A. Hazrat Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (RA)
B. Hazrat Umar (RA)
C. Hazrat Bilal (RA)
D. Hazrat Usman (RA)
Mobilization of the armies
Muhammad (PBUH) dispatched 3,000 of his troops in the month of Jumada al-Awwal 7 (AH), 629 (CE), for a quick expedition to attack and punish the tribes for the murder of his emissary by the Ghassanids.[16] The army was led by Zayd ibn Harithah; the second-in-command was Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and the third-in-command was Abd Allah ibn Rawahah. When the Muslim troops arrived at the area to the east of Jordan and learned of the size of the Byzantine army, they wanted to wait and send for reinforcements from Medina. ‘Abdullah ibn Rawahah reminded them about their desire for martyrdom and questioned the move to wait when what they desire was awaiting them, so they continued marching towards the waiting army.
The battle
The Muslims engaged the Byzantines at their camp by the village of Musharif and then withdrew towards Mu’tah. It was here that the two armies fought. Some Muslim sources report that the battle was fought in a valley between two heights, which negated the Byzantines’ numerical superiority. During the battle, all three Muslim leaders fell one after the other as they took command of the force: first, Zayd, then Ja’far, then ‘Abdullah. After the death of the latter, some of the Muslim soldiers began to rout. Thabit ibn Al-Arqam, seeing the desperate state of the Muslim forces, took up the banner and rallied his comrades thus saving the army from complete destruction. After the battle, Al-Arqam took the banner, before asking Khalid ibn al-Walid to take the lead.[17]
Khalid bin Walid reported that the fighting at Mu’tah was so intense that he used nine swords which broke during the battle. Khalid, seeing that the situation was hopeless, prepared to withdraw. He continued to engage the Byzantines in skirmishes, but avoided pitched battle.