Summary of Sira
The Prophet ﷺ sent out a military detachment lead by ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Haarith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib to the valley of Raabigh, which is the principal boundary at which Muslim pilgrims from al-Shaam, Egypt, Turkey, and those who travel through their route, intending to perform the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages, must be enter the state of ihraam, in the month of Shawwaal, after 8 months after the hijrah. He was given a white banner, a banner that Mistah ibn ‘Uthaathah ibn al-Muttalib ibn ‘Abd Manaaf. The military detachment consisted of 60 fighters; all of them were from the immigrants. The combat encounter between them and Aboo Sufyaan ibn Harb and his 200 fighters, occurred at the valley of Raaghib, ten miles away from al-Juhfah. However, their encounter was just a skirmish where the archers exchanged arrows apace on both sides without any outbreak of fighting by swords. Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas was in the Muslim expedition, who was the first one in Islam to shoot an arrow in the path of Allah. After, both sides departed and returned to their rear-guard.
The Prophet ﷺ sent out an expedition to the seashore and appointed Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib as its commander. The expedition consisted of 30 fighters, all of them were from the immigrants. The first banner that the Prophet handed to any Muslims was to Hamzah, and it was white in colour, and it was carried by Aboo Mirthad, Kannaz ibn Hussayn al-Ghanawee (may Allah be pleased with him). The mission of this expedition was to intercept a merchant-caravan returning from the Shaam that has three hundred riders. Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) met Aboo Jahl who was the head of the caravan at the seashore at a place called al-‘Eees near al-Madeenah. Each side lined up, taking their position to fight, but Majdee ibn ‘Amr al-Juhanee intervened between them for he was at peace with both parties, and he kept walking between the two parties, which then separated without any outbreak of fighting. The expedition of Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) and the expedition of ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Haarith (may Allah be pleased with him) to the valley of Raabigh were dispatched at the same time.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent out an expedition led by Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) to al-Kharraar, which is a valley through which one can reach al-Juhfah. The expedition consisted of twenty riders, all of them were from the immigrants, and it was said that they were eight only. The Prophet ﷺ handed him a white banner that was carried by al-Miqdaad ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet ﷺ ordered Sa’d not to go beyond the limits of the valley as their mission was to intercept the merchant-caravans of Quraysh passing through the valley. The expedition marched to their destination on foot, resting at daytime and walking during the night. They arrived at their destination in the morning of the fifth day, but to find out that they missed the caravan. So, they returned to the al-Madeenah without having any fight.
The first place that the Prophet ﷺ went to on campaign was al-Abwaa’, then Buwaat, followed by al-‘Ushayrah. It is one of the villages of the valley of al-Furu’ that is located twenty-three miles from al-Madeenah. It was said the reason it was given its name is that it was known of suffering pandemics. This battle is also known as the battle of Waddaan. Ishaaq said: The Prophet ﷺ went on campaign himself. He marched with his expedition until they arrived at a place called Waddaan, which is al-Abwaa’. He went on this campaign after twelve months from his arrival to al-Madeenah, and his mission was to encounter Quraysh. He made peace with Banee Dumrah ibn Bakr ibn ‘Abd Manaah, from Kinaanah. It was their leader, Majdyy ibn ‘Amr al-Dumree, who made peace on behalf of his tribe; thus, no fight took place between them and the Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ appointed Sa’d ibn ‘Ubaadah in charge of al-Madeenah during his absence. It has been said that when the Prophet ﷺ arrived to al-Abwaa’, he ﷺ sent out a military detachment consisting of sixty men led by ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Haarth to intercept a group from Quraysh [who were on their way back to Makkah]. The encounter resulted in throwing arrows against each other, and Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas was in that mission, and he was the first Muslim to throw an arrow in the path of Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ participated in the first Battle of Badr until he ﷺ reached the valley of Safwaan. After thirteen months after his immigration, he ﷺ went [on a campaign] to [capture] Kurz ibn Jaabir al-Fihree. The banner of the mission was white in colour, and the bearer of it was Alee ibn Abee Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet ﷺ appointed Zayd ibn Haarithah in charge of al-Madeenah. The reason the Prophet ﷺ went out after Kurz is that he led an assault on a suburb of al-Madeenah and stole the camels and cattle that were grazing in the land during the morning time. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched a mission to capture him and they went in his pursuit until they reached a valley called Safwaan, near Badr area. However, he ﷺ could not catch him, so he ﷺ returned to al-Madeenah.
