Shurahbil ibn Hasana (may Allah be pleased with him) was the leader of one of the 11 armies that fought against the apostates. One day, the companion Shurahbil ibn Hasana (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), “O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah! Do you have any thoughts about Syria?” Abu Bakr was surprised and asked, “Of course I do, but how do you know that?” The issue of the kingdom of Sam was already decided by the Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to Sham on the night of Miraj, and there he went to the kingdom of Sham and prayed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque there, led by all the prophets. From this incident, we understand that the Syrian Empire was destined by Allah for the Muslims. The kingdom of Syria is a place where Allah sent many prophets. Allah has discussed the land of Sham and Masjid al-Aqsa in the Quran.
Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
(Quran 17:1)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had sent troops to this region long ago and sent letters to the rulers of the region. Although the rulers of this region at that time were Muslims, they followed Christianity, which earned them favor from the Roman Empire or the Merciful Emperor. And as a result they became arrogant and killed the Muslim envoy. This incident proves how arrogant they were. Not only were they trying to attack Medina, but they were silent about the Roman emperor not attacking. The Prophet (peace be upon him) set out with an army of 30,000 for Tabuk, which was located between the Shaam empire and Syria. But the Roman army did not appear on the battlefield until the following year, i.e. in the 8th Hijri, when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was ill, and he had prepared the army. He had placed the leadership of that group in the hands of Osama.
After the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) immediately came to power and ordered that Usama’s army should leave Medina. Three days after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Usama’s army left Medina. So from the beginning, everyone’s goal was to bring the kingdom of Shyam under the control of Muslims.
Before we get to know how this campaign began, let’s know a few things: Allah is the only Lord or Owner of everything in this world. The rule of man on earth is only as a representative of Allah, and as long as he fulfills his duties as a representative of Allah, the rule of Allah will remain established. But when they start establishing laws according to their own wishes, then the rule of Allah or their system of government has no legitimacy.
But the nationalist system is completely opposite to the Islamic system. The essence of the nationalist system is that if a person is the ruler of the place where he is born or where he resides, he will make laws according to his wishes, which is completely contrary to the laws of Islam.
This is why we see that during the time of Moses (peace be upon him), Allah defeated Pharaoh and established the nation of Bani Israel there.
In this regard, Allah says in the Quran:
And we caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.
(Quran 7-137)
The inheritance of the kingdom of Sam is a gift from Allah. And for this reason, the Companions knew that since Allah Almighty had given them the kingdom of Sham as a gift, they were its heirs. As a result, we see that in the past, all the nations that disobeyed the command of Allah and followed others were humiliated by the non-Muslim nations.
And Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique, a long-time companion of the Prophet of Islam, knew very well that conquering the kingdom of Sham was the right of the Muslims and it was only a matter of time. And this is why, during the Ridda campaign, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sent a small army there under the leadership of Khalid. And for that reason, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was thinking about how to conduct an expedition to the kingdom of Sham and overthrow the Romans and establish Islam there permanently.
And that is why Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was surprised upon hearing Shurahbil ibn Hasana (may Allah be pleased with him) words. Abu Bakr asked in surprise, “Of course I think so, but how did you know that?”
He said, ‘I saw a dream. I saw you walking among a group of people. Then you climbed a rough, rocky slope and climbed to a very high peak. From that high place your companions were watching the people below.
Then, coming down from that high place, you entered a fertile land. Where there are many fruits and crops, and many cities and fortresses. Then you ordered your companions, fight against the enemies of Allah, I give you good news of victory!
Then a battle banner was given to me, and I went forward with it. I went to a city, the people welcomed me. I entered the city calmly and calmly. When I returned, I saw you sitting on a throne placed in a large fortress.
Then we heard a voice – Rejoice in victory and thank Allah!
Then that invisible voice was reciting Surah Nasr! Then I woke up, this was my dream. Shurahbil ibn Hasanah (may Allah be pleased with him) finished speaking and saw that tears were flowing from Abu Bakr’s eyes! With tearful eyes, he said, “You have given me two tidings, one of victory. The other of my farewell, my death!”
