The Life of Muhammadﷺ, The Madinan Period, Volume 1
by Imam Anwar Al_Awlaki
اَلْحَمْدُ لله وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلى سَيِّدِنَا محمد وَعَلَى اَلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْراَّ
اَمَّا بَعْدْ
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
As we mentioned earlier, the Muslims were not allowed to fight in the beginning,
the command was
اِصْبِرُوْ فَاِنِّيْ لَمْ اُؤمَرْ بِقِتَالْ
I'm not given permission to fight,
and they were wronged.
We talked about all of the forms of oppression that the Muslims suffered from, in Makkah.
We covered that part in the talks of the Makkah period.
They used all various forms of aggression against the Muslims.
Now for the Arabs to be restrained from fighting wasn't easy,
you know, these are tribesmen they didn't have a heritage or an anti war movement at that time,
they didn't have any peace activists, in those days
they didn't have the likes of Martin Luther King or Gandhi,
I mean, a tribesman, if you transgress against him, he is going to fight back.
So, for them to be restrained from fighting back and avenging for what happened to them, was very difficult,
but it was a test of their patience.
And that's why Rasool Allah ﷺ was saying اِصْبِرُوْ be patient, so it was testing them.
But For example, Abu Bakr As-Siddique رضي الله عنه said;
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ اَنَّه’سَيَكُوْنُ قِتَالْ
I knew that there's going to be fighting, ultimately we're going to have to fight,
there's no way to get out of this difficult situation, we're in.
Except by fighting in the path of Allah.
So, he knew that it was coming along.
The permission was given during the early days of Madina, some say it was given before Hijrah(هجرة),
but the actual practice of it didn't happen, except in Madina.
Now to fight against the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ, demanded preparation.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was now preparing the Muslim community and training it.
And this training took two forms,
One was spiritual training, and the second was physical training or preparation.
So, this would lead us into the fourth project, which is the establishment of the Muslim army.
We talked about the establishment of the Masjid(مسجد).
we talked about brotherhood and we talked about the covenant
and now number four, the establishment of the army.
Now to state it that way, the establishment of the army isn't really, very accurate
because there weren't any professional soldiers.
This wasn't a professional army, it was more of a militia.
The linguistic definition of the word militia would fit the situation more.
It says in the American dictionary a militia is citizens army, as distinct from a body of professional soldiers.
So there weren't any professional soldiers, in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ.
Everyone who fulfilled five requirements, was expected to participate in Jihad(جهاد) Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله)
and these five requirements were, Islam, that's number one.
Number two, Baloogh(بلوغ) the age of puberty.
Number three, Al-Aql(ألعقل) sanity.
Number four, Assalamah Min-Al-Oyub(ألسلامة من العيوب) to be free of defects
that would prevent a person from being able to participate, such as being blind, or handicapped.
And number five, financial ability.
Because Rasool Allah ﷺ didn't have the ability to sponsor every fighter,
like a government would sponsor its army, they had to finance themselves.
Also, it says that the militia is the whole body of physically fit male civilians legible by law for military service.
So, the word militia suits it more than the word army.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was preparing them spiritually,
and Ayaat(آيات) of Qur'an were also preparing them for that,
for example, Allahعَزّوجَلّ says, Surat-Ut-Toba(سورة التوبة) verse 111, and 112
إِنَّ اللَّهَ اشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ
وَأَمْوَالَهُمْ بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ ۚ
يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ
وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ وَالْقُرْآنِ ۚ
وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ ۚ
فَاسْتَبْشِرُوا بِبَيْعِكُمُ الَّذِي بَايَعْتُمْ بِهِ ۚ
وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ۝
Indeed Allah has purchase from the believers, their lives and their properties, in exchange for that, they will have paradise.
They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed.
It is a true promise binding upon Him in the Torah(توراة), and the Gospel and the Qur'an
and who is truer to his covenant than Allah.
So, rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted
and it is that which is the great attainment.
Allah is teaching them to be patient.
إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ ۚ
وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ
وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ
وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ۝
وَلِيُمَحِّصَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَمْحَقَ الْكَافِرِينَ۝
أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنْكُمْ وَيَعْلَمَ الصَّابِرِينَ۝
If a wound should touch you, there has already touched the opposing people, a wound similar to it.
And these days of varying conditions, We alternate among the people, one day you win, one day you lose.
So, that Allah may make evident those who believe and may take to Himself from among you, martyrs.
And Allah does not like the wrongdoers.
And that Allah may purify the believers through trials and destroy the disbelievers.
Or do you think that you will enter Paradise, while Allah has not yet made evident, those of you who fight in His cause
And make evident those who are steadfast.
And you had certainly wished for death, martyrdom, before you encountered it.
And you have now seen it, before you, while you were looking on.
So, these are examples of Ayaat(آيات) in which Allahعَزّوجَلّ was preparing the Muslims.
Examples of Ahadith(احاديث) in Bukhari(بخاريْ) narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه.
A man came to Rasool Allah ﷺ and said;
يا رَسُوْل الله دُلَّنِيْ عَلَى عَمَلٍ يَعْدِلُ الْجِهَادْ
O Rasool Ullah tell me about something that is as virtuous as Jihad(جهاد).
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: I can't find any.
And then Rasool Allah ﷺ told the man;
When the Mujahid(مجاهد) goes out in the path of Allah,
can you enter your mosque, and pray continuously without any rest and fast continuously without breaking your fast.
So, the man said and who could do that?
Meaning that the reward of the Mujahid(مجاهد) is greater than fasting continuously and praying continuously.
