The Rashidun Caliphate Army or Rashidun army was the primary military body of the Rashidun Caliphate's armed forces during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century, serving alongside the Rashidun Navy. For the military meaning see Armed forces. For the Soviet sports society see Armed Forces (sports society Armed Forces The initial Arab Muslim conquests (632–732 (فتح Fatah, literally opening, also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab The Rashidun army maintained a level of discipline, strategic prowess, and organization.

In its time, the Rashidun army was one of the most powerful and effective military forces in the world. The size of the Rashidun army was initially 13,000 troops in 632, but as the Caliphate expanded, the army gradually grew to 100,000 troops by 657. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history The two most successful generals of the Rashidun army were Khalid ibn al-Walid, who conquered the Iraq from the Persian Empire and Roman Syria, and 'Amr ibn al-'As, who conquered Roman Egypt. Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656 led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual extirpation of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia Syria was a Roman province, conquered in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursing victory in the Third Mithridatic ˤAmr ibn al-ˤĀs (عمرو بن العاص (born c583 - d January 6, 664 CE was an Arab Military commander who is most noted for leading At the commencement of the Muslim conquest of Egypt Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire with its capital in Constantinople.

Army

Only Muslims were allowed to join the Rashidun army as a regular troops, the army during the Ridda wars in the reign of Caliph Abu Bakr, mainly consisted of the corps from Madinah, Mecca and Taif, later on during the conquest of Iraq in 633 many bedouin corps recruited in the forces as a regular troops. The Ridda wars (Arabic حروب الردة also known as the Wars of Apostasy) were a set of military campaigns against the rebellion of several Arabic tribes against the Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Ta’if ( ar الطائف) is a city in the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia at an elevation of 1700 metres on the slopes of the Al-Sarawat The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656 led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual extirpation of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously During the Islamic conquest of Sassanid Persian Empire (633-656), some 12,000 elite persian troops converted to Islam and served later on during the wholescale invasion of the empire. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox During the Muslim conquest Roman Syria (633-638) some 4,000 greek Byzantine soldiers under their commander Joachim (later Abdullah Joachim) converted to Islam and served as regular troops in the conquest of both Anatolia and Egypt. Syria was a Roman province, conquered in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursing victory in the Third Mithridatic The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Saint Joachim ("he whom YHWH has set up" Hebrew: יהוֹיָקִים Greek Ἰωακείμ was the husband of Saint Anne Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. During the conquest of Egypt (641-644), the Copts converts to Islam, recruited and eased the conquest. A Copt ( Coptic: ouRemenkīmi enEkhristianos, literally Egyptian Christian) is a native Egyptian Christian. During the conquest of North Africa, berbers converts to Islam were recruited as regular troops, who later made the bulk of Rashidun army and later Ummayad's army in Africa. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan

Infantry

Rashidun army relied heavily on their infantry. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists Mubarizun, were the recognized part of Muslim army. It comprises of the champions. Their role was to undermine the enemy moral by slaying their champions. Then infantry would then make repeated charges and withdrawals known as karr wa farr, using spears, swords and with arrow volleys to weeken the enemies and worn then out, though the main energy was still had to be conserved for a counter attack supported by cavalry that would charge straight from center or often from flanks, making flanking or encircling movements. Defensively the Muslim spearman with their two and a half meter long spears would close ranks, forming a close formation (Tabi'a), a protective wall for archers to continue their fire. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion This close formation was remarkable in first 4 days of defensive battle from Muslims side in Battle of Yarmouk. The Battle of Yarmouk ( معركة اليرموك, also spelled Yarmuk, Yarmuq or Hieromyax) comprised a series of engagements between the ^[1]

