Fragment on the Arab Conquests
Encyclopedia
Fragment on the Arab Conquests are fragmentary notes that were written around the year 636 AD on the front blank pages of a sixth-century Syriac Christian
Gospel
manuscript which depict events from the early seventh century conflict between the Byzantines
and what the Fragments call "the Arabs of Muhammad
" and particularly of the battle of Yarmouk
.
", the fragments contradict the Muslim accounts of date of death of Muhammad
, alluding to him still being alive in 636 AD at the battle of Yarmouk.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
manuscript which depict events from the early seventh century conflict between the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and what the Fragments call "the Arabs of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
" and particularly of the battle of Yarmouk
Battle of Yarmouk
The Battle of Yarmouk was a major battle between the Muslim Arab forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the armies of the East Roman-Byzantine Empire. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 636, near the Yarmouk River, along what is today the border...
.
Fragments
- In January the people of Homs took the word for their lives and many villages were ravaged by the killing of the Arabs of MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
(Muhmd) and many people were slain and taken prisoner from GalileeGalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
as far as BethBethThe word Beth may refer to:Letter*Beth , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, Aramaic, and Phoenician**Beth numbers, a sequence of infinite cardinal numbers named for the Hebrew letterGiven name...
. . . .
- On the twenty-sixth of May the SaqilaraSakellariosSakellarios is an official entrusted with administrative and financial duties . The title was used in the Byzantine Empire with varying functions, and remains in use in the Eastern Orthodox Church....
went . . . from the vicinity of HomsHomsHoms , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
and the RomansByzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
chased them . . .. - On the tenth of August the Romans fled from the vicinity of DamascusDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and there were killed many people, some ten thousand. And at the turn of the year the Romans came. On the twentieth of August in the year nine hundred and forty-seven there gathered in GabithaYarmukYarmuk can refer to:*Yarmuk Jamaat, an Islamic extremist organization connected to numerous terrorist attacks, according to the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation....
a multitude of the Romans, and many people of the Romans were killed, some fifty thousand.
Analysis
The fragments are believed to be contemporary to the events of the Arab conquest of the early 7th century They also provide one of the earlier date for the battle of Yarmuk as having taken place on 20 August 636, assuming Yarmouk is to be identified with the "battle of Gabitha" mentioned in the fragments. According to Cook and Crone in "Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic WorldHagarism: The Making of the Islamic World
Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World is a controversial, scholarly book on the early history of Islam written by the historians Patricia Crone and Michael Cook...
", the fragments contradict the Muslim accounts of date of death of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, alluding to him still being alive in 636 AD at the battle of Yarmouk.