Episode 38: The Beginning Of Jihad
Precaution and Bodyguard:
Because the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was constantly being targeted by his enemies, he knew had to take precautions.
He asked his companions: I wished that there was someone from my companions that will protect me tonight.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas volunteered to become the bodyguard of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and he put on his armour and gathered his weapons.
Allah SWT promised the Prophet and his companions that they would get authority on this Earth and that they would be given the ability to practice the religion of Islam, replacing the fear of the believers with safety.
Terminology of Ghazwat and Sarriyah:
‘Sarriyah’ was when a group of companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went out for Jihad without the Prophet being present.
‘Ghazwat’ was when the Prophet ﷺ was amongst a group leading them in Jihad.
First Sarriyah:
The first Sarriyah occurred in the month of Ramadan in the first year of Hijrah.
The Quraysh had a caravan near Madinah, led by Abu Lahab and they had a large amount of goods belonging to Abu Jahal.
The Muslims had the right to take some of these goods because when they were forced out of Makkah, they came to Madinah with nothing and the Quraysh had taken away their possessions.
The first Sarriyah was led by the Prophet’s uncle Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib and it consisted of a group of thirty Muhajirun.
The Quraysh had three hundred security guards guarding the caravan, and they were in the land of Bani Dhumrah.
One of the leaders of Bani Dhumrah, An Najdi ibn Amir saw the two groups about to fight and told both sides: I will not allow fighting in my land.
Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib then retreated and went back to Madinah with the thirty members of the Muhajirin, and this was the first group of people that went out in Jihad.
The Second Sarriyah:
The next month, in the month of Shawwal, another caravan had come full of goods near Madinah, and this caravan was led by another leader of the Quraysh, Abu Sufyan.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ selected his cousin Ubaydah ibn Al-Harith to lead a group of sixty Muhajirin.
This caravan was full of security guards and they were very skilled archers. When the Muslims came near them, they couldn’t get close to the caravan as the guards would shoot their arrows.
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas also had arrows and he shot back at the security guards of Abu Sufyan’s caravan.
These were the first arrows that were shot by the Muslims in the way of Islam.
Death of Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah:
One of the main leaders of the Quraysh, Al Walid ibn Al-Mughirah passed away before the Battle of Badr.
The First Ghazwat:
In the month of Safar, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led a group of companions in the first Ghazwat, in the second year of Hijrah.
This was in the same land as the first Sarriyah in the land of Bani Dhumrah.
The Prophet signed a peace treaty with Bani Dhumrah to not fight with them because he thought that they would join forces with the Quraysh.
After doing this, the Prophet ﷺ went back to Madinah.
Later Expeditions:
In the month of Rabbi-ul-Awwal, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once again led a group of two hundred Muslims against a caravan of the Quraysh that had two thousand five hundred camels.
The Quraysh had realised that every time they brought a caravan, the Muslims would look to intercept it. Because of this, on this occasion, the caravan took a different route back to Makkah and they escaped.
In the month of Jumada al-Ula, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ led another group of fighters in a Ghazwat which included one hundred fighters under his leadership. However, once again they missed the caravan.
The Story of Ali ibn Abi Talib Getting the Title of ‘Father of the Dust’:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went to visit his daughter Fatimah bint Muhammad and asked her where her husband Ali ibn Abi Talib was.
Fatimah replied that she had an argument with Ali and he had left.
Eventually, the Prophet found Ali sleeping on the dirt, on the floor of the Masjid.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then said to Ali: Stand up, O father of the dust.
Ali ibn Abi Talib said that from that point on, this nickname was the most beloved name to him.
Incident of Kurz ibn Jabir al-Fihri:
Ten days after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ missed the caravan with his army, there was an attack on Madinah.
This was caused by Kurz ibn Jabir al-Fihri, who killed a shepherd, stole some cattle and he managed to escape.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mounted an animal and chased Kurz ibn Jabir al-Fihri with his companions.
They reached an area called Safwan (near Badr) but they were not able to catch Kurz and he successfully escaped.