Siege of Taif (630 AD)

 Siege of Taif took place when Muslims besieged the Hawazin and Thaqeef tribes after the Battle of Hunain. The siege started on February 5, 630 (the 15th of Shawal, 8 AH) and lasted till February 23, 630 (the 4th of Dhul Qad, 8 AH) when it was raised. The 18 days long siege lasted unsuccessfully and Muslims returned to Mecca.

Location: Taif, Arabia
Besiger: Muslims
Besieged: Banu Hawazin and Banu Thaqeef
Muslim Leaders: Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr, Khalid ibn Al-Walid
Hawazin and Thaqeef Leaders: Malik bin Auf
Muslim Losses: 12 men
Hawazin and Thaqeef losses: None
Other notable personalities: Abu Sufyan, Salman Farsi
Result: Siege unsuccessful

The Siege
Muslims camped near the walls of Taif after laying siege but it was too close to the walls and they suffered some casualties before they came out of the range of enemy archers. The fort was encircled and exit points were covered to prevent any entry or escape. The besieged archers were in a better position and maintained upper hand during the exchange of archery between the two sides. Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr died due to the wound suffered during this siege. With the help of Salman Farsi (Salman The Persian) muslims built a catapult and testudo but the desired results were far from being achieved. Testudo was a movable protective covering that provided protection from above when approaching the walls of a besieged fortification. It was destroyed by pouring hot molten iron from above.
The lost eye
Abu Sufyan who had accepted Islam after Conquest of Makkah, lost his eye to the archers in the Siege of Taif. He told Muhammad of his loss for Allah to which Muhammad said “Which would you prefer: An eye in heaven or shall I pray to Allah that he brings it back?” To this Abu Sufyan said he would rather have his eye in heaven. Later he lost his other eye during the Battle of Yarmouk.
End of Siege
Muslims attacked the fort several times but were repelled. Half a month was passed and the end was still not in sight. Some vineyards were destroyed nearby to get the enemy out to defend them but Malk bin Auf was not ready to take on muslims in the open after the disaster of Hunain.
At last a war council was called. One of the participants said,"When you corner a fox in its hole, if you stay long enough you catch the fox. But if you leave the fox in its hole it does you no harm."
Abu Bakr advised a return to Makkah, and Umar agreed with him.
The siege was called off. Muslims lost 12 men during the siege engagements.
Aftermath
Muslims marched back from Taif and spoils of Hunain were distributed but shortly a delegation of Hawazin reached Prophet Muhammad accepting Islam. They pleaded the return of their women and children which was accepted. The Muslims were very generous to the new members of their faith.
After a few days Malik bin Auf came to Muslim camp and accepted Islam.
The siege was not successful but the threat had been neutralized. This was indeed the desirable result for Muslims.
Sources
Wikipedia
The sword of Allah, Life and campaigns (A I Akram)

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Immanuel Kant (1724 AD - 1804 AD)

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher and a central figure of modern philosophy.

Full Name: Immanuel Kant
Born: 22 April 1724 at Königsberg, Prussia
Died: 12 February 1804 at Königsberg, Prussia
Aged: 79
Famous works: Critique of Pure Reason (Kritik der reinen Vernunft, 1781)
Critique of Practical Reason (Kritik der praktischen Vernunft, 1788)
Metaphysics of Morals (Die Metaphysik der Sitten, 1797)
Critique of Judgment (Kritik der Urteilskraft, 1790)
Main interests: Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, Logic

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Battle of Hazir (637 AD)

Battle of Hazir took place during the Muslim conquest of Syria between the armies of Rashidun Caliphate and Byzantine Empire.

Part of: Muslim conquest of Syria
Location: 3 miles east of Qinnasrin at Hazir in present day Syria
Rashidun Leaders: Khalid ibn Al-Waleed (Commander)
Byzantine Leaders: Meenas (Commander), killed in action
Rashidun Strength: Mobile guard consisting of 17,000 elite cavalry
Byzantine Strenth: 70,000
Rashidun Losses: Minimal
Byzantine Losses: Entire force
Result: Decisive Muslim victory
Territorial changes: Hazir and Qinnasrin surrendered to muslims

