On receiving this letter, the Ansaar asked a Muslim poet Ka’f bin Malik to answer it in satirical verses. Before any speech, whether in poetry or in prose, verses bore a special significance in the deserts of Arabia. Some satirical verses were far more effective than poisonous arrows.

Ka’f bin Malik dispatched a satirical reply to the Quraysh. In spite of receiving this reply, they did not refrain from their deeds and sent another letter to the people of Madinah now addressing the leader of the Hypocrites, Abdullah bin Obei.

In this letter the Quraysh demanded that their fugitive who had been given asylum in Madinah be handed over to them. They would otherwise attack Madinah, spread carnage and enslave their women. Abdullah bin Obei and his people took no decisions, against this letter: if they had, the term ‘Hypocrites’ would not have been applied to them.

The Arabs say that Hypocrites were those people who would never decide who their allies were. Throughout their lives, they debated what to do and what not to; whom to support and whom not to; and whenever their verdict was sought - they avoided any direct reply. These people on the surface proclaimed to be Muslims but often secretly allied with the Quraysh and Jews against the Muslim community. When the Quraysh of Makkah found their two letters to the Ansaar and Hypocrites producing no result, they asked the Jews of Madinah, to hand over the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to them. The Jews also gave no clear answer. However, they promised secretly to support the Quraysh when the time arose.

The Quraysh then decided to use an economic weapon against the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Majority of the members of the Quraysh tribe were merchants, and the most effective weapon they could use was economic and social boycott. The Quraysh occupied the northern trade routes of Arabia and contacted many of their merchant friends to alienate Madinah and boycott their products. Major commodities of life as a result of this boycott stopped reaching Madinah.

If such a boycott had occured within or around Makkah, it would have killed all the people by hunger for there was neither agriculture in Makkah nor orchards around it. In the vicinities of Madinah were present fields and orchards which could sustain the people of Madinah for a while, even then the Medinites were faced with a dearth of daily items of use. The food would eventually become scarce. The prices of items of common use in Madinah shot up due to this boycott.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was residing in his little house near the Mosque. He was grieved by the economic strangulation of Madinah. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was also aware that the Quraysh were inflicting the punishment of one person on the entire city.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam led a simple life in Madinah. His house was made of palm leaves and wood. To avoid being looked at by the passers-by and to act as a Purdah or veil, the branches of date trees were covered with hides. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to sleep on a sheep-skin in his simple house. His diet consisted of either dates or wheat-bread. He would never eat both during one meal.

A’ishah^R.A, the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wife, says that when Madinah was facing economic blockade and eatables were being sold at exorbitant prices, we did not light fire to cook food, and that was the period when we never ate for two consecutive days.

Though the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was married, he did most of the household work himself. He used to dust his house and light the fire with his own hands when a meal was cooked in his house. The meal was very simple, often pulses and lentils were cooked with meat. His wives were fond of meat, therefore occasionally it was also cooked.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to sew his own dress and mend his shoes. He was very fond of cleanliness, therefore he used to wash his clothes. He cleaned his teeth several times a day using a short branch of a plant. This action is known as doing Miswak. He said, "Cleanliness is half faith". He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to clean his hands after taking meals with a scarf he carried with him.

When the economic boycott grew worse and the common people were perplexed due to the dearth of daily supplies, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was left with no choice but to take over as political leader. He had been handling religious affairs till then.

Since the day a form of government administration came into being a ruler had only two choices while fighting his enemy: one, choice was politics and the other all out war.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had come to know that coming to a political solution with his opponents, was impossible, therefore he would have to take the way of the sword. Arabs by their nature were people who used the sword to settle their issues. Their war-like nature can easily be assessed by the following words of Arab poets.

"O Sword! The blacksmith has made you swift as a feather, soft and flexible as a branch of tree, strong and hard as flint; and then imbued in you the spirit of a brave warrior!".

Another poet says, "O sword of Heart! Your edge is so delicate and soft that my body tingles with sensation by its touch. Your handle is softer than a ripe fruit under my fingers!" The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had seen to what extent the Quraysh would go to oppose Islam. He had seen how merciless these people had been and how his followers had suffered. The only way Islam could survive was if the Muslim were prepared to protect themselves. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam warned the Quraysh of Makkah that as they had put Madinah under economic siege, their trade caravans would not be permitted to pass through the Muslim territories. If they endeavoured to do so, they would be intercepted.

