BATTLE OF ULLAIS

The 'Battle of Ullais' was fought between the forces of Rashidun Caliphate and Sassanid Persian Empire in Middle of May 633 A.D in Iraq, and is sometimes referred to as, The ''Battle of Blood River'' since, as a result of the battle, there were enormous amounts of Sassanian and Arab Christian casualties. It was last of those four consecutive battles that were fought between invading Muslims against Persian army, that result in the evacuation of Sassanid Persian army from Iraq and its capture by Muslims under Rashidun Caliphate.

Contents

Background

The battle

Aftermaths

References

External links

Background

After defeat at Battle of Walaja, Christian Arab survivors of the Battle fleed from the battlefield crossed the River Khaseef (tributary of Euphrates)^[6] and moved between it and the Euphrates. Their flight ended at Ullais, about 10 miles from the battle field of Battle of Walaja. Muslims were awear of the presence of hostile arabs at Ullais but as they were less in number and were survivors of Walaja so they never consider them a military threat until they Muslim commander Khalid ibn Walid was informed about the arival of more Arab hordes mainly from the Christian Arab tribe of Bani Bakr, more reinforcements were called from the Christian Arab tribes from thhe region between Al-Hirah and Ullais. Rashidun Caliphate army under Khalid thus crossed the river Khaseef and approched Ullais frontlly.^[7] Emperor Ardsheer meanwhile sent orders to Bahman to proceed to Ullais and take command of Arab contingents there and stop Muslims advancement at Ullais. Bahman sent his senior general Jaban with imperial army to Ullais with the orders of not to engaged in battle until Bahman himself arrived there.^[8] As Jaban set off with the army, Bahman returned to Ctesiphon. To discuss certain matters with the Emperor. He arrived at Ctesiphon to find Emperor Ardsheer very ill and remained in his attendance. By now the Persians and Arabs have realised that Muslims objective was Al-Hirah, they decided to fight and defeat the Muslims army before more blood shed and enslavements. The Christian Arab contingents were under the comamnd of a tribal chief ''Abdul-Aswad'', who had lost his two sons in Battle of Walaja against Muslims.

The battle

One of the Muslim commander Misna bin Haris^[9] advanced with the light cavalry scout reached the Ullais and informed the Muslim comamnder in chief Khalid ibn Walid about the location of the hostile Arabs, Khalid tried to reach Ullais before the Sassanid army reinforce them. This was to avoid the battle with the army that would heavily outnumbered his own one, but was failed to do so. Jaban reached before Khalid. The longer the battle was delayed the more time the Persians would have get to organised and co-ordinate their plans, therefore Khalid decided to fight the battle very same day.
According to modern days geography the battle field lies 25 miles south-east of Iraqi city of Najaf, and about 4 miles south-west of modern days ''Ash Sinafiyah''.^[10]
The Sassanid army and Christian Arabs contingents were camped side by side with the Euphrates to their left, the Khaseef^[11] to their right and the river junction behind them. Muslim commander in chief Khalid ibn Walid array the army in battle formation, appointing Adi ibn Hatim comamnder of right wing and Asim ibn Amr commander of left wing. The information of the Rashidun Caliphate army's advance for the battle reached Jaban a little before midday, it was mealtime^[12] and Persian soldiers were to take there meal, the Sassanian troops abstained from food so as to "display their toughness" to the Muslims.

