Episode 79: The Expedition of Tabuk
Islam Now a Dominant Force:
The ninth year of Hijrah was the most glorious year for the Muslims.
The religion of Islam was the most dominant religion within the Arabian Peninsula at this point, and the Muslims were now much bigger in numbers and stronger because of all the different tribes that had accepted Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ now wanted to retaliate against the Roman Empire.
At that time, the Roman Empire was the most powerful nation on Earth, led by Heraclius.
The Command to Join the Expedition:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ordered that all able men must participate in this expedition and they did not have a choice because they were physically able to go.
This order included the Muslims of Madinah and the Muslims from the other tribes who had accepted Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ informed the Muslims that they were going to Tabuk, which was a very long journey and it was going to be a very difficult expedition due to the distance of travel.
It was also the month of Rajab so it was very hot and it was during a period of a drought.
This became a test to differentiate between the true Muslims with high Iman and the Munafiqin (hypocrites).
Excuses of the Munafiqin:
The Munafiqin then made up excuses to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, telling him that they could not go on the expedition.
One of the Munafiqin, Al Jadd ibn Qays told the Prophet: you know that I am very easily tempted by women. When I see beautiful women, I cannot control myself and the Roman women are the most beautiful women. It is going to be a big fitnah for me if I go with you. Give me permission to stay in Madinah.
Allah SWT revealed regarding this excuse: ‘From amongst them, there are those who say give us permission to stay and do not cause us to fall into temptation and fitnah. Haven’t they already fallen into fitnah? And surely Jahannam encompasses the disbelievers.’ (Quran, 9:49)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave them permission to stay regardless of their excuses.
Some of them said: It’s too hot so we will wait for it to cool down and we will come later.
Allah SWT said: ‘Say to them: the heat of Jahannam is more severe than the heat that you are in right now. If only they could understand.’ (Quran, 9:81)
The Response of the Believers:
The true Muslims made no excuses, they knew it was not going to be easy but they obeyed the order of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The Prophet Organises a Fundraising Campaign:
The poor people wanted to fight with the Muslims and because of this, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ organised a fundraising campaign to use the funds to provide those who did not have enough supplies to go for the expedition.
The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever prepares the army for this difficult expedition, this person will enter Jannah.
A rich man came and donated a large amount and the Munafiqin saw this and claimed he was trying to show off.
A poor man then came and donated a small amount and when the Munafiqin saw this, they laughed at him and said: what is the use of this donation? It is worthless.
Umar ibn al-Khattab’s Donation:
Umar ibn al-Khattab had a lot of money at that time, and he thought that this was finally his chance to outdo Abu Bakr.
Umar came with 50% of his wealth and came to the Prophet and said: this is for the preparation of the army.
The Prophet ﷺ asked: what have you left with your family? Umar replied: I have left my family with the remaining 50%.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was happy with this and made Dua for Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Abu Bakr’s Donation:
Then, Abu Bakr came and gave the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ some wealth.
The Prophet asked Abu Bakr: what have you left for your family? Abu Bakr replied: I have left with them Allah and his Messenger.
Umar ibn al-Khattab on Abu Bakr:
When Umar ibn al-Khattab saw this, he said: on that day I realised, I will never ever be able to outdo Abu Bakr in anything, Abu Bakr will always come out on top.
Uthman ibn Affan’s Donation:
Uthman ibn Affan had prepared a caravan to go to Syria, which consisted of three hundred camels, all loaded with supplies.
When the call came to prepare the army for Tabuk, Uthman ibn Affan cancelled his business plan and told the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: this is all for you.
Uthman ibn Affan was the one who donated the most money on this day and the Prophet ﷺ was so impressed with Uthman, that he said: whatever Uthman does after today, it will not harm him. What he did today will cancel everything out.
The Largest Muslim Army So Far:
Eventually, they were able to organise an army of thirty thousand men, which was the biggest Muslim army to date.
Many of the poor people who did not have many supplies, were still able to go because of the donations of the generous people.
The Poor not Being Able to Participate in the Battle:
Some of the poor people had to stay because after the donations had been distributed, there was nothing left.
Unlike the Munafiqin, the poor people wanted to go, but the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had to turn them away.
Allah SWT revealed about these people, where He says: ‘These people turned away and their eyes were full of tears, they were crying out of sadness that they could not go with the Prophet.’ (Quran, 9:92)
Leadership in Madinah:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ put Ali ibn Abi Talib in charge of Madinah and his responsibility was to take care of the affairs of the city in the Prophet’s absence.