After this warning, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) selected forty Muslim volunteers and put them under the leadership of an eminent Muslim chief - Hamzah^R.A. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sanctioned twenty camels and assigned them to guard the pass way between Madinah and the Red Sea. This was the main trade route for the caravans. These forty volunteers were from Mohajireen. They did not seek wages to execute their duties. They also lacked horses. Horses would have proved far more effective than camels for such an assignment, but then the Muslims were not rich enough to buy and provide horses to their soldiers.

In Arabia, there is a long strip of land called Hajjaz, which lies along the coast of the Red Sea, from north to south, spreading over one thousand kilometres. Mountains and dunes are abundant in this area.

In Hajjaz are bred the best horses of the world. Those thorough-bred are reputed as Arabian horses. They are unmatched in their agility and speed. This is an expensive animal, which cannot be reared by the common lot. This animal cannot survive in the Arabian deserts because of hunger and thirst.

When the Arabs wanted to use these horses in a war, they were compelled to take several additional camels to carry water and fodder for them. The camel can feed itself on cacti and survive without water for several days. In case of shortage of water, the travellers of a caravan with horses used to give their share of water to them, as they knew that a horse cannot bear thirst like a human. When an attack in the battlefield was launched, a horse emerged as a unique combination of agility, speed, obedience and shrewdness, thus surpassing any other animal for warfare.

It is mentioned in the Arab traditions, "When Allah created Adam, all animals were introduced to him for his service; Adam chose the horse, and Allah appreciated the choice as He Himself preferred horse to other animals".

Hamzah^R.A and his forty companions who were supposed to intercept the caravans of infidels, were heavy-hearted by the non-availability of horses as they could have performed better. They were to patrol an area stretching one hundred and thirty kilometres between the Red Sea and Madinah with only camels at hand. This was a very difficult task.

After some days, a dust-cloud raised by a caravan was seen. It was soon known that the caravan was led by the greatest enemy of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam, Abu Jahal. He was the same person who wanted to kill the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and had put a price on his head. He had also tried to strangulate the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in Holy Ka’bah by the tripe of a camel. When the Muslims came to know that Abu Jahal was leading this caravan, they decided to attack the caravan.

Makdad bin Umro, the chieftain of the tribe whose domains the caravan was passing through came on the field to obstruct the way of Hamzah^R.A. He asked him to refrain from attack. Umro told him that his tribe had agreed upon a contract with the Quraysh according to which the Makkan caravans would be allowed safe passage through their territories. They would neither intercept those caravans nor would they allow any body else to do so.

Towns and Tribes

Umro said, "That in return for this assurance, they collected Khuwa twice a year". Khuwa is synonymous for brotherly relations, but actually it means the tax paid to the local tribes by caravans for safe passage through their respective lands. He further said that they had entered into a similar contract with the caravans of Madinah permitting them safe passage. He and his tribe would defend their promise against any aggression under any circumstances.

Hamzah^R.A who himself was an Arab, knew that such promises could not be broken. He judged that if he launched an attack on the Makkan caravan, it would rouse resistance not only from the local tribe, but would also create difficulties for the Medinite tribes in future. He thus did not attack the Quraysh.

Abu Jahal sent a message to the chiefs of Quraysh about the situation he faced, the Quraysh paid no heed to it. They decided that the caravans would have to continue on the same trade route as usual. They had no other choice. They would have adopted an alternative route if there was a choice.

A second Muslim party was set off to confront the infidels. It included sixty volunteers, like the first, they also rode camels. This time it was led by Ubaid bin Abdul Muttalib, who was an uncle of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). These sixty persons like the previous forty were among the Mohajireen and had volunteered in the way of Allah.

After two weeks of surveillance in this area they traced out a Makkan caravan being led by a person named Ikrimah the son of Abu Jahal. This caravan had one hundred and forty men (double the party of Ubaid bin Abdul Muttalib) who took to their heels on seeing the Muslims. Two persons from the caravan joined the Muslim batch as they themselves were Muslims.

One was Makdad bin Umro and the other was Utbah bin Ghazwan. Both of them had gone to Abyssinia (Habsha) during the period of Muslim migration there, and had returned to Makkah after some time. When they reached Makkah, Hijrat had begun and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had migrated from Makkah to Madinah.

These two persons tried several times in the past to join their religious brethren but had been unsuccessful. However, when they came to know of a caravan led by Ikrimah ready to leave and expected to pass near Madinah, they joined it so that they could reach Madinah.

