Diraar bin Al-Azwar | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | al-Azwar, The Warrior or The Champion, Killer of Romans |
| Born | Mecca |
| Died | presumably 640 |
| Allegiance | Rashidun Caliphate. |
| Branch | Rashidun army |
| Years of service | ? - 639 (disputed) |
| Unit | Rashidun army Rashidun cavalry |
| Battles / wars | Ridda Wars Muslim conquest of Syria Muslim conquest of Persia Muslim conquest of Egypt |
| Relations | Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah branch ofMudar (clan) Adnanite (tribe) |
Dhirarr ibn al-Azwar Al-Asadi (Arabic:ضرار بن الأزور الأسدي) also spelled asDiraar orDirarr (original name Diraar ibn Malik), was a skilled warrior since before the time of Islam who participated in theEarly Muslim conquests and acompanion of theIslamic prophetMuhammad.[1][2] Dhiraar was known to his tribe as al-Azwar.
Dhiraar was feared by theByzantine army and was given the nicknameThe barechested Warrior orThe barechested Champion for his tendency to fight without armor or upper garments. Diraar mostly known for killing three dozen enemy commanders and champions in theBattle of Ajnadayn, blocking the enemy retreat in theBattle of Yarmouk, and killing more than a hundred soldiers single handedly in the siege of Oxyrhynchus Bahnasa.
Diraar was a member of the eliteRashidun cavalry unit and also adueling specialist of the Rashidun Army operating mostly under the famous general Khalid ibn al-Walid, who trusted him in various tasks duringRidda wars,Muslim conquest of the Levant,Persia,North Africa andMuslim conquest of Egypt. Historians agreed Dhiraar died due thePlague of Amwas during the later stage of the Levant campaign. Muslim scholars and chroniclers honored Dhiraar due to his status as Companion of Muhammad andduring the modern era his descendants known as Dharri tribe were spread mostly inIraq.
Dhiraar belonged to theArab tribe ofBanu Asad. The son of one of its chieftains, known as al-Azwar Malik, the sixth generation descendant of Asad ibn Khuzaymah, the progenitor of Asad tribe who descended from seventh generation fromAdnan.[Notes 1] Dhiraar became Muslim after theBattle of the Trench, as he was sent withTulayha ibn Khuwailid by Asad clan and then to urging them to embrace Islam after his visit to the prophet of Islam.[6] Dhiraar's family was among the first converts to Islam. Muhammad admonished that it is allowed for Muslims to possess property which he gained before he convert to Islam.[7] It is recorded Dhiraar as known as a very wealthy person. It was said that he possessed a thousand camels[Notes 2].
During the initial period of theRidda Wars, Dhiraar was a tax collector, Dhiraar were one of the Arabian clansmen from Asad that staying loyal and pledge allegiance to the Islam government in Medina, as he pledge his allegiance to the newly appointed caliph, Abu Bakar,[9] Dhiraar showed his loyalty by warning and chastising the conduct of the peoples who rebelled against the caliphate.[10] Later, he participated as a scout for theelite cavalry of Rashidun, led by the general Khalid ibn al-Walid. Dhiraar was sent to quell this rebellion.[11] Dhiraar was sent by Khalid to lead a detachment consisting ofBanu Tamim warriors to confrontMalik ibn Nuwayrah, chief of the Bani Yarbu', a Banu Tamim clan, on accusations of apostasy.[12] Dhiraar participated inBattle of Yamama, where he testified that around 7,000 followers ofMusaylima killed in the battlefield, the plain of Aqraba, while 7,000 others were killed inside their fortress, in a garden which called"The garden of death".[13]
Dhiraar participated in the firstMuslim conquest of Persia under Khalid ibn al-Walid, which immediately occurred after Ridda wars.[14] Dhiraar played pivotal role in thebattle of Walaja as he was assigned as one of two cavalry commanders that tasked to lead detachments of Rashidun cavalries to struck the advancing Sassanid army from the rear and trap themin double envelopment maneuver strategy designed by Khalid.[15]
In the year of 12Hijr during thebattle of Hira, Dhiraar and Ayas ibn Qubaisah were tasked to subdue the fortress ofal-Qasr al-Abyad where he asked the fortress to surrender.[16][14] However, the fortress garrison resisting and throwing the Rashidun soldiers under Dhiraar with "cylindrical ceramic rollers".[Notes 3] Dhiraar in response ordering his soldiers to showering the fortress wall with arrows, and continued to storming the peoples outside the fortress, before they breach inside and captured the houses and monasteries inside al-Qasr al-Abyad.[14] This caused the residents to immediately surrender to Dhiraar.[14]
