Al-Qaʿqāʿ ibn ʿAmr ibn Mālik al-Tamīmī ( ar, القعقاع بن عمرو بن مالك التميمي) was an Arab Muslim commander and general in the
Rashidun army
The Rashidun army () was the core of the Rashidun Caliphate's armed forces during the early Muslim conquests in the 7th century. The army is reported to have maintained a high level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization, granti ...
, he belonged to the tribe of
Banu Tamim
Banū Tamīm ( ar, بَنُو تَمِيم) is an Arab tribe that originated in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and has a strong presence in Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia ...
. He and his tribe converted to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
possibly during the time of
Ahnaf ibn Qais
Abu Bahr Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays () was a Muslim commander who lived during the time of Muhammad. He hailed from the Arab tribe of Banu Tamim and was born of two noble parents. His father named him ad-Dhahhak, but everybody called him ''al-Ahnaf'' (the ...
. He is known as a successful Military Commander who took part in two important victorious battles in early
Muslim Conquest
The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests ( ar, الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, ), also referred to as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the main Islamic prophet. He esta ...
, the
Battle of Yarmouk
The Battle of the Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmouk) was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, ...
against the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
(commanded by
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arab military commander. He initially headed campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career in ...
) and the
Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah ( ar, مَعْرَكَة ٱلْقَادِسِيَّة, Maʿrakah al-Qādisīyah; fa, نبرد قادسیه, Nabard-e Qâdisiyeh) was an armed conflict which took place in 636 CE between the Rashidun Caliphate and the ...
against the
Sassanian Empire
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...
which was led by
Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas
, image = File:Saad ibn Abi Waqqas Masjid an-Nabawi Calligraphy.png
, alt =
, caption = His name in Arabic calligraphy
, birth_date =
, death_date =
, birth_place = Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia
, death_place ...
. The Caliph
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He is known with the honor ...
praised him as an equal to eleven thousand men so in return the caliph predecessor, caliph
Umar
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
only sent him and a handful bodyguards as reinforcement to Al-Qadissiyah as the first wave as reinforcement. making him one of the most Illustrious military figures in that era.
Life
Ridda wars
Qa'qa ibn Amr At-tamimi converted along with his tribe, in the Year of the delegations, 631. But, for a brief period, he and other Tamim joined the force of false prophetess
Sajah
Sajah bint Al-Harith ibn Suayd ( ar, سجاح بنت الحارث بن سويد, fl. 630s CE) from the tribe of Banu Taghlib, was an Arab Christian protected first by her tribe; then causing a split within the Arab tribes and finally defended by ...
bint al-Harith before she was subdued during
Ridda wars
The Ridda Wars ( ar, حُرُوْبُ الرِّدَّةِ, lit=Apostasy Wars) were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic proph ...
later on he carried successful military career under Khalid bin Walid suppressing another false prophet
Tulayha
Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid ibn Nawfal al-Asadi ( ar, طليحة بن خويلد بن نوفل الأسدي) was a wealthy Arab clan chief and military commander during the time of Muhammad; he belonged to the Banu Asad ibn Khuzaymah tribe.
In 625 he ...
in the
Battle of Buzakha
The Battle of Buzakha took place between Khalid ibn al-Walid and Tulayha, in September 632.
Strength
Khalid had 6,000 men under his disposal while Tulayha had 35,000 men.
General Engagement
Tuhlaya himself took up a position somewhere t ...
.
[Ibn al-Athir , Usd al-Ghaba fī ma'rifat al-Sahaba ("The lions of the forest in the knowledge of the Companions "), 7 vols., Muhammad Ibrahim al-Banna, Muhammad Ahmad 'Ashur, Mahmud al Wahhab Fā'id (edd.), Cairo , Kitab al-Sha'b, 1393/1973, IV, p. 409, n. 4309.] after the Ridda wars has been ended he continued to follow Khalid's campaign to Syria and Iraq.
