Day 3
Mahan felt the wind sweep across the blood soaked plain
as he came out of his tent and slowly mounted his horse. Khalid (RA) was outnumbered
by a wide margin, he thought. They must be tiring by now. It was just a matter
of time before victory. He decided to keep the same strategy as the previous 2
days: attack the flanks and keep throwing fresh men until the lines broke.
Mahan focused on the left flank and gave the order to
charge. Just as the previous day, his fighters broke through after several
attempts. Just as the previous day, the Muslim commanders reorganized and
launched a counter attack with Khalid (RA) supporting. And just as the second day the Muslims pushed
the Romans back to their lines.
 |
| Day 3 - Roman offensive on the left flank |
 |
| Day 3 - Muslim counter offensive on the left flank |
Another day; another reverse.
Mahan’s face grew dark with concern. His lips tightened
at the thought that he had thrown everything he had and gained nothing. From
the other side of no man’s land he could hear the cries of “Allahu Akbar”
repeated over and over again. Their morale must be high.
Mahan nudged his horse and trotted back to his tent,
lost in thought: “What can I do differently to break this army from the
desert?”
Mahan’s window of opportunity was closing and the
chances of victory were becoming slim.
Day 4 – Day of Lost Eyes
The morning mist from the Yarmuk river gave a
strange sense of calm on such a momentous day.
It was now or never. Mahan knew that if his men did
not break through they would not be able to launch another offensive. Today had
to be decisive. Realizing how desperate he was, he knew he had to take
advantage of any opening no matter how trivial.
His men were ready. The standards were fluttering in
the air and Mahan gave the order to charge. The horn sounded and the soldiers broke
free. He was leaning on his veterans on the left flank again. So far they had
carried the lion’s share of the fight and would do so again today.
After three days of fighting Mahan felt the Muslims
on his left flank were ripe for the picking. The Roman soldiers engaged Amr and
Shurahbeel’s Corps. Amr’s men held their line but the Romans broke through Shurahbeel.
 |
| Day 4 - Roman offensive on the left flank |
At last! thought Mahan. He watched his troops break
through. He knew Khalid (RA) would move his mobile guard to support as he did
the previous few days and this time he would act decisively. Once Khalid (RA)
moved the mobile guard, Mahan would order the other flank to attack. Without
support, the Muslims line would crumble before Khalid (RA) had a chance to
react.
Mahan waited. Khalid (RA) never moved. Instead, Khalid
(RA) ordered Yazeed and Abu Ubaidah (RA) to charge at Mahan’s right flank to pin
them down.
It can’t be!
Khalid (RA) was always one step ahead of him. Khalid
(RA) was reading his mind and hearing his thoughts. Mahan was dealing with a
master tactician who read the battlefield like a book. Those were not fairy
tales he heard in the capital; they were true stories.
 |
| Day 4 - Abu Ubaidah (RA) and Yazeed pin down the Romans |
Mahan’s brows furrowed in frustration; he couldn’t
do anything! Once his right flank was pinned down, Khalid (RA) divided his
mobile guard in two. The first half attacked the Romans by going around Shurahbeel’s
army and the second half attacked from the south. It was a brilliant move. Hit
from three sides, the Romans were pushed back to their original positions. Out-maneuvered
again.
 |
| Day 4 - Khalid (RA) counter attack on the left flank |
Meanwhile, on the banks of the Yarmuk river, only
the standards could be seen above the dust cloud that enveloped the fighting
men. All that could be heard were the sound of swords clashing against shields,
arrows whizzing by, the screams of fallen soldiers and the groans of dying men.
Abu Ubaidah (RA) and Yazeed pinned down the Romans,
giving Khalid (RA) valuable time to clean up the situation on the other side; but
they had no support. The Roman archers launched an arrow barrage, which covered
the blue sky black with arrows sailing across and impaling their victims with
deadly accuracy. 700 Muslims lost an eye and the day become known as the day of
lost eyes. Both commanders wisely pulled back.
Feeling the pressure of this rare opportunity, Mahan
pressed his advantage. He ordered the right flank to chase the retreating
Muslims. The Romans surged forward. Their morale boosted at the sight of a retreating
foe. The Romans jumped over the fallen in pursuit, slashing at anything not
Roman. The Muslims fell back deeper into their territory.
Ikrimah's Last Stand
As the Muslims retreated, one regiment stood its
ground. Ikrimah, one of the great foes of the Prophet (SAW) before his conversion,
made a pact with death. He would not surrender his position or die defending
it. 400 men followed him. With the Muslim army falling back, they were
surrounded on all sides. With the ferocity of possessed men they slashed their
swords and thrust their spears against all challengers. The position was never
lost. Of the 400 men, everyone was either killed or severely wounded. Ikrimah
and his son were mortally wounded.
Father and son would later die with their head in
the lap of Khalid (RA) – his uncle and dear, dear friend.
 |
| Day 4 - The Roman right chase the retreating Muslims |
As the Romans surged deeper into Muslim territory,
Mahan looked beyond the mayhem of the battle field and could see the Muslim
camp. Tents of all sizes with camels tied down, tended by their servants. The
women stood outside staring at the drama unfolding before them.
The battle raged for hours. Each side knowing what
was at stake. Mahan was anxious. He was looking for a sign, anything to tell
him the Romans had broken through. He could see the Roman standards deep inside
Muslim territory but they weren’t moving. Several women emerged from the camp
and with sword in hand threw themselves against the Romans with wild shouts. The
men seeing their women fighting, flew into a rage and counter attacked.
The battle on this front broke down. There was no
manoeuvre a general could make to sway the outcome. It came down to each
individual soldier giving their super human strength to overcome the other.
Under the heat of the afternoon sun pounding down on
the fighting men, Mahan saw the first sign. The fluttering flag of a Roman
standard pulled back. Another several hundred meters away also pulled back. Another
fell to the ground out of sight. A trickle of men started to retreat and then
it became a flood. Mahan’s chest deflated, his head bowed and his eyes shut.
They were so close.
The Romans were overcome and retreated back to their
lines.
 |
| Day 4 - Position of both armies at the end of day 4 |
As the afternoon turned to evening the day’s action
came to an end. It was a vicious day. The battle raged across the entire front
and all generals were engaged in combat. Every commander proved his right to be
a leader of brave men.
After four days of intense fighting and outnumbering
the Muslims 3 to 1 the Romans could not deliver the final blow. The morale had
shifted in the Muslims’ favour.
As the sun set on the western edge of the Yarmuk
plain, Mahan walked towards his tent passing workers burying the dead and
tending to the wounded. Entering his tent, he flopped on the cushions. After a period
of stone cold silence he instructed his deputy to assemble his war council.
They had to decide the action for the next day; but he
knew the answer. They had to negotiate a truce.
But would Khalid (RA) agree?
To be continued...
Part 1 – Roman Offensive Day 1 and 2
Part 2 – Roman Offensive Day 3 and 4
NextPart 3 – Roman Offer of Truce Day 5
Part 4 – Muslim Counter Offensive Day 6
Part 5 – Epilogue
NextPart 3 – Roman Offer of Truce Day 5
Part 4 – Muslim Counter Offensive Day 6
Part 5 – Epilogue
Naeem Ali
--
End--
Read
my Islamic history book reviews on Amazon: http://amzn.to/SlIJl2
Sources
Akram.
A.I.”Khalid Bin Al-Waleed: Sword of Allah”.Birmingham: Maktabah Publishers and
Distributors, 2007.
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