Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In this year, the first khums (fifth)
to be levied by the Messenger of God in Islam took place. Hie Messenger of God
took his safi, the khums and his share, and distributed the other four fifths
among his companions. This was the first khums to be taken by the Messenger of
God. 147
The banner of the Messenger of God in the battle against the Banu
Qaynuqa' was a white banner, carried by Hamzah b. 'Abd al- Muttalib. There were
no flags ( rayat ) on that day.
Celebration of the First * Id al-Adha
Then the Messenger of God returned to Medina, and (the festival of)
al-Adha came. 14 * It is related that the Messenger of God made his sacrifice
together with those of his companions who had the means to do so on the tenth
of Dhu al-Hijjah (June 3, 624). He took the people to al-Mu$alla and led them
in prayer. This was the first prayer which the Messenger of God led at
al-Musalla on a festival. On this festival, he slaughtered two sheep there with
his own hands, or according to some people, one sheep.
According to Al-WaqidI — Muhammad b. Fadl, one of the descendants
of Rafi' b. Khadij — Abu Mubashshir: I heard Jabir b. 'Abd Allah saying,
"When we came back from fighting the Banu
147. The khums or "fifth" has already been
mentioned (1275; n.45). The $afi or "first pick" was a special
privilege of the Messenger (as of tribal chiefs). The "share" was
what was due to him as one of the participants.
148. The 'id al-adlja or "festival of the
sacrifice" is primarily part of the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. On the
10th of the pilgrimage month (Dhu al-Hijjah), the pilgrims immolate sacrificial
victims (sheep, camels, etc.) at Mina. The festival is also celebrated by all
Muslims everywhere. See £/*, art. id al-adha.
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Qaynuqa', we sacrificed on the morning of the tenth of Dhu al- Hijjah.
This was the first Adha which the Muslims witnessed. We sacrificed in the
territory of the Banu Salimah, and seventeen sacrificial victims were counted
there." 149
Minor Expeditions — Dating 150
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: As for Ibn Ishaq, he does not specify
any date for the campaign of the Messenger of God against the Banu Qaynuqa',
except for saying that it was between the expedition of al-Sawiq and the
expedition of the Messenger of God from Medina against Quraysh, in which he
went as far as the Banu Sulaym and Buhran, a mine in Hijaz in the direction of
al-Fur'.
Others say that there were three expeditions led by the Messenger
of God himself and one raiding party which he dispatched between his first
expedition to Badr and the campaign against the Banu Qaynuqa'. They claim that
the Prophet attacked the latter on 7 Safar (July 30, 624) in the third year of
the Hijrah, and that the Messenger of God led this attack after coming back
from Badr, his return to Medina being on a Wednesday, eight days before the end
of Ramadan (which ended March 26, 624). After spending the rest of Ramadan there,
he led an expedition to Qarqarat al-Kudr 151 when he heard that the Banu Sulaym
and Ghatafan were gathering. He set out from Medina on a Friday, when the sun
was high in the sky, on the first day of Shawwal in the second year of the
Hijrah (March 27, 624).
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: When the Messenger
of God came to Medina from Badr, having finished with Badr at the end of
Ramadan or the beginning of Shawwal, he spent only seven days in Medina before
leading an expedition in person against the Banu Sulaym. He got as far as one
of their watering places, called al-Kudr, stayed there for three days, and then
went back to Medina without any fighting. He remained there for
149. This paragraph seems to be from a source other than
the Maghazi of al- Waqidi.
150. There is much uncertainty about the order and
dating of these minor expeditions between the battles of Badr and Uhud ; they
are described in IH, 5 39 “ 5 5 and W, 181-98.
151. W, 182, has Qararat al-Kudr.
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89
the rest of Shawwal and Dhu al-Qa'dah (which ended May 24, 624),
and during this period most of the captives of Quraysh were ransomed.
As for al-Waqidi, he asserts that the Prophet's expedition to al- Kudr
was in Muharram in the third year of the Hijrah (which began June 24, 624),
that on this expedition his banner was earned by ‘Ali b. Abi Talib, and that he
left Ibn Umm Maktum al-Ma’isi in charge of Medina. 151
Some authorities say that the Prophet returned to Medina from the
expedition to al-Kudr, having driven off livestock without any fighting, on 10
Shawwal (April 5, 624). He then sent Ghalib b. 'Abd Allah al-Laythl, on Sunday,
10 Shawwal, as leader of a raid against the Banu Sulaym and Ghafafan. The
Muslims killed some of the enemy, took their livestock, and returned to Medina
with their booty, on Saturday, fourteen days before the end of Shawwal (April 1
1, 624). Three of the Muslims were martyred. The Messenger of God stayed in
Medina until Dhu al-Hijjah (May 25 — June 23, 624) and led the expedition of al-Sawiq
on Sunday, seven days before the end of Dhu al-Hijjah.
The Expedition of al-Sawiq (the Barley-Meal)'* 3
Abu Ja’far (al-Tabari) — Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: When the
Messenger of God returned to Medina from the expedition to al-Kudr, he remained
there for the rest of Shawwal of the second year of the Hijrah and Dhu al-Qa'da
(which ended May 24, 624). Then Abu Sufyan b. Harb went on the expedition of
al-Sawiq in Dhu al-Hijjah. In this year the polytheists led the pilgrimage.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Muhammad
b. Ja’far b. al-Zubayr, and Yazid b. Ruman and one whose authority I do not
doubt — 'Ubayd Allah b. Ka'b b. Malik, who was one of the best-informed of the
Ansar: After the battle of Badr, when Abu Sufyan b. Harb returned to Mecca,
along with the routed remnants of Quraysh, he swore that no water would touch his
head to purify him from ritual impurity until he had led an
152. Ibn Umm Maktum is said to have been the blind man
in respect of whom Surah 80 was revealed. Mals is a subclan of the Meccan clan
of ‘Amir.
153. IH, 543f.j W,i8if. Sawiq is barley-meal, which was
usually consumed in the form of gruel. The reason for the name is explained by
al-Waqidi below.
(1364I
(1365)
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expedition against Muhammad. In order to fulfil his vow, he set
out at the head of two hundred horsemen of Quraysh and took the Najdi route,
halting in the upper part of Qanat by a mountain called Tayt (variant Thayb), a
stage or so from Medina. Then he set out by night and came, while it was still
night, to the Banu al- Nadir. He went to Huyayy b. Akhtab and knocked at his
door, but Huyayy refused to open up, being afraid of him. Then he went to Sallam
b. Mishkam, who was the chief of al-Nadir at that time and their treasurer, and
asked to be allowed to enter. Sallam did so, provided him with food and drink,
and gave him confidential information about the Muslims. Towards the end of the
night, Abu Sufyan left and returned to his companions, then sent some men of
Quraysh into Medina. These went to a district called al- 'Urayd, set fire to
date gardens there, and killed a man of the Ansar and his confederate whom they
found in arable ground belonging to the man. After that, they left and went
back. The Muslims caught sight of them, however, and the Messenger of God set out
in pursuit. He went as far as Qarqarat al-Kudr but then turned back, because
Abu Sufyan and his companions had eluded them. The Muslims saw the provisions
which these had discarded in
the fields in order to lighten their load and escape. When the Messenger
of God returned, the Muslims said to him, "Do you hope that this will be
counted in our favour as an expedition?" He replied, "Yes."