Muslim conquest of Iraq and Syria
Qa'qa is taking part in the
Battle of Chains and in one occasion when Qa'qa saw Khalid duelling the Sassanid champion
Hormuzan
Hormuzan (Middle Persian: ''Hormazdān'', New Persian: ) was a Persian aristocrat who served as the governor of Khuzestan, and was one of the Sasanian military officers at the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah. He was later taken prisoner by the Muslims a ...
,
Qa'qa immediately rushed as he saw Hormuz sent 5 to 6 soldiers to aid him swarming over Khalid to intercept the duel Then Qa'qa and Khalid overcame Hormuzan and his guards, killing all the Sassanid soldiers who intended to kill Khalid amid the duel in the process, along with Hormuzan.
During this battle its reported that Qa'qa said "We did trample Hormuz with fury restrained...".
Later, as incensed Christian Arabs of this area seeking revenge for their leader Aqqa who has fallen in the
Battle of Al-Anbar. they contacted the Persian commander named Bahman who in turn divided the Persian-Arab forces into two field armies and sent them off from Ctesiphon. the first force under Ruzbeh moved to Husaid, and the other, under Zarmahr, moved to Khanafis. For the moment these two armies were located in separate areas for ease of movement and administration, but they were not to proceed beyond these locations until the Christian Arabs were ready for battle. Bahman planned to concentrate the entire imperial army to either await a Muslim attack or march south to fight the Muslims at Hira.
This situation has been anticipated Khalid before his arrival at Hira from Dumat Al-Jandal as he divided the Muslim garrison of Hira into two corps, one of which he placed under Qaqa and the other under Abu Laila. Khalid sent them both to Ain-ul-Tamr, where he would join them a little later after the troops who had fought at Dumat Al-Jandal had been rested. The forces of Qa'qa consisted of two divisions of migrator tribe warriors that named "The Righteous"(''al-Bararah'') and "The Best"(''al-Khiyarah''), whereas the al-Khiyarah division was led by
'Ismah ibn Abdallah.
As the forces of Qa'qa' has met Zarmahr in the
Battle of Husayd
The Battle of Husayd was a battle between Rashidun caliphate army under Al-Qa'qa' ibn Amr al-Tamimi
Al-Qaʿqāʿ ibn ʿAmr ibn Mālik al-Tamīmī ( ar, القعقاع بن عمرو بن مالك التميمي) was an Arab Muslim commander and ...
, while Abu Laila met Ruzbih in Khanafis, Qa'qa' immediately commanded his forces to gallop forward as per instruction of Khalid before whenever he meets an enemy force on his ways. Zarmahr in response immediately asked Ruzbeh, who is blocked by the forces of Abu laila, to aid his forces instead rather than engaging Abu Laila. Qa'qa' personally slew Zarmahr while Ruzbih in turn killed by 'Ismah. Thereafter the Muslims charged. After some the battle continues, the Persians and their allies started to realized their losses immediately retreat to Khanafis.
When the Persian garrison at Khanafis came to know of the Persian defeat at Huseid and of the death of their own Commander Zarmahr, Mabhuzab and his forces abandoned Khanafis and with his forces moved to Muzayyah further north were more forces were available and defenses were stronger. When the Muslim forces under Abu Leila arrived at Khanafis, they found that there were no Persian forces to meet them.
Later, Khalid So he make a detour to return to his main headquarter to rendezvous with Qa'qa' and Abu Laila further chasing the Persians and their Arab allies towards Muzayyah. Khalid ride in his camel instead of the horse during his return to Ayn al Tamr.
In the famous battle of Yarmouk under Khalid he served as his subordinate Officer in
Mobile guard
The Fursan unit, or the early Muslim cavalry unit, was the cavalry forces of Rashidun army during the Muslim conquest of Syria. The division which formed the early cavalry corps of the caliphate were commonly nicknamed the Mobile Guard (Arabic: ط ...
elite cavalry. subsequently taking part as 'Fire Brigade' role, plugging all weak points or reinforcing the routed line within the Muslim ranks.
