Divine Commander Par Excellence - Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet (s) Muhammad

290 Pages·2019·4.503 MB·English

by  Muhammad Dhāhir Watr

In the name of God, the beneficent, the merciful

Divine Commander Par Excellence

Military Management in the
Battles of the Prophet (s)

Muhammad Dhāhir Watr

Translated from Persian by

Abu Zahrā Muhammadi
Name of the book: Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet (s)
Original Arabic title: al‐Idārat al‐Askariyya fi Hurub al‐Rasul Muhammad (s)
Author: Muhammad Dhāhir Watr
Project Supervisor: Abu Yahya al-Hussaini
Persian Translation: Asghar Qaidān
English Translation: Abu Zahrā Muhammadi
Publisher: Heritage International Inc.
ISBN-10: 1733028420
ISBN-13: 978-1733028424
Year: 2019

Copyright © 2019 by the Heritage International Inc., Tehran, I.R. Iran.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,
scanning, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Heritage International Inc.

Heritage International Inc.
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of
Allah an excellent pattern (role model) for anyone
whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who]
remembers Allah often.
[Holy Qur’an, 33:21]

Contents
Translator’s Introduction ........................................................................................ I
Author’s Introduction ............................................................................................. V
Preface .........................................................................................................................1
NOTES AND REFERENCES ......................................................................................... 3
SECTION I
PART ONE: THE MILITARY AND ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE .........7
NOTES AND REFERENCES ......................................................................................... 8
PART TWO: NOVEL WARFARE .........................................................................11
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 14
PART THREE: MANAGEMENT OF SUPPLIES AND MUNITIONS .............19
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 20
PART FOUR: THE SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION ..............................................23
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 23
PART FIVE: STRIVING FOR HUMANITY .........................................................25
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 26
SCOPE OF RESEARCH .........................................................................................29
A CHRONOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT SOURCES ........................................................................33
THE MOST IMPORTANT HISTORIANS (CHRONOLOGICALLY) .........37
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 42
SECTION II
CHAPTER ONE ......................................................................................................47
1) The Objectives of War ........................................................................................ 47
2) Wars of Arabs against the Sassanids ............................................................... 53
3) Civil Wars in the North ..................................................................................... 54
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 55
CHAPTER TWO .....................................................................................................61
Etiquettes of Leadership ........................................................................................ 61
Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet (s)

(A) INTELLECTUAL TRAITS .............................................................................. 62
One: Reflection, Contemplation and Far-sightedness ............................................... 62
Two: Skill and Intellectual Brilliance in Executing the Duties of a Commander ..... 65
Three: Sagacity and Perspicacity............................................................................... 66
(B) PRACTICAL TRAITS ....................................................................................... 68
1. Principles of Warfare .......................................................................................... 68
2. Pre-emptive Warfare (Harb al-Wiqāyah) ........................................................... 69
3. Lightning Strikes and Blitzes ............................................................................ 70
4. Pursuing and Chasing After Fleeing Enemy Soldiers ................................... 71
5. Attacks and Onslaughts ..................................................................................... 71
6. Deception and Trickery ..................................................................................... 72
7. Superiority in Battle ........................................................................................... 73
8. Swiftness and Speed in Battle ........................................................................... 74
9. Revolutionary and All-inclusive War .............................................................. 76
10. Psychological Warfare ..................................................................................... 77
(C) PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL TRAITS ......................................................... 80
1. Physical Traits ..................................................................................................... 80
2. Spiritual Traits ..................................................................................................... 81
NOTES AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................... 82
CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................ 103
1. The Department of Planning and Scheduling .............................................. 103
a) Planning the policy for the participation of the Ansār in battle ......................... 103
b) Methods of Negotiation ....................................................................................... 103
c) Designing a Program in order to Know the Enemy ............................................ 104
d) Creating a Plan to Gain Control of the Most Important Routes and Courses ... 105
e) Appointing a Deputy in Madina ......................................................................... 105
f) Reviewing of the Supreme Commander of the Army ........................................... 105
Contents

g) Placing the Capable Individuals in Appropriate Positions ................................. 106
h) Preserving the Unity and Integration of the Army ............................................ 107
i) Discipline ............................................................................................................. 108
j) Determining the Number of Soldiers in the Army .............................................. 109
k) Organization and arrangement of the troops ...................................................... 110
2. The Administrative Council ............................................................................ 111
3. The Department of Doctrinal Guidance ........................................................ 112
NOTES AND REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 115
CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................. 129
The Intelligence Department ............................................................................... 129
First: Intention and Objective ................................................................................. 133
Second: Assembly (of enemy troops) ....................................................................... 133
Third: Terrain and the points of advancement ........................................................ 133
Fourth: Identifying the area of operations ............................................................... 134
NOTES AND REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 136
CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................... 141
First: Department of Operations ......................................................................... 141
1. Objective ........................................................................................................... 143
2. Sending military missions and commanding the army in battle .............. 145
3. Studying what was important and necessary ............................................. 145
4. Preserving the goal .......................................................................................... 146
5. Exhortation to fight ......................................................................................... 146
6. The flag and banner ........................................................................................ 147
7. Code words and identification ...................................................................... 147
8. Being prepared for war ................................................................................... 148
9. General mobilization ....................................................................................... 148
10. Taking the appropriate counter-measures .................................................. 149
Military Management in the Battles of the Prophet (s)

11. The routes taken by the forces ...................................................................... 150
12. The area of assembly and mobilization ....................................................... 151
13. The area of encampment and setting up base ............................................. 151
14. Keeping the operations secret and covert ................................................... 152
15. Specification and assessment of the battle ground .................................... 153
16. Co-operation .................................................................................................... 154
17. Invasion and attack ........................................................................................ 154
18. Display of strength and might ...................................................................... 154
19. Forewarning prior to battle ........................................................................... 155
20. The order to commence the war ................................................................... 156
21. Combat ............................................................................................................. 156
22. Organization of the battle .............................................................................. 157
23. Battles fought in order to capture forts (Harb al-Husun) ........................... 161
24. Battles with barriers (and impediments) ..................................................... 162
25. Battles in cities and towns (Harb al-Mudun) ................................................ 165
26. Daily reports .................................................................................................... 173
An analysis of the battles on the various front-lines ....................................... 173
a) The front-line against the Quraysh ..................................................................... 173
b) The front-line against the other Arab tribes ........................................................ 176
c) The front-line against the Jews ............................................................................ 177
d) The front-line against the Rome .......................................................................... 179
Second: Department of Training ........................................................................ 180
Third: Department of Armament ....................................................................... 182
a) Offensive weapons .......................................................................................... 182
b) Defensive weapons ......................................................................................... 182
NOTES AND REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 184
CHAPTER SIX ....................................................................................................... 217