The Munafiqin Spreading Rumours About Ali ibn Abi Talib:
At first, Ali ibn Abi Talib wasn’t happy with this decision and he told the Prophet: ya Rasoolullah, you are going to leave me with the women and the children in Madinah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ assured him and told Ali: I trust you, you are going to be the one who is going to take care of my family.
The Prophet ﷺ knew that Ali was the best choice to take care of the city of Madinah and to take care of his own family.
The Munafiqin then started a rumour and they claimed the Prophet did not want Ali ibn Abi Talib to accompany him to Tabuk.
When Ali heard about this rumour, it hurt him and he started to worry. Because of this, he put on his armour, quickly left Madinah and caught up with the army.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ saw Ali, he said: ya Ali, didn’t I put you in charge of Madinah, what are you doing here?
Ali ibn Abi Talib replied: The people are saying that you left me in Madinah because you are tired of me and you want to distance yourself from me. I was afraid that the reason why you put me in charge of Madinah was because you didn’t want me to be with you.
The Prophet Re-Assures Ali ibn Abi Talib:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told Ali ibn Abi Talib: they have lied. Doesn’t it make you happy that you have the position with me as Harun had with Musa. Your position with me is like the position of Harun to Musa, except for the fact that there is no Prophet after me (as Harun and Musa were both Prophets).
Inspections of the Army:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would often examine the army to see who was present.
Thirty thousand men were in this army but the Prophet ﷺ was able to recognise who was missing, and he realised that a few of his close companions weren’t present.
After a while, the companions noticed a single rider coming in the distance.
Some of the companions started guessing who this person could be and the Prophet ﷺ said: let it be Abu Haytham.
Eventually, the Prophet realised it was Abu Haytham.
Abu Haytham met the Prophet, who was very angry at him because he came late and did not leave with the rest of the army.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: you have almost been destroyed, O Abu Haytham!
Passing Through the Land of Thamud:
The Muslims were now on their way to Tabuk, and they passed by Mada’in Salih which was where the people of Thamud were from. They passed by and camped out outside the area.
Some of the companions went into the city of Mada’in Salih, where they saw some wells and took some water from the well, and they also used cooking utensils from this city.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was unaware that they were doing this and when he found out, he was upset and said: how can you do this? How can you use their water and their utensils? These are people that Allah cursed and His punishment came down on these people.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prohibited them from drinking their water and using their utensils, and he said: when you pass through an area where the punishment of Allah has come, pass by there crying, remembering what Allah did to those people, so that what happens to them will not happen to you.
Dua to Allah SWT to Send Rain:
The companions asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: we are very thirsty, can you ask Allah SWT to send down rain?
The Prophet ﷺ accepted this request and made this Dua. It then rained and the Muslims were able to drink until their thirst was quenched and they even took baths with the water from the rain.
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari Falling Behind:
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari fell behind the army and on one of the inspections that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did, he noticed that Abu Dharr was missing.
Some of the companions said: Maybe the Dunya has distracted him. The Prophet ﷺ replied: do not say this, you should not have bad thoughts about people!
Abu Dharr had fallen behind because his camel became sick and he realised that he could not continue with the camel, so he decided to carry his supplies and started to walk.
The companions saw a man walking towards them without an animal and they started guessing who this man could be, and the Prophet ﷺ said: let it be Abu Dharr.
This man was in fact Abu Dharr al-Ghifari who explained to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ what had happened with his camel.
The Prophet on Abu Dharr al-Ghifari:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ then said: May Allah have mercy on Abu Dharr. He walks alone, and he will die alone and he will be raised alone.
More than twenty years after this, Abu Dharr died alone and he was buried in a secluded place alone.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud remembered what the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had said about Abu Dharr, twenty years later and he started to cry.
Arrival at Tabuk:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ reached Tabuk with his army and he set up his camp, and sent small groups of his companions to the different tribes nearby.
Many of the tribes agreed to pay the Jizyah (Muslim tax) to the Muslims without fighting, as they knew about the dominance of Islam and they were content with living under the rule of the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sent a messenger to go to Heraclius, inviting him to Islam and if not, challenging him to fight.
Khalid ibn al-Walid at Dumat al-Jandal:
The Prophet sent Khalid ibn al-Walid and a group of companions to go and try to conquer Dumat al-Jandal again.
