Envoylar qaytib kelishi bilanoq, Allohning Elchisi ﷺ qo'shinni tayyorladi va Arabiston yarim orolidan tashqarida jihod e'lon qildi. U ﷺ Rum va Fors haqidagi xabarlarni kuzatishni boshladi; Rum bilan chegaradosh bo'lgani uchun ular haqida doimo ma'lumot to'plab borardi. U ﷺ Islom da'vati Arabiston yarim oroli chegarasidan o'tishi bilan tez tarqalishini oldindan ko'rdi. Shu sababli, al-Sham (bugungi Katta Suriya) bu yo'lda burilish nuqtasi bo'lishiga u ishonch hosil qildi. Xosrovning Yamandagi noibi Bazon Islomni qabul qilganidan beri, u ﷺ bu tomondan yaqin xavf yo'qligiga ishonch hosil qildi va Rum bilan jang qilish uchun al-Shamga qo'shin yuborishni o'ylay boshladi. Shunday qilib, Hudaybiya sulhidan atigi bir necha oy o'tib, hijratning yettinchi yilining Jumada al-Ula oyida u ﷺ uch ming jangchidan iborat saralangan qo'shin to'pladi va uning qo'mondoni etib Zayd ibn Horisani tayinladi. U ﷺ ularga shunday dedi: "Agar Zayd yaralansa, Ja'far qo'mondonlikni olsin; agar Ja'far ham yaralansa, Abdulloh ibn Ruvohа qo'mondonlikni olsin."

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.”.

Lashkar yo'lga chiqdi va ular orasida Xolid ibn al-Validiy ham bor edi (u Hudaybiya sulhidan keyin Islomni qabul qilgan edi). Allohning Elchisi ﷺ ular bilan Madina chekkasigacha birga bordi va ularga ayollarga, nogironlarga yoki bolalarga zarar yetkazmaslikni, daraxtlarni kesmaslikni va binolarni vayron qilmaslikni buyurdi. So'ngra u zot ﷺ va boshqa musulmonlar ular uchun duo qilib dedilar: “Alloh siz bilan bo'lsin, sizni asrasin va sog'-salomat qilib bizga qaytarsin.”

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 yurishda davom etdi, uning sardorlari esa urush rejasini tuzdilar: hujum tez va hal qiluvchi bo‘lishi kerak, deb qaror qildilar. Ular Allohning Elchisi ﷺ o‘z yurishlarida doim qilganidek, Shom xalqini tuyqusdan bosib olishga qaror qildilar. Lashkar sardorlari bu rejaga kelishib, uni amalga oshirish uchun yo‘lga chiqdilar. Biroq Mu’ada (Arabistonning shimolida) yetib borganlarida, Heraklioning Shom noibi Sharahbil al-G‘assoniy ularga qarshi chiqish uchun 100 000 jangchidan iborat lashkar to‘plaganini bildilar. Bu xabar ularni hayratga soldi va ular ikki kecha Mu’ada to‘xtab, bunday qudratli dushman qarshisida endi nima qilish kerakligini o‘ylab turdilar. Eng ma’qul variant shu bo‘ldiki, ular Allohning Elchisi ﷺ ga xat yozib, dushman sonini xabar qilishlari, agar u ﷺ yordam qo‘shin yuborsa yaxshi, aks holda uning buyrug‘ini kutishlari kerak edi.

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 encouraged the men, saying: “O men! By Allah, what you dislike is that for which you have come out, namely martyrdom. We do not fight the enemy with numbers, strength or multitude, but we fight them with this Deen with which Allah (SWT) has honored us. So come on! Both prospects are good: victory or martyrdom.” The men were stirred by these words and their iymon was strengthened. They therefore advanced until they reached the village of Masharif. When the enemy drew near, the Muslims withdrew to a village called Mu’tah. There the battle between them and the Romans began.

‘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.