Later, Dhiraar were recorded along withDhiraar ibn al-Khattab,Al-Muthanna ibn Haritha, and Dhiraar ibn al-Muqarrin to be appointed as quarter commanders of Rashidun garrison in al-Sib.[14] Dhiraar and the others mounted raids that penetrated into area that reached the bank ofTigris river.[14]
TheRashidun army left the capitalMedina probably in the autumn of 633 or at the beginning of 634. They first engaged and defeated the Byzantines atDathin on February 4; after that, EmperorHeraclius, then stationed inEmesa (now Homs,Syria), had reinforcements sent south to protectCaesarea Maritima. As a possible reaction, commanderKhalid ibn al-Walid was ordered to aidAbu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah in Syria.[citation needed] At sometime before the Siege of Emesa city, a Byzantine commander fromBaalbek named Harbees collided with patrolling troops of Rashidun which led by Dhiraar,Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib, Abdul Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, Rabia ibn Amr, Malik Al-Ashtar.[17] The forces of Harbees swiftly demolished by the Rashidun troops of Amr, which caused the city of Emesa captured in no time as there are no more adequate defense left.[18] Dhiraar and Amr then continues by leading more than 5,000 cavalry troops joining Maysarah ibn Masruq to besiege Homs.[19]
According toGeorge Nafziger, Dhiraar accomplished several impressive feats during theBattle of Ajnadayn, where he reportedly slew multiple Byzantine champions including two provincial governors.[20] At one point, Dhiraar impetuously confronted Khalid and asked:
"Why are we waiting when Allah, the Most High, is on our side? By Allah, our enemies will think that we are afraid of them. Order the attack, and we shall attack with you."[21][Notes 4]
Waqidi recorded another event in which Dhiraar duels against Vahan. Dhiraar unfastened and discarded his armor and upper garments during the duel, thus continuing bare-chested. In a very fierce duel, Dhiraar eventually spears Vahan through the chest, killing him. He then continues on, charging through the Byzantine ranks and killing at least three dozen Byzantine soldiers alone, according to witnesses.[24] The deaths of the Byzantine commanders sowed disorder and loss of morale among the Byzantine ranks, which Khalid used to his strategic advantage.[21]
After the defeat of the Byzantine-alliedGhassanids by April 24, Khalid's force was able to enterBosra, Syria almost unopposed. Dhiraar once captured by Byzantine forces during theBattle of Eagle Pass, which occurred during thesiege of Damascus.[25] Shortly later, he was rescued by a team led by his sister,Khawlah ibnt al-Azwar.[26][27][Notes 5] Then as Dhiraar participated in theSiege of Damascus.[28] Later in the same year, Dhiraar were appointed by Khalid as cavalry commander during thebattle of Fahl.[29][30]
During the siege ofal-Rastan, it is recorded that the supreme commander of Rashidun, Abu Ubaydah, employing a certain plan that allowed Dhiraar and about 20 warriors which includedal-Musayyab ibn Najaba,Dhu'l Kala al-Himyari,Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib al-Zubaydi,Hashim ibn Utba,Qays ibn Makshuh,Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq,Malik al-Ashtar, and others to enter the city, and causing riot inside which thrown the entire city to confusion, and opening the gate from inside to allow the Muslim forces waiting outside to overwhelm the defense,[31] thus allowing the city to be captured despite it has very strong fortification defense.[32]
In the battle of Yarmouk, Dhiraar were placed on the left wing which commanded byYazid ibn Abi Sufyan, leading his personal squadron among other dozen squadrons of the left wing.[33] Dhiraar serving largely during this battle in the unit of elite cavalry which called theMobile Guards, which specifically tasked to plugging the gaps between Muslim ranks to avoid enemy penetration.[34] It is recorded that in one particular clash, as a rank of Muslims fell back at the Byzantine onslaught, Dhiraar then gathered together withIkrimah ibn Abi Jahl, stood firm with 400 men holding the deserted line and successfully defending the Muslim position until the fleeing Muslim ranks returned to the battlefield and reinforced the position again.[35][36] The circumstances were expounded on in Tabari's comprehensive history wherein Ikrimah is recorded as saying:
"Would I fight the Messenger of God in every place, yet flee from you today?! Who will take an oath (to fight) to the death?!"[14]
Al-Harith ibn Hisham and Diraar ibn Al-Azwar both swore an oath along with 400 of notable men and knights. They fought in front of Khalid's command tent until all of them were disabled by wounds. Many of them died after the clash due to heavy wounds including Ikrimah, Although some like Dhiraar were able to recover.[14]
