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escape from the battlefield. They were therefore defeated and many of them were killed. Hadhrat Abu Obaidah communicated the news of the victory to Hadhrat Umar and sought his advice as to how they should treat the people. Hadhrat Umar wrote in reply that the subjects should be treated kindly and that the land should be left in the possession of the original owners. THE BATTLE OF YARMOK From Fahl the main Muslim army marched towards north, and captured the city of Emessa. The Romans, once again, gathered a large force in the southern sector. They made formidable preparations for confrontation with the Muslims and mobilised all available resources in order to drive the Muslims out of Syria. The Muslim army, in the meantime, reached Yarmok. It is stated that the total number of Muslim soldiers was forty thousand as opposed to two hundred thousand Roman soldiers. The battle went on for several days. In spite of the heavy odds the Muslims won and the Romans suffered a crushing defeat. It is said that seventy thousand Roman soldiers lost their lives as opposed to three thousand Muslim soldiers. When the Roman emperor Heraclius heard the news of the defeat of Romans at Yarmok, he left for Constantinople and said with a heavy heart, “Farewell Syria! No Roman will be able to return to you now. ” With the victory at Yarmok the whole of Syria lay at the feet of the Muslims. FALL OF JERUSALEM The Commander of the Muslim army in Palestine was Hadhrat Amr bin Al-Aas. He was very brave and an intelligent soldier. He was appointed by Hadhrat Abu Bakr and was successful in capturing many cities. During Hadhrat Umar’s Khilafat the Muslim army advanced further and surrounded the city of Jerusalem. Being a holy town, the Christians wanted to save it at all costs. When the siege grew long, the Christians agreed to enter into a treaty with the Muslims. One of the conditions put forward by the Christians was that Umar should come himself for the treaty. Hadhrat Umar agreed and after appointing Hadhrat Ali as acting Ameer in Madinah, he proceeded to Jerusalem. The other Commanders who were waiting for Hadhrat Umar to sign the treaty were Hadhrat Abu Obaidah bin Al-Jarrah, Hadhrat Khalid bin Waleed and Hadhrat Yazeed bin Abu Sufyaan. All these commanders were dressed in very fine long flowing robes and it appeared as if they had come unarmed. Hadhrat Umar told them off by saying, “How could you afford to be unarmed at such a critical time?” They apologised and said, “Amir-ul-Momineen, we are dressed in these clothes to impress the Non-believers. We are not unarmed. We have our arms under our clothes. ” Hadhrat Umar was satisfied and accepted their apology. Hadhrat Umar met the delegation that had been sent by the Chief Priest of the city for the peace treaty. They also brought the news that Atraboon, the commander of the enemy force, had fled. Hadhrat Umar wrote to the Chief Priest that Muslims promise to protect the life, property and honour of each citizen and that there would be no compulsion in matters of religion. The people of Jerusalem were full of joy at the news since they were unhappy about the cruelty and injustices of their own rulers. After the treaty was signed Hadhrat Umar entered the city of Jerusalem where he was warmly welcomed by Christians and Jews alike. 23