Bu eng dahshatli jang edi, o'lim va qon to'kilishi yaqinlashib qolgan edi. Jang shahodatga tayyor bo'lgan uch ming musulmon va musulmon qo'shinini yo'q qilish uchun to'plangan ikki yuz ming kofir o'rtasida bo'ldi (Rim qo'shinini kuchaytirish uchun yana yuz ming kishi yuborilgan edi). Jang shiddatli bo'ldi, Zayd ibn Horisa Allahning Elchisi ﷺ ning bayrog'ini ko'tarib jang qildi; u bir zum ham oqibatidan qo'rqmay, dushman qo'shinining qalbiga, to'xtovsiz oldinga yurdi. U Allah yo'lida shahid bo'lish ekanini bilib, jasorat bilan kurashdi; uning mardligi benazir, qahramonligi o'xshashsiz edi, to dushman nayzalari uning tanasini teshib, yaralari halokatiga sabab bo'lguncha. Shundan so'ng bayroqni Ja'far ibn Abu Tolib oldi; u o'ttiz uch yoshli, chiroyli yigit edi. U ham qattiq jang qilib, o'limga qarshi turdi, to dushman uning qo'ng'ir rangli oti (ruan)ni o'rab olguncha. Shunda u otdan sakrab tushib, otning oyoq payini kesdi va dushman qalbiga kirib, qilichi bilan ularni urdi, to bir rimlik uni urib, ikkiga bo'lib, o'ldirguncha. Bayroqni Abdulloh ibn Ruvohа oldi va otda minib oldinga yurdi. U o'zini majburlashga to'g'ri keldi, chunki oldinga borishga ikkilanardi. Keyin u oldinga yurib, o'zi ham o'ldirilguncha jang qildi. Shundan so'ng bayroqni Sobit ibn Arqam oldi va dedi: "Ey musulmonlar! Bir kishi atrofiga to'planinglar." Shunda ular Xolid ibn Validning atrofiga to'planishdi. U bayroqni oldi, musulmonlarni o'z atrofiga yig'di va ularni tartibga solib, dushmanni chetda ushlab turishga harakat qildi. U kecha tushguncha jangni bir necha to'qnashuv bilan cheklashga muvaffaq bo'ldi.

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.

Tunda Xolid ibn al-Validning qo'shini dushman qo'shinining soni bilan solishtirganda o'z qo'shinining oz ekanini anglab yetdi va oqilona chekinish rejasini tuzdi. Rejasiga ko'ra, Xolid qo'shin bir qismiga orqa tomonda shovqin-suron ko'tarishni buyurdi, shunda dushman yordam kelganiga ishonsin. Ular shunday qilganda, dushman qo'rqib ketdi va musulmonlarga hujum qilishdan tiyildi. Xolid ularga hujum qilmaganida, ular hatto xursand bo'lib ketishdi. Shundan so'ng Xolid chekindi va qo'shinini Madinaga qaytarib olib ketdi. G'alaba qozonmagan ham, mag'lub bo'lmagan ham holda, ancha katta muvaffaqiyatga erishgan edi.

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.

Ushbu jang qo‘mondonlari va uning jangchilari o‘lim ularni chaqirayotganini oldindan bilgan edilar, shunga qaramay ular qahramonlarcha jang qilib, halok bo‘ldilar. Islom musulmonga Alloh yo‘lida jang qilishni, o‘ldirish va o‘ldirilishni buyuradi va aynan shunday kurash eng to‘g‘ri sarmoya deb hisoblanadi, chunki bu Alloh yo‘lidagi jihoddir. U Tavba surasida shunday deydi:

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,

"Albatta, Alloh mo'minlardan ularning jonlarini va mollarini, ularga jannat berilishi evaziga sotib olgan. Ular Allohning yo'lida jang qiladilar, shuning uchun (boshqalarni) o'ldiradilar va o'ldiriladilar. Bu Uning zimmasidagi haqiqiy va'dadir — Tavrotda, Injilda va Qur'onda. Va Allohdan ko'ra o'z ahdiga vafodor kim bor? Endi qilgan shu savdongizdan xursand bo'ling. Va bu — buyuk najotdir."

“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].

Shu sababli, o‘sha qahramonlar o‘lim aniq ekanini bilib turib ham jang qildilar. Musulmon, boshqa chora qolmagan bo‘lsa, jang qiladi — o‘lim aniq bo‘lsinmi yoki yo‘qmi, bundan qat’i nazar. Jihodda masala dushmanning soni va qurolining ko‘pligi bilan o‘lchanmaydi, balki qanchalik katta qurbonlik berilishidan qat’i nazar, erishilgan natija bilan o‘lchanadi.

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.

Rimliklar bilan musulmonlarning Mu'tadagi urushi juda muhim edi: qo'mondonlar, o'lim yaqinlashib kelayotgan bo'lsa ham, dushman bilan jangga kirishdan boshqa iloji yo'q edi. Shunday ekan, musulmon hech qachon o'limdan qo'rqmasligi, Allah (swt) yo'lida jang qilishdan boshqa hech narsani o'ylamasligi kerak. Allahning Elchisi ﷺ o'z qo'shinini chegaralari bo'ylab Rim davlatiga jang qilish uchun yuborish xavfli ekanini oldindan bilgan edilar, ammo ularni qo'rqitish va mo'minlarning qanday jang qilishini, ularning sonlari oz bo'lishiga qaramay, jasorati va imoni qanchalik beqiyos ekanini namoyish etish zarur edi. Bu xavfga arziydi, chunki u musulmonlarning Islomni yoyish va egallaydigan yerlarda uni joriy etish maqsadidagi keyingi jihodiga yo'l ochdi. Xavf va sarguzasht muvaffaqiyatli chiqdi, chunki u Tabuk jangiga kirish bo'lib xizmat qildi va rimliklarga og'ir zarba berdi. Ular Al-Shom zabt etilguncha musulmonlar bilan yana yuzma-yuz kelish ehtimolidan qaltirab yurdilar.

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.