So, the fighting of the disbelievers is more virtuous than Jihad Un Nafs(جهاد النفس)
because praying and fasting is part of Jihad(جهاد) Un Nafs(جهاد النفس)
and Rasool Allah ﷺ is saying here that if a person is praying continuously and fasting continuously
they cannot receive the rewards of somebody who went out to fight in the path of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
When they were coming back from the Ghazwah(غزوة) of Tabook(تبوك)
Rasool Allah ﷺ told my Muadh Ibn Jabal(معاذ ابن جبل);
اِنْ شِئْتَ اأنبأتُكَ بِرَاْسِ الْاَمْرِيْ وَعَمُوْدِهِ و ذرْوَة سِنَامِهِ
Rasool Allah ﷺ told Muadh Ibn Jabal(معاذ ابن جبل),
if you want I will tell you about the head of the affair, its pillar and its peak.
The head of the affair is Islam, and its pillar is Salah(صلاة), and its peak is Jihad(جهاد) Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله).
so the most virtuous act the peak of Islam is fighting Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله عَزّوجَلّ).
Rasool Allah ﷺ says in a Hadith(حديث) in Bukhari(بخاريْ) and Muslim(المسلم);
وَاعْلَمُوْا اَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ تَحْتَ ظِلَالِ السُّيُوْفْ
Realized that Paradise is under the shade of swords.
Rasool Allah ﷺ says in Bukhari(بخاريْ) and Muslim(المسلم)
مَنْ جهَّزَ غَازِيًا في سبيلِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ غَزَا، ومنْ خَلَفَ غَازيًا في أَهْلِهِ بخَيْر فَقَدْ غزَا
Whoever finances a fighter in the path of Allah has fought,
And whoever takes care of the family of a fighter has fought,
the reward of Ribat(رباط) which is being stationed in the path of Allahعَزّوجَلّ
رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صِيَامِ شَهْرٍ وَقِيَامِهِ ،
This is Sahih Muslim(صحيح مسلم)
Ribaat(رباط) for one day in the path of Allah is better than fasting entire month and praying that month.
And in Al-Hakim(ألحاكم), Imraan Bin Haseen(عمرا ن بن حصين) says that Rasool Allah ﷺ said;
مَقَامُ الرَّجُلِ فِي الصَّفِّ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ رَجُلٍ سِتِّينَ سَنَةً
Standing in the ranks before the battle starts, standing, just standing in the ranks,
Rasool Allah ﷺ says is better than worshiping Allah for 60 years.
All of these Ahadith(احاديث) were to prepare the people spiritually for what's coming.
They're facing enemies from every direction.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was telling them about the virtues of fighting Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله عَزّوجَلّ).
Then you had the physical preparation, and that is military training.
Now the Sahabah didn't need to be told to go jogging or go and lift weights
their lifestyle was active anyway, so there was no need to tell them to be physically fit.
They had an active lifestyle because of the type of work that they would do.
I mean a farmer going out in the farm and working from after Fajar(فجر), until late in the day,
wouldn't make sense to tell him to go jogging after that.
So, they were physically fit so they didn't need to be told to be fit.
However, in the areas where there were deficiencies, Rasool Allah ﷺ did specify.
For example swimming because the Arabs of Makkah and Madina were far away from the sea
and they are living in the desert, swimming wasn't part of their life.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ told them in some Ahadith(أحاديث) to swim.
So, the areas where there was deficiency, Rasool Allah ﷺ did mentioned in a Ahadith(احاديث) ways to improve them, in those areas.
But Rasool Allah ﷺ told them for examples to train, in terms of target shooting, marksmanship.
In his Tafseer(تفسير) of the Ayah(آية)
وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ
Rasool Allah ﷺ said;
أَلَا إِنَّ الْقُوَّة الرَّمْي، أَلَا إِنَّ الْقُوَّة الرَّمْي، أَلَا إِنَّ الْقُوَّة الرَّمْي
Strength is marksmanship or target shooting.
And he repeated that three times.
Rasool Allah ﷺ says in a Hadith(حديث),
كُلُّ شَيْءٍ لَيْسَ مِنْ ذِكْرِ اللّه عزوأجل فَهُوَ لَهْوٌ اَوْ سَهُوْ
إِلَّا أَرْبَعَةَ خِصَالٍ مَشْيٌ الرَجُلِ بَيْنَ الْغَرَضَيْنِ ،
وَتَأْدِيبُهُ فَرَسَهُ ، وَمُلَاعَبَتُهُ أَهْلَهُ ، وَتَعْلِيمُ السَّبَّاحَةِ
Rasool Allah ﷺ says everything that is not remembrance of Allahعَزّوجَلّ is a waste of your time, except four things
walking between the targets,
when they used to practice target shooting, it was archery,
so they would actually place two targets.
They would stand next to the first one, and shoot at the second.
And then they would walk to the second and pick up their arrows and then stand next to it and shoot at the first one.
So, this walking between the two targets, Rasool Allah ﷺ says that, that is Ibadah(عبادة) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
Number two, training your horse.
Number three, playing with your wife.
Number four, learning how to swim and teaching it to others.
So, these four things are Ibadah(عبادة) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ,
and any other form of entertainment is a waste of your time.
So from these teachings, we can notice that there was, what is referred to as absolute war,
where there is a total mobilization of the society, gearing all of its resources
towards the militarization of the society, in order to defend it.
That process was happening in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
Rasool Allah ﷺ says in the Hadith(حديث);
جَاهِدُوْا الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتِكُمْ
Fight the non believers with your wealth, arms and tongues.
So, it was a total effort wealth, arms and tongues all geared up to defend the newly formed Muslim community.
I hope these points would clear some misconceptions or misunderstandings regarding what was happening in the time of Rasool Allah ﷺ,
we need to look at it in the context of this situation.
It was a very difficult time for the Muslims, Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was threatening them.
For example, as soon as Rasool Allah ﷺ made Hijrah(هجرة) to Madina,
the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) sent a letter to Abdullah Bin Obaeye(عبدالله بن ابي) telling him
that you have given sanctuary to As-Subah(ألصباء),
You have given sanctuary to these people, they would use this derogatory term As-Subah(ألصباء).
And you either give them up and hand them over Otherwise, we're going to kill you
and leave your women as widows and leave your children as orphans.
So, they were threatening the people of Madina.
