Battle of Mu ' tah The Battle of Mu ' tah ( ) was fought in 629 ( 5 Jumada al - awwal 8 AH in the Islamic calendar ) , near the village of Mu ' tah , east of the Jordan River and Karak in Karak Governorate , between the forces of the Islamic prophet , Muhammad and of the Eastern Roman ( Byzantine ) Empire . In Muslim histories , the battle is usually described as the Muslims ' attempt to take retribution against a Ghassanid chief for taking the life of an emissary ; it ended in a draw and the safe retreat of both sides . However according to Byzantine sources , the Muslims sent a force to attack the Arab pagan settlement of " Mucheon " during a pagan feast day . The local Byzantine Vicarius learns of their plans and collects the garrisons of the fortresses . The Muslims are routed after three of their leaders are killed . Background . The Treaty of Hudaybiyah initiated a truce between the Muslim forces in Medina and the Qurayshite forces in control of Mecca . Badhan , the Sassanid governor of Yemen , had converted to Islam and many of the southern Arabian tribes also joined the rising power in Medina . Muhammad was therefore free to focus on the Arab tribes in the Bilad al - Sham to the North . Muslim historians say that the immediate impetus for a military march north was the mistreatment of emissaries . Muhammad is said to have sent emissaries to the nomadic Banu Sulaym and Dhat al Talh tribes of the north ( tribes under the protection of the Byzantines ) . The emissaries were killed . The expedition sent for revenge was the largest Muslim army raised yet against a non - Meccan confederate force and would be the first to confront the Byzantines . According to F . Buhl , another possible reason " seems to have been that he wished to bring the Arabs living there under his control . " Mobilization of the armies . According to later Muslim historians , Muhammad dispatched 3 , 000 of his troops to the area in Jumada al - awwal of the year 8 A . H . , i . e . , A . D . 629 , for a quick expedition to attack and punish the tribes . The army was led by Zayd ibn Haritha ; the second - in - command was Jafar ibn Abi Talib and the third - in - command was Abdullah ibn Rawahah . The leader of the Ghassanids is said to have received word of the expedition and prepared his forces ; he also sent to the Byzantines for aid . Muslim historians report that the Byzantine emperor Heraclius gathered an army and hurried to the aid of his Arab allies . Other sources say that the leader was the emperor ' s brother , Theodorus . The combined force of Roman soldiers and Arab allies is usually reported to be approximately 200 , 000 . When the Muslim troops arrived at the area to the east of Jordan and learnt 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 their numerical superiority . During the battle , all three Muslim leaders fell one after the other as they took command of the force : first , Zayd ibn Haritha , then Jafar ibn Abi Talib , then Abdullah ibn Rawahah . Al - Bukhari reported that there were fifty stab wounds in Jafar ' s body , none of them in the back . 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 , and managed to save the army from complete destruction . After the battle the troops asked Thabit ibn Al - Arqam to assume command ; however , he declined and asked Khalid ibn al - Walid to take the lead . Khalid ibn Al - Walid reported that the fighting was so intense that he used nine swords which broke in the battle . Khalid , seeing that the situation was hopeless , prepared to withdraw . He continued to engage the Byzantines in skirmishes , but avoided pitched battle . One night he completely changed his troop positions and brought forth a rearguard that he had equipped with new banners ; all this was intended to give the impression that reinforcements had arrived from Medina . He also ordered his cavalry to retreat behind a hill during the night , hiding their movements , and then to return during daytime when the battle resumed , raising as much dust as they could . This also was intended to create the impression that further reinforcements were arriving . The Byzantines believed in the fictitious reinforcements and withdrew , thus allowing the Muslim force to safely retreat to Medina . Military commentators on the battle have often praised the skirmishing tactics of Khalid ibn al - Walid . Aftermath . It is reported that when the Muslim force arrived at Medina , they were berated for apparently withdrawing and accused of fleeing . Salamah ibn Hisham is reported to have prayed at home rather than going to the mosque to avoid having to explain himself . Muhammad ordered them to stop , saying that they would return to fight the Byzantines again and bestowed upon Khalid the title of ' Saifullah ' meaning ' The Sword of Allah ' . Today , Muslims who fell at the battle are considered martyrs ( " shahid " ) . Some have claimed that this battle , far from being a defeat , was a strategic success ; the Muslims had challenged the Byzantines and had made their presence felt amongst the Arab Bedouin tribes in the region . A mausoleum was later built at Mu ' tah over their grave . Non - Muslim accounts . Aside from the Muslim accounts , there may be a reference to the battle in the chronicle written by ninth century Byzantine monk and chronicler Theophanes . According to Theophanes , the Muslim army intended to attack the local Arabs on a feast day ( the word that Theophanes used most likely indicates a pagan rather than a Christian holiday ) . However , the vicarius Theodorus ( who might be emperor ' s brother , in this case " vicarius augustus " ( emperor ' s deputy ) is meant , i . e . viceroy ) learnt about their plans and gathered a force from the garrisons of local fortresses : He determined from the Saracen the day and hour on which the emirs intended to attack , and attacked them at a place called Mothous . He killed three of them and most of their army , but one emir , Khalid ( whom they call the sword of God ) , got away . It has been argued by some scholars , such as Walter Kaegi , that this is a reference to the Battle of Mu ' tah , but this is not certain . Islamic primary sources . The event is referenced in many Sunni Hadith collections . The Sahih al - Bukhari hadith collection mentions that 9 swords of Khalid ibn Walid were broken : It also mentions that Jafar should take over as commander if Zaid ibn Haritha was killed : The event is also referenced in the Abu Dawud hadith collection as follows :