YAMAMA - v1.0
late December 632

By Chris Jackson
SYMBOL SET REQUIRED: Master 1


HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

While Khalid was successfully campaigning against Islam defectors in mid-late 632, another corps
commander named Ikrama was doing the same. Ikrama was also a cavalry leader at Uhud who converted
to Islam. Abu Bakr had warned Ikrama not to make direct contact with Museilima bin Habeeb, who
was not considered as great a threat as Tuleiha, but was still too powerful to take on with
Ikrama's small force. Ikrama obeyed and camped around Ikrama, but when news reached him of 
Khalid's great victories, defeating Tuleiha and then a female leader named Salma, impatience
got the better of him. He decided to attack Museilima without waiting for the reinforcements
that were arriving shortly. In October 632, Ikrama set out and was beaten badly. Abu Bakr was
not pleased and the task of defeating Museilima was passed to Khalid.

Khalid had his own men as well as the corps of Shurahbeel and a hastily thrown together group of
Ansars and Emigrants. When he established his camp on the high ground overlooking the plain of
Aqraba, he had 13,000 men in total. Museilima had 40,000 men who were confident with victories
over Ikrama and Shurahbeel, and outnumbering the current enemy by three to one.

The valley of Wadi Haneefa, around Jubeila west of Yamama, was the actual battle site. A gulley
leading to the Wadi Hannefa itself formed the western edge of the field. Khalid ordered a general
attack but Museilima's army held fast and then counter-attacked. The Muslims were pushed back and
soon retreated.  Khalid, suffering his first loss, realized that it had been a mistake to throw
together an army of mixed tribal contingents. He regrouped the army along tribal lines and tried
again, personally leading the charge in the front. 

This time Museilima's army still held fast, but the Muslims would not relinquish the attack. 
Khalid cut down enemy after enemy, trying to get to Museilima. When he avoided Khalid, the
Muslims were encouraged and began to break through the enemy front. Museilima's army broke up
and began to flee the field. Museilima himself was chased into a small garden where he was 
killed in a bloody final action.

The earth around the battlefield was soaked with blood. 1200 Muslims, among them the best 
warriors, were killed. 21,000 of the enemy died in Islam's bloodiest battle to that time. But
Khalid had won another victory. The death of Museilima hastened the end of the resistance of the
so-called apostates. Mopping up in less vital areas would take up early 633, and then all of
Arabia was united under Islam. Already Abu Bakr was preparing for the invasion of Iraq, an
invasion that Khalid, the Sword of Allah, would command. 




SOURCES

Akram, A.I. "The Sword of Allah", Dacca: National Publishing House, 1970.

Donner, Fred. "The Early Islamic Conquests". Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981.

"Islam", Encyclopedia Britannica. www.britannica.com


BATTLE NOTES

This is the Medieval 1 version of this scenario. The Muslims can't win this one either, but I
haven't spent as much time tweaking it. I made this one available so you can see how I wanted
the terrain to look in the Medieval 2 version of Yamama. This battlefield came from a map in the
Akram book that I tried to reproduce as closely as possible.

- Chris Jackson, August 3, 2000
  chrisbjackson@hotmail.com