It's not like Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) were turning a blind eye to the Sahabahرضي الله عنهم,
they were taking this Hijrah(هجرة) issue very seriously, so the threat was there.
Another example is when Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدبن معاذ) went to visit Makkah
He was friends with Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف).
So he went to Ummayyah(امية)and said O Ummayyah(امية), I want to make Tawaf(طواف) around the Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
So, tell me about a time when it would be empty, there would be crowds of people.
So, they waited until a late hour and then they went to go and make Tawaf(طواف).
So, Ummayyah Bin Khalaf(امية بن خلف) and Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدبن معاذ) were friends in Jahiliya(جاهليه),
they were making Tawaf(طواف) and then Abu Jahal(ابو جهل) saw them.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) came to them and said, and told Ummayyah(امية);
Who is this man with you?
So, Ummayyah(امية) said This is Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدبن معاذ)
and Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدبن معاذ) was well known, he was the head of Al-Aos(الاوس) one of the two tribes in Madina, who became Muslim.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) told Ummayyah(امية).
I don't want to see you having this man, make Tawaf(طواف) around the Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه),
when they have given sanctuary to Muhammad(محمد) and his followers.
So, Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعدبن معاذ) responded back by saying;
if you prevent me from making Tawaf(طواف), I'm going to prevent your caravans from reaching to Ash-sham(الشام).
Because the caravans of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), passed next to Madina,
so they exchanged threats.
But this shows you that the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) were plotting against Muhammadﷺ and the Sahabah.
And that's why there was a militarization effort going on in Madina, it was to protect the Muslim community.
Rasool Allah ﷺ, after receiving permission from Allahعَزّوجَلّ to fight.
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَاتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا ۚ
Rasool Allah ﷺ started sending out what is referred to as Sarayya(سرايه).
So, you have in our books of Seerah(سيرة) Saraya(سرايا), and you have Gazawaat(غزوات).
So, what's the difference between the two?
So you would have Ghazwat Badr(غزوة البدر) and you'd have Ghazwat Uhud(غزوة احد),
and you'd have Ghazwat Khandaq(غزوة الخندق).
On the other hand, you would have, Sariyat Abu Obaidah(سرية ابو عبيده), Sariyat Abdullah Bin Jahash(سرية عبدالله بن جحش),
Sariyat Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqas(سرية سعد إبن أبي وقاص).
The difference is Saraya(سرايا) referred to the armies that were sent out by Rasool Allah ﷺ without him participating in them.
While a Ghazwa(غزوة) is an army that is led by Rasool Allah ﷺ.
So, that's the difference between a Ghazwa(غزوه) and a Sariyah(سريه).
If you're reading a book of Seerah(سيرة), you'll run into this, Sariyah(سريه) and Ghazwa(غزوة).
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ started sending out Sarayah(سرايه), and he was leading Ghazawaat(غزوات).
Now in terms of the linguistic meaning of the two words, Ghazwa(غزوة) and Sariyah(سريه).
Ghazwa(غزوة) means, an army of conquest.
That's the linguistic meaning of Ghazwa(غزوه).
While Sariyah(سريه) is an army but it doesn't really mean that it's involved in conquest or not.
But these are just the linguistic meanings of the word that aren't really relevant,
when it comes to how the scholars of Seerah(سيرة), are using these two words.
The first Ghazwa(غزوة) in which Rasool Allah ﷺ participated in is called Ghazwat-Al-Abwaa(غزوة الأبوآء),
but no fighting occurred.
This army went out but didn't meet the enemy.
And then Rasool Allah ﷺ sends out a Sariyyah(سريه) led by Obaidah Ibn Haris(عبيدة بن حارث),
these were 60 of Al-Muhajiroon(ألمهاجرون), all of them were Muhajiroon(ألمهاجرون), on foot.
There were no mounts and they would walk at night and hide during the day.
They exchanged arrows but no one was killed.
So, the first shots fired in Jihad(جهاد) Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله) were in Sariyat-Obaidah Bin Haris(سرية عبيده بن حارث),
and the first one to shoot was Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqasرضي الله عنه.
He said: I'm the first one to strike an arrow in the path of Allah,
I am the first one to shoot an arrow in the path of Allah.
Then you have Sariyat-Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(سرية حمزه بن عبدالمطلب)
this was Sariyah(سرية) led by Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib(حمزه بن عبدالمطلب), about 30 Muhajiroon(ألمهاجرون),
but this time they were riding camels, and they met with a caravan.
This was a Sariyah(سرية) that went out to raid a caravan that was belonging to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
But the caravan was supported by a large number of guards.
Anyway, no fighting occurred
because one of the tribesmen in the area, who had a peace agreement with Muhammadﷺ and with Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) interfered
when he saw that and no fighting occurred.
But when this happened, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) was with the caravan he went back to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) and he said
he was giving warning to his people, he said;
Muhammad(محمد) is out there to get you, be careful.
And he was telling his people that he's like an angry lion,
and he said because we have driven them out of the land like insects would be driven off, the back of a camel.
So, he's telling his people to be careful Muhammadﷺ is out there
and he's trying to lay his hands on our caravans and on us, so Be careful.
And then there was another Ghazwa(غزوه) called Ghazwat-Bu'aat(غزوة بواط)
They went to raid a caravan but couldn't find it.
And then you have Ghazwat Al-Asheerah(غزوة ألعشيره).
They also went to pursue a caravan but weren't able to find it.
These caravans were a bit elusive, they were trying to hide their tracks in the desert.
And then you have Sariyat Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqas(سرية سعد إبن أبي وقاص) and Ghazwat Badr Al-Uola(غزوة البدر ألأولى),
all of these occurred within the first two years of Hijrah(هجرة) before the Battle of Badr(بدر).
Then there's another Sariyah(سرية) that happened
and this Sariyah(سرية) is quite important because of the consequences of it.
And this Sariyah(سرية) is called Sariyah(سرية) of Abdullah Bin Jahashرضي الله عنه.
