Documents of the Right Word

groups of renegades. He sent a troop under Amr Ibni Âs’
command ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ anhum ajma’în’ against the
renegades of Hudâ’a.
In the period of Sa’âdat, hadrat Amr Ibni Âs was formerly
assigned the duty of collecting zakât from the tribes of Sa’d and
Huzayfa and Uzra. Later he was appointed as a judge in Ammân
and was promised that on his return he would be given his former
position again. When he was back from Ammân, hadrat Khalîfa
sent him out to collect zakât as he had been doing before, thus
fulfilling the promise made by the Messenger of Allah. When the
number of renegades increased, the Khalîfa wanted to give him
command over a community. He wrote to him, saying, “I gave you
your former duty so that the promise made by the Messenger of
Allah be fulfilled. Now I plan to assign you a duty which will be
more useful for you both in the world and in the Hereafter.” Amr
Ibni Âs’ answer was: “I am one of Islam’s arrows. After Allah,
you are the person who will throw and recollect these arrows.
Throw the one which is more powerful and more effective.” So
hadrat Khalîfa appointed him commander over a community. He
sent him to Palestine via Eyla. And Abû Sufyân’s son Yezîd was
given command over another community and sent to a region in
the vicinity of Damascus by way of Belqa. Abû Sufyân’s second
son Mu’âwiya was made Emîr over another community under his
brother’s command. Emperor Heraclius sent his brother with a
hundred thousand strong army against hadrat Amr Ibni Âs and
another powerful army commanded by a general named Yorgi
against Yezîd. He remained in Hums. The Islamic troops, upon
the orders they received from the Khalîfa, assembled in Yermuk.
The Byzantine troops also assembled against the Muslim troops.
The Muslims preferred defense and in the meantime sent
messengers to the Khalîfa, asking for help. Upon the orders sent
by the Khalîfa, hadrat Khâlid, who was (called) The Sword of
Allah, left Iraq with a ten thousand strong army to reinforce Amr
Ibni Âs’ army under his command. After a bloody battle fought in
Ejnâdin, the Byzantine army suffered a humiliating defeat. Then
in Yermuk another difficult battle took place between a two
hundred and forty thousand strong Byzantine army and a forty-six
thousand strong Islamic army, among whom were a thousand
Sahâbîs. And one hundred of these noble people were heroes who
had been in the Holy War of Bedr. Hadrat Khâlid was
unanimously voted as the Commander-in-chief. Amr Ibni Âs and
Sherhabil commanded the right wing and Yezîd bin Ebî Sufyân
– 275 –