As Abu Sufyan was equipping himself to go from Mecca to Medina, he
had recited the following lines of verse to spur on Quraysh:
Wheel round and attack Yathrib and its population, for what they
have gathered together is booty for you. Even though the day of the Well may have
gone in their favour, what comes after it will turn out in your favour.
I have sworn that I will not approach women and that the water of
ablution will not touch my head and skin Until you destroy the tribes of al-Aws
and al-Khazraj; indeed my heart is on fire.
The Events of the Year 2
9i
Ka'b b. Malik replied to him in these words:
The mother of those who praise God sighs for Ibn Harb's army which
was so futile in the Harrah When the Muslims threw aside the bodies of those
upon whom the birds had gorged their fill, flying to the top of the mountains.
They came with an army the kneeling-place of whose camels, if it
were measured,
would be no more than the hollow left by a jackal, Denuded of victory
and wealth, and denuded of the heroes of the Valley, and of spears.
As for al-Waqidi, he asserts that the expedition of al-Sawiq was in
Dhu al-Qa'dah in the second year of the Hijrah (which began April 25, 624), and
says, "The Messenger of God set out at the
head of two hundred of his companions, of the Emigrants and the Ansar."
Then he gives an account of the journey of Abu Sufyan which is similar to that
given by Ibn Ishaq, except that he says, "He (meaning Abu Sufyan) passed
by a man called Ma’bad b. 'Amr, who had a hired worker with him, at al-'Urayd,
killed them both and set fire to some houses and straw there. He then considered
that he was released from his vow. The clamour came to the ears of the Prophet,
and the people assembled for fighting and set out on his track, but they were
unable to catch him."
He goes on, "Abu Sufyan and his companions were throwing down
sacks of barley-meal in order to lighten themselves, this being the main part
of their provisions. For this reason it was called the ghazwat al-sawiq (the
barley-meal expedition).
Al-Waqidi says: The Messenger of God left Abu Lubabah b. 'Abd
al-Mundhir in charge of Medina.
Other Events of the Year
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari says): In this year, that is the second year
of the Hijrah, there died, in Dhu al-Hijjah, 'Uthman b. Maz'un. The Messenger
of God buried him in al-Naqi’, and set a stone at his head to mark his grave.
It is said that al-Hasan b. ’All b. Abi Talib was bom in this year.
(1367!
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According to Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) — al-Waqidl — Ibn Abl Sabrah —
Ishaq b. 'Abd Allah — Abu Ja'far: 'All b. Abi Talib married Fatimah in Dhu
al-Hijjah, at the beginning of the twenty-second
month.
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: If this account is correct, then the previous
report is erroneous . 154
It is said that in this year the Messenger of God wrote the Ma'aqil,
which was suspended from his sword . 155
154. See 1273 above and n.43.
155. Ma'aqil, plural of ma'qulah, which like diyah means
"blood-money." Muhammad is said to have drawn up regulations about
this; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, i.271; ii.204. Cf. also El 1 , arts ’Akila
(R.Brunschwig), Diya (E. Tyan).
The
Events of the Year
3
(June 24, 6 2,4-June 12, 62 5)
*
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq:
When the Messenger of God returned from the "barley-meal expedition"
he remained in Medina for the rest of Dhu al-Hijjah (which began May 25, 624)
and for Muharram (which began June 24, 624), or nearly all of it, and then
mounted an expedition to Najd against Ghatafan, which is known as the
expedition of Dhu Amarr. 15 * He spent the whole of $afar (which began July 24,
624), or almost all of it, in Najd and then returned to Medina without any fighting.
He spent all but a small part of Rabi' al-Awwal (which began August 22, 624)
there, and then went on an expedition against Quraysh and the Banu Sulaym. He
went as far as Buhran, a mine in Hijaz in the region of al-Fur', spent Rabi'
al- Akhir and Jumada al-Ula (September 21 -November 18, 624} there, and then
returned to Medina without any fighting.
156. IH, 544. IH omits "Muharram,'' but it is
implied by what follows.
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The Story of Ka’b b. al-Ashraf ls 1
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In this year the Prophet sent a party
against Ka'b b. al-Ashraf. Al-Waqidi asserts that the Prophet sent this party
in Rabi' al-Awwal of this year. Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq says: When the
Meccans suffered disaster at Badr, Zayd b. Harithah went to the people of the
Safilah and 'Abd Allah b. Rawahah went to the people of the 'Aliyah, both sent
by the Messenger of God to the Muslims in Medina to bring the good news of the
victory granted to him by God and the killing of a number of polytheists.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abd Allah
b. Mughith b. Abi Burdah b. Asir al-Zafari, and 'Abd Allah b. Abi Bakr b.
Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm, and 'Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatadah and Salih b. Abi Umamah
b. Sahlj all of them, (Ibn Ishaq) said, related a part of his story to me: Ka'b
b. al-Ashraf, was a man of (the tribe of) Tayyi’, one of the Banu Nabhan, and
his mother was from the (Jewish clan of ) Banu al-Nadir. When the news reached
him, he said, "Alas! Is this true? Can Muhammad have killed these people
whom these two men (meaning Zayd b. Harithah and 'Abd Allah b. Rawahah) have
named? These are the nobles of the Arabs and the kings of men! By God, if
Muhammad has killed these people, then the belly of the earth is a better place
for us than its surface!" When the enemy of God became convinced of the
truth of the report, he set out and went to Mecca to stay with al-Muttalib b.
Abi Wada'ah b. Dubayrah al-Sahml, who was married to 'Atikah bt. Asid b. Abi
al-'Is b. Umayyah b. 'Abd Shams. She received him and offered him hospitality,
and he began to arouse people against the Messenger of God, to recite verses,
and to weep for the People of the Well from Quraysh who were killed at Badr.
Then Ka'b b. al-Ashraf went back to Medina
and composed the following amatory poem on Umm al-Fadl bt. al-Harith:
158
*
Are you leaving without stopping in a valley, and abandoning Umm
al-Fadl in the Haram?
157. IH, 548-55/ W, 184-93.
158. Umm al-Fadl bt. al-Harith was the wife of al-'Abbas,
but it is not clear why Ka’b should have praised her. She was from the
important nomadic tribe of 'Amir b. Sa'sa'ah.
♦
»
The Events of the Year 3
95
Pale-skinned she is, and scented with saffron; if she were
squeezed, she would exude scent, henna and hair-dye.
When she makes to rise, but then does not, what lies between her
ankles and her elbows quivers.
Like Umm Hakim when she was close to us, the bonds that link us
are firm and unsevered
One of the Banu 'Amir by whom my heart is driven to madness; but
if she wished, she could cure Ka'b of his sickness.
The chief of women; and her father is the chief of his tribe, a
people of high repute, who live up to their obligations.
Never before her have I seen a sun rising at night, appearing to
us when there is no moon.
