Battle of al-Namarq (13 AH)

Name: Battle of al-Namarq (13 AH)
Start: 0634

وقعة النمارق

634 CE · 13 AH

At al-Namarq near Kufa, Abu 'Ubayd ibn Mas'ud — reinforced by the pardoned ridda converts of al-Muthanna — met Jaban's Persians and routed them. Jaban was taken by Matar ibn Fidda, then talked him into safe-conduct and was released; when the captors brought him before Abu 'Ubayd demanding execution he answered: 'I fear God — a Muslim gave him protection, and the Muslims are one body: what binds one of them binds them all.' Jaban went free; Mardanshah, seized by Aktal ibn Shammakh, was not so fortunate ¹.

Depth

At a glance

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In time

The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate

In space

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Overview

At al-Namarq near Kufa: al-Muthanna b. Haritha had rallied the pardoned ridda converts when Abu 'Ubayd b. Mas'ud came up; Jaban came down from Kaskar to the Namarq, they met in a hard fight, and God routed the Persians. Jaban was taken by a trick — he asked his captor Matar b. Fidda al-Tamimi "will you grant me safety?", who did and freed him; when they brought him to Abu 'Ubayd and told him it was Jaban, urging execution, he said: "I fear God to kill a man a Muslim has granted safety — the Muslims are one body; what binds one binds all." Mardanshah was captured by Aktal b. Shammakh al-'Ukayli and killed ¹.

Connections

Explore the connections

Occurred at: Kufa
Had participant: Abu Ubayd ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi· al-Muthanna ibn Haritha

People and things also explored

Abu Ubayd's Dispatch to Iraq· The Day of the Bridge· Great Mosque of Kufa· The March of al-Falalij and the Pursuit of Jaban at Tustar· Ali burns people in Kufa who claimed he was God· Ali burns the village of Zarara where wine was sold· ʿAli's dispatch of his own governors to the garrison towns (36 AH)· Ali enters Kufa in 36 AH

Sources

al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir , p. 274-275

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Battle of al-Namarq (13 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/battle-of-namarq/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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Abu Ubayd's Dispatch to Iraq

In al-Baladhuri: when Umar succeeded he sent Abu Ubayd ibn Mas'ud ibn Amr ibn Umayr ibn Awf ibn Uqda ibn Ghiyara ibn Awf ibn Thaqif — being Abu al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd — to Iraq in a thousand, writing al-Muthanna to receive, hear and obey him, and sent with him Salit ibn Qays ibn Amr al-Ansari, telling him 'but for the haste in you I'd have appointed you — war is cunning, only the patient man suits it.' Abu Ubayd came on urging every Arab tribe to jihad and booty till a host joined him; at al-Mudhayyib he heard Jaban the Persian was at Tustar in a great host — met him, routed his host and took captives; then to Durna whose Persian host he routed to Kaskar; then to the Jalinus at Barusma where Ibn al-Andarzghar made peace at four dirhams a head on withdrawing; he sent al-Muthanna to Zandaward — found repudiated, fought, prevailed and captured — and Urwa ibn Zayd al-Khayl al-Ta'i to al-Zawabi whose dihqan he pacified on Barusma's terms.