In the final day of the battle, Dhiraar played a prominent role when Khalid assigned him to capture a bridge at Ayn al-Dhakar to safely cross the deep gorges of the ravines of Wadi-ur-Ruqqad with 500 soldiers at the night of the fifth day. He was then ordered by Khalid to set an ambush there to eliminate the Byzantine armies who had been routed and who intended to use this bridge as a way to withdraw.[37] The next day, Dhiraar moved with 500 mounted troops around the northern flank of the Byzantines and captured the bridge. The plan was successful as the Byzantines retreated onto this path, where Dhiraar had been waiting for them in Wadi ar-Raqqad Bridge.[27] The Byzantines were surrounded from all sides now. Some fell into the deep ravines off the steep slopes, others tried to escape in the waters, only to be smashed on the rocks below and again others were killed in their flight.[38]
Later, Caliph Umar instructed a portion of the Rashidun troops from Yarmouk to be transferred toIraq as reinforcements to assistSa'd ibn Abi Waqqas in theBattle of al-Qādisiyyah against theSassanid Empire and Dhiraar was counted among them. At this stage,Ya'qubi has recorded, that, along with Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar,Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib,Tulayha, and Kurt ibn Jammah al-Abdi has discovered the corpse of Rostam farrokhzad, the highest commander of Sassanid army during this battle.[39] The death of Rostam shocked the entire Sassanid, which prompted Sa'd to instruct general assault to all the Muslim soldiers.[40]
Later, According to Waqidi, during theMuslim conquest of Egypt, Dhiraar participated the campaign underMiqdad ibn Aswad and pacified several areas in al-Gharbia region, started from Kafr Tanah (area in modern dayDakahlia Governorate), andTennis.[41] Then Miqdad continued his march leading forty horsemen which included Dhiraar.[42] Then as they reachedDamietta, Miqdad found the city was fortified by a man named al-Hammuk, an uncle ofAl-Muqawqis.[43] Al-Hammuk fortified the city and closed the gates, as Miqdad besieged the city.[43] As Damietta subdued, Miqdad were appointed to govern the city.[44]
Later, Dhiraar were mentioned again involved in the Muslim campaign toBahnasa.[45]Amr ibn al-Aas sent Dhiraar and Muslim army under his command to meet with mustered Sudanese christian auxiliaries ofBeja.[Notes 6] Before the battle, the Rashidun army camped in a place which calledDashur.[48] Benjamin Hendrickx reported that the African christians has mustered around 20,000 Sudanesesymmachoi corps,[Notes 7] 1,300 elephants mounted archers, and anti cavalry units namedal-Quwwad which armed with iron sticks,[47] which led by aPatrician named Batlus. Meanwhile,al-Maqqari even stated 50,000 christian army of Byzantine Sudanese christian alliance in the "Battle of Darishkur".[46][47] the record of al-Maqrizi stated in this conflict, Dhiraar along withMiqdad ibn Aswad,Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, andUqba ibn Amir each commanding muslims cavalry facing the Elephant corps led by Byzantine exarchate commander named Batlus.[46] The Rashidun cavalry armed with spears ignited in flames that tip soaked in Santonin plants and Sulphur which were used drive the elephants flee in terror, scared with the flaming spears.[48] while the elephant riders were toppled from the elephant's back and crushed underfoot on the ground.[48] Meanwhile, theal-Quwwad warriors who used iron staffs were routed by the Rashidun cavalry soldiers who used a seized chain weapons to disarm the staff weapons of theal-Quwwad corps of Byzantine.[48]
After the victory in Darishkur, the Byzantine Sudanese forces flee to Bahnasa town and locked the gates, which then followed by the Muslims besiege the town, as the enemy were reinforced by an arrival of 50,000 according to the report ofal-Maqqari.[46][47] The siege dragged for months, until Khalid ibn al Walid commanded Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar and other commanders to intensify the siege and assign them to lead around 10,000Companions of the Prophet, with 70 among them were veterans of battle of Badr.[50] They besiege the city for 4 months as Dhiraar leading 200 horsemen, while Zubayr ibn Al-Awwam lead 300 horsemen, while the other commanders such as Miqdad,Abdullah ibn Umar andUqba ibn Amir al-Juhani leading similar number with Dhiraar with each command 200 horsemen.[50] the Byzantines and their Copt allies showering the Rashidun army with arrows and stones, until the Rashidun overcame the defenders, as Dhiraar, the first emerge, came out from the battle with his entire body stained in blood, while confessed he personally killed around 160 Byzantine soldiers during the battle.[50] Muslim army managed to breach the gate and storming the city and forcing surrender to the inhabitant.[Notes 8][Notes 9] According to chronicles, the siege of Bahnasa were so fierce that in this battle alone, 5,000 Companions of the prophet (Sahabah) were perished during this battle, as the thousands of their tombs were still can be seen in the modern day.[50]
