Battle of al-Qādisiyyah

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Islamic conquest of Persia
the Bridge – al-Qādisiyyah – Nihawānd

The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah (in Arabic: معارك القادسيّة, Ma`ārak al-Qādisiyyah; alternate spellings: Qadisiyya, Qadisiyyah, Kadisiya) was the decisive engagement between the Arab Muslim army and the Sassanid army during the first period of Islamic expansion which resulted in the Islamic conquest of Persia. Although there is little doubt that this battle occurred, scholarship suggests that its legend has grown manyfold and a whole mythological literature (full of topoi) has developed around it. Particularly, uncertainty with respect to the date of the battle (variously given anywhere between 634 and 640, most likely to have been around 636) and the size of the forces, in addition to scarce mention in non-Muslim annals suggests that the current perception of al-Qādisiyyah differs starkly from the original event. However, this scholarship in no way demeans or marginalises the role of the Battle in the perception of Muslims today. Rather, it highlights the significant function of history and memory in the modern Middle East; Saddam Hussein's evocation of this battle during the Iran-Iraq War exemplifies the emotive power of this ancient engagement.

Traditional Muslim account

Already in the last years of the life of Muhammad, organised raids began attacking the Sassanid and Byzantine frontiers. Although these expeditions slowed during the consolidation of the Arabian peninsula under the first Caliph Abū Bakr (the Riddah wars), the latter's successor `Umar ibn al-Khattāb turned his attention northwards, initiating the Arab conquests. After a number of small successes and setbacks, `Umar decided to replace the capable general Khālid ibn al-Walīd with an important member of the Quraysh tribe, and sent a large Arab force towards Iraq (part of the Sassanid Empire) under the control of the famed Companion Sa`d ibn Abī Waqqās.

The young Sassanid monarch Yazdegerd III (r. 632 - 651) ordered his advisor and chief general Rostam Farrokhzād to block this threat, and the two armies met on the western side of the Euphrates River, at the village of al-Qādisiyyah (southwest of Hilla and Kufa in Iraq). Negotiations between the two sides carried on and Arab delegations that came to the Persian camp demanded that the latter accept Islam or agree to pay the tribute (jizya). Rostam, having pessimistic premonitions, tried to delay the Battle, but when neither side came to an agreement, fighting broke out. Sa`d himself did not participate in the battle, however, as he suffered from a sciatic illness, but he monitored and directed the proceedings from atop a nearby castle at `Udhayb through his deputy Khālid ibn `Urfutah.

The first day of battle ended with Persian advances and the Arab force appeared as though it would succumb to the much larger Sassanid army. In particular, the latter's war elephants terrified the Arab cavalry, and succeeded in creating confusion among the Arab fighters. By the third day of battle, Arab veterans of the Syrian campaign (being conducted nearly simultaneously) arrived on the scene and re-inforced the Arab army. In addition, a clever trick — whereby the Arab horses were decorated in costume — succeeded in frightening the Persian elephants. When an Arab warrior succeeded in slaying the lead elephant, the rest fled into the rear, trampelling numerous Persian fighters. The Arab Muslims continued to advance their attacks during the night (called the 'Night of Clangour').

At dawn of the fourth day, a sandstorm broke out – blowing sand in the Persians' faces. Quickly, the tide turned and the Sassanid centre gave way, particularly with the help of Arab archers. Rostam, who had been commanding his force from that location, sought to flee by swimming across the canal (al-`Atīq), but was caught by an Arab fighter and beheaded. The latter (sometimes recorded as Hilāl ibn `Ullafah) announced the deed, displaying Rostam's head before the fighters, exclaiming: 'By the Lord of the Kaaba!' Seeing their respected leader's head dangling before them, the Persian fighters lost nerve and begin to flee, leading to a devastating rout. Most of the Sassanid fighters lost their lives in this melée, with a small number announcing their conversion to Islam.

From this Battle, the Arab Muslims gained a large source of loot, including the famed jewel-encrusted royal standard, called the Derafsh Kaviani (in Persian: درفش کاویان, the 'flag of Kāveh'). The Arab fighters became known as ahl al-Qādisiyyah and held highest prestige (and pay) of the later Arab settlers within Iraq and its important garrison town, Kufa.

Following the Battle, the Arab Muslim armies pushed forward toward the Persian capital of Ctesiphon (also called Madā'in in Arabic), which was quickly evacuated by Yazdegerd III after a brief siege. After seizing and sacking the city, they continue their drive eastwards, defeating two Sassanid counter-attacks (at Jalūlā' and at Nihawānd) and eventually destroying the Persian empire.

Modern usage of al-Qādisiyyah

Academic studies of the Battle have revealed numerous topoi that make up a common schema of the Arab Muslim conquests (see Donner; Noth). These literary layers appear to have accumulated since the period immediately following the battle, when story-tellers (qussās) embellished their narrative, often in an attempt to glorify past ancestors. The modern usage of the al-Qādisiyyah, thus, has heavy emotional baggage and invoking its name grants deep meaning.

