Nonetheless, in 17 AH, the Byzantines made a last attempt and owing to this attempt, the Muslims were able to conquer all of Syria. Since the Islamic conquests continued and the borders of the Islamic government continued to gain more territory, the neighbouring empires were alarmed, fearing that one day it would be their turn. Therefore, the people of Jazirah – which was an area between Iraq and Syria – lost hope in Yazdegerd after he fled to Rayy. For this reason, they wrote to Heraclius stating that if he sent an army along the sea in order to remove the Muslims from their occupied lands, they would assist him. Heraclius pondered over the matter and concluded that there was no harm in sending an army. The people of Jazirah wrote to Heraclius for a second time, from which he understood that there was no doubting their intentions. He saw that most of the people were Christian Arabs, who were firmly rooted in their faith to the extent that they deemed it better to die for this cause. It had been over a year that Heraclius had left the wars in the land of Syria and so he no longer had the fear he had previously in his heart. He also saw that the frontier areas were strong enough to withstand an attack by the Muslims. Furthermore, his naval fleet was still intact. He also knew that the Muslims were fearful of the sea and anything associated with it. This gave strength to his resolve and he agreed to the request of the people of Jazirah.
In his letter he incited the tribes and wrote that the fleet had been prepared and they would arrive at Antioch from Alexandria carrying the army and war supplies. Upon receiving the letter of Heraclius, the tribes took their army of 30,000 and marched towards Homs. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) received information about all of this. He called Hazrat Khalid (ra) bin Walid from Qinnasrin in order to seek his advice. Both commanders decided that in order to confront the enemy, all the Muslim armies should gather in northern Syria. Thus, all the armies in Antioch, Hama, Aleppo and all nearby garrisons were ordered to gather in Homs. At the same time, news had spread throughout the country that Heraclius had sent an army via the sea and also that the tribes of Jazirah had set off to attack Homs. People crowded around and looking over each other’s heads they began asking each other just how this attack by Heraclius and his allies could be stopped?
When the fleet carrying the army of Heraclius reached Antioch, the gates of the city opened for them. The people had turned against the Muslims and a revolt began in most areas of northern Syria. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) realised that he was besieged in Homs as the rebels had surrounded it and he saw the enemy advancing both from the sea and the desert. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) gathered his people and said, “I have sent a letter to the Leader of the Faithful, explaining the delicate situation and also requested for assistance.” He then asked them whether they should go out to fight the enemy or remain inside the forts in wait for the reinforcements from Medina. Only Khalid (ra) bin Walid was of the opinion that they should go outside and face the enemy in the open plain. All other army commanders were of the opinion that they should remain inside the fort and request reinforcements immediately. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) accepted the opinions of those who said to stay in the fort and disagreed with the advice of Hazrat Khalid (ra) to fight outside the fort.
Thus, the walls were reinforced and the opinion of his commanders was sent to the Khalifa. Hazrat Umar (ra) would never allow himself to forget the difficult situation faced by the Islamic armies in Iraq and Syria which had initially hindered the Islamic victories in the early days of his Khilafat, i.e. the conditions of the early days could be faced now as well. For this reason, Hazrat Umar (ra) ordered for the towns of Kufa and Basrah to be inhabited and it was for this reason that both of these towns contained garrisons for the Muslim army, a place where no non-Muslims resided. Aside from this, from among the other seven towns, each town had a cavalry unit of 4,000, which was fully equipped and always ready for any emergency situations.
Thus, when the letter of Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) reached Hazrat Umar (ra) and he realised that the great commander-in-chief was in grave danger, he commanded Hazrat Saad (ra) bin Abi Waqas, “The day you receive this letter, send Qa‘qa‘ bin Amr with reinforcements to Homs on the same day. Abu Ubaidah is under siege. Ensure the reinforcements reach there as quickly as possible.”
Hazrat Saad (ra) acted on the guidance of the Leader of the Faithful, and on the very day he sent an experienced cavalry unit of 4,000 riders, under the command of Qa‘qa‘ from Kufa to Homs. The situation was so perilous that Qa‘qa‘ taking a 4,000 strong cavalry unit was not enough, because the army coming from Jazirah to Homs alone was 30,000; and the army sent by Heraclius to Antioch on boats was in addition to this. Hazrat Umar (ra) knew that his soldiers were contesting in almost every city of Syria. If they left these places and went to Homs, the entire administration of Syria would collapse. For this reason, after giving the order for Qa‘qa‘ to travel from Kufa, Hazrat Umar (ra) also issued several other commands, which exhibited Hazrat Umar’s (ra) foresightedness and wisdom.