Then Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) called a meeting of the Surah of Majlis and all the companions were present there. Among the companions present there was Hazrat Umar bin Khattab. When he heard about the expedition to the kingdom of Syria, he said, “We were already thinking about telling you about this, but before that, you proposed this expedition to us.”
Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) also said that you should continue to send armies to the kingdom of Syria and you should continue to send armies one after another until we can conquer Rome.
Abdullah bin Ataw presented a second opinion. He said that this is a huge empire so there is no chance of taking them too easily. They have a large skilled army, a large horse force, and a large arsenal of weapons.
At that time, the Roman Empire was a vast empire, covering a vast area, extending from Iran to Palestine, Europe, and even as far as Africa.
Therefore, he proposed that instead of sending armies one after another, Muslim forces should be sent to the borders of the Roman Empire to make small-scale attacks so that their strength could be assessed.
Abdullah bin Ataw was a businessman, so he proposed that small raids could be made to capture the Roman border areas and take the spoils from there, thereby enriching the Muslim army financially.
As a result, when you send a large army against the Roman Empire, you will not have any financial problems, and you will not even have to take money from the treasury.
Hazrat Usman (RA) proposed that you always think about the welfare of Islam, so whatever decision you take, we will follow that decision. We consider the decision you make as a good deed, so act accordingly.
At this time Hazrat Ali (RA) remained silent and looking at him Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) asked him if he wanted to say anything. Then Hazrat Ali (RA) said that whatever decision you make is good and I agree with Hazrat Uthman, so you decide as you wish.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was very pleased with the discussion with the companions and he agreed to send an army to conquer the Roman Empire.
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) decided to send an army according to Hazrat Umar and Abdullah bin Ataw decision. First, he sent four armies towards Rome, which according to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)’s opinion.
The kingdom of Syria was a fertile land and the center of the Romans, so Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) took very strategic steps to capture it. He sent Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen with a letter.
He wrote in the letter that Allah has made jihad obligatory for Muslims, and that they must remain in a state of continuous jihad, regardless of whether they are Muslims or not. Jihad is an obligatory act of worship and there is a great prize for it with Allah. All the Muslims whom I have called to fight against the kingdom of Syria have responded and I want you to respond as well, either you will be martyred or you will be victorious. He also wrote that God is not only pleased with words, but also with actions. Jihad will continue until they acknowledge the Deen of Allah or Allah’s judgment is established upon them. May Allah purify your deeds and grant you patience.
Through this letter he was trying to inspire the Muslim forces. Upon receiving a letter from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA), the Emperor of Yemen, he arrived in Medina with his army and met Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA). He was amazed to see Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) because Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) was wearing very simple clothes and did not even have any bodyguards. Seeing this state of affairs of such a great Arab emperor, the king of Yemen had a great change of heart. He took off his precious clothes and turban and sold them in the market of Medina, and instead put on ordinary attire, which was an imitation of Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him).
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) prepared four armies. The leader of one of these four armies was Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him). However, this Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) was not the same Yazid who killed Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him). Rather, Abu Sufyan Yazid was a companion. The number of members of that army was 7 thousand and Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sent that army to Damascus.
The head of the second army was Shurahbil ibn Hasana (may Allah be pleased with him). This force was sent to Tabuk primarily to support the Muslim army from the rear. The main purpose of this force was to prevent any other force from attacking the Muslim army from the rear, and at the same time, this force was positioned near Medina so that help could be quickly obtained from Medina in any embarrassing situation.
Abu Ubayyah was sent with his army towards the frost of the kingdom of Shyam. The number of soldiers in this army was 3000. The fourth army was the army of Abu Ibn Asr, which had seven thousand members.
And when he sent out the troops, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and went ahead with the troops for a short distance and put dust on his feet.
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) went out with the armies and when he reached a place, he gave some instructions to each of the Amirs. Those instructions were long but very important.
Among his advice were things like “fight until you win or until you die.” He also ordered that all soldiers who were wounded in battle would be cared for and that if they died, you will be present at their funeral.