Background
After the conquest of Jerusalem, Caliph Umar went back to his capital city of Madinah and following the Caliph's instructions, Yazeed proceeded to Caesarea and once again laid siege to the port city. Amr bin al-A’as and Sharhabeel marched to reoccupy Palestine and Jordan, which task was completed by the end of the year. Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah and Khalid ibn Walid, with an army of 17,000 men, set off from Jerusalem to conquer all of northern Syria. Abu Ubaidah marched to Damascus, which was already in Muslim hands, and then to Emesa (Homs), which welcomed his return. His next objective was Qinnasrin, towards this, the army advanced with Khalid and the Mobile guard in the lead. After a few days the Mobile Guard reached Hazir, three miles east of Qinnasrin, here it was attacked in strength by the Byzantines. The Byzantine garrison commander at Qinnasrin was a general named Meenas, a distinguished soldier who was loved by his men. Meenas knew that if he stayed in Qinnasrin, he would be besieged by the Rashidun army and would eventually have to surrender, as he could expect no help from the Emperor. He therefore decided to take the offensive and attack the leading elements of the Rashidun army well forward of the city and defeat them before they could be joined by the main body. With this plan in mind, Meenas attacked the Mobile guard at Hazir with a force whose strength was about 70,000 men; he either did not know that Khalid was present with the leading elements of the Muslim army or did not believe all that he had heard about Khalid ibn Walid.
Battle
The Battle began on a plain three miles east of Qinnasrin at Hazir, which was a farming village. Khalid deployed his Mobile guard into its fighting formation for battle. Meenas arranged his army in one center and two wings and was himself in the front ranks leading the army like Khalid. Soon a fierce action was raging at Hazir. The battle was still in its early stages when Meenas was killed. As the news of his death spread among his men, the Byzantine soldiers went wild with fury and savagely attacked to avenge their beloved leader's death. But they were up against the finest body of men of the time. Khalid took a cavalry regiment and manoeuvred from the side of one of the wings to attack the Byzantine army from the rear. Soon the whole army was encircled and their very desire for vengeance proved their undoing for not a single Roman survived the battle.
Aftermath
As soon as the battle was over, the people of Hazir came out of their town to greet Khalid. They pleaded that they were Arabs and had no intention of fighting him. Khalid accepted their surrender, and advanced to Qinnasrin.
At Qinnasrin, the part of the Roman garrison which had not accompanied Meenas to Hazir shut itself up in the fort. As soon as Khalid arrived, he sent a message to the garrison:
"If you were in the clouds, Allah would raise us to you or lower you to us for battle."
Without further delay, Qinnasrin surrendered to Khalid. The Battle of Hazir and the surrender of Qinnasrin took place in about June, 637.
When Caliph Umar received reports of the Battle of Hazir, he made no attempt to conceal his admiration for the military genius of Khalid. Umar exclaimed:
"Khalid is truly the commander, May Allah have mercy upon Abu Bakr. He was a better judge of men than I have been."
This was Umar's first admission that perhaps he had not judged Khalid rightly after he had dismissed Khalid from the command of the Muslim army.
Sources
The Sword of Allah: Khalid bin al-Waleed, His Life and Campaigns Lahore, 1969
Wikipedia

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Muhammad bin Qasim (695 AD - 715 AD)

Full name: Imad-ud-Din Muhammad ibn Qasim al-Thaqafi
Born: 31 December 695 AD at Ta'if, Arabia
Died: 18 July 715 (aged 20)
Allegiance: Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, Governor to Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I
Rank: General, Emir
Religion: Islam
Father name: Qasim ibn Yusuf
Spouse name: Zubaidah (daughter of Hajjaj)
Important events: Muslim conquest of Sindh and South Punjab, Battle of Rewar (Raor) 712 AD

Muhammad bin Qasim was the first arab general who conquered the Sindh and Punjab regions of the Indus River for the Umayyad Caliphate. These areas are now a part of modern day Pakistan. Muhammad bin Qasim is know for his generous and fair treatment of the local population after the conquest. His successful campaign is the start of expansion of Islam into south asian subcontinent.

Muhammad bin Qasim was born and raised in the city of Taif (in modern day Saudi Arabia). His father died when he was young, so his mother and his uncle Hajjaj ibn Yusuf took care of him. Hajjaj taught him necessary skills of warefare, governance and statesmanship. He married Hajjaj's daughter Zubaidah before going on the campaign.

Conquest of Sindh
Arabs had been trading with Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) for centuries. Recently the hostile coastal kingdom of Sindh and pirates had become a challenge on this route. In 710 AD an arab ship was intercepted by pirates on this route. Trade goods were stolen and the crew imprisoned. Pirates were protected by Raja Dahir, the ruler of Sind kingdom. Hajjaj bin Yusuf demanded the return of ship along with cargo and crew. Raja Dahir claimed that he had no conrol over pirates. Hajjaj asked for permission to launch a major campaign against Dahir, which was granted by Caliph Al Waleed.
Muhammad bin Qasim prepared for six months before the campaign. During 712 AD Muhammad bin Qasim reached Debal with a force of 12,000 warriors. 6000 of them were Syrian horsemen and 6000 camel mounted warriors. Supplies were carried along on 3000 Bactrian camels. Five large catapults were carried along, largest of which was named Uroos (arabic for 'bride') which required 500 men to operate.
The first victory was achieved at coastal strip of Makran, after which Armabil was taken with little resistance. Debal offered some resistance but after their flag was targeted and struck down by catapults, it fell.

Administration and policies
Muhammad bin Qasim is known mainly for his fair and just policies in the conquered region of sindh.
Muhammad bin Qasim ordered 12 dirhams weight of silver for each local man because their property was damaged.
He appointed locals as the tax collectors to give the population a feeling of strength and protection.
He maintained Brahman’s dignity protecting them from violence and entrusting them with ranks in public offices.
Religious freedom and privacy was given to the local population allowing them to worship as they like and live as they like in their homes.
Due to these policies Muhammad bin Qasim became a legendary figure in the Sindh region. Some hindus made his idols and worshiped them.

Strategy

References
Chachnama
Impact Of Hindu Culture On Muslims by Mohsen Saeidi Madani
History of India by N. Jayapalan
A Brief History of Pakistan by James Wynbrandt

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Hammurabi (1792 BC - 1750 BC)

Title: King of Babylon
Known for: Code of Hammurabi, Strengthening and extending empire of Babylon northward and westward
Aged: 42 years (1792 BC - 1750 BC)
Predecessor: Sin-Muballit
Successor: Samsu-iluna
Religion: Babylonian religion
Children: Samsu-iluna

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