Expedition
to Sawîq
While departing from Uhud, Abu
Sufyân had fixed the next year to meet again on the battlefield of Badr and the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) had accepted the
challenge. The hypocrites of Al-Madinah sent Nu'aim bin Mas'ud to Makkah to
remind the Quraish of their challenge to the Muslims of Al-Madinah. Makkah was
then in the grip of a famine. Abu Sufyân told Nu'aim that while he (Abu Sufyân)
was making preparations for the battle, he should go back to Al-Madinah and
report the massive preparations and readiness of the Makkans for the ensuing
fight and so fill the hearts of the Muslims with terror. This was done in hope
that they would hold back from coming out of Al-Madinah and in that way the
battle would be deferred for a year. He made an offer of twenty camels in case
the job assigned to him was accomplished.
Nu'aim came to Al-Madinah to do his
deceitful job and began to tell of the massive battle preparations of the
Quraish. The Muslims came to the Prophet (صلى الله
عليه وآله وسلم) very concerned. Umar bin Khattâb (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) called on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) and submitted, "Why are the Muslims so disturbed with the
news from Makkah when you are a true Prophet of Allâh?" Thereupon the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, "I will
go to the battlefield of Badr in accordance with my promise even if there is
not a single person to accompany me." Following this he made preparations
to give battle to the disbelievers and set out towards Badr. An army of one
thousand five hundred soldiers proceeded under his command.
Abdullah bin Rawâhah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was appointed the
administrator of Al-Madinah and Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) bin Abu Tâlib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
was made the standard-bearer of Islam. Although Abu Sufyân wanted to avoid the
battle, the coming out of the Muslim troops from Al-Madinah forced him to
proceed to the battlefield and he came with an army of two thousand soldiers.
They were not carry anything but parched barley as provisions. The Makkans
called it the Expedition of As-Sawiq.
Abu Sufyân had managed fifty
horsemen to accompany his army. When the Makkan army reached Usfân, they found
out that the Islamic troops numbered one thousand five hundred soldiers under a
strong and solid command. They lost courage for they had already tasted defeat
at the hands of armies much less in strength during the battles of Badr and
Uhud. The disbelievers retreated with the excuse that they thought it
unreasonable to do battle during a drought. When the Makkan army returned from
Usfân, the women of Makkah tauntingly remarked: "Have you gone to eat
Sawiq? Had you proceeded with an intent of fighting, why did you come back at
all?"
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) waited for eight days at Badr but on the
eighth day, Ma'bad bin Abu Ma'bad Khuzâ'i gave him news that Abu Sufyân
returned from Usfân to Makkah. After receiving this information, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) returned to Al-Madinah.
This event took place at the end of Rajab, 4 AH. Although the Muslims didn't
get any booty, they did take full advantage of the fair, which was held at Badr
during those days. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم) came back to Al-Madinah in Sha'bân, Husain bin Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) bin Abu Tâlib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was born the same
year and wine was declared as prohibited. Other events of the year were: the
deaths of Abdullah bin Uthmân bin Affân (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), the maternal grandson of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), Zainab bint Khuzaimah and Fâtimah bint
Usaid, the mother of Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
bin Abu Tâlib. Moreover, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) married Umm Salamah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) after the death of her husband, Abu Salmah Makhzumi.
The
Fifth Year of Migration
On return from the second expedition
to Badr the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
remained in Al-Madinah for a period of six or seven months and nothing
significant took place during this span. In the beginning of Rabi' Al-Awwal, 5
AH, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
got the news that Ukaidir, the Christian ruler of Dumat-ul-Jandal, had
collected a massive army to invade Al-Madinah and they also used to plunder the
trade caravans on the way to Syria. Since this new enemy could prove itself
formidable and the hypocrites, the Jews and other Arabian tribes around
Al-Madinah could aggravate the trouble for the Muslims, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) thought it fit to
stop the menace quickly. Appointing Sibâ' bin Arfatah Ghifâri (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) the administrator of
Al-Madinah, he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
set out with an army of one thousand soldiers. Dumat-ul-Jandal lay at a
distance of five stages from Damascus and ten stages from Al-Madinah. A man
from Banu Adhrah was taken to show the way. During this journey they would move
during the night and rest during the day. When Dumat-ul-Jandal remained at a
distance of one night's journey, the guide said, "The meadow of the enemy
is at hand. It is better to seize their cattle." The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) permitted this
action. Informed of the arrival of the Muslim army, Ukaidir, the ruler of
Dumat-ul-Jandal fled in a state of great terror. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) halted there for a few days and
dispatched detachments to the surrounding areas but no one came to face them.
Expedition
to Banu Al-Mustaliq
On return from Dumat-ul-Jandal, the
Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) took to his mission
of teaching and training the Companions peacefully and single-mindedly. But, during
Sha'bân, 5 AH, news came that the chief of Banu Al-Mustaliq, Hârith bin Abu
Dirâr was making preparations for waging war on Al-Madinah and was also
contacting other tribes to be a party to his plan. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) sent Buraidah bin
Husaib Aslami (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
on the mission of collecting information about their real intention. He came
back with the news that Hârith bin Abu Dirâr was bent upon overthrowing Islam
and the Muslims and he had brought many tribes to his side.
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) ordered the Muslims to rise to the
occasion without loss of time. Appointing Zaid bin Hârithah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) as the administrator of Al-Madinah, he
moved forward at the head of an army consisting of thirty horses, ten of the
Muhâjirin and twenty of the Ansâr. The Muhâjirin and Ansâr were given separate
standards, the standard of the Ansâr was given to Saad bin Ubâdah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and that of the
Muhâjirin was handed over to Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ), while Umar bin Khattâb (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was appointed commander of the advance guard. Since Abdullah
bin Ubai had witnessed the Muslims victorious in the past, he along with his
group of the hypocrites joined the Muslim army with a great desire for the
booty.
Since these hypocrites called
themselves Muslims, they enjoyed all the Islamic rights of a Muslim, and so,
they could not be debarred from taking part in the battles. This was the first
occasion when the hypocrites joined the Muslim camp for fighting. Hârith bin
Abu Dirâr had sent a spy who was caught by the Muslim troops and brought before
the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).
When being a spy was proved beyond doubt and he also rejected the offer of
coming to the fold of Islam, then according to the Arabian practice he was put
to death. When Hârith got the news of the killing of his spy, he felt worried
and embarrassed.
At last Umar bin Khattâb (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was ordered to go
ahead and invite them to accept Islam, and he did the job adequately. But their
response was rude and harsh. Following this, both the sides fell upon each
other. The standard bearer of the disbelievers was killed by Abu Qatâdah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) and with his fall,
the disbelievers ran off. Among the captives was Juwairiyah, the daughter of
the commander of the army, besides booty was taken in a very large quantity.
Muraisi', where the battle took place, was at a distance of nine stages from
Al-Madinah.
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