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

[i]Jabiya, (18th April 634 AD / Sept/Oct 634 AD) - Day Following the Conquest of Al-Jabiya[/i]

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

[Hider=Summary]
[list]
[*] Hudhayfa sends Al-Harith with a letter to Jabalah ibn al-Aiham
[*] Hudhayfa speaks with Khalid before setting out with 3000 Banu Abs warriors and sending out riders to scout the region
[*] One of his scouts returns and tells of a large Ghassanid Army making for the western border with the Romans, clearly fleeing. in their hurry, the Ghassanids have kicked up a great cloud of sand.
[*] Al-Harith reaches Jabalah and delivers the message telling him to accept Islam or at least surrender.
[*] Jabalah refuses, but his guard seems open to Islam.
[*] Hudhayfa ambushes the Ghassanid force, having riders attack them from behind through the cloud of sand, while other riders circle around and kick up more sand in order to fool the Ghassanids into believing there are more enemies attacking than there actually were.
[*] Shouts from the Muslim attacking force about 'the main force arriving' cause the Ghassanids to panic and for their leader to surrender.
[*] The Ghassanids accept defeat and pledge to live in peace and pay the Jizya.
[*] Hudhayfa commands one hundred riders to take the defeated enemy force to Al-Jabiya.
[*] Arms and Armour of the defeated are gathered and sent up to Al-Jabiya along with those who surrendered.
[/list]
[/hider]

Harith, known more commonly as Abu Qatada, and who was known among the Arabs as Al-Harith ibn Rabee' al-Ansari of the Banu Abs, stood before Hudhayfa, listening to his chief's orders. He had summoned him not long after the Fajr prayer, when a call had also been given out that the warriors of the Banu Abs should prepare themselves to march out with Hudhayfa. The Muslim force was not extraordinarily large, approximately fifteen thousand strong, and Banu Abs warriors made up a good three thousand of those.

'Abu Qatada,' Hudhayfa spoke, 'I have here a letter, for Jabalah ibn al-Aiham, one of the more influential chiefs of Banu Ghassan. Deliver it to him and return quickly. If he rejects our call, and you are able to gain any information on enemy forces, do not hesitate to do so,' Hudhayfa handed him the letter and put a hand on the shoulder of his kinsman, 'may Allah return you to us quickly and safely, ya Abu Qatada.'

Abu Qatada took the letter and nodded to his chief.
'Do not worry, Hudhayfa, you have entrusted this task to me and with Allah's will I shall be up to it,' with that, Al-Harith turned away and left the tent, making for his horse. Hudhayfa was glad that he had quickly gotten over his brother's death, for he knew that Al-Harith was an intelligent man, he had been among the close companions of the Prophet and was of moral and faithful character. But what made him more valuable to Hudhayfa, other than their close friendship and tribal ties, was his ability to lead men. As a right-hand man, Hudhayfa could ask for none better. For now, however, his was an important mission and could see the Roman severely weakened and the Muslim strengthened. Hudhayfa knew Jabalah ibn al-Aiham, however. He was not a man who liked bending the knee to others and convincing him to join them against the Romans, let alone embrace Islam, would be a most difficult task indeed. Nothing was too difficult for Allah though, and Hudhayfa had belief that only what was best for the Muslims would come about.

Within the hour, he had reported to Khalid and informed him that his men were ready and that he would be marching out, as ordered.
'Do not worry, ya Abu Sulayman, we will clear the desert of the warriors of Banu Ghassan and your flanks and rear will be safe with us  scouring the area. With Allah's help, we shall bring them into the fold. Failing that, we will offer them peace and the jizya. And if they deny this and continue their war against Allah, then we shall break them and scatter them until they find no helper or saviour from His wrath. May your victory be swift, commander,' he paused for a few seconds, 'and may you be an embodiment of Allah's mercy just as you are his drawn sword.'

With that, Hudhayfa sent a few riders out to scout the region, and marched his three thousand warriors out. There were among them a good seven hundred riders, both Fursan (horse cavalry) and Rukban (camel cavalry), while the remainder were Rijal (infantry soldiers). They would circle round towards the Roman border with the Banu Ghassan, and march south towards the desert, preventing any enemies attempting to flee to Roman-held lands from doing so, while also acting as a watch on the border in case of a surprise attack by the Romans and their allies. It was certain that they would want to attack quickly in order to find their captured prince if he was still alive, before he was taken too deep into Muslim lands. Of course, it was already too late. The son of the Emperor of Rome was already far in the desert, going back to Medina, but the Romans would not know that.