Then he composed love poetry on some of the women of the Muslims,
causing them offence.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abd Allab
b. al-Mughith b. Abi Burdah: The Prophet said, "Who will rid me of Ibn
al-Ashraf?" Muhammad b. Maslamah,
the brother of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, said, "I will rid you
of him, O Messenger of God. I will kill him." "Do it then," he
said, "if you can." Muhammad b. Maslamah went back and remained for
three days, neither eating nor drinking more than would keep him alive. The
Messenger of God got to hear of this, so he summoned him and said to him,
"Why have you left off food and
drink?" "O Messenger of God," he said, "I said
something, and I do not know whether or not I can fulfil it." "All
that you are obliged to do is try," he replied. "O Messenger of
God," he said,
"we shall have to tell lies." "Say what you
like," he replied. "You are absolved in the matter." Then
Muhammad b. Maslamah, Silkan b. Salamah b. Waqsh, otherwise known as Abu
Na’ilah,
one of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, and the foster brother of Ka'b, 'Abbad
b. Bishr b. Waqsh, one of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, al- Harith b. Aws b. Mu'adh,
one of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, and
Abu 'Abs b. Jabr, one of the Banu Harithah, made a plan to kill him.
Before they all went to Ibn al-Ashraf, they sent ahead Silkan b. Salamah Abu
Na’ilah. He went to him, and they spoke together for a while, and recited
verses to one another, for Abu Na’ilah was
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something of a poet. Then he said, "Ibn al-Ashraf, I have
come to you about a matter of which I should like to speak to you, but keep it
to yourself." "Go ahead," he replied. "The arrival of this man
has been an affliction for us," he said. "The Beduin are hostile to
us, and all of them attack us. We cannot travel along the roads, and the result
is that our families are facing ruin and suffering. We are all suffering and
our families are suffering." Ka'b replied, "By God, I, Ibn al-Ashraf,
warned you, Ibn Salamah, that things would turn out like this." Silkan
said, "I would like you to sell us some food. We will give you a surety
and make a firm contract; please treat us generously." "Give me your
sons as a surety," he said. "Do you want to disgrace us?" he
asked. "I have some companions with me who think the same way that I do. I
would like to bring them to you so that you can sell to them; please treat us
generously. We will deposit with you sufficient coats of mail to guarantee
payment of the debt." Silkan wanted him not to be suspicious about the
weapons when they came bearing them. He replied, "Coats of mail will be a
satisfactory guarantee." Silkan went back to his companions, informed them
of what had happened, and told them to take their weapons, set off, and join
him. They came together at the house of the Messenger of God.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Thawr b.
Zayd al-DIli — 'Ikrimah, the mawla of Ibn 'Abbas — Ibn 'Abbas: The Messenger of
God went with them to Baqi' al- Gharqad and then sent them off, saying,
"Go in the name of God; O God, aid them!" Then the Messenger of God
went back to his house. It was a moonlit night, and they went forward until
they reached Ka'b’s stronghold. 159 Then Abu Na’ilah called out to him. He had
recently married, and he leapt up in his blanket. His wife took hold of one end
of it, and said, "You are a fighting man; a man of war does not leave his
house at an hour like this." He replied, "It is Abu Na’ilah. If he had
found me sleeping, he would not have wakened me." "By God," she
said, "I sense evil in his voice!" Then Ka'b said to her, "Even
if a brave man is summoned
159. One of the features of Medina was the existence of
many "strongholds" [atom, sing, utum), that is, small forts or
fortified houses where those inside were secure from hostile attack.
The Events of the Year 3
97
to a sword thrust, he responds." He went down and spoke with them
for a while, and they spoke with him. Then they said to him, "Would you
like to walk with us, Ibn al-Ashraf, to Shi'b al- 'Ajuz, so that we can talk
there for the rest of the night?" "If you like," he said. So
they set out together and walked for a while.
Then Abu Na’ilah thrust his hand into the hair of his temple, smelt
it, and said, "I have never known perfume to smell so good as it does
tonight." Then he walked on for a while, and did the same thing again, so
that Ka'b relaxed his guard. Then he walked on for a while, and did it again, taking
hold of the hair of both temples. Then he said, "Strike the enemy of
God!" Their swords rained blows upon him, but to no avail. Muhammad b.
Maslamah said later, "When I saw that our swords were of no avail, I remembered
a long, thin dagger which I had in my scabbard, and took hold of it. By this
time the enemy of God had shouted so loudly that lamps had been lit in all the
strongholds around us. I plunged the dagger into his breast and pressed upon it
so heavily that it reached his pubic region, and the enemy of God fell.
Al-Harith b.
Aws b. Mu'adh had been wounded in the head or the leg, struck by
one of our swords. We left, passing through the quarters of the Banu Umayyah b.
Zayd and the Banu Qurayzah, and then through Bu'ath, until we climbed up the
hanah of al-'Urayd. Our companion al-Harith b. Aws was lagging behind us,
bleeding heavily, so we waited for him for a while, and then he came to us,
having followed in our footsteps.
We lifted him up and carried him to the Messenger of God at the
end of the night. He was standing in prayer, so we greeted him, and he came out
to meet us. We told him that the enemy of God had been killed, he spat upon the
wound of our companion, and we returned to our families. The next morning, the
Jews were in a state of fear on account of our attack upon the enemy of God, and
there was not a Jew there but feared for his life.
The Messenger of God said, "Whoever of the Jews falls into your
hands, kill him." So Muhayyisah b. Mas'ud fell upon Ibn Sunaynah, one of the
Jewish merchants who was on close terms with them and used to trade with them,
and killed him. Huwayyisah b. Mas'ud (his brother) at that time had not
accepted Islam,- he was older than Muhayyisah, and when (the latter) killed
(the Jew), he began beating him and saying, "O enemy of God, have
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you killed him? By God, you have much fat in your belly from his wealth."
Muhayyisah said, "I said to him, 'By God, if he who commanded me to kill
him had commanded me to kill you, I would have cut off your head.' " And,
by God, that was the beginning of Huwayyisah's acceptance of Islam. He said,
"If Muhammad had ordered you to kill me, you would have killed me?"
and I replied, "Yes, by God, if he had ordered me to kill you I would have
cut off your head." "By God," he said, "a faith which has brought
you to this is indeed a marvel." Then Huwayyisah accepted Islam.
According to Ibn Humayd— Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: This report
was related to me by a mawla of the Banu Harithah — the daughter of Muhayyisah
— her father.
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: Al-Waqidi asserts that they brought Ibn
al-Ashraf 's head to the Messenger of God. Al-Waqidi also asserts that in Rabi'
al-Awwal of this year (which began August 22, 624) 'Uthman b. 'Affan married
Umm Kulthum, the daughter of the Messenger of God, and that she was brought to
his house in Jumada al-Akhirah (which began November 19, 624). He further asserts
that in Rabi' al-Awwal of this year the Messenger of God led the expedition of
Anmar, known as Dhu Amarr. We have mentioned Ibn Ishaq's opinion about this
previously.
Al-Waqidi says: In this month was bom al-Sa’ib b. Yazid b. Ukht
al-Namir.
The Expedition to al-Qaradah 160
Al-Waqidi says: in Jumada al-Akhirah (which began November 19,
624) of this year the expedition to al-Qaradah took place. Its leader is said
to have been Zayd b. Harithah. This is the first expedition led by Zayd b.
