Battle of Ullais
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
| Battle of Ullais | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Campaigns of Khalid ibn al-Walid | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
| Muslims | Persian Empire | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Khalid ibn al-Walid | Jaban | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 18,000 | 70,000 | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| about 1000 | 70,000 | ||||||
| Campaigns of Khalid ibn Walid |
|---|
| Uhud – Faraz – Zumiel – Sanni – Muzieh – Daumat-ul-jandal – Ein-ul-tamr – River – Chains – Yamama – Hazir – Zafar – Ghamra – Naqra – Walaja – Mu'tah – Yarmuk –Buzakha –Ajnadayn – Hira– Qarteen– Trench –maraj-al-rahab– Faraz– Siege of Ta'if –Mecca– Al-Anbar –Hunayn– basra –Aleppo |
The Battle of Ullais was fought between the forces of Muslims and Persian Empire Supported with Christian Arab auxiliaries in modern days Iraq.
Contents |
[edit] Background
after battle of Walaja ,For a few days Khalid rested his exhausted troops about 10 days later he was informed of the arrival of more Arab forces at Ullais, it became evident that he would have to deal with a complete and almost new army. The hostile concentration was large enough to promise a major battle. As soon as his detachments from the lower Tigris had joined him, Khalid set off from Walaja with an army whose strength, as at the time of its entry into Iraq, was 18,000 men.(There is no record of reinforcements, but the Muslim losses must have been made up by either reinforcements from Arabia or local volunteers from Iraq.)it was now clear upon the persians that there was something about this man Khalid-whose name was now whispered with fear in Persian homes-that added a touch of genius to the operations of his army. But a grand empire of 12 centuries is not beaten with three battles.The Emperor sent orders to Bahman who was still north of the Euphrates. On hearing of Walaja, Bahman had stopped in his tracks and decided not to move until he received further instructions. Now he got the Emperor's order to proceed with his army to Ullais, take under his command the Arab contingents assembled there, and bar Khalid's way to Hira.
But Bahman did not himself go to Ullais. He sent the army under his next senior general, one named Jaban, to whom he passed on the instructions of the Emperor. And Bahman added, "Avoid battle until I join you, unless it is forced upon you." Jaban moved with his army to Ullais and found a vast gathering of Christian Arabs who had come from the region of Hira and Amghishiya. All had by now realised that Khalid's mission was to take Hira, and felt that Khalid's success would mean more bloodshed and enslavement. To prevent this, they had come to fight Khalid and, if necessary, die fighting. Jaban assumed command of the entire army, the Christian Arab part of which was commanded by a chieftain named Abdul-Aswad, who had lost two sons at Walaja and was burning for revenge.Before the arrival of Jaban and the Persians, Muthanna and his light cavalry had appeared at Ullais and made contact with the Christian Arabs. Muthanna informed Khalid of the enemy position, strength and apparent intention to fight. Khalid increased his pace, hoping to catch the Christian Arabs before they were reinforced by other Persian forces. But Jaban beat him to Ullais, perhaps by a few hours; and again Khalid was faced by an enormous army. Again he determined to kill as many enemy warriors as he could lay his hands on, so that fewer would appear against him in the next battle. He also decided to fight the very same day; for the longer battle was delayed the more time the Persians would have to get organised and co-ordinate their plans.
[edit] The Battle
Khalid arranged his army in battle formation, appointing Adi bin Hatim and Asim bin Amr once again as the commanders of his wings and prepared for battle.This information reached Jaban a little before midday, when it was mealtime for the Persian army. The cooks had prepared the soldiers' food, and the Persian soldier, like soldiers of all races and all ages, preferred a hot meal to a cold one and was reluctant to fight on any empty stomach. The Arab auxiliaries, however, were ready for battle. Jaban looked at his soldiers and the tempting pots of food being brought from the kitchens. Then he looked in the direction from which the Muslims were rapidly approaching in battle array. The soldiers also saw the Muslim army. They were brave men; but they were also hungry men. "Let us eat now", they said to Jaban. "We will fight later." Jaban said "that the enemy will not let you eat in peace." "No!" said the Persians, disobeying their commander. "Eat now; fight later!" The meal-cloths were spread on the ground and steaming dishes were laid out upon them. The soldiers sat down to eat. They thought they had time. Meanwhile the Arab auxiliaries, less sophisticated in their eating habits, had formed up for action.