The Caliph
Umar ibn al-Khattāb
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...
sent Al-Qa'qa' ibn 'Amr to take part in the battle of Qadisiyya. On 17 November 636, his units reached the battlefield at noon. Before arriving, Qa’qa divided his troops into several smaller groups and instructed them to appear on the battlefield one after the other, giving the impression that large reinforcements were arriving. Qa'qa was busy raising morale and arranging his companions to the place from where he parted from them in previous day. The Persian army's elephants were a serious obstacle for the Muslims. To solve this problem, Qa’qa resorted to an ingenious device. The camels in his army were disguised to look like weird monsters. These "monsters" were moved to the Sassanid front and, upon seeing them, the Sassanid horses turned and fled. With the disorganization of the Sassanid cavalry, the Persian infantry at the left and center became exposed and vulnerable. Saad ordered an all-out attack by the Muslims. After the Persian army was routed Qa’qa ibn Amr went into pursuit and killed the Persian general Bahman, who commanded the Sasanian army at the
Battle of the Bridge
The Battle of the Bridge or the Battle of al-Jisr ( ar, معركة الجسر) was a battle at the bank of the Euphrates river between Arabs led by Abu Ubaid al-Thaqafi, and the Persian Sasanian forces led by Bahman Jaduya. It is traditionally ...
.
When the battle resumed on 18 November 636, al-Qa'qa' led a vanguard cavalry of three hundred accompanied by Qays bin Hazim who led the
Hashim
Hashim ( ar, هاشم) is a common male Arabic given name.
Hashim may also refer to:
*Hashim Amir Ali
*Hashim (poet)
*Hashim Amla
*Hashim Thaçi
*Hashim Khan
* Hashim Qureshi
* Mir Hashim Ali Khan
*Hashim al-Atassi
*Hashim ibn Abd Manaf
*Hashim ib ...
tribe kinsmen who came from
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
together with local
Iraqi tribal warriors. This time they were involved in melee combat against the Sassanid elephant corps. The Muslim cavalry blinded the elephants and severed their trunks with spears and other melee weapons while the Muslim archers struck down the elephant riders. The situation became dire for the Muslims later on that day, despite having already annihilated the elephant corps, because the Sassanids fought even more ferociously, resulting in al-Qa'qa's fellow kinsmen, Khalid bin Yamar al-Tamimi, being killed in the night. Consequently, al-Qa'qa' was tasked with the initiative of reinvigorating the Muslim army.
![Mohammad adil rais-day-4-phase-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Mohammad_adil_rais-day-4-phase-1.PNG)
At sunrise of 19 November 636, the fighting had ceased, but the battle was still inconclusive. Al-Qa'qa, with the consent of Saad, was now acting as a field commander of the Muslim troops. He is reported to have addressed his men as follows:
The Muslims' left center led by al-Qa’qa' surged forward and attacked the Sassanid right center, followed by the general attack of the Muslim corps. The Sassanids were taken by surprise at the resumption of battle. The Sassanids' left wing and left center were pushed back. Al-Qa’qa' again led a group of
Mubarizun
The Mubarizun ( ar, مبارزون, "duelists", or "champions") formed a special unit of the Rashidun army during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century. The Mubarizun were a recognized part of the Muslim army with the purpose of engaging enemy c ...
against the Sassanids' left center and by noon, he and his men were able to pierce through the Sassanid center.
During the
Battle of Jalula
The Battle of Jalula was fought between Sassanid Empire and Rashidun Caliphate soon after conquest of Ctesiphon.
After the capture of Ctesiphon, several detachments were immediately sent to the west to capture Qarqeesia and Heet the forts a ...