This was a small group of Sahabah رضي الله عنهم,
who were sent out to pursue a caravan belonging to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش), the leader of this Sariyah(سرية) was handed a letter by Rasool Allah ﷺ.
That letter was sealed and Rasool Allah ﷺ told Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش), not to open it, until after two days.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ told him to go to such and such place.
And after two days you open this letter and he read it.
Abdullah Bin Jahashرضي الله عنه opens the letter after two days and it states in there,
that I instruct you to go to such and such place and this place was between Makkah and At-Taef(ألطائف)
and to ask the members of your Sariyah(سرية) to follow you,
but make it volunteer on them.
So, this was a voluntary Sariyah(سرية).
You asked them if they want to join you or not.
Probably the reason was because this was quite a risky operation.
These men were going deep in the territory of Al-Kuffar(الكفار), they were going between Makkah and At-Taef(ألطائف).
So now, Rasool Allah ﷺ wasn't raiding a caravan that was passing next to Madina,
you know, because the route that leads from Makkah to Syria passes next to Madina.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ had the opportunity of intersecting those caravans.
Now Rasool Allah ﷺ was going after the caravans of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), which were between Makkah and At-Taef(ألطائف).
So, this was quite risky and they would be quite far away from their base, Al-Madina.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ makes this voluntary Sariyah(سرية).
Abdullah Bin Jabir(Jahash)رضي الله عنه
tells the member of his Sariyah(سرية), this is what Rasool Allah ﷺ says, I'm going to go.
And whoever wants to follow me, it's up to you.
So it was voluntary, on all of them, including Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش).
They all said, we're willing to go with you, we're going to go.
Because Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) told them, whoever wants to stay can stay, and whoever wants to go and die,
you're welcome to come, they saw it as quite a risky operation.
They said we're all willing to die Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله), we're going to go with you.
So none of them stayed behind.
You can contrast this with all of the news of soldiers defecting from their armies.
So you can see how some people are forced to fight.
While, some people volunteer for it.
And this shows you the difference between when somebody is doing something for the sake of this world for greed,
or for expansion of territory, or for power,
compared to when somebody is doing something virtuous for the sake of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
And this again, shows you the difference between fighting for the sake of Allah and fighting for other reasons,
which we talked about in our previous session, that all war is evil, except if it is fought for the sake of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
So here they all volunteered to go.
They do a spot the caravan of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
the caravan was lightly guarded only four guards.
And they were within striking distance, but they were in a dilemma.
This was the sacred month,
there were four months in the year in which Arabs do not fight.
And this was agreed upon, among them and they held this up in high esteem,
they took these months seriously, they wouldn't violate them and they wouldn't fight in them.
They were in the last day of the month of Rajab(رجب), which is one of the sacred months.
So, they're not supposed to fight.
So, you might ask the question.?
Well, why not just wait for another day
pursue this caravan and just have one more day to go and then you'll be in the month of Shaban(شعبان), you can attack them.
Well, there is another problem.
If they wait for another day, this caravan would enter into the sacred limits of Makkah
where they're not supposed to fight either.
So either way, they will be violating either the sanctity of the four months, or the sanctity of Makkah.
So it was a dilemma, they made Shuraa(شورى).
And they decided to go ahead and attack in the month of Rajab(رجب) in the sacred month.
They shot their arrows, one of the four guards was killed, Al-Hazrami(ألحضرمي).
One of them ran away, and Two of them were taken prisoners and the whole caravan fell into the hands of the Muslims.
So, they drove them back to Madina, this was breaking news.
Everyone was talking about it, Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) made a big deal about it.
They took this opportunity and milked it, to the limits.
They went around saying that Muhammad(محمد) and his people are violating the sacred months,
they are shedding blood, they have taken prisoners, they have stealed our wealth, all in the holy months.
It says in Al-Bayhaqi(البيهقي);
قَدِ اسْتَحلَّ محمد وَاَصْحَابُه’ شَهْرَالْحَرَامْ
وَسَفَكُوْا فِيْهِ الدَّمْ وَاَخَذُوْا فِيْهِ الْاَمْوَالْ وَاَسَرُوْا فِيْهِ الرِّجَالْ
Muhammad(محمد) and his people have violated the sacred months, and they have shed blood
and they have taken our wealth, and they have taken our men prisoners.
So again, this was breaking news on all networks splashing the front pages of every newspaper in the country.
The Muslims are terrorists, who are violating the sanctity of the holy month,
shedding blood and they went around, spreading this news in Arabia.
And it was a big deal.
Well, when the men of the Sariyah(سرية) came back to Madina.
Rasool Allah ﷺ told them, I didn't tell you to fight in the holy month,
I didn't give you those instructions.
And the Muslims were reproaching the Sahabah, Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) and his people,
they were telling them; Who told you to fight in the sacred month.?
Who told you to violate it?
So, Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) these men of the Sariyah(سرية) were in a very difficult situation
they were worried, they were very worried. What have we done.
And What will this be considered in the eyes of Allahعَزّوجَلّ?
And Rasool Allah ﷺ refused to take the prisoners and he refused to take the caravan.
So, you can imagine how desperate these Sahabah would be.
I mean, we went out there, we risked our lives and then here we are all what we have done is not accepted.
And everybody's upset with us, Rasool Allah ﷺ and the Sahabah alike
and Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) they were taking advantage of this, and they made a big deal out of it.
And then Ayyat(آيات) from Qur'an were revealed,
Verse to 217 from Surat-Ul-Bakara(سورة البقره).
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ ۖ
They ask you about the sacred month, about fighting therein.
So now, people are asking, what is the ruling of Allahعَزّوجَلّ concerning fighting in the sacred month.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ says,
قُلْ قِتَالٌ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌ ۖ
Say fighting therein is a great sin,
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), so what Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) and his men did was a great sin.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ was saying, that fighting in the sacred month is a great sin.
