The Battle of Madain

With regard to the conquest of Madain [Ctesiphon], Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib (ra) writes in Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets regarding a prophecy which the Holy Prophet (sa) made having been informed by Allah the Almighty. Referring to this, he writes:

“While the ditch was being dug, a stone which simply refused to break was excavated. The state of the Companions was that due to three days of continuous starvation, they felt faint. Unable to succeed in this task, they came to the Holy Prophet (sa) and submitted, ‘There is one stone which knows no breaking.’

“At the time, the Holy Prophet (sa) had also tied a stone on his stomach due to hunger, but he immediately went there upon their request and lifting an axe, struck the stone, in the name of Allah. When iron hit the stone, a spark flew, upon which the Holy Prophet (sa) loudly said, ‘God is the Greatest!’Then he said, ‘I have been granted the keys of the kingdom of Syria. By God, at this time, I am beholding the red-stone palaces of Syria.’His strike had somewhat crushed a portion of the stone. The Holy Prophet (sa) wielded the axe a second time in the name of Allah, which caused a spark again, upon which the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘God is the Greatest!’ Then he said, ‘This time, I have been granted the keys of Persia, and I am witnessing the white palaces of Madain.’ Now, the rock had been broken to a large degree. The Holy Prophet (sa) wielded the axe yet a third time, which resulted in another spark and the Holy Prophet (sa) said, ‘God is the Greatest!’Then he said, ‘Now, I have been endowed the keys of Yemen, and by God, I am being shown the gates of San‘a at this time.’Finally, the rock was broken completely.

“In another narration, it is related that on every occasion, the Holy Prophet (sa) would loudly proclaim the greatness of God and after the Companions would enquire, he would relate his visions. After this temporary Hind (ra)nce had been removed, the Companions engaged in their work once again.” That is, after breaking the rock, they began digging the trench again. “These were visions of the Holy Prophet (sa). In other words, during this time of affliction, Allah the Exalted created a spirit of hope and delight amongst the Companions by showing the Holy Prophet (sa) visions of the future victories and prosperity of the Muslims.

“However, apparently at the time, the circumstances were of such difficulty and hardship that upon hearing these promises, the hypocrites of Medina mocked the Muslims saying, ‘They do not even possess the strength to step out of their own homes and are dreaming of the kingdoms of Caesar and Chosroes.’ However, in the estimation of God, all of these bounties had been decreed for the Muslims. Therefore, these promises were fulfilled at their respective times. Some were fulfilled in the last days of the Holy Prophet (sa), while most were fulfilled in the era of his Khulafa’, and thus, became a source of increasing the Muslims in faith and gratitude.”

(Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), pp. 577-578)

The promise of the conquest of Madain was fulfilled at the hands of Hazrat Saad (ra) during the caliphate of Hazrat Umar (ra). The Holy Prophet (sa) was shown that Madain would be conquered and this was fulfilled during the era of Hazrat Umar (ra). After conquering Qadisiyyah, the Muslim army went on to conquer Babylon, an ancient city of modern-day Iraq. After conquering Babylon, they reached a historical city by the name Kutha. This is situated in the surroundings of Babylon.

Furthermore, Kutha was that very place where Nimrod imprisoned Prophet Abraham (as) and the prison was still intact at that time. When Hazrat Saad (ra) reached the place and saw the prison, he recited the following verse of the Holy Quran:

تِلۡكَ‭ ‬الۡاَيَّامُ‭ ‬نُدَاوِلُهَا‭ ‬بَيۡنَ‭ ‬النَّاسِ‬‬‬‬

“… such days We cause to alternate among men that they may be admonished …”

(Surah Al-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.141)

Advancing from Kutha, they reached a place called Bahrseer. This is the name of that part of Madain – a city of Iraq – which is located at the western bank of the Tigris River. Chosroes’ hunting lion was kept in this place. When the army of Hazrat Saad approached, they unleashed the lion loose on them and it pounced on them with a ferocious roar. The brother of Hazrat Saad (ra), Hashim bin Abi Waqqas, was the chief of the vanguard of the army. He struck the lion with such force that it was killed instantly. Following this, the battle of Madain ensued.

Madain is also a part of Iraq and is located at a short distance from Baghdad, towards the southern bank of the Tigris river. What is the reason for naming this place Madain? Many cities were established here, one after another and as such, the Arabs started calling the place Madain, i.e. a group of cities. Madain was the seat of the throne of the Chosroes and home to his white palaces. The Tigris River was located between the Muslims and the people of Madain and the Persians had destroyed all the bridges crossing the river.

