Da zarar wakilan sun dawo, Manzon Allah ﷺ ya shirya rundunar yaƙi, ya kuma yi shelar jihadi a wajen Jazirar Larabawa. Ya fara sa ido kan labarai game da Romawa da Farisawa, kuma tun da yana da iyaka da Romawa, yana ci gaba da tattara bayanan sirri game da su. Ya yi hasashen cewa Saƙon Musulunci zai yaɗu cikin sauri da zarar ya isa bayan Jazirar Larabawa. Saboda haka, ya tabbata cewa al-Sham (babban Siriya a yau) ita ce za ta zama mafarin nasara. Tun lokacin da Badhan, gwamnan Kisra a Yemen, ya karɓi Musulunci, Manzon Allah ﷺ ya tabbata daga haɗarin da ke kusa daga wannan yanki, sai ya fara tunanin aika sojoji zuwa al-Sham don yaƙar Romawa. Don haka, a watan Jumada al-Ula, a shekara ta bakwai bayan Hijira, wato 'yan watanni kaɗan bayan yarjejeniyar Hudaibiyya, ya tattara rundunar jarumai ta musamman mai mutum dubu uku, ya naɗa Zaid ɗan Harithah a matsayin kwamandansu. Ya ce musu, "Idan Zaid ya ji rauni, Ja'far ya karɓi shugabanci, idan kuma Ja'far ya ji rauni, Abdullahi ɗan Ruwahah ya karɓi shugabanci."

As soon as the envoys returned, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prepared the army and declared Jihad outside the Arabian Peninsula. He (pbuh) began monitoring the news about the Romans and the Persians, and since he had frontiers with the Romans he was constantly gathering intelligence about them. He (pbuh) anticipated that the Message of Islam was about to spread rapidly once it had reached beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, he was sure that al-Sham (greater Syria today) would be the breakthrough. Ever since Badhan, the governor of Chosroes in Yemen, had embraced Islam, he (pbuh) was assured against any imminent danger emanating from there and began to think about sending troops to al-Sham to fight the Romans. So in the month of Jumada al-Ula, in the 7th year of the Hijrah, i.e. just a few months after the treaty of Hudaybiyah, he (pbuh) gathered an elite force of three thousand warriors and appointed Zayd ibn Harithah as their commander. He (pbuh) said to them, “If Zayd gets hurt, Ja’far should take charge and if Ja’far gets hurt, ‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah should take charge.”.

Rundunar ta tashi, kuma Khalid ibn al-Walid (wanda ya karɓi Musulunci bayan yarjejeniyar Hudaibiyya) na cikinsu. Manzon Allah ﷺ ya yi tafiya tare da su har zuwa wajen gari na Madina, ya umarce su kada su cutar da wata mace, ko mai nakasa, ko yara, ko su sare wata bishiya, ko su rushe wani gini. Sannan shi ﷺ da sauran Musulmi suka yi musu addu'a, suna cewa: "Allah ya kasance tare da ku, ya kare ku, ya mayar da ku gare mu cikin koshin lafiya da wadata."

The army set off, and Khalid ibn al-Walid (who had embraced Islam after the treaty of Hudaybiyah) was among them. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) marched with them to the outskirts of Madinah, he (pbuh) instructed them not to harm any women, those with a handicap, or children, or to cut any trees or destroy buildings. Then he (pbuh) and the rest of the Muslims prayed for them saying, “May Allah be with you, protect you and return you to us safe and well.”.

Lashkar ya ci gaba da tafiya, shugabanninsa kuma suka tsara shirin yaƙinsu, suka yanke shawarar cewa ya zama hari mai sauri kuma mai yanke hukunci. Sun yanke shawarar kai wa mutanen al-Sham hari ba zato ba tsammani, kamar yadda Manzon Allah ﷺ yake yi koyaushe a yakinsa. Kwamandojin lashkar sun amince da wannan shiri, suka tafi don cimma shi. Sai dai a lokacin da suka isa Mu'an (arewacin Larabawa), sun samu labari cewa Sharhabeel al-Ghassani, gwamnan Heraclius a al-Sham, ya tara lashkar mayaƙa dubu ɗari ɗaya don yakar su. Wannan labari ya girgiza su, sai suka sauka a Mu'an na kwana biyu suna tunanin abin da za su yi yanzu da suka fuskanci wannan babban lashkari. Zaɓin da aka fi so shi ne su rubuta wa Manzon Allah ﷺ suna sanar da shi yawan abokan gābansu, idan ya aika musu da ƙarin taimako to shikenan, in kuwa ba haka ba za su jira umarninsa.

