Counsel to Hazrat Umar (ra) at the Battle of Jisr

Umar bin Abd-il-Aziz relates that in 14 AH, on the occasion of the Battle of Jisr, when Hazrat Umar (ra) was informed of the martyrdom of Hazrat Abu Ubaid (ra) bin Mas‘ud (I have previously mentioned the Battle of Jisr where an elephant of the Persian forces trampled over him); Nevertheless, when Hazrat Umar (ra) was informed of this and became aware of the fact that the people of Persia had chosen their king from among the family of Chosroes, he invited the Muhajireen and the Ansar for Jihad. Hazrat Umar (ra) departed from Medina and stayed in Sirar. This was the name of a mountain in Medina, located at a distance of three miles from Medina on the way to Iraq. Nevertheless, he stayed there and sent ahead Hazrat Talha (ra) bin Ubaidullah towards A‘was. Hazrat Umar (ra) appointed Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf as the commander of the right flank of the army and Zubair (ra) bin Awwam as the leader of the left flank of the army and appointed Hazrat Ali (ra) as his representative in Medina. Hazrat Umar (ra) took suggestions from the Muslims and all of them gave their suggestions to go to Persia. When the army departed, Hazrat Umar (ra) did not consult anyone until they reached Sirar. When he reached Sirar, it was then that he consulted them. When Hazrat Talha (ra) returned, he also held the same opinion as the others. Hazrat Talha (ra) was not present at first, but when he returned, he agreed to head forward. However, Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf was among those people who suggested to Hazrat Umar (ra) to not advance forward and stating the reason for this, he said:

“Before this day, I had never expressed to sacrifice my parents for anyone but the Holy Prophet (sa) and I will never do so in the future. However, today, I say to you that may my parents be sacrificed for you; leave the final decision regarding this matter in my hands.” Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf said this to Hazrat Umar (ra), who was the Khalifa at that time. He stated, “You should stay at Sirar and send forth a large army. From the beginning until this moment, you have already observed what Allah the Exalted has decreed in relation to your army. If your army was to suffer defeat, it would not be the same if you were defeated.” Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf then stated the reason for this and said, “If you were to be killed in the beginning, or were defeated, I am fearful that the Muslims will neither be able to exalt Allah again, nor give the testimony of لا اله الا الله [there is no God but Allah].” Whilst these discussions were taking place, Hazrat Umar (ra) was searching for an individual, who could be sent as the commander of the army. During this time, Hazrat Umar (ra) received a letter from Hazrat Sa‘d (ra), who was appointed to oversee the revenue from the alms collection [Sadaqah] in Najd at that time. After listening to Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf, Hazrat Umar (ra) then asked who should be entrusted with this responsibility. Hazrat Abdur Rahman (ra) bin Auf stated, “You have already found the individual.” Hazrat Umar asked who he was. Hazrat Abdur Rahman replied, “It is the lion of the land, Sa‘d bin Malik”, that is, he was a very brave person and an excellent commander. He should be made commander and sent forth. The other individuals also supported this opinion. This is also a reference from Tarikh al-Tabari.

(Tarikh al-Tabari, Vol. 3, pp. 381-382, Bab dhikr amr al-Qadisiyyah, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1987) (al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Vol. 2, p. 287, Sanah 13, Dhikr Waqi’ah Qass al-Natif, Dar-ul-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 2003) (Farhang Sirat, p. 172, Zawwar Academy Publications, Karachi, 2003)