Before we move on to the Battle of Tabuk, we will discuss what happened in the 6 months between the Siege of Ta'if and the Battle of Tabuk.
Religious Freedom in Islam
There were around 7 or 8 mini-expeditions between the Siege of Ta'if and the Battle of Tabuk. The Prophet PBUH did not participate, but he sent the sahaba to neighboring tribes and lands, and the main purposes of these expeditions were to destroy large idols, public idols, and to bring the tribes into Islam. For example, the more famous ones involved the sending of Tufayl ibn Amr to destroy the idol of Dhi al-Kaffayn, and Ali ibn Abi Talib to destroy a large idol called al-Fuls (الفلس).
Now, in these modern days, we have some Muslim vigilante groups destroying the sacred sites of other religions and their idols, and they use these incidents from the seerah as evidence to justify their acts. So here we must explain two things:
1. The Prophet PBUH only did this after he established his political authority in the land. In other words, he isn't destroying Dhi al-Kaffayn, al-Fuls, al-Uzza, etc., until he has political authority. He only did this after the Conquest of Makkah and after the Battle of Hunayn when central Arabia was his completely (and he is now expanding to all of Arabia).
So based on this, the opinion that pretty much all of the khulafa had acted upon in the history of Islam is that they extended this tolerance to every minority religion as long as that minority was civil (i.e., they didn't go murdering, they didn't go on a rampage, etc.). And by the way, this is why we have the most bizarre religions to this day in places of the Muslim world, e.g., the Alawis — we don't view them as Muslims, but our khulafa let them be until they themselves became violent — only then the khulafa attacked them. And in our time, we have the Yazidis of Iraq. They have existed for around 1000 years in the heartland of the Abbasid Caliphate, yet they were and are left alone and allowed to do what they are doing. And look at the Mughal Dynasty; the majority of the inhabitants were Hindu, yet the khalifa allowed them to be as they were as long as they kept their shirk in their temples — and this is the standard Hanafi position.
Now we move on to the Battle of Tabuk. What are the names of this battle, why did it take place, and when did it take place?
(Tangent: There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim wherein the Prophet PBUH said, "O Mu'adh, it's only a matter of time, if you live long enough, you will see this very land will become a land of greenery and gardens." When the Prophet PBUH said this, Tabuk was in the middle of a desert and no one lived there; but today, it's the largest city in Northern Arabia. It has a population of more than 500,000, and it's indeed a land of greenery, exactly as the Prophet PBUH prophesied. Subhan'Allah. And it's said that the very oasis that the Prophet PBUH allegedly drank from, it is still green, and water is still there. And it's also said that there is a masjid there called Masjid Rasulullah. [It's worth mentioning, however, that the masjid wasn't built by the Prophet PBUH despite its name.])
The second main name of the expedition is Jaysh al-Usrah (جيش العسرة - the Army of Great Difficulty). This is the more common name used amongst the sahaba. Imam al-Bukhari, in his Sahih al-Bukhari, when he talks about the book of seerah, when he gets to the chapter of the Battle of Tabuk, he said, "Ghazwa Tabuk — and It Is the Usrah (Difficulty)" — so he has both names in the chapter heading.
Now, this incident shows us a very interesting thing: The Prophet PBUH did not rely on miracles. He saw the sahaba at the very verge of death, yet he didn't ask Allah for miracles until Abu Bakr prodded him, "Ya Rasulullah, please make du'a." — Why?
So for all of these reasons (i.e., the 4 reasons mentioned above), the expedition was called the Difficult Expedition (Jaysh al-Usrah). Allah references this in the Quran:
So Allah called it "the time of difficulty," and that is what Tabuk is called. Qatada the Student of Ibn Abbas commentates on this verse and says, "This verse refers to the Battle of Tabuk — they (the Muslims) left towards Syria in the blazing summer, and they were tested severely, so much so it's mentioned that two or more people were rationed one date per day." Subhan'Allah. "And they would split that date amongst themselves, and then they would take the date pit and suck on it one after the other to get some taste."
When did this take place? The month of Rajab in the 9th year of the Hijrah. Exactly 6 months after the Siege of Ta'if. And if you calculate this out, it's basically late July/early August — so we understand why it would be so hot.
Why did this ghazwa take place? What were the causes? Sh. YQ mentions that he himself hasn't found a clear, satisfactory answer, but he has reached a conclusion that he will share later.
The sahaba donated whatever they could — and of course, the lion's share came from Uthman ibn Affan RA — it just so happened that around 100 camels of his had returned from an expedition up north, thus when he heard this hadith above, he donated all that money in the thousands of gold coins. And so the Prophet PBUH had in front of him all this pile of gold just from Uthman, and he began flipping this coin around in his hands saying, "Wallahi, whatever Uthman does after today, it will not harm him." Subhan'Allah. (Tangent: This hadith is in Bukhari and Muslim, and Ibn Abbas used it to defend Uthman against the neo-kharijites [much later on, in 35 AH] — he basically said to them, "Whatever your fabricated complaints are, don't you know that your own Rasulullah PBUH said that whatever Uthman does will not harm him? If he said this, then who are you to complain?")
Also over here, the famous story of Abu Bakr and Umar's competition took place. It is a story narrated in the Sunan of al-Tirmidhi that the Prophet PBUH stood up and continued to ask for charity until Umar RA thought, "Today is the day I can beat Abu Bakr," and so he went back home and brought half of his money to give in charity.
