The minister to his illiterate relative: Do not fear, your sample will be appointed head of evaluation committees
The Absence of Oversight Cemented the Gatekeeper’s Relative as a Teacher
When the gatekeeper became flustered, seized by panic, and feared the exposure of his secret...
Whenever someone was absent, he would ask his relative to go to the students.
After a while, the director was promoted and became the Director of Education in the region.
A great empire found itself facing an unstoppable tide.
The Muslim army was led by a man who never knew the taste of defeat in his life.
The two men met, and the duel ended with the death of the Persian warrior.
The man was no longer among them, having witnessed the death of his companion, and the defeat was complete.
Khalid fought from the front and concealed his ambush in the rear.
An important battle, famous in historical accounts as the "River of Blood."
There is a joke that points to corruption, which actually occurred in Lebanon in the 1950s and became widespread throughout the Arab world. The story goes that a director of one of the schools married the sister of the school gatekeeper who worked there. Due to this familial tie, the director began favoring the gatekeeper over the public interest. Thus, whenever a teacher was absent, he would ask his relative (the gatekeeper) to go to the students and give them a class in his place. Gradually, and in the absence of any oversight or accountability, the director permanently appointed his relative, the gatekeeper, as a teacher at the school.
After a period, the director was promoted and became the Director of Education in the region. Consequently, his relative (the gatekeeper) was promoted to school director. Then, as time went on, the gatekeeper’s relative became the Minister of Education, and the gatekeeper’s relative was promoted to the position of Director of Education.
News Services
The "gatekeeper" now had a luxurious office, a car, servants, inspectors, and teachers around him who flattered him, and newspapers on his desk that he browsed every day.
One day, while browsing a newspaper, his eyes fell on the headline: "Minister of Education Decides to Form Committees to Evaluate the Certificates of Employees and Assess Their Academic Levels."
At this point, the gatekeeper became flustered, seized by panic, and feared that his situation would be exposed, as he held no certificate qualifying him for the position he occupied. He called his relative, the Minister, and said, "O Abu Nasab, you know that I have no degree, and that the decision to re-evaluate certificates will expose me." The Minister laughed and said, "Do not fear, Your Excellency. I have appointed you as the head of the evaluation committees."
When the Arabs Defeated the Persian Empire
In the year 12 AH, history bore witness to a military confrontation unlike any other. A great empire, which had extended its influence over the East for centuries, found itself face-to-face with an unstoppable tide.
It was led by a man who never knew the taste of defeat in his entire life: the Sword of Allah, Khalid ibn al-Walid. The Sassanians thought they could crush the Arabs in their desert homeland, but they did not realize they were walking into a trap meticulously prepared for them by Khalid ibn al-Walid with terrifying precision. The defeat of the Persians at "Dhat al-Salasil" was not merely a fleeting loss, but a harsh blow that warned the Persian court of a threat approaching the depths of their territory.
When Ardashir learned of what had befallen his army at al-Madh, he dispatched a Persian commander named Andarzgar, and sent Bahman Jadhuyeh after him with another army. Andarzgar gathered whatever forces he could from the inhabitants of al-Sawad and the Arabs loyal to Persia, then marched toward al-Walajah.
Persia wanted to stop Khalid before his advance in Iraq became a greater threat. Andarzgar was a Persian commander born in al-Sawad, and he had assembled an army composed of diverse forces from the people of Iraq and the Persians.
As for Bahman Jadhuyeh, he was marching after him with another army, taking a route different from his. The plan carried a real danger for Khalid’s army: two Persian armies and a Persian commander, in a region they believed would mark the end of the Muslims' advance.
Khalid moved toward al-Walajah after receiving news of Andarzgar’s arrival there, and he awaited the moment of confrontation. On the other side, Andarzgar was arranging his ranks, waiting to see what this commander, who had unsettled the land of Iraq, would do.
A man emerged from the Persian ranks, known for being equivalent to a thousand men. He advanced alone to the middle of the battlefield and requested a duel.
Khalid ibn al-Walid stepped forward, and the two men clashed in the center of the battlefield. The duel ended with the death of the Persian warrior. This confrontation marked a turning point in the momentum of the battle, and as the duel concluded, the fighting intensified, with both sides exerting themselves to the utmost.
At this point, Khalid’s plan began to unfold. The Muslims retreated, leading Ardashir to believe that the Muslim army was weakening. The Persians pressed forward even deeper into the battlefield, unaware that they were taking the bait and walking into a trap. Just as the Persians thought they were on the verge of victory, the moment Khalid had been waiting for arrived. Ambush forces emerged from both flanks: one led by al-Bara’ from the right and another by Sa’id from the left. At the same instant, Khalid struck them from the front, trapping the Persians between attacks from the front and rear. Their lines collapsed, their ranks scattered, and no soldier could even see his companion fall. The defeat was total. Ardashir fled into the wilderness, searching for water, and died of thirst.
This was not the end, but rather another step forward. On a longer path, the Battle of al-Walajah was not merely a victory on the battlefield; it was an event that demonstrated how a commander could turn an enemy’s strength into a weakness. Khalid fought from the front while concealing his ambush in the rear. When the moment was ripe, he sprung the trap. This is one of the most famous episodes of Khalid ibn al-Walid’s campaign to conquer Iraq. Al-Walajah was not the final chapter of this campaign. After killing several Christians from the Banu Bakr and Banu Tamim tribes who had fought alongside the Persians at al-Walajah, their kinsmen gathered at al-Yamama and sought Persian assistance. This led to another battle, famously known in historical accounts as the Battle of the River of Blood.
