After the conquest of Jerusalem, CaliphUmar went back to his capital city of Madinah while Commander Yazeed proceeded to Caesarea and once again laid siege to the port city. Commanders Amr bin al-A’as and Sharhabeel marched to reoccupy Palestine and Jordan, which was completed by the end of the year. Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and Khalid ibn Walid, with an army of 17,000 men, set off from Jerusalem to conquer all of northern Syria.
Abu Ubaidah marched to Damascus, which was already in Muslim hands, and then to Emesa, which welcomed his return. His next objective was Qinnasrin which was approached with Khalid and the Mobile Guard in the lead. After a few days the Mobile Guard reached Hazir, three miles east of Qinnasrin, where it was attacked in strength by the Byzantines.
The Byzantine garrison commander at Qinnasrin was a general named Menas, a distinguished soldier who was loved by his men. Menas knew that if he stayed in Qinnasrin, he would be besieged by the Rashidun army and would eventually have to surrender, as he could expect no help from the emperor. He therefore decided to take the offensive and attack the leading elements of the Rashidun army well forward of the city and attempt to defeat them before they could be joined by the main body. With this plan in mind, Menas attacked the Mobile Guard at Hazir with a force whose strength was about 70,000 men;[1] in this effort, he either did not know that Khalid was present with the leading elements of the Muslim army or did not believe all that he had heard about Khalid ibn Walid.
According to Peter Crawford, the numbers recorded for the subsequent Battle of Hazir are disputed. Due to the mass evacuation of Syria ordered by Heraclius, it would be surprising if Menas had even a tenth of this recorded figure, while it is somewhat unlikely Abu Ubayda and Khalid would have as many men as this with the detachment of the corps of Yazid, Shurahbil, and Amr.[1]
Battle
The battle began on a plain three miles east of Qinnasrin at Al-Hadher, which was a farming village. Khalid deployed his Mobile Guard into its fighting formation for battle. Menas arranged his army in one center and two wings and was himself in the front ranks leading the army like Khalid. Soon fierce clashes broke out at Hazir. The battle was still in its early stages when Menas was killed. As the news of his death spread among his men, the Byzantine soldiers went wild with fury and savagely attacked to avenge their leader's death.
At that time, Khalid took a cavalry regiment and maneuvered from a wing to attack the Byzantine army from the rear. Soon the entire Roman army was encircled and defeated. It is said that Menas and his garrison had never suffered such a severe defeat.[2]
Aftermath
As soon as the battle was over, the people of Hazir came out of their town to greet Khalid. They pleaded that they were Arabs and had no intention of opposing him. Khalid accepted their surrender and advanced to Qinnasrin. In another account, however, Ibn al-Adim suggested that Khalid killed some of the townspeople although Yohann Friedmann, the translator of Tabari did not agree.[2][3]
At Qinnasrin, the part of the Roman garrison which had not accompanied Menas to Hazir shut itself up in the fort. As soon as Khalid arrived, he sent a message to the garrison:
"If you were in the clouds, Allah would raise us to you or lower you to us for battle."[4]
Without further delay, Qinnasrin surrendered to Khalid. The Battle of Hazir and the surrender of Qinnasrin took place in about June, 637. When Caliph Umar received reports of the Battle of Hazir, he made no attempt to conceal his admiration for the military genius of Khalid. Umar exclaimed:
"Khalid is truly the commander, May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr. He was a better judge of men than I have been."
This was Umar's first admission that perhaps he had not judged Khalid rightly after he had dismissed Khalid from the command of the Muslim army.[4]
Crawford, Peter (2013). The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians and the Rise of Islam. Pen and Sword.
Al-Tabari, Muhammad (1991). The History of Al-Tabari Vol. 3 The Children of Israel. SUNY Press. ISBN0791406873. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
Al-Tabari, Muhammad (1992). The History of Al-Tabari Vol. 12 The Battle of Al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A.D. 635-637/A.H. 14-15. SUNY Press. ISBN9780791407349. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
ʻUmar ibn Aḥmad Ibn al-Adim, Kamal al-Din. Zubdat al-Halab fi ta'arikh Halab I.
General references
Akram, A.I. The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns, Nat. Publishing. House, Rawalpindi (1970) ISBN978-0-7101-0104-4.
Muhammad Ubaid al-Rifai, Mansur (207). Ra'd al-Shabaab Khalid bin Walid. p. 254 }.
"بغية الطلب في تاريخ حلب". islamport.com. Muuqa Al-Warraq.