The Prophet PBUH gathered more money for this expedition than in any other expedition. And subhan'Allah, there is a beautiful point here: Just 6 months ago, he had at his disposal the ghanima of Hunayn and Ta'if, but he used it all in the Way of Allah, and nothing was left in his own pocket or the treasury. This was his PBUH methodology. He did not leave anything for himself — he gave it all away.
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari narrates that his tribe sent him to the Prophet PBUH to collect camels for the expedition of Tabuk. He recounts, "I arrived and I didn't realize that the Prophet PBUH was in an angry state..." (Side note: Why was he PBUH angry? Most likely, it was because of what was happening with the hypocrites, which we will discuss in future episodes.) Abu Musa continues, "...So I asked him [for camels] —and he PBUH did not have anything— and he PBUH said, 'Wallahi, I will not give you anything to travel upon.' So I returned distressed. I did not know that he was angry from something else; I thought I might have done something wrong and he was angry at me." So Abu Musa went back and told his tribe that the Prophet PBUH said such-and-such. Then —Abu Musa narrates—: "Barely had any time passed when Bilal came and said, 'The Prophet PBUH is calling you.'" So Abu Musa came; and the Prophet PBUH said, "Take these two camels, and these two, and these two (6 total) — I have just purchased them from Sa'd"—some money had come, so he PBUH purchased six camels, and he gave them to Abu Musa.
2. And there is another issue as well. What do our scholars say about the freedom of other religions to worship in an Islamic state? The fact of the matter is there has been a controversy from the very beginning of Islam amongst the tabi'un and tabi' al-tabi'un. By unanimous consensus, Jews and Christians (i.e., the Ahl al-Kitab/People of the Book) can practice their faith in an Islamic state — this is well known; the Quran is explicit on this, and ahadith are mentioned about this as well; there is no ikhtilaf at all. The question comes how about paganistic religions? We have had ikhtilaf on this issue since the beginning of time. By almost unanimous consensus, idolatry is not allowed in the Arabian Peninsula. (Side note: And this was perhaps the greatest success of the Prophet PBUH: He permanently got rid of idolatry among the Arabs. To this day, you don't really have idolaters among the Arabs. This is the success of Islam. Subhan'Allah.) How about worshiping idols outside of the Arabian Peninsula? Would an Islamic state tolerate that? The four madhhabs have differed on this issue. Some say you can only take as citizens (those who qualify to pay jizya) the Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. The reason the Zoroastrians are included is because when Umar RA conquered Persia, he said to the Muslims, "Treat them (Zoroastrians) like you treat Jews and Christians." So they were treated like them in terms of jizya and letting them practice their faith in their temples. And from this, some scholars have said that only Zoroastrians can be treated like the Ahl al-Kitab, and not other pagans.
However, there is always an opposing view, and the most famous madhhab championing it strenuously is the Hanafi madhhab which says you make qiyas on all the religions. They say why stop only at Zoroastrians [when they don't even believe in our God]? It's worth noting that Jews and Christians believe in our God — the Quran is explicit about this; Allah says talking about the Ahl al-Kitab: "Do not argue with the People of the Book unless gracefully, except with those of them who act wrongfully. And say, 'We believe in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your God is One. And to Him we submit'" [see Quran, 29:46]. (Side note: Any Muslim who denies this —and there are many ignorant Muslims who deny this— has not even read the Quran.) Whereas Zoroastrians, do they have the same God as us? No. They have Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, the god of good and the god of evil — they have two ultimate divinities; and they don't believe in any prophets we believe in. Yet by unanimous consensus, they are treated like Ahl al-Kitab. Therefore from this, the Hanafi madhhab and some riwayat in Maliki and Hanbali madhhab say all paganistic religions outside the Arabian Peninsula have the same exception. (Side note: They didn't allow this exception in the Arabian Peninsula because the Arabian Peninsula has a status that the other lands do not have: The Prophet PBUH said on his deathbed, "لأخرجن اليهود والنصارى من جزيرة العرب حتى لا أدع إلا مسلماً"—meaning, in the Arabian Peninsula, you cannot have two religions flourishing. You can have other religions in small communities and whatnot, but not in public and flourishing.)
However, there is always an opposing view, and the most famous madhhab championing it strenuously is the Hanafi madhhab which says you make qiyas on all the religions. They say why stop only at Zoroastrians [when they don't even believe in our God]? It's worth noting that Jews and Christians believe in our God — the Quran is explicit about this; Allah says talking about the Ahl al-Kitab: "Do not argue with the People of the Book unless gracefully, except with those of them who act wrongfully. And say, 'We believe in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to you. Our God and your God is One. And to Him we submit'" [see Quran, 29:46]. (Side note: Any Muslim who denies this —and there are many ignorant Muslims who deny this— has not even read the Quran.) Whereas Zoroastrians, do they have the same God as us? No. They have Ahura Mazda and Ahriman, the god of good and the god of evil — they have two ultimate divinities; and they don't believe in any prophets we believe in. Yet by unanimous consensus, they are treated like Ahl al-Kitab. Therefore from this, the Hanafi madhhab and some riwayat in Maliki and Hanbali madhhab say all paganistic religions outside the Arabian Peninsula have the same exception. (Side note: They didn't allow this exception in the Arabian Peninsula because the Arabian Peninsula has a status that the other lands do not have: The Prophet PBUH said on his deathbed, "لأخرجن اليهود والنصارى من جزيرة العرب حتى لا أدع إلا مسلماً"—meaning, in the Arabian Peninsula, you cannot have two religions flourishing. You can have other religions in small communities and whatnot, but not in public and flourishing.)
