THE SECOND STAGE A NEW PHASE OF ISLAMIC ACTION
Al-Hudaibiyah Truce marked a new phase in the process of Islamic action and life of the Muslims.
Quraish, a bitter enemy of Islam, now withdraws from the war arena and embraces a peaceful
settlement with the Muslims, thus the third support of a tripartite enemy (Quraish, Ghatfan and the
Jews) is broken, and being the holder of the banner of paganism in Arabia, the other pagans’
aggressive feelings towards Islam considerably subsided. Ghatfan Tribe no longer constituted any
remarkable threat, and their provocative deeds were mainly Jewish-instigated actions. The Jews, after
being banished from Madinah, resorted to Khaibar to change it into a hot bed of intrigues against the
Prophet (Peace be upon him). There, they used to hatch their plots, ignite the fire of dissension and
allure the Arabs living in the vicinity of Madinah to join them with the aim of exterminating the new
Islamic state, or at least inflict heavy losses on the Muslims. The Prophet (Peace be upon him), not
heedless of their devilish schemes, placed a decisive war with them as a first priority on his agenda
shortly after the endorsement of the above-mentioned treaty. The treaty of Hudaibiyah allowed the
Muslims to intensify their Islamic career and double up their ceaseless efforts in propagating their
Da‘wah, and consequently give this sort of action preponderance over the military activities. Hence, we
deem it imperative to divide this post-treaty stage into two sections:
1.Ceaseless peaceful efforts in propagating the Islamic Da‘wah (Call) and initiating a sort of
correspondence with kings and princes of the neighbouring political entities.
2.Military activities.
THE PROPHET'S PLANS TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM BEYOND ARABIA
Late in the six year A.H., on his return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) decided to
send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to Islam. In order to authenticate the
credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which were graven the words: “Muhammad the
Messenger of Allâh” in the following formation:
ﺪﻤﺤﻣ
لﻮــﺳر
ﷲا
Envoys were chosen on the basis of their experience and knowledge, and sent on their errands in
Muharram in the year 7 A.H., a few days before heading for Khaibar.
1.A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia):
Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was Ashama bin Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s
message, despatched by Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari, which At-Tabari referred to, either late in the
sixth year or early in the seventh year A.H. Deep scrutiny into the letter shows that it was not the one
sent after Al-Hudaibiyah event. Wording of the letter rather indicates that it was sent to that king when
Ja‘far and his companions emigrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) during the Makkan period. One of its
sentences read “I have despatched my cousin, Ja‘far with a group of Muslims, to you. Do be generous
towards them and give up haughtiness.”
Al-Baihaqi, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, gave the following narration of the Prophet’s letter sent to
Negus: “This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in Allâh and His Messenger. I bear witness
that there is no god but Allâh Alone with no associate, He has taken neither a wife nor a son, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call you unto the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will
find safety,
l “Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held responsible for all the evils of the Christians of
your people.”
Dr. Hameedullah (Paris), a reliable verifier, has adduced a version of the above letter disclosed only a
short time ago and identical to Ibn Al-Qaiyim’s narration. Dr. Hameedullah exerted painstaking effort
and used all means of modern technology to verify the text of the letter, which reads as follows:
“In the Name of Allâh,the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh to Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Salutations, I entertain Allâh’s praise, there is no god
but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of peace, the Giver of peace, the Guardian of faith, the
Preserver of safety. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the spirit of Allâh and His Word which
He cast into Mary, the virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. Allâh created him from
His spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His Hand. I call you to Allâh Alone with no associate
and to His obedience and to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the Messenger
of Allâh. I invite you and your men to Allâh, the Glorious, the All-Mighty. I hereby bear witness that I
have communicated my message and advice. I invite you to listen and accept my advice. Peace be
upon him who follows true guidance.”
The text of this letter is doubtlessly authentic, but to maintain that it was written after Al-Hudaibiyah
event is still a question lacking in definite evidence.
When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to Negus, the latter took the
parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the
following reply to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh!
and mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which
you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you
say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your
cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allâh, true and confirming
(those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through
him to the Lord of the worlds.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had asked Negus to send Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to
Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in Khaibar.
Negus later died in Rajab 9 A.H. shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
announced his death and observed prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the
throne and another letter was sent to him by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) but whether or not he
embraced Islam is still a question not answered yet.
2.Letter to the Vicegerent of Egypt, called Muqawqas:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) wrote to Juraij bin Matta, called Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt and
Alexandria saying:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad slave of Allâh and His Messenger to Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Thereafter, I invite you to accept Islam. Therefore, if you
want security, accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allâh, the Sublime, shall reward you doubly. But if you
refuse to do so, you will bear the burden of the transgression of all the Copts.
l “
Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a, who was chosen to communicate the message, requested an audience with
Muqawqas before imparting the contents of the letter. He addressed Egypt’s vicegerent saying: “There
used to be someone before you who had arrogated the status of the Supreme Lord, so Allâh puhim and
made an example of him in the Hereafter, and in this life; therefore, take warning and never set a bad
example to others.” Muqawqas answered: “We are in no position to relinquish our religion except for a
better one.” Hatib resumed: “We invite you to embrace Islam, which will suffice you all what you may
lose. Our Prophet has called people to profess this Faith, Quraish and the Jews stood against him as
bitter enemies, whereas Christians stood closest to his Call. Upon my life, Moses’s news about Christ is
identical to the latter’s good tidings about the advent of Muhammad; likewise, this invitation of ours to
you to embrace Islam is similar to your invitation to the people of Torah to accept the New Testament.
Once a Prophet rises in a nation, he is eligible for positive response, hence you are subject to the same
Divine Law. Bear in mind that we have not come to dissuade you from religion of Christ but rather
bidding you to adhere to its tenets.” Muqawqas meditated over the contents of the letter deeply and
said: “I have come to the conviction that this Prophet bids nothing abominable; he is neither a straying
magician nor a lying soothsayer. He bears the true manifest seeds of Prophethood, and so I will
consider the affair deeply.” He took the parchment and ordered that it be kept in an ivory casket. He
called a scribe to write the following reply in Arabic:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muqawqas to Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah:
Peace be upon you. I have read your letter and understood its contents, and what you are calling for. I
already know that the coming of a Prophet is still due, but I used to believe he would be born in Syria. I
am sending you as presents two maids, who come from noble Coptic families; clothing and a steed for
riding on. Peace be upon you.”
It is noteworthy that Muqawqas did not avail himself of this priceless opportunity and he did not
embrace Islam. The presents were accepted; Maria, the first maid, stayed with the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), and gave birth to his son Ibrahîm; the other Sirin, was given to Hassan bin Thabit Al-Ansari.
3. A Letter to Chosroes, Emperor of Persia:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh to Chosroes, king of Persia.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in Allâh and His Messenger and testifies that
there is no god but Allâh Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I
invite you to accept the religion of Allâh. I am the Messenger of Allâh sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear of Allâh in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against those who
reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live in security, otherwise, you will be
responsible for all the sins of the Magians.”
‘Abdullah bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi was chosen to carry the letter. This envoy carried it to the king of
Bahrain but we do not know as yet if the latter despatched to Chosroes by one of his men or chose
‘
Abdullah himself.
The proud monarch was enraged by the style of the letter as the name of the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) had been put above his own name. He tore the letter into shreds and forthwith dictated a
command to his viceroy in Yemen to send a couple of troopers to arrest the Prophet and bring him to
his presence. The governor, Bazan by name, immediately sent two men to Madinah for the purpose. As
soon as the men reached Madinah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was informed by a Divine
Revelation that Pervez, the emperor of Persia, had been murdered by his son. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) disclosed to them the news and they were stunned. He added asking them to tell their new
monarch that Islam would prevail everywhere and outstrip the sovereignty of Chosroes himself. They
hurried back to Bazan and communicated to him what they heard. Meanwhile, Sherweh, the new
monarch sent a letter to Bazan confirming the news and bidding him to stop any procedures as regards
the Prophet till further notice. Bazan, together with the Persians in Yemen, went into the folds of Islam,
and gladly signified his adhesion to the Prophet.
4.The Envoy to Caesar, King of Rome:
Al-Bukhari gave a long narration of the contents of the letter sent by the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
to Hercules, king of the Byzantines:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, the slave of Allâh and His Messenger to Hercules, king of the Byzantines.