Zubdat al-Halab fi ta'arikh Halab (زبدة الحلب في تأريخ حلب; The cream of the history of Aleppo) written by Ibn al-Adim
External links
January 06, 2023
battle, hazir, this, article, about, battle, between, muslims, byzantines, battle, between, umayyads, alids, battle, khazir, arakah, haadhir, arabic, معركة, الحاضر, took, place, between, byzantine, army, rashidun, army, elite, cavalry, mobile, guard, took, pla. This article is about a battle between the Muslims and the Byzantines For the battle between the Umayyads and the Alids see Battle of Khazir The Battle of Hazir or Ma arakah al Haadhir Arabic معركة الحاضر took place between the Byzantine army and the Rashidun army s elite cavalry the Mobile guard It took place in June 637 three miles east of Qinnasrin at Al Hadher in present day Syria Battle of HazirPart of the Muslim conquest of Syria Arab Byzantine Wars DateJune 637LocationQinnasrin Syria35 59 45 N 37 3 27 E 35 99583 N 37 05750 E 35 99583 37 05750 Coordinates 35 59 45 N 37 3 27 E 35 99583 N 37 05750 E 35 99583 37 05750ResultRashidun Caliphate victoryBelligerentsRashidun CaliphateByzantine EmpireCommanders and leadersKhalid ibn al WalidMenas Units involvedMobile guardUnknownStrength17 000 Arab sources 1 70 000 Arab sources 1 Casualties and lossesMinimalEntire garrison Contents 1 Background 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Citations 5 References 6 General references 7 External linksBackground EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message After the conquest of Jerusalem Caliph Umar went back to his capital city of Madinah while Commander Yazeed proceeded to Caesarea and once again laid siege to the port city Commanders Amr bin al A as and Sharhabeel marched to reoccupy Palestine and Jordan which was completed by the end of the year Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah and Khalid ibn Walid with an army of 17 000 men set off from Jerusalem to conquer all of northern Syria Abu Ubaidah marched to Damascus which was already in Muslim hands and then to Emesa which welcomed his return His next objective was Qinnasrin which was approached with Khalid and the Mobile Guard in the lead After a few days the Mobile Guard reached Hazir three miles east of Qinnasrin where it was attacked in strength by the Byzantines The Byzantine garrison commander at Qinnasrin was a general named Menas a distinguished soldier who was loved by his men Menas knew that if he stayed in Qinnasrin he would be besieged by the Rashidun army and would eventually have to surrender as he could expect no help from the emperor He therefore decided to take the offensive and attack the leading elements of the Rashidun army well forward of the city and attempt to defeat them before they could be joined by the main body With this plan in mind Menas attacked the Mobile Guard at Hazir with a force whose strength was about 70 000 men 1 in this effort he either did not know that Khalid was present with the leading elements of the Muslim army or did not believe all that he had heard about Khalid ibn Walid According to Peter Crawford the numbers recorded for the subsequent Battle of Hazir are disputed Due to the mass evacuation of Syria ordered by Heraclius it would be surprising if Menas had even a tenth of this recorded figure while it is somewhat unlikely Abu Ubayda and Khalid would have as many men as this with the detachment of the corps of Yazid Shurahbil and Amr 1 Battle EditThe battle began on a plain three miles east of Qinnasrin at Al Hadher which was a farming village Khalid deployed his Mobile Guard into its fighting formation for battle Menas arranged his army in one center and two wings and was himself in the front ranks leading the army like Khalid Soon fierce clashes broke out at Hazir The battle was still in its early stages when Menas was killed As the news of his death spread among his men the Byzantine soldiers went wild with fury and savagely attacked to avenge their leader s death At that time Khalid took a cavalry regiment and maneuvered from a wing to attack the Byzantine army from the rear Soon the entire Roman army was encircled and defeated It is said that Menas and his garrison had never suffered such a severe defeat 2 Aftermath EditAs soon as the battle was over the people of Hazir came out of their town to greet Khalid They pleaded that they were Arabs and had no intention of opposing him Khalid accepted their surrender and advanced to Qinnasrin In another account however Ibn al Adim suggested that Khalid killed some of the townspeople although Yohann Friedmann the translator of Tabari did not agree 2 3 At Qinnasrin the part of the Roman garrison which had not accompanied Menas to Hazir shut itself up in the fort As soon as Khalid arrived he sent a message to the garrison If you were in the clouds Allah would raise us to you or lower you to us for battle 4 Without further delay Qinnasrin surrendered to Khalid The Battle of Hazir and the surrender of Qinnasrin took place in about June 637 When Caliph Umar received reports of the Battle of Hazir he made no attempt to conceal his admiration for the military genius of Khalid Umar exclaimed Khalid is truly the commander May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr He was a better judge of men than I have been This was Umar s first admission that perhaps he had not judged Khalid rightly after he had dismissed Khalid from the command of the Muslim army 4 Citations Edit a b c d Crawford 2013 p 149 a b Al Tabari 1992 pp 178 179 ʻUmar ibn Aḥmad Ibn al Adim p 26 a b Al Tabari 1991 p 98 References EditCrawford Peter 2013 The War of the Three Gods Romans Persians and the Rise of Islam Pen and Sword Al Tabari Muhammad 1991 The History of Al Tabari Vol 3 The Children of Israel SUNY Press ISBN 0791406873 Retrieved 21 June 2022 Al Tabari Muhammad 1992 The History of Al Tabari Vol 12 The Battle of Al Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A D 635 637 A H 14 15 SUNY Press ISBN 9780791407349 Retrieved 21 June 2022 ʻUmar ibn Aḥmad Ibn al Adim Kamal al Din Zubdat al Halab fi ta arikh Halab I General references Edit Akram A I The Sword of Allah Khalid bin al Waleed His Life and Campaigns Nat Publishing House Rawalpindi 1970 ISBN 978 0 7101 0104 4 Muhammad Ubaid al Rifai Mansur 207 Ra d al Shabaab Khalid bin Walid p 254 بغية الطلب في تاريخ حلب islamport com Muuqa Al Warraq Zubdat al Halab fi ta arikh Halab زبدة الحلب في تأريخ حلب The cream of the history of Aleppo written by Ibn al AdimExternal links Edit A I Akram The Sword of Allah Khalid bin al Waleed His Life and Campaigns Lahore 1969 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Battle of Hazir amp oldid 1102826345, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