One of his scouts soon returned, informing him of a sizeable Ghassanid force making for the western border with the Romans at speed. Hudhayfa had not expected an entire Ghassanid army to be fleeing, but either way, it had to be prevented. If it managed to get to safety, it would certainly be back with greater forces.
'Do you have an estimates of its size?' he asked the scout. The scout bit his lip and replied hesitantly.
'I cannot be certain, for they were kicking up much sand in their hurry to flee. It could have been anything from a couple of thousand to seven or eight thousand,' at this information, Hudhayfa raised an eyebrow.
'Kicking up a lot of sand, you say...' there was a gleam in the man's eye as he spoke, and a plan slowly formed in his mind.

[centre]***[/centre]

'Take me to Jabalah, for I have a letter for him from Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman,' Al-Harith reined his horse in as he spoke to one of the guards of the encampment. He had come across a group of bedouins who had informed him that Jabalah had marched his men by not a day earlier, heading for a fortified town of the Banu Ghassan near the border with the Persians. It was clear that Jabalah had, for whatever reason, camped out in the middle of the desert until mid-day rather than continue the march to the fort. 

The guard took Al-Harith's exhausted horse - for he and run it ragged - and told him to go on ahead, where two guards led him through the camp to a large tent. The messenger allowed his eyes to roam freely over the camp and made note of the rather small size of the force, which was most strange. He would have expected a chief of Banu Ghassan to have anything over seven thousand men at his command. This camp did not look like it could hold more than four thousand, if even that.

'My Lord! A messenger from the Muslim army,' the guard announced into the tent, before a voice commanded him to let the messenger in. Walking through the tent's entrance, Al-Harith noted the many carpets and cushions in the tent, with the undoubted figure of Jabalah reclining on a few such cushions towards the back. The scene reminded him of the likes of Abu Jahl and those other kuffar who had fought against the Prophet of Allah. They too had been mired in their decadence and love for this world. It seemed that Jabalah, even though he was a Christian and thus of the Ahl Al-Kitab, was not so different from them. What could Al-Harith say? He may have been Christian, but he remained an Arab of the times of Jahiliyya and that ignorance had mod certainly not left him. He prayed that Allah would open his heart to the light and truth.

'I am Al-Harith ibn Rabee' of the Banu Abs, and I come to you with a message from Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman,' the messenger announced. The guard took the letter from him and handed it to Jabalah, who opened it and began to read aloud.

[indent]'Bismillah, al-Rahman, al'Raheem (In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful): 

From Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman to Jabalah ibn al-Aiham of Banu Ghassan. Peace be upon him, he who follows the right path. Thereafter, I bear witness that there is no God but God, the King, the Holy, the Guardian, and I witness that Jesus, the son of Mary is the Spirit of God and His Word. God created Jesus from his Spirit just as he created Adam. I invite you and your people to submit to God Almighty. I write and advise you, so accept my advice. 

The awaited messenger, promised us by Jesus, has come down and delivered God's message to mankind. I invite you to the path of God and Jesus and the Final Prophet and Messenger. If you should believe, then for you is your belief, and if you should deny the truth then against you is your denial.

We call you, also, should you not find it in your heart to submit to God, to put aside your weapons and join us, your Arab brothers, in the struggle against the Rum and the Furs. Ally with your own and leave those who use you and mistreat you. Indeed, God is my witness that I have delivered the message.

Peace upon those who follow the right way.'[/indent]

Jabalah looked up at Al-Harith once he had finished reading the letter, a scowl on his face.
'You wish for me, the King of Banu Ghassan, to submit myself to you? You southerners who are closer to beasts than you are to men?' he stood up, indignation apparent on his face.
'Oh Jabalah, will you be like those who rejected Jesus simply due to his low standing in their eyes? Certainly, he may have been low in their eyes, but he was of a rank most high with God,' Al-Harith said, his tone respectful but his eyes showing that he was unafraid to challenge the man before him, 'and what is more, the Banu Ghassan are not what they were. You may style yourself as the king of Banu Ghassan, but even now there is a self-styled king and warlord in every fort and village. Will you not join us and add your power to ours, and maybe you will find yourself a powerful man at our side, rather than weak and delusional alone.'

A gleam of anger sparked in Jabalah's eyes and he rose to his feet.
'You call me delusional? I am the king of Banu Ghassan! The Emperor of Rum himself has declared me as such! Who would deny me?' Jabalah clenched and unclenched his fists, 'I've just been...having a problem with rebellious subjects, that's all. And your attacks on my realms have not helped at all!'
'I would have much preferred that you and those 'rebellious subjects' join those who wish you well rather than fight us. Has the time not come to crush those who have enslaved you and your people for centuries, oh Jabalah? Even now you say that 'the Emperor' made you king. What kind of king must you be for a foreigner to appoint you as he pleases?' Al-Harith asked. Giving an irritated shout, the king turned away and spoke no more to Al-Harith. As the guard walked the messenger away, he spoke to Al-Harith.

'You are a very foolish man to speak to him like that,' they slowly came upon the entrance to the encampment.

