Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

www.alhassanain.org/english

Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet (s)

Author(s): Muhammad Dhahir Watr

Translator(s): Abu Zahra Muhammadi

Publisher(s): Veritas Consulting PR and Media Consultancy UK

www.alhassanain.org/english

A very detailed and fully referenced text about the management, organization and mode of operation of the Islamic military in the battles that the Muslim community engaged in under the leadership of the Holy Prophet [s].

Miscellaneous information:

Original Arabic title: al‐Idārat al‐Askariyya fi Hurub al‐Rasul Muhammad (S); Author: Muhammad Dhāhir Watr; Project Supervisor: Abu Yahya al-Hussaini; Farsi Translation: Asghar Qaidān; English Translation: Abu Zahrā Muhammadi; All rights reserved. This work is entirely owned by Dr Mohsen Reza Heydari and Veritas Consulting PR and Media Consultancy. Copying, duplication, printing and distribution of this work by any means is unethical and illegal.

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

Translator’s Introduction 10

Author’s Introduction 12

Note 12

Preface 13

One: The Military And Its Historical Significance 15

Two: Novel Warfare 16

Three: Management Of Supplies And Munitions 18

Four: The Subject For Discussion 19

Five: Striving For Humanity 20

Notes 21

Scope Of Research 27

A Chronological Introduction And Description Of The Most Important Sources 29

The Most Important Historians 32

1. Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Muslim Bin ‘Ubaydallah Bin Shihāb al-Zuhri (51-124 A.H.) 32

2. Abu ‘Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Is’hāq Bin Yasār al-Mutallabi (85-151 A.H.) 33

3. Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Umar al-Wāqidi (130-207 A.H.) 34

