But the troops squarely blamed him for the defeat terming it...
But the troops squarely blamed him for the defeat terming it as the failure of his strategy of warfare! Al-Tabari writes: “When `Umar went with some troops and confronted the men of Khaybar, he and his men ran away and returned to the Prophet (a.s).
At that moment the troops said that `Umar had showed cowardice and `Umar said that the troops were a bunch of cowards!”[1] When there was some reduction in the Prophet’s head ache, he emerged out of his tent and noticing the dropping morale in the troops he said: “By Allah! I shall give the Standard to a person tomorrow who will attack ceaselessly and will not be the one who flees! He befriends Allah and His Prophet (a.s) and they are his friends.
Allah will give us Victory on both his hands!”[2] The Prophet (a.s), in spite of the leaders of the troops blaming them for the failure, did not make any changes in the troops who went for the previous attempts. He only changed the chief because the success of any operation depends on the perseverance and the leadership of the chief. When the chief shows his back to the battle, naturally the troops follow the leader!
The words of the tradition too indicate the fact that the chiefs in the earlier attempts flew! Otherwise, there was no need to say that he would next time give the Standard to a person particularly stressing on his quality of steadfastness and that he would not flee. Anyway, this statement of the Prophet (a.s) is a mirror in which there is clarification of the facts of the matter and description of the traits of the conqueror of Khaybar. And the faces of the persons who chose to fly!
The statement also gives the tiding of victory. In the beginning of the statement there is an oath and a positive expression that the next day victory will be theirs. This statement, therefore, is the result of a Revelation from Allah because predicting what is going to happen tomorrow is not permitted. Allah ordains that what one intends doing tomorrow, he should not say that it shall certainly be done.