The Battle of Mu'tah

In Jumada al-Ula of 8 AH the Prophet sent an army of three thousand fighters to al-Sham to answer the killing of his messenger al-Harith ibn Umayr; it met Heraclius's forces and their Arab allies at Mu'ta in the land of al-Balqa. The three commanders the Prophet had named in order were martyred — Zayd ibn Haritha, then Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, then Abdullah ibn Rawaha — and Khalid ibn al-Walid took the banner and brought the army back safely ¹.

The Prophet named the commanders in order: if Zayd falls, then Ja'far; if Ja'far falls, then Abdullah ibn Rawaha. At the farewell Ibn Rawaha wept, explaining that he feared returning from a place he could not know, and excused himself with rajaz verses voicing his desire for martyrdom ².

The army halted at Ma'an in the land of al-Sham, where word reached them that Heraclius had halted at Ma'ab in al-Balqa with a hundred thousand Romans, joined by as many again of Lakhm, Judham, al-Qayn, Bahra' and Bali under the command of Malik ibn Zafila. Some men wavered and spoke of asking for reinforcements, but Abdullah ibn Rawaha stood and said: "you do not fight people by numbers, strength or multitude — you fight them only with this religion by which God has honoured us. Go forward: it is one of two fair outcomes, victory or martyrdom" — and the people agreed to march on ³.

When the army reached Masharif in al-Balqa, Heraclius's army met it, and the Muslims drew off to the village of Mu'ta and formed for battle. The right wing was led by Qutba ibn Qatada al-Udhri and the left by Ubaya ibn Malik al-Ansari ⁴.

Zayd ibn Haritha carried the banner until he "died amid the spears of the host" ⁴; Ja'far ibn Abi Talib took it, charged forward on his chestnut mare and hamstrung her — the first hamstringing in Islam — then fought until he was killed ⁵. Ibn Hisham adds that Ja'far held the banner in his right hand until it was cut off, then in his left until it too was cut off, then clasped it to his chest with his upper arms until he was killed, aged thirty-three ⁵.

Abdullah ibn Rawaha took the banner after him and hesitated a moment; he rebuked himself in rajaz — "I have sworn, soul, that you shall dismount" — then dismounted his horse and went on fighting until he was killed ⁶.

Thabit ibn Aqram raised the banner and declined the command, so the Muslims agreed upon Khalid ibn al-Walid. Khalid covered the army, then withdrew with it safely ⁶.

In Medina the Prophet announced the martyrdom of the three commanders by revelation before the news arrived, reporting that he had seen them on couches of gold in Paradise; he noted that Abdullah ibn Rawaha's couch tilted somewhat from his two companions' because he had hesitated briefly before going on ⁷. He visited Asma bint Umays, Ja'far's wife, kissed his children's heads while his eyes welled, then ordered the people to prepare food for Ja'far's household, "for they are occupied with the affair of their man" ⁷.

Ibn Ishaq gives the list of martyrs: of the Muhajirun, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and Zayd ibn Haritha, Mas'ud ibn al-Aswad (Banu Adi) and Wahb ibn Sa'd (Banu Malik); of the Ansar, Abdullah ibn Rawaha and Abbad ibn Qays (Banu al-Harith ibn al-Khazraj), and al-Harith ibn al-Nu'man and Suraqa ibn Amr (Banu Mazin). Ibn Hisham adds, from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Abu Kulayb and Jabir the sons of Amr, and Amr and Amir the sons of Sa'd ⁸.