'I have delivered my message of truth, but indeed, many are those who find in themselves a hatred for truth,' Al-Harith responded, and the guard gave him a pensive look.
'What did your Prophet tell you of Jesus and Mary?' he suddenly asked.

'He told us that Jesus was the son of Mary. He was the Word of God and his messenger, and it is obligatory upon us to believe in him and his miraculous birth and his message of truth. It is Jesus who promised the coming go the Final Prophet, and he has come, and we have followed in the path of Mohammed and Jesus and Moses and Abraham. We believe in the God they called people to, and we worship none beside Him,' Al-Harith approached the guard and smiled, 'know this, if your people come to us as Muslims, we shall embrace them with open arms and they shall be honoured among us, and all their sins will be forgiven for Islam wipes away all sins before it. And if they come to us as Christians, then they are of the Ahl Al-Kitab and it is obligatory upon us to respect and honour you and treat you with respect,' he backed away and mounted his horse before turning back to the guard.
'What is your name? For indeed I do see in your face the light of Iman, belief,' Al-Harith waited until the guard responded.
'I am Al-Nu'man ibn Zuhayr,' he said nodding to the messenger before the man turned his horse around and spurred it onward. Perhaps, Al-Nu'man thought to himself, this religion from the south was not so bad after all.

[centre]***[/centre]

The Ghassanid force moved at speed, sand kicking up all around them as their commander pushed them on, promising them that safety was within their grasp. In Roman lands they would be able to regroup, prepare themselves and march back to free the capital from the Muslims. The sand dunes around them were a good place for enemies to hide, but the great cloud of dust they were kicking up hardly made that necessary.

The Muslim cavalry struck their rear, emerging from the sands they were kicking up like ghosts, their approach concealed by the cloud and its sound not recognisable from that of the fleeing Ghassanid force. As the cavalry ripped into them from behind, their commander ordered his men to turn and face the threat, only for the cavalry to withdraw and a hail of arrows to fall upon the Ghassanid forces as they gave chase through the cloud of sand.

'Allahu Akbar!' came a cry, and it was echoed by thousands more voices, 'lets get them while the main force circles around! They're completely trapped, Khalid has them now!' another shout sounded as more arrows fell upon the charging Ghassanids. Hearing this, many of the Ghassanids panicked and a few of the soldiers ran to their commander and told him of what they had heard. Terror eating at his heart, he commanded his men to put down their weapons and surrender.

'We surrender!' he shouted, 'put down your weapons men!' even as he spoke the Muslim force before them circled around and the clouds of sand their horses were kicking up did not help him see how many were surrounding them, but he guessed that the army must have been absolutely huge, for the sand cloud was rising up all around them, even as his soldiers put down their weapons and sat on the ground.

'Where is your commander?' he asked, 'we have surrendered,' the Ghassanid commander shouted. A bearded man with cold eyes approached him. The moment the Ghassanid commander saw him, he knew him to be their commander, and the coldness of his eyes frightened him slightly. Surely a man with such cold eyes would not know the meaning of mercy.
'May the Lord have mercy on us all,' he whispered to himself as he spurred his horse towards the man and announced their surrender. The man looked at him and nodded.

'We heard you. You have done well to put down your weapons. It is not right for Arabs to spill the blood of one another. Will you submit to the Lord of the Universe?' the cold-eyed man spoke to him.
'I have already submitted to the Lord of the Universe and have tied my heart and soul to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,' the Ghassanid commander replied. The cold-eyed man did not seem very impressed.
'Then will you end your war against the God and the Muslims and ally yourself with us against our enemies? Or if not, will you live in peace and pay the Jizya?' the Muslim commander steered his horse closer to the Ghassanid as the sand clouds around them began to settle.
'I cannot ally myself to you, but I am most willing to live with you in peace,' the Ghassanid said. The cold-eyed commander nodded.
'Very well, you will go to Al-Jabiya and make your peace with Abu Sulayman,' he signalled for a few of his riders to come closer, 'take him and his men, for they have surrendered to us, to Al-Jabiya. They wish to settle down and live in peace.'

The rider nodded and began gathering up some men for the journey to AL-Jabiya. The commander turned back tot he Ghassanid.
'You have given us your oath, know that you are safe and honoured and no harm will come to you from us so long as pay the Jizya and maintain your peace. If you betray our trust or ally with the enemies of God against us, then we will be the wrath of God which strikes you down in this world, and in the hereafter is a far more painful torment if you but knew,' and with that, the commander turned away and the Ghassanid finally saw the force that had forced his surrender. It was no more than a few thousand, tiny in comparison to his nine thousand. Shocked and bewildered, and suddenly feeling humiliated, he shouted out to the commander, asking him for his name.

The cold-eyed man turned back and a smile broke out across his face - it was difficult to imagine that a face so cold could come out with such a warm smile.
'I am Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman, a man who has submitted to the God of the Universe, and by His will you have been spared this day.'