The Battle of Khayber and its causes
The Battle of Khayber was fought in
Muharram al-Haraam. According to one opinion, it occurred in 7 Hijri.
Khayber was the biggest centre of
the Jews in Arabia. The Jews of Khayber were very rich and wealthy, and were
experts in warfare.
They had built many strong forts
there, eight out of which are very famous. The combination of these eight forts
is called “Khayber”.¹
The Jews of Khayber were at the
forefront of the disbelievers who attacked Madinah in the Battle of Trench.
They were the ones who intensified this battle and laid the foundation of this
war. It was them who incited the disbelievers of Makkah to invade Madinah and
also helped them financially. The disgrace and humiliation faced in the Battle
of Trench made them further grieved and furious. Uniting with other tribes,
they started conspiring to invade Madinah again.²
When the Final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم came to know about
their conspiracies, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم left for Khayber with an army of 1,600 companions’ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُم.³
(Image
showing historical fort ruins in Khayber)
Referance:
¹ Sharh Al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib,, vol. 3, p. 243,
selected
² Seerat-e-Mustafa, p. 381, summarised
³ Khayber is situated to the north of Madinah on the way to
Tabuk. It is at a distance of around 153 kilometres from Madinah. The land of
Khayber was fertile and the area was known for the fine produce of dates. There
were so many orchards there that the city was not visible. Now, the new city is
situated away from the ancient area.
The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم entered the
boundaries of Khayber in the night. It was his blessed habit that he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم would not attack any
nation in the night.
He صَلَّى
اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم entered the city after Fajr Salah. The
Jews made a plan to fight staying inside the forts. All the forts were
gradually conquered. The biggest and strongest fort of Khayber was ‘Qamoos’,
which was conquered by Sayyiduna Ali رَضِيَ اللهُ
عَنْهُ. Ninety-three Jews were killed in the battles which took place
in Khayber, whereas, fifteen companions رَضِيَ اللهُ
عَنْهُم embraced martyrdom.¹
After the conquest, the Jews
requested not to be expelled from Khayber, and that their land should also be
left under their possession. In exchange, half of the produce should be taken
from them.
The Final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم accepted their
request. When the produce was ready, the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم sent Sayyiduna
Abdullah Bin Rawahah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ
to divide it. He divided it equally into two parts and said to the Jews to take
whatever part they wanted.
Surprised at the distribution, they
said: “The earth and the sky exist due to this justice.”²
Alongside the conquest of Khayber,
many other areas were also conquered. A war was fought at some places, and some
areas were conquered without any war.³
Referance:
1 Sharh al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib, vol.
3, p. 352-353, selected
2 Futooh al-Buldaan, pp. 33-35, selected
3 Sharh al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib,
vol. 3, p. 303, summarised
Performed
Qada Umrah
One of the conditions of the peace
treaty which was made at Hudaybiyah was that Muslims would perform ‘Umrah the
next year and would stay in Makkah for three days. Upon the completion of one
year, in Zul-Qa’dah of 7 Hijri, the Final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم announced: “All those
who were present in Hudaybiyah last year should come.”
All the companions, except the
martyred ones, attained this privilege. The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم set out for Makkah
with two thousand Muslims. Sixty camels were also with them for sacrifice.¹
When the Final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم entered the sanctuary
of Makkah, some disbelievers were observing this scene by climbing up the
nearby mountains. They said to each other: “How will they perform Tawaf? Hunger
and fever have weakened them.”
Referance:
1 Sharh al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib, vol. 3, p. 314,
summarised
Reaching the sanctuary of Makkah,
the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم wore his shawl in such a way that left his right arm and
shoulder uncovered.¹ He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم then said:”May Allah shower His mercy upon the one who shows
his power before these disbelievers.”
Then, along with his companions, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم performed the first
three rounds of Tawaf very firmly by moving his shoulders, and with a great
pride.² This Sunnah still exists today. Every Tawaf-performing person acts upon
it in the first three rounds.
Then the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم performed the Sa’i of
Safa and Marwah, and slaughtered the sacrificial animals. He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم remained in Makkah
for three days and then returned to Madinah. Since this ‘Umrah was due to the
‘Umrah of the previous year, that is why it is called ‘Umrah-tul-Qada.³
Referance:
1 It is called Idtiba.
2 It is called "Ramal" in Arabic.
3 Sharh al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib, vol. 3, pg. 315-325
Causes
of the Battle of Mutah
“Mutah” is a place in the Levant.
The cause of this battle is as follows:
The Final Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم wrote a letter to
Qayser, the king of Busra⁴, and sent it through Sayyiduna Harith Bin Umair رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ. On the way,
Sharahbeel Bin ‘Amr martyred him. When this news reached the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم, it deeply grieved
him. At that time, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ
وَسَلَّم mobilised an army of 3,000 Muslims, and tying a white flag with
his own blessed hands, handed it to Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harithah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ, appointing him the
commander-in-chief of the army. In addition, he صَلَّى
اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم also said: “If he is martyred, then Ja’far
Bin Abu Taalib will be the chief. If he is martyred, then Abdullah Bin Rawahah
will be the chief.”¹
4 Busra: It is the area of the
Levant, where at that time, Shurahbeel Bin ‘Amr was the governor. He would pay
tributes to Caesar, the king of Rome. Remember! Busra and Basra are the names
of two different cities. The city Basra was inhabited as barracks by Sayyiduna
Umar رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ during his caliphate.
Referance:
1 Sharh al-Zurqaani ‘ala al-Mawahib, vol. 3, pp. 339-342
No comments:
Post a Comment