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Expeditions and
Delegations continued
- A platoon led by ‘Ukasha bin Al-Mihsan was
despatched to a place called Al-Ghamir inhabited by Bani Asad in
the year six Hijri. The enemy immediately fled leaving behind them
two hundred camels which were taken to Madinah.
- A platoon led by Muhammad bin Maslamah set out
towards the habitation of Bani Tha‘labah in Dhil Qassa. But a
hundred men of the enemies ambushed and killed all of them except
Muhammad bin Maslamah who managed to escape but badly
wounded.
- In retaliation against Bani Tha‘labah, Abu
‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah, at the head of forty men, was despatched
to Dhil Qassa. They walked that night and took the enemy by
surprise in the morning. Again, they fled to the mountains except
one who was injured, and later embraced Islam. A lot of booty fell
to their lot in that particular incident.
- A platoon, under the leadership of Zaid bin
Haritha, was sent to Al-Jumum, the habitation of Bani Saleem, in
the same year. A woman from Bani Muzaina showed them the way to
the enemy’s camp. There the Muslims took some captives and gained
a lot of booty. Later on, the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] granted
the woman her freedom and married her to one of his
followers.
- Zaid bin Haritha, in Jumada Al-Ula 6 Hijri, at
the head of a hundred and seventy horsemen, set out to a place
called Al-‘Ais, intercepted a caravan of Quraish led by Abul-‘As,
the Prophet’s relative and looted their camels. Abul-‘As escaped
and took refuge in Zainab’s (his wife and the Prophet’s daughter)
house. He begged her to ask the Prophet [pbuh] for the restitution
of his wealth. The Prophet [pbuh] recommended, but without
coercion, that the people do that. They immediately gave the man
back all his wealth. He went back to Makkah, gave over the trusts
to those entitled to them, embraced Islam and emigrated to Madinah
where the Prophet [pbuh] reunited him with his wife, Zainab, after
three and a half years of their first marriage contract. The verse
relating to prohibition of marriage between women Muslims and
disbelievers had not been revealed then.
- In Jumada Ath-Thania, the same year, Zaid at the
head of fifteen men raided Bani Tha‘labah and captured twenty of
their camels but the people had fled.
- In Rajab of the same year, Zaid, at the head of
twelve men, set out to a place called Wadi Al-Qura in a
reconnaissance mission to explore the movements of the enemy. The
people there attacked the Muslims, killed nine of them, while the
rest including Zaid bin Haritha managed to escape.
[Rahmat-al-lil'alameen 2/226; Za'd
Al-Ma'ad
2/120-122]
- The invasion of Al-Khabt (diluted
yoghurt)
took place in the year eight Hijri i.e. before Al-Hudaibiyah
Treaty. Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah led three hundred horsemen to
observe a caravan belonging to Quraish. Because of the inadequacy
of food supplies, they began to starve so much that they had
Khabt (diluted yoghurt), hence the appellation "The Army
of Al-Khabt". One of the men slaughtered nine camels at three
times, three each time at different stages of the mission. Abu
‘Ubaidah, the leader of the campaign prohibited him from doing so.
The sea was generous and presented them with an animal called
Al-‘Anbar (sperm-whale) so rich in fat that they subsisted
on it for half a month. When they came back home, they narrated
the story to the Prophet [pbuh], who commented that it was
provision granted by Allâh, and asked them to share him some of
its meat.
[Sahih Al-Bukhari
2/625,626; Sahih Muslim 2/145,146]
This campaign came chronologically
prior to Al-Hudaibiyah Treaty because of and after which the
Muslims stopped intercepting Quraishi caravans.
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