22 ISLAM AT WAR
Before they could join in battle though, the obstacle of the Euphrates
must be overcome. In ancient days great rivers were impassable military
obstacles, at least if defended. If too deep to ford and too wide to allow
archers to support a bridge or boat crossing, they simply could not be
crossed. Of course if both armies wanted to fight, then an accommodation
could be made by the simple method of inviting the enemy to cross.
Thus, in the fall of 634, General Bahman invited Abu Ubaid to decide
who should cross the river. Although his veteran leaders—Muthanna
among them—suggested that the Arabs keep the friendly desert to their
rear, and not the dangerous river, the brave Abu Ubaid retorted, “What?
Shall we fear death more than they?” And so battle was joined, the Per-
sians happily conceding passage across the river on a bridge.
The fight took place south of Babylon and east of the Euphrates. The
Persians probably outnumbered the Muslims, who may have had 10,000
men. Additionally the Persian host had its usual contingent of elephants
and was fighting on ground of its own choosing. The nomads came on
with their usual courage, but the new levies from Arabia were fearful of
the elephants, and the lines began to waver. At this, Abu Ubaid ran forward
to slay one of the beasts personally. Probably he intended to emulate the
great Muthanna, who had also slain one of the monsters. However, the
Arab general was misinformed that the trunk was an elephant’s vulnerable
point, and so slashed at it with his sword. Sadly, the elephant’s reaction
was predictable and, far from following in Muthanna’s footsteps, Abu
Ubaid fell into the elephant’s. With the death of their leader, the Arab
forces fled back to the bridge in panic. The rout was bad enough—about
6,000 were lost—but it would have been worse had a rear guard not held
the bridge for a time.
This battle, probably occurring in October of 634 became known as the
Battle of the Bridge. Muthanna resumed command and led the remnants
of the army back into the desert fringe, where they were safe from the
enemy. It would be a year before sufficient reinforcements arrived for the
Arabs to renew their offensive, meanwhile the desert terrain protected
them from attack by the King of Kings.
The battle that Muthanna fought at Buwaib in November 635, was his
last and greatest victory. In this fight the Arabs had the desert at their back
and the Persians had the Euphrates behind them. When the Persians gave
way, Muthanna rushed forward to the bridge—the same one across which
his own army had fled—and held it against the fleeing enemy. Few Per-
sians escaped. This was the battle that Muthanna wanted, and Abu Ubaid
had denied. Shortly after the Battle of Buwaib, Muthanna died, perhaps
of old wounds.