Harithah.
According to Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) — Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn
Ishaq: The Messenger of God sent Zayd b. Harithah on an expedition in which he
captured the caravan of Quraysh led by Abu Sufyan b. Harb at Qaradah, a
watering place in Najd. After what happened at the battle of Badr, Quraysh were
afraid to take the road which they used to follow to Syria and instead took the
160. IH, 547f.j W, I97f.
The Events of the Year 3
99
Iraq route. A number of their merchants set out, and among them was
Abu Sufyan b. Harb with a large amount of silver, since this was the main part
of their merchandise. They hired a man of Bakr b. Wa’il named Furat b. Hayyan to
guide them along this route. The Messenger of God sent out Zayd b. Harithah,
who met them at that watering place and captured the caravan and its goods, but
was unable to take the men. He then brought the caravan to the Messenger of
God.
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: As for al-Waqidi, he asserts that the
reason for this expedition was that Quraysh said, "Muhammad has damaged
our trade, and sits astride our road." Abu Sufyan and Safwan b. Umayyah
then argued, "If we stay in Mecca we will consume our capital." Abu
Zam'ah al-Aswad said, "I will show you a man who will guide you along the
Najdi route; he would find his way if he followed it with his eyes shut."
Safwan said, "Who is he? Our need for water is small, for winter is upon
us." He said, "Furat b. Hayyan." They summoned him and hired
him. He led them out, it being winter, and took them by Dhat 'Irq and then by
Ghamrah. The news of the caravan reached the Prophet, as also the information
that it contained much wealth and silver vessels which were being carried by
Safwan b. Umayyah. Zayd b. Harithah therefore set out, intercepted the caravan,
and made himself master of it, although the leading men escaped. The fifth (khums)
was twenty thousand (dirhams); the Messenger of God took it and divided the
other four fifths among the members of the expedition. Furat b. Hayyan al-'Ijli
was taken captive. They said to him, "If you accept Islam, the Messenger of
God will not kill you." When the Messenger of God summoned him to Islam,
he accepted it, and was allowed to go free.
The Killing of Abu Rafi ' the Jew 161
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In this year, it is said, the killing
of Abu Rafi' the Jew took place. The reason for his being killed was, it is
said, that he used to take the part of Ka'b b. al-Ashraf against the Messenger
of God. The Messenger of God is said to have sent
|i375l
161. IH, 714-6, 981; W, 391-5; Watt, Medina, mi.
ioo The Foundation of the Community
'Abd Allah b.'Atik against him in the middle of Jumada al- Akhirah
of this year (which began November 19, 624).
According to Harun b. Ishaq al-Hamdani — Mus'ab b. Miqdam —
Isra’il — Abu Ishaq — al-Bara’: The Messenger of God sent some of the Ansar
under the command of 'Abd Allah b. 'Uqbah or 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik against Abu
Rafi' the Jew, who was in the Hijaz. Abu Rafi' used to injure and wrong the
Messenger of God. He lived in his stronghold in the Hijaz. When the Muslim
party drew close to it, as the sun was setting and the people were bringing their
flocks back, 'Abd Allah b. 'Uqbah or 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik said to the others,
"Stay where you are, and I will go and ingratiate myself with the
doorkeeper, in the hope of gaining entrance." He went forward, and when he
was close to the door, he wrapped himself up in his cloak as though he were
relieving himself. Everybody else had gone in, and the doorkeeper called to
him, "You
there, if you want to come in, come in, because I want to shut the
door." "I went in," he said, "and hid myself in a donkey
pen. When everybody had come in, the man shut the door and hung up the keys on
a wooden peg. I went to the keys, took them, and opened the door. Abu Rafi' had
company that evening in some upper rooms, and when his guests left I went up to
him. Every time I opened a door, I shut it again behind me from inside, saying
to myself, 'If they become aware of me, they will not be able to reach me
before I kill him.' When I reached him, he was in a dark room along with his
family. As I did not know where he was in the room, I said, 'Abu Rafi'!' and he
said, 'Who is that?' I rushed toward the sound and gave him a blow with my
sword, but I was in a state of confusion and did not achieve anything. He gave
a shout, and I left the room but remained close at hand. I then went in again
and said, 'What was that noise, Abu Rafi'?' 'God damn it,' he said, 'there is a
man in the house who has just struck me with his sword.' Then I hit him and covered
him with wounds, but I could not kill him, so I thrust the point of my sword
into his stomach until it came out through his back. At that, I knew that I had
killed him, and I opened the doors one by one until I reached a flight of
stairs. Thinking that I had reached the ground, I put my foot out but fell into
a moonlit night and broke my leg. I bound it up with my turban and moved on.
Finally, finding myself sitting
by the door, I said to myself, 'By God, I will not leave tonight
The Events of the Year 3
101
until I know whether I have killed him or not.' When the cock crowed,
the announcer of his death stood upon the wall and said, i announce the death
of Abu Rafi', the profit-maker of the people of Hijaz.' I went to my companions
and said, 'Deliverance! God has killed Abu Rafi'.' Then I went to the Prophet
and told him, and he said, 'Stretch out your leg!' When I stretched it out, he stroked
it, and it was as though I had never had anything wrong with it."
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: As for al-Waqidi, he asserts that
this expedition sent by the Messenger of God against Abu Rafi' Sallam b. Abl
al-Huqayq was sent in the fourth year of the Hijrah in Dhu al-Hijjah (which
began May 4, 626) and that those who went to him and killed him were Abu
Qatadah, 'Abd Allah b. 'Atlk, Mas'ud b. Sinan, al-Aswad b. Khuza'i, and 'Abd
Allah b. Unays.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: Sallam b. Abi al-Huqayq,
who was Abu Rafi', was one of those who had mustered the ahzab against the
Messenger of God. Al-Aws had killed Ka’b b. al-Ashraf before Uhud on account of
his enmity to the Messenger of God and his inciting people against him, and so
al- Khazraj asked permission of the Messenger of God to kill Sallam b. Abi
al-Huqayq, who was in Khaybar, and was granted this.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Muhammad
b. Muslim b. 'Ubayd Allah b. Shihab al- Zuhri — 'Abd Allah b. Ka‘b b. Malik:
One of the favours which God conferred upon his Prophet was that these two
tribes of the Ansar, al-Aws and al-Khazraj, used to vie with one another like stallions
as regards the Messenger of God; al-Aws did not do anything which benefited the
Messenger of God without al-Khazraj saying, "By God, they will not gain superiority
over us in Islam in the eyes of the Messenger of God by doing this," and
they would not cease until they had done something similar. When al- Khazraj
did something, al-Aws said the same. Thus, when al-Aws killed Ka'b b. al-Ashraf
on account of his hostility to the Messenger of God, al-Khazraj said, "They
will never take superiority from us by doing that." They conferred
together to find a man comparable to Ibn al-Ashraf in hostility to the
Messenger of God and called to mind Ibn Abi al-Huqayq, who was in Khaybar. They
then asked the Messenger of God for permission to kill him, and this he gave.
