Ridda Wars

Ridda Wars حُرُوب ٱلرِّدَّة
Map of the major battles of the Ridda Wars
Date 632–633 Location Arabian Peninsula Result Caliphate victory Territorial changes The Rashidun Caliphate establishes control over the entire Arabian Peninsula
Belligerents
Rashidun Caliphate	Rebel Arab tribes
Commanders and leaders
Abu Bakr Zubayr ibn al-Awwam Ali ibn Abi Talib Talha ibn Ubayd Allah Khalid ibn al-Walid Dhiraar ibn al-Azwar Zayd ibn al-Khattab  † Amr ibn al-As Al-Nu'man ibn Muqrin Suwaid ibn Muqrin Ikrima ibn Amr Shurahbil ibn Hasana Khalid ibn Sa'id Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami Arfaja al-Bariqi Hudhayfah al-Bariqi Al-Muhajir ibn Abi Umayya Shahr ibn Badhan  † Fayruz al-Daylami	Musaylima † Aswad Ansi † Tulayha Malik ibn Nuwayra † Sajah  Umm Zhiml Salma  Laqit ibn Malik † Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays  Ghayth ibn Abd Yaghuth Qays ibn Makshuh  Amr ibn Ma'adi Yakrib

The Ridda Wars (Arabic: حُرُوب ٱلرِّدَّة, romanized: ḥurūb al-ridda, lit. 'Apostasy wars') were a series of military campaigns launched by the first caliph Abu Bakr against rebellious Arabian tribes, some of which were led by rival prophet claimants. They began shortly after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632 and concluded the next year, with all battles won by the Rashidun Caliphate.^[1][2]

In September 632, Laqit, the leader of the Banu Azd tribe, prepared an army to attack Oman. However, commander Hudayfa's forces defeated Laqit and his rebel army. The next month, more rebel attacks were faced in Northern Arabia and Yemen, which were also defeated. A few months later, Banu Hanifa's chief Musaylimah, a rival prophet claimant with an army of allegedly 40,000 soldiers, was killed in the Battle of Yamama. The last major rebel attack came from the tribe of Kinda in Hadhramaut in January 633. The campaigns came to an end in June 633 as Abu Bakr united all tribes of Arabia.^[3]

These wars established Khalid ibn al-Walid's reputation as a great tactician and cavalry commander. A detailed reconstruction of the events is complicated by the frequently contradictory and tendentious accounts found in primary sources.^[4]