Biography / The Life of Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)

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The Pledges of Aqabah Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made great efforts in the first years of his prophethood to invite those people who came to Mecca for pilgrimage to Islam, as well as those who came to the emporiums for trade purposes. The most prolific contacts among these were the Prophet’s contacts with the people of Yathrib (Medina). He came across a delegation of six people who came from Yathrib in the 11th year of the prophethood (620) in Aqabah, a desolate place in Mina. The Prophet spoke to them about Islam. These people accepted Islam. One of them, As’ad ibn Zurarah promised that he would turn back to Yathrib and convey the new religion to both his tribe and to the Avs tribe and that he would meet with the Prophet again in Aqabah one year later. These six people, who formed the core of the Ansar tribe, carried out great services for Islam and as a result many people became Muslim. In the following year (the 12th year of the prophethood, Dhu al-Hijjah/July 621), twelve people secretly met with Prophet Muhammad in Aqabah. The people of Yathrib affiliated themselves with him and promised “not to associate any other with Allah, not to steal or perform adultery, not to kill their children, not to slander each other, and to obey the orders of Prophet Muhammad.” This pledge is called “The First Pledge of Aqabah.” The Prophet sent Mus’ab ibn Umayr with them to teach them the Holy Quran and Islam, to invite non-Muslims to Islam, and to lead them in prayer.

In one year, the activities of Mus’ab ibn Umayr, who was staying in As’ad ibn Zurarah’s house, ensured the acceptance of Islam by the leading figures of Yathrib, including the leaders of the Avs tribe, Sa’d ibn Muaz and Usayd ibn Hudayr, and the city became a place of immigration. As a matter of fact, in the pilgrimage season of the 13th year of the prophethood (622), seventy-five Yathrib Muslims (two of them women) came to Mecca with the pilgrimage caravan; the people in the caravan were not all Muslims. Again, they secretly met the Prophet in Aqabah. The people of Yathrib invited the Prophet to their city, and he read some verses from the Holy Quran, and reminded them that they must devote themselves to Islam. Then he listed the terms of the second pledge of Aqabah: the Prophet told them to pledge that if he were to come to their city they would protect him and all the Meccan Muslims as if they were protecting their own children, wives or property, that they would remain obedient to the Prophet during the good times and the bad times, that they would provide financial help during times of affluence and times of hardship, that they would order what is good and prevent what is bad, and that they would fear no one and remain righteous. All of the Yathrib people accepted these terms and gave their pledges. The Prophet chose twelve representatives (naqib) among them. The Prophet assigned As’ad ibn Zurara as the head of other eleven representatives. The second Aqabah Pledge is sometimes referred to as the bay‘atul-harb (battle pledge), as it contains points concerned with warfare. Yathrib (Medina) is located at a strategic point that could have led to encounters with the Quraishis; caravans going to Syria, Palestine and Iraq from the north had to pass through this area.

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The Immigration to Medina (Yathrib)
After the second Aqabah pledge to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), he gave permission to his companions to immigrate (hijrah) to Yathrib. The first ones to immigrate to this city were Amir ibn Rabia and his wife Leila bint Hasma; then the other companions began to leave Mecca in groups. It should be pointed out that there were a few companions who went from Mecca to Medina at earlier dates. These were Abu Salama al-Mahzumi and his wife Ummu Salama, who immigrated to Medina before the Aqabah pledges and Mus’ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Ummu Maktum, who were sent by the Prophet to Medina after the first Aqabah pledge in order to convey the message of Islam.

Generally the hijrah was performed secretly. This was because the Quraishi idolaters did not want the Muslims to leave Mecca and thus raised various difficulties, attempting to prevent the hijrah and even imprisoning some of the Muslims. For instance, when Abu Salama and his wife Ummu Salama returned to Mecca from Ethiopia and took their son Salama with them to go to Medina for hijrah, Ummu Salama’s family did not let her leave. Subsequently, Abu Salama left his wife and son in Mecca and had to go to Mecca by himself. On the other hand, the family of Abu Salama took Salama from his mother in response to the things done by Ummu Salama’s family. As a result of the deep sadness caused by the separation from both her husband and son, Ummu Salama shed tears for a year. Finally, her relatives showed mercy and allowed her to go to Medina and Abu Salama’s family handed Salama over to his mother. Ummu Salama took her child with her and left Mecca to go to Medina. She reached Quba in the company of Uthman ibn Talha, whom she had met on the road and met Abu Salama there. Hisham ibn As had made preparations for the hijrah, but he was chained and imprisoned by his father, As ibn Wael, and by other idolaters.

Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi’a set out on the journey for hijrah and reached Quba, yet his brothers, Abu Jahil and Harith ibn Hisham, caught him on the way and persuaded him to return back to Mecca by telling him that his mother was in a wretched way due to his leaving, and then they imprisoned him in Mecca. Hisham ibn As and Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi’a escaped from the idolaters and managed to reach Medina in the 7th year of the hijrah (Gregorian 629). The people of Mecca had acquired information that Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi was going to perform the hijrah, and thus they did not pay back their debts and confiscated his property and personal effects. Suhayb could perform hijrah only after he had left all his wealth to the people of Mecca. At this point, the hijrah of Umar carries great importance. He circumambulated Kaaba and performed the salah twice and then set out on the journey after openly defying the idolaters.

After permission to perform hijrah had been granted most of the companions immigrated to Yathrib over a relatively brief period. Only the Prophet, his family Abu Bakr and his family families, Ali and his mother, and people who did not have the strength to perform the hijrah or who had been prevented from performing the hijrah remained. In the meantime, Abu Bakr repeatedly asked for permission to perform the hijrah from Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet always answered him with the following words: “Don’t hurry! Allah Almighty will give you a companion.”
Seeing that the Muslims who were performing hijrah to Yathrib were abandoning their houses, possessions and assets for their beliefs, the Quraishi idolaters began to worry that the Prophet might one day go there with his companions and pose a hazard and a threat against them.

They gathered in Dar al-Nadwa to discuss what kind of a strategy they should follow. Sending the Prophet into exile or imprisoning him were suggestions that were put forward. On the proposal of Abu Jahil, it was eventually decided that the Prophet should be killed. To avoid a blood feud with the Hashimites, of whom the Prophet was a member, they decided that the Prophet would not be killed by one person, but by a group of people composed of one person from each tribe. The Prophet was informed of this assassination plot through a revelation, and he took action to counteract the attempt. He went to the Abu Bakr’s house and began to prepare for hijrah with him. They hired Abdullah ibn Urayqit as a guide to show them the way.

Although an idolater, Abdullah ibn Urayqit was a trustworthy and honest man. Abu Bakr gave the two camels that he had allocated for the hijrah beforehand to Abdullah ibn Urayqit and they agreed to meet at the skirts of Mount Thawr in three days time. The Prophet gave Ali the duty of preventing the idolaters from suspecting that he had departed and told him return those things that had been given to him in trust back to their owners. The Prophet and Abu Bakr set out at nighttime. They went to a cave in Mount Thawr and hid there. Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, spent his day in Mecca listening to what the Quraishis were saying and plotting about the Prophet and then reported what he had heard to the pair at their hideout under cover of night for three consecutive nights. Also Amr ibn Fuhayra, the shepherd of Abu Bakr’s flock of sheep, brought them milk and food by walking his flock through the cave. Amr ibn Fuhayra performed hijrah with them later.

The Quraishi idolaters were surprised when they saw Ali instead of the Prophet in his house. They asked Ali where the Prophet and Abu Bakr were. Ali did not tell their hiding place to idolaters. In response to this they beat Ali, arrested him, but released him later on. The Quraishi idolaters tried to obtain information from Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Abu Jahil tortured Asma when he did not get the answer he wanted. The idolaters did not find the Prophet in Mecca. Realizing that Prophet Muhammad had left Mecca, the idolaters began to search the surroundings and sent messengers to nearby places. One day, they came near Mount Thawr. But on the order of Allah, the cave’s entrance was covered with a cobweb. Seeing the cobwebs they thought that nobody could be in there and they turned back. At the moment when the idolaters were in front of the cave’s entrance, Abu Bakr became alarmed that the idolaters would find them. The Prophet calmed Abu Bakr saying, “Grieve not; Allah is with us” (Al-Tauba 9/40). As was agreed upon before, Abdullah ibn Urayqit came to Mount Thawr with the camels after three days. They set out from Mount Thawr to Yathrib along the coast. Lest the Quraishi should find them, they took a different path toward their destination, instead of the well-known roads, and sometimes they preferred to go through steep mountain crossings or through the middle of the desert. The Quraishis applied many strategies to find the Prophet. They promised to give 100 camels to any person who could find them, but nobody could. Suraqah ibn Malik, who was a very good tracker, wanted to win the prize of a hundred camels. When the travelers came into sight, he realized he could capture them or kill them, but his horse fell to the ground, as a result of a miracle. Suraqah discontinued his tracking after that. A similar threat was experienced when they passed through the lands of the Aslam tribe. Buraydah ibn Husayb, the chief of the tribe, stooped the convoy. After a short talk with the Prophet, Buraydah ibn Husayb and his tribe accepted Islam and became Muslim. Buraydah accompanied the convoy until they left the lands of his tribe. When they came to the spot called Juhfah, Prophet Muhammad remembered the road to Mecca and felt sad with his longing for the city.