Five men of al-Khazraj, of the clan of Banu Salimah,
I1378I
U3791
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The Foundation of the Community
set out, 'Abd Allah b.'Atik, Mas*ud b. Sinan, 'Abd Allah b. Unays,
Abu Qatadah al-Harith b. Rib'i, and Khuza'i b. al-Aswad, a confederate of
theirs from (the tribe of) Aslam. The Messenger of God put 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik
in command of them and forbade them to
kill women or children. Setting out, they reached Khaybar and entered
Ibn Abi al-Huqayq's house by night. As they went, they shut the door of every
room in the house upon its occupants. Ibn Abi al-Huqayq was in an upper room
reached by a spiral stairway. They climbed up this, went to the door, and asked
permission to enter. A woman came out to them and said, "Who are
you?" They replied, "We are some beduin seeking provisions of
grain." She
said, "The man you want is over there; go in and see
him." "When we went in," (they said), "we shut the door
behind her, ourselves, and him, being afraid that a patrol might prevent us
from getting at him. His wife gave a shout to warn him of our presence,
and we rushed upon him with our swords as he was in his bed. By God, the only
thing which guided us to him in the
blackness of the night was his whiteness, as though he were a piece
of Egyptian linen thrown down there.
"When his wife shouted that we were there, one of us would raise
his sword against her; then he would remember the Prophet's prohibition and
withdraw his hand. If it had not been for that, we would have dispatched him that
night. After we had struck him with our swords, 'Abd Allah b. Unays thrust his
sword into his stomach and transfixed him while he was shouting, 'Enough! Enough!'
At once we went out. 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik had bad eyesight, and he fell off the
stairway, bruising his leg severely. We lifted him up, took him to one of their
water channels, and entered it. They lit lamps, and searched for us in every
nook and cranny, but finally they gave up hope and went back to their master,
crowding round him as he lay dying. We said to ourselves, 'How shall we know
that the enemy of God is dead?' One of us said, 'I will go and look for you.' He
set off and mingled with the people. He said later, 'I found him with the men
of the Jews, and with his wife, who had a lamp in her hand and was looking into
his face. Then she said, speaking to them, "By God, I
recognised the voice of Ibn 'Atik, but then I thought I must be wrong, and said
to myself, 'How could Ibn 'Atik be in this country?'" Then
she turned to him to look in his face, and said, "By the God
of the
The Events of the Year 3 103
Jews, he is dead." 'I never heard any words more pleasing to
me,
said our companion.
"He then came back to us and told us the news. We lifted up our
injured companion, went to the Messenger of God, and told him that we had
killed the enemy of God. We disagreed in his presence about the killing of Ibn
Abi al-Huqayq, each of us claiming to have done it. The Messenger of God then
said, 'Bring your swords,' and when we did so he looked at them and said. This sword
of 'Abd Allah b. Unays killed him. I can see the marks left
by bones on it.' "
Speaking of the killing of Ka'b b. al-Ashraf and Sallam b. Abi al-
Huqayq, Hassan b. Thabit 162 said:
How excellent are the people whom we met, Ibn (Abi) al-Huqayq and
you, Ibn al-Ashraf!
Travelling by night towards you with nimble swords, as proud as
lions in a wooded den
Until they came to you in your country, and made you taste death
with sweeping swords,
Vigilant for the victory of the faith of their Prophet, and
setting at naught every calamity.
According to Musa b.'Abd al-Rahman al-Masruqi and 'Abbas b. 'Abd
al-'A?im al-'Anbari — Ja'far b. 'Awn — Ibrahim b. Isma'il — Ibrahim b. 'Abd
al-Rahman b. Ka'b b. Malik — his father — his mother, the daughter of 'Abd
Allah b. Unays — 'Abd Allah b. Unays: The company whom the Messenger of God
sent to Ibn Abi al-Huqayq to kill him comprised 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik, 'Abd Allah
b. Unays, Abu Qatadah, one of their confederates, and a man of the Ansar. They
reached Khaybar at night. 'Abd Allah b. Unays said, "We went to their
doors, shut them from the outside, and took the keys, so that they were locked
in. Then we threw the keys into an irrigation ditch and went to the upper room
where Ibn Abi al-Huqayq was lying. 'Abd Allah b.'Atik and I went up there while
our companions sat down by the wall. 'Abd Allah b.'Atik asked permission to
enter, and Ibn Abi al-Huqayq's wife
162. Hassan b. Thabit of the tribe of ai-Khazraj in
Medina was the most prominent of the poets supporting Muhammad, cf. El 1 , art.
Hassan b. Thabit |W. Arafat). This poem is to be found in his Diwan, ed.
Arafat, London 1971, i.21 if.
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The Foundation of the Community
said, 'That is 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik's voice.' Ibn Abi al-Huqayq
said, 'May your mother be bereaved of you! 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik is in Yathrib.
How could he be with you at this hour? Open the door!
No honourable man turns visitors from his door at such an hour.'
So she got up and opened the door, and I and 'Abd Allah went in to Ibn Abi
al-Huqayq. 'Abd Allah b. 'Atiq said, 'You take care of her!' So I unsheathed my
sword against her, and I was going to strike her with it, but I remembered that
the Messenger of God had forbidden the killing of women and children, and I
desisted. 'Abd Allah b. 'Atik went up to Ibn Abi al-Huqayq. 'I looked at him/
he said, 'at the extreme whiteness of his skin in a dark upper room, and when
he saw me and saw the sword, he took the pillow and tried to fend me off with
it. I made to strike him, but was unable to do so, and instead pierced him with
it.' Then 'Abd Allah b. Unays came out to join me, and said, 'Shall I kill
him?' I said, 'Yes,' so he went in and finished him off.
"Then (said 'Abd Allah b. Unays) I went out to 'Abd Allah b.
'Atik and we left, and the woman shouted, 'A night raid! A night raid!' Then
'Abd Allah b. 'Atik fell down the staircase and said,
'My leg! My leg! ' I carried him until I was able to lay him down
on the ground and said, 'Go! There is nothing wrong with your leg.' So we left.
We came to our companions and set off. Then I remembered my bow, which I had
left in the staircase. I returned for my bow, and there were the people of
Khaybar, surging against one another and
saying nothing but, 'Who has killed Ibn Abi al- Huqayq? Who has killed Ibn Abi al-Huqayq?"
I did not look anybody in the face, while nobody looked me in the face, but I
merely said, "Who has killed Ibn Abi al-Huqayq?" I then went up the
staircase, while people were going up and down, took my bow
from where it was and left. When I reached my companions, we hid
during the day and travelled by night; when we were hiding we posted one of our
number as a sentry to keep watch for us, and if he saw anything he would signal
to us, and we would move on. When we were at al-Bayda', I (Musa said, 'I was
their sentinel,' and 'Abbas said, 'I was their sentry,') gave the signal, and
they moved off at a brisk pace. I followed in their footsteps until we
were close to Medina, and then caught up with them. They said,
"What is the matter? Have you seen something?" "No," I
said,
The Events of the Year 3 105
"But I knew that you were exhausted and ill, and I wanted
fear to spur you on ." ' "
The Prophet Marries Hafsah
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In this year the Prophet married
Hafsah bt. 'Umar, in Sha'ban (which began January 17, 625).'“ She had
previously been married to Khunays b. Hudhafah al-Sahmi in the Jahiliyyah, and
he had left her a widow.
