Bokhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood have reported that the Holy
Prophet directed: Do not be eager for confrontation with the enemy and seek
peace and security from Allah. But when you happen to be confronted by the
enemy, be steadfast.
4. When the Holy Prophet learnt that any tribe or clan was
preparing to invade Medina, he would lead a force against it or dispatch a
force under the leadership of someone else to take suitable action to put an
end to their intended aggression. Muslim, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi have reported
on the authority of Bareedah: ‘The Holy Prophet’s directions to the leader of
an expedition used to be: “When you are confronted with the enemy, offer them
the choice of three conditions. If they accept, then refrain from taking any
action against them. First, call on them to embrace Islam. Should they agree,
accept their offer and hold your hand from them. Next, invite them to migrate
to Medina and tell them that if they do so they shall enjoy the same rights as
the Emigrants and will have the same obligations as those of the Emigrants.
Should they not be willing to migrate, tell them that they would be treated as
Muslims but would not have the rights of the Emigrants as those can be acquired
only by striving in the cause of Allah. If they reject your invitation to
embrace Islam, call on them to submit to the Islamic state and agree to pay the
tax. Should they accept, hold your hand and do not fight them. If they reject
all your offers, then fight them in the name of Allah.”’
Abu Dawood has reported on the authority of the father of
Harith bin Muslim: ‘The Holy Prophet, peace be on him, sent us on an expedition
and when we arrived near our objective, I spurred my horse and went ahead of my
companions. I encountered some men belonging to the tribe against whom we were
marching and they adopted an attitude of humility, whereupon I invited them to
accept Islam and they became Muslims. Some of my weak companions rebuked me
that I had by my action deprived them of the expected spoils. On our return to
Medina, the incident was reported to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and he
sent for me and expressed his approval of what I had done, and said: “You have
done extremely well. Allah has appointed such and such reward for you in
respect of every one of that tribe. I shall dictate a certificate expressing my
pleasure at your good action.” He then dictated the certificate and put his
seal to it.’
Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi have reported on the authority of Aasim
bin Kaleeb who heard his father say that a man of Ansar stated: ‘We were on a
journey with the Messenger of Allah, peace be on him, when he set forth on a
campaign and during the course of the journey we felt severe hunger and were
much distressed as we had no provision with us. We caught some goats out of a
flock and slaughtered them and started cooking the meat. Our cooking pots were
bubbling when the Holy Prophet came up, and on learning what we had done, he
upset our cooking pots with his bow and in anger, started to grind the pieces
of meat into the dust under his feet, and exclaimed: “Plunder is no better than
carrion.”’
Dawood and Nasai have reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah
that a person enquired from the Holy Prophet, peace be on him: ‘What about one
who goes forth in the cause of Allah, but also thinks that he will derive some
worldly benefit too?’ He said: ‘Such a one will earn no merit,’ and repeated
this three times.
Muslim, Abu Dawood and Nasai have reported that the Holy Prophet
said: ‘Those who go forth in the cause of Allah and in consequence are awarded
their share of the spoils, anticipate two-thirds of the reward which they would
have been given in the hereafter, and only one-third remains for them in the
hereafter. If there are no spoils, their reward in the hereafter remains
entire.’
Abu Dawood relates: ‘On one occasion when the Holy Prophet set
forth on a campaign, an old Ansari, Ka’ab bin Ujra, provided a mount for a poor
Companion, Wasilah bin Asq’a. After the campaign, Wasilah bin Asq’a came to
Ka’ab bin Ujra and said to him: “God Almighty has bestowed these camels on me
as my share of the spoils. Of these, you can take your share.” Ka’ab replied:
“May God bless these spoils for you. I did not provide you with a mount in
order to share in the spoils. My motive was only to earn spiritual merit,” and
he refused to accept his share, which would have amounted to two-thirds.’
Nasai relates that one of the desert Arabs embraced Islam and
accompanied the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, on a campaign. When some spoils
were gained, the Holy Prophet set aside his share also. When he was told of
this, he came to the Holy Prophet and submitted: ‘Messenger of Allah, you have
set aside a portion of the spoils as my share. I call God to witness that I had
not become a Muslim for the sake of spoils. I had hoped that fighting in the
cause of Allah an arrow might pierce my throat and I may be admitted to
heaven,’ on which the Holy Prophet observed: ‘If this one truly desires such an
end, God will bestow upon him what he seeks.’ A short while later, there was
some more fighting and he died as he had wished. The Holy Prophet observed,
‘Allah has granted him his wish,’ and he bestowed his cloak to serve as his
shroud and prayed for him specially.