The army marched on and its leaders drew up their war plan, deciding that it should be a quick and decisive assault. They decided to take the people of al-Sham by surprise, just as Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) always did in his raids. The army commanders agreed on this plan and set off to accomplish it. However, when they reached Mu’an (north of Arabia) they learned that Sharhabeel al- Ghassani, Heraclius’ governor of al-Sham had gathered an army of 100,000 fighters to confront them. The news came as a shock to them and they en- camped at Mu’an for two nights thinking what to do now that they were faced with such a formidable army. The most favored option was for them to write to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) informing him about the enemy’s numbers, and if he (pbuh) sent reinforcements well and good, otherwise they would await his orders.

‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah ya ƙarfafa mutanen yana cewa: “Ya ku mutane! Ina rantsuwa da Allah, abin da kuke ƙi shi ne abin da kuka fito dominsa: wato shahada. Ba mu yaƙar abokan gaba da yawan lamba ko ƙarfi ko yawan mutane ba, sai dai muna yaƙarsu da wannan Addini da Allah (SWT) ya girmama mu da shi. Don haka ku zo! Dukan zaɓuɓɓukan biyu suna da kyau: nasara ko shahada.” Mutanen sun tashi da waɗannan kalamai, imaninsu kuma ya ƙaru. Saboda haka suka ci gaba har suka isa ƙauyen Masharif. Lokacin da abokan gaba suka matso, Musulmi sun janye zuwa wani ƙauye mai suna Mu’tah. A can ne yaƙi ya fara tsakanin su da Romawa.

‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah encouraged the men saying, “O men! By Allah, what you dislike is that which you have come out for: viz. martyrdom. We are not fighting the enemy with numbers or strength or multitude, but we are fighting them with this Deen with which Allah (swt) has honored us. So come on! Both prospects are fine: victory or martyrdom.” The men were roused by these words and their Iman strengthened. They, therefore, went forward until they reached the village of Masharif. When the enemy approached the Muslims withdrew to a village called Mu’tah. There, the battle between them and the Romans began.

Ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin yaƙe-yaƙe mafi tsanani da aka taɓa yi, mutuwa da zubar da jini mai yawa suna ta barazana. Yaƙin ya kasance tsakanin Musulmi dubu uku waɗanda suka shirya domin shahada, da kafirai dubu ɗari biyu (an ƙara wasu maza dubu ɗari a matsayin ƙarfafawa ga rundunar Romawa) waɗanda suka taru domin murkushe rundunar Musulmi. Faɗa ya yi tsanani, Zaidu ɗan Harisa kuwa ya yi yaƙi yana riƙe da tutar Manzon Allah ﷺ. Ya ci gaba ba tare da tsayawa ba, zurfi cikin zuciyar rundunar abokan gaba, bai ji tsoron sakamakon ba ko na lokaci ɗaya. Ya yi yaƙi da jarumta yana sane da cewa shahada ce a hanyar Allah, jarumtakarsa ta kasance abin mamaki, jarumcinsa babu kamarsa, har ya mutu sakamakon raunukan da mashin abokan gaba suka yi wa jikinsa. Sai Ja'afaru ɗan Abi Dalib ya karɓi tutar; saurayi ne kyakkyawa mai shekara talatin da uku. Shi ma ya yi yaƙi sosai, yana ƙalubalantar mutuwa, har sai da abokan gaba suka kewaye dokinsa mai launin ja, sai ya sauka ya yanke mata ƙafafu, ya ci gaba zurfi cikin zuciyar abokan gaba yana bugunsu da takobinsa, har wani Ɗan Romawa ya buge shi ya raba shi biyu, ya kashe shi. Abdullahi ɗan Rawaha ya karɓi tutar ya ci gaba da ita yana hawan dokinsa. Ya yi wa kansa matsin lamba domin yana jin shakkar ci gaba. Sannan ya ci gaba ya yi yaƙi har aka kashe shi ma. Sai Sabitu ɗan Arkam ya karɓi tutar ya ce: "Ya ku Musulmi! Ku taru kewaye da mutum ɗaya." Sai suka taru wurin Khalidu ɗan Walidu. Ya karɓi tutar ya tara Musulmi kewaye da shi, yana ƙoƙarin kiyaye abokan gaba nesa da su a duk lokacin. Ya yi nasarar iyakance faɗan zuwa ƙananan arangama har sai da dare ya yi.

