Twelve Men

And a statement of Ibn Kathīr: only twelve men were killed. Ibn Kathīr says: so according to these authorities, the total number killed should be twelve men. Then he says that two armies of opposing faiths — one consisting of those fighting for Allah's cause and numbering three thousand men, and the other of disbelievers totalling two hundred thousand, a hundred thousand Romans and a hundred thousand Christian Arabs — could battle together with the resulting deaths of only twelve Muslims is truly great; and a large number of unbelievers were killed. Khālid alone stated: nine swords were broken in my hand, and finally only a Yemeni broad sword persisted with me. How many must he have killed with those swords — not to mention all the other brave bearers of the Qur'an like him, who sentenced to death those crucifix-worshippers, upon whom be the curses of the Most Merciful, at that time and forever. This relates to the words of the Almighty:

There was a sign for you in the two sides that clashed: one side fought for Allah's cause, while the other were unbelievers, whom they thought to be twice as numerous as themselves; yet Allah assists with victory whomever He pleases; there is surely a lesson in this for those who have sight — Āl ʿImrān, verse 12^*. This is the end of Ghazwat Muʾtah.