Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar

Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar
Nickname(s)	al-Azwar, The Naked warrior or Half-naked warrior
Born	Unknown Mecca, Arabia
Died	presumably 640 Jordan Valley, Jordan.
Allegiance	23px Rashidun Caliphate.
Service/branch	23px Rashidun army
Years of service	? - 639(disputed)
Unit	Mubarizun Mobile guard
Battles/wars	Rashidun conquest of Levant

Dhiraar bin Al-Azwar bin Malik ibn Aws bin Jadhimah bin Rabia bin Malik bin Sha'labah bin Asad bin Khuzaymah bin Mudrikah bin Ilyas bin Mudar Bin Nizar bin Adnan al-Asadi (Arabic: ضرار بن الأزور وهو مالك بن أوس بن جذيمة بن ربيعة بن مالك بن ثعلبة بن أسد بن دودان بن أسد بن خزيمة بن مدركة بن إلياس بن مضر بن نزار بن معد بن عدنان، الأسدي‎‎) commonly referred to as Dhiraar bin Azwar(Arabic: ضرار بن الأزور‎‎) was Sahabah or companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

He is well known as ferocious warrior and successful military figure during Rashidun conquest of Syria under general Khalid ibn al-Walid and became famous with the nickname the naked warrior or the naked champion for his tendency to plunge into a battle without armor or upper garments. Dhiraar was a member of the elite Mubarizun unit which was led by Khalid. Dhiraar accompany Khalid in most, if not all, of his notable campaigns including the Ridda wars, Battle of Yarmouk and the Battle of Ajnadayn.

Life

Born sometime in the seventh century, Dhiraar was son of one of the Bani Assad tribe chief, Malik bin Aws. His lineage can be traced as the son of Malik son of Aws, son of Jadhimah, son of Rabia bin Malik bin Sha'labah bin Asad bin Khuzaymah bin Mudrikah bin Ilyas bin Mudar Bin Nizar bin Adnan al-Asadi. His family were among the first converts to Islam. After the Battle of the Trench he, and Tulayha bin Khuwailid were sent to their kinsmen, the Bani Assad ibn Khuzaymah to urge them to embrace Islam to he was also known as al-Azwar.

Ridda wars

During the initial period of the Ridda Wars, Dhiraar acted as a tax collector, but later, he participated in many Ridda battles as a common soldier. He later served as a scout for the elite mobile cavalry guard lead by the famous general Khalid bin Walid. At one point there was apostasy revolt in his clan which led by Tulayha, so he was sent by Muhammad to quell this rebellion

Dhiraar was sent by Khalid to lead a detachment consisting of Banu Tamim(Tamim tribe) warriors to confront Malik ibn Nuwayrah, chief of the Bani Yarbu', a Banu Tamim sub tribe, on accusations of apostasy

Battle of Ajnadayn

The Rashidun army left the capital Medina probably in the autumn of 633 or beginning of 634. They first engaged and defeated the Byzantines at Dathin on February 4; after that Emperor Heraclius, then stationed in Emesa (now Homs, Syria), had reinforcements sent south to protect Caesarea Maritima. As a possible reaction, commander Khalid ibn al-Walid was ordered to interrupt operations against the Sassanian Empire and reach Syria, which brought him to engage the opposition. During the middle of the battle it is recorded that the impetuous Dhiraar confront Khalid and said:

"Why are we waiting when Allah, the Most High, is on our side? By Allah, our enemies will think that we are afraid of them. Order the attack, and we shall attack with you."

Khalid decided to let individual champions go into combat against Byzantine champions. Accordingly, the Muslims would have the advantage, and it would be useful to eliminate as many of the Roman officers as possible, as this would in turn reduce the effectiveness of the Roman army. So Khalid finally decided to allow Dhiraar to act according to this plan. At first Dhiraar kept on his coat of mail and helmet because of the Byzantine archers, and in his hand carried a shield made of elephant hide, which likely had once belonged to a Roman. It was stated by Waqidi that Khalid gave his personal battle cry when he approached the Romans:

"I am the death of the Pale Ones
I am the killer of the Romans
I am a scourge sent upon you
I am Dhiraar bin Al Azwar!"

As a few of the Roman champions advanced to answer his challenge, Dhiraar immediately abandoned his armor and garments and the Romans knew him at once as the Naked Champion. In the next few minutes, Dhiraar killed several Romans, including two generals, one of whom was the governor of Amman and the other the governor of Tiberius. Their deaths, due to Dhiraar's actions, sowed disorder among the Byzantine ranks, and led to a breakdown of morale, which Khalid used to his strategic advantage. .

After the defeat of the Byzantine-allied Ghassanids by April 24, Khalid's force was able to enter almost unopposed in Bosra. Thus Khalid's forces went to join with Amr ibn al-A'as's forces in a place known traditionally as Adjnadayn.

Battle of Yarmouk

Later in the battle of Yarmouk Dhiraar was assigned most of the time as the Muslim armies's scout, usually screening the battlefield with small groups of horsemen to determine the best way to deal with the Byzantine forces.

It is recorded by Ibn Taymiyyah and Muhammad Yusuf Al Dihlawi, author of Hayatus Sahabah, that in the one particular clash a rank of Muslims fell back at the Byzantine onslaught, while he along with Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl stood firm with 400 men holding the deserted line and successfully defending the Muslim position until the fleeing Muslim ranks returned to the battlefield and reinforced the position again. The circumstances were more detailed in Tabari comprehensive record that Ikrimah saying:

"(Would) i fight the messenger of God in every place, yet flee from you today?! who will take an oath(to fight) to the death?!"