It was one of the fiercest battles ever, death and blood baths loomed. The battle was between three thousand Muslims who were ready for martyrdom, and two hundred thousand disbelievers (an extra 100,000 men were sent to reinforce the Roman army) gathered to destroy the Muslim force. The fighting was fierce and Zayd ibn Harithah fought holding the Messenger of Allah’s banner, he went forward unabated deep into the heart of the enemy’s forces, not fearing for one moment the consequences. He fought bravely knowing that it was martyrdom in the way of Allah, his courage was phenomenal, his heroism unmatched, until he died of the wounds caused by the enemy’s spears that ripped his body. Then Ja’far ibn Abi Talib took over the banner; he was a handsome young man 33 years of age. He too fought hard, defying death until the enemy surrounded his roan (horse), so he jumped off and hamstrung her and went forward into the heart of the enemy striking them with his sword until a Roman struck him and cut him in half, killing him. ‘Abdullah ibn Ruwahah took the banner and advanced with it riding his horse. He had to put pressure on himself as he felt reluctant to go forward. He then proceeded and fought until he too was killed. Then Thabit ibn Arqam took over the banner and said, “O Muslims! Do rally around one man.” So they rallied to Khalid ibn al-Walid. He took the banner and gathered the Muslims around him and organized them trying all the while to keep the enemy at bay. He managed to restrict the fighting to a few skirmishes until night had fallen.

A cikin dare, Khalid ibn al-Walid ya tsara wani shiri mai hikima na janyewa, bayan ya fahimci girman sojojin abokan gaba idan aka kwatanta da adadin nasa kaɗan. Bisa ga tsarin da ya shirya sosai, Khalid ya umarci wani sashe na sojojin da su haifar da hayaniya da surutu a baya, don su sa abokan gaba su yi tunanin cewa an samu ƙarin taimako. Lokacin da suka yi haka, abokan gaba sun firgita kuma suka hana kansu kai hari ga Musulmi, har ma sun yi farin ciki lokacin da Khalid bai kai musu hari ba. Sai Khalid ya janye, ya kuma koma da sojojinsa zuwa Madinah, ba tare da nasara ba, ba kuma tare da shan kashi ba, amma bayan ya cimma wani babban abin alfahari.

During the night, Khalid ibn al-Walid drew up a shrewd withdrawal plan having realized the magnitude of the enemy’s army compared to the meager numbers of his. And following his carefully drawn up plan, Khalid ordered a section of the army to create some uproar and noise at the rear to let the enemy into thinking that reinforcement had arrived. When they did so, the enemy became frightened and refrained from attacking the Muslims, they were even elated when Khalid did not attack them. Then Khalid withdrew and took his troops back to Madinah, not victorious, nor defeated, but having achieved quite a considerable feat.