As soon as the news reached Jaban arranged the Sassanid army in great hast before Muslims could reach appointing Christian Arabs to form the wings of his army, under the tribal chiefs ''Abdul-Aswad'' commanding the right wing and ''Abjar'' commanding the left wing. The center was formed with the Imperial army. The battlefield ran south-east of Ullais between the Euphrates and Khaseef. The Persian army was deployed with its back to Ullais, while in front of it was arrayed the Rashidun Caliphate army. The northern flank of both armies rested on the Euphrates and their southern flank on river ''Khaseef''. The battle front was about 2 miles from Euphrates to Khaseef to river.
Details of the manoeuvres used by Khalid are not mentioned in history, Muslim commander in chief Khalid ibn Walid killed the Christian Arab tribal chief Abdul-Aswad in a duel. The fighting was heaviest on the bank of Khaseef. It is mentioned in Muslims chronicals that ''If ever an army meant to fight it out to the last, it was the imperial army of Ullais''. The fiercest battle continued for hours, no signs of weakness were shown from either side. It is said in the Muslims chronicals that seeing no opening, no weakening of the Persian and Arab resistance.the Muslim commander in chief Khalid ibn Walid, tired, angry, and frustrated prayed to Allah:.
Early in the afternoon the Sassanid Persian army and Arab allies unable to withstand the vetaran Muslims army, retreated finally to north-west in the direction to Al-Hirah. Khalid ibn Walid launched his cavalry after it, with the orders of not to kill them and to bring them alive. ^[12] Muslims cavalry broke into several groups and parties of desperate Persians and Arabs were isolated from one another, surrounded, overpowered, disarmed and were driven back to the battlefield. every man was beheaded in the river bed or on the bank whence his blood ran into the river. The pursuit by the Muslims cavalry, the capture and return of the Persian and Arab warriors, and 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.^[14] In the river Khaseef still the blood was not flowing, as Khalid had pledge to do, until on the advice of Qa'qa ibn Amr one of the commander of Muslims army, Khalid ordered the dam on the river be opened. The blood on the bed flowed with the water. This river then became known as the 'River of Blood'.^[15]

Aftermaths

On the following day Khalid entered into a pact with the local inhabitants of the district. They would pay the Jizya and come under Muslims protection; but this time another clause was added to the pact: the local inhabitants would act as spies and guides for the Muslims.
After the battle, a finer tribute was given by Khalid to the Sassanid Persian army he said:
Persian emperor Ardsheer lay dying, and the empire was un-able to send more armies to roll back Iraq. The capital city of Hira was captured shortly after it, followed by the conquest of Al-Anbar and siege of Ein-al-Tamr which surrendered shortly after the siege. With the fall of the main cities the whole of southern and central Iraq came under Muslims control. In 634 A.D Abu Bakr ordered Khalid ibn Walid to proceed to Syria with half of his army to command the Invasion of Byzantine Empire. Misna bin Haris was left as the successor of Khalid. Persians under new emperor Yazdgerd III, concentrated new armies and defeated Muslims in the Battle of Bridge, and re-captured Iraq. The second invasion of Iraq was undertaken under Sa`d ibn Abī Waqqās who after defeating the Sassanid army at Battle of al-Qādisiyyah in 636 A.D captured Ctesiphon. Followed by the whole scale invasion^[16] of Sassanid Persian Empire.^[16]

References

1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 554
2. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 562.
3. The Sword of Allah”: Chapter no: Chapter 26: The Last Opposition, page no:5 by Lieutenant-General Agha Ibrahim Akram, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 978-0-7101-0104-4.
4. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 561-562
5. The Sword of Allah”: Chapter no: Chapter 22, by Lieutenant-General Agha Ibrahim Akram, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 978-0-7101-0104-4.
6. Tabari Vol. 2, P. 560
7. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 562
8. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 560.
9. also spelled as Muthanna bin Harith
10. The Sword of Allah”: Chapter no: Chapter 22: page no:1 by Lieutenant-General Agha Ibrahim Akram, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 978-0-7101-0104-4.
11. One of the Tributary of Euphrates
12. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 561
13. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 561
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid: Vol. 2, pp. 561-2
16. ''See'':Islamic conquest of Persia.
17. ''See'':Islamic conquest of Persia.


★ A.I. Akram, ''The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns'', Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN 0-7101-0104-X.

External links

★ A.I. Akram, ''The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns'' Lahore, 1969