Blessed are those who follow true guidance. I invite you to embrace Islam so that you may live in
security. If you come within the fold of Islam, Allâh will give you double reward, but in case you turn
your back upon it, then the burden of the sins of all your people shall fall on your shoulders.
l “
Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
The Muslim envoy, Dihyah bin Khalifah Al-Kalbi, was ordered to hand the letter over to king of Busra,
who would in turn, send it to Caesar.
Incidentally, Abu Sufyan bin Harb, who by that time had not embraced Islam, was summoned to the
court and Hercules asked him many questions about Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the religion
which he preached. The testimony which this avowed enemy of the Prophet gave regarding the
personal excellence of the Prophet’s character and the good that Islam was doing the human race, left
Hercules wonder-struck.
Al-Bukhâri, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, narrated that Hercules sent for Abu Sufyan and his
companions, who happened to be trading in Ash-Sham, Jerusalem. That was during the truce that had
been concluded between the polytheists of Quraish and the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).
Hercules, seated amongst his chiefs of staff, asked, “Who amongst you is the nearest relative to the
man who claims to be a Prophet?” “I (Abu Sufyan) replied: ‘I am the nearest relative to him from
amongst the group.’ So they made me sit in front of him and made my companions sit behind me. Then
he called upon his translator and said (to him). ‘Tell them (i.e. Abu Sufyan’s companions) that I am going to ask him (i.e. Abu Sufyan) regarding that men who claims to be a Prophet. So if he tells a lie,
they should contradict him (instantly)’. By Allâh had I not been afraid that my companions would
consider me a liar, I would have told lies”, Abu Sufyan later said.
Abu Sufyan’s testimony went as follows: “Muhammad descends from a noble family. No one of his
family happened to assume kingship. His followers are those deemed weak with numbers ever growing.
He neither tells lies nor betrays others, we fight him and he fights us but with alternate victory. He bids
people to worship Allâh Alone with no associate, and abandon our fathers’ beliefs. He orders us to
observe prayer, honesty, abstinence and maintain strong family ties.” “Hercules, on hearing this
testimony, turned to his translator bidding him to communicate to us his following impression which
reveals full conviction in the truthfulness of Muhammad’s Prophethood: ‘I fully realize that Prophets
come from noble families; he does not affect any previous example of Prophethood. Since none of his
ancestors was a monarch, we cannot then allege that he is a man trying to reclaim his father’s
monarchy. So long as he does not tell lies to people, he is for the more reason, immune to telling lies
as regards Allâh. Concerning his followers being those deemed weak with numbers ever growing, it is
something that goes in agreement with questions of Faith until this latter assumes its full dimensions
geographically and demographically. I have understood that no instance of apostasy has as yet
appeared among his followers, and this points to the bliss of Faith that finds its abode in the human
heart. Betrayal, as I see, is alien to him because real Prophets hold betrayal in . Bidding worship of
Allâh with no associates, observance of prayer, honesty and abstinence and prohibition of paganism are
traits bound to subject to him all my possessions. I have already known that a Prophet must arise but it
has never occurred to me that he will be an Arab from among you. If I was sure I would be faithful to
him, I might hope to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet.’ Hercules then requested
that the Prophet’s letter be read. The observations of the emperor and finally the definite and clear-cut
exposition of the Islamic message could not but create a tense atmosphere amongst the clergy present
at the court. We were ordered to go out.” Abu Sufyan said, “While coming out, I said to my
companions, ‘The matter of Ibn Abi Kabshah [i.e. Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] has become so
prominent that even the king of Banu Al-Asfar (i.e. the Romans) is afraid of him.’ So I continued to
believe that Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) would be victorious, till Allâh made me embrace
Islam.” The king did not embrace Islam — for it was differently ordained. However, the Muslim envoy
was returned to Madinah with the felicitations of the emperor.
On his way back to Madinah, Dihyah Al-Kalbi was intercepted by people from Judham tribe in Hasmi,
who looted the presents sent to the Prophet ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ. Zaid bin Haritha at the head of five hundred
men was despatched to that spot, inflicted heavy losses on those people and captured 1000 camels,
5000 of their cattle and a hundred women and boys. The chief of Judham who had embraced Islam filed
a complaint with the Prophet, who gave a positive response to the former’s protest, and ordered that all
the spoils and captives be returned.
5. A Letter to Mundhir bin Sawa, Governor of Bahrain:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) despatched ‘Al-‘Ala’ bin Al-Hadrami to the governor of Bahrain,
carrying a letter inviting him to embrace Islam. In reply, Al-Mundhir bin Sawa wrote the following
letter:
“
Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him)! I received your injunctions. Prior to this, I read your letter,
which you wrote to the people of Bahrain extending to them an invitation to Islam. Islam appealed to
some of them and they entered the fold of Islam, while others did not find it appealing. In my country,
there live Magians and Jews, and therefore you may inform me of the treatment to be extended to
them.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) wrote the following letter in reply to his:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Mundhir bin Sawa. Peace be on you! I praise Allâh with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger.
Thereafter, I remind you of Allâh, the Mighty, the Glorious. Whoever accepts admonition, does it for his
own good. Whoever follows my messengers and acts in accordance with their guidance, he, in fact,
accepts my advice.
My messengers have highly praised your behaviour. You shall continue in your present office. Give the
new Muslims full chance to preach their religion. I accept your recommendation regarding the people of
Bahrain, and I pardon the offences of the offenders; therefore, you may also forgive them.
Of the people of Bahrain whoever wants to go on in their Jewish or Magian faith, should be made to pay
Jizya (poll-tax).”
6. A Letter to Haudha bin ‘Ali, Governor of Yamama:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Haudha bin ‘Ali:
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Be informed that my religion shall prevail everywhere.
You should accept Islam, and whatever under your command shall remain yours.”
The envoy chosen was Sulait bin ‘Amr Al‘
Amiri,
who
after
communicating
his
message,
carried
back
the
following
reply
to
the
Prophet
(Peace
be
upon
him):
“
The Faith, to which you invite me, is very good. I am a famous orator and poet, the Arabs highly
respect me and I am of account among them. If you include me in your government, I am prepared to
follow you.”
The governor then bestowed a reward on Sulait and presented him with clothes made of Hajr fabric. Of
course, he put all those presents in the trust of the Prophet (Peace be upon him):
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not accept Haudha’s demand. He usually turned down such
peremptory tone, and would say that the whole matter was in the Hand of Allâh, Who gave His land to
whoever He desired. Gabriel later came with the Revelation that Haudha had died. The Prophet (Peace
be upon him), in the context of his comment on this news, said: “Yamama is bound to give rise to a liar
who will arrogate Prophethood to himself but he will subsequently be killed.” In reply to a question
relating to the identity of the killer, the Prophet said “It is one of you, followers of Islam.”
7. A Letter to Harith bin Abi Shamir Al
-Ghassani, King of Damascus:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Al-Harith bin Abi Shamir.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to
believe in Allâh Alone with no associate, thenceafter your kingdom will remain yours.”
Shuja‘ bin Wahab had the honour of taking the letter to Harith, who upon hearing the letter read in his
audience, was madly infuriated and uttered: “Who dares to disposs me of my country, I’ll fight him (the
Prophet),” and arrogantly rejected the Prophet’s invitation to the fold of Islam.
8. A Letter to the King of
‘Oman, Jaifer, and his Brother ‘Abd Al-Jalandi:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah to Jaifer and ‘Abd Al-Jalandi.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance; thereafter I invite both of you to the Call of Islam.
Embrace Islam. Allâh has sent me as a Prophet to all His creatures in order that I may instil fear of
Allâh in the hearts of His disobedient creatures so that there may be left no excuse for those who deny
Allâh. If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of your country; but if you refuse my Call,
you’ve got to remember that all your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your
land, and my Prophethood will assume preponderance over your kingship.”
‘Amr bin Al-’As, who was chosen to carry the letter, narrated the following story that happened before
he was admitted into the audience of Jaifer.
“When I arrived in ‘Oman I contacted ‘Abd, who was known to be more mild-tempered than his brother:
l ‘
Amr: I am the messenger of Allâh’s Prophet coming to see both, you and your brother.
‘Abd: You have to see my brother and read to him the letter you are carrying. He is my senior in
both age and kingship. Incidentally, what is the purport of your mission?
‘Amr: The Prophet calls upon you to believe in Allâh Alone with no associate, discard any other
deities and testify to the slavehood and Messengership of Muhammad.
