Futuhusham_-_The_Islamic_Conquest_of_Syria_-_Al_Waqidi

Part 3: Al - Yarmiik
Khdlid ~ : 0 Muslims, know that the Devil's army is 60,000 Christian 'Arabs. We,
the army of the Most Merciful, amount to 30,000 horsemen. We will have to fight
this big force but if we fight them with our entire force, that would be quite
cowardly. All we need to do is to send our select and elite warriors against the
Christian 'Arabs.
AbU Sufydn S-akhr bin Harb ~ : Praise be to Allah for you, 0 AbU Sulayman, your
view is correct. So do what you want to and select from the army whomsoever you
desire.
Khdlid ~ : I propose selecting thirty horsemen, each of whom will have to face
2,000 Christian 'Arabs.
The Muslims were astonished and thought that he was joking.
AbU Sufydn ~ : 0 Ibn al-Walid, are you joking or serious?
Khdlid ~ : I swear, no. I am quite serious.
AbU Sufydn ~ : Then you are opposing Allah's command by wronging yourself. I do
not think that there is any good in what you say, although one Muslim against 200
would be easier than what you say of fighting 2,000. Allah Most Honourable and
Majestic is merciful unto His slaves. He has stipulated upon us that one of us may
fight two, 100 against 200 and 1,000 against 2,000 whereas you say that thirty of us
must go against 60,000? None will volunteer for this and if he does then he will
wrong himself and you will have assisted in killing him.
Khdlid ~ : 0 AbU Sufyan, you were so brave in pre-Islamic times so do not be
cowardly in Islam. See which Muslim warriors I will select and you will see that they
are such men who have gifted their lives to Allah and desire nothing through their
fighting except Allah himself. Allah knows who possesses these qualities and it will
be His responsibility to aid him even if he were to cross repulsive fires.
AbU Sufyan ~ : Matters are as you have stated them. I only said this out of
compassion for the Muslims. If you have resolved upon this then at least take sixty
Muslims so that each will only have to face 1,000 Christian' Arabs.
AbU 'Ubaydah ~ : Yes. AbU Sulayman, AbU Sufyan is correct.
Khdlid ~ : By Allah! 0 commander, all I intended was a strategy against our enemy.
If they should flee in defeat and should be questioned, "How many confronted you?"
273