But then what did Allahعَزّوجَلّ say,
وَصَدٌّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَكُفْرٌ بِهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ
وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَام وَإِخْرَاجُ أَهْلِهِ مِنْهُ أَكْبَرُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ ۚ
وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ ۗ
So, here Allahعَزّوجَلّ is putting things in perspective.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ is saying that yes,
what the Sahabah have done in violating the sanctity of the sacred month
It was wrong, it was a great sin,
but then Allahعَزّوجَلّ lists four other sins.
Number one, averting the people away from the path of Allah.
The people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), on the other hand were averting people from the path of Allah,
they were standing between people and becoming Muslim.
They were standing between them and becoming Muslim.
Number two, and disbelief in him, that is a great sin.
Number three, and preventing access to Al-Masjid-Al-Haraam(مسجد الحرام).
The Muslims were not allowed to go to Makkah,
Number four, and the expulsion of its people there from and the Muhajireen(مهاجرين) were driven out of Makkah.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says; Those sins are greater than what's Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) did.
So, averting people from the way of Allah is a greater sin, then killing in the sacred month.
Disbelieving in Allah is a greater sin than killing in the sacred month.
And preventing access to Al-Masjid-Al-Haraam(مسجد الحرام) is a greater evil in the eyes of Allah, than fighting the sacred month
and the expulsion of people from Makkah
and forcing them out of their land is a greater sin in the eyes of Allah, than fighting in the sacred month.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ is putting things in perspective.
And then Allahعَزّوجَلّ says;
وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ ۗ
And fitna(فتنه) seducing people away from Islam is greater than killing.
Ibn Is'haqq(اِبْنِ اِسْحَاقْ) says;
كَانُوْ يَفْتِنُوْنَ الْمُسْلِمَه فِيْ دِيْنِهِ حَتَّى يَرُدُّه’ اِلَى الْكُفْرْ
The people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) will seduce a Muslim, until he gives up Islam.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ says, that is worse than fighting in the sacred month.
And then Allahعَزّوجَلّ says about disbelievers.
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَنْ دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُوا ۚ
وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ
فَأُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ
وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ۝
This Ayah(آية) is clearing up the minds of people, it's telling them;
Look at what Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) and his people did.
And look at, on the other hand, what the Kuffar(كفار) of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) have been doing for 13 years,
don't just make a big deal about what Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) did
and completely forget about the sins of the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
even though what Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) did was wrong.
But what the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) have been doing, outweighs all of that.
So, when these Ayaat(آيات) were revealed, Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) and his followers were happy,
at least that Allahعَزّوجَلّ has mentioned that the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) have committed greater sins.
So now, they were eager to get credit for what they have done.
So now, if these Ayaat(آيات) make them break even, or at least that's how it appears now.
They went to Rasool Allah ﷺ and they wanted to get reward for what they have done.
Even though the Ayah(آية) says that it was a mistake, it was a sin.
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ reveals the following Ayah(آية), which was Ayah(آية ) Verse 218.
Allahعَزّوجَلّ said;
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ ۚ
وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ۝
Indeed, those who have believed and those who have immigrated and fought in the cause of Allah,
those expect the mercy of Allah, and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله).
So, Allahعَزّوجَلّ is telling them that you can expect the mercy of Allahعَزّوجَلّ, and expect to get credit for what you have done
and expect to be given the reward of the Mujahideen(مجاهدين).
Not only that, Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) and his Sariyyah(سريه) according to our scholars,
they were the first to take prisoners and the path of Allah.
They were the first to take booty of war in the path of Allah,
and they were the first to kill a disbeliever in the path of Allah.
So, they were the first in these three areas and that was an honor, that was bestowed on them.
When these Ayaat(آيات) were revealed, Rasool Allah ﷺ took the caravan, and he took the two men as prisoners.
So, the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) came to ransom them, Rasool Allah ﷺ said;
اَخَافُ اَنْ تَكُوْنُوْا قَدْ عَصَبْتُمْ سَعْد اِبْنِ مَالك وَ عُتْبَه بِنْ غَزْوَانْ
Two of the members of the Sariyyah(سريه) of Abdullah Bin Jahash(عبدالله بن جحش) lost the camel, so they went looking for it.
And they didn't come back yet.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ told that people have Quraish(قُرَيْشْ);
I'm not going to hand over, until my two men come back, I fear that you might kill them.
So, this shows you the care that Rasool Allah ﷺ had for his followers.
He said, I'm not giving you your two men, until my two men come back.
And this is how the Muslims should be.
They should never give one another up.
So, when Sa'ad Ibn Malik(سَعْد اِبْنِ مَالك) and Utba Bin Ghazwaan(عُتْبَه بِنْ غَزْوَانْ) came back,
Rasool Allah ﷺ released the two prisoners of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), they were ransomed.
The people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) had to pay money to free them
and Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله), one of them Al-Hakam Bin Kaisaan(ألحكم بن كيسان) became Muslim, and he stayed, he didn't go back.
And he died as a Shaheed(شهيد) later on.
While the other Uthman Bin Mugheera(عثمان بن مغيرة), he went back to Makkah, and died as a disbelievers.
So, some lessons from this Sariyyah(سريه).
Number one, the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ are gonna pick on your actions,
and they're going to try to blow them out of proportion,
they might try to twist the truth and they will try to present you in the worst form they are capable of presenting you in.
So, the Muslim needs to be aware of that, and needs to study the reality of the situation and put things in perspective,
just like these Ayaat(آيات) of Allahعَزّوجَلّ, put things in perspective.
So, if Muslims are ever accused of being terrorists, or that Islam is promoting violence.
Let whoever is saying that, remember that Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in Iraq,
that Palestinians have been suffering for over 50 years
that Muslims in Kashmir and Chechnya and the Philippines and one can go on and on and on have been suffering for a very long time.
Bring these things up.
And it will become clear that even if the Muslims, do something that is not justified
that cannot fall under justifiable resistance
it can never reach to the level of violence and evil that is committed against the Muslims, from the disbelievers.
It can never reach to that level.
I mean, more than a million have been killed in the sanctions that were laid upon Iraq, more than a million.