4. Abu al-Rabi’ Sulaymān Bin Musā Ibn Sālim al-Kalā’i al-Himyari 35

5. Abu al-Fath Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdillah Ibn Sayyid al-Nās152 35

Notes 36

The Arab Military Before Islām 38

1) The Objectives of War 38

2) Wars of Arabs against the Sassanids 42

3) Civil Wars in the North 43

Notes 44

Leadership And Command 48

Etiquettes of Leadership 48

A) Intellectual Traits 48

One: Reflection, Contemplation and Far-sightedness 48

1. Planning and Organization: 50

2. Taking Decisions and Issuing Clear Orders 51

Two: Skill and Intellectual Brilliance in Executing the Duties of a Commander 52

Three: Sagacity and Perspicacity 52

B) Practical Traits 53

1. Principles of Warfare 53

2. Pre-emptive Warfare (Harb al-Wiqāyah) 54

3. Lightning Strikes and Blitzes 55

4. Pursuing and Chasing After Fleeing Enemy Soldiers 56

5. Attacks and Onslaughts 56

6. Deception and Trickery 57

7. Superiority in Battle 58

8. Swiftness and Speed in Battle 59

9. Revolutionary and All-inclusive War 60

10. Psychological Warfare 61

C) Physical And Spiritual Traits 63

1. Physical Traits 64

2. Spiritual Traits 64

Notes 65

Staff Headquarters 76

1. The Department Of Planning And Scheduling: 76

a) Planning the policy for the participation of the Ansār in battle 76

b) Methods of Negotiation 76

c) Designing a Program in order to Know the Enemy 77

d) Creating a Plan to Gain Control of the Most Important Routes and Courses 77

e) Appointing a Deputy in Madina 77

f) Reviewing of the Supreme Commander of the Army 78

g) Placing the Capable Individuals in Appropriate Positions 79

h) Preserving the Unity and Integration of the Army 79

i) Discipline 80

j) Determining the Number of Soldiers in the Army 81

k) Organization and arrangement of the troops 81

2. The Administrative Council 82

3. The Department Of Doctrinal Guidance 84

Notes 86

The Department of Intelligence And Security 93

The Intelligence Department 93

First: Intention and Objective 96

Second: Assembly (of enemy troops) 96

Third: Terrain and the points of advancement 96

Fourth: Identifying the area of operations 97

Operations Personnel 98

First: Department of Operations 98

1. Objective 100

2. Sending military missions and commanding the army in battle 102

3. Studying what was important and necessary 102

4. Preserving the goal 103

5. Exhortation to fight 103

6. The flag and banner 103

7. Code words and identification 104

8. Being prepared for war 104

9. General mobilization 105

10. Taking the appropriate counter-measures 105

11. The routes taken by the forces 106

12. The area of assembly and mobilization 106

13. The area of encampment and setting up base 107

14. Keeping the operations secret and covert 108

15. Specification and assessment of the battle ground 108

16. Co-operation 109

17. Invasion and attack 109

18. Display of strength and might 109

19. Forewarning prior to battle 110

20. The order to commence the war 110

21. Combat 111

22. Organization of the battle 111

23. Battles fought in order to capture forts (Harb al-Husun) 114

24. Battles with barriers (and impediments) 115

25. Battles in cities and towns (Harb al-Mudun) 118

26. Daily reports 126

An analysis of the battles on the various front-lines 126

a) The front-line against the Quraysh 126

b) The front-line against the other Arab tribes 128

c) The front-line against the Jews 129

d) The front-line against the Rome 131

Second: Department of Training 132

Third: Department of Armament 133

a) Offensive weapons 134

b) Defensive weapons 134

Notes 135

Department Of Supplies And Reinforcements 154

A) Department Of Supplies And Reinforcements 154

The Rear 154

1) Types of supplies and support: 154

2) The main points of relief support 155

3) Places of rest for the army 156

4) Modes of transport 156

5) Foods and rations 156

6) Sources for procuring the food 157

7) Water 157

8) Sources of nourishment 157

9) Shelter, tents and clothes 158

10) Storing foodstuffs 158

11) Clearing the field of operations 158

12) Trade and agriculture 159

13) Welcoming the soldiers 159

14) The minimum age for being accepted into the army 159

15) Teaching and education 159

16) Securing relief support in pre-emptive battle 160

17) Securing reinforcements when capturing fortresses 160

18) Difficulties in securing supplies 160

19) The division for training and exercise 161

B) Department Of War Booty 161

1) Ways of using the booty on the battlefield 161

2) The rules of distribution of war booty 162

3) The place where the booty was divided 162

4) Sources of booty 162

5) Prisoners 162

C) Department Of Medical Services 164

1) Designation and goals of the department of medical services 164

2) Losses 165

3) The number of martyrs in the battles 166

4) Burying the Martyrs 166

5) The role of women in securing supplies and relief support 166

An Analysis of the Military Management 167

Conclusion 168

Notes 170

Bibliography 179

Primary Sources 179

Secondary Sources 183

Translator’s Introduction

Orientalists have, from the very beginning, propagated that Islām is a violent religion that was spread by the sword. This myth is even promulgated today albeit in a different form and context. At present, the ‘violence’ of Islām is portrayed by small fanatic groups who kill innocent civilians. Ironically, these extremist groups like the Tālibān, kill more Muslims than people following any other creed.

Yet since 9/11, the world has been bombarded with repeated messages against this ‘violent religion’. As if those who are making these accusations are themselves any less violent. The USA is the only country in the world to use the A-bomb and kill a large civilian population without any remorse or apology. They are the ones who violently invade and ravage lands belonging to others and yet have the audacity to call Islām what they have called it. This is the highest form of hypocrisy.

Human beings are dynamic creatures with the ability to be peaceful and loving in one instance while being hostile and aggressive the next. The same person may be smiling one minute and fuming with rage just moments later. Islām recognizes these intrinsic features in human beings and trains one to mould them and harness them properly, when to be angry and when to be happy, when to be kind and when to be fierce.

Islām does not condone the idea of humiliation and subjugation by other human beings. For this reason we find that, after years of persecution at the hands of the Quraysh, the divine ordinance for battle was received by the Holy Prophet (S). Initially, some of the weaker Muslims showed hesitation at the idea of picking up weapons and fighting for their rights. Some lacked the courage while others were content being in the camp of the oppressed. However, the Prophet (S) recited to them the Holy verses wherein the believers were called to arms to protect their rights and property, and the Muslims complied.

The beauty of the battles that followed was the humanity that was displayed by the Prophet (S) and his followers. Usually, when one goes to war, they tend to lose their ability of distinguishing right from wrong and many atrocities are committed by soldiers because of this. The adrenaline rush caused by life threatening situations clouds their judgment and they end up killing innocents and doing all sort of beastly things. The latest example of this is what the USA did (and continues to do) in ‘Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo.

The Prophet (S) warned his soldiers not to fight in such a manner that they end up neglecting the basic principles that make a human being human. They were not to kill innocent women, children, old people and the handicapped. They were not permitted to cut down trees or fill up wells. They were to offer the enemy an opportunity to surrender and not pursue those who fled from battle. These were just some of the numerous injunctions that the Holy Prophet (S) laid down for the Muslims at a time when the norm among the Arabs was to treat the enemy ruthlessly and without any mercy whatsoever.