‘
Abd: O ‘Amr! You come from a noble family, but first of all, tell me what was your father’s
attitude concerning this Faith? You know, we used to follow his steps.
‘
Amr: Death overtook him before believing in Muhammad’s mission; I wish now he had
embraced Islam and been truthful to it before his death. I myself had adopted the same attitude
until Allâh guided me towards Islam.
‘Abd: When did you embrace Islam?
‘
Amr: When I was at Negus’s court. By the way, the latter did also enter into the fold of Islam.
‘Abd: What was his people’s reaction?
‘
Amr: They approved of him and followed his steps.
‘
Abd: The bishops and monks?
‘Amr: They did the same.
‘
Abd: Beware ‘Amr of lying for this soon betrays man.
‘Amr: I never tell lies; moreover, our religion never allows it.
‘
Abd: Has Hercules been informed of the Islamization of Negus?
‘Amr: Yes, of course.
‘
Abd: How did you happen to know that?
‘Amr: Negus used to pay land tax to Hercules, but when the former embraced Islam, he swore
he would discontinue that tax. When this news reached Hercules, his courtiers urged him to take
action against Negus but he refused and added that he himself would do the same if he were not
sparing of his kingship.
‘
Abd: What does your Pexhort you to do?
‘Amr: He exhorts us to obey Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Glorious, be pious and maintain good
ties with family kin; he forbids disobedience, aggression, adultery, wine, idolatry and devotion to
the cross.
‘
Abd: Fair words and fair beliefs are those you are calling for. I wish my brother would follow me
to believe in Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ and profess his religion, but my brother is too sparing of
his kingship to become a subordinate.
‘Amr: Should your brother surrender himself to Islam, the Prophet would give him authority over
his people and take alms tax from the wealthy people to be given to the needy.
‘Abd: That is fair behaviour. But what is this alms tax you have mentioned?
‘
Amr: It is a Divine injunction that alms tax be taken from the well-to-do people who have
surplus wealth and be distributed to the poor.
‘Abd: I doubt if this can work among our people.
Amr stayed for some days to be admitted into Jaifer’s court until he was finally granted this permit.
He asked me to hand him the letter to read it. After that he asked me how Quraish reacted and I
answered that they had followed him, some out of their own freewill and others overpowered by
military fighting. Now, people have chosen Islam in preference to other creeds, and have realized
hrough their mental insight that they had been straying in darkness. None, except you, is now out of
he domain of Islam, so I advise you to embrace Islam so that you can provide security to yourself and
your country.”
Here, he asked me to call on him the following day. The following day he showed some reluctance in
receiving me but his brother, ‘Abd, interceded and I was given the chance to see him again but this
ime to address me in a threatening arrogant tone. However, after a private talk with his brother and
reconsidering the whole situation, both brothers embraced Islam and proved to be true to Islam that
had begun to make its way into this new area.
The context of this story reveals that this letter was sent at a much later date than the others, most
likely after the conquest of Makkah.
Through these letters, the Prophet managed to communicate his Message to most monarchs at that
ime; some believed, while others remained obdurate and persisted in their disbelief. However, the idea
of embracing Islam, and the advent of a new Prophet preoccupied all of them. POST-HUDAIBIYAH HOSTILITIES DHU QARAD INVASION:
It was in fact not a battle but rather a skirmish carried out against a platoon of Bani Fazarah. The place
by which it was fought is known as Dhu Qarad, a reservoir of water at a day’s journey from Madinah.
According to the majority of scholars, this incident took place three days before the battle of Khaibar.
It has been narrated on the authority of Salamah bin Al-Akwa‘, the hero of this battle, that the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) sent his hireling Rabah, with his camels to a nearby pasture. I,
taking Talhah’s horse, went there for the same purpose. When the day dawned, ‘Abdur Rahman AlFazari
made
a
raid,
drove
away
all
the
camels,
and
killed
the
man
who
looked
after
them.
I
told
Rabah
to
ride
the
horse,
take
it
to
Talhah
and
inform
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon
him)
that
the
polytheists
had
made
away
with
his
camels.
Then
I
stood
upon
a
hillock
and
turning
my
face
to
Madinah,
shouted
thrice:
“Come
to
our
help!”
After
that
I
set
out
in
pursuit
of
the
raiders,
shooting
at
them
with
arrows
and
chanting
(self-eulogatory)
verse:
I am the son of Al-Akwa‘ Today is the day of defeat for the mean.
By Allâh, I continued shooting at them and hamstringing their animals. Whenever a horseman turned
upon me, I would come to a tree (hid myself) sitting at its base, shoot at him and hamstring his horse.
At last they entered a narrow mountain gorge. I ascended that mountain and held them at bay
throwing stones at them. I continued to chase them in this way until I got all the camels released with
no one left with them. They fled in all directions and I following and shooting at them continually until
they dropped more than thirty mantles and thirty lances, lightening their burden. On everything they
dropped, I put a mark with a stone so that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and his
Companions might recognize them (that it was booty left by the enemy). They went on until they came
to a narrow valley. They sat down to eat something, and I sat on the top of a tapering rock. Four of
them ascended the mountain coming towards me. When they were near enough to hear me, I shouted:
“
Do you recognize me?” They said: “No. Who are you?” I said: “I am Salamah son of Al-Akwa‘. I can kill
anyone of you I like but none of you can kill me.” So they returned. I did not move from my place until
I saw the horsemen of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), who came riding through the trees.
The foremost among them was Akhram, behind him was Abu Qatadah Al-Ansari followed by Al-Miqdad
bin Al-Aswad. Akhram and ‘Abdur Rahman Al-Fazari met in combat. Akhram hamstrung ‘Abdur
Rahman’s horse but the latter managed to strike him with his lance and kill him. ‘Abdur Rahman turned
around riding Akhram’s horse. Abu Qatadah, seeing this, got engaged in fierce combat with ‘Abdur
Rahman, smote him with his lance and it was fatal. The polytheists consequently fled away and I was in
their pursuit until before sunset they reached a valley with a spring of water called Dhu Qarad. They
rested there to have a drink. I however, running in hot pursuit, turned them out of the valley before
they could drink a drop of water. Later on, the Prophet (Peace be upon him), along with his
Companions, overtook me. I addressed him saying: Messenger of Allâh, let me select from our people
one hundred men and I will follow the marauders and finish them. In reply, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said: “Ibn Al-Akwa‘, you have taken enough and so now you have to show magnanimity; now they
have reached the habitation of Ghatfan where they are being feted.” He added saying: “Our best
horseman today is Abu Qatadah, and our best footman today is Salamah.” He allotted me two shares of
the booty - the share meant for the horseman and the other meant for the footman, and combined both
of them for me. Intending to return to Madinah, he made me mount behind him on his she-camel called
Al‘Adba’.
Al-Hudaibiyah Truce marked a new phase in the process of Islamic action and life of the Muslims.
Quraish, a bitter enemy of Islam, now withdraws from the war arena and embraces a peaceful
settlement with the Muslims, thus the third support of a tripartite enemy (Quraish, Ghatfan and the
Jews) is broken, and being the holder of the banner of paganism in Arabia, the other pagans’
aggressive feelings towards Islam considerably subsided. Ghatfan Tribe no longer constituted any
remarkable threat, and their provocative deeds were mainly Jewish-instigated actions. The Jews, after
being banished from Madinah, resorted to Khaibar to change it into a hot bed of intrigues against the
Prophet (Peace be upon him). There, they used to hatch their plots, ignite the fire of dissension and
allure the Arabs living in the vicinity of Madinah to join them with the aim of exterminating the new
Islamic state, or at least inflict heavy losses on the Muslims. The Prophet (Peace be upon him), not
heedless of their devilish schemes, placed a decisive war with them as a first priority on his agenda
shortly after the endorsement of the above-mentioned treaty. The treaty of Hudaibiyah allowed the
Muslims to intensify their Islamic career and double up their ceaseless efforts in propagating their
Da‘wah, and consequently give this sort of action preponderance over the military activities. Hence, we
deem it imperative to divide this post-treaty stage into two sections:
1.Ceaseless peaceful efforts in propagating the Islamic Da‘wah (Call) and initiating a sort of
correspondence with kings and princes of the neighbouring political entities.
2.Military activities.
