Qadisiyyah spelt the doom of Iranian empire, save thedesperate attempts to hold on the remnants of a decaying empire. The first suchattempt was at Babel, where some of the renowned Persian chieftains andgenerals put up some resistance. The resistance was overcome and setting campat Babel, Commander-in-Chief–Hazrat Saad (RA) ordered Hazrat Zuhrah (RA) topursue Persians in Kutha, which as per the legend is known to be the place,where Nimrod held Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) a prisoner. Hazrat Zuhrah (RA) subduedthe resistance. The Commander of Muslim forces–Hazrat Saad ibn Abe Waqas (RA)was emotionally charged, as he reached the sanctuary, where the patriarch ofthe people of book was imprisoned. He quoted from Quran:
‘There are mutations of ages to which WE have made mankindsubject’.
The next port of call for the surging Islamic force wasBahr-Shahr (the Lion Lair) the den of tamed lion of the Persian Emperor. Thebeast sprang forward, as the force, the vanguard of which was led by HazratHisham got (RA) near the city. With one decisive blow, the brave warrior madeshort work of the beast, before any damage could be done. The city wasfortified, the siege lasted two months and during this period, the Muslimsconsolidated the areas, they had already gained in the Arab lands of Iranianempire.
Iraq-e-Arab was mainly an Arab country, which had beendominated by the massive Iranian empire, running from Arabian deserts to itswarm water—the southern Gulf ports. Further down to north, it extended right upto Albroz mountainous range in provinces of Gilan and Muzandaran and cold waterports in the Caspian Sea. To the east, the empire ran right up to central andsouth Asian lands. In the west, it extended to Turkey and onwards to Europeancontinent. From Cyrus, the great to Sassanid emperors at the advent of Islam,the empire was known for its statecraft. Jam-e-Jamm in poetic lore formed the heady wine of statecraft,. In realterms statecraft was honed in ancient Iran, which ruled roost for over amillennium, while fighting with Romans for power and influence in the civilizedworld of those times. The decay in the acquired statecraft was due to multiplefactors. Institutionalized priesthood was one of them, as the head priests ofreligious seats of ‘Sacred Fire’ got a stranglehold on the mighty emperors ofPersia. The simple message of Zoroaster/Zartusht–guftar-i-neik (noble talk)kirdar-i-neik (noble character) raftar-i-neik (noble demeanor) yielded place toquite the opposite of it. Mani, whomsome scholars have called world’s first communists, because of his talk ofequality in a country, where social ranking was institutionalized did try tostem the tide. He met the fate of most of revolutionaries, being marginalized.
As the dynasty of Cyrus and Darius with the power center inPersepolis lost power to Sassanid dynasty, the seat of power shifted to other places in vast empire andMadian (twin city) close to present day Baghdad became the capital, situated asit was, on either bank of Tigris. Muslim siege of Bahr-Shahr continued, withPersians getting desperate to lift it. While the siege held, the ethnic Arabsin Iraq were discovering their ties with the mainland Arabia. The developingdepth in relationship was seen with dismay by Persians. Another factor was thatof insecure supplies. So, they decided to break the siege. Once they came intoopen, as usual they were no match for Arabs. Muslims pressed forward acrossturbulent waves of Tigris to Ctesiphon on the other bank, what had been theancient quarter of Greeks. Crossing theriver in full flow was not an easy undertaking. Prompted by theircommander–Hazrat Saad (RA) the horses were put into surging waves. On a poeticnote, the waves of Tigris kissed the feet of the warriors and on leaping upembraced those, who had undertaken to re-write history. The Iranians on theother bank were amazed, having concluded the crossing to be impossible, giventhe turbulence in the river. As they neared the Iranians, the cry went up ‘DeevUmdand’ (the genies have come). There was just a brief resistance by somePersian units, as the Muslims entered the grand palace of Sassanid’s andoffered prayers. It was a Friday, the Muslim Sabbath, the day of special weeklyprayer.
Yazdegerd III, the Persian monarch had de-camped and fled toHalwan, with Muslims in hot chase. They were held up at Jalula, another heavilyfortified impediment. The siege followed, with wait and watch ensuing, as withthe earlier impediments. This impediment too, was crossed, due to heroicleadership of Hazrat Hisham (RA) aided by an equally admirable Hazrat Q’aqa(RA). Yazdegerd III fled Halwan, getting across Qasr-i-Shireen, the townshipthat divides Iraq-i-Arab and Iraq-i-Ajam (the Persian mainland). The placeconstitutes the present border between Iraq and Iran. Hazrat Omar Farooq (RA)wanted to call it quits and restrict the pursuit to Iraq-i-Arab; howeverYazdegerd III did not give the Islamic forces any respite, until he was chasedright across the Iranian mainland, right up to central Asia. Thus, within abouta decade the Romans and Persians were Islamized in a historical feat ofgigantic proportions. Not only the surging waves of Tigris, but the tide ofhistory had been crossed. The moving finger writes and having writ moves on;that is the lesson of the divine edict, which history proves in every era andevery age. Persians joined the Islamic fold, carrying message to distant landsin the years to follow. They added to the Islamic lore their culturalexcellence and their craft in architectural designing and calligraphy, in otherfine arts as well.
Yaar Zinda, Sohbat Baqi [Reunion is subordinate to survival]