Do these accounts of military offensives under Abu Bakr align with Muslim historical scholarship?
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I must make it absolutely clear that I am not passing judgment, and I am not seeking explanations or justifications. I am not interested in whether the Rashidun military offensives were right or wrong. I am interested in whether these accounts align with Muslim historical scholarship, or if perhaps they are considered exaggerations, or perhaps even malicious lies.
Here is a small sample of the military actions I'm referring to:
- At the battle of Dhu'l-Kassa, Abu Bakr pursued the retreating Bedouin, inflicting "great slaughter" on them.
- After his return to Medina, Abu Bakr published a summons to all the apostate tribes, warning them that if they did not repent, their fighting men would be cut to pieces and their women & children taken captive.
- After the battle of Al-Buzakha, Abu Bakr issued a general amnesty, except for those who had killed Muslims during the battle; these were executed, in whatever manner they had killed their victims. This was in fulfillment of a vow he had made at the battle of Rabadha.
- At Yemama, the Muslims forced their way into the walled garden of the Beni Hanifa and killed everyone, thousands of them.
- At 'Ain-at Tamr, Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the Sword of God, had every man in the garrison beheaded, and the women & children given to the Muslim soldiers.
- At the battle of Hadramaut, the approaches to the city were filled with the bodies of the dead. Abu Bakr ordered that the fighters be given no quarter. The Muslims killed all the men and took all the women captive.
This is a small but representative sample of the accounts of warfare under Abu Bakr. The offensives and punishments under Omar are described similarly. I must restate: I am not judging, and I am not asking why they did these things, whether it was justified, or whether it was right or wrong.
What I would like to know is how well such accounts align with Muslim historical scholarship. Because this is StackExchange, I'm not asking for community opinions. I'm asking about scholarly opinions. References to English-language books would be much appreciated, or English translations of Arabic-language books.
Asked by SaganRitual
(870 rep)
Jun 29, 2016, 11:02 PM
Last activity: Sep 24, 2021, 04:14 AM
Last activity: Sep 24, 2021, 04:14 AM