THE PROPHET'S PLANS TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM BEYOND ARABIA
Late in the six year A.H., on his return from Hudaibiyah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) decided to
send messages to the kings beyond Arabia calling them to Islam. In order to authenticate the
credentials of his envoys, a silver seal was made in which were graven the words: “Muhammad the
Messenger of Allâh” in the following formation:
ﺪﻤﺤﻣ
لﻮــﺳر
ﷲا
Envoys were chosen on the basis of their experience and knowledge, and sent on their errands in
Muharram in the year 7 A.H., a few days before heading for Khaibar.
1.A Deputation to Abyssinia (Ethiopia):
Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), his name was Ashama bin Al-Abjar, received the Prophet’s
message, despatched by Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari, which At-Tabari referred to, either late in the
sixth year or early in the seventh year A.H. Deep scrutiny into the letter shows that it was not the one
sent after Al-Hudaibiyah event. Wording of the letter rather indicates that it was sent to that king when
Ja‘far and his companions emigrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) during the Makkan period. One of its
sentences read “I have despatched my cousin, Ja‘far with a group of Muslims, to you. Do be generous
towards them and give up haughtiness.”
Al-Baihaqi, on the authority of Ibn Ishaq, gave the following narration of the Prophet’s letter sent to
Negus: “This letter is sent from Muhammad, the Prophet to Negus Al-Ashama, the king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance and believes in Allâh and His Messenger. I bear witness
that there is no god but Allâh Alone with no associate, He has taken neither a wife nor a son, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I call you unto the fold of Islam; if you embrace Islam, you will
find safety,
l “Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Should you reject this invitation, then you will be held responsible for all the evils of the Christians of
your people.”
Dr. Hameedullah (Paris), a reliable verifier, has adduced a version of the above letter disclosed only a
short time ago and identical to Ibn Al-Qaiyim’s narration. Dr. Hameedullah exerted painstaking effort
and used all means of modern technology to verify the text of the letter, which reads as follows:
“In the Name of Allâh,the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad the Messenger of Allâh to Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Salutations, I entertain Allâh’s praise, there is no god
but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of peace, the Giver of peace, the Guardian of faith, the
Preserver of safety. I bear witness that Jesus, the son of Mary, is the spirit of Allâh and His Word which
He cast into Mary, the virgin, the good, the pure, so that she conceived Jesus. Allâh created him from
His spirit and His breathing as He created Adam by His Hand. I call you to Allâh Alone with no associate
and to His obedience and to follow me and to believe in that which came to me, for I am the Messenger
of Allâh. I invite you and your men to Allâh, the Glorious, the All-Mighty. I hereby bear witness that I
have communicated my message and advice. I invite you to listen and accept my advice. Peace be
upon him who follows true guidance.”
The text of this letter is doubtlessly authentic, but to maintain that it was written after Al-Hudaibiyah
event is still a question lacking in definite evidence.
When ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damari communicated the Apostolic letter to Negus, the latter took the
parchment and placed it on his eye, descended to the floor, confessed his faith in Islam and wrote the
following reply to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Negus Ashama to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh. Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allâh!
and mercy and blessing from Allâh beside Whom there is no god. I have received your letter in which
you have mentioned about Jesus and by the Lord of heaven and earth, Jesus is not more than what you
say. We fully acknowledge that with which you have been sent to us and we have entertained your
cousin and his companions. I bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allâh, true and confirming
(those who have gone before you), I pledge to you through your cousin and surrender myself through
him to the Lord of the worlds.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had asked Negus to send Ja‘far and his companions, the emigrants to
Abyssinia (Ethiopia), back home. They came back to see the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in Khaibar.
Negus later died in Rajab 9 A.H. shortly after Tabuk Ghazwa. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
announced his death and observed prayer in absentia for him. Another king succeeded Negus to the
throne and another letter was sent to him by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) but whether or not he
embraced Islam is still a question not answered yet.
2.Letter to the Vicegerent of Egypt, called Muqawqas:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) wrote to Juraij bin Matta, called Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt and
Alexandria saying:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad slave of Allâh and His Messenger to Muqawqas, vicegerent of Egypt.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Thereafter, I invite you to accept Islam. Therefore, if you
want security, accept Islam. If you accept Islam, Allâh, the Sublime, shall reward you doubly. But if you
refuse to do so, you will bear the burden of the transgression of all the Copts.
l “
Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
Hatib bin Abi Balta‘a, who was chosen to communicate the message, requested an audience with
Muqawqas before imparting the contents of the letter. He addressed Egypt’s vicegerent saying: “There
used to be someone before you who had arrogated the status of the Supreme Lord, so Allâh puhim and
made an example of him in the Hereafter, and in this life; therefore, take warning and never set a bad
example to others.” Muqawqas answered: “We are in no position to relinquish our religion except for a
better one.” Hatib resumed: “We invite you to embrace Islam, which will suffice you all what you may
lose. Our Prophet has called people to profess this Faith, Quraish and the Jews stood against him as
bitter enemies, whereas Christians stood closest to his Call. Upon my life, Moses’s news about Christ is
identical to the latter’s good tidings about the advent of Muhammad; likewise, this invitation of ours to
you to embrace Islam is similar to your invitation to the people of Torah to accept the New Testament.
Once a Prophet rises in a nation, he is eligible for positive response, hence you are subject to the same
Divine Law. Bear in mind that we have not come to dissuade you from religion of Christ but rather
bidding you to adhere to its tenets.” Muqawqas meditated over the contents of the letter deeply and
said: “I have come to the conviction that this Prophet bids nothing abominable; he is neither a straying
magician nor a lying soothsayer. He bears the true manifest seeds of Prophethood, and so I will
consider the affair deeply.” He took the parchment and ordered that it be kept in an ivory casket. He
called a scribe to write the following reply in Arabic:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muqawqas to Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah:
Peace be upon you. I have read your letter and understood its contents, and what you are calling for. I
already know that the coming of a Prophet is still due, but I used to believe he would be born in Syria. I
am sending you as presents two maids, who come from noble Coptic families; clothing and a steed for
riding on. Peace be upon you.”
It is noteworthy that Muqawqas did not avail himself of this priceless opportunity and he did not
embrace Islam. The presents were accepted; Maria, the first maid, stayed with the Prophet (Peace be
upon him), and gave birth to his son Ibrahîm; the other Sirin, was given to Hassan bin Thabit Al-Ansari.
3. A Letter to Chosroes, Emperor of Persia:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allâh to Chosroes, king of Persia.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in Allâh and His Messenger and testifies that
there is no god but Allâh Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I
invite you to accept the religion of Allâh. I am the Messenger of Allâh sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear of Allâh in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against those who
reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live in security, otherwise, you will be
responsible for all the sins of the Magians.”
‘Abdullah bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi was chosen to carry the letter. This envoy carried it to the king of
Bahrain but we do not know as yet if the latter despatched to Chosroes by one of his men or chose
‘
Abdullah himself.
The proud monarch was enraged by the style of the letter as the name of the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) had been put above his own name. He tore the letter into shreds and forthwith dictated a
command to his viceroy in Yemen to send a couple of troopers to arrest the Prophet and bring him to
his presence. The governor, Bazan by name, immediately sent two men to Madinah for the purpose. As
soon as the men reached Madinah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was informed by a Divine
Revelation that Pervez, the emperor of Persia, had been murdered by his son. The Prophet (Peace be
upon him) disclosed to them the news and they were stunned. He added asking them to tell their new
monarch that Islam would prevail everywhere and outstrip the sovereignty of Chosroes himself. They
hurried back to Bazan and communicated to him what they heard. Meanwhile, Sherweh, the new
monarch sent a letter to Bazan confirming the news and bidding him to stop any procedures as regards
the Prophet till further notice. Bazan, together with the Persians in Yemen, went into the folds of Islam,
and gladly signified his adhesion to the Prophet.
4.The Envoy to Caesar, King of Rome:
Al-Bukhari gave a long narration of the contents of the letter sent by the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
to Hercules, king of the Byzantines:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, the slave of Allâh and His Messenger to Hercules, king of the Byzantines.
Blessed are those who follow true guidance. I invite you to embrace Islam so that you may live in
security. If you come within the fold of Islam, Allâh will give you double reward, but in case you turn
your back upon it, then the burden of the sins of all your people shall fall on your shoulders.
l “
Say [O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)]: ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians),
come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but Allâh, and that we
associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides Allâh.’
