L AST BATTLE OF THE PROPHETP.B.U.H
|
(The Battle of Tabuk) The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) took to bed on his return from Makkah. However, sometimes his
condition improved temporarily. In Syria, where some rich ruled in subordination to the
Roman Empire there spread a rumour that Prophet Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had expired. Therefore, the king of
Rome decided to invade the Arabian Peninsula through the Syrian route to punish the
Muslims. When this news reached the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), he decided to face the enemy himself.
Although he was not well, yet he ordered preparations for battle. At this instance the
Bayt-Al-Mal of the Muslims was not in a good condition, for drought had caused scarcity of
eatables. Intensity of heat was also adding to the problems. In spite of such conditions,
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
said that every Muslim should help the Islamic army according to his capacity and if he
could afford it, provide weapons for himself. One of the Muslims Abd-ur-Rahman bin Auf brought four thousand Dirhams
for the Islamic army and said, "O Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) of Allah, I had eight thousand Dirhams, I have
left four thousand Dirhams for my wife and children and brought the rest in your service
so they could be used for the Muslim army". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) prayed that might Allah grant him prosperity in the wealth he
had brought for the Muslim army as well as to the wealth, which he had left for his
family. Afterwards, Abd-ar-Rahman bin Auf became so rich that when he died, each of his
wives received eighty thousand Mithqal gold, whereas each wifes share was one-eighth
of the inheritance. It should be known that he had four wives. Eighty thousand Mithqal of
gold, seems an exaggeration, but there is no doubt that Abd-ar-Rahman bin Auf was
considered among the richest people of his period. UmarR.A also brought half of his
wealth whereas Abu BakrR.A gathered whatever he had and
presented it to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). When the Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) asked him what he had left for his family, Abu BakrR.A replied that he had left in his house the names of Allah
and His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
Another Muslim, Asim bin Uddi, who had no cash money, presented one hundred
"Wasq" dates. Abu Aqeel, who belonged to the Ansar brought one "Say"
of dates and said, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) of Allah, I had only two Say of dates, one of which I have
brought in your service so they could be availed by my Muslim brethren".
("Say" was a weighing measurement, that is equivalent to todays 3 KGs. One
"Wasq" was equal to sixty "Say"). The Muslims thus presented an unmatched example of sacrifice and
selflessness. In spite of the needs of their families, they sacrificed whatever they had
in the cause of Islam. Hence evolved a powerful and faithful army of thirty thousand
soldiers. This included ten thousand cavalrymen. It was a unique sight to watch this
magnanimous army of Islam dispatched from Madinah towards Syria in disciplined columns.
The Muslims had never witnessed such a graceful sight before. When this army reached the borders of Syria, the local rulers and the
rich who had been thinking of invading Islamic territories with the help of the Roman
army, took to their heels in terror and entered the Syrian territories to save their
lives. The Roman army, which had come to attack the Muslims at provocation of the local
rulers, was also compelled to retreat. The Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) stayed for some time near the Syrian
borders where he subdued the various local tribal heads, who were generally Christians.
They were required to pay Jizyah to the Muslims in return for Muslim
protection. |
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) returned to Madinah with his army. There was a fort named
Tabuk near the Syrian borders, therefore this expedition came to be known as the Battle of
Tabuk. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) did not engage in any conflicts in this battle. This expedition however
established Muslim might in the eyes of the various tribes and rulers of Syria. They were
compelled to enter into a truce with the Muslims; for they had seen with their own eyes
that even the Roman army, armed to the teeth, dared not face the Muslims in battle. At the Battle of Tabuk, some Muslims due to their laziness did not go
with the Islamic army. They were Abu Lababah, Aus bin Thalba and Wadea bin Haram. They
regretted their decision after the armys departure. When Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) returned to Madinah,
they tied themselves to the pillars of the Mosque and said that they would not untie
themselves unless the Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) forgave them. It was a habit of the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) to offer two rakats of Namaz (prayer) in
the Mosque whenever he returned from a journey. On that day after his return from Tabuk,
when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
entered the Mosque for Namaz, he saw three men tied to the pillars of the Mosque. The
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
asked them, "Why have you people tied yourself to the pillars?" They replied,
"We are sinful, O Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) of Allah because we did not go to the battlefield, therefore
we will not untie ourselves until you pardon us". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) replied, "It is only Allah who pardons the sins of
people. Who am I to do so?" At this a verse was revealed: 102. According to the above verse, the sin of these three people was
forgiven. They also told the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) that they were ready to submit all of their wealth to the
Bayt-al-Mal as token of their gratitude; but another verse was revealed (again included in
Surah Tauba) according to which Allah asked His Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to deduct only Zakat from their
wealth and return the rest. After this expedition of Tabuk, the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not take part in any other
battle. But he did not show a single moment of laxity for the propagation and development
of Islam. Even in his illness he tried to dispatch an army under Usama bin ZaydR.A to Syria, but he died before he could do so. One day after
the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
had gone to the Mosque and addressed the Muslims, his condition deteriorated. He told his
relatives, "The real cause of my illness is the same poison that was given to me at
Khaybar by that Jew woman. It was because of this poison that sometimes I fell ill but not
so seriously. But it seems now that I will never rise again". |