Rashidun army

Byzantine Empire Sassanid Persia Caucasus Other regions The Levant Egypt North Africa Anatolia & Constantinople Border conflicts Sicily and Southern Italy Naval warfare Byzantine reconquest Khuzestan Central Persia Caucasus Pars Khorasan Other geographies The Rashidun army (Arabic: جيش الراشدين) was the core of the Rashidun Caliphate's armed forces during the early Muslim conquests in the 7th century.

[10] With regards to Persia, Muslim histories further recount that at the beginning of the seventh year of migration, Muhammad appointed one of his officers, Abdullah Huzafah Sahmi Qarashi, to carry his letter to Khosrau II inviting him to convert: In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

The second Muslim invasion began in 636, under Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, when a key victory at the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah led to the permanent end of Sassanid control west of modern-day Iran.

Directing from Medina, a few thousand kilometres away, Umar's quick conquest of Persia in a series of well-coordinated, multi-pronged attacks became his greatest triumph, contributing to his reputation as a great military and political strategist.

During his reign the Levant, Egypt, Cyrenaica, Tripolitania, Fezzan, eastern Anatolia, almost the whole of the Sassanid Persian Empire including Bactria, Persia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus and Makran were annexed to the Rashidun Caliphate.

[15] In 644, prior to the complete annexation of Persia by the Arab Muslims, Umar was assassinated by Abu Lu'lu'a Firuz, a Persian craftsman who was captured in battle and brought to Arabia as a slave.

[28] Later, the governor of Basra, Abdullah ibn Aamir also led a number of successful campaigns, ranging from the suppression of revolts in Fars, Kerman, Sistan, and Khorasan, to the opening of new fronts for conquest in Transoxiana and Afghanistan.

Backed by one of Muhammad's wives, A'isha, they attempted to rally support against Ali among the troops of Basra, prompting the caliph to leave for Iraq's other garrison town, Kufa, where he could better confront his challengers.

[36] Although Ali was able to replace Uthman's governors in Egypt and Iraq with relative ease, Mu'awiya had developed a solid power-base and an effective military against the Byzantines from the Arab tribes of Syria.

[40] The decision to arbitrate fundamentally weakened Ali's political position as he was forced to negotiate with Mu'awiya on equal terms, while it drove a significant number of his supporters, who became known as the Kharijites, to revolt.

Tulayha even played a significant role during a raid against the Persian army during Sa'd's campaign, which was codenamed Yaum Armath(يوم أرماث or "The Day of Disorder") by early Muslim historians.

[82] James Hardy theorized based on his quote from John Haldon and Romilly Jenkins, one of the decisive main factor for the Rashidun historical victory in battle of Yarmuk were due to their superb cavalry archers.

[83] While James Francis LePree, assistant professor for Medieval History at the City College of New York, wrote that the factor of "unquestionably great cavalry skill of the Arabs' horse archers" during the battle of Yarmuk.

Salman enlisted most of the steeds within realm of caliphate to undergo such steps: At the end of the program, both riders and horses obligated to enlisted in formal competition sponsored by Diwan al-Jund which consisted into two category: Additionally, the already established cavalry divisions were obliged to undertook simulated combat operation raids during the winter and summer seasons, known as Tadrib al-Shawati wa al-Sawd'if, which were intended to maintain the quality of each cavalry forces, while also maintain the pressures towards the Byzantines, Persians, and other caliphate enemies while there is no major military campaign.

[110] The 8th century chronicler Al-Jahiz noted the ferociousness of Kharijites horsemen, who spent parts of their early career in Kufa as Rashidun garrison troops during the Muslim conquest of Persia before their rebellion against the caliphate.

[111] Their common ground with the caliphate military was even highlighted further by Professor Jeffrey Kenney, who said the early Kharijites existed in the time of Muhammad, in the form of figure named Dhu'l Khuwaisira at-Tamim,[113] one of Banu Tamim chieftain who appeared after the Battle of Hunayn who protested the war spoils distribution.

[114] In fact, ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Ḥabīb, a jurist and historian in the 9th century described the Berber Kharijites as a mirror match which resembles the Arabic caliphate martial tradition, except the loyalty to authority.

[117] Christides highlighted the high learning curves of the Arabs during the early caliphates that they could catch up with more established civilizations such as Byzantine in making complex war machines such as the Manjaniq catapult.

Examples include Abu Ubaydah and Khalid's besieged Damascus, and furious artillery bombardments by Amr ibn al-As during the second siege of Alexandria which immediately caused the Christian garrison to surrender.

[119] According to an obscure record from Sebeos, Mu'awiyah's fleet which was led by Bisr ibn abi Artha'ah is also reported to carry unspecified artillery engines that can throw "balls of Greek fire" within his ships during the siege of Constantinople.

[citation needed] Al-Abnāʾ was the descendants of Sasanian officers and soldiers of Persian and Daylam origins who intermarried with local Yemeni Arabs after they taken over Yemen from the Aksumite in the Aksumite–Persian wars.

[125][126][127][128][129] As Hawting highlighted the different performance between caliphate cavalry and those of Abd al-Rahman al-Ash'ath's army including those of Persian Asawir, that "between the discipline and organisation of the Umayyads and their largely Syrian support and the lack of these qualities among their opponents in spite of, or perhaps rather because of, the more righteous and religious flavour of the opposition" is a recurring pattern in the civil wars of the period.

[131] Chronicler Faraj recorded in his Fann 'Idarat al-Ma'arakah fi al-Islam that for certain situations, caliph Umar allowed a distinct unit which had not yet embraced Islam to be enlisted for military service.

[133][full citation needed] Al-Baghawi recorded an example that found from long narration of tradition, that a wealthy Arab soldier like Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar possessed 1,000 camels even before converting to Islam.

Tabari, a firsthand witness of Rashidun vanguard commander Aqra' ibn Habis, recorded that before the Battle of Anbar, the camels belonging to his soldiers were about to gave birth.

[55][142] Amr ibn al-As led a ruthless cavalry corps from tribes of Al-Mahra who were famous for their "invincible battle skills on top of their mounts", during the conquests of Egypt and north Africa[Notes 8].

[110] During the Battle of al-Anbar, Khalid instructed his soldiers to slaughter many sickly camels and throw them into the trench dug by the Persian defenders in front of the wall of Anbar fortress.

[159] During the tenure of Khalid ibn al-Walid in the Muslim conquest of Iraq, he formed Ummal, military units that act as his deputy personnel to govern, watch, and collect Kharaj and Jizya in the occupied areas, or as raiding parties in uncaptured cities or settlements.

Shurta mainly guarded and policed important state sites, such as Masjid Nabawi Caliphate citadel, the capital district of the Emirate governor, or Sultanate palaces, while also patrolling around the city to maintain law and punish any violations.

[103] The major compendium codex of Shafiite scholars ruling, Kitab al-Umm, has mentioned regarding the duels of Zubayr, Ali, and Muhammad ibn Maslamah against Jewish champions during the siege of Khaybar fortresses as part of Taharruf, or military deception chapter based on Islamic law.