Then, if they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we are Muslims.’ ” [3:64]
The Muslim envoy, Dihyah bin Khalifah Al-Kalbi, was ordered to hand the letter over to king of Busra,
who would in turn, send it to Caesar.
Incidentally, Abu Sufyan bin Harb, who by that time had not embraced Islam, was summoned to the
court and Hercules asked him many questions about Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the religion
which he preached. The testimony which this avowed enemy of the Prophet gave regarding the
personal excellence of the Prophet’s character and the good that Islam was doing the human race, left
Hercules wonder-struck.
Al-Bukhâri, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, narrated that Hercules sent for Abu Sufyan and his
companions, who happened to be trading in Ash-Sham, Jerusalem. That was during the truce that had
been concluded between the polytheists of Quraish and the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).
Hercules, seated amongst his chiefs of staff, asked, “Who amongst you is the nearest relative to the
man who claims to be a Prophet?” “I (Abu Sufyan) replied: ‘I am the nearest relative to him from
amongst the group.’ So they made me sit in front of him and made my companions sit behind me. Then
he called upon his translator and said (to him). ‘Tell them (i.e. Abu Sufyan’s companions) that I am going to ask him (i.e. Abu Sufyan) regarding that men who claims to be a Prophet. So if he tells a lie,
they should contradict him (instantly)’. By Allâh had I not been afraid that my companions would
consider me a liar, I would have told lies”, Abu Sufyan later said.
Abu Sufyan’s testimony went as follows: “Muhammad descends from a noble family. No one of his
family happened to assume kingship. His followers are those deemed weak with numbers ever growing.
He neither tells lies nor betrays others, we fight him and he fights us but with alternate victory. He bids
people to worship Allâh Alone with no associate, and abandon our fathers’ beliefs. He orders us to
observe prayer, honesty, abstinence and maintain strong family ties.” “Hercules, on hearing this
testimony, turned to his translator bidding him to communicate to us his following impression which
reveals full conviction in the truthfulness of Muhammad’s Prophethood: ‘I fully realize that Prophets
come from noble families; he does not affect any previous example of Prophethood. Since none of his
ancestors was a monarch, we cannot then allege that he is a man trying to reclaim his father’s
monarchy. So long as he does not tell lies to people, he is for the more reason, immune to telling lies
as regards Allâh. Concerning his followers being those deemed weak with numbers ever growing, it is
something that goes in agreement with questions of Faith until this latter assumes its full dimensions
geographically and demographically. I have understood that no instance of apostasy has as yet
appeared among his followers, and this points to the bliss of Faith that finds its abode in the human
heart. Betrayal, as I see, is alien to him because real Prophets hold betrayal in . Bidding worship of
Allâh with no associates, observance of prayer, honesty and abstinence and prohibition of paganism are
traits bound to subject to him all my possessions. I have already known that a Prophet must arise but it
has never occurred to me that he will be an Arab from among you. If I was sure I would be faithful to
him, I might hope to meet him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet.’ Hercules then requested
that the Prophet’s letter be read. The observations of the emperor and finally the definite and clear-cut
exposition of the Islamic message could not but create a tense atmosphere amongst the clergy present
at the court. We were ordered to go out.” Abu Sufyan said, “While coming out, I said to my
companions, ‘The matter of Ibn Abi Kabshah [i.e. Muhammad (Peace be upon him)] has become so
prominent that even the king of Banu Al-Asfar (i.e. the Romans) is afraid of him.’ So I continued to
believe that Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him) would be victorious, till Allâh made me embrace
Islam.” The king did not embrace Islam — for it was differently ordained. However, the Muslim envoy
was returned to Madinah with the felicitations of the emperor.
On his way back to Madinah, Dihyah Al-Kalbi was intercepted by people from Judham tribe in Hasmi,
who looted the presents sent to the Prophet ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ. Zaid bin Haritha at the head of five hundred
men was despatched to that spot, inflicted heavy losses on those people and captured 1000 camels,
5000 of their cattle and a hundred women and boys. The chief of Judham who had embraced Islam filed
a complaint with the Prophet, who gave a positive response to the former’s protest, and ordered that all
the spoils and captives be returned.
5. A Letter to Mundhir bin Sawa, Governor of Bahrain:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) despatched ‘Al-‘Ala’ bin Al-Hadrami to the governor of Bahrain,
carrying a letter inviting him to embrace Islam. In reply, Al-Mundhir bin Sawa wrote the following
letter:
“
Allâh’s Messenger (Peace be upon him)! I received your injunctions. Prior to this, I read your letter,
which you wrote to the people of Bahrain extending to them an invitation to Islam. Islam appealed to
some of them and they entered the fold of Islam, while others did not find it appealing. In my country,
there live Magians and Jews, and therefore you may inform me of the treatment to be extended to
them.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) wrote the following letter in reply to his:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Mundhir bin Sawa. Peace be on you! I praise Allâh with no associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger.
Thereafter, I remind you of Allâh, the Mighty, the Glorious. Whoever accepts admonition, does it for his
own good. Whoever follows my messengers and acts in accordance with their guidance, he, in fact,
accepts my advice.
My messengers have highly praised your behaviour. You shall continue in your present office. Give the
new Muslims full chance to preach their religion. I accept your recommendation regarding the people of
Bahrain, and I pardon the offences of the offenders; therefore, you may also forgive them.
Of the people of Bahrain whoever wants to go on in their Jewish or Magian faith, should be made to pay
Jizya (poll-tax).”
6. A Letter to Haudha bin ‘Ali, Governor of Yamama:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Haudha bin ‘Ali:
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Be informed that my religion shall prevail everywhere.
You should accept Islam, and whatever under your command shall remain yours.”
The envoy chosen was Sulait bin ‘Amr Al‘
Amiri,
who
after
communicating
his
message,
carried
back
the
following
reply
to
the
Prophet
(Peace
be
upon
him):
“
The Faith, to which you invite me, is very good. I am a famous orator and poet, the Arabs highly
respect me and I am of account among them. If you include me in your government, I am prepared to
follow you.”
The governor then bestowed a reward on Sulait and presented him with clothes made of Hajr fabric. Of
course, he put all those presents in the trust of the Prophet (Peace be upon him):
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did not accept Haudha’s demand. He usually turned down such
peremptory tone, and would say that the whole matter was in the Hand of Allâh, Who gave His land to
whoever He desired. Gabriel later came with the Revelation that Haudha had died. The Prophet (Peace
be upon him), in the context of his comment on this news, said: “Yamama is bound to give rise to a liar
who will arrogate Prophethood to himself but he will subsequently be killed.” In reply to a question
relating to the identity of the killer, the Prophet said “It is one of you, followers of Islam.”
7. A Letter to Harith bin Abi Shamir Al
-Ghassani, King of Damascus:
“
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allâh to Al-Harith bin Abi Shamir.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in it and regards it as true. I invite you to
believe in Allâh Alone with no associate, thenceafter your kingdom will remain yours.”
Shuja‘ bin Wahab had the honour of taking the letter to Harith, who upon hearing the letter read in his
audience, was madly infuriated and uttered: “Who dares to disposs me of my country, I’ll fight him (the
Prophet),” and arrogantly rejected the Prophet’s invitation to the fold of Islam.
8. A Letter to the King of
‘Oman, Jaifer, and his Brother ‘Abd Al-Jalandi:
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
From Muhammad bin ‘Abdullah to Jaifer and ‘Abd Al-Jalandi.
Peace be upon him who follows true guidance; thereafter I invite both of you to the Call of Islam.
Embrace Islam. Allâh has sent me as a Prophet to all His creatures in order that I may instil fear of
Allâh in the hearts of His disobedient creatures so that there may be left no excuse for those who deny
Allâh. If you two accept Islam, you will remain in command of your country; but if you refuse my Call,
you’ve got to remember that all your possessions are perishable. My horsemen will appropriate your
land, and my Prophethood will assume preponderance over your kingship.”
‘Amr bin Al-’As, who was chosen to carry the letter, narrated the following story that happened before
he was admitted into the audience of Jaifer.
“When I arrived in ‘Oman I contacted ‘Abd, who was known to be more mild-tempered than his brother:
l ‘
Amr: I am the messenger of Allâh’s Prophet coming to see both, you and your brother.
‘Abd: You have to see my brother and read to him the letter you are carrying. He is my senior in
both age and kingship. Incidentally, what is the purport of your mission?
