A.H. 12.–13.
was mild and tolerant, than from the continuance of the status quo.
The first encounter.The first encounter apparently took place in the ʿAraba, or valley between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Akaba, and ended in the defeat of a force of 3000 Greeks. On hearing of the invasion, Sergius, the governor of Palestine, hastened from Cæsarea with a small force of three hundred men. He fell in with ʿAmr at a point not far from Gaza, and his little company was cut to pieces and he himself slain. These victories were the fruits of surprise, and the cautious ʿAmr, instead of pushing on, fell back to the ʿAraba, sending Yezīd, Abu ʿObeida, and Shuraḥbīl into the Belḳā and the Ḥaurān, whilst he himself waited for reinforcements from Medīna.
Khālid transferred to Syria.To Abu Bekr the invasion of Syria was of much more importance than that of Al-ʿIrāḳ; he therefore resolved to transfer Khālid from the latter to the West. This mandate disconcerted Khālid at the first. He set it down to ʿOmar, who, envying him the conquest of Al-ʿIrāḳ, would thus snatch it from his hand. There was reason for the fear. But had Abu Bekr lived, it had been otherwise, for his instructions were:—"Take with thee half the army, and leave Al-Muthanna half. When the Lord shall give thee victory in Syria, then thou shalt return to thy command in Al-ʿIrāḳ." Reconciled by the assurance, and loyal to his Chief, Khālid began by selecting the Companions and flower of the force which should accompany him to Syria. Al-Muthanna insisted that the division should be equal, and was at last conciliated by securing a goodly portion of the Veterans. The strength of either moiety was about 9000. Al-Muthanna accompanied the great General whom he had served so loyally, to the border of the desert, and taking a last farewell, retraced his steps to Al-Ḥīra.
Marches across the Syrian desert.The authorities differ as to the route which Khālid followed, but on two points there is general agreement, the first, that his starting point was ʿAin at-Tamr, in the desert to the west of the Euphrates and due south of Hīt; the second, that the latter half of the journey was from Arak or Urak (near Palmyra), Tadmor (Palmyra), and Ḳaryatein (Cariatein) to Merj Rāhiṭ (the meadow just outside of