Cavalry

The Rashidun cavalry was a one of the most successful light cavalry. Light cavalry refers to lightly-armed and armored troops mounted on Horses, as opposed to Heavy cavalry, where the riders (and sometimes the horses are heavily armored It was armed with lance, up to five and a half meter long and sword. The term lance has become a catchall for a variety of different Pole weapons based on the Spear. Both Short Arab swords and Sassanid long swords were used by the horsemen. Often they were armed with both of them at a time. The cavalry use to be reserved, with main role to attack the enemy once they were weeken by the repeated charges ofthe infantry, they will then make flanking or encircling movements against the enemy army, either from the flanks or straight from the center, with main objective of destory already disrupted enemy. The cavalry probably use to attack in wedge-shaped formation. Some of the best uses of the cavalry force was did by Khalid in Battle of Walaja against the Sassanid Persians and in Battle of Yarmouk against the Byzantines. The Battle of Walaja was a battle fought in Mesopotamia ( Iraq) in May 633 between the Rashidun Caliphate army under Khalid ibn al-Walid and the The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire The Battle of Yarmouk ( معركة اليرموك, also spelled Yarmuk, Yarmuq or Hieromyax) comprised a series of engagements between the The cavalry regimets were stationed behind the flanks and center.

Weaponry

Reconstructing the military equipment of early Muslim armies is problematic. Compared with Roman armies—or, indeed, later mediaeval Muslim armies—the range of visual representation is very small, often imprecise and difficult to date. Physically very little material evidence has survived and again, much of it is difficult to date. ^[2] Most of the Pre-Islamic Arabian military equipments came from Syria, Iraq, Armenia and Yeman. A great deal more would then captured during the early conquest.

Helmets

The helmets included gilded helmets similar to that of silver helmets of Sassanid empire. Both pointed and rounded helmets were used. Later referred as ‘’Baidah’’ (egg) was of standard two-piece early Byzantine type and former was of segmented central Asian type called ‘’Tarikah’’. Mail was commonly used to protect the face, neck and cheek either as an aventail from the helmet or as a mail coif like been used in Romano-Byzantine armies since 5th century, beside this, often the face used to be half covered with a tail of a turban, that also was a protection against the strong desert winds. Heavy leather sandals as well as Roman type sandal boots were also typical of the early Muslim soldiers.

Armor

Hardened leather scale or lamellar armour was was locally being produced in Yeman, Iraq and along the gulf coast. The mail armors was more preferable and became more common later during the conquest of neighbouring empires and were captured as a booty. It was known as Dir, and was opened part-way down the chest. To avoid rusting it was polished and stored in themixture of Dust, oil and camel dung. ^[3] Infantry soldiers were more heavily armored then the horsemen. There are also references to the practice of wearing two coats of mail (dir’ayn), the second being shorter or even made of fabric or leather.

Shields

Hauberks and large wooden or wickerwork shields were used, most shields were of leather mostly of camel and cow's hide and would be supplied with oil which was a practice since ancient hebrew times. A hauberk is a shirt of mail Armour. The term is usually used to describe a shirt reaching at least to mid-thigh and including sleeves Wicker is hard woven Fiber formed into a useful object Wicker is usually used for Baskets or Furniture. A shield is a protective device meant to intercept attacks The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand as opposed to Armour or a Bullet proof vest ^[4] During the invasion of Levant, Byzantine Elephant hide shields were also extensively used, and were probably captured in booty.

Spears

Long-shafted spears were locally made with the reeds of gulf coast. Infantry spears were two and a half meter long and that of cavalry were up to five and a half meters long.

Sword

Sword was the most prestigious weapon of Early Muslim conquerors and was a short infantry weapon like that of Roman gladius. Gladius is a Latin word for Sword. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those used by the Greeks High quality swords were being made in Yeman from wootz, an early formof steel importedfrom India. Wootz is a Steel characterized by a pattern of bands or sheets of micro Carbides within a tempered Martensite or Pearlite matrix India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[5] It was also some time referred as Indian sword. Other inferior swords were being made through out Arabia. Both short Arab swords and Sassanid long swords were bring used. Often horsemen and infantry soldiers are described to have two swords, both Sassanid long sword andarab short sword. Swords were hanged in baldric. A baldric (also baldrick, bawdrick, bauldrick as well as some other mostly rare or obsolete variations is a belt worn over one Shoulder Dagger was a personal weapon and a last line of defance.