A third batch of twenty camel riders led by Sa’ad bin Abbi Waqas left to chastise the infidels for their economic blockade.

These local tribes not only extracted Khuwa from the caravan but also earned profits from the sale of fodder and commodities. If a caravan was attacked in their territories, they were sure to be deprived of both of these gains. The Muslim volunteers had to return to Madinah once again without any action. Sa’ad suggested that other modes of operation be considered in this situation.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knew that Bedouins received beneficence from the Makkans and seeked the income of Khuwa, but he decided to give them something before which both the incomes will stand diminutive.

The Muslims inquired, "O Prophet of Allah! What will you give them?" The answer was, "In return for this worthless profit which the Bedouins seek, I will invite them to Islam and give them the tidings of Paradise".

He asked the people to withdraw from this feeble profit, in return of which he gave them the good tidings of Paradise.

The ‘modern’ people of the world, put everything to the scales of logic and reason and would say that most probably the Bedouin Arabs would not have accepted the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) offer, as we ourselves prefer today’s cash to next day’s hope of credit.

But this did not happen; the Bedouins accepted the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) offer and resigned from the income received through the Makkans, so that they could seek the Glory of Allah and be given a place in Paradise.

What caused them to believe the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) proposal whole heartedly; was, the Holy Quranic verses which rendered revolution in thought, and softness in hearts, specially those verses mentioning the Paradise and its blessings. In the Surah Al-Dahr verse No. 12, is said,

We, in the translation, cannot conceive how oration of these verses can move hearts. Only an Arab native can grasp how elaborate and ornate these short verses are. When such verses were recited melodiously before the Bedouin Arabs (who by nature were connoisseurs of language and oration), they were deeply moved.

If a detailed discourse is made elaborating the Heavens and its pleasures, it would take too long. In short, Allah gave all the Muslims, including those Bedouins whom the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) intended to unite with him, the tidings. In case of their acceptance of Islam, they would be given the Blessings of Heavens in return where they would wear silk robes and be given wines whose nature will be cool as camphor and aroma like Zingiber. They will also be given beautiful women, who would remain youthful forever. These tidings of heavens would be theirs ever lastingly.

The marvel of Holy Quranic verses was revealed once again and the Bedouins decided to side with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) rejecting the income from the Makkans.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) tried to unite the Bedouin tribes with the Muslims. A party of sixty volunteers was led by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) himself, and again the Muslims had no horses to ride instead they were riding the camels.

On going out of Madinah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) along with his army went to the abode of the Ghaffar clan. Ten years before this date, Abu Zara, who was a bandit had sought repentance and accepted Islam. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had sent him back to his tribe to invite his people to Islam. Within the span of ten years all the members of his tribe embraced Islam and they repented from robbery and plundering forever.

The territories of Ghaffar were stretched between Madinah and Yanbu, and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) before entering their territories made a stop at a place named "Abwa" where lay his mother Amina’s grave. It is said that he got off his camel when he reached near his mother’s grave and went to it by foot. The other Muslims who also had known about the grave stopped at this place. Umar^R.A bin Khatab who had volunteered to come for this journey accompanied the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to the grave. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) knelt down before his mother’s grave, and could not help weeping.

Fifty years after her death the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was bitterly weeping like a child who had just lost his mother. He was remembering troubles and hardships she had born in upbringing him. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was born, his father, Abdullah, had died. His mother being a widow and without any help had, nurtured her only son with great hardship. Soon she also died and left the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on his own.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recalled the hard days of his childhood at her grave. He realised how easy it was to face every difficulty when she was alive. Whenever he returned home, his mother used to foster him, wash his face and prepare meals for him. She had great devotion and love for him.

When she closed her eyes for ever to leave him alone, there was nobody to wash his face and solace him, and no-one was there to wait for him, when he would return barefooted from the desert.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wept so much at her grave that Umar^R.A who was known for his bravery, was greatly moved and upset. He said, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Allah! Do not weep so hard as it is becoming impossible for me to help myself from crying".

Some historians including Ibn-Sa’ad, Bukhari and Ibn-e-Hisham write that when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) lifted his head from his mother’s grave, Umar^R.A said, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Allah, why do you weep so much? Look my eyes are also filled with tears".

When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left her grave, he reached a stretch of land called Wadan. This place was just before entering the domains of Ghaffar, and was occupied by the tribe Banu Samrah, who had also become Muslim.