So based on this, the opinion that pretty much all of the khulafa had acted upon in the history of Islam is that they extended this tolerance to every minority religion as long as that minority was civil (i.e., they didn't go murdering, they didn't go on a rampage, etc.). And by the way, this is why we have the most bizarre religions to this day in places of the Muslim world, e.g., the Alawis — we don't view them as Muslims, but our khulafa let them be until they themselves became violent — only then the khulafa attacked them. And in our time, we have the Yazidis of Iraq. They have existed for around 1000 years in the heartland of the Abbasid Caliphate, yet they were and are left alone and allowed to do what they are doing. And look at the Mughal Dynasty; the majority of the inhabitants were Hindu, yet the khalifa allowed them to be as they were as long as they kept their shirk in their temples — and this is the standard Hanafi position.
Thus from all of this, it is evident that what is not allowed is for the pagans to practice their shirk publicly. As long as they keep their worship in their places of worship, the ummah tolerates their belief —just as we always have— and lay Muslims shouldn't abuse/misuse the above instance from the seerah to justify the act of destroying the sacred sites of other religions.
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Names Given to the Expedition
Now we move on to the Battle of Tabuk. What are the names of this battle, why did it take place, and when did it take place?
There are two primary names given, both mentioned in the hadith, and one referenced in the Quran:
1. Ghazwa Tabuk
As for the most prominent name, it is Ghazwa Tabuk (غزوة تبوك). Why Tabuk? Because the Muslim army was quite literally saved at Tabuk. Mu'adh ibn Jabal reports, "We went on the expedition with the Prophet PBUH in the year of Ghazwa Tabuk and we combined our prayers until we came close, then the Prophet PBUH said, 'Tomorrow, you shall arrive at the spring of Tabuk, and you shall arrive there at the hot time of the day; [but] make sure you do not touch its water until I get there.'" The sahaba had run out of water, they were extremely thirsty and they thought they were about to die; and when they arrived at Tabuk the next day, they saw a small slither of water. Mu'adh narrates: "We saw a small slither of water, and we saw two men from our camp already there having preceded us. The Prophet PBUH asked them, 'Have you touched its water?' They said, 'Yes.' So the Prophet PBUH became angry at them and he said what Allah wanted him to say." (Side note: Notice Mu'adh did not quote what the Prophet PBUH said. Why? Because of adab. You just cover it up because the Prophet PBUH said some harsh phrases. We should know the Prophet PBUH rebuked them, but we don't need to know the words used.) Then the Prophet PBUH commanded the sahaba to gather any and all water in one place — and Mu'adh narrates: "Then the Prophet PBUH washed his hands and face in that water, and then the water started to gush out until all the army (of 20,000) drank from it." So because of this incident (where the army was quite literally saved at Tabuk), the expedition became called the Expedition of Tabuk.
(Tangent: There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim wherein the Prophet PBUH said, "O Mu'adh, it's only a matter of time, if you live long enough, you will see this very land will become a land of greenery and gardens." When the Prophet PBUH said this, Tabuk was in the middle of a desert and no one lived there; but today, it's the largest city in Northern Arabia. It has a population of more than 500,000, and it's indeed a land of greenery, exactly as the Prophet PBUH prophesied. Subhan'Allah. And it's said that the very oasis that the Prophet PBUH allegedly drank from, it is still green, and water is still there. And it's also said that there is a masjid there called Masjid Rasulullah. [It's worth mentioning, however, that the masjid wasn't built by the Prophet PBUH despite its name.])
2. Jaysh al-Usrah
The second main name of the expedition is Jaysh al-Usrah (جيش العسرة - the Army of Great Difficulty). This is the more common name used amongst the sahaba. Imam al-Bukhari, in his Sahih al-Bukhari, when he talks about the book of seerah, when he gets to the chapter of the Battle of Tabuk, he said, "Ghazwa Tabuk — and It Is the Usrah (Difficulty)" — so he has both names in the chapter heading.
Why was the expedition of Tabuk called the Difficult Expedition? Wasn't every battle of the Prophet PBUH difficult? Yes, indeed, every battle of the Prophet PBUH was difficult; but the Battle of Tabuk was difficult in ways that none of the other battles were. Even though no actual battle took place in this expedition (i.e., there was no clash of swords), what happened was so harsh the sahaba even almost died maybe multiple times. Why?
1. It is not easy to manage a large army. And the army that the Muslims gathered for the Battle of Tabuk was the largest army Arabia had seen in its entire history — 20,000 men. Why would having a large army be difficult? Obviously, problems with resources, logistics, food, and water. (Side note: Of course, we need to be a bit careful with the numbers here. It is human nature to exaggerate numbers — we have a tendency to inflate the numbers if it's on our side. So when someone says 20,000, we take it with the understanding that, "Okay, it means a large number, but it doesn't have to be exactly 20,000." Realistically, 20,000 seems too big for that time and place. But nonetheless, it's the largest expedition ever mounted by the Prophet PBUH.)