Kwamandojin wannan yaƙi da jarumawansa sun san tun farko cewa mutuwa tana kiran su, duk da haka suka yi yaƙi cikin jarumta aka kashe su. Musulunci ya umurci Musulmi ya yi yaƙi a hanyar Allah, ya kashe ko a kashe shi, kuma irin wannan yaƙi ne ake ɗauka a matsayin saka hannun jari mafi inganci, domin shi jihadi ne a hanyar Allah. Yana cewa a cikin Suratut-Taubah,

The commanders of this battle and its warriors had known all along that death was beckoning to them, yet they fought heroically and were killed. Islam commands the Muslim to fight in the way of Allah, kill and be killed, and it is this type of fighting that is regarded as the soundest investment, for it is Jihad in the way of Allah. He I says in Surah al-Taubah,

"Lalle Allah ya sayi rayukan muminai da dukiyoyinsu, saboda cewa za su sami Aljanna. Suna yaƙi a hanyar Allah, saboda haka suna kashewa kuma suna a kashe. Alƙawari ne na gaskiya wanda ya wajaba a kansa a cikin Attaura da Linjila da Alƙur'ani. Kuma wane ne ya fi Allah cika alƙawarinsa? To, ku yi murna da cinikin da kuka yi. Kuma wannan ita ce babbar nasara." [At-Tauba, 9:111].

“Verily, Allah has purchased of the believers their lives and their properties; for the price that theirs shall be the Paradise. They fight in Allah’s Cause, so they kill (others) and are killed. It is a promise in truth which is binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’an. And who is Truer to his Covenant than Allah? Then rejoice in the bargain which you have concluded. And that is the supreme success.” [At-Tauba, 9:111].

Wannan shi ne dalilin da ya sa waɗannan jarumai suka yi yaƙi duk da mutuwar tabbas da ke gabansu. Musulmi yakan yi yaƙi idan babu wata hanya da ta rage sai yaƙi, ko mutuwa ta tabbata ko ba ta tabbata ba. A cikin Jihadi, ba a auna al'amura da yawan abokan gaba da makamansu ba, ko da yawansu, sai dai da sakamakon da yake samuwa, komai girman hadaya, komai sakamakon ƙarshe.

That is the reason why those heroes fought despite the certain death that faced them. The Muslim fights if there is no other way left but to fight and regardless of whether death is certain or not. In Jihad, matters are not measured by the number of the enemy and its weaponry, nor by its multitude, but by the result it achieves no matter how high the sacrifice is, regardless of the outcome.

Yaƙin da Musulmi suka yi da Romawa a Mu'tah yana da matuƙar muhimmanci. Kwamandojin ba su da zaɓi face su fafata da abokin gaba a yaƙi, duk da cewa mutuwa tana kiran su. Saboda haka, Musulmi bai kamata ya taɓa tsoron mutuwa ba, kuma bai kamata ya yi tunanin komai ba sai yaƙi a hanyar Allah (SWT). Manzon Allah ﷺ ya san tun farko cewa aika sojojinsa zuwa ƙasar Romawa don yaƙe su a kan iyakokinta yana da haɗari, amma yana da mahimmanci domin tsoratar da su da kuma nuna yadda mumunai ke yaƙi, da yadda jarumtakarsu da imaninsu ba su da kamarsu duk da ƙarancin adadinsu. Haɗarin ya cancanci a ɗauka, domin ya buɗe hanya ga ƙarin jihadi da Musulmi za su yi don yada Musulunci da aiwatar da shi a ƙasashen da za su ci. Haɗarin da wannan kasada sun yi nasara, domin sun zama gabatarwa ga yakin Tabuk, kuma sun kai babban bugu ga Romawa, waɗanda suka firgita da tunanin fuskantar Musulmi a karo na biyu, har aka ci Al-Sham.

The Muslims’ war with the Romans in Mu’tah was absolutely crucial, the commanders had no choice but to engage the enemy in battle, despite the fact that death was beckoning. Thus, it is that the Muslim should never fear death, nor should he consider anything else but to fight in the way of Allah (swt). The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had known all along that sending his troops to the Roman state to fight them along their frontiers was dangerous, but it was necessary to scare the life out of them and to demonstrate how the believers fight and how their courage and their belief were unmatched despite their paltry numbers. The risk was worth taking for it paved the way for further Jihad by the Muslims in order to spread Islam and implement it in the lands that they would conquer. The risk and the adventure was successful for it turned out to be an introduction to the battle of Tabuk and it landed a heavy blow against the Romans who shivered at the prospect of facing the Muslims again until Al-Sham was conquered.