So, things need to be put in the right perspective,
and don't be gullible and naive and just fall into what the media is saying, because the media is not on your side.
And the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ are never going to be on your side.
So, the Muslim needs to be aware about the reality of the situation,
and not just take things as you hear it, on the radio or TV, but look deep into what is happening.
And you'll see the evil that is caused by the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
Subhaan Allah(سُبْحَان الله) Look at how what Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) did to Muhammadﷺ, the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ are doing to the Muslims today.
The preachers who are preaching the true Islam are being thrown in jail or killed or subjugated to threats.
If Muslims try to present the truth, as it is, they are fought against and they are restricted.
Muslim lands are taken as booty and milking cows for the enemies of Allahعَزّوجَلّ.
Muslim blood has become very cheap.
In fact, it has not only become cheap, it has become worthless.
Number two, second lesson
the care that Muslims should have for one another.
Rasool Allah ﷺ refused to give up the two prisoners of war, until Utba(عتبه) and Sa'ad Ibn Malik(سعدابن مالك) would come back.
And then, a few lessons regarding the issue of Saraya(سرايه) in general
these Sarayah( سرايه) were to establish the military presence of Rasool Allah ﷺ and the Muslims.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was sending the Saraya(سرايا) north, south, west, east to let the people know
that the Muslims have force and they are capable of using it and this is a strong state.
So, be careful don't attack it, because you know the tribal system of old Arabia.
If one tribe feels that the other tribe is weak, they take advantage of that.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was sending out these Sarayah(سرايا) as a deterrence to others,
to the Bedouins who are surrounding Madina who still have the respect of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) in their hearts,
you know, because Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was seen as the center of the Arabia, the noble men,
they were the people who were the custodians of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه).
So, they were held in high esteem by the rest of Arabia.
Rasool Allah ﷺ was trying to break that and trying to let the people know that there is now rival power in the area.
Number two,
Rasool Allah ﷺ was winning over tribes and establishing alliances,
and this was still in the stage, where Rasool Allah ﷺ could establish alliances with Polytheists.
We talked about the stages of fighting Fee-Sabeel-Lillah(فِي سَبيل الله) that in the final stage,
Rasool Allah ﷺ was instructed to fight all of the Mushrikeen(مشركين)
but we're still in the stage here, where Rasool Allah ﷺ could establish alliances with these tribes
and he did, with some of the Bedouin tribe surrounding Madina, he established alliances.
This was done through these Saraya(سرايا), You can translate Sariyyah(سريه) as expedition.
Number three, these Sarayah(سرايا) were mostly for economical reasons.
These were to raid caravans, mostly these Saraya(سرايا) were sent out to raid the caravans of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
That is because in the Islamic Fiqh(فقه),
if the Muslim state is in war with another, is in a state of war, that makes the lives and the wealth of the enemy state Halal(حلال).
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was attacking the economical network of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
And this was a serious threat to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) and this is what led to the Battle of Badr(ألبدر)
because it started out as we will see as an attempt to take over the biggest caravan of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ)
which was led by Abu Sufiyan(ابوسفيان).
Number four, these Sarayah(سرايا) were training for the Muslims.
Now Rasool Allah ﷺ is not fighting a tribal warfare, this is an army with a new identity.
So, these Sarayah(سرايه) were a great chance for the Sahabah, to experience and to learn.
He would send out groups of 30, groups of 60.
Many of these Sarayah(سرايا), they would learn reconnaissance methods, they would learn how to ambush,
they would learn the area, they would get to know the tribes around them.
So, they were benefiting greatly from these Sarayah(سرايا), and overall, they were quite successful,
in this war that carried on for a few years between Rasool Allah ﷺ and Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
you would find that Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) didn't have a similar tactic of sending out Sarayah(سرايا) against the Muslims.
This was pretty much an Islamic thing,
and they were very successful and they were a serious threat, to the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Rasool Allah ﷺ wasn't totally secure in Madina
and Madina was small and the number of Muslims wasn't that large.
And Rasool Allah ﷺ, one night couldn't sleep, and he said, I wish there's somebody to guard me, in this night.
And suddenly he heard the sound of someone outside carrying his weapons.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ asked who is it?
And it turned out to be Sa'ad Ibn Abi Waqas(سعدابن ابي وقاص), he came to guard Rasool Allah ﷺ.
Ibn Hajar(إبن حجر) gives us some lessons from this incident.
He says; This shows that the Muslim should not be careless, when care is needed.
So, Rasool Allahﷺ was threatened in Madina.
And he wasn't careless about it.
He couldn't actually sleep that night, because he wanted someone to be his guard.
So, the Muslim should be careful.
Number two, he says that, "the Muslims should protect their leaders, should guard their leaders
should guard their Ulemaa(علماء), should guard their military leaders.
Number three, he said, that Rasool Allah ﷺ did this as a lesson for his Ummah(امة),
in fact that he wasn't able to sleep is, and then was asking for somebody to guard him,
this is a lesson to his Ummah(امة) that we should be careful, we should be alert and this carried on,
until Allahعَزّوجَلّ reveal the Ayah(آية).
وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ
Allah will protect you from people.
So, Allah was telling Muhammadﷺ you don't need to have guards, Allahعَزّوجَلّ will protect you.
And that's when Rasool Allah ﷺ came out and said, go back, Allahعَزّوجَلّ has given me, His protection.
They had a census,
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: Count all the souls that profess Islam.
So, the total number of men of fighting age was 1500.
And then the Sahabah asked the question.
We are 1500, we shouldn't be afraid then.
So, if our number is 1500, we shouldn't be afraid.
Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was sending out its major caravan to Ash-Shaam(ألشام)
The caravan was headed by Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) himself, one of the leaders of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
Rasool Allah ﷺ caught news of this.
And he was sending out spies to bring him out, news of the caravan.
So, Bisbisa Bin Amro(بسبسه بن عمرو) comes back, he enters the house of Rasool Allah ﷺ.
Anas(انس) says, there was nobody in the house except me and Rasool Allah ﷺ and Bisbisa Bin Amro(بسبسه بن عمرو).