1. It is not easy to manage a large army. And the army that the Muslims gathered for the Battle of Tabuk was the largest army Arabia had seen in its entire history — 20,000 men. Why would having a large army be difficult? Obviously, problems with resources, logistics, food, and water. (Side note: Of course, we need to be a bit careful with the numbers here. It is human nature to exaggerate numbers — we have a tendency to inflate the numbers if it's on our side. So when someone says 20,000, we take it with the understanding that, "Okay, it means a large number, but it doesn't have to be exactly 20,000." Realistically, 20,000 seems too big for that time and place. But nonetheless, it's the largest expedition ever mounted by the Prophet PBUH.)
2. Ghazwa Tabuk took place in late July — so it is the hottest time of the year when temperatures rise to 110 °F. You simply cannot function. (And that is why people in those regions do not and cannot work between Zuhr and Asr. They just stay inside, and they work again after Asr.)
3. Also, Ghazwa Tabuk is the furthest distance ever traveled by a Muslim army led by the Prophet PBUH — ~650 km northwest from Madinah.
4. It was psychologically hard for the Muslims to leave Madinah during this season, because going to Tabuk and back would have taken at least a month — and August is harvest season. If they went to Tabuk, they would not be able to harvest the crops. We need to realize that most people for most of their lives, before the era of modern jobs, did not know how much they would make every month. (We are accustomed to something called the salary —and wallahi, this is a blessing from Allah— but the majority of humanity for most of its existence lived day to day, week to week, not knowing how much they would earn each month.) And there were certain seasons in which you stored up food and rations for multiple years. And the #1 season was harvest season in August. And even if you didn't own a farm, it was still the best season for money. Why? Laborers — people were hired to do things. So for the entire agrarian society of Madinah, the harvest season was the paycheck for the year — it's their best source of income. But now, they are basically being told, "Leave everything, we have to go to Tabuk and then we will come back at the end of August."
And indeed, it turned out to be too large an army to handle. The army eventually ran out of rations, and they even ran out of water. And it's narrated that Umar RA was asked by Ibn Abbas and others, "Tell us about the Expedition of Difficulty. What happened?" So Umar RA narrated, "We left with the Prophet PBUH to Tabuk in extremely hot weather, and we reached a place where we felt so thirsty 'we thought our throats would collapse' (an Arabic expression meaning 'we thought we would die'). And people went out in search of water, but they came back even more thirsty. Some people sacrificed their camels in order to squeeze the water out of the sack of the camel..." (Subhan'Allah, they were so desperate they killed their camels to get any water they could. Now, when you kill your camel, that means you have to walk the entire way back. But they still decided to kill the camel.) Umar RA continued: "...Until finally, Abu Bakr pleaded with the Prophet PBUH, 'Ya Rasulullah, make du'a for us.'" So the Prophet PBUH said, "If you wish," and he raised his hands. And Umar RA narrates that the Prophet's PBUH hands did not come down until the sky began to pour with rain. And the sahaba were able to fill all of their canisters and containers with that rainwater.
3. Also, Ghazwa Tabuk is the furthest distance ever traveled by a Muslim army led by the Prophet PBUH — ~650 km northwest from Madinah.
4. It was psychologically hard for the Muslims to leave Madinah during this season, because going to Tabuk and back would have taken at least a month — and August is harvest season. If they went to Tabuk, they would not be able to harvest the crops. We need to realize that most people for most of their lives, before the era of modern jobs, did not know how much they would make every month. (We are accustomed to something called the salary —and wallahi, this is a blessing from Allah— but the majority of humanity for most of its existence lived day to day, week to week, not knowing how much they would earn each month.) And there were certain seasons in which you stored up food and rations for multiple years. And the #1 season was harvest season in August. And even if you didn't own a farm, it was still the best season for money. Why? Laborers — people were hired to do things. So for the entire agrarian society of Madinah, the harvest season was the paycheck for the year — it's their best source of income. But now, they are basically being told, "Leave everything, we have to go to Tabuk and then we will come back at the end of August."
And indeed, it turned out to be too large an army to handle. The army eventually ran out of rations, and they even ran out of water. And it's narrated that Umar RA was asked by Ibn Abbas and others, "Tell us about the Expedition of Difficulty. What happened?" So Umar RA narrated, "We left with the Prophet PBUH to Tabuk in extremely hot weather, and we reached a place where we felt so thirsty 'we thought our throats would collapse' (an Arabic expression meaning 'we thought we would die'). And people went out in search of water, but they came back even more thirsty. Some people sacrificed their camels in order to squeeze the water out of the sack of the camel..." (Subhan'Allah, they were so desperate they killed their camels to get any water they could. Now, when you kill your camel, that means you have to walk the entire way back. But they still decided to kill the camel.) Umar RA continued: "...Until finally, Abu Bakr pleaded with the Prophet PBUH, 'Ya Rasulullah, make du'a for us.'" So the Prophet PBUH said, "If you wish," and he raised his hands. And Umar RA narrates that the Prophet's PBUH hands did not come down until the sky began to pour with rain. And the sahaba were able to fill all of their canisters and containers with that rainwater.
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Tangent: One Should Not Rely on Miracles
Now, this incident shows us a very interesting thing: The Prophet PBUH did not rely on miracles. He saw the sahaba at the very verge of death, yet he didn't ask Allah for miracles until Abu Bakr prodded him, "Ya Rasulullah, please make du'a." — Why?