Bows

Bows were locally made in various parts of Arabia, them most finest and typical were the hijazi bows. It could be one piece of wood or two pieces joined together back to back. It use to be about two meter long when unbraced, about the same size of famous english longbow. The maximum useful range of the traditional Arabian bow use to be about 150 meters. Early Muslim archers were infantry archers who proved to be very effective against the cavalry.

Siege weaponry

Catapults were used extensively in siege operations. A catapult is any one of a number of non-handheld mechanical devices used to throw a Projectile a great distance without the aid of an explosive substance—particularly various Under Caliph Umar another machine employed in siege operations was Dababah. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Helepolis (ἑλέπολις English: "Taker of Cities" was an ancient Siege engine invented by Polyidus of Thessaly and improved by It was a wooden tower which moved on wheels and consisted of several stories. The tower was wheeled up to the foot of the fort under siege, and then the walls were pierced. Archers guarded the ram and the soldiers who use to managed it. ^[6]

A Muslim elite soldier equipted for infantry warfare. Wearing an Iron-bronze helmet, as an armor he is wearing a chain mail hauberks. To carry sword, he is using a baldric.

Organization of army as a state department

Caliph Umar was the first Muslim ruler to organize the army as a State Department. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion This reform was introduced in 637 A.D. A beginning was made with the Quraish and the Ansars and the system was gradually extended to the whole of Arabia and to Muslims of conquered lands. Quraish is also the name of a Surah in the Qur'an. Quraysh or Quraish (Arabic ar قريش The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A register of all adults who could be called to war was prepared, and a scale of salaries was fixed. All men registered were liable to military service. They were divided into two categories, namely:

1. Those who formed the regular standing army; and
2. Those that lived in their homes, but were liable to be called to the colors whenever needed.

The pay was paid in the beginning of the month of Muharram. Muharram ( Arabic: ar محرم is the first month of the Islamic calendar. The allowances were paid during the harvesting season. The armies of the Caliphs were mostly paid in cash salaries. In contrast to many post-Roman polities in Europe, grants of land, or of rights to collect taxes directly from the payers, were of only minor importance. A major consequence of this was that the army directly depended on the state for its subsistence which, in turn, meant that the military had to control the state apparatus. ^[7] Promotions in the army were made on the strength of the length of service or exceptional merit. Officer ship was an appointment and not a rank. Officers were appointed to command for the battle or the campaign; and once the operation was concluded, they could well find themselves in the ranks again.

Leave of absence was given to army men at regular intervals. The troops stationed at far off places were given leave after four months. Each army corps was accompanied by an officer of the treasury, an Accountant, aQadi, and a number of interpreters besides a number of Physicians and Surgeons. An accountant is a practitioner of Accountancy, which is the measurement disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers investors Qadi (also known as Qazi or Kazi or Kadi) (قاضي is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, Islamic religious law A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health In Medicine, a surgeon is a person who performs Surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive Medical treatment that involves the cutting of a Expeditions were undertaken according to seasons. Expeditions in cold countries were undertaken during the summer, and in hot countries in winter. In spring the troops were generally sent to lands which had a salubrious climate and a good pasturage. According to instructions every soldier was required to keep with him several things of personal need. These included among other things needles, cotton, twine, scissors, and a feeding-bag Special instructions issued by Caliph Umar laying stress on the teaching of four things to the soldiers, namely: Horse racing; archery; walking barefoot, and swimming. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Twine is a strong Thread or String composed of two or more smaller strands or Yarns twisted together Scissors are hand operated cutting instruments consisting of a pair of Metal Blades connected in such a way that the blades meet and cut materials placed The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great This article is about the sport For other uses see Horserace (drinking game or Horse race (politics. Archery is the practice of using a bow or Crossbow to shoot Arrows Archery has historically been used in Hunting and Combat and has Walking (also called ambulation) is the main form of Animal Locomotion on land, distinguished from Running and crawling For people with the name Barefoot see Barefoot (surname Going barefoot (also barefoot ed) means for a person not to use or Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance

Rashidun Caliphate Army Strength

Movement

When the army was on the march, it always halted on Fridays. When on march, the day's march was never allowed to be so long as to tire out the troops. The stages were selected with reference to the availability of water and other provisions. One remarkable feature of the movement of this great army was that it was independent of lines of communication. Communication is the process of conveying information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood the same way Behind it stretched no line of supply, since it had no logistical base. This army could not be cut off from its supplies, for it had no supply depots, Under the Army Department, there was a separate Commissariat Department. For the Soviet terms see People's Commissariat and Commissar A commissariat is the department of an Army charged with Departmentalization refers to the process of grouping activities into departments All the food stores were collected at one place and trotted along with the army. It needed no roads for its movement, for it had no wagons and everything was carried on camels. A wagon (in British English, sometimes waggon) or dray is a heavy four-wheeled Vehicle. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the Thus this army could go anywhere and traverse any terrain so long as there was a path over which men and animals could move. Terrain, or relief, is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. This ease of movement gave the Muslims a tremendous edge on the Romans and Persians in mobility and speed. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion The Roman army was a set of military forces employed by the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and later Roman Empire as part of the Roman military When on march, this army moved like a caravan and gave the impression of an undrilled horde; from the point of view of military security it was virtually invulnerable. The advance was led by an advance guard consisting of a regiment or more. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. Then came the main body of the army, and this was followed by the women and children and the baggage loaded on camels. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the At the end of the column moved the rear guard. On long marches the horses were led; but if there was any danger of enemy interference on the march, the horses were mounted, and the cavalry thus formed would act either as the advance guard or the rearguard or move wide on a flank, depending on the direction from which the greatest danger threatened. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on In case of need, the entire army could vanish in an hour or so and be safe at a distance beyond terrain which no other large army could traverse.
When on march the army was divided into:

• Maqaddamah (مقدمة) or The vanguard
• Qalb (قلب) or The center
• Al-khalf (الخلف) or The rear
• Al-moukhir (المؤخرة) or The rearguard

During march most of the men mounted camels, the rest on horses, this made their movement fast as compared to their enemies the Persians and the Romans. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox

Divisions in battle

The army was organized on the decimal system. ^[8]

On the battlefield the army was divided into sections. These sections were:

1. Qalb (قلب) or The center
2. Maimanah (ميمنه) or The right wing
3. Maisarah (ميسرة) or The left wing

Each section was under a command of a commander and was at a distance of about 150 meter from each other. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities Every tribal unit had its leader called Arifs. In such units There were commanders of 10, 100 and 1,000 men, the latter corresponding to regiments. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. The grouping of regiments to form larger forces was flexible, varying with the situation. Arifs were grouped and each group was under a Commander called Amir-ul-Ashar and Amir-ul-Ashars were under the command of a section commander, who were under the command of the commander in chief, Amir-ul-jaish.

Other components of the army were:

1. Rijal (الرجال) or the Infantry
2. Farsan (فرسان) or the cavalry
3. Ramat (الرامي) or the Archers
4. Talaiah (طليعة) or patrols to keep watch over the movements of the enemy
5. Rukban (ركبان) or the Camel corps
6. Nahab al-Muon (نهب المؤن) or Foraging parties

Intelligence and espionage

It was one of the most highly developed department of the army which proved helping in most of the campaigns. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the Foraging theory is a branch of Behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavior of animals in response to the environment in which the animal lives The espionage (جاسوسية) and intelligence services were first organised by a brilliant Muslim general Khalid ibn Walid during his campaign to Iraq^[9]. An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to the Information gathering (known in the context as " intelligence " A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656 led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual extirpation of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia Later when he was transferred to Syrian front he organized the espionage department there as well;^[10] later it became an essential part of the army and became a separate department. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية who procured intelligence about the movements and activities of the enemy, this unit comprises the local inhabitants of the conquered land, it was very well organized and liberal pays were given to the spies for their work. Reporters were attached to every unit, and they kept the Caliph fully informed about everything pertaining to the army. UNIT ( U nited N ations I ntelligence T askforce later the UN ified I ntelligence T askforce is a fictional military The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah

Jund

Military centers known as junds (جند) were first established by Caliph Umar, For the purpose of army administration. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great These centers were set up at Madinah, Kufa, Basra, Mosul, Fustat, Damascus, Jordan and Palestine. Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as Kufa ( Arabic, ar الكوفة) is a city in modern Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. Basra ( BGN: AlBasrah also called Basorah Abillah and Uruk or IRAQ The name that British colony has adopted for Basra For the village in Azerbaijan see Mosul Azerbaijan. Mosul (الموصل Al Mūṣul, Kurdish: Mosul/Ninawa, Musul Fustat (also Fostat, Al Fustat, Misr al-Fustat and Fustat-Misr, and in Arabic الفسطاط was the first Capital of Egypt Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. At these centers and barracks were built for the residence of troops. A troop is a Military unit, originally a small force of Cavalry, subordinate to a Squadron and headed by the troop leader Big stables were constructed where four thousand horses fully equipped were kept ready for service at short notice at every Military Center. A stable is a Building in which Livestock, especially Horses are kept The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Reinforcements were sent to the troops from these junds. All records pertaining to the army were kept at Military Centers. Food stores of the commissariat were kept at these places and there from sent to other places. For the Soviet terms see People's Commissariat and Commissar A commissariat is the department of an Army charged with In addition to Military Centers, cantonments were established in big towns and places of strategic importance. Cantonment Florida is town north of Pensacola Florida See also Canton and Cantonist A cantonment is a Much thought was given to climate and sanitation in the lay out of cantonments and the construction of barracks. Cantonment Florida is town north of Pensacola Florida See also Canton and Cantonist A cantonment is a Special provisions were made for roads and streets in cantonments, and Caliph Umar issued instructions prescribing the width of roads and streets. Cantonment Florida is town north of Pensacola Florida See also Canton and Cantonist A cantonment is a The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great

Tactics

Main article: Mobile guard

The basic strategy of early Muslim armies setting out to conquer foreign land was to exploit every possible drawback of the enemy army in order to achieve victory with minimum losses as the Rashidun army, quality-wise and strength-wise, was sub-standard the Sassanid Persian army and Byzantine army. The Mobile guard ( متحرك طليعة), was a Light cavalry of Rashidun army during the Muslim conquest of Syria, that remained under the The birth of the Sassanid army (ارتش ساسانيان Artesh-e Sāsānīyān, Pahlavi Spâh سپاه "army" dates back to the rise of The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces serving alongside the Byzantine navy. Khalid ibn Walid, the first Muslim general of Rashidun Caliphate to make conquest in foreign land, during his campaign against the Sassanid Persian Empire (Iraq 633 - 634) and Byzantine Empire (Syria 634 - 638) developed brilliant tactics that he used effectively against both the Sassanid army and Byzantine army. Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The birth of the Sassanid army (ارتش ساسانيان Artesh-e Sāsānīyān, Pahlavi Spâh سپاه "army" dates back to the rise of The main drawback of the armies of Sassanid Persian Empire and Eastern Roman Empire was their lack of mobility. ^[11] Khalid ibn Walid decided to use the mobility of his own army to exploit the lack thereof in the Sassanid army and Byzantine army. The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces serving alongside the Byzantine navy. Later the same strategy was adopted by all other Muslim generals throughout the period of military expansion. Though only part of Rashidun army was actual cavalry, the entire army was camel mounted for movement. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the Khalid ibn Walid and then later Muslim generals were also able to make use of the fine fighting quality of the Muslim soldiers, a bulk of whom were bedouin and excellent in swordsmanship. Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn A Muslim Soldier is a Muslim who has engaged in War, or is trained in the Art of war. The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously

