Futuh al-Sham

Futuh al-Sham (The Conquests of Syria) is an Arabic historical work attributed to the early historian al-Waqidi (130–207 AH / 747–823 CE), chronicling the early Muslim conquests of the Levant during the caliphates of Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab Futuh al-Sham+1.

Attribution and Authenticity

Early bibliographical sources, such as Ibn al-Nadim's al-Fihrist, record that al-Waqidi authored a book titled Futuh al-Sham al-Fihrist+1. However, critical scholarship and biographical compendia indicate that al-Waqidi's original work on the Syrian conquests was lost, and that the widely circulated text bearing his name is pseudepigraphic and dates from a much later period Majallat al-Risala+1. Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli noted that most of the text in the printed edition cannot be authentically attributed to al-Waqidi al-Alam lil-Zirikli. Later assessments, including entries in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, identify the extant popular text as an apocryphal creation, likely composed centuries after al-Waqidi during the Crusades to arouse religious enthusiasm and encourage warfare against the Crusaders by recounting the martial feats of the early Muslims in Syria Majallat al-Risala+1.

Content and Structure

The book opens after the conclusion of the Ridda wars and the death of Musaylima, when Abu Bakr addressed the Companions in Medina to announce the mobilization of armies toward Syria Futuh al-Sham. The text narrates the dispatch and movements of Muslim commanders, including Amr ibn al-Aas, Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, Shurahbil ibn Hasana, and Khalid ibn al-Walid Futuh al-Sham+1.

The work details key military engagements and sieges across the region, including:

• Early clashes in Palestine and the encounters at Marj al-Suffar and Bosra al-Fihrist+1.
• The Battle of Yarmuk against the Byzantine army led by Mahan al-Fihrist+1.
• The siege and surrender of Damascus, Homs, Caesarea, Ashkelon, and Gaza al-Fihrist+1.
• The capitulation of Jerusalem and the arrival of Umar ibn al-Khattab in Syria al-Fihrist+1.

Literary Style and Reception

The work is composed in an epic and popular storytelling style rather than a rigorous historiographical framework Majallat al-Risala. It incorporates extensive rhetorical speeches, personal duels, dramatic battle scenes, and exchanged correspondence, such as letters between Amr ibn al-Aas and Abu Ubayda, as well as victory dispatches sent by Abu Ubayda to Umar Futuh al-Sham+1. While modern historical researchers dismiss its factual reliability for early Islamic history due to its heroic embellishments and romanticized narratives, it remains notable as a popular literary epic of the conquest period Majallat al-Risala+1.

Publication History

The work was edited and published with notes by William Nassau Lees in Calcutta, and was printed in Egypt in two volumes in 1296 AH Iktifa al-Qanu bima huwa ….