The Battle of Mu'tah

There is one account in which Urwah bin Zubair narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) appointed Zaid (ra) bin Haritha as the army commander in the Battle of Mautah and stated that if Hazrat Zaid (ra) was martyred then Hazrat Ja’far (ra) bin Abi Talib would be the commander. If he too was martyred, then Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Rawaha would assume leadership. If Abdullah (ra) too was martyred, then Muslims were to appoint whoever they desired as commander. When the time came to see off the army, Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Rawaha began weeping. People asked Abdullah “Why are you weeping?” He said:

“By God I have absolutely no love nor any desire for the world. However, I heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say, with regards to the Qur’anic verse:

وَ اِنْ مِّنْكُمْ اِلَّا وَارِدُهَا كَانَ عَليٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا

‘And there is not one of you but will come to it. This is a fixed decree with thy Lord,’ (Surah Maryam, CH.19: V.72)

That everyone must face the fire once. Hence, I do not know what my state will be once I have crossed the bridge of Siraat [on the day of reckoning].”

(Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 237, Bab Abdullah (ra) bin Rawaha, Darul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyah, Beirut 1996)

However, it is narrated that the Holy Prophet (sa) has given such God-fearing people the glad tidings of the best possible end. During the Battle of Mu’tah the Holy Prophet (sa) said regarding the army commanders, “I have seen them in Paradise seated on thrones of gold.”

Thus, these were the people who fulfilled their noble objectives. Their desire for martyrdom is evident in the following poetic couplet, the translation of which is as follows: “May I be struck with such arrows and spears that pass through my intestines to my liver and my martyrdom be accepted before God, so that those who pass by my grave may say, ‘O God, be good to him, what a great warrior he was!’”

Some details of the Battle of Mu’tah, in which he was martyred are that when they reached Mu’tah, they became aware that the Ghassani tribe had requested help against the Muslims from Heraclius, Caesar of Rome and that he had sent an army of 200,000 to combat the Muslims.

At the time, the leaders of the Muslim army consulted each other and it was decided to send a message to the Holy Prophet (sa) with a request for reinforcements due to this increase in number of the enemy or to take any other action that the Holy Prophet (sa) advised. At this juncture, Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Rawaha boosted the morale of the Muslims and his war poetry also came to good use. The Muslim army consisting of 3,000 men advanced towards the opposing army of 200,000.

(Usdul Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 237, Bab Abdullahra bin Rawaha, Darul Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyah, Beirut 1996)