300 initially, then 200 reinforcements Unknown (very large) | unknown unknown | |
Result Successful operation, enemy flees (1 sub-tribe stayed to fight) People also search for Expedition of Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah | ||
Expedition of Amr ibn al-As, also known as the Campaign of Dhatas Salasil, took place in September 629 AD, 8AH, 6th month, of the Islamic Calendar.
Contents
Background
After the retreat of the Muslim army at the Battle of Mu’tah, the Muslims decided to retaliate against tribes that had supported the Ghassanids in Mu'tah. The Banu Qudah were one such tribe, aditionally there were rumours of them planning an attack on Medina it self.
Amr ibn al-As, a new Muslim, was apointed to lead the expedition against the tribe of Banu Qudah. Amr was chosen because he was related to the Banu Bali tribe, who were located in the area he was to carry out the operation.
The contigent consisted of 300 men and 30 horses with Amr ibn al-As as commander, and in the event of great opposition, the tribes who had already accepted to Islam to come to his aid.
Expedition
After Marching for 10 days, Amr ibn al-As encamped at a spring called Salasil, there he found that the enemy was assembled in large numbers, so he sent a messenger back to Muhammad asking for reinforcement. As a response, Muhammad sent 200 men, which included Abu Bakr and Umar, headed by Abu Ubaidah ibn al Jarrah.
When Abu Ubaidah arrived he asked to be the Commander of the entire force, to which Amr refused, Abu Ubaidah accepted this and said "be it so", elaborating that he was told by the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad not to fight or cause divisions over leadership.
With this increased number of Muslim army, Amr ibn al-As charged at his enemy and "destroyed them" according to the Muslim scholar Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, causing most to flee, except one sub-tribe which fought.