Because the Prophet PBUH wants to show us that you can't just rely on miracles; rather, you have to struggle to achieve your goals. And this is the reality throughout the seerah: Badr, Uhud, Ahzab, etc. — yes, miracles did come, but not at the beginning; they came at the very end after struggle and sacrifice. (And in this, insha'Allah, there is another lesson for us as well: Even though our miracles might not be as blatant [and wallahi, the true believers who follow the path of the Prophet PBUH will see mini-miracles in their personal lives], but if we put in the struggle and effort, Allah will bless us in the end.)
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(Cont.) 2. Jaysh al-Usrah
So for all of these reasons (i.e., the 4 reasons mentioned above), the expedition was called the Difficult Expedition (Jaysh al-Usrah). Allah references this in the Quran:
لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ
"Allah has certainly turned in mercy to the Prophet as well as the Muhajirun and the Ansar who stood by him in the time of difficulty..." [9:117].So Allah called it "the time of difficulty," and that is what Tabuk is called. Qatada the Student of Ibn Abbas commentates on this verse and says, "This verse refers to the Battle of Tabuk — they (the Muslims) left towards Syria in the blazing summer, and they were tested severely, so much so it's mentioned that two or more people were rationed one date per day." Subhan'Allah. "And they would split that date amongst themselves, and then they would take the date pit and suck on it one after the other to get some taste."
Therefore, the two primary names of this expedition are: (i) Ghazwa Tabuk, and (ii) Jaysh al-Usrah, the Army of Difficulty.
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When Did the Expedition Take Place?
When did this take place? The month of Rajab in the 9th year of the Hijrah. Exactly 6 months after the Siege of Ta'if. And if you calculate this out, it's basically late July/early August — so we understand why it would be so hot.
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Why Did the Expedition Take Place?
Why did this ghazwa take place? What were the causes? Sh. YQ mentions that he himself hasn't found a clear, satisfactory answer, but he has reached a conclusion that he will share later.
What are some of the reasons mentioned by the classical scholars of seerah?
1. This opinion is outright bizarre and we can dismiss immediately: Ibn Asakir (famous historian) reports —and this report is mentioned by al-Baghawi and Ibn Kathir— that, "The Jews enticed the Prophet PBUH to go up to Syria; they said to him, 'If you are a true prophet, you must go to al-Sham because it's the land of the prophets and it's the land of Judgment Day.'" So according to this report, the Jews wanted to get rid of the Prophet PBUH and wanted to send him on a wild-goose chase in Syria so that he abandons Madinah, so that they could get rid of the Muslims. According to this report, this is why Allah revealed in the Quran Surat al-Isra verse 76:
So this verse, it is said by Ibn Asakir and others, was revealed because the Jews tried to trick the Prophet PBUH and tried to send him up north to Syria.
1. This opinion is outright bizarre and we can dismiss immediately: Ibn Asakir (famous historian) reports —and this report is mentioned by al-Baghawi and Ibn Kathir— that, "The Jews enticed the Prophet PBUH to go up to Syria; they said to him, 'If you are a true prophet, you must go to al-Sham because it's the land of the prophets and it's the land of Judgment Day.'" So according to this report, the Jews wanted to get rid of the Prophet PBUH and wanted to send him on a wild-goose chase in Syria so that he abandons Madinah, so that they could get rid of the Muslims. According to this report, this is why Allah revealed in the Quran Surat al-Isra verse 76:
وَإِن كَادُوا لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ لِيُخْرِجُوكَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَإِذًا لَّا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَافَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
"They tried their best and they almost succeeded in getting rid of you from the land, but if they were to succeed, then they themselves would only last for a short while (before Allah destroys them)" [17:76].So this verse, it is said by Ibn Asakir and others, was revealed because the Jews tried to trick the Prophet PBUH and tried to send him up north to Syria.
But this first opinion simply cannot be true, for multiple reasons. Firstly, there were no Jews left in Madinah; they had all been expelled or converted to Islam. Secondly, can you imagine the Prophet PBUH just listening to a blatant trick like this? It doesn't make any sense. Lastly, Surat al-Isra is a Makki surah, so how can it refer to Ghazwa Tabuk?
2. Another reason, given by Nur al-Din al-Haythami (نور الدين الهيثمي) (d. 807 AH) in his Majma' al-Zawa'id (مجمع الزوائد), is that the Romans were sending an expedition to battle the Muslims, so the Prophet PBUH went up north to battle them. According to this narration, the chieftain of the Ghassanid Arabs (the Christian Arabs up north that had a very cozy relationship with the Caesar of Rome) sent a message to the Caesar of Rome saying they wanted to attack Madinah — or according to another report, he sent a false message saying, "Muhammad is dead," and he told the Caesar to send an army so that they could attack Madinah. So according to this report, 40,000 Roman troops were sent down, and the Prophet PBUH went up north to battle them. But we are a bit skeptical of this opinion because (i) firstly, this particular narration does not seem to be authentic in terms of isnad; and (ii) secondly, it's really inconceivable to imagine the Romans sending 40,000 troops to battle the Arabs, because they didn't care about the Arabs — the Arabs posed no threat to them. And if they wanted to conquer the Arabs, they could have done it at any time over the last few years.