The Expedition to Uhud 164
In this year also there took place the expedition of the Messenger
of God to Uhud. This is said to have been on Saturday, 7 Shawwal, in Year Three
of the Hijrah (March 23, 62s).
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: What provoked the expedition to Uhud
by the polytheists of Quraysh against the Messenger of God was the battle of
Badr and the killing of those nobles and chiefs of Quraysh who were killed
there.
According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq:
(Ibn Ishaq said) Muhammad b. Muslim b. 'Ubayd Allah b. Shihab al-Zuhri
and Muhammad b. Yahya b. Hibban and 'Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatada b and al-Husayn b.
'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Amr b. Sa'd b.Mu'adh and others of our scholars have all
related a part of this narrative concerning the day of Uhud, and their
narrative is combined in the account which I have given of the day of Uhud.
They say that when Quraysh — or, according to some versions, when the People of
the Well of the unbelievers of Quraysh on the day of Badr — were overtaken by
disaster, and their defeated remnants reached Mecca, and when Abu Sufyan b.
Harb returned with his
caravan, 'Abd Allah b. Abi Rabi'ah, 'Ikrimah b. Abl Jahl, and Safwan
b. Umayyah went at the head of a number of men of Quraysh whose fathers, sons,
and brothers had been killed at Badr
163. There were reasons of state for Muhammad's marriage
with Hafsah, as with virtually all his other marriages. She was the daughter of
one of his chief supporters, 'Umar, later second caliph. Her first husband was
a Muslim from Mecca killed at Badr.
164. IH, 555-638; W, 199-334; Watt, Medina , 21-9.
io6 The Foundation of the Community
and addressed Abu Sufyan b. Harb and those members of Quraysh who
had goods in that caravan, saying, "Men of Quraysh, Muhammad has bereaved
you and killed the best of you; aid us with this wealth to wage war against him
and perhaps we will obtain vengeance upon him for those of us who have been
killed." They agreed to do so. When Abu Sufyan and the owners of the
caravan agreed to this, Quraysh assembled to wage war against the Messenger of
God, together with their Ahabish 165 and those of the tribes of Kinanah and the
people of Tihamah who obeyed them.
All of these people raised a clamour to wage war against the
Messenger of God.
Abu 'Azzah 'Amr b. 'Abd Allah al-Jumahi had been treated kindly by
the Messenger of God on the day of Badr, being a poor man with daughters. He
was among the captives, and he said, "O
Messenger of God, I am a poor man with a family and with needs which
you are aware of; so treat me kindly, may God bless you!" The Messenger of
God then treated him kindly.
Safwan b. Umayyah now said, "Abu 'Azzah, you are a poet, so aid
us with your tongue, and join our expedition." "Muhammad has treated
me kindly," he replied, "and I do not wish to help against him."
"No," he urged, "aid us in person, and I swear before God that
if you return I will make you a rich man and that if you are killed I will
treat your daughters as I treat my own daughters; whatever hardship or prosperity
comes my daughters' way will come their way." With this assurance, Abu
'Azzah joined the expedition, travelling through Tihamah and calling upon the Banu
Kinanah. Similarly, Musafi' b. 'Abd Manaf b. Wahb b. Hudhafah b. Jumah went to
the Banu Malik b. Kinanah to rouse them and call upon them to fight the
Messenger of God.
Jubayr b.Mut'im called a slave of his called WahshI, who was an Abyssinian
who threw his javelin in the Abyssinian manner and rarely missed with it, and
said to him, "Go with the army, and if you kill Muhammad's uncle in retaliation
for my uncle Tu'aymah b. 'Adi, you are free." Quraysh set out armed and
determined
165 . These Ahabish (meaning "group of people not
all of one tribe") were a cofederacy of small clans or subtribes. The most
important was Banu al-Harith b. 'Abd Manat b. Kinanah; others were al-Mustaliq
and al-Hun (with subdivisions 'Adal and al-Qarah). The assertion of Henri
Lammens that they were Abyssinian slave mercenaries is mistaken. Cf. EP, art.
Habash. last section.
The Events of the Year 3 107
on battle, with their Ahabish and those of the Banu Kinanah and the
people of Tihamah who were with them. They had taken their womenfolk with them
in the hope that they would be
spurred on by zeal to defend these and would not run away. Abu Sufyan
b. Harb, who was the leader of the army, had with him Hind bt. 'Utbah b.
Rabi'ah; 'Ikrimah b. Abi Jahl b. Hisham b. al- Mughirah had with him Umm Hakim
bt. al-Harith b. Hisham b. al-Mughirah; al-Harith b. Hisham b. al-Mughirah had
with him Fatimah bt. al-Walid b. al-Mughirah; Safwan b. Umayyah b. Khalaf had
with him Barzah (Abu Ja'far [al-Tabari] asserts that some say Barrah) bt.
Mas'ud b. 'Amr b. 'Umayr al-Thaqafiyyah, the mother of 'Abd Allah b. Safwan;
'Amr b. al-'As b. Wa’il had with him Raytah bt. Munabbih b. al-Hajjaj, the
mother of 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As; Talhah b. Abi Talhah, who was 'Abd
Allah b. 'Abd al-'Uzza b.'Uthman b. 'Abd al-Dar, had with him Sulafah bt. Sa'd
b. Shuhayd, the mother of Musafi', al-Julas, and Kilab, sons of Talhah, who
were killed on that day together with their father; Khunas bt. Malik b. al-Mudarrib,
one of the women of the Banu Malik b. Hisl, and the mother of Mus'ab b. 'Umayr,
set out with her son Abu 'Aziz b. 'Umayr, and 'Amrah bt. 'Alqamah, one of the
women of the Banu al-Harith b. 'Abd Manat b. Kinanah, also set out.
Every time Hind bt. 'Utbah b. Rabi'ah passed by Wahshi, or he passed
by her, she would say, "Go to it, Abu Dusmah! Quench my thirst for
vengeance, and quench your own!" Abu Dusmah
was Wahshl's kunyah . 166
The Meccan force went forward, and halted at 'Aynayn on a hill in
the valley of al-Sabkhah of Qanat on the edge of the wadi nearest to Medina.
When the Messenger of God and the Muslims
166. The kunyah or "parent name" is the name
of the form "Abu M" or "Umm N" ("father of M,"
"mother of N"), and was a title of respect. M or N was usually the
eldest son, but, especially in Medina, could instead be a daughter. Sometimes a
kunyah seems to have been given to children as a first name, as in the case of
Muhammad's daughter Umm Kulthum, and sometimes as a kind of nickname. While
Wahshi could conceivably have had a daughter called Dusmah (or Dasmah), it
seems more likely that Abu Dusmah, "father of duskiness or
blackness," was felt to be an appropriate name for an Abyssinian slave;
but it does not seem to be a disrespectful mode of address, just as the name of
Muhammad's uncle Abu Lahab probably originally meant "father of
brightness," although Surah 91 links it with the flame [lahab) of Hell.
