Battle of Dhi Qar The Battle of Dhi Qar ( Arabic , يوم ذي قار ) was a pre - Islamic battle fought between Arabs in southern Iraq and a Sassanid Persian army , c . 609 . Background . Dhi Qar , watering place near Kufa in Iraq was a battle ground that was fought between Arab tribesmen and Persia n forces in the early 7th century . In the 6th century , the Sasanians relied on the Arab Lakhmids , with its capital at Hira in Iraq , for defense of their southwestern frontier against incursions by Arab tribes . Nevertheless , in the second half of the century , Arab tribes sometimes defeated Lakhmid forces and also attacked Persian caravans . In 602 , Khosrow II Parvēz imprisoned the Lakhmid king Numan III and abolished the dynasty , appointing Iyas ibn Qabisah al - Ta ' i , an Arab of the tribe of Tayy , as governor . Subsequently , at an indeterminate date , an open clash between the Persians and their Arab auxiliaries , on one hand , and Arab tribesmen , on the other , occurred at Dhi Qar . According to certain Muslim traditions , the battle took place in the year 623 or 624 . Modern scholars have narrowed this range to 604 - 11 . Forces . In the Arab sources the Persian force is numbered at 2 , 000 soldiers , with 3 , 000 Arabs led by Iyas ibn Qabisah . The Arab force opposing the Persians , with their Arab auxiliaries , was from the Bakr ibn Wa ' il , a large tribal confederation whose territory extended from southwestern Iraq into the eastern Arabian peninsula . The most prominent constituent tribe was the Banu Shayban , the other groups being the Banu ' Ijl , Banū Zohl , Banu Qays ben Thalaba , Banu Taym Allah ben Thalaba , and Banu Yashkor . These groups do not seem to have coordinated their efforts on the battlefield , nor did they have a single commander in chief . Rather , leadership seems to have shifted among various warriors . Nevertheless , the Banu Bakr defeated the combined Persian and Arab forces . Arab authors pieced together elements from disparate traditions on the battle of Dhi Qar . The outlines of two main versions are discernible , one ultimately traceable to Abu Obayda ( died 824 ) , the other to Ebn Kalbī ( died 819 ) . According to Abu Obaydas more anecdotal version , Khosrow Parviz was angry with the Hiran king Noman for refusing to give him his daughter in marriage and insulting Persian women ; he therefore imprisoned Noman , who died in prison . Subsequently Khosrow sent armed forces against the Shaybani leader Hani ben Qabisha , who refused to hand over to him Noman ’ s family and armor , but these forces were defeated at Dhi Qar . According to Ebn Kalbi ’ s version , when Noman was deposed Bakrī tribesmen raided Persian territory in Iraq . The Shaybani Qays b . Masud made an agreement with Khosrow by which he received tracts of land in return for preventing Arab incursions into Persian territory . Qays ’ s rivals within his own tribe deliberately continued the raids in order to foil this contract , and , indeed , Khosrow imprisoned Qays and demanded Bakrī hostages as a condition for his release ( or as a guarantee against further incursions ) . The Bakrīs refused to give such hostages , and Khosrow sent armies against them , meeting with defeat at Dhi Qar . Modern scholars generally prefer Ebn Kalbī ’ s version , on the grounds that it is less colorful and therefore more plausible . Persian sources on the Sasanian period are silent about this battle ; the relatively small number of soldiers involved , as well as the Persian defeat , may explain this silence . Religious , as well as Arab , sentiment must have played a part in shaping accounts of Dhi Qar . The Prophet Muhammad ( allegedly ) said " This is the first battle in which the Arabs took equitable vengeance on the Persians , and they achieved this victory through me " . Some scholars , apparently influenced by the Muslim tradition , have interpreted the battle of Dhi Qar as part of a prolonged Arab rebellion against the Persians , which culminated in the Muslim conquest of the Persian empire . As Shaybani tribesmen , led by Mosannā ben Haresa , assisted in the conquest of Iraq , it has been argued that the Bakr , and especially the Shayban , had followed a distinct anti - Sasanian policy since Dhi Qar . Scholars has shown , however , that the Shayban who supported the Muslims and those who were prominent at Dhi Qar belonged to different , even rival clans ; some Shaybani leaders allied themselves with the Persians after Dhi Qar , and others even opposed the Muslims during the conquest of Iraq . The battle of Dhi Qar thus appears to have had ideological and symbolic meaning for the Arabs far beyond its military and political significance .