Iraqi Arab Factions in Front of Khalid ibn al-Walid
Islamic Stories
Strange is the behavior of these factions: they are being bombed by others, yet instead of retaliating, they launch their drones and missiles against the peaceful, successful, and Muslim Gulf states. Arab and Muslim brotherhood has no place in their dictionary. Why? Ask about envy and jealousy.
May God destroy envy, how destructive it is; it begins with its owner and kills him. It is well known that every person with blessings is envied, and the poet said:
"Be patient against the plots of the envious, for your patience will be his killer.
Fire consumes itself if it finds nothing else to consume."
The Gulf states today are not as they were in 1990. They have re-equipped and prepared for any threat, for a believer is not bitten from the same hole twice.
They possess a strong army trained to the highest standards in using the latest specialized weapons, and they hold a powerful and influential deterrent in resolving confrontations. Particularly, any ground movement against them in open terrain would be annihilated, regardless of numbers, in response to threats from Arab factions loyal to the Persians.
We do not desire war with anyone, and we are not as we were yesterday. However, I firmly believe that we are in a stronger position, and I hope they do not test us.
We defeated them before at Kazima (the Battle of Dhat al-Salasil). We defeated their ancestors. And whoever wishes to join Rustam’s army at "Dhat al-Salasil," the command center of Khalid is still standing, and his soldiers, along with the descendants of Al-Muthanna and Al-Qa'qa', are in their ranks. They have not abandoned it. God helps us against them and grants us victory over Rustam’s army.
Will history repeat itself?
The treacherous Arabs who stood with the Persians in their battles against the Arabs. For instance, in the Battle of Ayn al-Tamr in Iraq, which took place between the Muslim forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid and the Sassanian Persian forces, along with crowds from Arab tribes. Ayn al-Tamr is located west of Anbar; it is a region established by the Persians to protect their borders. After the fall of Al-Hira at the hands of Khalid ibn al-Walid in 633 AD, he moved toward the large Persian garrison located on the road to Ad-Dawmat al-Jandal. The garrison consisted of two parts: the first was Persian, led by Mithra (Mehran) ibn Bahram, and the second was Arab, from the tribes of Namir, Taghlib, and Iyad, led by Uqba ibn Abi Uqba.
This strange battle was distinguished by its rapid conclusion, as the treacherous Arabs fled before the battle even began.
This Arab, Uqba, was arrogant and haughty. The desire to possess honor and glory by defeating the Muslims, to please his Persian masters, overtook him. He asked Mithra to clear the field so he could fight the Muslims alone without Persian assistance, saying to him, "The Arabs know best how to fight Arabs. Leave us and Khalid." He was aware of the victories Khalid had achieved previously.
When Mithra heard this, he said, "You are right, by my life, for you know best how to fight Arabs, and you are like us in fighting the Ajam (non-Arabs/Persians). Deal with them, and if you need our help, we will assist you." Mithra had wanted to avoid fighting the Muslims, knowing they were invincible after their successive victories in Iraq. The Persian commanders criticized him for this and reproached him for his words to Uqba. Mithra replied, "Leave me, for I only intend good for you and harm for them. Indeed, one has come who killed your kings and blunted your swords, so I fear him for you. If they defeat Khalid, that is good for you; if they are defeated, we will fight Khalid. They have weakened, while we are strong."
Uqba and those with him left Ayn al-Tamr to confront the Muslims, venturing deep into the desert, arrogant due to the Muslims' initiative to attack. He reached the area of Al-Karkh, deployed his forces, and the Muslims arrived at the battlefield. Khalid quickly deployed the army and prepared for battle.
Khalid had not seen Uqba before. He looked at him with the discerning gaze of an expert in understanding warriors' psychologies, realizing that this man was extremely arrogant. He decided to execute a brilliant and courageous ruse: to capture Uqba himself in a suicide-like mission, similar to "commando" operations. He selected a special group and briefed them on the bold plan.
The plan stipulated that the wings of the Muslim army should engage in minor skirmishes without launching a major assault, to occupy the opposing forces of the treacherous Arab army, while the center remained silent until Khalid gave the signal to attack. This caused Uqba to wonder at the Muslim army’s delay in launching an offensive. Khalid and his companions were at the forefront of the army, but what happened in the following moments was that the soldiers were astonished by this small group attacking them. They had not yet recovered from the shock when Khalid had already captured Uqba, carried him in his arms like a small child, and brought him back to the Muslim ranks. At that point, blood froze in the veins of the traitors, and overwhelming terror seized them; they fled the battlefield without drawing a single sword.
When Mehran learned of Uqba’s defeat and that of his army—having previously sent scouts to monitor the course of the battle—he descended from the fortress and fled hastily with his guards toward al-Mada’in. The remnants of the traitors returned to the fortress, found it open, entered it, and took refuge there. Khalid then approached, surrounded them, and laid siege to them with utmost severity. Seeing this, they requested terms of peace, but Khalid refused unless they submitted to his judgment. They were placed in chains, and he took control of the fortress. He then ordered that Uqba and those captured with him be beheaded, as were all those who had submitted to his judgment.