It is reported on the authority of Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: “We set out along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) on an expedition of Batn Buwaat. He ﷺ was in search of al-Majdee ibn 'Amr al-Juhanee. We had so meagre equipment that five, six, or seven of us had one camel to ride, and so we mounted it turn by turn. Once there, the turn of an Ansari came to ride upon the camel. He made it kneel down to ride over it (and after having mounted it), he tried to raise it up, but it hesitated. So, he said. May there be curse of Allah upon you! Thereupon Allah's Messenger ﷺ said: Who is there to curse his camel? He said: O Allah's Messenger! it is I. Thereupon he ﷺ said: Get down from the camel and let us not have in our company the cursed one. Don't curse your own selves, nor your children, nor your belongings. There is the possibility that your curse may coincide with the time when Allah is about to confer upon you what you demand and thus your prayer may be readily responded.” Buwaat is one of the mountains of Juhaynah, near Yanbu’.
Zayd ibn Arqam was asked: How many battles did the Prophet ﷺ attend by himself? He said: nineteen battles. Then, he was asked: How many of which did you attend with him? He replied: seventeen. Someone asked: Which battle was the first? He said: Al-Usayrah or Al-Ushayr. The battle of al-Ushayr took place before the Battle of Badr.
The Prophet ﷺ went through the route of Banee Dinaar, then passed through Fayfaa’ al-Khabaar. During the trip, he ﷺ stopped and rested under a tree at the valley of Ibn Azhir, known as dhaat al-Saaq, where he offered prayer... Food was prepared for him, and he ﷺ ate accompanied by those who were with him. Then, they brought him water from the water of a place called Al-Mushtarib. Then he ﷺ departed Al-Khala’iq leftward in the direction of a glen called path that is called the Shu’bah of Abdullah; then he ﷺ headed to the left again until he went down Yalyal and stopped at a crossing with Adaboo'ah, and he ﷺ drank from a well at Ad-Daboo'ah, traversing the plain of Mulal until he ﷺ met the track in Suhayraat al-Yamaam straight to Al-'Ushayrah in the valley of Yanbu’ where he ﷺ stayed throughout the month of Jumaadah al-Oolah and some days of the following month. He ﷺ made a pact of peace there with Banee Mudlij and their allies Banee Damrah and returned to al-Madeenah without an outbreak of fighting between them and the Muslims.
Ibn ‘Asaakir reported on the authority of al-Zuhree: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched an expedition in which was Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) to an area in al-Hijaaz, called Raabigh. [When the expedition encountered the disbelievers], Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas threw his arrows at them, and he was the first Muslim to shoot an arrow [at disbelievers] in the path of Allah. It was the first combat against the disbelievers in Islam.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ dispatched his messenger, ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh, on the Nakhla Raid in Rajab, after seventeen months of his emigration to al-Madeenah, together with twelve other Emigrants and six camels; every person would alternate riding a camel with his fellow Emigrant. They arrived at the valley of Nakhlah where they were expecting to raid some camels that belonged to Quraysh. He ﷺ gave ‘Abdullah a letter with instructions not to read it until he had travelled for two days, and in this expedition, ‘Abdullah was named the Chief of Believers. After Abd-Allah had proceeded for two days, he duly opened the letter wherein it read: “Once you read this letter, proceed until you reach Nakhlah, between Makkah and al-Taa'if, lie in wait for the Quraysh and observe what they are doing.” Upon reading the letter, he said, “I hear and obey!” Then, he informed his companions about the instructions of the Prophet ﷺ and said to them: “I do not force any of you to join me. If you love to be a martyr, get up and join me, and if you dislike death, then return. As for me, I am proceeding.” Upon this, all of them got up and joined him. While they were on their way, the camel that Sa’d ibn Abee Waqqaas and ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwaan used to alternate in riding got lost, so they left the expedition searching for it.
At that time, ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh arrived at Nakhlah, and while they were there, the caravan of Quraysh passed through Nakhlah, which carried dyed skins, raisins, and other merchandise, and among them were ‘Amr ibn al-Hadramee, ‘Uthmaan and Nawfal ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Mugheerah, and al-Hakam ibn Kaysaan, the freed slave of Banee al-Mugheerah. The Muslims discussed whether they should attack them or not saying, we are in the last day of the Sacred month of Rajab; if we attack them, we will dishonour the sacred month, and if we let them go tonight, they will be in the Sacred [Mosque]. So, they agreed to attack the merchants even though it was still the sacred month of Rajab when fighting was forbidden. One of the Muslims shot an arrow at ‘Amr ibn al-Hadarmee and killed him, and they succeeded in capturing ‘Uthman and al-Hakam, along with all the merchandise. As for Nawfal, he managed to escape. They returned to al-Madeenah with the seized merchandise, after taking out the fifth of it, and the two prisoners. This combat marked the first fifth, the first disbeliever to be killed, and the first two prisoners in Islam. The Prophet ﷺ disapproved their actions, but Quraysh found in it an opportunity to insist on their disbelief and claim that [Prophet] Muhammad ﷺ made fighting in the Sacred month lawful. The Muslims found the situation so difficult, until Allah, Most High, revealed: {They ask you concerning fighting in the sacred months. Say, "Fighting therein is a great (transgression) but a greater (transgression) with Allah is to prevent mankind from following the way of Allah, to disbelieve in Him, to prevent access to Al-Masjid-Al-Ḥaraam, and to drive out its inhabitants, and Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.} [Quran 2:217]
Narrated Al-Baraa' ibn ‘Aazib (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): When Allah's Messenger ﷺ arrived at al-Madeenah, he ﷺ prayed facing Jerusalem for sixteen or seventeen months, but he ﷺ wished that he ﷺ would be ordered to face the Ka`ba. So, Allah revealed: -- {'Verily! We have seen the turning of your face towards the heaven; surely, we shall turn you to a prayer direction (Qibla) that shall please you.} (Quran 2.144) Thus, he was directed towards the Ka`ba. A man prayed the `Asr prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and then went out, and passing by some people from the Ansar, he said, "I testify that I have prayed with the Prophet ﷺ and he (the Prophet) has prayed facing the Ka`ba." Thereupon they, who were bowing in the `Asr prayer, turned towards the Ka`ba.