108 The Foundation of the Community
heard that they were camped there, the Messenger of God said to the
Muslims, "I saw in a dream some cattle, and interpreted them as a good
omen; and I saw that the blade of my sword was notched, and I saw that I had
put on an invulnerable coat of mail, and I interpreted that as Medina. If you
see fit to remain in Medina and to leave them encamped where they are, well and
good; for, if they remain there, they will be in the worst possible place, and
if they enter Medina to fight us, we will fight them here."
Quraysh camped at Uhud on Wednesday and remained there on that
day, Thursday, and Friday. When the Messenger of God had led the Friday prayer,
he went out and reached the gorge of Uhud the following morning. Battle was
joined on Saturday, halfway through Shawwal (March 23, 623).
The opinion of 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul was the same as the opinion
of the Messenger of God on this matter, that he should not go out to meet the
enemy. Yet, although the Messenger of God had not wanted to go out of Medina,
some men of the Muslims whom God ennobled with martyrdom on the day of Uhud, and
others who had missed Badr and the chance to be there, said, "O Messenger
of God, lead us out to our enemies so that they may not think that we are too
cowardly and weak to face them." 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul said,
"O Messenger of God, stay in Medina and do not go out to meet them. By
God, we have never
gone out of it to meet an enemy but that they have inflicted severe
losses on us,- and no enemy has ever entered it but that we have inflicted
severe losses on them. Leave them alone, O Messenger of God, and if they
remain, they will be in the worst possible place; and if they enter Medina, the
men will fight them face to face, and the women and boys will hurl stones at
them from above; if they then withdraw, they will withdraw disappointed in their
hopes, as they came." Those who were eager to meet the enemy, however,
continued to press the Messenger of God until he went into his house and put on
his coat of mail. This was on Friday, after he had finished the prayer.
On that day there had died a man of the Ansar called Malik b. 'Amr,
one of the Banu al-Najjar. The Messenger of God prayed over him, and then went
out to meet the enemy. By this time the people had repented; they said, "We
have compelled the Messenger of God against his wishes, and we had no right to
do this."
The Events of the Year 3
109
The narrative of al-Suddi.
Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says that according to Muhammad b. al- Husayn
— Ahmad b. al-Miifaddal — Asbat — al-Suddi, when the Messenger of God heard
that the polytheists of Quraysh and their followers had camped at Uhud he said
to his companions, "Advise me what I should do." They said, "O
Messenger of God, lead us out to these dogs." The Ansar said, "O
Messenger of God, no enemy of ours has ever overcome us who came to us in our
dwelling places, so how much more will this be the case now that you are among
us." The Messenger of God called upon 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy b. Salul,
although he had never called upon him before, and asked for his counsel.
"O Messenger of God," he said, "lead us out to these dogs."
The Messenger of God would have preferred that the enemy should enter Medina,
so that the fighting could be in the alleyways. Al-Nu'man b. Malik al-Ansari
came to him and said, "O Messenger of God, do not deprive me of Paradise!
By him who sent you with the truth, I shall indeed enter Paradise!"
"In what way?" the Messenger of God said. Al-Nu'man replied, "By
testifying that there is no deity but God and that you are the Messenger of
God, and by not fleeing from the advancing enemy." "You have spoken
the truth," the Messenger of God said. Al-Nu'man was killed that day.
The Messenger of God then called for his coat of mail and put it on.
When they saw him armed, the people repented and said, "What an evil deed
we have done, giving the Messenger of God advice when inspiration comes to
him!" They rose up and apologised to him, saying, "Do what you see fit!"
The Messenger of God replied, "It is not fitting for a prophet to put on
his coat of mail and take it off again before fighting." So the Messenger
of God went out to Uhud at the head of a thousand men, having promised them
victory if they showed endurance. When he went out, however, 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy
b. Salul returned with three hundred men. Abu Jabir al-Salimi followed them,
calling them, but they did not heed him 167 and said to him, "We know of
no battle; and if you take our advice, you will come back with us." On
167. Al-Tabari's text does not quite make sense here,
perhaps owing to a careless abridgement, and has been slightly changed in
translation; see Ibn Ishaq's version below.
no
The Foundation of the Community
this occasion God said, "When two parties of you almost fell away
" l68 The two parties were the Banu Salimah and the Banu Harithah, who
were minded to go back when 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy went back; but God restrained them,
and the Messenger of God remained at the head of seven hundred men.
Resumption of the narrative of Ibn Ishaq.
When the Messenger of God went out to do battle with the enemy,
the Muslims said, "O Messenger of God, we have compelled you against your
will, and we had no right to do this. If you wish, stay here, may God bless
you." The Messenger of God replied, "It is not fitting for a prophet
when he has put on his coat of mail to take it off until he fights." So the
Messenger of God went out at the head of a thousand men of his companions
until, when they were at al-Shawt, between Uhud and Medina, 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy
b. Salul split off from him with a third of the army, saying, "He obeyed
them by setting out and disobeyed me. By God, we do not know why we should get
ourselves killed here, men." So he went back to Medina with those of his
people of the Hypocrites and doubters who followed him. 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b.
Haram, the
brother of the Banu Salimah, followed them saying, "I call on
you in God’s name not to abandon your Prophet and your people when the enemy is
here!" They replied, "If we knew that we were going to fight, we
would not desert you, but we do not think that there is going to be a
battle." When they thus refused to heed him and insisted on going back, he
said, "God curse you, enemies of God! God will let us manage without
you."
According to Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) — Muhammad b. 'Umar al- Waqidi:
'Abd Allah b. Ubayy split off from the Messenger of God at al-Shaykhayn with
three hundred men, and the Messenger of God remained with seven hundred. The
polytheists numbered three thousand and their cavalry numbered two hundred
horse. Their womenfolk numbered fifteen.
Among the polytheists there were seven hundred men wearing coats
of mail, while among the Muslims there were only one hundred. The Muslims had
no cavalry with them apart from two
168. Qur. 3.22.
The Events of the Year 3
hi
horses, one belonging to the Messenger of God and one belonging to
Abu Burdah b. Niyar al-Harithi. The Messenger of God set out before daybreak
from al-Shaykhayn, just as the sky was beginning to redden. Al*Shaykhayn
received the name from two strongholds which were looked after by a blind Jew
and a blind Jewess who used to talk to one another; they were called
al-Shaykhayn (the two old people) because of this. They lie at the furthest
extremity
of Medina.
The Messenger of God had reviewed his troops at al-Shaykhayn after
sunset, allowing some to go on and sending some back.
Among those whom he sent back were Zayd b. Thabit, Ibn 'Umar,
Usayd b. Zuhayr, al-Bara' b. 'Azib, and 'Arabah b. Aws. The latter
is the person of whom al-Shammakh said:
I considered 'Arabah the Awsite a man of good deeds, one without
equal
When the banner of glory was raised aloft, 'Arabah accepted it
with his right hand.
He also sent back Abu Said al-Khudri, but allowed Samurah b. Jundub
and Rafi' b. Khadij to go on. The Messenger of God had considered Rafi' too
young, but he stood on his pair of patched
shoes and stretched himself on tiptoe to his full height, and when
the Messenger of God saw him, he passed him.
According to Al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd — Muhammad b. 'Umar (al- Waqidi):
Samurah’s mother was married to Murayy b. Sinan b. Tha'labah, the uncle of Abu
Said al-Khudri, and he was Samurah’s stepfather. When the Messenger of God went
out to Uhud, reviewed his men and sent back those whom he thought too young, he
sent back Samurah b. Jundub and passed Rafi' b. Khadij.
Then Samurah b. Jundub said to his stepfather Murayy b. Sinan, "Father,
the Messenger of God has passed Rafi' b. Khadij and sent me back, but I can
throw Rafi' b. Khadij in wrestling." So Murayy b. Sinan said, "O
Messenger of God, you have sent back my son and passed Rafi' b. Khadij, but my
son can throw him in wrestling." The Messenger of God said to Rafi' and
Samurah, "Wrestle!" Samurah threw Rafi', and so the Messenger of God
passed him, and he was present at the battle with the Muslims. The Prophet’s
guide was Abu Hathmah al-Harithi.
1 12
The Foundation of the Community
Resumption of the narrative of Ibn Ishaq.
As the Messenger of God was proceeding across the harrah of the
Banu Harithah, a horse swished its tail, hit the handle of a sword, and knocked
it out of its scabbard. The Messenger of God, who liked omens, although he did
not take auguries from the flight of birds, said to the owner of the sword,
"Sheathe your sword, for I see that swords will be drawn today." Then
the Messenger of God said to his companions, "Who can take us close to the
enemy by a road which will not cause us to pass by them?" Abu Hathmah, the
brother of the Banu Harithah b. al-Harith, said, "I can, O Messenger of
God." He took him through the hanah of the Banu Harithah and between their
property, until he brought him to the property of al-Mirba' b. Qayzi, who was a
Hypocrite, and blind. When the latter became aware of the presence of
the Messenger of God and the Muslims with him, he rose up and threw
dust in their faces, saying, "Even if you are the Messenger of God, I will
not allow you into my garden!" I was told that he took a handful of dust
and then said: "If only I knew that I would not hit anyone else, Muhammad,
I would throw it in your face." The people rushed up to kill him, but the
Messenger of God said, "Do not do so, for this man who is blind of sight
is also blind of heart." Sa'd b. Yazid, the brother of the Banu 'Abd
al-Ashhal, had rushed up to al-Mirba' as the Messenger of God uttered this
prohibition, and he split al-Mirba"s head open with his bow.
The Messenger of God proceeded until he came down into the gorge
from Uhud on the slope up from the wadi towards the mountain. He stationed his
men with their backs and their camp
towards Uhud, and said, "Let no one fight until I command him
to fight." Quraysh had set their camels and horses free to pasture in some
crops in al-Samghah of Qanat belonging to the Muslims, and one of the Muslims
said, when the Messenger of God ordered them not to join battle, "Are the
crops of the Banu Qaylah 169 to be used as grazing before we come to
blows?" Then the Prophet prepared to fight with his seven hundred men, and
Quraysh prepared to fight with their three thousand men and two hundred horses.
They put Khalid b. al-Walid in command of the right wing of the
169. Banu Qaylah is the name for the two tribes oi
al-Aws and al-Khazraj together, Qaylah being ostensibly the mother of both.
The Events of the Year 3 1 1 3
cavalry and 'Ikrimah b. Abl Jahl in command of the left wing. The Messenger
of God put 'Abd Allah b. Jubayr, the brother of the Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf, in comi
and of the archers. He was distinguished on that day by white clothes, and the
archers numbered fifty men. "Defend us against the cavalry with your
arrows," he said, "and do not come up behind us whether the battle
goes for us or against us. Hold firm to your position, so that we will not be
attacked from your direction." Then the Messenger of God put
on two coats of mail.
The Fighting Begins
According to Harun b. Ishaq — Mus'ab b. al-Miqdam — Isra’il; and
(also) Ibn Waki' — his father — Isra’il — Abu Ishaq — al-Bara’: When it was the
day of Uhud and the Messenger of God met the polytheists, he stationed certain
men as archers and put them under the command of 'Abd Allah b. Jubayr, with the
order, "If you see us victorious over them, do not leave your position,
and if you see them victorious over us, do not come to our assistance."
When battle was joined, the polytheists were put to flight, and I saw
the women tucking up their skirts in flight and exposing their anklets. A cry
went up of "Booty, booty!" 'Abd Allah said, "Not so fast! Do you
not know the orders the Messenger of God gave you?" They refused to listen
to him, however, and left.
When they reached the others, God turned away their faces and seventy
of the Muslims were killed.
According to Muhammad b. Sa'd — his father — his paternal uncle —
his father — his father — Ibn 'Abbas: Abu Sufyan arrived on 3 Shawwal (March
19, 62s) and camped at Uhud. The Prophet marched out, called on the people to
come to fight and assembled them round him. He ordered al-Zubayr, who had
al-Miqdad b. al- Aswad al-Kindi with him on that day, to engage the cavalry,
and gave the banner to a man of Quraysh called Mu$'ab b. 'Umayr.
Next Hamzah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib marched out at the head of those
who had no armour,- he sent Hamzah out immediately in front of himself.
When Khalid b. al-Walid advanced with the polytheist cavalry, together
with 'Ikrimah b. Abl Jahl, the Messenger of God dispatched al-Zubayr with the
order, "Meet Khalid b. al-Walid and
1 14 The Foundation of the Community
engage him until I give you further orders/' Then he gave orders concerning
other (enemy) horsemen who were in another part of the field, and said,
"Do not leave your positions until I give you further orders."
Abu Sufyan advanced, raising a cry of "Al-Lata! Al-Tuzza
!" 170 The Prophet sent al-Zubayr against the enemy, and when he attacked Khalid
b. al-Walid, God put Khalid and his companions to flight. With reference to
this, God said, "Allah verily made good His promise unto you . . . after
He had shown you that for which ye long." God had promised the believers
that He would give them victory and that He would be with them.
The Messenger of God had sent certain people to take up positions
behind his army, and said to them, "Stay here and turn back any of us who
flees, and act as a guard for our rear." When the Messenger of God and his
companions put the enemy to flight, those who had been posted to the rear said
to one another, when they saw the enemy's women scrambling up the hill and saw
the booty, "Let us go to the Messenger of God and get the booty before the
others beat us to it." Another group said, "No, we should obey the
Messenger of God and keep to our position." It is to this that God's words
refer: "Whoso desireth . . . the world/' i.e., those who desired the
booty, "and whoso desireth . . . the Hereafter," i.e., those who
said, "We should obey the Messenger of God and keep to our position
." 171 Ibn Mas'ud used to say, "I never realised that any of the
Prophet's companions desired the world and its goods until that day."
According to Muhammad b. al-Husayn — Ahmad b. al-Mufaddal — Asbat
— al-Suddi: When the Messenger of God took the field at Uhud, he gave orders to
the archers who then took up a position at the base of the mountain facing the
polytheist cavalry. He said, "Do not leave your positions if you see that
we have put them to flight, for we shall not cease to be victorious as long as you
keep to your positions."
He put 'Abd Allah b. Jubayr, the brother of Khawwat b. Jubayr, in
command of them.
170. These are two goddesses worshipped by the Meccans;
see Watt, Mecca, 102-4. The verse quoted below is Qur. 3.152.
171* Qur. 3145-
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