Mihran engaged his troops in an open battlefield,
Hashim ibn Utbah
Hashim ibn Utba ibn Abi Waqqas ( ar, هاشم بن عتبة بن أبي وقاص, Hāshim ibn ʿUtba ibn Abī Waqqāṣ), was a Muslim army commander. He was Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas nephew through his father, and was a Companions of the Prophet Muhamm ...
decided to carry out his maneuver. He dispatched a strong cavalry regiment under one of his most illustrious cavalry commanders; Qaqa ibn Amr to capture the bridge over the entrenchments. The bridge was not heavily guarded as virtually all the Persian troops available were used to assault Muslim army's main rank. Qaqa maneuvered around Persian right flank quickly captured the bridge at their rear. The news of a strong Muslim cavalry detachment in their rear was a serious setback to Persian morale. Hashim launched a frontal attack with Muslim infantry while Qaqa stuck at Persian rear with his cavalry. Thus resulted the Sassanid Army trapped and routed in result.
After the campaign in Jalula was ended he stayed and held a military post for a while in
Kufa
Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf ...
.
Defense of Emesa
In 638,
Emesa was laid in siege by the coalition forces of Arab Christian tribes from Jazira which mustered by Heraclius in an attempt to stimying the losses of Byzantine territories due to rapid expansion of Rashidun caliphate in Levant. On the orders of Umar, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas immediately sent Qa'qa with 4000 soldiers with him to aid the defenders of Emesa which led by his former superiors during the battle of Yarmouk,
Abu Ubaydah
ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Jarrāḥ ( ar, عامر بن عبدالله بن الجراح; 583–639 CE), better known as Abū ʿUbayda ( ar, أبو عبيدة ) was a Muslim commander and one of the Companions of the Islamic prophet M ...
and Khalid ibn Walid. Later as the Christian Arab coalitions abandoned the siege, Khalid and Qa'qa immediately came out of the fort to pursue the enemy and inflicted heavy losses to the fleeing Arab Christian coalition forces.
First Muslim civil war
During the uprising against the rule of Caliph
Uthman
Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic proph ...
, Qa'qa quickly suppressed the revolt potential brought by Yazid bin Qays al-Arhabi. Many times he went using his own reputation as the hero of The Caliphate, who was respected and feared by peoples of Kufa, to cool down the heated political atmosphere before and after caliph Uthman was murdered. He even tried to mediate the factions of caliph Amir'ul Mu'mineen
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
and
Aisha
Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al-mu'min, muʾminīn), ...
to ensuing peaceful negotiation although his attempts were fruitless and the
Battle of the Camel
The Battle of the Camel, also known as the Battle of Jamel or the Battle of Basra, took place outside of Basra, Iraq, in 36 AH (656 CE). The battle was fought between the army of the fourth caliph Ali, on one side, and the rebel army led by ...
unavoided
After the civil war was ended he was purged by
Muawiyah I
Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the deat ...
together with other Ali supporters from Kufa and exiled to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
Death
Despite the exile he later went back to live in Kufa, where he allegedly died later in retirement
See also
*
Battle of al-Qadisiyyah
The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah ( ar, مَعْرَكَة ٱلْقَادِسِيَّة, Maʿrakah al-Qādisīyah; fa, نبرد قادسیه, Nabard-e Qâdisiyeh) was an armed conflict which took place in 636 CE between the Rashidun Caliphate and the ...
*
Battle of Yarmouk
The Battle of the Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmouk) was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, ...
*
Banu Tamim
Banū Tamīm ( ar, بَنُو تَمِيم) is an Arab tribe that originated in Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and has a strong presence in Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia ...
*
Jarir ibn Atiyah
Jarir ibn Atiyah al-Khatfi Al-Tamimi ( ar, جرير بن عطية الخطفي التميمي) () was an Arab poet and satirist. He was born in the reign of Najd Arabia, and was a member of the tribe Kulaib, a part of the Banu Tamim. He was a nat ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
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Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaqaa ibn Amr Tamimi
Tabi‘un
636 births
Banu Tamim
Year of death missing
Generals of the Rashidun Caliphate
Arab people of the Arab–Byzantine wars
Arab generals
People of the Muslim conquest of Persia
Companions of the Prophet