Battle of Mu'tah

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The Battle of Mu'tah was an early and significant military engagement between the nascent Muslim community of Medina and the Byzantine Empire’s forces in 629 CE, marking the first major clash between them outside the Arabian Peninsula.

All labels observed (5)

Label Occurrences
Battle of Mu'tah canonical 4
Battle of Muʾtah 2
Ghazwat Mu'tah 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military conflict
aftermath boosted reputation of Khalid ibn al-Walid as a military leader
preceded later Muslim campaigns into Syria
alsoKnownAs Ghazwat Mu'tah
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
arabicName غزوة مؤتة
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
belligerent Byzantine Empire
Ghassanid Arab Christian allies
linked to: Ghassanids

Muslims of Medina
Rashidun forces
calendarDateHijri Jumada al-Awwal 8 AH
casualties three successive Muslim commanders killed
cause killing of Muslim envoy al-Harith ibn Umayr al-Azdi
combatantsReligion Muslim Arabs vs Christian Byzantines and Ghassanids
commander Abdullah ibn Rawahah
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Theodore (Byzantine commander, per some sources)
Zayd ibn Harithah
commandStructure three designated successive commanders followed by Khalid ibn al-Walid taking command
conflictType Byzantine–Arab conflict
date 629
629-09
era early Islamic period
geopoliticalContext frontier zone between Byzantine Empire and Arabian tribes
languageOfName Arabic
locatedIn modern-day Jordan
near Karak
mentionedIn early Islamic historical sources such as Ibn Ishaq and al-Tabari
nicknameOfCommander Khalid ibn al-Walid was later titled "Sword of Allah"
linked to: Khalid ibn al-Walid
notableDeath Abdullah ibn Rawahah
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
Zayd ibn Harithah
partOf early Muslim–Byzantine wars
place Mu'tah
linked to: Muʾtah
pretext retaliation for murder of Muslim emissary to Ghassanid ruler
relatedTo Muslim–Byzantine wars
expeditions of Muhammad
religiousContext ordered by the Prophet Muhammad
result Byzantine–Ghassanid defensive success
tactical withdrawal of Muslim forces
significance early test of Muslim military capability against a great power
first Muslim military expedition beyond the Arabian Peninsula against Byzantines
first major clash between Muslims and Byzantine forces
strength Byzantine and Ghassanid force significantly larger
Muslim force about 3,000 men
successorCommander Khalid ibn al-Walid
tacticalOutcome Muslim army preserved despite being outnumbered
weaponry swords, lances, bows typical of 7th-century Near Eastern warfare

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Arab–Byzantine wars hasPart Battle of Mu'tah
Khalid ibn al-Walid participatedIn Battle of Mu'tah
Jaʿfar ibn Abi Talib diedInBattle Battle of Muʾtah
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
Jaʿfar ibn Abi Talib army Muslim army at Muʾtah
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
Jaʿfar ibn Abi Talib battle Battle of Muʾtah
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
Zayd ibn Harithah diedIn Battle of Mu'tah
Zayd ibn Harithah participatedIn Battle of Mu'tah
Battle of Mu'tah alsoKnownAs Ghazwat Mu'tah
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah
Battle of Mu'tah arabicName غزوة مؤتة
linked to: Battle of Mu'tah