In response to this, the following verse was revealed which stated that the Prophet would return to Mecca after defeating his enemies in the city where he experienced cruelty and from which he was forced to perform hijrah (Al-Qasas, 28/85). There were many positive developments during the hijrah. For instance, Abu Bakr and the Prophet stopped at the tent of Umm Mabad Atiqa bint Haled, a woman of Khuzaa, to buy something to eat. She had a ewe, but its udder had dried up owing to the drought. The Prophet wiped the sheep’s udder with his hand and mentioning the name of Allah, he prayed that Umm Mabad might have a blessing in her ewe. It then flowed with milk. He gave Umm Mabad and the others the milk to drink first, until all of them were fully satisfied, then he drank knowing everyone was replete. He milked the ewe a second time and when the vessel was full, he left it with Umm Mabad. When Abu Mabad came back and his wife told him about the extraordinary happening and the angelic stranger, she described the Prophet in flowery language. Her remarks are mentioned in the hilya literature and still can be read today so far.
The news about the Prophet’s departure from Mecca had already spread fast. The people in Yathrib became worried about Prophet Muhammad as he had not arrived yet.

Eagerly expecting his arrival, people would go out after the morning prayer to the outskirts of the city, to Harra, and await his arrival until there was no more shade and the sun became unbearable. They were returning to their homes on the 8th of Rabi’ al-awwal (September 20, 622), as they had on previous days, when a Jewish girl on the roof of a three-story house saw the approaching convoy. She realized that this convoy was the Prophet’s convoy and she announced their coming by crying out loudly. Upon hearing this, the Muslims rushed to Harra to greet Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet stayed in Qulsum ibn Hidm’s house, which was one-hour distance from Yathrib. He stayed in this town for several days, and he built a masjid there. In the meantime, Ali had returned the things to their owners as the Prophet had requested and had left Mecca, hiding by day and traveling by night, finally arriving in Quba and meeting the Prophet there. It is recounted that Ali’s mother, Fatima bint Asad, Sawda bint Zam‘a, the wife of the Prophet, their daughters, Fatima and Ummu Qulsum, and Abu Bakr’s family also came to Quba. Apart from this, it is stated that the families of the Prophet and Abu Bakr performed hijrah later with Zayd ibn Haritha and Abu Rafi who had come from Medina. The Prophet set out from Quba to Yathrib with his convoy on the 12th of Rabi’ al-awwal (September 24, 622), a Friday. The Prophet stopped at the location of the Salim ibn Avf tribe in the Ranuna valley when it was time for the Friday prayer. He read his first Friday khutba (sermon) there and led the prayer. In his sermon he first praised Allah, then Muhammad asserted that people would certainly be judged in the afterlife, that everyone would be held accountable for the people who were working under them, and that nothing could help people after death except for the good deeds that they did on earth. He advised all people to prepare for the afterlife by competing with each other in terms of performing good deeds. The Prophet set out for Yathrib after the prayer, and he was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the people of the city. There was an atmosphere of celebration and festival in Medina, the like of which had never been seen before. People lined up on both sides of the road; men, women and children joyously greeted Prophet Muhammad. All the while, tambourines were being played and the following words were sung: “The moon shone on us from farewell hills / We must thank Allah as long as invitation to Him continues / O Messenger / We shall obey You / Welcome here, our city is honored by your arrival.” The Prophet entered the city on his camel, Qaswa, greeting the people and thanking them. Everyone wanted the Prophet to stay in their house, but Muhammad said that he would stay wherever his camel came to rest. The camel came to stop in front of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s (Khaled ibn Zayd) house. Now the Meccan period, a time of suffering and pain, had come to an end and a new period had begun in Islamic history.
Yathrib was now known as Madinat ar-Rasul or al-Madina al-Munavvara, which means the city of the Prophet.
In the sources that relate the events connected to the exodus of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca, his arrival in Quba and his entry into Medina are given different dates.

If one carefully examines the accounts, one can understand that the people of Mecca made the decision to assassinate the Prophet on September 9th, 622, a Thursday, that the Prophet learned about this situation, leaving the city and going to the cave of Thawr, that he stayed there from the 10 through 12 September, 622 within the cave, left the cave on Monday Rabi’ al-awwal 1, (September 13th, 622) and arrived in Quba, and on Friday, Rabi’ al-awwal 12 (September 24th, 622) finally entered Medina.

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The first activities of the Prophet in Medina
The emigration was a very important incident enabling the Prophet (pbuh) to fulfill his duties of prophethood under better conditions and assisting the spread of Islam. The greatest goal of the last prophet was to convey the verses of the Holy Quran, to teach the religion while practicing it himself, and to increase the number of believers, thus enabling the transmission of the religion to future generations without any changes. Thus, he decided to make certain arrangements and take precautions. He persuaded the Muslims to become good worshippers and earn the approval of Allah, to perform activities that would create social solidarity and inner unity among the believers and he presented commands and recommendations for them. Within this context, the Prophet commanded that people should greet one another, that they should protect the poor, that they should not neglect visiting relatives and that they should wake up for prayer during the night when others are still sleeping, promising heaven for those who do so.

First of all, the people of the period needed a mosque that would be the center of Muslim society. In the Meccan period people had very limited opportunities to worship together or to listen to to Prophet Muhammad. When the number of Muslims increased, particularly after the First Aqabah Pledge, As’ad ibn Zurara built a masjid near to where the dates where dried, with the qiblah (the direction in which Muslims pray) being in the direction of Jerusalem. Later al-Masjid al-Nabawi was built on this location. In the meantime, the Muslims in Mecca were not performing Friday prayers while the Muslims were performing it in Medina. The Prophet decided to build a mosque near the place where his camel had sat on the ground. He bought the land, which belonged to two orphan children whose names were Sahl and Suhayl. During the construction of al-Masjid al-Nabawi, which lasted about seven months, the Prophet stayed in Abu Ayyub al-Ansari’s house and met with men from Medina there, and with the women in another house. Al-Masjid al-Nabawi is one of the two masjids built on the order of the Prophet (the other being Quba), and its kiblah faced Jerusalem. In accordance with the verses sent in the sixteenth or seventeenth month after the hijrah (Al-Baqarah, 149-150), prayers that had been performed facing Jerusalem were re-directed towards the Kaaba.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi was first and foremost a place of worship. In the Age of Happiness, it became the center of nearly all of the Prophet’s activities especially education. In al-Masjid al-Nabawi, political and military developments were discussed and various decisions were taken; the wounded were treated; prisoners of war and criminals were held in custody; the bounty won during battles were kept; delegations of Muslim tribes, emissaries and guests were accommodated; judicial trials were conducted; marriages were announced; various demonstrations and ceremonies were held. The Prophet was fulfilling all the requirements of his duties in the masjid and his house, which was next to the masjid, and he was conveying and teaching the verses of the Holy Quran which had been sent there. The Prophet built a veranda behind the al-Masjid al-Nabawi for homeless Muslims and Companions who wanted to study, known as the Suffa; the roof was made of date leafs. People who took shelter here or studied here were called the Ahl al-Suffa or Ashab al-Suffa. The Prophet chose people from the Ahl al-Suffa when creating advisory committees or diplomatic committees.

Just after the emigration, the Prophet announced that every immigrant (muhajir) was a brother or sister to someone from the Aws tribe or Khazraj tribe that is the residents of Medina. With this directive, known as the Muahat, the unification of the Islamic society was greatly enabled, and material and psychological needs were provided for the muhajirs, who had left their all possessions in Mecca. The Muslims of Medina accepted the muhajirs as their siblings and shared their homes with them in accordance with the promise they had given to Prophet Muhammad during the pledges of Aqaba. The people of Medina wanted to share their property rights, date fields, and other properties with the muhajirs and the muhajirs thanked them for this noble attitude, but refused this offer. The Prophet stated that the muhajirs could have a share of the products of their effort, on the condition that the property remained with the people of Medina. In this way, the income that was gained by working together was shared. This cooperation between the Muslims of Medina and the muhajirs was praised in the Holy Quran in the following words: “Undoubtedly, those who believed and left their hearth and homes for Allah and fought with their wealth and their lives in the way of Allah, and those who gave shelter and helped they are heirs one of another” (Al-Anfal, 8/72). However, after the Battle of Badr, “And those who believed afterwards and emigrated and waged the holy war with you, they also are of you.

And the blood relations are nearer to one another in the Book of Allah. Undoubtedly Allah knows all things” (Al-Anfal, 8/75). By forming the above-mentioned bond of brotherhood, the Prophet not only provided for the needs of the muhajirs, but also created a bond of religion that took the place of the bonds of tribes. Except for the inheritance law, the provisions of the muahat, such as assisting one another, cooperating, and advising each other remained valid. In this way, the muahat tradition was generalized and it was announced that: “Muslims are brothers, therefore make peace between the two brothers and fear Allah that mercy may be shown to you” (Al-Hujurat, 49/10).

Emigration to Medina continued during the period up until the conquest of Mecca. In the early years of Medina, the Prophet told people who came from areas surrounding Mecca and Medina that they should immigrate to Medina. The Prophet did not approve of the people who left Medina after having immigrated there, and he prayed to Allah that the emigration become permanent. With the responsibility of being the last prophet, the Prophet wanted to lay the necessary foundations for a large community to learn the religion that he was conveying through practice, to pass on the religion to the future generations accurately, and to preserve the religion until judgment day without change or corruption. As a matter of fact, the Prophet’s efforts ore fruit and the Muslims, whose numbers increased day by day, achieved political success and military victories against their enemies. When the victories of the Muslims eventually were crowned with the conquest of Mecca in the 8th year after the emigration (630), the Prophet said:

“There is no immigration after the conquest of Mecca” (Tirmidhi, “Siyar”, 33). With these words, the Prophet removed the necessity of immigrating to Medina, but he wanted the people outside the city to still join in any war when they were called to do so.

There was no organized state in Mecca, or in the entire Hejaz region, and every tribe lived under the rule of its own tribal leader. In Medina the Aws tribe, the Khazraj tribe, and three Jewish tribes (the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza) lived. The date when the Jewish tribes came to the city is not exactly known. It is known that the Aws tribe and the Khazraj were constantly in conflict with each other, and that some Jewish people took sides with the Aws and some with the Khazraj. There was no executive structure that involved all the people of the city. After achieving brotherhood among Muslims with the muahat, the Prophet called representatives of the Arabs who were not Muslims, the Muslims and the Jewish tribes in Medina to Anas ibn Malik’s house to discuss how they could live in the city in peace and safety. The Prophet persuaded all the groups to form a city state, and he formed a written text based upon the issues agreed upon there. In this agreement, which is mentioned in the sources as a “book” or “page”, and which has been defined as the “first written constitution” by some scholars, such issues as providing domestic peace in the city, preventing possible external threats, determining the judicial authority to resolve legal conflicts between individuals, and determining some economic principles. It was a particular condition that the Jews would cooperate with the Muslims if there were external threats to Medina and that they would not cooperate with the Quraishis. It was decided that every group would cover financial issues, like cost of war and ransom or blood money, and that they would conduct judicial duties among themselves independently; Prophet Muhammad was to be the ultimate judicial body in resolving conflicts between people from different groups. It was also stated that the Jews and the Muslims had freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. In accordance with the article which asserted that “Medina will be a sanctuary for the people of this pact”, Prophet Muhammad assigned Ka’b ibn Malik to determine the borders of Medina, with the al-Masjid al-Nabawi being the center. The political and military activities were conducted in line with these borders thereafter. The Prophet built a market place in Medina for the Muslim people, and he allocated the Baki spot as the burial ground. In this way, he drew up the first example of a city plan that would later become a model in the Islamic world, including the house of an amr (ruler), market place, graveyard, districts and a mosque in the center.

One of the regulations actualized in the first year of the hijrah (Gregorian 622) is the using of the adhan to notify the Muslims about the times of prayer. It is also accounted that the adhan was first used in the second year after the hijrah (Gregorian 623). The prayer was commanded during the Mecca period, but no method of how to notify the times for prayer was thought of until after Prophet Muhammad immigrated to Medina. Actually, the conditions in the Meccan period were not suitable for any such method. However, the Muslims in Medina had an environment in which they could openly perform their worship, and their numbers were increasing daily. The Prophet discussed with his Companions what could be done to notify Muslims of the prayer times to enable them to know the correct times. Many opinions were set forth in the talk and no agreement was reached. According to one account, Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Sa’laba was taught the adhan in his dream and he notified Prophet Muhammad about this incident. Prophet Muhammad wanted Abdullah to teach the words of the adhan to Bilal al-Habashi, who had a loud voice. Bilal al-Habashi went on the roof of a high house and called the morning adhan. Later on, a special place was built behind the al-Masjid al-Nabawi for calling the adhan. Consequently, the adhan became the distinct feature of Islam and a symbol of Muslim presence. The adhan is still called all over the world today at all times of the day to call people to worship Allah.

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DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN THREATS – SOME BATTLES AND NIGHT RAIDS

The Prophet (pbuh) did not attack those Quraishi idolaters who displayed hostile attitudes to him and the other Muslims. He did not take revenge on them, but told the Muslims who faced insults, tortures and hardships to be patient. The revelations sent in this period were mainly composed of advice to be patient. Apart from the positive environment during the early years of the new period in Medina after the hijrah, hardships were also experienced. The idolaters of Mecca were determined to disturb the Muslims in Medina as well. Most of the local people of Medina had sincerely accepted Islam, but there were some hypocrites among them. The Jewish families living in the environs of the city appeared to participate in the agreement, but they were causing problems whenever they could and were ready to display hostility, such as betrayal.

Soon after the emigration, the prominent Quraishi members Abu Sufyan and Ubay ibn Halaf sent a letter to the Muslims of Medina. They stated that it was wrong for the Muslims to protect and help Prophet Muhammad, but that they should abandon such an attitude; if they did not do this hostilities might break out between the two cities. In response to this letter, Ka’b ibn Malik wrote a poem that refused to comply with the demands of the idolaters. In the meantime, the Quraishis started to impose some economic measures on Medina. The news of the emigration of Prophet Muhammad and his companions spread throughout almost all of the Arabian Peninsula. Many tribes followed the manner and message of the Prophet; the people who could not emigrate or who had to secret their Islamic faith waited for new developments. Meanwhile, a verse was sent that stated that any believers who underwent torture could stage armed counterattacks: “Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them victory. Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah – For had it not been for Allah’s repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helps one who helps Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty.” (Al-Hajj, 22/39-40). In a period of nearly one year, starting from seven months after the emigration (Ramadan 1 / March 623),

Prophet Muhammad carried out some military operations to protect the Muslims from the threat of the Quraishis; to show the Quraishis that the Muslims were also strong the Sifulbahr nighttime raid, commanded by Hamza the Rabig nighttime raid commanded by Ubayda ibn Harith, the Harrar nighttime raid commanded by Sa’d ibn Abu Vaqqas, the Battle of Abva (Vaddan), the Battle of Buvat and the Battle of Ushayra were all carried out during this period. The Muslim soldiers traveled along the paths of the Quraishi caravans, but they did not strike at any point, nor did they bother the caravans of other tribes or groups. With these military operations, Mecca and Medina, which were in fact at war with each other, began to experience a period in which the rules of engagement were valid.

This condition lasted until the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. Seventeen months after the emigration (Rajab, 2 / January 624), troops commanded by Abdullah ibn Jahsh were sent to Batn-i Nahla to attack a Quraishi caravan that was returning from Yemen; one person was killed, with two people being taken prisoner. According to some accounts, although this nighttime raid was primarily carried out for attaining intelligence, Prophet Muhammad also wanted to intimidate the Quraishi idolaters.

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The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr, along with the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Trench, was one of the most famous battles that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fought against the Quraishi idolaters. Badr was a small town 160 km southwest of Medina and 30 km from the Red Sea; it lay at the point where the Medina-Mecca road connected with the Syrian caravan road.

The Prophet and the Muslims of Mecca had been subjected to the hostilities and torture of the Quraishis for ten years and they eventually fled, taking with them only some of their belongings. With the addition of what the Muslims had left behind the Quraishis were able to form trade caravans to the south and north of the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet was informed that a large Quraishi caravan, led by Abu Sufyan, was on its way back from Syria. It is stated that this caravan was composed of 1,000 camels and had goods of a value of 50,000 dinars. The Prophet planned to attack the Quraishi caravan in Badr and he set out from Medina on 12 of Ramadan 2 (March 9, 624). It should be noted that this was a battle carried out in self defense; the Muslims were not the raiding party. The Propehet assigned Abdullah ibn Ummu Maktum to be lead in his absence. The Islamic army was composed of 305 people (75 muhajirs and 230 Companions). Mus’ab ibn Umayr, Ali and Sa’d ibn Muaz were assigned as flagmen. There were seventy camels and two horses in the army. The Muslims continued to fast for one or two days, and they broke their fasting on the order of the Prophet.

Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan was informed about the preparations of Prophet Muhammad when he entered the Hejaz region and he sent a courier to Mecca with an urgent request for reinforcements. He followed a path away from Badr in order to avoid any ambush. Thereupon, the Quraishis, ably supported and accompanied by all the notable chiefs of Mecca, hastily formed an army. They then set out with 1,000 men, led by Abu Jahil, to Badr, even though they learned that the caravan had not been attacked. There were 700 camels and 100 horses in the army of the idolaters.

In fact, the Prophet and his companions were not aware that the Quraishi army had set out from Mecca and were near Badr. The Holy Quran states:

“And when Allah promised you one of the two bands of the enemy that it should be yours, and you longed that other than the armed one might be yours. And Allah willed that He should cause the Truth to triumph by His words, and cut the root of the disbelievers. When you were on the near bank of the valley and they were on the yonder bank, and the caravan was below you on the coast plain. And had you trusted to meet one another you surely would have failed to keep the trust, but it happened, as it did, without the forethought of either of you that Allah might conclude a thing that must be done; that he who perished on that day might perish by a clear proof of His Sovereignty and he who survived might survive by a clear proof of His Sovereignty. Lo! Allah in truth is Hearer, Knower” (Al-Anfal, 8/7, 42).

On the 17th of Ramadan 2 (March 13, 624), both of the armies set out for Badr in the early hours. The Prophet reached the water wells in Badr before the Quraishis. Upon the advice of Habbab ibn Arat, he left the well closest to where the enemy would arrive open while filling the other wells with sand. Prophet Muhammad allowed the idolaters to take water from the open well. Before the battle, Prophet Muhammad had sent Umar to the Quraishis and proposed that they return to Mecca without engaging in battle; however the Quraishis insisted on the battle. In accordance with ancient Arabic traditions, two men from both sides came out to the battleground to begin the war. During this challenge, which is known as the Mubaraza, Hamza killed his opponent, Asvad ibn Abdulasad al-Mahzumi. Upon this, Utba ibn Rabia, his brother Shayba and his son Walid from the Quraishis and Ubayda ibn Harith, Hamza and Ali from the Muslim army approached the battleground. After Hamza and Ali had killed their opponents, they went to help Ubayda who had been severely wounded and then killed Utba. Because he suffered from severe wounds, Ubayda ibn Hariht died, becoming a martyr, on the return from Badr. During the war which began after the Mubaraza, the Muslims were victorious on the afternoon of the same day. Seventy people were taken prisoner and seventy people from the idolaters were killed. Among the prisoners was Abu Jahil, the greatest enemy of Islam. The number of Muslims martyrs was fourteen.

Prophet Muhammad performed the funeral prayer of the martyrs and ordered that they be buried. He also ordered that the Quraishi casualties be buried. He commanded that the prisoners be treated well and only sentenced two of these prisoners, Ukba ibn Abu Muayt and Nadr ibn Harith, to death in return for the torture they had subjected Muslims to in the past. After this, Prophet Muhammad consulted with the Companions as to how the other prisoners were to be treated. He accepted the proposal of Abu Bakr and released the prisoners in return for a ransom, ranging from 1,000 to 1,400 dirham, according to their financial standing. Some of the prisoners who could not afford the ransom were released unconditionally while others were released on the condition that they taught ten Muslims how to read and write. The booty gained from the war was gathered together and equally distributed among those who had been involved in the battle. The Prophet returned to Medina at the end of the month Ramadan or at the beginning of the month of Shawwal.

Abu’l-As ibn Rabi, the son-in-law of the Prophet was among the prisoners detained in Badr. Abu’l-As was married to Zaynab, the oldest daughter of the Prophet. He had not accepted Islam although his wife was a Muslim and yet he refused to divorce Zaynab. When he joined the idolaters and became a prisoner, the people of Mecca sent the ransom money for the prisoners and his wife Zaynab sent a certain amount of money along with the necklace given to her by her mother Khadijah as a wedding present.

The Prophet recognized the necklace and became very emotional; remembering Khadijah and her services to Islam, he asked for permission from his Companions to release Abu’l-As and to return the necklace back to Zaynab. After Abu’l-As was released, he returned to Mecca and in accordance with a promise he had made to Prophet Muhammad he sent his wife Zaynab to Medina. Abu’l As later became a Muslim and performed the emigration to Medina, and was reunited with his wife (Muharram 7/ May 628).

In the Holy Quran it is stated that the victory of Badr was achieved with the help of Allah and that during the battle the Islamic army was supported by angels (Al-Anfal 8/8-12; Al‑ Imran 3/123-127). As a result of the Battle of Badr the Islamic society earned great respect in the Arabian Peninsula and the Prophet acquired extensive opportunities to convey the message of Islam. The people of Mecca, who had lost the battle of Badr, chose Abu Sufyan as successor to Abu Jahil and they swore an oath to seek revenge from the Muslims; from this date they endeavored to find ways to achieve their goal. Abu Lahab was not involved in the battle of Badr due to illness and sent As ibn Hisham as a replacement. After hearing about the defeat in Badr, Abu Lahab’s condition deteriorated and he soon died. About two and a half month after the defeat of Badr Abu Sufyan came to Medina and attacked the outer environs of the city with a force of two hundred men. After killing two Muslims, he set the fields on fire and left the city. Although Prophet Muhammad followed him with two hundred men, Abu Sufyan and his soldiers evaded them by discarding their flour bags (sawik) so that they could move more rapidly. As a result, this pursuit came to be known as the Sawik Battle.

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The Battle of Banu Qaynuqa

At the time when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) performed the emigration to Medina, half of the population of the city consisted of the members of the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza tribes, all of which were Jewish tribes. There is no accurate information as to when the Jews began to settle in the Arabian Peninsula, or more specifically, in Medina.

There are also views that suggest that the Jews in the Arabian Peninsula did not immigrate from outside of the Arabian Peninsula, but in fact were Arabs who had accepted Judaism. Another view is that they came to the peninsula from other places, yet there are many different views as to exactly when they arrived. According to some accounts, Jews had been expelled from Palestine after Jerusalem was invaded by Buhtunnasr, the king of Babylon (B.C 605-562), and after the fall of the Temple of Solomon or other various attacks; they then settled around certain regions of the Arabian peninsula such as the Hejaz, Vadi’l-qura, Khaybar, Tayma, Yathrib and Ayla. Among these were the Jews who came to Yathrib and settled around the outskirts of the city. In the course of time, they became stronger and expelled the Amaliqa and the Jurhumians and thus gained control of the city. When a flood, known as Sayl al-Arim, occurred in Yemen in the second century AD, Hâritha ibn Tha‘laba ibn Amr Muzaykiya, a member of the Azd branch of Qahtania, left the region and settled in the surrounding area of Yathrib and from his descendents over time the Aws and Khazraj tribes came into existence; these tribes became stronger than the Jewish tribes and and gained control of the city. After having lost their superiority over the Aws and Khazraj, the Jewish tribes continued to live, some siding with the Aws and some with the Khazraj in any conflicts that occurred between these two tribes. For instance, in the Battle of Buas, which broke out five years before the emigration (617 AD) the Banu Qurayza and Banu Nadir Jews formed an alliance with the Aws, while the Banu Qaynuqa tribe sided with the Khazraj; the battle ended with the defeat of the Khazraj. Moreover, there were also various conflicts and skirmishes between the Banu Qaynuqa and other Jewish tribes.

Contrary to their situation in the political arena, the Jewish tribes were stronger than the Arabs economically. Agricultural, ironworking, arms manufacturing, textile and jewelry businesses were all under the control of the Jews. The Banu Qaynuqa was prominent in the jewelry business, the Banu Nadr in agriculture and the Banu Qurayza tribe in the leather business. The Jewish tribes had become wealthy by attending cattle fairs and when they could not collect the loans which they provided with interest, they impounded the estates and assets of the debtors, and thus began to live in prosperity. There were also Jews who gained income from fortune telling and prophesying. The Jews also had Baytulmidras,a religious education center. It is known that Prophet Muhammad and some companions had gone to this center to convey the message of Islam and for other purposes.

The Banu Qaynuqa, who resided in the southwest of Medina, lived in castles called utum; there were many of these in Medina. Banu Qaynuqa, known for their courage and warrior-like qualities amongst the Jewish tribes in Medina, made a living from trading, arms manufacturing and particularly from jewelry. For this reason they did not possess agricultural lands. There were markets, known as Suq Banu Qaynuqa, in Medina and both Jews and Muslims used these marketplaces. Due to such activities the Banu Qaynuqa became wealthier than other Jewish tribes.

The members of the Banu Qaynuqa tribe participated in the Medina Document as allies of the Khazraj tribe. This agreement was made by the Prophet with the Arabian and Jewish tribes after the emigration to Medina. In this agreement it was decided that the Jews would help in case of a strike against Medina; a strike against one side would be considered as having been made against the other side. If such a situation were to occur they would defend together, and the Jews agreed that they would not ally with the Quraishis or with other enemies of the Muslims.

Prophet Muhammad’s attitude towards the Jews in Medina brought some positive results; Abdullah ibn Salam, a scholar in the Banu Qaynuqa tribe, became Muslim with his family. However, in general the Jews did not accept the teachings of the Prophet because they thought that a new prophet would appear from among them. The Jews carried out some activities to try to turn the Muslims away from Islam, and from time to time they were mocking the Quran and the Prophet. They were trying to create a conflict between the Aws and Khazraj tribes by reminding them of their former hostilities, and they were encouraging the hypocrites.

Some of them among the hypocrites, even though they said that they had accepted Islam. The Jews were annoyed with the victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr against the idolaters. They showed their displeasure in a variety of ways and began to run riot. In response to this, the Prophet one day gathered the Jews in the Banu Qaynuqa market place and told them that he was the true prophet for whom they had been waiting and giving as example the experiences of the Quraishis he asked them to become Muslim. However, the Jews told the Prophet that they would not be deceived by his victory against the Quraishis, because the latter were not competent in the art of war. The also arrogantly stated that the Prophet would have seen what battle really was and how strong the Jews were if he had fought a war against them. It is accounted that the following verses was sent in response to the Jews: “Say O Muhammad unto those who disbelieve: You shall be overcome and gathered unto Hell, an evil resting-place. There was a token for you in two hosts which met: one army fighting in the way of Allah, and another disbelieving, that they saw as twice their number, clearly, with their very eyes. Thus Allah strengthened with His succor that He will. O! Herein verily is a lesson for those who have eyes” (Al-i Imran, 3/12-13).

While this tension continued, an incidence occurred in the Banu Qaynuqa market which was to become the final straw. The wife of a Companion went to a jeweler in the Banu Qaynuqa market place. The Jews harassed her and the woman called for help. One of the Muslims heard the woman and he killed the jeweler, who was a member of the Banu Qaynuqa. The Jews then killed this man. Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims were deeply concerned by this incidence, which showed that the agreement had no importance anymore and that it had been violated. The Prophet was concerned that the Banu Qaynuqa, the first tribe to violate the agreement, could now betray them at any time. In response to this, the following verse was sent: “And if you fear treachery from any folk, then throw back to them their treaty fairly. O! Allah does not love the treacherous” (Al-Anfal, 8/58). The Prophet laid siege to the district of Banu Qaynuqa in the middle of the month of Shawwal, 20 months after the emigration. He wore his armor, known as Zatu al-Fudul and gave the banner to his uncle, Hamza ibn Abdulmuttalib. During the siege, which lasted for fifteen days, up until the beginning of Dhu al-Qi’dah, the Banu Qaynuqa Jews, who were held up in the castle, were compelled to surrender, although no combat occurred nor was any arrow shot. The Jews agreed that the Prophet was to make the decision on the outcome of the war; he did not accept their request to be released (Dhu al-Qi’dah 2/April 624). Prophet Muhammad decided that the male warriors among the prisoners of war, whose number were said to be 700, were to be put to death. Upon hearing this, the leader of the Khazraj tribe, Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul, told the Prophet that the people of the Banu Qaynuqa were allies of the Khazraj tribe, that they had helped them, particularly in the Battle of Buas; he requested that Muhammad forgive them. Although the Prophet knew that Abdullah ibn Ubay was the leader of the hypocrites, he revoked his decision to take the men’s lives, and ordered that the Banu Qaynuqa Jews were expelled from Medina, with the condition that their possessions would remain with the Muslims. The Prophet gave a period of three days to the Banu Qaynuqa Jews to leave Medina. He assigned Muhammad ibn Maslama to take their possessions, and he assigned Ubada ibn Samit to supervise the tribe members until they left Medina. The Banu Qaynuqa Jews requested permission to to collect their debts, and they were allowed to do so. The Prophet told the Banu Qaynuqa Jews that they could return to Medina to carry out business and stay there for three days. The Banu Qaynuqa Jews left Medina under the supervision of Ubada ibn Samit, leaving many arms and materials used in arms manufacturing and jewelry. They stayed in Wadi al-Qura for about a month and then went to Syria and settled in Azriat.

The Prophet took three swords, three spears, two suits of armor and two bows from the loot and he took one-fifth of the loot (khumus), sharing out the remaining four-fifths among the Muslims. The Prophet also gave some armor to Muhammad ibn Maslama and Sa’d ibn Muadh. There is a disagreement in the Islamic history as to when the practice of khumus was first implemented. Some assert that khumus was first practiced when sharing out the loot from the Battle of Banu Qaynuqa. However, there are also accounts that state that during the night raid of Abdullah ibn Jahsh and during the Battle of Badr, both of which occurred before the Battle of Banu Qaynuqa, khumus was implemented when sharing the loot. It is also asserted that the first practice of khumus was performed in Banu Qaynuqa after the conveyance of the related verse: “And know that whatever you take as spoils of war, O! A fifth there of is for Allah, and for the messenger and for the kinsman and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer, if you believe in Allah and that which We revealed unto Our slave on the Day of Discrimination, the day when the two armies met. And Allah is able to do all things” (Al-Anfal 8/41).

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Hypocrites

One of the problems that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) experienced in Medina was the problem of factions. There was a community who pretended to be believers although they did not believe in Islam or the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad. The instigator of this was Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul. Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul was the leader of the Khazraj tribe, and after the end of the battles between the Aws tribe and the Khazraj tribe it was agreed that the control of Yathrib would be handed over to him. However, this agreement could not be actualized when the Prophet emigrated and Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul displayed hostility towards the Prophet for this reason until his death. The Jews in Medina and the Quraishi idolaters in Mecca incited this hostility. In addition to Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul, there were other hypocrites who advised their fellow townsmen not to support the emigrants in any way, wanting them to leave the city. The hypocrites always supported any faction that occurred in many of the incidents during the Medina period and they tried to weaken the union of the Muslims. The chapter of the Quran entitled the Hypocrites, the sixty-third surah, was sent in relation to this community and other similar communities.

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The Battle of Uhud

The Quraishis, who experienced a heavy defeat in the Battle of Badr, were pressuring their leader Abu Sufyan to start battle preparations at once.

The goods of the caravan which were involved in the start of the Battle of Badr were being safeguarded in Dar al-Nadwa and their control was given to Abu Sufyan. Apart from feelings of vengeance, the Quarishis were worried about the Muslims’ blockage of the Syria-Egypt trade routs and their attacks on caravans. One year after the Battle of Badr the Quraishis set out to Medina with an army of 3,000 men collected from the neighboring allied tribes and related tribes. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not want to fight the Quraishis, who desired revenge for Badr and nursed feelings of hostility and hatred from the Age of Ignorance, outside of Medina. However, he decided to go to Uhud, which was a distance of 5.5 km from Medina with an army of 1,000 men upon the insistence of some youngsters who had not participated in the Battle of Badr and some of the Companions who had been angered by the destruction of their land and gardens by the enemy army. On their way, Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul withdrew from the army, with about 300 men, and returned to the city.

The Prophet arrived on the edges of Mount Uhud with his remaining 700 companions. He gave the largest Muslim banner to Mus’ab ibn Umayr; the banner of the Aws tribe was given to Usayd ibn Hudayr, and the banner of the Khazraj tribe was given to Sa’d ibn Hubab. The Prophet placed fifty bowmen, led by Abdullah ibn Jubayr, on the Aynayn Hill to protect the rear, and he ordered the men not to abandon their positions without his order, regardless of what happened during the battle. The two armies met on Shawwal 3 (March 23, 625), a Saturday and the Muslims pushed the Quraishis back at the beginning, forcing them to retreat. The bowmen saw that the Quraishi army was disintegrating, and they left their positions to collect the booty, despite the clear orders of their commander Abdullah ibn Jubayr not to do so. The commander of the Quraishi cavalry unit, Khaled ibn Walid, understood the strategic importance of the Aynayn Hill, as had the Prophet, and when he saw that the Muslim archers were abandoning their positions, he attacked the Islamic army from the rear with a move that could have changed the course of the battle, martyring several archers who had not abandoned their positions. After this attack, the course of the battle changed in an instant and seventy Muslims, in particular Hamza, the uncle of the Prophet, were martyred. Abdullah ibn Jhahs, Mus’ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Jubayr were also among these martyrs. The Prophet was wounded on the face by the rings of his helmet piercing his temples, his lower lip bled, and one of his teeth was broken. The battle slowed down with the false report that the Prophet had been killed. The Muslims retreated to the outskirts of Mount Uhud, and the idolaters gathered around Abu Sufyan; the two armies separated and the battle ended.

The Quraishis were said to have lost 37 or 22-23 men on the battle and they felt that they had taken revenge for the Battle of Badr. They had been able to kill Prophet Muhammad, but they had martyred his uncle Hamza. Hind bint Utba, the wife of Abu Sufyan, removed Hamza’s liver Hamza and chewed it as vengeance for the life of her father Utba, her brother Walid, and her uncle Shayba. She also rewarded Wahshi ibn Harb with the promised reward as it had been his spear that had killed Hamza.

The Muslims were deeply saddened when they saw that the bodies of the martyrs in Uhud had been chopped up, that their ears and noses had been cut off (in a tradition known as musla). In response to this, some Muslims wanted to do the same to the corpses of the idolaters. However, they abandoned this idea with the revelation of the 126th verse, Nahl, and upon the warning of Prophet Muhammad.

Prophet Muhammad never forgot the martyrs of Uhud nor the occurrences in Uhud; he visited the tombs of the martyrs every year and he revisited them during the last days of his life. The Battle of Uhud was commemorated by Muslims in the later periods to remind them not to make the same mistakes again.

About ten women participated in the Battle of Uhud; they carried out services such as distributing water to the soldiers and tending the wounded. The Prophet’s freed slave Ummu Ayman, as well as Ummu Umara, Fatima, Aisha and Ummu Sulaym were among these. In particular, Ummu Umara fought with the enemy with her sword near Prophet Muhammad when the Muslims were at a disadvantageous position, and Fatima tended the Prophet when he had been wounded. It must be stated in relation to the Battle of Uhud that if the Muslims had defeated the Quraishis with a clear victory as they had in the Battle of Badr, it would then have been difficult for the Prophet to achieve his true target, that is, the conversion of the Quraishis to Islam. The feelings of hostility and vengeance fostered by the mentality of the Age of Ignorance would have continued to prevail in the tribe, and the possibilities provided by the Treaty of Hudaibiyah would not have presented themselves. (There are some verses in the Quran concerned with the Battle of Uhud: for example Al-i Imran 3/120, and verses 139-142, 156, and 165).

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The Battle of Hamra ul-Asad

Upon his return to Medina after the Battle of Uhud, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was informed on the following day that the Quraishis would return and attack Medina.

Upon hearing this, the Prophet decided to follow the Quraishi army in order to prevent any possible strike and to show that Muslims had not been weakened. He ordered that only those who had participated in the Battle of Uhud, one day before, could join in this campaign. The veterans of Uhud gladly accepted this battle call, even though they had just returned from battle, and some of them were exhausted or even wounded. In the meantime, Jabir ibn Abdullah wanted permission from the Prophet to join this campaign, as he had been unable to participate in the Battle of Uhud. His father, Abdullah ibn Amr, had been martyred in the Battle of Uhud. Jabir ibn Abdullah told the Prophet that although he wanted to join the Battle of Uhud, his father had wanted him to stay with his seven (or nine) sisters as they had nobody to look after them, and therefore he could not join the battle. When he heard this, the Prophet gave special permission to Jabir ibn Abdullah.

The Prophet, with an army of 500, went to Hamra ul-Asad, 8 miles from Medina. Upon being notified about this, the Quraishis decided not to return to Medina and they went to Mecca. The Prophet stayed in Hamra ul-Asad for five days and returned to Medina in Shawwal 17, 3 (April 2, 625). This campaign is sometimes mentioned along with the Battle of Uhud, or it is sometimes mentioned as a separate battle. It is stated that this campaign was carried out to regain the prestige of the Islamic state which had been weakened in the Battle of Uhud. The Muslims reinforced their authority with this campaign, as it had been shaken by the defeat of Uhud, and they showed the Quraishis, the other Arab tribes, Jews and hypocrites in Medina that they were still strong.

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The Raji incident

Several months after the Battle of Uhud, a delegation from the Adal and Qara tribes came to Medina and announced that Islam had begun to spread within their tribes and asked Muhammad (pbuh) to teach them how to read the Quran and to send people to them who could teach them Islam. A delegation of ten people was sent by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), led by Asim ibn Thabit (or Marsad ibn Abu Marsad). They camped near the Raji water within the lands of the Khuzayl tribe, which is located between Mecca and Usfan. One of the representatives of the tribe who had asked for a delegation from the Prophet was traveling alongside the delegation. This representative notified the Lihyanis of the location of the delegation; the Lihyanis was a branch of the Banu Khuzayl who displayed hostility against the Prophet. An armed group of 100 men immediately took action and conducted a raid against the Muslims (Safar 4/July 625). Seven companions were martyred, including Asim ibn Thabit and Marsad ibn Abu Marsad. Of the remaining three Abdullah ibn Tariq was killed on the road. Hubayb ibn Adi and Zayd ibn Desina were taken to Mecca and sold to the Quraishis, who wanted to seek revenge for their relatives who had been killed in Badr. The idolaters of Mecca imprisoned these two Companions for a period, and after the sacred months had ended they took these two companions to the vicinity of Tan’im, outside the city. They were promised release if they were to renounce Islam in front of a crowd. Yet the two companions reiterated their commitment to Islam and the Prophet, showing that they were not afraid of death on the path of Allah and the Prophet. Upon this, they were martyred by the idolaters. Hudayb ibn Adi had asked for a permission to pray two raka’ahs and ended his salah as quickly as possible, to prevent the idolaters from thinking that he was prolonging his prayer in fear of death. This prayer has become a tradition of Muslims who believe that they are about to be executed throughout Islam.

The Raji incident and the following developments caused great sadness in Medina. This attack and massacre presented a casus belli, and the Prophet organized a campaign against the Banu Lihyan tribe to “retaliate”, with 200 men, 20 of whom were horsemen. (Rabi’al-awwal 6/July-August 627). However, since the Lihyanis learned of this campaign and retreated to the mountains, the Prophet remained on their land for two days before he returned.

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The Bi’rimauna Disaster A short time following the Raji incident (Safar 4/July 625), Abu Bara Amir ibn Malik, the leader of the Amir ibn Sa’saa tribe, came to Medina and received information from the Prophet (pbuh) about Islam. Although he was not a Muslim, he requested that some people to be sent to his tribe to convey Islam. Upon hearing this, Prophet Muhammad secured a promise for the safety of these people, and assigned a group of 70 from the Ahl al-Suffa, led by Mundhir ibn Amr al-Hazraji. Most of these people were Companions who possessed good knowledge of the Holy Quran. Haram ibn Milhan was assigned to take a letter from the Prophet to the leader of the Amir ibn Sa’saa after arriving in Bi’rimauna, which was located on the road between Mecca and Medina. After learning that the Amir, Amir ibn Malik had passed away, Haram ibn Milhan gave the letter to his nephew, Amir ibn Tufayl and invited the people with him to Islam. Amir ibn Tufayl had held a grudge against the Prophet for a long time, thus he had the messenger killed and incited the tribe members to attack the Islamic delegation that was staying in Birimanua. As Amir ibn Malik had guaranteed the lives of the delegation, the tribe did not respond positively to this proposal by Amir ibn Tufayl. Amir ibn Tufayl then turned to some branches of the Banu Sulaym tribe, who were his allies. Upon his incitement, the armed groups from the neighboring tribes attacked the Muslims in Bi’rimauna who were unaware of any of these developments.

Everyone was martyred except Amr ibn Umayya ad-Damri, Ka’b ibn Zayd an-Najjari, who was severely wounded and thought dead, and Mundhir ibn Muhammad (or Harith ibn Simma), who was shepherding the camels during the incident. Mundhir ibn Muhammad (or Harith ibn Simma) could not bear the death of his friends, and attacked the idolaters and was killed. When the imprisoned Amr ibn Umayya said that he was a member of the Mudar tribe, he was released by Amir ibn Tufayl.

The Prophet was informed about this sad incidence via a revelation, and he notified his companions of it. Prophet Muhammad was deeply saddened by this incident, more than he had ever been saddened before and he cursed the people who were responsible for it in the morning prayers for thirty or forty days. The Prophet sent off a force of twenty-four, led by Shuja ibn Wahb, to punish Amir ibn Sa’saa on Rabi’ al-awwal 8 (July 629); the latter had been responsible for the Bi’rimauna disaster. Many women and animals of the tribe were captured during a sudden night attack. After a while, a delegation of the Banu Amir ibn Sa’saa, all of whom were later to become Muslim, came before the Prophet and requested the release of the captured women. The Prophet discussed the matter with Shuja ibn Wahb and his friends, and he then released the women upon their acceptance of Islam.

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The Battle of Banu Nadir

The Battle of the Banu Nadir was one of the three Jewish tribes in Medina; the people lived in a strong fortresses and they possessed large date fields and were mostly occupied with agriculture. The Banu Nadir was distinctly superior to the other Jewish tribes. For this reason, if somebody was killed among the Banu Nadir, full blood money was to be paid.

However, half blood money was paid if somebody was killed from among the Banu Qurayza. This inequality in blood money between the two tribes was eradicated by the Prophet (pbuh) and when the people of the Banu Qurayza applied to him about this matter the blood money was equalized.

The Banu Nadir participated in the Medina Document as an ally of the Aws tribe. They were not hostile towards the Muslims, but after the Battle of Badr and the expulsion of the Banu Qaynuqa from the city, they started to behave spitefully against the Muslims. In particular, their famous poet Ka’b ibn Ashraf satirized the Prophet and his Companions in his poems and with his effective rhetoric. The poet also went to Mecca and incited Abu Sufyan and other idolaters against the Muslims by sparking feelings of hatred, spending his fortune in this matter. The Prophet was annoyed with this openly hostile attitude against Islam and wanted to put an end to it.

Upon his request, Muhammad ibn Maslama and several friends made a plan and they killed Ka’b ibn Ashraf, who had not hesitated to insult the holy values of the Muslims (Rabi’ al-awwal 3/September 624). The Banu Nadir Jews had gone to the headquarters of the idolaters and incited them against the Muslims during the Battle of Uhud. Apart from this, Banu Nadir had wanted to fight with the Muslims from time to time and had attempted to assassinate the Prophet. The Prophet had warned this tribe to adhere to the agreement, but he did not receive a positive answer.

When Amr ibn Umayya ed-Damri was returning back to Medina after having survived the Bi’rimauna Disaster, he killed two people from the Banu Amir ibn Sa’saa in their sleep to take the revenge for his two martyr friends. However, Amr did not know that these two people had become Muslims and had been given forgiven by the Prophet. The Prophet was extremely saddened by the death of people whom he had taken under his protection, and Amr said that he would pay the blood money of these two. The Prophet took Abu Bakr, Umar and Ali with him and went to the Banu Nadir in order to ask them to share the blood money in accordance with the Medina Document. The people of Banu Nadir welcomed the Muslims, but then attempted to kill them by throwing a rock from the roof. When the Prophet realized the situation, he left there with his Companions and returned to the city. It is reported that the Banu Nadir concocted other assassination plans when they received a proposal from the Quraishis to do so. As the Banu Nadir had violated the treaty of Medina with their assassination attempts, Prophet Muhammad sent them a messenger and asked them to leave the city within ten days. While the people of Nadir were preparing to leave the city of Medina, Abdullah ibn Ubay dissuaded them from doing so by telling them that he was going to provide help.

Upon this, the Prophet set siege to them and invited them to make a treaty (Rabi’al-awwal 4/August 625). First the Jews decided to put up a resistance, yet after a siege of fifteen days, they consented to leave Medina after taking their women and children with them in a convoy of 600 camels, as well as their movable assets. Some of them went to Khaybar and some of them went to Syria and settled in Azriat.

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The Battle of Banu Mustaliq (Muraysi)

Banu Mustaliq, a branch of the Khuzaa tribe, was residing near Usfan, Rahatufarwa and Rabig, the latter being a significant port city located in the Kudayd region between Mecca and Medina. Generally speaking, the Khuzaa tribe acted positively towards Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), yet the Banu Mustaliq branch sided with the Quraishis which were fighting the Muslims; from time to time they acted with animosity against the Muslims. At the time when the Quraishis incited its allies and made preparations for the Battle of the Trench, Hârith ibn Abû Dirar, the leader of the Mustaliq tribe, set up his headquarters on the Muraysi Water and incited the neighboring tribes; he began to gather soldiers to attack Medina. The Prophet sent Burayda ibn Husayb al-Aslami to the region to acquire intelligence. Burayda saw that the news about the preparations of Mustaliq tribe was true and returned with the necessary information. On Sha’aban 2nd, 5 (December 27th, 626) the Prophet set out on a campaign with 700 men, thirty of whom were on horse. When some of the tribes saw that he was approaching with a great force, they abandoned the front lines and deserted. When the Islamic army came to the Muraysi Water, the tribal members were invited to become Muslim. The battle started after they answered this invitation with arrows, and it ended with the absolute victory of Muslims. Ten idolaters were killed; the remaining 600 or 700 men were taken prisoner. A large amount of loot was acquired, among which there were 2,000 camels and 5,000 sheep. During this campaign, the Muslims suffered no losses other than Hisham Suhaba al-Kalbi, who was killed as he was mistaken for an enemy. After the victory, Prophet Muhammad distributed the prisoners and loot among the Muslims. With regard to the importance of this battle, he sent Abu Naml at-Tai to Medina to notify the people of the victory. He returned back to Medina on Ramadan 5th (January 24, 627). The Battle of Banu Mustaliq is sometimes referred to as the Muraysi Battle, because of its location; it is suggested that this occurred after the Battle of the Trench.

Juwayriyya, the daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abu Dirar the chief of the Banu Mustaliq, was among the captives taken in this battle. The Prophet released Juwayriyya and married her when she accepted Islam. Their marriage mitigated the hostility that resulted from the battle. The Muslims released all prisoners as the people of Mustaliq had now become relatives of the Prophet. When the Banu Mustaliq saw this attitude nearly the entire tribe accepted Islam. Al-Hārith ibn Abu Dirar also came before the Prophet and became Muslim.

Many hypocrites, like Abdullah ibn Ubay ibn Salul, also participated in this battle. There was a conflict between muhajirs and the Companions after the campaign about a waterwell. The hypocrites incited this conflict and it was about to explode. Upon seeing the rising tension, the Prophet instantly ordered that they set out and forced the army to walk until noon the following day. The soldiers were exhausted after this long march and they fell asleep right away when they reached the resting spot, no longer to discuss the conflict. In this way, Prophet Muhammad prevented the conflict that had nearly broken out the previous day. It is accounted that surah of al-Munafiqun (The Hypocrites) was revealed upon these events. The hypocrites did not abandon their hostilities and this led to the slander of Aisha, known as “the Incident of Ifk.”

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The Incident of Ifk

When the Prophet (pbuh) left Medina for the Battle of the Banu Mustaliq, He took his wife Aisha with him. On the way back to Medina, the Muslim army stopped for a rest, but then the Prophet unexpectedly ordered the army to continue the march. Aisha noticed that her onyx necklace, which had been brought from Yemen (Zafar), a souvenir from her older sister or her mother, was missing, so she retraced her steps to find it. When she finally found it and returned to the camp, the Muslim army had already left without her. Her litter was veiled so her absence had not been noticed.