This was an area the Muslims tried conquering previously but they were unable to do so.
The king of Dumat al-Jandal, Ukaydir was a man who loved hunting, so the Prophet ﷺ instructed Khalid: go to Dumat al-Jundal and you will find Ukaydir hunting a type of wild cattle.
Khalid then went to Dumat al-Jandal and the residents of this area anticipated the Muslims coming and because they were afraid, they hid in their fortresses.
Khalid ibn al-Walid and the group of companions also decided to hide and wait for someone to come out of the fortress.
Eventually, one of the wild cattle came near the fortress and Ukaydir, the king could see it and he decided to leave the fortress and go after the animal.
Khalid ibn al-Walid then captured Ukaydir and took him to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Ukaydir said: let us live peacefully in our land, we will pay the Jizyah and live under your rule.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ accepted this and there was no fighting between the Muslims and the residents of Dumat al-Jandal.
Heraclius’ Response:
The messenger of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had now reached Heraclius.
Heraclius read the message and told the messenger: you go back to your people, I will send a reply with my own messenger.
Heraclius wanted to send a messenger, who was also a Christian, and he wrote his reply and sent it with his own messenger.
Heraclius Looking for Three Signs:
Before Heraclius sent the messenger, he told him: I want you to go to Muhammad and look for three signs.
The first sign was: does he mention the letter he sent? The second sign was: does he mention the day and the night? The third sign and final sign was: I want you to look at his back between his shoulders and I want you to see if there is a seal of prophethood.
The messenger of Heraclius then conveyed his message to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Heraclius said in the letter: you are calling me in your letter, you are calling me to a Jannah and the size of this Jannah is like the heavens and the earth. If the size of Jannah is like heaven and the earth, where is the fire?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ before replying, asked the messenger: what did Heraclius do with my letter?
This was the first sign Heraclius was looking for and the messenger replied: he read it and he kept it.
The Prophet ﷺ replied: because he did not rip my letter, Allah will keep his kingdom and the Roman Empire will still have an important position in the world.
Then, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ answered the question that Heraclius had asked and replied: where does the night go when the day time comes? It’s the same thing as asking where is the night when the day time comes?
This was the second sign that Heraclius was looking for.
The messenger of Heraclius was now confused as to how he was going to see the third sign, the seal of prophethood.
The Prophet ﷺ was wearing a garment so the seal of prophethood was covered up and because of this, the messenger of Heraclius asked: can I stay with you for some time?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ allowed him to stay and during the time that the messenger stayed with him, he tried to spread dawah and convince him to become a Muslim.
However, the messenger replied: I am just a man from amongst my people, whatever they do, I am with them.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ realised that there was a reason why the messenger decided to stay and understood what he was looking for. He removed his upper garment for the messenger of Heraclius to see the seal of prophethood.
All three signs had been witnessed and the messenger of Heraclius then went back to him and said: all three signs you asked me to look for, I have confirmed all of them.
Heraclius now knew for sure that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the Messenger of Allah.
Heraclius and His Commanders:
Heraclius gathered his commanders and said to them: I have knowledge of our scriptures. I swear by Allah that Muhammad is a Prophet of Allah. We should accept Islam.
The commanders refused to do this and because of their refusal, Heraclius didn’t accept Islam either to hold on to his power and status.
Heraclius told his commanders: let us agree to pay the Jizyah and subject ourselves to their rule and we will pay them to live peacefully. The commanders replied: how can you even suggest this? We are the most powerful empire in the world.
Heraclius then said: you have one last option, do not fight him (Muhammad), because if you fight him, you will not win. He is in Tabuk, ready to fight us. Do not fight him!
The Roman Empire agreed to not fight the Muslims.
The Outcome of Tabuk:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ waited for a number of days and the Roman Empire sent a messenger telling him that even if he was to wait a year, they were not going to fight the Muslims.
The news about this spread all over the Arabian Peninsula that the Muslims had come with a huge army to face the Roman Empire, and the Romans were afraid to come out and fight them.
This gave a huge boost to the reputation of the Muslims as the most powerful army in the world was too scared to fight them, and the dominance of Islam was now understood by everyone in the land.
Political Victory:
After Tabuk, many tribes and groups of people came and accepted Islam.
Even though there was no actual fighting, it was a huge political victory for the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ after asserting his presence in Tabuk, headed back towards Madinah with his army of thirty thousand Muslims.