Battle of Qadisiyyah - The Vital Muslim-Persian Encounter

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The Battle of Qadisiyyah (or al-Qadisiyyah) was the most significant engagement during the Muslim conquest of Persia. Victory in this battle paved the way for Muslims to conquer Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sassanid Empire. The Persians lost their army chief (spahbed), Rostam Farrukhzad, and several other high-ranking military commanders during this battle which dented a heavy blow to their military capabilities and morale. The battle was fought in November 636 CE.

Background

The Rashidun army’s campaign against the Sassanid Empire was initiated soon after the suppression of the rebellion (Ridda Wars) that Muslims faced after the death of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Legendary Muslim commander Khalid bin Walid was the architect of the initial victories against the Sassanids in Iraq. He conquered western parts of today’s Iraq after defeating Persians in several consecutive battles.

His campaign ended with the battle of Firaz, where he defeated the combined forces of Persians and Romans in an area closer to the borders of both empires. After Khalid’s arrival on the Syrian front, Persians were able to exert some pressure on Muslims with their victory in the Battle of the Bridge. However, the Muslims soon recovered and re-conquered all their lost positions in Iraq.

The Byzantine and Sassanids had developed a pact to fight against the invading Muslim forces in combination. But Muslims defeated the Byzantine army in the decisive Battle of Yarmouk a few months ago. Now both Muslims and Sassanid were ready to fight a decisive battle. They chose the place of Qadisiyya, a small town in southern Iraq near Kufah, as the battlefield.

Major Events during the Battle of Qadisiyyah

  • It is generally accepted that the Sassanid military outnumbered the Muslim army. The Sassanid army was between 50,000 and 100,000 against the Muslim force of 30,000 men. Sassanid military was assisted by an additional corps of elephants. This battle continued for five days without any pause.
  • The battle on the first day started with duels that favored Muslims. The general attack began with a barrage of arrows and elephant charges by Persians. Both these tactics proved destructive for Muslims. However, they managed to beat back elephants during the day by killing archers on the elephants and the first day ended with heavy losses for both sides.
  • On the second day, Muslims received reinforcements from Syria.  The absence of elephants and the arrival of fresh troops emboldened the Muslim army. They attacked Persians on numerous occasions. However, the Persians were able to defend themselves. An important event of the day was the killing of Persian general Bahman, who led the Sassanid army in the solely victorious Battle of Bridge against Muslims.
  • Sassanid General Rustom decided to end the war in his favor on the third day. So, he brought back elephants and ordered a general attack on all fronts. Elephants again caused panic on Muslim fronts due to their destruction. But this time, the Muslim army employed the technique of blinding elephants. This strategy proved effective. They managed to overpower elephants by noon and the entire elephant corps left the battlefield in disarray. This resulted in the Muslim counterattack. But Persians stood their ground. Both the armies continued the battle till dawn. It was the deadliest day for both armies and they suffered the highest number of casualties on any single day of battle.
  • The Persians expected a rest day after heavy fighting on the 4th day, but Muslims were eager to finish the battle as early as possible. Therefore, the Muslim attack was surprising for Persians on that day. Muslims managed to break the lines of the Persian army but could not penetrate the center.
  • The 5th day became the final day thanks to the assassination of Persian commander Rostam. The details of his death are not well known but a heavy sandstorm played some role in his death. The Persian soldiers became demoralized after getting information about the death of their brave and experienced commander. Muslims initiated a general attack to take advantage of this situation. It proved successful this time and resulted in the loss and surrender of the Persian army. A large part of the Sassanid army escaped while others were either killed or surrendered.

Reasons for Muslim Victory in the Battle of Qadisiyya

  1. It was a decisive battle for both nations and Muslims were aware of the significance of this battle. Due to this, additional troops arrived from Syria and the Arabian Peninsula to aid the already present military in Qadisiyya. Due to necessity, the ban on tribes involved in the Ridda Wars was lifted for the first time during this battle. This assisted in reducing the gap between Muslim and Persian forces.
  2. Troops from Syria arrived on the 2nd day of battle. These troops were commanded by veteran commander Qa’qa ibn Amr al-Tamimi. After his arrival, Qa’qa became the architect of most of the moves made in the battle. The arrival of battle-hardened troops during the heat of the fight raised the morale of the Muslim army and demoralized the Persians.
  3. Elephants were the biggest hurdle for Muslims during this battle. They suffered several casualties and disorders due to attacks by these large beasts. However, the Arabs managed to tackle this nuisance successfully on both the first and third day of the battle. Their handling of elephants deprived Sassanid of elephants on the third day which proved disastrous for them in the next two days.
  4. Losing important commanders on different occasions was also demoralizing for Persians. But the decisive moment was the mysterious killing of their commander in chief Rostam on the 5th day of the battle during a sandstorm. There was no other leader who could unite the tiring Sassanid military. His death and the killing of other major commanders before him sealed the victory for Muslims in the Battle of al-Qadisiyya.

Consequences of the Battle of Qadisiyyah

The Battle of Qadisiyya effectively ended the supremacy of the Sassanid Empire. They lost all their important military commanders while facing defeat against a numerically inferior army. Muslims were soon able to capture the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon after a siege of two months in March 637. This humiliating defeat demoralized Persians to the extent that they couldn’t launch a counterattack in the near future. The next major battle, the Battle of Nahavand, was fought between the two adversaries in 641.

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