He also advises that you should be extremely patient, even if your enemies are patient with you, you should be more patient than them and defeat them in the test of patience.
Whenever Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) led a war, he had a skilled army, but he did not have enough weapons or vast resources to cover the costs of the war. But at that time, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) was put to the ultimate test of patience and he passed the battle of nerves.
But these were not the things that Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to do to become mentally strong, rather his aim was to spread the message of Islam everywhere. And at the same time, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) understood the importance of Jihad.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) did not want to waste a single moment of time, but rather he wanted to quickly establish the message of Islam everywhere, because exactly three days after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sent Usama (may Allah be pleased with him) to fight.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was in a strong position regarding jihad and he was certain of the victory of the Muslim army. And he wanted to spread his faith among all the Muslims who were going to fight against the Romans.
Meanwhile, Khalid bin Walid attempted to attack the Roman Empire along a route that no army had ever taken before. But Khalid bin Walid, despite having little supplies, trusted in Allah and continued to advance towards the empire along that path. When Khalid bin Walid received the letter from Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), he understood the importance of the war for the empire and he did not want to waste a single moment of time. Khalid bin Walid realized that if he delayed, the skilled Roman soldiers would attack the Muslim army. But the problem is that Khalid bin Walid will try to travel from Iraq to Syria in remote areas. The route he tried to take to Syria was flanked by many fortresses with Roman troops inside. It was a long way to go to the Shayam empire, defeating them.
Then Khalid bin Walid gathered all the people who knew the way from Iraq to the empire and asked them how they could quickly reach the kingdom of Sham.
Then the people who knew the shortest route said that if you take this route from Iraq to Syria, it is the best and there is no alternative to it, but there is a road through the desert that no army, let alone any ordinary person, dares to take, and there is no water supply on this long route. Abandon the plan.
But Khalid bin Walid said, “I am steadfast on Allah. We will take this path. Is there anyone among you who knows this path?” Then one of the Bedouins present said, “Yes, it is okay. I will take you.”
Then Khalid bin Walid started to travel along that desert road with his army, but since there was only sand and no water supply around, within a few days they became thirsty and their lives became miserable. Then on the way, Khalid bin Walid suddenly saw a felled tree and he ordered that the Muslim army start digging the ground around the tree to dig a well.
Thus, by the special grace of Allah, the Muslim army found water and were saved from certain death. They were satisfied and drank from the well in the form of water.
When Khalid bin Walid arrived at the Emperor of Syria, the Roman army was surprised to see him, wondering how he could arrive so quickly. They already knew about Khalid bin Walid, how great a warrior he was, and when they saw him, they lost their courage.
Khalid bin Walid joined the already stationed Muslim forces. Khalid bin Walid joined the Muslim army, bringing the number of Muslim forces to five. Khalid bin Walid was moving all his forces towards Palestine and Jordan. And the Palestinian Muslim army was unable to move from where it was stationed. The Roman army was in front of them. If they moved to the other side, the Roman army would definitely attack them from behind.
Finally, when the Roman army and the Muslim army came face to face, Khalid bin Walid went to each of them and gave a speech, saying, “O Muslim army, you will face this great Roman army with courage, but do not flee from the battle.” On the other hand, the commander of the Roman army said to his soldiers, “O army, fight bravely, because if you are defeated in this battle, you will never be able to fight against the Muslim army again.”
Khalid bin Walid at the beginning of the war called on the Roman commander Waddah to fight in hand-to-hand combat and he killed him. When the Roman army saw that their commander was being killed, they rushed forward. Khalid bin Walid threw the severed head of the Roman commander Waddah at them. When the Roman army saw that their commander had been killed, their morale was broken and chaos broke out within their army. The Muslim army surrounded the Roman soldiers from all sides and began killing them one by one.
Khalid bin Walid wrote a letter to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (RA) informing him that only 500 to 700 Muslim soldiers were killed in this battle, compared to 50,000 Roman soldiers who were killed.