In Tarikh al-Tabari, it is written that Hazrat Saad searched for boats in order to cross the river. However, he realised that the Persians had already taken control of the boats. Hazrat Saad wished for the Muslims to cross the river, but out of compassion for the Muslims, he did not order them to do so. Subsequently, some villagers told them how to cross the river and showed them that if they go from a certain place, they will be able to cross it easily. However, Hazrat Saad did not take up this suggestion either. In the meantime, the river overflowed.

One night, he was shown a dream that the horses of the Muslims entered the water and crossed the river, even though it was overflown. In order to fulfil this dream, Hazrat Saad (ra) made a firm resolve to cross the river and said to the army: “O Muslims! The enemy has taken the river as its refuge. Come and let us swim across it!”

Having said this, he led his horse into the water. The soldiers of Hazrat Saad (ra) followed their leader and led their horses into the water as well and the Muslim army crossed the river. When the opposing army witnessed this scene, they started screaming out of fear and retreated saying:

ديوان‭ ‬آمدند‭ !‬ديوان‭ ‬آمدند‭!‬‬‬‬‬

“Demons are coming! Demons are coming!”

The Muslims advanced and captured the city and also the palaces of Chosroes. Chosroes had already relocated his family members prior to the Muslims entering the city. As such, the Muslims easily captured the city. In this manner, the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (sa) was fulfilled, which was vouchsafed to him on the occasion of the Battle of Ahzab [Confederates]; when he was digging the ditch, he struck the rock with his pickaxe and said that he was shown the white palaces of Madain falling.

Seeing the deserted state of these palaces, Hazrat Saad (ra) recited the following verses of Surah al-Dukhan:

كَمۡ تَرَكُوۡا مِنۡ جَنّٰتٍ وَّ عُيُوۡنٍ وَّ زُرُوْعٍ وَّ مَقَامٍ كَرِيْمٍ وَّ نَعْمَةٍ كَانُوْا فِيْهَا فٰكِهِيْنَ كَذٰلِكَ ۟ وَ اَوۡرَثۡنٰهَا قَوۡمًا اٰخَرِيۡنَ

“How many were the gardens and the springs that they left behind! And the cornfields and the noble places! And the comforts wherein they took delight! Thus [it was destined to be]. And We made another people inherit these things.”

(Surah al-Dukhan, Ch.44: V.26-29)

Hazrat Saad (ra) ordered for the royal treasure and jewels to be gathered in one place. In this treasure were memorials of kings – which numbered in the thousands – among which were coats of mail, swords, daggers and royal garments. There was also a golden horse, which had a silver saddle on it, rubies and emeralds were encrusted in its chest. Likewise, there was a silver camel, on which there was a golden pack saddle and a bridle coated in precious rubies. Among the spoils of war was a rug which was known as Iranian “Bahar”. Its base was of gold and contained a tree made of silver and its fruit were made from gems. The army collected all of these things, and the Muslim soldiers showed the utmost honesty and integrity [in collecting them]. From this incident one can gauge the level of honesty of the Muslim soldiers. They brought everything they found in exactly the way it was to their commander. Thus, when everything was brought and laid out, the plain was glittering from afar; and having witnessed all of this, Hazrat Saad (ra) remarked in his astonishment, “Those who took nothing of these riches are most certainly honest to the highest degree.”

The distribution of the spoils was carried out as per the custom and the Khumus [one-fifth of the spoils of war] was sent to the Khalifa. The rugs and ancient relics were sent in a manner that was a sight to behold; the Arabs saw the opulence and grandeur of the Persians and also the success and victory of the Muslims. When this was shown to Hazrat Umar (ra), he was greatly amazed by the honesty and integrity of the army. Hazrat Umar (ra) was also astounded by the level of integrity of the soldiers.

In Medina, there was a man named Muhallim, who was tall and handsome. Hazrat Umar (ra) ordered that the garments of Nosherwan [King] be taken to Muhallim to wear. These garments were of various conditions. Thus, he was made to wear all the garments one by one. The people were left amazed by the beauty of these garments. Similarly, the rug by the name of “Bahar” was distributed.

(Ali Muhammad al-Salabi, Sirat Amir al-Mu‘minin Umar bin Khattab (ra) [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Ma‘rifah, 2007] pp. 413-417) (Shibli Nu‘mani, Al-Faruq [Beirut, Lebanon: Idarah Islamiyah, 2004), pp. 100-103) (Muhammad Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 2 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2004], p. 388) (Yaqut Ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi, Mu’jam al-Buldan, Vol. 4 [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-’Arabi], 553/Vol. 5, p. 88, 89)