In many ways, it was more of an organized mob. There were no uniforms and no ranks. – Commanders were appointed at will, generally based on accomplishment or tribal position.- Their weapons was whatever they could find. Many of them came from defeated Persian and Roman soldiers- Most armies have to deal with supplies and feeding thousands of people. Many of the soldiers traveled with their families- The Arabs didn’t have that problem as they carried their food with them and were used to living on very little- They could live for days, even weeks on just dates, water, and camel milk.- This allowed KIW and other commanders to travel long distances with no supply chain or base of operations- The desert itself was another advantage. Most of the Roman soldiers were not used to it.- Unless they were invading a city, the Muslims usually fought with their backs to the desert.- If they were ambushed or fought in the open country, they could slip into the desert where their enemy couldn’t follow.- The four armies sent by Abu Bakr pushed into southern Syria (modern day Jordan) and conquered many small towns