It is widely accepted by the consensus of historians that Dhiraar died in Syria from thePlague of Emmaus, the plague that killed many otherCompanions of Muhammad, includingAbu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. The year of his death is believed to be 18 AH/640 AD[54] and his final resting place is in Syria.[55] The tomb shrine believed belong to Dhiraar were located in the town ofDeir Alla in the Central Jordan Valley, northwest of Jordan. It is a modern mosque, a wide courtyard, and a garden decorated with trees.[56]
Yet, other accounts of Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar's death exist. For instance,Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said he fell at theBattle of Ajnadayn. This is contrary to al-Waqidi's report which said he fell at theBattle of Yamama.[57][58] Also, it was reported by Ibn Hajjar that after Dhiraar murderedMalik ibn Nuwayrah and committed adultery with a female slave taken from the campaign, General Khalid was ordered by Caliph Umar to execute him due to his crimes. However, before Khalid received the order to execute Dhiraar, he was already dead.[59] There is some controversy regarding the textual translations, which make it difficult to discern if Dhiraar died at that time or not (regardless of the cause),[60] as it is recorded byBayhaqi.[61] On the other hand,al-Tabari explained in his book regarding the conflicted report where there are two version of his death. the first was Dhiraar was said killed in battle of Ajnadayn, while the other saying he has been fallen in the battle of Yamama[1] that Dhiraar appeared at the battle of Yarmouk.[62]Ya'qubi even wrote that he lived long enough to witness theBattle of Qadisiyah and that together withTulayha,Amru ibn Ma'adi Yakrib and Kurt ibn Jammah al-Abdi, he discovered the corpse ofRostam Farrokhzād.[12] Having said that, the chronicle of Ya'qubi was plagued with skepticism due to his excessive Shi'i sympathies.[Notes 10]
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani recorded in his workFath al-Bari aboutMuhammad al-Bukhari commentary that the weakness in the narrative chain of the death of Dhiraar in Yamamah.[64] Ibn Hajar further surmised that there were two different persons called Dhiraar. The first was Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar from the Asad tribe and the other namedDhiraar ibn al-Khattab. Thus, some chroniclers like Abd al-Barr made the mistake of identifying those two different persons as one.[65] Although the confusion was evident here, the older chroniclers such as Abu Ismail al-Azdi andSayf ibn Umar were conscious of the existence of two different Dhiraars but they also recorded that both Dhiraar al-Azwar and Dhiraar ibn al-Khattab were present in the Syrian campaign, particularly at theBattle of Yarmouk, thus dismissing al-Barr and al-Waqidi's claims.[66]Mashhoor bin Hassan Al Salman [ar], JordanianHadith expert and pupil ofMuhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani, has warned in his book against the tradition which authored from Waqidi regarding the death of Dhiraar in the battle of Yamama as inauthentic narration.[67] Meanwhile, Mahmud Shakir also recorded both Dhiraar ibn al Azwar and Dhiraar ibn al Khattab had lived long enough passing battle of Yamama and attended the battle of Qadisiyyah.[68]
As Sahabi, Dhiraar narrated traditions from Muhammad were accepted asHadith. A certain Hadith regarding themilking are transmitted by Dhirrar from the authority ofHanad as-Sirri [ar], student ofSulaiman al-Aʽmash.[69] Dhiraar also narrated a hadith straightly from Muhammad regarding wealth and possessions in view of Islam, which recorded inAl-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn written byAl-Hakim al-Nishapuri.[7][8]
Dirar ibn al-Azwar Mosque was built in his commemoration which located to the northern part of the Jordan Valley adjacent the mausoleum ofAbu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, in an area which witnessed thefirst battles between the Muslims and the Byzantine Empire.[70]
The sword supposedly belonging to Dhiraar were now preserved in theTopkapı Palace Museum,Turkey.[71]
Al-ZarrarMBT used by the Pakistan Army is named in his honour.
Pakistan Air Force's No. 27 Tactical Attack Sqn also has adoptedAl-Zarrar as their Call Sign, and his warrior sketch outline as their Squadron insignia.
