[CENTRE][u][b]Ghassanid Syria[/b][/u]

[i]Jabiya[/i]

[i][b]Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman[/b][/i][/CENTRE]

The martyrs were buried, one by one, and the funeral prayer was conducted, that God most high would forgive them their sins and allow them entry into the highest gardens of paradise. It was painful to part with those who walked and laughed with them but a day before, but the Muslims, if they wept, wept silently. Hudhayfa put his hand upon Harith's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.
'Come Harith, weep no more. We are all destined for death and there is no better way to depart this world but in the cause of Allah,' Harith took a deep breath and nodded slowly, wiping the tears from his eyes.
'You are right, oh Hudhayfa. But my hearts is saddened greatly by Urwa's death. Our mother will weep rivers at losing him for he was always her favourite and she doted on none as she doted on him,' Hudhayfa was silent for a while before he shook his head and spoke once more.

'No, Harith. Remember the words of Allah and when he did say in his most holy book: 'And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.' Indeed Urwa and all the martyrs are yet alive though we know it not. So weep not, and tell your mother not to weep, she is a mother of a martyr, should she not be happy to know that Urwa has been promised eternal bliss and gardens where he will feel neither illness nor death?' Harith's tears suddenly returned and he let out a few sobs.
'It pains us even more that he has beaten us to that reward while we yet remain upon this earth. It is almost as though Allah does not wish to see us or take us into his mercy. Would that Urwa and I were taken together,' at this Hudhayfa allowed a sigh to leave him.
'Weep not, oh Harith, for you fill my heart with sadness to see you in such a state,' and they two stood together for a while before Urwa's simple grave, and Hudhayfa soon tore the grief-stricken man away and they headed towards the tents.

On the way, they passed by some of the yet unburied bodies of the Romans, and Hudhyafa overheard the men standing over them mentioning what had been done to their commander. He stopped and looked towards them.
'Did Khalid truly do such a thing?' he asked them. They turned to him and one of them nodded.
'Indeed he did, I was there. He demanded that the man's head be cut off and that it be sent, along with the body, to Damascus. He said it would serve as an example for the others and a warning that in Arabia, Rum no longer rules,' Hudhayfa shook his head sadly.
'May Allah forgive Khalid, did he not hear the words of the Caliph of the Messenger of Allah before we set out?' the men looked from one to another and questioned Hudhayfa one what the Caliph had said.

'Indeed, he did stand up amongst us and call us all to him, saying: 
[indent]Stop, oh people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.[/indent]
I was most certainly there when he said it, and so too was Harith and many others. Did not word reach Khalid? He has most certainly erred greatly by mutilating their commander's body, even if he saw in so doing an advantage for the Muslims,' and with that, Hudhayfa delivered the salam to the men and went on his way with Harith.

Once back in their tent, Harith and Hudhayfa talked briefly about the events of the day and the significance of the fall of the Banu Ghassan capital of Al-Jabiya.
'Al-Jabiya is the heart of the Banu Ghassan kingdom, with its fall, the tribe will most certainly be inclined towards joining us. Indeed, when they see the beauty of Islam and our good treatment of them, they will most certainly be more willing to join us, and what a boon they will be. The Prophet, may the the prayers of God and peace be upon him, was indeed an example for us in this regard. How many were his bitter enemies who, upon seeing his good nature and his treatment of others, became his most willing allies?' Hudhayfa lay down, tired after the long day of digging and burying the martyred.
'And what is more, the Banu Ghassan are of us; they are Arabs and their loyalty must be to their blood. We have removed from them the yoke of the oppressive Rum and now they are free, certainly they have none to turn to but their own, honour is theirs today, for the Arabs have awakened from their ignorance and sleep and have come to deliver them from the hands of their overlords. May Allah guide their hearts and may this victory be another step forward for the Ummah of Mohammed,' Harith smiled slightly, glad to know that his brother had not only died a martyr, but that his martyrdom would had opened the doors of freedom for their Arab brethren.

'Now it remains for us to free our enslaved brethren in the east, for indeed, the Furs have a most powerful hold on the Banu Lahkm,' Harith said. Hudhayfa nodded slightly before he closed his eyes to sleep. The Adhan for the morning prayer would soon sound, and he wanted to get what little rest he could before then.