The tribes coming from Jazirah to Homs took the brazen step because they thought that their settlements were outside the reach of the Islamic army. If these settlements were attacked, they would retreat and the pressure on Abu Ubaidah (ra) and his army would be relieved. For this reason, in his letter to Hazrat Saad bin Abi Waqas (ra), Hazrat Umar (ra) wrote:
“Send an army to Raqqah, (a town in Jazirah), under the command of Suhail bin Adi. The people of Jazirah were the ones who encouraged the Byzantines to attack Homs, and before this, the people of Qarqisiyyah had done the same thing. The second army should go to attack Nasibain under the command of Abdullah bin Itban. The people residing here incited the people of Qarqisiyyah. After this, go to Haran, the capital of Jazirah and also to Rauha and remove the enemy from there. The third army is to be sent to the Christian Arab tribes of Rabi‘ah and Tanukh residing in Jazirah under the command of Walid bin Uqbah. Also send Iyaz bin Ghanam to this battle in Jazirah. If there is a war, then the other commanders are to serve under the command of Iyaz bin Ghanam.”
Thus, when all of these commanders set off, the tribes of Jazirah lifted the siege of Homs and left. This was Hazrat Umar’s (ra) strategy that instead of gathering one army, different contingents were sent to the places where the enemy army had come from. Subsequently, when the enemies realised that the Muslims were advancing towards their own towns and settlements, lifted the siege and returned to their areas. Hazrat Umar (ra) did not suffice at this; Hazrat Umar (ra) understood that despite suffering many defeats, Heraclius sent an army via the sea because he had full conviction in his power and he believed that he could fight against the Muslims alone. The biggest proof of this was that the commander-in-chief of the naval fleet from Alexandria was his son, Constantine.
According to Hazrat Umar’s (ra) plan, Qa‘qa‘ bin Amr left with 4,000 horsemen towards Homs. Suhail bin Adi, Abdullah bin Itban, Walid bin Uqbah and Iyaz bin Ghanam left for the northern towns of Jazirah. Hazrat Umar (ra) left for Homs from Medina and stayed in Jabiyah. The people of Jazirah supported the Byzantines in the siege of Homs.
They learned of the Muslim armies’ arrival from Iraq; however, they were not aware of whether the army would attack their city of Jazirah or would attack Homs. Hence, they returned to their city in order to defend their brothers and abandoned the Byzantines. One day, upon waking up, Abu Ubaidah (ra) learned that the tribes from Jazirah had returned to their country and now only the army of Heraclius remained. He called the commanders of his army and said that he wished to go out into the battlefield against the Byzantines. Upon hearing this, Khalid (ra) bin Walid became very happy and said that before the Byzantines could gather themselves amidst the changed circumstances, they should attack them immediately. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) spoke passionately to the soldiers of the army and said, “Muslims! Whoever remains steadfast today and stays alive, will receive property and wealth, and if you are killed, then you will receive the riches of martyrdom. I testify that the Holy Prophet (sa) has said that whoever dies and is not a disbeliever, they will surely enter Paradise.”
The army was already restless and ready to attack; Abu Ubaidah’sra speech brought about an even greater passion within them and everyone immediately prepared their arms. Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (ra) was leading the army positioned in the centre. Hazrat Khalid (ra) bin Walid was commanding the right flank and Hazrat Abbas (ra) was commanding the left. The two sides battled and within a short amount of time, they defeated the Byzantines.
When Qa‘qa‘ bin Amr reached Homs with the army from Kufa, it had already been three days since the battle had finished. On the other hand, Hazrat Umar (ra) had just reached Jabiyah on his way to Syria, when Hazrat Abu Ubaidah’sra messenger met him and informed him that Allah the Almighty had granted the Muslims victory over the Byzantines three days before Qa‘qa‘ even reached Homs. He also asked about whether Qa‘qa‘ and his army should be given a share of the spoils or not. Hazrat Umar (ra) was relieved and after receiving this news, he did not see any need to continue his journey. He wrote a letter from there to the custodian of the nation, Abu Ubaidah (ra) saying that the people of Kufa should be included in the distribution of spoils because the very news of their arrival worried the enemy due to which they suffered defeat. [He said] “May Allah grant a good reward to the people of Kufa for they protect their city and help people from other cities.” Then, he set out towards Medina.
After this defeat, the Byzantine ruler became so disheartened that he never returned to Syria. When the rebels learned that the Byzantine armies had boarded their ships and fled, their rebellion dissipated at the same time. This occurred in 17 AH; three years later in 20 Hijri, the year 641 CE, Heraclius passed away.
(Hazrat Umar Farooq A‘zam, Muhammad Husain Haikal, pp. 384-390, 590, Islami Kutub Khana, Lahore) (Sirat Amir-il-Momineen Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab, Al-Salabi, pp. 750-752, Al-Furqan Trust, Khangarh Muzaffargarh, Pakistan) (Al-Faruq, Shibli Nu‘mani, pp. 134-136, Dar al-Isha‘ah, Karachi, 1991)