‘Amr: The Prophet calls upon you to believe in Allâh Alone with no associate, discard any other
deities and testify to the slavehood and Messengership of Muhammad.
‘
Abd: O ‘Amr! You come from a noble family, but first of all, tell me what was your father’s
attitude concerning this Faith? You know, we used to follow his steps.
‘
Amr: Death overtook him before believing in Muhammad’s mission; I wish now he had
embraced Islam and been truthful to it before his death. I myself had adopted the same attitude
until Allâh guided me towards Islam.
‘Abd: When did you embrace Islam?
‘
Amr: When I was at Negus’s court. By the way, the latter did also enter into the fold of Islam.
‘Abd: What was his people’s reaction?
‘
Amr: They approved of him and followed his steps.
‘
Abd: The bishops and monks?
‘Amr: They did the same.
‘
Abd: Beware ‘Amr of lying for this soon betrays man.
‘Amr: I never tell lies; moreover, our religion never allows it.
‘
Abd: Has Hercules been informed of the Islamization of Negus?
‘Amr: Yes, of course.
‘
Abd: How did you happen to know that?
‘Amr: Negus used to pay land tax to Hercules, but when the former embraced Islam, he swore
he would discontinue that tax. When this news reached Hercules, his courtiers urged him to take
action against Negus but he refused and added that he himself would do the same if he were not
sparing of his kingship.
‘
Abd: What does your Pexhort you to do?
‘Amr: He exhorts us to obey Allâh, the All-Mighty, the All-Glorious, be pious and maintain good
ties with family kin; he forbids disobedience, aggression, adultery, wine, idolatry and devotion to
the cross.
‘
Abd: Fair words and fair beliefs are those you are calling for. I wish my brother would follow me
to believe in Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ and profess his religion, but my brother is too sparing of
his kingship to become a subordinate.
‘Amr: Should your brother surrender himself to Islam, the Prophet would give him authority over
his people and take alms tax from the wealthy people to be given to the needy.
‘Abd: That is fair behaviour. But what is this alms tax you have mentioned?
‘
Amr: It is a Divine injunction that alms tax be taken from the well-to-do people who have
surplus wealth and be distributed to the poor.
‘Abd: I doubt if this can work among our people.
Amr stayed for some days to be admitted into Jaifer’s court until he was finally granted this permit.
He asked me to hand him the letter to read it. After that he asked me how Quraish reacted and I
answered that they had followed him, some out of their own freewill and others overpowered by
military fighting. Now, people have chosen Islam in preference to other creeds, and have realized
hrough their mental insight that they had been straying in darkness. None, except you, is now out of
he domain of Islam, so I advise you to embrace Islam so that you can provide security to yourself and
your country.”
Here, he asked me to call on him the following day. The following day he showed some reluctance in
receiving me but his brother, ‘Abd, interceded and I was given the chance to see him again but this
ime to address me in a threatening arrogant tone. However, after a private talk with his brother and
reconsidering the whole situation, both brothers embraced Islam and proved to be true to Islam that
had begun to make its way into this new area.
The context of this story reveals that this letter was sent at a much later date than the others, most
likely after the conquest of Makkah.
Through these letters, the Prophet managed to communicate his Message to most monarchs at that
ime; some believed, while others remained obdurate and persisted in their disbelief. However, the idea
of embracing Islam, and the advent of a new Prophet preoccupied all of them. POST-HUDAIBIYAH HOSTILITIES DHU QARAD INVASION:
It was in fact not a battle but rather a skirmish carried out against a platoon of Bani Fazarah. The place
by which it was fought is known as Dhu Qarad, a reservoir of water at a day’s journey from Madinah.
According to the majority of scholars, this incident took place three days before the battle of Khaibar.
It has been narrated on the authority of Salamah bin Al-Akwa‘, the hero of this battle, that the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) sent his hireling Rabah, with his camels to a nearby pasture. I,
taking Talhah’s horse, went there for the same purpose. When the day dawned, ‘Abdur Rahman AlFazari
made
a
raid,
drove
away
all
the
camels,
and
killed
the
man
who
looked
after
them.
I
told
Rabah
to
ride
the
horse,
take
it
to
Talhah
and
inform
the
Messenger
of
Allâh
(Peace
be
upon
him)
that
the
polytheists
had
made
away
with
his
camels.
Then
I
stood
upon
a
hillock
and
turning
my
face
to
Madinah,
shouted
thrice:
“Come
to
our
help!”
After
that
I
set
out
in
pursuit
of
the
raiders,
shooting
at
them
with
arrows
and
chanting
(self-eulogatory)
verse:
I am the son of Al-Akwa‘ Today is the day of defeat for the mean.
By Allâh, I continued shooting at them and hamstringing their animals. Whenever a horseman turned
upon me, I would come to a tree (hid myself) sitting at its base, shoot at him and hamstring his horse.
At last they entered a narrow mountain gorge. I ascended that mountain and held them at bay
throwing stones at them. I continued to chase them in this way until I got all the camels released with
no one left with them. They fled in all directions and I following and shooting at them continually until
they dropped more than thirty mantles and thirty lances, lightening their burden. On everything they
dropped, I put a mark with a stone so that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and his
Companions might recognize them (that it was booty left by the enemy). They went on until they came
to a narrow valley. They sat down to eat something, and I sat on the top of a tapering rock. Four of
them ascended the mountain coming towards me. When they were near enough to hear me, I shouted:
“
Do you recognize me?” They said: “No. Who are you?” I said: “I am Salamah son of Al-Akwa‘. I can kill
anyone of you I like but none of you can kill me.” So they returned. I did not move from my place until
I saw the horsemen of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), who came riding through the trees.
The foremost among them was Akhram, behind him was Abu Qatadah Al-Ansari followed by Al-Miqdad
bin Al-Aswad. Akhram and ‘Abdur Rahman Al-Fazari met in combat. Akhram hamstrung ‘Abdur
Rahman’s horse but the latter managed to strike him with his lance and kill him. ‘Abdur Rahman turned
around riding Akhram’s horse. Abu Qatadah, seeing this, got engaged in fierce combat with ‘Abdur
Rahman, smote him with his lance and it was fatal. The polytheists consequently fled away and I was in
their pursuit until before sunset they reached a valley with a spring of water called Dhu Qarad. They
rested there to have a drink. I however, running in hot pursuit, turned them out of the valley before
they could drink a drop of water. Later on, the Prophet (Peace be upon him), along with his
Companions, overtook me. I addressed him saying: Messenger of Allâh, let me select from our people
one hundred men and I will follow the marauders and finish them. In reply, the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) said: “Ibn Al-Akwa‘, you have taken enough and so now you have to show magnanimity; now they
have reached the habitation of Ghatfan where they are being feted.” He added saying: “Our best
horseman today is Abu Qatadah, and our best footman today is Salamah.” He allotted me two shares of
the booty - the share meant for the horseman and the other meant for the footman, and combined both
of them for me. Intending to return to Madinah, he made me mount behind him on his she-camel called
Al‘Adba’.
THE CONQUEST OF KHAIBAR (In Moharram, 7A.H.)
Khaibar was a spacious strongly fortified territory, studded with castles and farms, lying at a distance of
60-80 miles north of Madinah, now a village known for its uncongenial climate. After Al-Hudaibiyah
Treaty, the major party of the anti-Islam tripartite coalition — Quraish, the bedouin horde of Najd tribes
and the Jews — was neutralized, therefore, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) deemed it an appropriate
time to settle his affairs with the other two wings — the Jews and the Najd tribes — in order that peace
and security could prevail and the Muslims may devote their time and effort in propagating the Message
of Allâh and calling people to embrace it. Khaibar itself had always remained a hotbed of intrigue and
conspiracy, and the Jews had always constituted it a source of military provocations and war instigation
centre, so it was given a top priority on the agenda of the Prophet’s compelling exigencies. The Jews of
Khaibar had united by an ancient alliance with the Confederates, triggered Bani Quraiza to practise
treachery, maintained contacts with Ghatfan and the Arabians and they even devised an attempt at the
Prophet’s life. In fact, the continual afflictions that the Muslims had sustained were primarily
attributable to the Jews. Envoys were repeatedly sent to them for peaceful settlement, but all in vain.
Consequently the Prophet (Peace be upon him) came to the conclusion that a military campaign was a
must in order to forestall their hostilities.
