Battle of Ajnadayn - The First Major Muslim-Byzantine Battle

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Battle of Ajnadayn was the first major pitched battle between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire. Khalid bin Walid was leading the Muslim army while the commander of the Christian force was Theodore, brother of the Byzantine emperor Heraclius. The battle was fought in July/August 634 in modern-day Palestine/Israel and ended with a decisive victory for Muslims. It allowed them to capture the Byzantine province of Palestine and the southern part of Syria.

Background

The first engagement between Muslims and the Byzantine Empire occurred in the Battle of Mut’ah during Muhammad’s (PBUH) lifetime. Strong support from the Byzantine Empire to its Arab allies in this battle forced Khalid bin Walid to take a tactical retreat. The first successful campaign against the Byzantine Empire was led by Osama bin Zayed during the era of Caliph Abu Bakr.

Later, Abu Bakr sent various small contingents of Muslims under different commanders to several parts of Byzantine Syria. The aim was to prevent the Romans from assisting Arab Christian tribes against Muslims. Before his death, Abu Bakr ordered Khalid bin Walid to move from Iraq to Syria to invade the Byzantine Empire and its vessel Arabian tribes.

Byzantine army also supported the Sassanid army in the Battle of Firaz, the last battle of Khalid in Iraq on the border of Persia and the Byzantine Empire. Khalid moved from Firaz to Dawmat ul-Jindal in northern Arabia where he defeated Ghassanids. After entering Syria, Khalid defeated the Byzantines in minor battles at Marj Rahit, Al-Qaryatayn, and Bosra (all in modern-day Syria).

Preparations for the Battle

On seeing these Muslim advances, the Byzantine Emperor sent his brother Theodore with a large force to counter them. Both armies met at Ajnadayn in modern-day Palestine/Israel. Khalid was joined by other small contingents of Amr bin al-As, Abu Ubaidah bin Al-jarrah, and Yazid bin Abi Sufyan stationed at different border areas.

According to historical records, the Muslim army was between 10,000 and 20,000 strong. They were heavily outnumbered by 40,000 to 60,000 soldiers of the Roman army and their Arab allies.

Events during the Battle of Ajnadayn

The formation of both armies was arranged in a center along with left and right flanks. Khalid also established a reserve force under the command of Yazid bin Abi Sufyan. The battle started with duels between champions of both sides. Muslims had the upper hand in this aspect. Khalid was happy to continue this phase as long as possible. Many prominent Christian champions and leaders perished during these duels. This proved to be extremely demoralizing for the Byzantine army. After a couple of hours, Khalid ordered an all-out attack. Both armies fought vigorously and lost several members. The first day ended with heavy casualties on both sides.

Both the militaries gathered again on the second day for the final show. The battle started with the same brutality that happened the previous day. Vardan (commander of the Byzantine Armenian troops) tried to end the resistance by attacking Khalid bin Walid directly. But in the process, he lost his own life. This further demoralized the Romans. At this crucial moment, Khalid ordered the reserve troops of Yazid bin Abi Sufyan to engage the Romans. This new and strong assault collapsed the Byzantine military. Theodore along with a large part of his military fled.

They chose three routes (towards Gaza, Jaffa, and Jerusalem) for their retreat. Khalid also instructed his men to follow their enemy on all three routes. Many Byzantine soldiers were assassinated during their escape, but Theodore managed to retreat towards Damascus. The emperor later imprisoned him and awarded his position to Vahan.

Importance of Battle of Ajnadayn

  • The battle of Ajnadayn was the first major armed conflict between the emerging Muslim force and the Byzantine Empire. Previously, Muslims had defeated Romans in some small battles, fought by the Byzantine Empire primarily with assistance from Arab vessel tribes. But this battle was fought by a large number of regular troops. Defeat in this battle convinced the emperor that he was not just facing bandit-like raids by Arabs. They can invade and capture his Arab land.
  • Victory in this battle raised the morale of Muslims and paved the way for the Arab conquest of Syria. They were able to capture all parts of Palestine and a large part of southern Syria (including Damascus) without much resistance. The Muslims faced their next major battle (Battle of Fahl) 6 months later.

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