Conquest of Bilbeis
The conquest of Bilbeis and the circumstances in which it occurred are as follows: After the conquest of Farama, as Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas was setting out for Bilbeis, he was intercepted by Byzantine forces. Bilbeis is a city located approximately 30 miles from Fustat, en route to Syria. The Muslims were intercepted to prevent them from reaching the fort of Babylon. In ancient terminology, the land of Egypt was referred to as Babylon, particularly the region where Fustat was located. The Byzantines intended to fight there. Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas told them not to be hasty and to hold off until they had heard his proposal so that there would be no excuses or evasions later. Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas also said for them to send Abu Maryaam as an emissary to represent them. Thus, they deferred the battle and sent the two emissaries. Both these delegates were priests from Bilbeis. Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas presented them with the options of accepting Islam or paying jizya, and along with this, recounted the words of the Holy Prophet (sa) about the people of Egypt. The Holy Prophet (sa) said, “You will conquer Egypt, a land where the unit of qir‘at is used [to measure]. When you conquer that land, treat its people kindly because they have a right over you and are among your kin.” Or he stated, “They have a right over you and you share ancestral fathers.”
Upon hearing this, the two emissaries said that this was a very distant relationship that could only be fulfilled by prophets and asked to leave and deliberate on their decision, upon which they would return. Hazrat Amr (ra) bin al-Aas told them that he would not be fooled and that he would give them a period of three days to carefully contemplate on the matter. Both the emissaries asked for an additional day for deliberation, so they were given one additional day. The two of them then returned to Muqawqis, the leader of the Copts, and Artabun [Aretion], the governor of Egypt appointed by the Byzantine Emperor, and presented them with the proposal from the Muslims. Artabun denied the proposal and was bent on war, and he launched an assault on the Muslims overnight. The forces of Artabun are recorded to have been 12,000 in number. A great deal of Muslims was martyred in this conflict, while the Byzantines lost 1,000 soldiers to the battle and another 3,000 were imprisoned. Artabun fled the battlefield, while some say that he was slain in this very battle. The Muslims continued to prevail over Artabun’s forces until they reached Alexandria. Historians agree that the Muslims remained in Bilbeis for a month, during which time the battle continued and, ultimately, the Muslims were victorious. Historians, however, debate over whether or not this was an intense battle.
(Al-Salabi, Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (ra) translated [Khangarh, Pakistan: Al-Furqan Trust], pp. 757-758) (Hazrat Umar Farooq A‘zam, Muhammad Husain Haikal, translated by Habib Ash’ar, pp. 564-565, Islami Kutub Khana, Urdu Bazar, Lahore) (Al-Iktifa bima Tadmanuhu min Maghazi Rasul Allah wa al-Thalathah al-Khulafa, Vol. 2, p. 346, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1420 AH) (Yaqut Ibn Abd Allah al-Hamawi, Mu‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 1, Bilbeis [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah], p. 567) (Atlas Futuhat Islamiyyah, Vol. 2, p. 225, Dar al-Salam, Al-Riyad, 1428 AH)