In this year, fasting the month of Ramadan was made obligatory upon the Muslims. It has been said: It was made obligatory before the Battle of Badr.
‘Asmaa’ bint Marwaan from the tribe of ‘Umayyah ibn Zayd and the wife of Yazeed ibn Zayd ibn Hisn al-Khatmee was known for insulting Islam and abusing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and encouraging people to fight him and throwing menstrual blood in the Mosque of Banee Khatmah. For all these reasons, the Prophet ﷺ declared her blood lawful to shed. ‘Umayr ibn ‘Adyy vowed that if he is meant to return alive to al-Madeenah from the Battle of Badr, he will kill her, and so he did (may Allah be pleased with him). After, he (may Allah be pleased with him), he found her sons burying her, so they asked him: O Umayr, is it you who killed her? He responded, yes it was me! So, plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, if all of you said what she said, I would strike you with my sword until I either die or I kill all of you!” On that day, Islam manifested in the tribe of Banee Khatmah because before that day, those who embraced Islam among them used to hide their Islam. The first person who embraced Islam from them was ‘Umar ibn ‘Adyy who was also known as the Reciter.
Allah has legislated the zakat al-Fitr, which is obligatory upon all Muslims, be they were free or slaves, males or females, adult or young, so long as they can afford it. The wisdom behind it is that it purifies the fasting person from any obscenity or ill-speech that he may have said or did while fasting, and to help the poor and make them happy on the Day of Eid.
The Prophet ﷺ dispatched a group from the Muslims to intercept a merchandise-caravan that belonged to Quraysh, while it was on its way back from Al-Shaam. Aboo Sufyaan, however, who was the leader of that caravan, came to know about the intention of the Muslims, so he sent to Quraysh asking them to save his trade and fight the Muslims, and he changed his route to save his caravan. After, the Muslims encountered the disbelievers at the well of Badr, which is located in an area between Makkah and al-Madeenah – though closer to al-Madeenah. The army of disbelievers consisted of about one thousand fighters whereas the army of Muslims was slightly more than three hundred fighters. The battle started with a duel, man to man, sword against sword; then the two armies engaged. The fighting was intense, during which the chiefs of Quraysh were killed like Abu Jahl, ‘Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and others. The total of casualties among the disbelievers reached one hundred and forty men, half of them were killed and the other half was captured as prisoners. As for the Muslims, fourteen men were killed, and it has been said: they were sixteen. On that day, it was a great victory for the Muslims whom Allah aided with angels to fight along with them. The opinion of ‘Umar regarding the prisoners was to kill them while Aboo Bakr suggested their release on the condition of ransom. The Prophet ﷺ favoured the view of Aboo Bakr, but the revelation agreed with the opinion of ‘Umar. As for the war-bounty, the instructions on how to divide them were revealed in Surah al-Anfaal.
She is Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Master of mankind ﷺ and the wife of ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allah be pleased with him and her). She was first married to ‘Utbah ibn Abee Lahab, but after the Prophet ﷺ received revelation and was sent to the people as Allah’s Messenger, Aboo Lahab ordered his son to divorce her. After, ‘Uthmaan married her and immigrated with her to Abyssinia. When the Prophet ﷺ dispatched a mission to intercept the merchandise-caravan of Aboo Sufyaan, he ﷺ ordered ‘Uthmaan to stay with Ruqayyah to look after her as she was sick, and that was the reason he did not participate in the battle. The Prophet ﷺ treated him like those who attended the battle and allocated for him a share from the war bounties. It was not that long until she passed away (may Allah be pleased with her).