There is records regarding the modern era historiography study of the conquest ofal-Bahnasa, as Sudan history researchers said the old chronicles from traditionalHistory of Bahnasa conquest, supported al-Maqrizi narration of the background for this Arabic invasions to Sudan.[46][Notes 11], though MacMichaels doubt it.[Notes 12] Nevertheless, al Dukhayli mentioned there are several battle poetries regarding the battle of Darishkur that allegedly recited by several Muslim leaders during the battle, such as Dhiraar, Zubayr ibn al-Awwam,al-Qa'qa' ibn Amr al-Tamimi, and others.[73] Meanwhile, modern era excavation and archaeological research teams from Egyptian ministry also put interests to the tombs of the Muslims fallen during the battle, and alleged encampment of the Rashidun army during the campaign, where Dhiraar has participated.[74] Dhiraar was fluently accomplished poet who attributed many of his poetic narration to fuel up his expression towardsJihad and Islamic stance.[75] It was studied as the historical heritage of Iraq.[75]
The Dharri clan or also known as the Zarari were Arabian tribe in modern dayIraq who are allegedly traced their ancestry as descendant of Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar.[76]
Several 20th-century films made about Muslim conquests included Dhiraar as one of the cast:
... أغشى بني ضؤر من عنزة: أباح لنا، ما بين بضرى وذومَة، كتائب منا يلبسون السّنوّرًا إذا هو سامانا، من الناس، واحدّ له الملك خالا ملكه وتفـطرا نفت مُضرّ الحمراء عنا سيوفنا، كما طرد الليل النهار فأذبرًا وقال ضرار بن الأزور يذكر أهل الردة ...
Product Code: bnw7602
Al-Tabari, Abi Jaafar, Muhammad bin Jarir, (The History of Nations and Kings), Volume Two, Izz Al-Din Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon, 1985 AD; Al-Hamawi, Yaqut, Abu Abdullah, (Dictionary of countries), Dar Al- Kutub Al-Ilmia, Beirut, Lebanon, Volume I Sam 1990 AD; Al-Najjar, Abd al-Wahhab, (The Rightly Guided Caliphs), The Islamic Office, Beirut, 2002 AD; Muhammad, Reda, (The History of the Caliphs), Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, Beirut, Lebanon, Volume One, 1977 AD; Shaker, Mahmoud, (Islamic history), The Islamic Office, Beirut, 1985 AD; Muhammad, Reda, (Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq) (the first of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs), the Islamic Office, Beirut, 1985 AD. complete in history; Dr.: Razi, Abdullah, (The Complete History of Iran) From the Founding of the Mad Kings Series, to the Qajar Kings Series, Published in the year 1363 Shamsiya (Persian)
فهو من الصحابة الذين قابلوا الرسول صلى الله على وسلم وأعلن إسلامه أمامه. كان لعمرو الدور الكبير والمتميز في حروب التحرير العربية الإسلامية وعلى الجبهتين الشامية والعراقية، فعندما امتنعت قلعة الرستن على المسلمين في فتحها ألا بحيلة دبرها القائد أبو عبيدة على أمير القاعة نقيطاس طغت عليهم فكان أحد اللذين وضعهم القائد في صناديق كأمانة لحين رجوعهم من مقاتلة هرقل، وتم فتح القلعة بعون الله وهمة الرجال.
... بصدد دراسة عن الصحابي البطل ضرار بن الأزور؛ فقادتنا لهذه الدراسة إلى شيع خطير جدير بالتسجيل فيما يتعلق بتحديد تاريخ وفاة فذا الصحابي الجليل، وليس هلا التاريخ هوما يعنينا هنا، ولكن للذي لفتني نظرنا هوس يقرره الواقدي في هلا الشأن ولعل ...
... الجيش إذ كانت الخيول تنفر منها الأمر الذي جعل الصحابة يوجهون اهتمامهم اليها حتى قتلوها مع من عليها، وقد أبلى جرير بن عبد الله البجلي، والقعقاع بن عمرو، وطليحة الأسدي، وعمرو بن معد يكرب، وخالد بن عرفطة، وضرار بن الخطاب بلاء كبيراً، إذ كانوا يقلعون عيون الفيلة فتشرد بمن عليها ثم تقتل ويقتل أصحابها، فلما كان الزوال من ذلك الذي عرف بالقادسية وهو الاثنين الرابع عشر من شهر محرم من السنة الرابعة عشرة هبت ريح شديدة على الفرس...
Futuh al-Bahnasa al Gharra, 'the conquest of Bahnasa, the blessed', by Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mu'izz
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