Reasons For Muslim Conquests of the Persian and Byzantine Empires

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During the era of the Rashidun Caliphate, Muslim armies fought simultaneously against two superpowers of the time, the Byzantine Empire and the Persian Empire. These warriors defeated both adversaries and expanded their rule from today’s Iran in the east to Libya in the west and Turkey in the north. During these campaigns against the superpowers of the time, Muslim forces remained victorious in almost every major battle.

It is astonishing for many people how a newly formed state achieved these successes in such a short period. It happened even though the Persian and Byzantine empires got assistance from their Arabian vassal tribes and even cooperated against Muslims on some occasions (e.g. the Battle of Firaz near the Iraq-Syria border).

Reasons for Early Muslim Conquests

Following are some important reasons that made the Early Muslim conquests possible.

New Religion

The most important factor that enabled the transformation of the people of Arabia from Bedouins to a superpower is their new religion - Islam. Before Islam, Arabs always remained disorganized and split into tribes. Islam united the Arab tribes under one leadership for the first time, which increased their strength. 

The expansion of Muslim rule during initial Caliphates
Muslims took control over vast areas during initial Caliphates

Arabs were always known for their courage and fighting spirit. However, Islam enhanced their courage and bravery by inculcating the spirit of martyrdom for religion. Under this spirit, Muslims fought vigorously for a noble cause (to spread Islam in other parts of the world) without even fearing the superpowers of the time.

Leadership Qualities

The leadership qualities of early Muslim rulers are also a reason for these early Muslim conquests. Abu Bakr (RA) became the first caliph after the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). At that time, many Arab tribes revolted against the caliphate. Abu Bakr not only launched expeditions against these rebel tribes but also started campaigns against the Persian and Byzantine empires to prevent them from using the inner conflict of Arabia in their interests. Soon, Muslim armies crushed the rebellion and achieved initial successes against the Persian Empire and Byzantines during his tenure of just over 2 years.

During the reign of Umar bin Khattab (RA), Muslims conquered the entire Persian Empire and also took the areas of the Levant, Egypt, and Armenia from the Byzantines. Umar not only played a vital role in the conquest of Persia and the Levant but he also consolidated Muslim rule in the conquered areas by spreading Islam in these areas.

Great Military Generals

Arabs were militarily capable and fond of fighting and their capabilities came to light after they united under Islam. The world saw a few of the best military generals during the Muslim conquest of Persia, the Levant, and Egypt who outclassed the military might of Persia and Rome.

The greatest Muslim general of the time was Khalid bin Walid (RA) who received the title of Saifullah (Sword of Allah) from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) for his bravery and military genius. Khalid played a major role in the conquest of Iraq (the Arabian part of the Persian Empire) and the Levant. Several times, he defeated his opponent even many times larger in number than his army. He was an expert in desert warfare techniques, focusing on speed and surprise attacks. The enemy remained clueless over his skill, wisdom, and attacks with lightning speed.

Amr bin al-As (RA) was another great military leader who conquered Egypt using his military leadership qualities. He intelligently took advantage of the differences between the local people and the Byzantine Empire.

Sa’ad bin Abi Waqas (RA) also proved his military leadership during the conquest of Persia. He led Muslim forces in several famous battles against the Persian Empire, including the Battle of al-Qadisiyya (636 AD), the Battle of Nahavand (642 AD), and others.

Weaknesses of Romans and Persians

Despite the leadership and military qualities of Muslims, there is also no doubt that the Persian Empire and Byzantine Empire had weaknesses due to the long Byzantine-Sassanid War of 602-628. The war ended with neither opponent taking any area of its foe but it weakened both the empires militarily and financially. This factor also assisted the newly established Caliphate in defeating both empires simultaneously.

Apart from that, both empires didn’t take the emerging Muslim power seriously at the beginning of the conflict. They considered Muslim Arabs similar to the nomadic tribes of the past, only capable of fighting in deserts. They could not calculate their new strength in time, which later proved disastrous for both these empires.

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