Interpreters of the Noble Qur’ân suggest that capturing Khaibar had been a Divine promise implied in
Allâh’s Words:
l “Allâh has promised you abundant spoils that you will capture, and He has hastened for you
this.” [48:20]
i.e., Al-Hudaibiyah Peace Treaty and the surrender of Khaibar.
The hypocrites and people weak oheart had hung back from joining the true Muslims in Al-Hudaibiyah
campaigns, so now Allâh, the All-Mighty inculcated the following words in His Prophet’s ears:
l “
Those who lagged behind will say, when you set forth to take the spoils, ‘Allow us to follow you.’
They want to change Allâh’s Words. Say: ‘You shall not follow us; thus Allâh has said
beforehand.’ Then they will say: ‘Nay, you envy us.’ Nay, but they understand not except a
little.” [48:15]
For this reason, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) invited only those who were willing to fight in the
cause of Allâh to accompany him in his march against Khaibar. 1400 men only, who had sworn
allegiance in response to his call.
Meanwhile, Siba‘ bin ‘Arfatah Al-Ghifari was chosen to run the affairs of Madinah. Another incident of
high significance is noteworthy, namely the Islamization of Abu Huraira, a venerable Muslim scholar and
an authentic narrator of the Prophetic traditions.
The hypocrites of Arabia took notice of the fresh Islamic intentions so they began to alert the Jews to
the imminent military activities. Their chief, ‘Abdullah bin Ubai delegated an envoy to the Jews of
Khaibar warning them against the dangers approaching, and nerving them to resist the Muslims as they
outnumbered the latter and were better equipped. On hearing the news the Jews despatched Kinanah
bin Abi Al-Huqaiq and Haudha bin Qais to their former allies, the tribe of Ghatfan requesting military
assistance, promising to grant them half the yield of the fruit that their farms could yield if they
managed to beat the Muslims.
The Prophet marched by way of Isra Mountain and then went forward with the army till he halted in a
valley called Ar-Raji‘, encamping between Khaibar and Ghatfan so as to prevent the latter from
reinforcing the Jews. The guides accompanying him led him to an intersection from which branched out
three roads with different designations; all leading to his destination. He abstained from following the first two roads on grounds of their ominous designation and chose the third for its propitious
indications.
It is noteworthy that some interesting incidents featured the Muslims’ march towards Khaibar; of which
we mention the following:
1.It has been narrated on the authority of Salamah bin Al-Akwa‘, who said: We marched upon
Khaibar with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him). We journeyed during the night. One of
the men said to my brother ‘Amir: Won’t you recite to us some of your verses, ‘Amir? So he
began to chant his verses to urge the camels, reciting:
l
O Allâh, if You had not guided us,
We would have neither been guided rightly nor practised charity, nor offered prayers.
We wish to lay down our lives for You; so forgive You our lapses,
And keep us steadfast when we encounter (our enemies).
Bestow upon us peace and tranquility,
Behold, when with a cry they called upon us to help.
The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) said: “Who is this driver (of the camels)?” They said: “It is
‘Amir.” He said: “Allâh will show mercy to him.” A man said: “Martyrdom is reserved for him; O
Messenger of Allâh, would that you had allowed us to benefit ourselves from his life.” The Prophet’s
Companions had already known that he would never invoke Allâh’s mercy upon a close Companion but
to single him out for martyrdom.
2.On their way down a valley, the Muslims began to entertain Allâh’s Greatness: shouting at the
top of their voices: “Allâh is Great, Allâh is Great, there is no god but Allâh.” The Prophet (Peace
be upon him) asked them to lower down their voices saying: “The One you are invoking is
neither absent nor deaf; He is close to you, All-hearing.”
3.In a spot called As-Sahba’, not far from Khaibar, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) observed the
afternoon prayer, then he called his Companions to have whatever food provisions they had.
What they brought was too scanty to satisfy them all. The Prophet took it by his hand and it
immediately grew in quantity, so they all ate to their fill. Shortly afterward, he and the others,
rinsed their mouths and performed the evening prayer without ablution; he did the same for the
night prayer.
The following morning, at sunrise, the Muslims encountered the Jews when they had come out about
their jobs with their axes, spades and strings driving their cattle along. They began to shout in surprise:
“
Muhammad has come along with his force!” The Messenger of Allâh ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ
said: “Allâh is Great,
Khaibar shall face destruction. Behold! When we descend in the city centre, it will be a bad day for
those who have been warned (but have not taken heed).”
For encampment, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had chosen a certain plot of land he deemed
suitable to serve as the headquarters of his army. However, a veteran fighter of his called Hubab bin
Al-Mundhir suggested that they, under the exigencies of war requirements and for the sake of providing
maximum logistic facilities, shift to another place. On approaching the vicinity of Khaibar, the Prophet
ordered his troops to halt, and began to invoke his Lord saying: “O Allâh! Lord of the seven heavens
and what they harbour beneath, Lord of the seven earths and what lies in their wombs, Lord of devils
and whomsoever they have led astray; we beseech You to grant us the good of this village (Khaibar),
the good of its inhabitants and the good that lies in it. We seek refuge with You from the evil of this
village, the evil of its inhabitants, and the evil that lies in it.” Then he ordered, “Now march (towards
the village) in the Name of Allâh.”
“
The banner”, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) declared “would be entrusted to a man who loves Allâh
and His Messenger and they (Allâh and His Messenger) love him.” All the Muslims came forward in the
following morning hoping to be granted the honour of carrying the banner. The Prophet (Peace be upon
him) called for ‘Ali bin Abi Talib whose eyes used to hurt, and handed it to him. ‘Ali, on his part, pledged he would fight the enemies until they embraced Islam. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
answered him saying: “Take things easy and invite them to accept Islam and brief them on their duties
towards Allâh. I swear by Allâh that if only one should be guided through your example, that would
surely outweigh the best of our camels.”
Khaibar, it seems, was split into two parts with five forts in the first: Na‘im, As-Sa‘b bin Mu‘adh, the
castle of Az-Zubair, ’Abi Castle, and An-Nizar in Ash-Shiqq; three others were in part two: Al-Qamus,
Al-Wateeh and As-Salalim.
The Actual Operation begins:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) began the campaign by reducing the minor strongholds one after the
other. The first fort he was to attack was Na‘im, the first defence line with a formidable strategic
position. Marhab, the leader of the fort, invited ‘Amr bin Al-Akwa‘ to meet him in combat and the latter
responded; when ‘Amr struck the Jew, his sword recoiled and wounded his knee, and he died of that
wound. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) later said: “For him (‘Amir) there is a double reward in the
Hereafter.” He indicated this by putting two of his fingers together. ‘Ali bin Abi Talib then undertook to
meet Marhab in combat, and managed to kill him. Yasir, Marhab’s brother, then turned up challenging
the Muslims to a fight. Az-Zubair was equal to it and killed him on the spot. Real fighting then broke out
and lasted for a few days. The Jews showed courage and proved to be too formidable even to the
repeated rushes of the veteran soldiers of Islam. However, they later realized the futility of resistance
and began to abandon their positions in An-Na‘im and infiltrate into the fortress of As-Sa‘b.
Al-Hubab bin Al-Mundhir Al-Ansari led the attack on As-Sa‘b fortress and laid siege to it for three days
after which the Muslims stormed it with a lot of booty, provisions and food to fall to their lot therein.
This victory came in the wake of the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) invocation to Allâh to help Banu
Aslam in their relentless and daring attempts to capture that fort.
During the process of the war operations, extreme hunger struck the Muslims. They lit fires,
slaughtered domestic asses and beto cook them. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) inquired about
the fires and cooking, he ordered that they throw away the meat and wash the cooking pots, forbidding
the practice of eating such meat.
The Jews, meanwhile, evacuated An-Natat and barricaded themselves in Az-Zubair fort, a formidable
defensive position inaccessible to both cavalry and infantry. The Muslims besieged it for three days, but
in vain. A Jew spy told the Prophet about a subterranean water source that provided them with water,
and advised that it be cut off in order to undermine their resistance. The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
did that so the Jews got out to engage with the Muslims in fierce fighting during which some Muslims
and ten Jews were killed, but the fort was eventually conquered.
Shortly after this battle, the Jews moved to ’Abi Castle and barricaded themselves inside. The same
events recurred; the Muslims besieged the new site for three days and then the great Muslim hero Abu
Dujanah Sammak bin Kharshah Al-Ansari — of the red ribbon — led the Muslim army and broke into the
castle, conducted fierce military operations within and forced the remaining Jews to flee for their lives
into another fort, An-Nizar.