3. Another report given is that the Ghassanids themselves were the targets and not the Romans; and it's said there was a threat that the Ghassanids would attack Madinah. There seems to be some basis to the validity of this. For example, Umar RA narrates that when the Prophet PBUH took a month off from his wives (there was a marital dispute happening, so the Prophet PBUH cut off from his wives for a month and lived in the masjid — he did this because the Mothers of the Believers demanded bigger houses, more money, etc. [see episode 98]), Umar's co-worker/friend came rushing to him and said, "Something has happened!" To which, Umar RA jumped up and said, "Has the king of the Ghassanids attacked yet?!" The man said, "No! Something worse! The Prophet PBUH has divorced all his wives!"—(of course the man was wrong, the Prophet PBUH didn't divorce them, he basically just separated for a month; but) the point here is: Umar RA was worried about the Ghassanids attacking. We have also seen in the past that the Ghassanids have caused issues, so perhaps this is a legitimate reason. But the question needs to be asked: Why the month of July? The Ghassanids would not attack in July; it's too hot for anybody.
2. Another reason, given by Nur al-Din al-Haythami (نور الدين الهيثمي) (d. 807 AH) in his Majma' al-Zawa'id (مجمع الزوائد), is that the Romans were sending an expedition to battle the Muslims, so the Prophet PBUH went up north to battle them. According to this narration, the chieftain of the Ghassanid Arabs (the Christian Arabs up north that had a very cozy relationship with the Caesar of Rome) sent a message to the Caesar of Rome saying they wanted to attack Madinah — or according to another report, he sent a false message saying, "Muhammad is dead," and he told the Caesar to send an army so that they could attack Madinah. So according to this report, 40,000 Roman troops were sent down, and the Prophet PBUH went up north to battle them. But we are a bit skeptical of this opinion because (i) firstly, this particular narration does not seem to be authentic in terms of isnad; and (ii) secondly, it's really inconceivable to imagine the Romans sending 40,000 troops to battle the Arabs, because they didn't care about the Arabs — the Arabs posed no threat to them. And if they wanted to conquer the Arabs, they could have done it at any time over the last few years.
3. Another report given is that the Ghassanids themselves were the targets and not the Romans; and it's said there was a threat that the Ghassanids would attack Madinah. There seems to be some basis to the validity of this. For example, Umar RA narrates that when the Prophet PBUH took a month off from his wives (there was a marital dispute happening, so the Prophet PBUH cut off from his wives for a month and lived in the masjid — he did this because the Mothers of the Believers demanded bigger houses, more money, etc. [see episode 98]), Umar's co-worker/friend came rushing to him and said, "Something has happened!" To which, Umar RA jumped up and said, "Has the king of the Ghassanids attacked yet?!" The man said, "No! Something worse! The Prophet PBUH has divorced all his wives!"—(of course the man was wrong, the Prophet PBUH didn't divorce them, he basically just separated for a month; but) the point here is: Umar RA was worried about the Ghassanids attacking. We have also seen in the past that the Ghassanids have caused issues, so perhaps this is a legitimate reason. But the question needs to be asked: Why the month of July? The Ghassanids would not attack in July; it's too hot for anybody.
4. There is also a claim that the Prophet PBUH wanted to get revenge for Mu'tah, the death of Ja'far, and other massacres that happened up north that involved the Ghassanids. But once again, the question is why now? This can wait until January. Why in July?
This leaves us with one logical answer, and that is:
5. It was a command from Allah to test the believers. There doesn't seem to be an immediate threat, neither from the Romans nor the Ghassanids; so what appears to be the case —and Allah knows best— is that this whole expedition was a test from Allah. It was a direct commandment from Allah that could not be disobeyed, so the Prophet PBUH told the sahaba, "You have to go and fight," and there was no questioning. And perhaps there is some evidence for this in the Quran — Ibn Kathir and al-Baghawi have an opinion similar to this, and they based this on Surat al-Tawba verse 123:
Al-Tabari, the earliest mufassir, says this verse was the verse that commanded the Prophet PBUH to fight the neighboring Arabs, and once he was done, to turn his attention up north to the Romans. So this is in Surat al-Tawba —all of which was revealed pretty much in Ghazwa Tabuk— and the Prophet PBUH understood from it that "Allah is commanding me to go up north now that I have secured all of central Arabia." There was no other threat left in Arabia other than the Ghassanids because of their connection with the Romans. So the Prophet PBUH understood this and went north.
What adds to the credibility of this interpretation is that al-Waqidi mentions that the Prophet PBUH sent out messengers to the neighboring tribes, even to Makkah, requesting them to send all able-bodied men to fight with him. And he did not hide where he was going, unlike every other battle. Everyone knew what was going on. This is not a surprise attack. This is an all-out military expedition.
This leaves us with one logical answer, and that is:
5. It was a command from Allah to test the believers. There doesn't seem to be an immediate threat, neither from the Romans nor the Ghassanids; so what appears to be the case —and Allah knows best— is that this whole expedition was a test from Allah. It was a direct commandment from Allah that could not be disobeyed, so the Prophet PBUH told the sahaba, "You have to go and fight," and there was no questioning. And perhaps there is some evidence for this in the Quran — Ibn Kathir and al-Baghawi have an opinion similar to this, and they based this on Surat al-Tawba verse 123:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُم مِّنَ الْكُفَّارِ وَلْيَجِدُوا فِيكُمْ غِلْظَةً ۚ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
"O you who have believed, fight those surrounding you of the disbelievers and let them find in you harshness. And know that Allah is with the righteous" [9:123].Al-Tabari, the earliest mufassir, says this verse was the verse that commanded the Prophet PBUH to fight the neighboring Arabs, and once he was done, to turn his attention up north to the Romans. So this is in Surat al-Tawba —all of which was revealed pretty much in Ghazwa Tabuk— and the Prophet PBUH understood from it that "Allah is commanding me to go up north now that I have secured all of central Arabia." There was no other threat left in Arabia other than the Ghassanids because of their connection with the Romans. So the Prophet PBUH understood this and went north.
