In the time of the Prophet (s) and afterwards, a leading raya (flag), for the commander in chief, and tens of smaller flags, for the tribes and secondary commanders, would be given to the troops in a battle, which were carried by the most brave and powerful warriors of the tribes and units. This kind of flag was first given to the standard-bearers in the Battle of Khaybar.
In the Battle of Khaybar, the Prophet (s) first gave the flag to Abu Bakr, and the next day to ‘Umar b. al-Khattab, but they failed. The Prophet (s) then said: “Verily tomorrow, I will give the flag to one who loves God and His Prophet, (and God and His Prophet love him as well). God will conquer through him, and he never escapes.”
Then he asked for ‘Ali (a) whose eyes were painful, and healed him, and said: “get hold of this flag and carry it through, until God grants you conquest”. Imam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (a), carrying the flag, attacked the Khaybar fort and conquered it.
Bravery of Imam ‘Ali (a) in the Battle of Khaybar
The servant of the Prophet (s), Abu Rafi’, has said regarding the conquest of Khaybar: “We went towards one of the forts of Khaybar in company of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (a) who had the flag of the Prophet (s) in his hand. As he approached the castle, enemy forces came out and attacked us. In the thick of the battle, a Jew struck him and he lost his shield. ‘Ali (a) then dislodged the door of the castle, used it as a shield and fought until God conquered the fort for him.
In the Battle of Khaybar, some companions of the Prophet (s), such as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, failed to conquer the fort of the Jews before the Prophet (s) assigned ‘Ali (a) the task, so that by killing the Jew’s commander in chief, Marhab al-Khaybari, and his brother, Yasir, and some other Jewish champions, and rushing into the castle, ‘Ali (a) made them accept unconditional surrender.
Reference:
Hadīth al-rāya (Arabic:حديث الراية) is a narration from the Prophet (s) regarding Imam ‘Ali’s (a) courage and bravery in the Battle of Khaybar. Shi’a theologians use this narration to prove Imam ‘Ali’s (a) priority and superiority over other companions of the Prophet (s).
Battle of Khaybar (Arabic: غزوة خیبر) was a battle or ghazwa by the Prophet Muhammad (s) against Jews of Khaybar region that began in Muharram of 7/628 and ended with the victory of Muslims in Safar of the same year.
Al-Tabari, al-Tarikh, vol.3 p.387
Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat al-kubra, vol.2 p.77
Ibn Hisham, al-Sira al-Nabawiyya, vol.2 p.334,
Al-Hakim al-Naysaburi, al-Mustadrak, vol.3 p.37
Al-Dhahabi, Mizan al-i’tidal, vol.2 p.218
Ibn Hisham, al-Sira al-Nabawiyya, vol.2 p.316
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