An-Nizar was the most powerful fort, and the Jews came to the established conviction that it was too
immune to be stormed, so they deemed it a safe place for their children and women. The Muslims,
however, were not dismayed but dragged on the siege, but because standing at a commanding top, the
fort was impregnable. The Jews inside were too cowardly to meet the Muslims in open fight but rather
hurled a shower of arrows and stones on the attackers. Considering this situation, the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) ordered that rams be used and these proved effective and caused cracks in the ramparts
providing an easy access into the heart of the fort, where the Jews were put to rout and fled in all
directions leaving behind their women and children.
With these series of military victories, the first division of Khaibar was totally reduced, and the Jews in
the other minor fortresses evacuated them and fled to the second division. THE SECOND PART OF OF KHAIBAR CONQURED:
When the Prophet (Peace be upon him), along with his army, moved to this part of Khaibar, Al-Katiba,
he laid a heavy siege to it for fourteen days with the Jews barricading themselves inside their forts.
When he was about to use the rams, the Jews realized that they would perish, therefore, they asked for
a negotiable peace treaty.
There is one controversial point in this context. Was this part of Khaibar (with its three forts) conquered
by force? Ibn Ishaq clearly stated that Al-Qamus fort was conquered by force. Al-Waqidi, on the other
hand, maintained that the three forts were taken through peace negotiations, and force, if any, was
resorted to only to hand the fort over to the Muslims; the two other forts surrendered without fighting.
NEGOTIATIONS:
Ibn Abi Al-Huqaiq was despatched to the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) to negotiate the
surrender treaty. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) agreed to spare their lives on condition they
evacuate Khaibar and the adjacent land, leaving whatever gold and silver they had in their possession.
However, he stipulated that he would disavow any commitment if they concealed anything. Shortly
afterwards, the forts were handed over to the Muslims and all Khaibar was reduced and brought under
the sway of Islam.
This treaty notwithstanding, Abi Al-Huqaiq’s two sons concealed a leather bag full of jewels, and money
belonging to Huyai bin Al-Akhtab, who carried it with him when Banu Nadir had been banished. Kinanah
bin Ar-Rabi‘, who had hidden the musk somewhere, was obdurate in his denial and so he was killed
when the musk was discovered and his dishonesty was proven. Abi Al-Huqaiq’s two sons were killed in
recompense for breaching the covenant, and Safiyah, Huyai’s daughter was taken as a captive.
DISTRIBUTION OF SPOILS:
In accordance with the agreement already concluded, the Jews would be obliged to evacuate Khaibar,
but they were anxious to keep on cultivating the rich soil and fine orchard for which Khaibar was
famous. They, therefore, approached the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with the request that they be
allowed to cultivate their lands and they would give half of the produce to the Muslims. Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) was kind enough to accede to their request.
The Messenger (Peace be upon him) divided the land of Khaibar into two: one half to provide the food
to be stored in case of any accidental calamity that might befall the Muslims, and for entertaining the
foreign delegates who started to frequent Madinah a lot; the other half would go to the Muslims who
had witnessed Al-Hudaibiyah event whether present or absent. The total number of shares came to 36,
of which 18 were given to the people above-mentioned. The army consisted of 1400 men of whom were
200 horsemen. The horseman was allotted 3 shares and the footman one.
The spoils taken at Khaibar were so great that Ibn ‘Umar said: “We never ate our fill until we had
conquered Khaibar.” ‘Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) is narrated to have said: “Now we can eat
our fill of dates.”
On their return to Madinah, the Emigrants were able to return to the Helpers of Madinah all the gifts
they had received. All of this affluence came after the conquest of Khaibar and the great economic
benefits that the Muslims began to reap.
The conquest of Khaibar coincided with the arrival of the Prophet’s cousin Ja‘far bin Abi Talib and his
companions along with Abi Musa Al-Ash‘ari and some Muslims from Abyssinia (Ethiopia).
Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari narrated that he and over fifty companions, while in Yemen, took a ship which
landed them in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and they happened to meet there Ja‘far and his companions. He
said, “We stayed together until the Prophet (Peace be upon him) sent an envoy asking us to come back. When we returned, we found out that he had already conquered Khaibar, yet he gave us our due
shares of the spoils.” The advent of those men came at the request made by the Messenger of Allâh
(Peace be upon him) to Negus, king of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), through a Prophetic deputy, ‘Amr bin
Omaiya Ad-Damari. Negus sent them back, 16 men altogether with their wives and children on two
boats. The rest of emigrants had arrived in Madinah earlier.
In the same context, Safiyah, whose husband Kinanah bin Abi Al-Huqaiq was killed for treachery, was
taken as a captive and brought along with other prisoners of war. After the permission of the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) was sought, Dihyah Al-Kalbi chose one of them and she happened to be Safiyah.
The other Muslims, however, advised that Safiyah, being the daughter of the chief of Bani Quraiza and
Bani Nadir, should be married to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), who agreed to their opinion, invited
her to Islam, freed and took her as wife on her embracing Islam. The wedding feast consisted of dates
and fat, and was held on his way back to Madinah at a spot called Sadd As-Sahba’.
After the conquest of Khaibar, a Jewish woman called Zainab bint Al-Harith offered the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) a roasted sheep she had poisoned. He took a mouthful, but it was not to his liking so he
spat it out. After investigation, the woman confessed that she had stuffed the food with poison alleging
that if the eater were a king, she would then rid herself of him, but should he be a Prophet, then he
would be bound to learn about it. The Prophet (Peace be upon him), however, connived at her
treacherous attempt, but ordered that she be killed when Bishr bin Al-Bara’ died of that poison.
The number of Muslims who were martyred was controversial, but it ranged between 16 and 18, while
the number of Jews killed came to 93.
The rest of Khaibar also fell to the Muslims. Allâh cast fear into the hearts of the people of Fadak, a
village standing to the north of Khaibar, and they hastened to ask for peace, and be allowed to leave in
safety, and give up their wealth in return for that. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) entered into an
agreement with them similar to the previous one with the people of Khaib. Fadak was exclusively the
Prophet’s because neither Muslim cavalry nor camelry were involved in fight thereby.
No sooner had the Prophet (Peace be upon him) discharged the affair of Khaibar than he started a fresh
move towards Wadi Al-Qura, another Jewish colony in Arabia. He mobilized his forces and divided them
into three regiments with four banners entrusted to Sa‘d bin ‘Ubada, Al-Hubab bin Mundhir, ‘Abbad bin
Bishr and Sahl bin Haneef. Prior to fighting, he invited the Jews to embrace Islam but all his words and
exhortations fell on deaf ears. Eleven of the Jews were killed one after another and with each one newly
killed, a fresh call was extended inviting those people to profess the new faith. Fighting went on
ceaselessly for approximately two days and resulted in full surrender of the Jews. Their land was
conquered, and a lot of booty fell in the hands of the Muslims.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) stayed in Wadi Al-Qura for four days, distributed the booty among
the Muslim fighters and reached an agreement with the Jews similar to that of Khaibar.
The Jews of Taima’, hearing beforehand about the successive victories of the Muslim army and the
defeats that their brethren, the Jews, had sustained, showed no resistance when the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) reached their habitation. On the contrary, they took the initiative and offered to sign a
reconciliation treaty to the effect that they receive protection but pay tribute in return. Having achieved
his objective and subdued the Jews completely, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) made his way back
home and arrived in Madinah in late Safar or early Rabi‘ Al-Awwal 7 A.H.
It is noteworthy that the Prophet (Peace be upon him), being the best amongst war experts, realized
quite readily that evacuating Madinah after the lapse of the prohibited months (Muharram, Dhul Qa‘da
and Dhul Hijja) would not be wise at all with the presence of the desert bedouins roaming in its vicinity.
Such a careless attitude, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) believed, would tempt the undisciplined mob
to practise their favourite hobby of plundering, looting and all acts of piracy. This premonition always in
mind, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) despatched Aban bin Sa‘id at the head of a platoon to deter
those bedouins and forestall any attempt at raiding the headquarters of the nascent Islamic state
during his absence in Khaibar. Aban achieved his task successfully and joined the Prophet ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا ﻰﻠﺻ
in Khaibar after it had been conquered.
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