashed with one another and fighting intensified. The Persians deployed their reserve army of elite fighters. By the end of the third day, the Muslims and Persians found themselves on equal footing.
Fighting was still ongoing ahead of the fourth day. The Persians were growing desperate and none of them were confident enough to attack the Muslims without great backup after witnessing their commanders slain at the hands of al-Qa’qa’. None of the Persians came out alone for combat after the incredible violence of the Muslim champions.
The fighting that night was intense and non-stop.
Anas ibn al-Hulays said: “I was present on the night of al-Hareer, where the clash of iron was like the sound of the blacksmith all night, until morning came.”
The final day was called al-Qadisiyyah.
Al-Qa’qa’ realized that the enemy was running out of patience after the fighting had gone on for an entire day and night non-stop. He knew that the consequences of the battle would be decided by those who showed patience in the face of utter exhaustion.
Never would the believers lay their weapons down – not for a moment. For they knew that patience in the face of the enemy was among the best of deeds and that the path to Paradise is paved with hardships. They did not fight for land or wealth but so that the Word of Allah would be the highest and that the word of disbelief would be the lowest.
The Muslims advanced forth until they fought their way to Rustam’s throne, which he had fled. However, his mule had fallen on top of him and had damaged his back. He tried to escape to the river but one of the Muslims caught up to him and drug him to land – then killed him.
He climbed atop of Rustam’s throne and said,
“I have killed Rustam, by the Lord of the Ka’bah! Come to me!”
Upon hearing this the remnants of the Persian army fled.
In this battle the Persians lost 22,000 troops. The Muslims had 8,500 martyrs, the largest of any of the early conquests – showing the ferocity of the battle. The martyrs of the believers are expected in Jannah whereas the dead of the disbelievers will burn in the fire.
There is no doubt that al-Qadisiyyah is one of the most decisive battles in world history. It shows the support of Allah for the true believers. Due to this battle, the gates of Iraq were flung open and the Muslims conquered all of Persia. After it, Muslim victories came in rapid succession. The Sassanid empire was destroyed by the Rashidun caliphate and the shirk of Magianism was eradicated from the earth.
The Din of Allah spread to Persia and beyond.