غزوة ذات الصواري (31هـ)
غزوة ذات الصواري (31هـ)
c. 651 CE · 31 AH
Dhat al-Sawari, 'the Battle of the Masts' (AH 31): the first great naval armament of Islam — Constans sailed in five or six hundred ships, the Muslims under Abdullah ibn Sa'd lashed their hulls together and fought sword to sword until the Byzantines broke and their emperor fled wounded, in the Arabic telling to be killed in a Sicilian bath; Ibn al-Athir notes the victory field was also where talk against Uthman began 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Rashidun Caliphate
- Region
- al-Andalus & Europe · Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
The battle of Dhat al-Sawari was the first great naval battle in Islam, according to Ibn al-Athir. It took place in 31 AH, or some say 34 AH, between the Muslims and the Romans. 2
Preparation
Constantine, son of Heraclius, set out with a force the Romans had not gathered like since Islam began: five hundred or six hundred ships. The Muslims went out, with Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan over the people of Syria and Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh over the sea. 3
The fighting
The two sides spent the night, the Muslims reading the Qur'an and praying, and the Romans striking the bells. The next day they drew their ships close and tied them together, and fought with swords and daggers. Ibn al-Athir says that countless Romans were killed, and Constantine fled wounded. It is also said that he went to Sicily, where they put him in a bath and killed him. 3
Its effect on the strife
Ibn al-Athir says that Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa (may God be pleased with him) and Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr began speaking about the matter of Uthman during this expedition. 3
People and things also explored
هزيمة بلنجر (32هـ)· The Conquest of Khaybar· The battle of Samura (327 AH)· The Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)· The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)· The Expedition of Banu al-Mustaliq (al-Muraysi')· The Siege and Judgment of Banu Qurayza· Shapur's siege of al-Hadra
Sources
- al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir, v.2 pp. 488–490
- al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir, v.2 p.488
- al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir, v.2 p.488-490
- محمد قباني، الدولة الأموية من الميلاد إلى السقوط (دمشق، دار وحي القلم، 2006)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “غزوة ذات الصواري (31هـ)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/dhat-al-sawari-31/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.