Hazrat Umar Farooq — Page 24
CONQUEST OF PERSIA THE BATTLE OF TUSTAR After conquering Iraq and Syria Hadhrat Umar did not want to proceed any further, but the Persians were creating trouble for Muslims at the borders. They attacked them occasionally and sometimes persuaded people to rebel against the Muslims. The Emperor of Persia was also waiting for the opportunity to reclaim his territory. He therefore sent messages to his people to engage the Muslims in battles. Observing the situation Hadhrat Umar instructed Muslim Commanders to carry on fighting until the rebellion comes to an end. The Muslims pushed the Persians back to a stronghold called Tustar and besieged the castle in which they had gathered. As the Persians were large in number, the Muslims were frustrated in their attempts to drive them away. They asked Hadhrat Umar for help. Hadhrat Umar sent Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash`ari with an army. The battle went on for many days with both sides unwilling to admit defeat. One day a Persian showed Hadhrat Abu Musa Ash`ari a secret entrance to the castle through the water. The Muslim soldiers entered the castle secretly at night and opened the doors of the castle. The Persians put up some resistance but were defeated. Their leader Hurmazaan was arrested. Hurmazaan requested to meet Hadhrat Umar, so the Muslims brought him to Madinah. When he approached the city of Madinah, he put on his precious silk robe. With a gold crown on his head and a gold walking stick in his hand, he went to see Hadhrat Umar to show off his grandeur and richness. Hadhrat Umar was resting in the mosque at the time. Hurmazaan went to the mosque and saw a person lying on the ground, resting his head on a cloak. There were some Muslims present in the mosque who were sitting quietly as they did not want to disturb Ameer-ul-Momineen in his sleep. Hurmazaan wondered where Umar was! “The person who was sleeping could not be Umar,” he thought, “As Umar, the leader of Muslims must be living in a grand palace with thousands of bodyguards protecting him. ” In order to remove his curiosity he asked the people, “Where is Umar?” They replied, “That one who is sleeping there. He is our Amir-ul-Momineen. ” Hurmazaan was astonished. He said, “This person has the qualities of a Prophet. ” Hadhrat Umar woke up and immediately recognised Hurmazaan by his expensive clothes and said to him, “Have you seen the outcome of your turning away from God?” Hurmazaan replied, “Umar, we always won against you before you accepted Islam because God was neither on your side nor on our side. But after you became Muslim, God has been on your side therefore you always win. ” After saying this he gladly accepted Islam. THE BATTLE OF NIHAWAND After the battle of Tustar another battle was fought at a place called Nihawand where the Emperor of Persia had sent an army of two hundred thousand to face thirty thousand Muslims. Hadhrat Nu ‘ maan, an Iraqi, was the Muslim Commander. Hadhrat Umar, out of love for the Muslim soldiers, instructed Hadhrat Nu ‘ maan to take great care of the Muslim soldiers. He directed Hadhrat Nu ‘ maan not to take a dangerous route to meet the enemy but to go through a relatively safe route so that there was no loss of life on the way to the battle. The Persians were camped in the castle and the Muslim army surrounded the castle. One day the enemy soldiers came out of the castle to fight the Muslims. The battle was very fierce but eventually the enemy was defeated. Muslims took control of the fort but Nu ‘ maan, the Muslim Commander, was 24