Al Harith bin Hisham and Dirrar bin Al-Azwar both swear an oath along with 400 of notable men and knights (Furusiyya). They fought in front of Khalid's(command) tent until all of them were disabled by wounds. Many of them died after the clash due to heavy wounds including Ikrimah. Although some like Dhiraar was able to recover.

Deployment of troops on the fifth day. Dhiraar's troops were waiting on the far left to ambush routed Byzantine army.

Dhiraar played a prominent role when Khalid assigned him to capture a bridge at Ayn al Dhakar for safe crossing across the deep gorges of the ravines of Wadi-ur-Ruqqad with 500 soldiers at night of the fifth day, then he ordered by Khalid to set an ambush there to eliminate the Byzantine armies who has been routed and using this bridge as a way to withdraw.

The next day Dhiraar moved with 500 mounted troops around the northern flank of Byzantines and captured the bridge. The plan was successful as the Byzantines retreated onto this path, where Dhiraar had been waiting them in Wadi Ul Raqqad bridge . The Byzantines were surrounded from all sides now. Some fell into the deep ravines off the steep slopes, others tried to escape in the waters, only to be smashed on the rocks below and again others were killed in their flight. Nevertheless, a large number of the soldiers managed to escape the slaughter

The Muslims took no prisoners in this battle. The Byzantine general, Theodore Trithyrius and some other generals died in this battle. However a large number of the soldiers managed to escape the slaughter although some may have been captured during the subsequent pursuit. After this battle Caliph Umar instructed a portion of the Rashidun troops from Yarmouk to be transferred to Iraq as reinforcements to assist Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas in the Battle of al-Qādisiyyah against the Sassanid Empire and Dhiraar was counted among them.

Later career

During the battle of Eagle Pass which preluding the Siege of Damascus, he was captured by Byzantine force, but shortly later he on he was rescued by rescue team led by his sister, Khawlah bint al-Azwar. but some commentary has criticize the authenticity of this incident about Khawlah because it was recorded without various citations which approved by that era scholars and only by Waqidi, who has been criticized by Ahmad ibn Hanbal , al-Shafi’i, Al-Bukhari and others as unreliable

Historicity regarding death

The young Sahabi embraced his death in Syria, being victim of the pernicious plague outbreak which broke in Syria and western Iraq which caused by severe drought took the lives of many of the pious Companion including Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. the time of his death was said as 18th years after Hijra which means his death was supposedly in 640 AD He was buried in Syria.

but another account from Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said he was fallen in the battle of Ajnadayn. contrary to Al Waqidi report who has said he has fallen in Battle of Yamama

Also it was reported by Ibn Hajjar Hadith that in one case that Dhiraar murdered Malik ibn Nuwayrah and committed adultery of female slave taken from the campaign. so Khalid has ordered by Caliph Umar to executed him due this crime. However, before Khalid received the order to execute Dhiraar, he was already dead although there's some controversy regarding the textual translations if Dhiraar died in that time (regardless the cause) or not, as its recorded by Bayhaqi

so this is different from Al-Waqidi version. on the other side Tabari explained the same circumstances with Waqidi that Dhiraar was appeared at the battle of Yarmouk and Ya'qubi even wrote He live long enough to the Battle of Qadisiyah together with Tulayha, Amru bin Ma'adi Yakrib and other Rashidun soldiers to discover the corpse of Rostam Farrokhzād although the chronicle of Ya'qubi was plagued with skepticism

However, it is should be noted that Ibn Hajjar surmisses there's two different person of Dhiraar. the first was Dhiraar bin Azwar from Asad tribe but another named Dhiraar bin al-Khattab was also exist, thus chroniclers like Abd al-Barr making some mistakes by identifying those two different persons as the one person. Although the confusion was evident here the older chroniclers such as Abu Ismail al Azdi and Sayf ibn Umar was conscious the existence of two Dhiraar but they also recorded both Dhiraar al-Azwar and Dhiraar bin al-Khattab was present in the Syrian campaign particularly battle of Yarmouk, Dismissing al-Barr & Waqidi's claim

Legacy

Dirar Bin Al-Azwar mosque was built to commemorate the Prophet’s companion, Dirar Bin Al Azwar. the Mosque is located to the northern part of the Jordan Valley adjacent the mausoleum of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, another prophet's companion and his former superior on the campaign against Byzantine empire, in an area which witnessed the first battles between the Muslims and the Byzantine empire in the earliest Muslim conquests.

In popular culture

Several 20th century film about Muslim conquests was made which including Dhiraar as one of the cast

• Syrian actor Ahmed Slan played the role of Dhiraar bin Azwar in Series Khalid ibn al-Walid in Part I, directed by Jordanian Mohammed Azizia
• Egyptian actor Abdullah Ghaith played the role in the Under the shade of swords series from the Egyptian Directed by Saeed Al-Rashidi

Biography

Primary sources

• Abu Ismail al Azdi
• Tarikh al Rusul wal Muluk by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
• Futuh Al Sham Waqidi
• Ibn Hajar
• Sayf ibn Umar
• Sahih al-Bukhari
• Ibn 'Abd al-Barr

See also

• Sahaba
• Al-Qa'qa'a ibn Amr at-Tamimi
• Khawlah bint al-Azwar
• Battle of Sanita-al-Uqab
• Khalid ibn al-Walid
• Mubarizun