Qādisiyyat-Saddām: The Iran-Iraq War

Iraqi 25-dinar note, with the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah depicted in the background

Commemorative stamp issued by Iraq depicting both Battles of al-Qādisiyyah

The most notable use of Qādisiyyah's emotive power was the dubbing by Saddam Hussein of his eight-year war against Iran as Qādisiyyat-Saddam (Saddam's Qādisiyyah). The first instance of this naming occurred on 02 April 1980, a half-year before the outbreak of hostilities, on the occasion of a visit by Saddam Hussein to al-Mustansiriyyah University in Baghdad, where a bomb attack on the previous day had injured his vice-president, Tariq Aziz. Saddam blamed the newly-founded Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and, drawing the parallel to the 7th century battle, he announced:

In your name, brothers, and on behalf of the Iraqis and Arabs everywhere we tell those [Persian] cowards and dwarfs who try to avenge Al-Qadisiyah that the spirit of Al-Qadisiyah as well as the blood and honor of the people of Al-Qadisiyah who carried the message on their spearheads are greater than their attempts. (See Saddam, E3)

Other examples of the usage of al-Qādisiyyah

Support for Saddam's historical characterisation of the modern war was further bolstered through several cultural symbols. An Egyptian film released at this time cast the battle in ethnic terms (Arab against Persian) and Iraqi scholar Kanan Makiya has commented on the significance of various building and architectural projects that evoked al-Qādisiyyah, such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier that contains a sword allegedly belonging to Sa`d right next to Saddam's personal machine gun. Makiya has called this an attempt to make Saddam "the Sa`d of the 1980s"(see Makiya, 11).

Art, architecture, literature, cinema, and media

• Saddam Hussein's victory arch, called The Sword of Qādisiyyah, opened August 1989, and one of the largest art pieces in the world. (See Makiya, 1) ([image])
• Egyptian mega-film al-Qādisiyyah, released in 1981.
• Iraqi newspaper al-Qādisiyyah, established in 1981.
• Mural depicting Saddam surveying the ancient Battle of al-Qādisiyyah, with modern tanks in the foreground. ([photograph])
• Al-Qādisiyah Palace, designed by TIGRIS Enterprises in Iraq between 1983 and 1993. ([website])

Government institutions and symbols

• Saddam-era 25-Iraqi dinar note depicts the original Battle with Saddam in the foreground as a field marshal. ([image])
• Baghdad government compound called "Mujamma` al-Qādisiyyah" ("The Qādisiyyah Compound") ([map])
• Iraqi government-issued commemorative stamps of both ancient and modern Battles of al-Qādisiyyah. ([image #1] [image #2])
• Iraqi medal commemorating "Saddam's Qādisiyyah". ([image])

Geographical locations

• Al-Qādisiyyah Province, Iraq, with a population of nearly 900,000. ([official CPA website], [Google Satellite image])
• City of al-Qādisiyyah, in Kuwait. ([map])
• Al-Qādisiyyah Square, Bin Ashūr, Tripoli, in Libya.
• Al-Qādisiyyah residential district in Baghdad, located near the Tigris River and al-Yarmūk Hospital (itself named after the Battle of al-Yarmūk.
• Al-Qādisiyyah was also a historical town, near the battle-site and an important location on a Mesopotamian trade-route.

Educational institutions and recreational organisations

• Al-Qādisiyyah University, in Al Diwaniyah, Iraq. ([website])
• Al-Qādisiyyah University, in Amman, Jordan. ([website])
• Al-Qādisiyyah primary school in Bahrain – in addition to schools named after Qādisiyyah general Sa`d ibn Abī Waqqās and his predecessor Khālid ibn al-Walīd. (See 'Plan')
• Al-Qādisiyah Girls School, Iraq. ([photograph])
• Al-Qādisiyyah (Saudi Arabian football club), part of the Asian Football Confederation. ([website])
• Al-Qādisiyyah (Kuwaiti football club), part of the Asian Football Confederation.
• Al-Qādisiyyah Boy Scouts Group, established in March 1994, at the al-Fāra`ah refugee camp north of Nablus. ([website])
• Al-Qādisiyyah car-racing club in Saudi Arabia.
• Al-Qādisiyyah Sporting Club in Kuwait.

Military forces and installations

• Palestine Liberation Army 'al-Qādisiyyah' Brigade, financed by Iraq.
• Al-Qādisiyyah Airbase, Iraq. ([website])
• Husn al-Qādisiyyah, ruins of an Abbasid walled fort, in Iraq. ([website])

Miscellaneous

• Hotel al-Qādisiyyah, Baghdad. ([website])

See also

• Islamic conquest of Persia
• Islamic conquests
• Sassanid Empire
• Shāh-nāmeh
• Hands of Victory

Academic and primary references

• Baram, Amatzia. Culture, history, and ideology in the formation of Ba`thist Iraq, 1968 – 69. New York City: St Martin's Press, 1991.
• Bengio, Ofra. Saddam's word. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
• Donner, Fred McGraw. The Early Islamic conquests. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981.
• Makiya, Kanan. The Monument: Art, vulgarity, and responsibility in Iraq. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
• Noth, Albrecht (in collaboration with Larence I Conrad). The Early Arabic historical tradition: A Source-critical study. Translated from German by Michael Bonner. Studies in late antiquity and early Islam, 3. 2nd edition. Princeton: Darwin Press, 1994.
• "Plan for 34 disabled students". Bahrain Tribune, 05 October 2001.
• Rida, Muhammad. 'Qadisiyya: A New stage in Arab cinema'. Ur 3 (1981): 40-43.
• Saddam Hussein. 'Address given'. Baghdad, Voice of the Masses in Arabic, 1200 GMT 02 April 1980. FBIS-MEA-80-066. 03 April 1980, E2-3.
• Streck, Maximillian. 'al-Kādisīya'. Encyclopaedia of Islam¹.
• at-Tabarī, Abū Ja`far Muhammad. The Battle of al-Qādisiyyah and the conquest of Syria and Palestine. Edited and translated by Yohanan Friedmann. SUNY series in Near Eastern studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992.
• Vaglieri, Laura Veccia. 'al-Kādisiyya'. EI².

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