What adds to the credibility of this interpretation is that al-Waqidi mentions that the Prophet PBUH sent out messengers to the neighboring tribes, even to Makkah, requesting them to send all able-bodied men to fight with him. And he did not hide where he was going, unlike every other battle. Everyone knew what was going on. This is not a surprise attack. This is an all-out military expedition.
And what adds even more to this interpretation is if you read Surat al-Tawba, you will notice that never is the command for jihad and qital been given so bluntly as it is in this Surah; and as we know, this Surah is all about Ghazwa Tabuk. Allah is commanding qital in this Surah in a manner not found anywhere else in the Quran (and that's why this Surah is also called Surat al-Qital/سورة القتال). For example:
That's very strict — Allah is saying you HAVE to go. And also in the same Surah:
Meaning whether you are heavily armed or not armed at all, go forth. And also, Allah says about the munafiqun:
If you look at all of these verses, you will notice the bluntness of encouraging people to do qital and jihad that is not found in any other surah.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَا لَكُمْ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمُ انفِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ اثَّاقَلْتُمْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ ۚ أَرَضِيتُم بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْآخِرَةِ ۚ فَمَا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ
"O you who have believed, what is [the matter] with you that, when you are told to go forth in the cause of Allah, you adhere heavily to the earth? Are you satisfied with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But what is the enjoyment of worldly life compared to the Hereafter except a [very] little" [9:38].
إِلَّا تَنفِرُوا يُعَذِّبْكُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا وَيَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّوهُ شَيْئًا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
"If you do not go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment and will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. And Allah is over all things competent" [9:39].That's very strict — Allah is saying you HAVE to go. And also in the same Surah:
انفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
"Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah. That is better for you, if you only knew" [9:41].Meaning whether you are heavily armed or not armed at all, go forth. And also, Allah says about the munafiqun:
لَوْ كَانَ عَرَضًا قَرِيبًا وَسَفَرًا قَاصِدًا لَّاتَّبَعُوكَ وَلَٰكِن بَعُدَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الشُّقَّةُ ۚ وَسَيَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَوِ اسْتَطَعْنَا لَخَرَجْنَا مَعَكُمْ يُهْلِكُونَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ
"Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip, the hypocrites would have followed you, but distant to them was the journey. And they will swear by Allah, 'If we were able, we would have gone forth with you,' destroying themselves [through false oaths], and Allah knows that indeed they are liars" [9:42].If you look at all of these verses, you will notice the bluntness of encouraging people to do qital and jihad that is not found in any other surah.
Thus, in Sh. Yasir Qadhi's opinion —and Allah knows best— the primary reason for Ghazwa Tabuk was not because of something physical in the world, not because of Ghassan or the Romans, rather, it was because Allah told the sahaba to; because Allah wanted to put them through a test.
Why did Allah want to test them? Many reasons: To raise their ranks, to test their Iman, and also to prepare them for the future expeditions after the death of the Prophet PBUH. And indeed, Tabuk was the final ghazwa. That was it. Khalas. Right after it, the Prophet PBUH went to do his final Hajj, he fell ill, and we will come to the end of the seerah. Then what happened? The khilafa of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, then the Umayyads, and so on. So it's as if Ghazwa Tabuk was a test for the sahaba — so that if they passed it, they could then move on to do bigger things for the ummah. (This is Sh. YQ's two cents; take it or leave it.) And as we will see, the sahaba passed this test with flying colors.
Why did Allah want to test them? Many reasons: To raise their ranks, to test their Iman, and also to prepare them for the future expeditions after the death of the Prophet PBUH. And indeed, Tabuk was the final ghazwa. That was it. Khalas. Right after it, the Prophet PBUH went to do his final Hajj, he fell ill, and we will come to the end of the seerah. Then what happened? The khilafa of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, then the Umayyads, and so on. So it's as if Ghazwa Tabuk was a test for the sahaba — so that if they passed it, they could then move on to do bigger things for the ummah. (This is Sh. YQ's two cents; take it or leave it.) And as we will see, the sahaba passed this test with flying colors.
And in Sh. YQ's opinion, this is why the Prophet PBUH called out for all of the sahaba to come, i.e., it was fard ayn (فرض عين) for every single healthy male to participate in Ghazwa Tabuk. The only individuals excused were those who were genuinely sick or had very extenuating circumstances. What other battle was it that every single able-bodied Muslim from around Madinah —even from Makkah— had to participate? So it is clear to Sh. YQ —and Allah knows best— that this expedition was a test for all the sahaba so that when they passed it, they would have the faith, courage, confidence, and Iman to go on and expand the ummah.
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Collecting Funds
When the Prophet PBUH understood the need for having the expedition, the first thing he did was he began to collect the funds for it. He would stand on the minbar and encourage people to give whatever they could — he gave beautiful encouragements: "Whoever finances the Jaysh al-Usrah, he shall be given Jannah." Subhan'Allah. And so the sahaba donated whatever they could — somebody would give a bag of gold, somebody would give some coins, etc., until the piles began to form in the masjid.
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The Famous Story of the Generosity of Uthman ibn Affan RA
The sahaba donated whatever they could — and of course, the lion's share came from Uthman ibn Affan RA — it just so happened that around 100 camels of his had returned from an expedition up north, thus when he heard this hadith above, he donated all that money in the thousands of gold coins. And so the Prophet PBUH had in front of him all this pile of gold just from Uthman, and he began flipping this coin around in his hands saying, "Wallahi, whatever Uthman does after today, it will not harm him." Subhan'Allah. (Tangent: This hadith is in Bukhari and Muslim, and Ibn Abbas used it to defend Uthman against the neo-kharijites [much later on, in 35 AH] — he basically said to them, "Whatever your fabricated complaints are, don't you know that your own Rasulullah PBUH said that whatever Uthman does will not harm him? If he said this, then who are you to complain?")
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The Famous Story of the Competition Between Abu Bakr RA and Umar RA
Also over here, the famous story of Abu Bakr and Umar's competition took place. It is a story narrated in the Sunan of al-Tirmidhi that the Prophet PBUH stood up and continued to ask for charity until Umar RA thought, "Today is the day I can beat Abu Bakr," and so he went back home and brought half of his money to give in charity.
Realize, money back then was a very scarce commodity. You did not know when the next batch of income would come. There was no monthly salary (the concept of a salary is very modern). For the sahaba, money was very erratic. They might get one dinar today, nothing for weeks, and then suddenly a hundred dinars one day, and so on. So the fact that Umar RA gave half his money is extraordinary. Even for us, to give half our money —even though we have a constant income stream— is difficult to imagine. For Umar, it's a different level.
So Umar RA brought forth half of his money, and when the Prophet PBUH saw this money, he asked, "O Umar, what have you left for your family?" Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I have left a similar amount."
Then Abu Bakr arrived with his money, and the Prophet PBUH asked him, "What did you leave for your family?" Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said, "I left them Allah and His Messenger," i.e., no money; only tawakkul in Allah. At this, Umar said to himself, "I can never compete with Abu Bakr again after this," i.e., "No way I can compete with this type of tawakkul."
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(Cont.) Collecting Funds
The Prophet PBUH gathered more money for this expedition than in any other expedition. And subhan'Allah, there is a beautiful point here: Just 6 months ago, he had at his disposal the ghanima of Hunayn and Ta'if, but he used it all in the Way of Allah, and nothing was left in his own pocket or the treasury. This was his PBUH methodology. He did not leave anything for himself — he gave it all away.
So more financing was needed for Ghazwa Tabuk.
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The Phrase "Wallahi" as an Expression vs. as a Qasam:
The Story of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari RA
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari narrates that his tribe sent him to the Prophet PBUH to collect camels for the expedition of Tabuk. He recounts, "I arrived and I didn't realize that the Prophet PBUH was in an angry state..." (Side note: Why was he PBUH angry? Most likely, it was because of what was happening with the hypocrites, which we will discuss in future episodes.) Abu Musa continues, "...So I asked him [for camels] —and he PBUH did not have anything— and he PBUH said, 'Wallahi, I will not give you anything to travel upon.' So I returned distressed. I did not know that he was angry from something else; I thought I might have done something wrong and he was angry at me." So Abu Musa went back and told his tribe that the Prophet PBUH said such-and-such. Then —Abu Musa narrates—: "Barely had any time passed when Bilal came and said, 'The Prophet PBUH is calling you.'" So Abu Musa came; and the Prophet PBUH said, "Take these two camels, and these two, and these two (6 total) — I have just purchased them from Sa'd"—some money had come, so he PBUH purchased six camels, and he gave them to Abu Musa.
We learn from this incident that when you give an oath and you don't mean it, the oath is not considered valid. As we are all aware, when we use the phrase "wallahi," sometimes we use it as an expression and sometimes we use it as a genuine qasam (قسم - oath), and it's obvious from the context when is the two. For example, if somebody asks you, "You wanna go and eat over here?" and you say, "Wallahi, I don't wanna go there, brother," it's obvious from the context that you don't mean it; you don't mean to swear by Allah that you are never going to go there — it's just an expression; whereas in a serious state, if somebody accuses you of lying and you say, "Wallahi, I am not lying," it's obvious that you mean it. And Allah says in the Quran, "Allah will not call you to account for your thoughtless oaths, but He will hold you accountable for deliberate oaths" [5:89]. The Prophet PBUH is a human, and sometimes things happen that perturb him and make him angry (غضبان), and sometimes he will take it out in a manner that people don't understand (in this case Abu Musa), so he said an oath, "Wallahi, I will not give you anything to travel upon" — but later he gave 6 camels to Abu Musa despite this oath, and this made Abu Musa so confuse he took his tribesmen and asked the Prophet PBUH for clarifications whether they could take the camels. And it was explained to them that yes, they could — initially, the Prophet PBUH did not have any money, so he said what he said, but then the money came, so the camels were purchased and given to them.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, November 2021]
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, November 2021]