The Holy Prophet (S), or the ‘supreme commander’ as the author of this work refers to him time and again, had no interest in building a large empire. Rather, he readily made those who were willing to live peacefully, his allies. The sword was only raised against open enemies who were out to destroy Islām and the Muslims.

Further, many of the defeated prisoners of war became Muslims when they saw how the Prophet (S) treated them. Contrary to their expectation of harsh and brutal treatment, they were treated with kindness and mercy. Just this was enough to make many of them Muslims. This was how Islām really spread, not at the tip of the blade as wrongly hypothesized by Western Orientalists.

Translating this work posed a number of challenges. First, the enormous amount of transliteration. In Arabic, different dialects pronounce words differently. We have tried as much as possible to conform with the standard Arabic transliteration but this has not been a priority and at times one Arabic name may have been transliterated in two or three similar ways. Care has been taken, however, that this should in no way cause any confusion about who or what is being referred to and it should only be deemed a handicap of the English language, nothing more.

Second, one will notice that this work, which was originally a dissertation for the author’s PhD, has a string of footnotes as long as the eye can see! These footnotes only serve to provide a basis for his statements and refer the reader to where he or she can turn if more information or detail is required.

Third, I have taken the liberty of adding my own notes wherever I thought a clarification was required. As the translator of this work, probably the hardest thing for me was to contend with some conclusions that are made by the author. Unfortunately, the esteemed author has not endeavored to carry out any scrutiny of the sources he has referred to and has taken these reports at face value. As a student of history, the importance of carefully analyzing reports and looking for possible loopholes and inconsistencies is well known to me.

However, since my task was to translate this otherwise important work, I only added very brief notes in areas where I disagreed with the author. Readers who are interested can of course delve deeper and conduct their own research in those areas.

Finally, I would like to extend my thanks and gratitude to Dr. Abu Fizza Haydari for meticulously going through my final draft, editing and proofreading it. And of course thanks is due to the publishers Heritage International Inc. for undertaking the task of getting this work translated and published. All praise, in the end, belongs only to the Almighty.

Author’s Introduction

All praise belongs to the Lord of the Worlds. The Most Beneficent, the most Merciful. Master of the Day of Reckoning. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we seek help from. Guide us to the straight path; the path of those whom Thou hast blessed, not those with whom Thou art angry, nor those who have strayed.1

O Allah send Thy blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad just as Thou have sent Thy blessings on Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim in the worlds, indeed Thou art the Owner of Praise, the Owner of Glory. And bless Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad just as Thou have blessed Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim in the worlds, indeed Thou art the Owner of Praise, the Owner of Glory.

This research and study under the heading: ‘Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (S)’ was presented as a doctorate thesis in the field of history at the Université Saint-Joseph, Lebanon, and is now before the respected readers. We have tried to spare no effort in this work with the hope that we would be successful in arriving at the truth [about the Prophet (S) as an exemplary military commander].

The present work has been arranged as follows:

Preface: Here the genesis of the techniques and strategies of battle in Islām and its most salient characteristics have been mentioned.

Introduction: I begin by explaining my methodology of choice in this study based on what I have discussed in the different sections and precede this by mentioning the narrators and important figures who have written about the history of the Prophet (S) and those who wrote war chronicles.

Section One: In this section, the characteristics of the Arab military before Islām have been discussed.

Section Two: Here ‘military command’ and that which pertains to it is, including the qualities of a commander, have been discussed.

Section Three: Here the different types of ‘army command centers and headquarters’ in the Muslim army have been explained.

Section Four: In this section the branches of ‘security and intelligence’ and related issues are mentioned.

Section Five: Details about the ‘base of operations’ along with its arrangement and plans have been outlined.

Section Six: Here ‘relief support units’, ‘munitions’, ‘medical services’, ‘management of booty’ and, in the end, ‘role of women’ in the Muslim army have been explained.

Conclusion: Finally, the issue of ‘growth and development of the Muslim army and the causes and factors that led to their victory in battle’ is discussed; after which I have listed the most important sources and references that have been used in this study.

Muhammad Dhāhir Watr

5 Dhu al-Qa’adah 1405 AH

Note

1. The Glorious Qur’an (Q1:1-7)