The Persians had eaten but one or two mouthfuls when it became evident that the Muslims were about to assault. If they delayed battle any longer, a full belly would be of no use to them, for they would be slaughtered anyway. Hurriedly they left their dishes; and as hurriedly Jaban deployed them on the battlefield along with the Arabs. He was not a minute too soon. He used the Christian Arabs to form the wings of his army, under the chiefs Abdul-Aswad and Abjar, and massed his Persian troops in the centre. muslim army under the command of khalid bin waleed surged forward and struck at persian army. Khalid killed the Arab commander, Abdul-Aswad, in personal combat. the imperial army, though losing heavily in men, yet didn't retrived before the assaults of the Muslims.If ever an army meant to fight it out to the last, it was the imperial army of battle of Ullais. The Arab auxiliaries were indeed fighting a do-or-die for if this battle were lost then nothing could save Hira(capitle city of iraq in those days). The Persians fought to vindicate the honour of Persian arms. For a couple of hours the slogging continued. The fighting was heaviest on the bank of the river, where a large number of Persians fell in combat. The Muslims-tired, angry, frustrated-could see no opening, no weakening of the Persian and Arab resistance. Then Khalid raised his hands in supplication and prayed to Allah: "O Lord! If You give us victory, I shall see that no enemy warrior is left alive until their river runs with their blood!"
The Muslims renewed their assaults with greater fury; and got there victory.
[edit] Aftermath
Early in the afternoon the imperial army was shattered and its soldiers fled from the battlefield. Thousands lay dead, especially in, and on the bank of, the river whose sandy bed was red with their blood.
As the Persian army fled from the battlefield, Khalid launched his cavalry after them and said Do not kill them Bring them back alive. The bed of the river was soaked with blood ... but the river was not "running with blood" as Khalid had pledged!. The Muslim cavalry broke up into several groups and went out in search of the enemy soldiers who fled from the battle feild. Parties of desperate Persians and Arabs were isolated from one another, surrounded, overpowered, disarmed and driven back to the battlefield by the muslims cavalry like flocks of sheep. each group was brought to the river bank and there head was cutted in the way that there all blood will fall in to the river.their killing in the river went on for the rest of that day and the whole of that night and the whole of the next day and part of the next day. Khalid was keeping his pledge! Not till sometime on the third day was the last man killed. Once the killing had stopped, a group of officers gathered around Khalid on the river bank. They looked upon a messy sight. Qaqa turned to Khalid and said "If you kill all the people of the earth their blood will not flow as long as this river is dammed. The earth will not absorb all the blood. Let the water run in the river. Thus you shall keep your pledge." Khalid ordered that the dam be opened. As it was opened the water rushed over the bed of the river and the blood lying in pools on the bed flowed with the water. This river then became known as the River of Blood.The Battle of Ullais was over. An enormous amount of booty fell into Muslim hands and included the families of the defeated imperial warriors. According to Tabari, 70,000 Persians, and Christian Arabs were killed by the Muslims including those beheaded in the river. But Jaban escaped. One day, after the campaign had been fought to a successful conclusion, Khalid sat chatting with some friends. He said, "At Mutah I broke nine swords in my hand. But I have never met an enemy like the Persians. And among the Persians I have never met an enemy like the army of Ullais." It was a very hard battle. The Battle of Walaja had been the fiercest battle of the campaign so far, but his was fiercer still. This became a battle that Khalid would never forget.
Coming from a man like Khalid, there could be no finer tribute to the valour of Persian arms. But the Persian court was now down and out..
[edit] On-line Resources
A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns Lahore, 1969
[edit] References
- A.I. Akram, The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 0-71010-104-X.