And he tells Rasool Allah ﷺ that the caravan of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) was spotted, in such and such place.
Rasool Allah ﷺ immediately comes out and says whoever has his camel ready,
whoever has his ride ready, shall join us.
So, some of the Sahabah said: O Rasool Ullah, our rides are in Aal-Lil-Madina(اعال المدينه)
in a part of Madina that is a little bit far away.
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: No, you need to be ready to leave now.
We don't have time to wait for you to go and bring your camel and come back.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ wanted to leave in a speedy fashion immediately.
And therefore not enough time was given to all of the Muslims to get ready.
So, a small number ended up going with Rasool Allah ﷺ and that number was a little over 300.
Some say 317, Some say 319, that was it.
The rest couldn't join because they didn't have time to prepare themselves.
What was the purpose of this army?
It was to take over the caravan of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) led by Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان).
Rasool Allah ﷺ told the people;
This caravan belongs to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) and will carry much wealth, attack it may Allah present it to you.
Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) was very careful.
And as we mentioned earlier, Abu Jahal(ابوجهل) has already delivered warning to people of the Makkah,
you need to be careful, your financial lines are being attacked, and your men are being attacked so, be careful.
So, Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) was very alert.
And he also was sending out his spies to gather news about the whereabouts of Muhammadﷺ.
So, he reached to the place of Badr(بدر).
Which is about 150 kilometers from Madina.
And he holds some of the camel manure in his hand.
And he crushes it and he said, this manure has some of the animal feed of Madina in it.
So, he knew from the manure itself, where the camels were feeding.
And he knew that the owners of these camels are followers of Muhammadﷺ, who are trying to pursue him.
So, he sends very urgent to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), your caravan is being threatened, you need to come and protect it.
He sends the message with Amr Bin Ummayyah Adh-Dhamri(عمرو بن أميه ألضمري).
But before we talk about what Amr(عمرو) does, when he goes and delivers the warnings to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ),
let's go back to Makkah.
In Makkah, Aatiqa Bint Abdul Muttalib(عاطقه بنت عبدالمطلب), the aunt of Rasool Allah ﷺ saw a dream.
She saw that, a man was riding his camel.
And he rushes into Makkah.
And he screams to gather the people of Makkah around him,
and then his camel stands on top of Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه),
and then after that it stands on top of a mountain in Makkah,
and he warns the people of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ), he said,
In three days, you will perish,
and then he takes a rock and he throws it from on top of the mountain,
it lands in the Valley of Makkah, and it explodes,
and every house in Makkah is hit by a fragment, of this rock.
So, she said to her brother, Al-Abbas(العباس), I'm going to tell you this dream, which has worried me.
But I don't want you to tell anybody about it.
Al-Abbas(العباس) listened to her narrated dream.
And then he said that was some vision, keep quiet about it, don't tell anyone.
Because here you have this man saying come forth to your deaths, in three days you people of perfidy.
Now Aatiqa(عاتكه) told Al-Abbas(العباس) not to tell anybody about it.
However, Al-Abbas(العباس) the next day finds his friend,
his friend was Al-Waleed Bin Utba(الوليد بن عتبه) and he tells him about the dream.
And he tells him don't tell anybody about it.
And then Al-Waleed Bin Utba(الوليد بن عتبه) goes and tells his father, and then the news is all over Makkah
you know, if you're not able to protect the secrets yourself, Don't expect others too.
Al-Abbas(العباس) said;
I arose early to make Tawaf(طواف) around Al-Ka'aba(اَلْكَعْبَه)
and there was Abu Jahal Bin Hishaam(ابوجهل بن هشام) sitting with a group of Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) leaders
and they were discussing the vision of Aatiqa(عاطقه) you know, the news was all over.
Now, when Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) saw Al-Abbas(العباس), he told him;
Abul Fadhal(أبو الفضل), why don't you come and join us after you finish your Tawaf(طواف).
So, Al-Abbas(العباس) made his Tawaf(طواف) and then he went to sit with them.
So, What does Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) say?
He said;
How long has your family of Abdul Muttalib(عبدالمطلب) had this female Prophet?
So, Al-Abbas(العباس) pretends as if he doesn't know, what he's talking about.
He said, What do you mean?
He said, I'm talking about the vision Aatiqa(عاطقه) saw
Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) said; Aren't you, Abdul Muttalib(عبدالمطلب)'s satisfied with having your men become Prophets,
has it got to be your women now.
Aatiqa(عاطقه) claims that in her vision, a man said come forth in three days.
We're going to watch you closely for those three days.
And if what you say is true, so be it.
But if three days pass without nothing happening, then will judge you to be the biggest liars of all of the Arabs.
Because in the dream, it says that come to your death in three days.
So now, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) is saying that three days passed by nothing happens.
We're going to consider you the biggest liars among all the Arabs.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) here has insulted the people of Abdul Muttalib(عبدالمطلب),
insulted the men and insulted the women claiming that they're liars.
Al-Abbas(العباس) went back home.
Al-Abbas(العباس) says, that night every women of Abdul Muttalib(عبدالمطلب) came to see me and said;
Have you agreed to let that dirty old reprobate attack first your men and then your women,
while you just listened.
Didn't anything, you heard him say offend you.
Al-Abbas(العباس) said; I would have done something but I never had a problem with him, before.
I swear, I will confront him and if he repeats it, I'll take care of him, for you.
So, now Al-Abbas(العباس) is charged up and he wants to take revenge from Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) for what happened.
So, after three days, Al-Abbas(العباس) goes to Al-Haram(الحرم)
and he wants to walk next to Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل), so that Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) would call him
and then, he will have a chance to argue back at Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل) and take revenge for what happened.
Al-Abbas(العباس) says;
On the morning of the third day, after Aatiqa(عاطقه)'s vision I was extremely angry
feeling that I have let him get away with something I should have put a stop to.
