—so that we may secure the ford on the opposite bank?”

Sixty of the brave men already mentioned volunteered for him, while the Persians were standing in ranks on the far side (1). One of the Muslims stepped forward—people were still reluctant to wade into the Tigris—and said, “Do you fear this tiny drop of water?” He then recited:
“It is not for any soul to die except by Allah’s leave, at a pre-ordained time.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:145]

He drove his horse into the river, and the people followed. The sixty split into two groups: those mounted on stallions and those mounted on mares. When the Persians saw them floating on the surface of the water they cried, “Dīwānā! Dīwānā!”—meaning, “Madmen, madmen.” They went on to say, “By Allah, you are not fighting human beings; you are fighting jinn!”

They therefore sent some of their horsemen into the water to meet the Muslim vanguard and stop them from coming out of the river. ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAmr ordered his men to lower their lances and aim for the eyes. They did so, gouging out the eyes of the Persians’ horses; the Persians turned and fled before the Muslims, unable to control their mounts until they had reached dry land. ʿĀṣim and his companions pursued them, driving them back until they cleared the far bank, where they halted on the edge of the Tigris.

The rest of ʿĀṣim’s men—of the (600)—then entered the Tigris and forded it until they reached their comrades on the opposite side; together they fought until they had driven the Persians from that bank. They called the first battalion “the Battalion of Terrors,” commanded by ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAmr, and the second “the Silent Battalion,” commanded by Qaʿqāʿ ibn ʿAmr.

All this was happening while Saʿd and the Muslims watched what these horsemen were doing to the Persians (2); Saʿd was seated on the bank (3) of the Tigris. When they saw that the far side had been secured by the Muslim cavalry, Saʿd moved down with the rest of the army. He had instructed the Muslims, upon entering the water, to say: “We seek Allah’s help and rely on Him. Allah is sufficient for us and He is the best Protector. There is no power and no strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Mighty.”

He then plunged his horse into the Tigris and the people plunged after him; not one of them lagged behind. They moved through the river as though walking on solid ground until they filled the space between the two banks, so that the surface of the water could no longer be seen for the multitude of horsemen and foot soldiers. The people spoke on the surface of the water just as they would on land, thanks to the tranquility and security that had settled upon them, their confidence in Allah’s decree, promise, victory, and support—and because their commander was Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, one of the ten promised Paradise. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ had passed away well pleased with him and had prayed for him, saying, “O Allah, answer his supplication and guide his arrow” (4).

It is certain that on that day Saʿd prayed for the safety and victory of his army. He had cast them into this “sea,” and Allah guided them and kept them safe, so that not a single Muslim was lost.