The Conquest of Qinnasrin

فتح قنسرين

c. 636 CE · c. 15 AH

In al-Baladhuri: Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him), after finishing with the Yarmuk, went to Hims and secured it, then came to Qinnasrin with Khalid ibn al-Walid (may God be pleased with him) on his vanguard; the people of the city fought him then took refuge in their fortress and sued for terms, which he granted on the like of Hims's treaty, the Muslims mastering its land and villages — its hadir (camp-town) belonging to Tanukh since their first settling in Syria, when they dwelt in hair tents before building houses, and he called them to Islam, some converting while Banu Salih ibn Hulwan of Quda'a remained Christian, some of their descendants converting in al-Mahdi's caliphate; as Abu Ubayda marched on Aleppo word came that Qinnasrin's people had broken faith, so he sent al-Simt ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi who besieged and took it; the hadir of Tayyi' was of old, settled after the war of corruption among them when those of the Jabalayn settled and the rest scattered through the lands, and near Aleppo stood the hadir called Hadir Halab gathering kinds of Arabs from Tanukh and others — Abu Ubayda compounded with them for jizya and they later converted, remaining there with their descendants until long after al-Rashid's death.

Overview

al-Baladhuri relates that after Yarmuk Abu Ubayda marched to Homs and then to Qinnasrin, with Khalid ibn al-Walid at the head of his vanguard. Its people fought him, then took refuge in their fort and asked for peace, and he made peace with them on terms like those of Homs. ¹

The breach of the treaty

The chief of Qinnasrin was of the Tanukh. Abu Ubayda invited them to Islam, and some of them embraced it, while the Banu Salih ibn Hulwan of Qudaa remained Christian. Then news reached him that the people of Qinnasrin had broken the treaty, and he sent against them al-Simt ibn al-Aswad al-Kindi, who besieged them and took it. ¹

Abu Ubayda made peace with the people of Hadir of Aleppo for the jizya, and they later became Muslims. The conquest is part of the conquest of Syria. The date is approximate and derived.

The Conquest of Hims

In al-Baladhuri: when Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah finished with Damascus he put before him Khalid ibn al-Walid and Milhan ibn Zayyar al-Ta'i, then followed them; passing Ba'labakk, whose people sought safety and terms, he compounded with them securing themselves, their wealth, churches and houses inside and outside the city and their mills, the Byzantines to graze their flocks between them and fifteen miles without settling a peopled village, free to depart where they would after Rabia and Jumada I passed, whoever converted having our rights and duties, their merchants free to travel through the treaty lands, and jizya and kharaj upon whoever stayed; per al-Waqidi, while the Muslims stood at Damascus's gates a dense cavalry of the enemy approached and a company met them between Bayt Lahya and al-Thaniyya, routing them toward Hims on the Qara road and pursuing them to find they had passed it by — the people of Hims, already shaken by Heraclius's flight and by reports of the Muslims' might, offered their hands and sued for safety, which was granted, bringing out supplies and food while the Muslims stayed on the Asi under al-Simt ibn al-Aswad al-Jundi; when Abu Ubayda finished with Damascus he left Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan over it and came to Hims by way of Ba'labakk, camping at Bab al-Rastan, and its people compounded for safety of themselves, wealth, city wall, churches and mills, a quarter of the church of John being excepted for the mosque — compounding for a hundred and seventy thousand dinars; afterwards Hims and Qinnasrin became one.

The Conquest of Qinnasrin

At a glance

In time

Overview

The breach of the treaty

Connections

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Time

The Conquest of Hims