The Islamic Conquest of Syria : 'Futuhusham' the Inspiring History of the Sahabas Conquest of Syria

DESCRIPTION:

"Glory be to Allah, the keys of Syria have been given to me," proclaimed Rasulullah ﷺ at a time when Muslims were facing complete destruction. Yet fourteen years later, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه marched into Caesarea, the last Roman stronghold of resistance in Syria.

This book, originally titled "The Islamic Conquest of Syria", is the first complete English translation of Futuh as-Sham, the ninth century Arabic classic detailing the Muslim advance into Syria. The English reader has, for the first time, the opportunity to read about the great epic struggle of a small, ill-equipped band of Muslims that overthrew the superpower of their day. Events only briefly mentioned in other books are graphically described here, such as the battle of al-Yarmuk, which changed the course of world history. The great personalities of early Islam are brought to life in a unique way. The strategies of Khalid ibn al-Walid رضي الله عنه, the piety of Abu 'Ubaydah al-Jarrah رضي الله عنه, the bravery of Dirar al-Kindi رضي الله عنه and many more are vividly described. The text also sheds light on some lesser-known aspects of Islamic history such as the significant role of women and Roman princes who had embraced Islam.

Al-Imam al-Waqidi, the great historian, was born at the beginning of 130 Hijri in al-Madinah, where he began his studies. He migrated to 'Iraq in 180 Hijri during the reign of Mamun ar-Rashid. There Yahya al-Barmaki welcomed him due to his great learning and he was included as one of Mamun's elite. He was soon appointed as judge and held this post until his death in 207 Hijri.

DETAILS:

ISBN: ​9781842000670
AUTHOR: Al-Imam Al-Waqidi
TRANSLATOR: Sulayman al-Kindi
LANGUAGE: English
BINDING: Hardback 
PAGES: 598 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 17 x 24 cm
WEIGHT: 1.7 kg
PUBLISHER: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Abu `Abdullah Muhammad Ibn ‘Omar Ibn Waqid al-Aslami (Arabic ‘ أبو عبد الله محمد بن عمر بن واقد ‏) (c. 130 – 207 AH; c. 748 – 822 AD), commonly referred to as al-Waqidi (Arabic: الواقدي). His surname is derived from his grandfather’s name Waqid and thus he became famous as al-Imam al-Waqidi. Al-Waqidi was an early Muslim historian and biographer of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad specializing in his campaigns.

Title: Al-Waqidi
Born: ca. 130AH / AD 748 in Madina
Died: 207AH / AD 822
Era: Islamic Golden Age
Main interest(s): History of Islam
Notable work(s): Kitab al-Tarikh wa al-Maghazi (“Book of History and Campaigns”)

Biography

Al-Waqidi was born in Madina in (c. 130 – 207 AH; c. 748 – 822 AD). Amongst his prominent teachers were Ibn Abi Thahab Ma’mar bin Rashid, al-Imam Malik bin Anas and al-Imam Sufyan ath-Thawri. He lived in Madina at the time of Abu Hanifa, Ja’far al-Sadiq and Malik ibn Anas and studied in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi as a student of Malik ibn Anas. Al-Waqidi also had access to the grand children of Muhammad’s companions.Many of Mohammad’s companions settled in Madina therefore both the Umayyads and then the Abbasids in the early day used the Madina fiqh. Malik ibn Anas was later asked by Al-Mansur the Abbasid ruler to compile this fiqh into a book form which became known as Muwatta Imam Malik. The Abbasids later tried other things like the Mu’tazila.

For his livelihood in Madina al-Imam al-Waqidi earned a living as a wheat trader, but when a calamity struck at the age of 50 he migrated to Iraq in 180 AH during the reign of Mamun ar-Rashid. There Yaya al-Barmaki welcomed him due to his great learning and he was appointed a judge and he held the post until his death on 11 Thul Hijjah 207 AH. He is buried in the graveyard of Khayzaran.

Al-Waqidi concentrated on history and is acknowledged as a master in history. He wrote some of the earliest history books on the early conquests. His books on the early expeditions and conquests are extremely detailed and predate much of the Sunni and Shia literature of the later Abbasid period. They illustrate the involvement of the early Muslim women and young boys in campaigns in distant lands against the huge Roman armies. He is relied upon regarding the battles of the Prophet and the Companions and history in general by Muslim scholars. Western orientalists who enjoy his writings include Martin Lings.