These incidents leave no room for any suspicion that the
Companions of the Holy Prophet took part in fighting for the sake of spoils. It
must be remembered that in those days there were no regular armies and no
salaried soldiers. All were volunteers who provided their own arms and mounts
and laid aside their normal occupations and activities during the period of a
campaign. The only way of compensating them was by apportioning the spoils, if
any, between them and allotting a share of the ransom of the prisoners of war
to each of them.
It will be appreciated that with the Holy Prophet’s advent in
Medina, and in consequence of the pact that he entered into with the Arab and
Jewish inhabitants of Medina, his responsibilities had been enormously increased,
and though he did not in the least neglect his primary obligations as a Prophet
in respect of the propagation of Islam and the instruction and training of the
Muslims in the values of Islam, a great part of his time and attention was
taken up by the multiplicity of the problems that bore upon the security of
Medina. Indeed, the security of Medina was itself essential for the purpose of
the propagation of Islam and the proper instruction and training of the
Muslims. Quraish had within a very short time after his arrival in Medina
started their hostile activities against the Muslims. A chief of Mecca, Karz
bin Jabir Fahri, led a party of Quraish to within three miles of Medina and
captured a number of camels belonging to the Muslims which were grazing in a pasture.
When the Holy Prophet learnt of this foray he issued forth with a party of
Emigrants in pursuit of the raiders, but they managed to make good their
escape.
As soon as permission to take up arms against the aggression of
Quraish had been received, the Holy Prophet set forth from Medina with a party
of Emigrants in the direction of Mecca and arrived at Waddan where Banu
Dhamarah, a clan of Banu Kananah, were settled. These people were thus
collaterals of Quraish. The Holy Prophet spoke to the chief of Banu Dhamarah
and settled the terms of a pact with him. The pact provided that Banu Dhamarah
would maintain friendly relations with the Muslims, and would not aid or abet
their enemies and would go to their help when called upon to do so. He
undertook corresponding obligations on behalf of the Muslims in respect of Banu
Dhamarah. The terms of the pact were reduced to writing and were subscribed to
by both sides. After an absence of a fortnight, the Holy Prophet returned to
Medina.
Shortly thereafter, the Holy Prophet dispatched a scouting
party of 60 camel-riding Emigrants under the leadership of Ubaidah bin Harith
Matlabi. When this party arrived near Thaniyyatal Marrah, they suddenly found
themselves in confrontation with 200 armed Quraish youths under the command of
Ikramah bin Abu Jahl. A few arrows were shot by each party against the other
and then the party of Quraish withdrew and the Muslims did not pursue them. It
was on this occasion that Miqdad bin Amr and Utba bin Ghazwan, two Muslims,
left the party of Ikramah and joined the Muslims.
In the same month, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him,
dispatched a party of 30 camel-rider Emigrants under the leadership of his
uncle, Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib, to the coastal district due east of Medina.
Hamzah and his party marched quickly, and, arriving in the territory called
Ees, discovered Abu Jahl at the head of 300 mounted men ready to oppose them.
Both sides arrayed themselves in battle order and hostilities were about to
commence when the chief of the territory, Majdi bin Amr Juhni, who had good
relations with both sides, intervened and a confrontation was avoided.
A few days later the Holy Prophet received some intimation of
the movements of Quraish and set forth from Medina at the head of a party of
Emigrants. He proceeded as far as Buat but not finding any party of Quraish
returned to Medina.
Sometime later, again receiving some intimation of the
movements of Quraish, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, set forth with a party
of Emigrants and, making several detours, arrived in the neighbourhood of
Yenbo, on the coast. Again, there was no confrontation with Quraish, but the
Holy Prophet made a pact with Banu Madlaj on the same terms, which had been
settled with Banu Dhamarah, and thereafter returned to Medina. In the course of
that journey he dispatched S’ad bin Abi Waqqas at the head of a party of eight
Emigrants towards Khara to reconnoitre.
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