I went into the mosque and saw him, I swear I was making towards him, to confront him, to get him, to retract what he had said,
he was a slight man with a sharp face, a sharp voice, and a sharp gaze.
When he hurried off towards the door of the mosque.
I asked myself, what could be the matter with the fellow
and whether he was doing this because he feared, I was about to confront him.
So, Abu Jahal(ابو جَهَل), was running away
Al-Abbas(العباس) thought maybe he's running away because he's afraid of me.
But actually he had heard something, I had not
He heard the voice of Dhamdham Bin Amr Al-Ghaffari(ضمضم بن عمرو ألغفاري)
who was out in the center of the valley, standing by his camel.
The man who was sent by Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) arrives three days after the dream of Aatiqa(عاطقه).
Dhamdham Amr Al-Ghaffari(ضمضم بن عمرو ألغفاري) comes into Makkah,
in a scene by just looking at him it was enough to strike fear in the hearts of people.
He came in and he cut the nose of his camel.
And he turns its saddle upside down and he tears his shirt.
And then he stands in the middle of the valley, screaming, calling the people and saying;
O Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) the caravan, the caravan your goods being brought by Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان)
have been raided or waylaid by Muhammad(محمد) and his men,
I don't think you can sa ve them, help, help.
Al-Abbas(العباس) said and so all this diverted us both from our personal conflict.
Now everybody was...
It was an emergency situation now, everyone was trying to get ready and go and defend their caravan.
So, the people Quraish(قُرَيْشْ) mobilize to go and fight Muhammadﷺ in order to protect their caravan.
Rasool Allah ﷺ made Shura(شورى) with the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم, he said;
اَشِيْرُوْا عَلَيْهَا يَا اَيُّهَا النَّاسْ
Gives me counsel, O people.
So, Abu Bakr(ابو بكر) spoke and then Umar(عُمَر) spoke.
But it was as if Rasool Allah ﷺ wasn't really interested in, what they had to say.?
Until Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) said, it seems that you want us to speak, Al-Ansaar(الأنْصَار).
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: Yes.
Sa'ad(سعد) said: O Messenger of Allah, if you want us to lead our horses into the sea, we'd do so.
And If you want us to lead our horses towards Burq-Al-Ghamaad(برق ألغماد) which is in the tip of Arabia, we'll do so.
Go towards what Allahسبحانه وتعالى has instructed you to do.
And that made Rasool Allah ﷺ happy.
The reason why, Rasool Allah ﷺ wasn't interested in what Abu Bakr(ابو بكر) had to say, what Umar(عُمَر) had to say
is because he wanted to hear what Al-Ansaar(الأنْصَار) had to say,
because the Pledge of Allegiance, that was given by Al-Ansaar(الأنْصَار) to Rasool Allah ﷺ was to protect him.
And this protection could imply, it could imply, doesn't necessarily imply, but it could imply
that the protection is only within the boundaries of Madina.
But now Rasool Allah ﷺ is leading an army and going out of Madina to raid a caravan belonging to Quraish(قُرَيْشْ).
So what do the Ansaar(انصار) think about that.
Because they could interpret the agreement that,
they had with Rasool Allah ﷺ as saying that, this is not included in our agreement.
So when Sa'ad Ibn Muadh(سعد ابن معاذ) stood up and said you can lead us wherever you want.
If you want us to lead our horses into the ocean we'll go after you.
And that made Rasool Allah ﷺ happy and satisfied.
Because it shows you the protection, the understanding that the Ansaar(أنْصَار) had, of what it means, to protect Rasool Allah ﷺ.
We are your soldiers lead us wherever you want, we will follow you.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ goes out and on his way he had to return, some of the Sahabah because they were too young.
He returned Al-Baraa(ألبرآء) and he returned Abdullah Bin Umar Bin Khattabرضي الله عنه,
so again you can contrast this with soldiers, who are defecting from their armies.
They don't want to go and fight.
They just want to be members of the army to take advantage of all of the freebies that they get free education and free this and free that.
While here Rasool Allah ﷺ is dealing with people who are so eager to join him, he has turned them back.
So, Al-Baraa(ألبرآء) was turned back, Abdullah Bin Umar(عبدالله بن عمر) was turned back, because they were too young.
A Mushrik(مشرك) came to Rasool Allah ﷺ and said, I want to join you, this is a disbeliever
Rasool Allah ﷺ told him; Are you Muslim?
He said: no, he said;
اِرْجِعْ فَلَا نَسْتَعِيْنَ بِمُشْرِكْ
Go back I'm not going to seek assistance from a disbeliever.
The man comes back again.
Rasool Allah ﷺ tells him; Go back.
A third time the man said; Now I'm Muslim,
so Rasool Allah ﷺ told him to join.
Financially the Muslims were going through a hard time,
so every three men were sharing one camel and they would take turns.
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was sharing just like everybody else.
He was sharing his camel with two of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم.
So, when their turn approached, they told Rasool Allah ﷺ; How about you ride and we'll walk
Rasool Allah ﷺ said: "You are not stronger than I am, and I am in need of reward just as you are,
مَا اَنْتُمْ بِاَقوَى مِنِّيْ وَلَا اَنَا بِاَغْنَى عَنِ الْاَجْرِ مِنْكُمَا
So, Rasool Allah ﷺ was just like everybody else in his army, didn't treat himself with any preferential treatment.
He was sharing his camel, just like others in the army were sharing their camel,
and he would walk when it was his turn to walk.
Rasool Allah ﷺ carried on towards the direction of Badr(بدر) to pursue the caravan.
However, Abu Sufiyan(ابو سفيان) was alerted and he was able to divert the caravan and was able to get away.
In sha Allah Ta'ala(ان شاءالله تعالى), we'll carry on with the Battle of Badr(بدر) in our next session.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِيْ هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الْعَظِيْمْ وَلِيْ وَلَكُمْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوْه’ اِنَّه هُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمْ
وصَلَّى الله عَلى سَيَّدِنَا محمد وَعَلى اَلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرًا
وَالسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته