الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أمعين
Today is Part 16 of the Seerah. In last week’s episode the story ended at the point when, after the conquest of Makkah, followed by the victory at the Battle of Hunain, and conversion of a large number of disbelievers to Islam, the Prophet (S) left Makkah for Madinah.
Tabuk-The Test of Faith
The news of the growing power of the Muslims, as more and more of Arabia followed the Prophet (S), eventually reached Heraclius, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Romans saw the uniting of the Arabs in Islam as a possible threat to their Empire and the Emperor’s advisors and generals, therefore, decided that the best thing to do would be to attack the Muslims from the north and east at the same time and destroy Islam once and for all.
Two years had passed since Heraclius had told them of the Prophet’s letter asking them to submit to Islam, but just as then, they were in no mood now to listen to such ideas. When the Prophet (S) heard of the Romans’ plans, he decided that it would be better to meet the Roman army in Tabuk, some 500 kilometers from Madina on the route to Syria, than to await an attack on Madina. One reason for this decision was that the Prophet (S) felt that if the Muslims were defeated at Madina, the
city would be taken by the Romans, which would mean the end of Islam. This was a very hard decision for him to make because not only was Tabuk a very long way away, but it was also harvest time and a particularly hot year. Added to this was the fact that the enemy had an enormous army.
Now at this time there were some people living in Madina who were not true believers. They were the Munafiqun or hypocrites because they pretended to believe but concealed what was truly in their hearts. When the Prophet (S) made a general call to get ready to proceed for war with the Romans, these hypocrites tried to create fear and doubt among the Muslims, saying ‘How can we hope to defeat the Romans whose great empire stretches over vast areas of the world? And even if we could, we will not get the chance because the long journey and the heat will defeat us first. In any case, our crops and fruits are ready to be harvested; how can we leave them? We will be ruined if we do!’
All that the hypocrites said severely tested the Muslims. Who would continue to fight for his religion against such odds? Who would have the courage to give his wealth to help equip an army? This test of faith would indeed show who the true Muslims were. On this question, Allah revealed the following verse:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انْفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ أَرَضِيتُمْ بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآَخِرَةِ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآَخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ (38)
“O you who believe! What is the matter with you, when it is said to you, “Go forth in the cause of Allah,” you cling heavily to the earth? Do you prefer the present life to the Hereafter? The enjoyment of the present life, compared to the Hereafter, is only a little.” (at-Taubah, 9:38)
To form and equip an army the Prophet (S) needed a great deal of money and despite all that the hypocrites had said, many Muslims, especially the Prophet’s close friends, were willing to help. ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan, for instance, generously provided horses and arms for ten thousand soldiers and Abu Bakr gave all that he had in the world. ‘Umar, too, gave a great deal, and in this way the Prophet (S) was able to equip an army of forty thousand soldiers.
Finally everything was ready but just as they were about to leave, seven more men came to the Prophet (S) to ask if they could go with him. Unfortunately, he had to refuse because there were no animals for them to ride. The seven men were so upset that they wept as they left. With nothing more to be done, the army moved off, but just then several spare camels were found. On learning of this, the Prophet (S) sent for the seven men, who were overjoyed to find that they could join him in his fight.
By now the Romans had heard that the Muslims were coming out to meet them. They felt surer of victory when they heard this because they believed that it would be quite impossible for an army to cross a waterless desert in the scorching summer sun. Even if by some miracle the Muslims succeeded, they would be so exhausted that it would be easy to defeat them. As it happed the heat was so intense and the journey so difficult that several Muslims did turn back. The Prophet (S) and most of the others, however, continued until they finally ran out of water.
The expedition now seemed hopeless as the men grew more and more thirsty. The Prophet (S) prayed to Allah for help and, as he finished his prayer, the first drops of rain came splashing down. The rain continued to fall until all the Muslims had drunk their fill. That night they slept soundly for the first time in days, refreshed by the water and confident that Bilal would wake them as usual for the dawn prayer. But Bilal slept so deeply that he did not wake up. It was the first time that the Muslims had missed a prayer and they were very upset. The Prophet (S), however, was not angry with Bilal and told the Muslims that they need not be upset because they had not intentionally missed the prayer.
The Prophet (S) and his army continued their trek across the desert and finally arrived at the oasis of Tabuk. When they got there, however, they were surprised to find that the Roman army had retreated in fear on hearing of the miraculous crossing of the desert by the Muslims. The Prophet (S) waited at the oasis for a while but when it became apparent that the Romans were not going to fight, he gave the order to return home. The enemy was not pursued because the Prophet (S) only fought when attacked.
The long march to Tabuk had been yet another test of faith for the Muslims. Even so, there were still some among those who made that heroic journey who were hypocrites, pretending to be sincere while being enemies of Islam in their hearts. No one could have suspected that anyone who had made that journey across the desert with the Prophet (S) would be an enemy of his. Realizing this, several hypocrites plotted to kill the Prophet (S) by pushing him off the top of a high, rocky passage that ran between the mountains of ‘Aqabah. Before the army reached this rocky passage, however, Allah warned the Prophet (S) about this wicked plan. The Prophet (S), therefore, ordered the entire army to travel through the valley while he and his two guards went by way of the cliff.
As the plotters approached, he shouted to them so that they could see that he knew of their plan, whereupon they quickly ran back to the army and tried to hide among the rest of the soldiers.
Later, the Prophet (S) gathered his followers around him and told them what had happened. He picked out the men who had plotted against him and even told them the exact words they had spoken to each other. Some of the Prophet’s companions said that these men should be killed, but the Prophet (S) forgave them. As soon as he arrived back in Madina, the Prophet (S) went to the mosque and prayed.
Many of the hypocrites who had not gone with him to Tabuk came to give their reasons for not having done so. Three men of spiritual value who had not joined the army were subjected by the Prophet (S) to the discipline of waiting for Allah’s forgiveness. For fifty days no one spoke to them. Finally, Allah revealed verses 117-119 in Surat at-Tawbah to the Prophet (S) which declared that these three men were forgiven:
The Farewell Pilgrimage
The Prophet (S) had become the most powerful leader in the whole of Arabia. After the idols in the Ka’bah had been smashed and Quraysh had become Muslim, most of the other tribes of Arabia came to declare their Islam. The year in which they came was later to be called the Year of Deputations. As each tribe joined Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (S) sent his men to teach them about their new religion. Many people also came to Madina to question the Prophet (S) himself.
One tribe sent a man called Dimam, who was large and strong. On arriving in Madina, he went straight to the mosque, where the Messenger of Allah (S) was sitting with some of his companions, and stood over the Prophet (S). In a loud, rough voice he asked, ‘Which of you is the son of ‘Abd al- Muttalib?’ When the Prophet (S) answered him Dimam went on, ‘I am going to ask you a hard question, so do not misunderstand me. I ask you to swear by Allah, your Allah, the Allah of those before you and the Allah of those who will come after you, has He sent you to us as a messenger?’ ‘Yes, He has’, replied the Prophet (S). ‘Has Allah instructed you to order us to serve Him; to pray these five prayers; to pay alms; to fast; to make the pilgrimage and to follow the other laws of Islam?’ continued Dimam.
When the Prophet (S) answered that Allah had indeed instructed him in this way, Dimam became a Muslim and, as he left, added, ‘Then I will do the things we are told to do and avoid the things we are forbidden – no more and no less.` As Dimam mounted his camel to leave, the Prophet(S) told the people around him, ‘If this man is sincere, he will go to Paradise.’ When Dimam reached his people they all thought he had gone mad but by nightfall, after he had finished speaking, there was not among them that had not accepted Islam.
When the time came for the yearly pilgrimage, it was proclaimed that the prophet (S) would be going to Makkah. The Muslims flocked to Madina from all over Arabia to join him on his journey to the Ka’bah. As the tribes arrived they camped around the city until they finally numbered more than thirty thousand. The Prophet (S) went out with his family and friends to pilgrimage, but before setting off, he led all the Muslims in prayer. After the prayers, the Prophet (S) got on his camel and headed towards Makkah followed by the pilgrims, all of whom, for the first time in centuries, worshipped Allah, the One God.
The Prophet (S) and his companions were deeply moved by the sight of the huge number of Muslims accompanying them to Makkah, carrying no arms, and fearing no one. They could not help but remember their original flight from Makkah when they had been so little in number and were forced to leave in order to avoid the anger of Quraysh. Throughout the journey the Muslims repeated a prayer taught to them by the Prophet (S) which he in turn had received from the Angel Jibril. This prayer, the talbiyyah, has been part of the Hajj ritual ever since. It is in answer to the call Ibrahim (AS) was commanded to make when he and Isma’il (AS) finished building the Ka’bah.
“Labbaik Allahumma labbaik, labbaik la sharika laka labbaik innalhamda wa al-ni’amata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka.” (Here I am, O Allah, at Your service. Here I am, You are without partner, here I am. All Praise and blessings are Yours, and Dominion! You are without partner!)
After ten days the pilgrims marched at sunset through the same pass by which they had entered on the Day of Conquest of Makkah. When they reached the Ka’bah, the Prophet (S) stood before it in prayer, then he and all the Muslims walked around it seven times saying their prayer aloud. Next, just as Ibrahim had done, they went towards the Mount of Mercy at ‘Arafah, which the Prophet (S) ascended on a camel. From the mountain he led the people in prayer and then spoke to them as they stood assembled on the vast plain below.
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Resources and References:
Imam Ibn Kathir – Stories of the Prophets
Leila Azzam & Aisha Gouverneur – the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
Anwar Al-Awlaki – The Life of Muhammad (Makkan Period) & The Life of Muhammad (Medina Period): https://www.kalamullah.com/muhammad.html
Aisha Stacey – The Religion of Islam (islamreligion.com)
