Siege of Jerusalem (637)

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Siege of Jerusalem (637)
partof=Muslim conquest of Syria
Byzantine-Arab Wars


caption=After conquest of Jerusalem, Caliph Umar ordered the construction of Al-Aqsa Mosque at the holy site of Temple of solomon.
date=November 636 - April 637 A.D
place=Jerusalem
result=Jerusalem captured by Rashidun Caliphate.
combatant1=Rashidun Caliphate
combatant2=Byzantine empire.
commander1=Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan
Amr ibn al-A'as
Shurahbil bin Hassana
commander2=Sophronius
strength1=~20,000
strength2=unknown
casualties1=nil
casualties2=nil

Jerusalem was conquered by Rashidun Caliphate army in 637 CE during the Islamic invasion of Byzantine empire shortly after decisively defeating the Byzantine army at Battle of Yarmouk. The city of Jerusalem is considered to be holy site by three main religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Background

After decisively defeating the Byzantine forces at Battle of Yarmouk in August 636 A.D, in early October 636 A.D (late Shaban, 15 Hijrah), Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah the commander in chief of Rashidun army in Syria held a council of war to discuss future plans. Opinions of objectives varied between Caesarea and Jerusalem. Abu Ubaidah could see the importance of both these cities, which had so far resisted all Muslim attempts at capture, and unable to decide the matter, wrote to Caliph Umar for instructions. In his reply the Caliph ordered the Muslims to capture Jerusalem.Akram, A. I. "The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns", Nat. Publishing House. Rawalpindi, 1970. ISBN 0-71010-104-X] Abu Ubaidah therefore marched towards Jerusalem with the army from Jabiya, Khalid ibn Walid and his Mobile Guard leading the advance. The Muslims arrived at Jerusalem around early November, and the Byzantine garrison withdrew into the fortified city.

The siege

For four months the siege continued without a break. Then the Patriarch of Jerusalem Sophronius, offered to surrender the city and pay the jizya, but only on condition that the caliph himself would come and sign the pact with him and receive the surrender. When the Sophronius's terms became known to the Muslims, Sharhabil ibn Hassana, one of the Muslim commander suggested that instead of waiting for caliph Umar to come all the way from Madinah, Khalid ibn Walid should be sent forward as the caliph. Umar and Khalid were very similar in appearance; [Waqidi: Fatuh al sham vol: 1 page. 162,] [Isfahani: Vol. 15, pp. 12, 56.]

On the following morning the Patriarch was informed of the caliph's presence, and Khalid, dressed in simple clothes of the poorest material, as was Umar's custom, rode up to the fort for talks with the Sophronius. [ [http://www.islamicperspectives.com/Jerusalem.htm Jerusalem ] ] But it did not work. Khalid was too famous in Syria, and there may have been Christian Arabs in Jerusalem who had visited Madinah and seen both Umar and Khalid, noting the differences. The Patriarch of Jerusalem refused to talk. When Khalid reported the failure of this mission, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah wrote to caliph Umar about the situation, and invited him to come to Jerusalem and accept the surrender of the city. [ [http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/Jerusalem_OneCity.htm Norman Golb reviews Karen Amstrong's Jerusalem-One City, Three Faiths ] ]

urrender of Jerusalem

Caliph Umar first came to Jabiya, where he was met by Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Khalid ibn Walid and Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan, who had travelled with an escort to receive him. Amr ibn al-A'as was left as commander of the Muslim army besieging Jerusalem.On the following day the pact was drawn up.

It was signed on behalf of the Muslims by caliph Umar and witnessed by Khalid ibn Walid, Amr ibn al-A'as, Abdur Rahman bin Awf and Muawiyah. Jerusalem surrendered to the caliph. This happened in April 637 (Rabi' al-awwal, 16 Hijrah). A pact was also signed as a result of Sophronius's negotiation with caliph Umar regarding the civil and religious liberty for Christians in exchange for Jizya ("tribute") - known as The Umariyya Covenant.Sophronius invited Umar to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but Umar declined fearing to endanger the Church's status as a Christian temple. [ [http://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume2/cntnt51.htm The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire Chapter 51 ] ] By his command the ground of the Temple of Solomon was prepared for the foundation of a Masjid al-Aqsa.After staying 10 days at Jerusalem, the caliph returned to Medina.

Aftermaths

Following the Caliph's instructions, Yazid ibn Abu Sufyan proceeded to Caesarea and once again laid siege to the port city. Amr ibn al-A'as and Sharhabil ibn Hassana marched to re-occupy Palestine and Jordan, which task was completed by the end of this year. Caesarea, however, could not be taken till 640 (19 Hijrah), when at last the garrison laid down its arms before Muawiyah. Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and Khalid ibn Walid, with an army of 17,000 men, set off from Jerusalem to conquer all of northern Syria, which ended with the conquest of Antioch in 638 A.D and Taurus Mountains region in Anatolia. Rashidun Caliphate forces invaded and conquered Egypt shortly after it.

ee also

*Byzantine-Arab Wars
*Muslim conquest of Syria

References