The tribe of Banu Samrah was a branch of the Ghaffar clan. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stayed at Wadan for one week to hold talks with the heads of this tribe.

As a consequence of these talks, a military pact was made. This is the first military accord in the Islamic history written between the Muslims and another party. Both sides verified it by endorsing their seals.

As a Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to Allah and as the leader of the Muslims, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) declared his support to Banu Samrah in case it faced any aggression, and reciprocally it was their obligation to reinforce the Muslims with their swords when the need arose. In addition, Banu Samrah waived their obligation of letting the Makkan caravans pass through their territories. The land of Wadan, which was the lodging of Banu Samrah, was at a distance of three days ride from Madinah, and nine days from Makkah.

It might be taken that Banu Samrah entered in this pact because they found Madinah to be nearer than Makkah, thus it was more fruitful to establish friendly ties with the Muslims. This notion was unlikely, as the dread of the Quraysh was too overwhelming to overlook. The thing which led them to side with the Muslims, leaving the Quraysh, was the impact of the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) invitation to Islam, in which he had given them the tidings of Paradise in exchange for their support to the Muslims in the cause of Allah.

Paradise introduces one to eternal bliss, therefore every worldly sacrifice is permissible for its attainment. Human life is short lived and of this too much of the time is passed in labour and misery. In Paradise man gets incessant life and infinite blessings. Thus there is no loss if one discards this world in exchange for the world hereafter.

After this pact with Banu Samrah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left for the Banu Ghaffar. This tribe exists in Arabia even today. Colonel Lawrence writes in his memoir that the people of Ghaffar clan are the same in their moral and psychological make up as they were fourteen hundred years ago, during the early Islamic period. For them everything is either bright or dark, black or white, good or bad, true or false and they do not adopt any middle way between good and bad.

The people of this clan after accepting Islam became so strict in carrying out the conjunctions of Islam that on committing a sin, the person of the tribe would present himself before the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to confess and repent before him, whether or not he was seen committing it. Once a person of this clan, after accepting Islam, became guilty of Zina-e-Moh’sanah, i.e., he developed illicit relations with a married woman. No one had witnessed him and thus he was not liable for punishment. Four witnesses were required to testify that the act had been committed before their eyes. But that person himself, appeared before the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) confessed to the sin and demanded punishment. When it was confirmed that he was sane and was not calumniating himself, he was punished according to the Islamic law.

Once, during a war, the number of camels was not enough to carry all the Muslim soldiers. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent back some soldiers of Banu Ghaffar to their tribe. When the members of this clan became aware that they had been prevented from joining the war front, they began weeping like mothers lamenting the death of their children. After that day, the Muslims (by the way of humour) started calling this tribe as Banu-Al-Baka meaning a weeping tribe.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also reached a defence agreement with Banu Ghaffar. According to the agreement, if that tribe was targeted by enemy, it would be defended by the Muslims, and likewise, the Ghaffar clan would also help the Muslims in facing their enemies.

Later on, this tribe acquired so much trust of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that once when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was to leave for a journey, Abu Zarr^R.A Ghaffari was deputed to take charge of the administration of Madinah. After entering the pact with Ghaffar clan, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left for the domains of Jeehania Tribe. This tribe was residing at a place called Rowdah in the mountainous region of Yanbu. This clan also formed an alliance with the Muslims. The people of this clan became so staunch Muslims that they built a mosque with their own expense and labour. This became the second mosque after Quba to be built in Madinah.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) continued his journey and later entered the lands of the tribe of Banu Madlej.

Banu Madlej was the same tribe whose chieftain had tried to arrest the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) during his migration to Madinah. When he had tried to reach the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), his horse had either halted or fallen down. He spurred his horse thrice but failed at every attempt.

Though the people of Banu Madlej worshipped idols, still they welcomed the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) with great reverence and consented to make a war-pact with him. Saqarah bin Ma’lik, had accepted Islam and later became one of the leaders of Islam.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was satisfied to make war-pacts with these important tribes as they were at the places from where the Quraysh caravans were bound to pass. Those tribes could help the Muslims effectively in checking the Makkan caravans.

After completing his agreements and pacts with the Bedouin tribes, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned to Madinah. In his absence some fast camel riders led by Ibn-e-Habeer had attacked Madinah, looted the Muslim property and set several houses on fire. It was known later that they were sent by the Quraysh.