Hazrat Umar Farooq — Page 22
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was alive amongst us, though he was dearer to you than us. You did not grant these riches to us during the time of Hadhrat Abu Bakr, though he was dearer to you than this humble servant. Is it a sort of test for me?” He was so full of emotions that he cried before his Lord and asked for His forgiveness. THE BATTLE OF JALOOLA After the fall of Madaain the Persian army gathered at Jaloola. Jaloola was a small town in the neighbourhood of Baghdad. The Muslim force advanced towards Jaloola and besieged the town. The siege dragged for some months but ultimately Jaloola also fell to Muslims. With the fall of Jaloola the conquest was complete and the Muslims had captured the whole of Iraq. More wealth and valuables were gathered and sent back to Madinah. Next morning when Hadhrat Umar was distributing these riches, tears came into his eyes. A Companion of the Holy Prophet asked for the reason. Hadhrat Umar said,” We should fear Allah, as when Allah blesses a nation with such bounties, the seed of jealousy is sometimes sown in their hearts and then they are disgraced. ” THE CONQUEST OF SYRIA FALL OF DAMASCUS When news reached Madinah that the Emperor of Rome was gathering all available forces from various parts of his empire against the Muslims, the Khalifah of the time Hadhrat Abu Bakr directed Hadhrat Khalid bin Waleed, who was in Iraq at that time, to proceed to Syria. The Muslim force advanced rapidly and besieged the city of Damascus. In the meantime Hadhrat Abu Bakr died. When Hadhrat Umar became the Khalifah he appointed Hadhrat Abu Obaidah bin Al-Jarrah, as the Commander of the Muslim force. Damascus was one of the most important centres of Syria where the Arab merchants used to buy, sell or exchange their goods. The people of the city of Damascus thought that either the emperor Heraclius would send an army to their aid or the Muslims would leave because of harsh weather. But when six months had passed and neither the army sent by the emperor reached Damascus nor the intense cold climate hampered the activities of the Muslims, they lost hope and handed over the city to the Muslims peacefully. FALL OF FAHL In those days Syrian territory was divided into six provinces, of which Damascus, Hims (Emessa), Jordan and Palestine were more important. The chief town of Jordan was Tibriyah. On the eastern side of Tibriyah there was a lake, which was twelve miles long. The city of Baisan was situated towards the south of Tibriyah at a distance of about eighteen miles. After the fall of Damascus the Romans gathered a large force at Baisaan. The force despatched by the Emperor Heraclius to help the besieged city of Damascus could not reach Damascus, so it joined the enemy army stationed at Baisaan. In the meantime the Muslims marched from Damascus to Fahl, a town situated opposite Baisaan. The Romans, fearing the Muslims should make a surprise attack, demolished the barriers of the dam and flooded the countryside. When the battle began the initial advantage lay with the Romans but the courage and steadfastness of the Muslims turned the course of the battle and in the end the Muslims won. The flooded countryside became a trap for the Romans and they could not find any means of 22