Aisha began to wait for someone to notice that she was missing and to come back for her. Fortunately, she did not have to wait long, for a young Muslim man called Safwan ibn Muattal as-Sulami, who had fallen behind the army after taking a rest, reached the camp during the night and found her lying fast asleep. Safwan recognized her and escorted her back to the Muslim army and the Prophet. Unfortunately, some hypocrites who had seen Safwan and Aisha arrive alone together began to gossip and spread slanderous lies about the two young people. Naturally, the believers were certain that nothing had happened, but the hypocrites thought otherwise. Eventually the story reached Aisha and she became ill. Aisha, the Prophet, Abu Bakr and his family were greatly saddened by the gossip. Aisha thought that the Prophet believed the gossip. She said that if she were to tell the Prophet that she was innocent perhaps he would not believe her. If she were to say that something had happened while Allah knew of her innocence the Prophet still would believe her. She asserted that by Allah, she could only say what Jacob, the father of Prophet Joseph had said:
“Patience is beautiful, and Allah is my protection against what you describe” (Joseph 12/18).
None other than Allah Himself could declare Aisha’s innocence and vindicate her of the slander levied against her. Allah revealed to the Prophet the following verses, condemning those Hypocrites who had doubted Aisha’s innocence and who had slandered her honor: “Since you received it with your tongues, and repeated what you did not know anything about with your mouths, you thought it was a trifle, but in the sight of Allah it is serious.” “Why, when you heard it, did you not say: ‘It is not for us to repeat this, Glory be to You (O Allah), this is a serious slander.’” “Allah warns you to never repeat anything like this again, if you are indeed believers!” “And Allah makes the signs clear to you; and Allah Knows, Wise.” “Surely those who love to spread around slander about those who believe will have a painful punishment in this world and in the next world; and Allah knows and you do not know.” (An-Nur 24/11/19). The Prophet read the above verses to the Muslims in al-masjid al-Nabawi. Hassan ibn Thabit, Mistah ibn Usase and Hamna bint Jahsh were punished in accordance with the fourth verse of Surah Nur.

According to some accounts, the famous poet Hassan ibn Thabit participated in this slander because of the hostility between him and Safwan ibn Muattal; Mistah ibn Usase participated in this slander because he felt inferior as his relatives were constantly receiving help from Abu Bakr, while Hamna bint Jahsh participated in this slander to degrade the position of Aisha and raise the position of her sister Zaynab. Aisha realized that this incident was in fact important and that she had been greatly honored by the ten verses sent in relation to this matter.

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The Battle of the Trench

The Battle of the Trench was the last attack of the Quraishis on Medina. The name of this battle comes from the trenches that were dug around Medina to prevent the enemy attack. Apart from the Quraishis, Arab tribes, such as the Gatafan, the Fazara, the Sulaym, the Qinana, the Sakif, and the Banu Nadir had been expelled from Medina; the Banu Qurayza Jews in Medina participated in this battle as well. For this reason, the battle is also known as The Battle of al-Ahzab (the groups or tribes). The Battle of the Trench differs from the previous battles in terms of politics, strategy and tactics. It was a battle fought not against a single and specific enemy, but was rather a defensive battle fought against all enemy groups in the Arabian Peninsula. This battle is important due to the fact that the Jewish tribes, the Quraishis and the Arab tribes allied together in the realization that they could not defeat the Muslims alone.

Prominent figures belonging to the Banu an-Nadir, such as Huyay ibn Ahtab and Sallam ibn Abu’l-Huqayq, who had settled in Khaybar after being expelled from Medina, called upon the Quraishis of Mecca and invited them to annihilate the Muslims together. An alliance was thus formed and they created a large army by allying with the surrounding tribes. When the Prophet learned of this development, he conferred with his Companions on how to treat the threat. A Persian Companion, called Salman al-Farisi, advised digging a trench alongside Medina, which otherwise was open to cavalry attack. The Prophet also participated in the digging of the trench. The trench was completed in several weeks thanks to the great efforts of the Muslims. According to the estimates of Muhammad Hamidullah, the trench was 5,5 km in length, 9 m in width, 4,5 m in depth.

After the Muslims had finished digging the trench, the enemy units, led by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, whose numbers were 10,000 (or 12,000), reached Medina and camped in a place to the north of Medina where the Battle of Uhud had earlier taken place. The banner of the idolaters was carried by Uthman ibn Talha from the Banu Abduddar. The number of Muslim soldiers was about 3,000. Zayd ibn Haritha was the flagman for the emigrants while Sa’d ibn Ubada was the flagman of the Companions. The Prophet knew that they were outnumbered against this army and he decided to launch a defensive war, resisting the attack of the enemy against the city instead of facing the coalition in a pitched battle outside. He ordered that the women and children stay in the castles and fortresses. Prophet Muhammad built his headquarters on the edges of Mount Sal, facing the trench. Thus they were defended by Mount Sal from behind. The Prophet placed guards at points where the trench was not very deep and at some entrance points. This strategy was to show the strength of the Muslims and make the Quarishis feel that they were dependent on Him for the trade route; he hoped that they would embrace Islam and the new formation in Medina.
The Quraishis were surprised when they saw the trench, which was not known in Arabia as defensive method.

During the siege, both sides shot arrows and threw stones at each other. The Islamic army not only tried to prevent the enemy army from infiltrating into the city from other points, but they also tried to weaken them along the trench. The enemy units attacked in turns. These units were commanded by famous warriors such as Abu Sufyan, Hubayra ibn Abu Wahb, Ikrima ibn Abu Jahil, Umar’s brother Dirar ibn Khattab, Khaled ibn Walid and Amr ibn As. One day the tent of the Prophet was heavily attacked by arrows, but this attack failed, as the Companions counterattacked with arrows and stones.

In the course of the battle, several cavalries passed over the trench at a narrow spot onto the side of the Islamic army. One of these was Amr ibn Abduved, who was known for his courage and bravery. Amr ibn Abduved desired that a warrior from the Muslims step out for hand-to-hand combat. Young Ali came forward to fight with him. The Prophet gave his sword to Ali and wrapped his turban around him. Amr underestimated Ali and he was killed by Ali with a sweeping blow of the sword. Nawfal ibn Abdullah died, falling into the trench. The other horsemen rapidly retreated back across the trench.

Although there were some fights during the siege, which lasted in total about twenty days, the allied forces did not achieve any results. Due to the fact that the idolaters had prepared for a short battle, the food supplies of their warriors and horses soon ran out. Meanwhile, the food and feed carried by twenty camels sent by the Khaybar Jews were intercepted by the Muslims. During a rain storm the people of Mecca underwent difficult times; their tents were destroyed by the storm and they panicked. It was the end of the month of Shawwal; Dhu al-Qi’dah, the first of the sacred months, was fast approaching and the hajj season was close. Due to all these factors, Abu Sufyan raised the siege and returned to Medina, realizing that he could not win any significant gains (Dhu al-Qi’dah 5/April 627).

Six Muslims were martyred and eight enemy soldiers were killed in the Battle of the Trench, which was a turning point in Islamic history. The Muslims suffered many obstacles during the Battle, and they were worried about the large enemy army. Prophet Muhammad never missed any prayers during any of the confrontations, and the fact that he now had to perform the noon, afternoon, evening and night prayers together shows that he and his
Companions were fighting under very harsh conditions.

Surah Al-Ahzab, which gives this battle its name, mentions the fear of the Muslims of the allied armies and states that this was a test of faith; it goes on to say that Allah supported the Muslims with unseen armies (al-Ahzab 33/9-12, 25).

With the Battle of the Trench the idolaters’ last attempt to kill the Prophet and the Muslims failed. Prophet Muhammad implemented a policy that would create hostility between the Jews and their Arab allies, and he received a great deal of intelligence. This played a great role in defeating the enemy. One of the measures taken by the Prophet to weaken the enemy alliance was related to Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud. Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud was the leader of the Banu Ascha tribe. He had become Muslim but he did not tell this to anyone. Upon a request from the Prophet s request, Mas’ud had sown dissension throughout the ranks of the Banu Qurayza and the Quraishis, and weakened the trust among each group.

After this battle, Prophet Muhammad revised his battle strategy. It was now understood seen that acting immediately before the enemy forces had had a chance to form battle preparation against the Muslims, and to strike rapidly was important. Accordingly a campaign was carried out against the Banu Qurayza.

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