The Muslims' light cavalry during the later years of Islamic conquest of Levant became the most powerful section of army. Light cavalry refers to lightly-armed and armored troops mounted on Horses, as opposed to Heavy cavalry, where the riders (and sometimes the horses are heavily armored The Muslim conquest of Syria occurred in the first half of the 7th century and refers to the region known as the Bilad al-Sham, the Levant, or Greater Syria The best use of this lightly armed fast moving cavalry was revealed at the Battle of Yarmouk (636 A. The Battle of Yarmouk ( معركة اليرموك, also spelled Yarmuk, Yarmuq or Hieromyax) comprised a series of engagements between the D) in which Khalid ibn Walid, knowing the importance and ability of his cavalry, used them to turn the tables at every critical instance of the battle with their ability to engage and disengage and turn back and attack again from the flank or rear. A strong cavalry regiment was formed by Khalid ibn Walid which included the veterans of the campaign of Iraq and Syria. Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn The Islamic conquest of Persia (633–656 led to the end of the Sassanid Empire and the eventual extirpation of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia The Muslim conquest of Syria occurred in the first half of the 7th century and refers to the region known as the Bilad al-Sham, the Levant, or Greater Syria Early Muslim historians have given it the name Mutaharrik tulaiha( متحرك طليعة ), or the Mobile guard. This was used as an advance guard and a strong striking force to route the opposing armies with its greater mobility that give it an upper hand when maneuvering against any Byzantine army. The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces serving alongside the Byzantine navy. With this mobile striking force, the conquest of Syria was made easy. ^[12]

Another remarkable strategy developed by Khalid and later followed by others generals, was of not moving far from the desert so long as there were opposing forces within striking distance of its rear and its route to the desert. To fight the battles close to the desert, with there routes to the desert open in case they would suffer a defeat, the desert was behind them and could provide safe route to retreat in possible defeat. ^[13] The desert was not only a haven of security into which the Sassanid army and Byzantine army would not venture but also a region of free, fast movement in which their camel mounted troops could move easily and rapidly to any objective that they chose. The birth of the Sassanid army (ارتش ساسانيان Artesh-e Sāsānīyān, Pahlavi Spâh سپاه "army" dates back to the rise of The Byzantine army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces serving alongside the Byzantine navy. Following this same strategy during the conquest of Iraq and of Syria, Khalid ibn Walid did not engage his army deep into Iraq and Syria until the opposing army had lost its ability to threaten his routes to the desert. Khālid ibn al-Walīd (592-642 ( خالد بن الوليد) also known by Sunnis as Sayf-'ullah al-Maslul (the Drawn Sword of God, God's Withdrawn Another possible advantage of always keeping desert at the rear, was of communication with the Caliph at Medina and making it easy for him to sent messengers and reinforcement.

Once the Byzantines were weakened and the Sassanids effectively destroyed, the later Rashidun generals were free to use any strategy and tactics to over power the opposing forces but they mainly stuck to the strategy of mobility of there troops to prevent the concentration of troops in large number and to face a heavily outnumbered army. ^[14]

The Caliph Abu Bakr would give his generals their mission, the geographical area in which that mission would be carried out, and the resources that could be made available for that purpose. Early life Abu Bakr was born at Mecca some time in the year 573 CE, in the Banu Taym branch of the Quraysh tribe He would then leave it to his generals to accomplish their mission in whatever manner they chose. Caliph Umar however in later part of his Caliphate use to direct his generals as to where they would stay and when to move to the next target and who would command the left and right wing of the army in the particular battle. Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great This made conquest comparatively slower but provided for well organized campaigns. Caliph Uthman used the same method as of Abu Bakr. Uthman (a=عثمان|t=Othman Osman Usman Ozman is a male Arabic given name meaning "the chosen one amongst the tribe of brave and noble people" "honest" He would give missions to his generals and then leave it to them on how they would accomplish it. Caliph Ali also followed the same method. ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH

Generals of Rashidun Caliphate

• Khalid ibn Walid
• Amr ibn al-Aas
• Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah
• Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas
• Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan
• Shurhabil ibn Hasana
• Qa'qa ibn Amr
• Zirrar ibn Azwar
• Asim ibn Amr
• Abdullah ibn Aamir

See also

• Mobile guard
• Rashidun caliphs
• Rashidun Caliphate
• Muslim conquests
• Fall of Sassanids
• Byzantine-Arab Wars
• Muslim conquest of Syria
• Muslim conquest of Egypt
• Islamic conquest of Persia
• Islamic conquest of Afghanistan
• Arab conquest of Armenia
• Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent

References