The Greek Jonah, a recent convert to…

September 634 CE

The Greek Jonah, a recent convert to Islam, suggests that Khalid chase the imperial refugees after the three days of armistice agreed upon was over, offering his services to guide Khalid through a short cut route to reach them as soon as possible.

Jonah's fiancé, on hearing of his conversion to Islam, breaks the engagement and decides to move with the imperial refugees to Antioch.

This prompts Jonah once again to go to Khalid, who accepts Jonah’s: they will launch a pursuit after three days, when the three days grace period was over.

The Mobile Guard will dash out in pursuit and go at breakneck speed.

On Jonah's suggestion, it is decided that all would be dressed like local Arabs, so that any Roman units encountered on the way would mistake them for such and not intercept their movement.

The route taken by the Mobile Guard is not recorded.

It is stated by the historian Waqidi that the Muslims caught up with the convoy a short distance from Antioch, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, on a plateau beyond a range of hills called Jabal Ansariya, in Northern Syria.

Due to a heavy downpour, the imperial convoy had dispersed on the plateau, seeking shelter from the weather, while their goods lay all over the place.

So many bundles of brocade lay scattered on the ground that this plain will become known as Marj-ud-Debaj, i.e., the Meadow of Brocade, and for this reason the action described has been named the Battle of Marj-ud-Deebaj, or the Battle of the Meadow of Brocade.

Jonah and other scouts establish the location of the convoy without being spotted and they bring back sufficient information for Khalid to plan his attack.

Khalid arranges a skillful plan of attacking the imperial convoy from four different sides.

First, a cavalry regiment of a thousand warriors will attack the defenders from their rear in the south, subsequently followed by an attack of a cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors from the east, one thousand from the north (thereby blocking their retreat to Antioch) and finally one thousand from the west to encircle them completely.

It all happens as Khalid had planned.

The imperial convoy receives its first indication of the presence of the Muslim army when a regiment of one thousand cavalry comes charging at them from the south, along the road from Damascus, led by Zirrar ibn Azwar.

Half an hour later, another cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors, led by Raafe bin Umair, appears from the east and strikes the defenders’ right flank.

Within the span of half an hour, another cavalry regiment of one thousand warriors led by Abdu'l-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr (Son of Caliph Abu Bakr) approaches from the north, striking the defenders at the rear ,thus blocking their way to retreat north towards Antioch.

After about another half an hour, the final Muslim cavalry of one thousand warriors led by Khalid ibn Walid appears from the west and attacks the defenders’ left flank.

Now the convoy is totally encircled by the Muslim cavalry.

Khalid personally kills Thomas in a duel.

After some more fighting, Roman resistance collapses.

Since the Muslims are too few to completely surround the imperial army and the fighting has become confused as it increases in violence, thousands of imperial soldiers are able to escape and make their way to safety, but all the booty and a large number of captives, both male and female, fall to the Muslims.

According to a chronicle, Jonah found his beloved.

He moved towards her to take her by force; but she drew a dagger from the folds of her dress and killed herself.

As she lay dying, Jonah sat beside her and swore that he would remain true to the memory of the bride he was not destined to possess, and would not look at another girl.

When Khalid comes to know about this, he will offer Jonah the daughter of Emperor Heraclius, the widow of Thomas, but Jonah rejects the proposal; he will die a few years later in the Battle of Yarmouk.