Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 83 - Battle of Hunayn Part 2 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 23rd April 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 83 - Battle of Hunayn Part 2 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 23rd April 2014
Recap
Recall we started the Battle of Hunayn which was a battle between the Muslims and the tribes of Thaqif and Hawazin (plus smaller tribes). The Thaqif is the tribe of Ta'if, and the Hawazin is the Bedouin tribe outside of Ta'if. How many were on the side of the mushrikun? Around 20,000 - and the Muslims were around 12,000. And for the first time in their lives the Muslims felt overconfident, so much so, one of them remarked, "How can we possibly be destroyed," and the Prophet PBUH told them, "Be careful for there was a prophet who said this and in front of his eyes Allah took his army away from him." But the damage had been done and they walked into a trap. In that trap they started running helter-skelter and they began running from the Prophet PBUH, but the Prophet PBUH stood his ground and did not flee. He remained firm, and around him were the elite of the sahaba: Abu Bakr, Uthman, Umar, Ali, his uncle Abbas and some Ansar.
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(Cont.) The Battle of Hunayn
And slowly but surely as the Prophet PBUH called out, the sahaba gathered around him, and more and more people continue to come back. Especially when Abbas began calling them by name, tribe by tribe. We also said at this stage the Prophet PBUH took a handful of dust/stones, and threw it in the direction of the mushrikun, which affected their eyesight and allowed the sahaba to congregate again. This is what Allah mentions in the Quran, in Surah al-Tawba verses 25-26:
لَقَدْ نَصَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ فِي مَوَاطِنَ كَثِيرَةٍ ۙ وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ ۙ إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْكُمْ كَثْرَتُكُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنكُمْ شَيْئًا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّيْتُم مُّدْبِرِينَ
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَعَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودًا لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَعَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ
"Allah has already given you victory in many regions and [even] on the day of Hunayn, when your great number pleased you, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth was confining for you with it's vastness; then you turned back, fleeing. Then Allah sent down His tranquility upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down soldiers angels whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers." [9:25-26]
So Allah mentions Hunayn explicitly. On that day the sahaba were "impressed with their own numbers," but they were of no use: And the vast earth seemed "constrained and you turned your back and fled." So in one verse Allah describes in vivid detail the first phase of Hunayn.
But after this, Allah sent His 'sakina' i.e. His peace. And Allah "sent an army you could not see," i.e. once again the angels helped the believers. And it's reported a number of Muslims and non-Muslims saw these angels come down. Of them is Jubayr ibn Mut'im (who is Muslim), the son of Mut'im ibn Adi. He narrates that, "When the two armies met, he saw a large black cloud come down from the heavens. And disperse among the people like ants. So he said he saw this very dense cloud which spread everywhere. And then Jubayr says he realized, "These are the angels coming to help the believers."
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The Story of Shayba ibn Uthman
There's also an interesting story mentioned in Ibn Ishaq, and that is the story of a third/fourth cousin of the Prophet PBUH, and this is Shayba ibn Uthman from the Banu Abd al-Dar, one of the sister tribes of the Banu Hashim. His father Uthman was one of those killed in Uhud on the side of the pagans. And his son has just accepted Islam at the conquest. But his heart is still angry and bitter that his father died at Uhud at the hand of the Muslims. So when he saw all the sahaba fleeing and the Prophet PBUH is alone, immediately he thought, "Let me get revenge for the death of my father." So he narrates the story that he took his spear and he began galloping towards the back of the Prophet PBUH, hoping he could kill him in the chaos. But he says, "Out of nowhere, a light came and it was about to burn me; it was so bright I had to cover my eyes." And the Prophet PBUH turned around and so he raised his hands and said, "Cause shaytan to depart from the heart of Shayba and guide Shayba." At this, Shayba said that immediately Iman entered his heart, and he fought with the Muslims and lived a pious life after this. Subhan'Allah it is amazing one second he is trying to kill the Prophet PBUH, and the next his heart is full of Iman and he's fighting with the Muslims.
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The Mushriks Flee Helter-Skelter
So eventually when the Muslims gathered around the Prophet PBUH, we don't have much details, but the books of seerah say the same thing, which is that the tribes of Thaqif and Hawazin fled. It appears as if the tribes of Thaqif and Hawazin were relying entirely on that one tactic: They only had plan A which was to shower the Muslims with arrows and let them flee. It appears they didn't have a plan B. But when plan A failed and the Muslims gathered again and charged forward, the mushriks fled helter-skelter. It appears they did not have any other back up plan. And the Prophet PBUH commanded the sahaba to pursue them to the valleys and mountains. Why? Because they are 20,000 - they will eventually congregate if left alone. So after the Battle of Hunayn there is a long list of mini expeditions: 200 sahaba were sent in one direction, 300 sent in another and so on.
So the Battle of Hunayn ended at Hunayn, but several mini skirmishes followed on. In them some of the famous sahaba were injured and killed.
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The Death of the Uncle of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari RA
Of them is the uncle of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari; a javelin was struck into him, and his nephew Abu Musa came to him, who saw the javelin sticking out of his uncle's chest. So Abu Musa says to his uncle, "Tell me who has killed you." His uncle points to someone, so Abu Musa then and there attacks this man viciously, slaughters him, comes back and says, "I've taken care of him, now what can I do?" His uncle says, "Take the javelin out." So he does this, and then his uncle says, "Go and tell the Prophet PBUH what happened, that I died in this manner, and give him my salaam, and ask him to make du'a for me." So it was a beautiful ending, and Abu Musa comes back to the Prophet PBUH and tells him in vivid detail what happened and how his uncle died.
The Prophet PBUH was lying in his tent at this time; when he heard Abu Musa's uncle asked for du'a, the Prophet PBUH asked for water, did wudu and then stood up and raised his hands as high as he could so his armpits could be seen. And then he made du'a: "O Allah forgive his sins, raise his ranks etc." When Abu Musa heard all of this, he said, "Ya Rasulullah for me as well?" And so the Prophet PBUH made du'a for Abu Musa as well. And Abu Musa's son was Abu Burdah, one of the famous scholars of the tabi'un in Madinah, and he was very proud of this hadith, that the Prophet PBUH made du'a for his father and grandfather. And Abu Burdah was one of the most famous scholars of the tabi'un.
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Non-Combatants Should Not Be Killed
It's also reported in the aftermath when the Thaqif and Hawazin have run away, the Prophet PBUH was walking on the battlefield and he saw that a woman had been killed. And he said, "This is not right, who did this?" And he was told it was Khalid ibn al-Walid. So he said, "Go and catch Khalid before he goes forward and tell him that he is not to kill anymore: Women, children or servants/elderly (i.e. anyone not fighting - 'civilians')." This is the famous hadith and ruling used to show the Prophet PBUH clearly forbade the killing of non-combatants.
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Skirmishes
So what happened to the people of Thaqif and Hawazin? As we said they fled in many places; a number of mini battles took place and by and large almost all of these skirmishes were successful. But the tribe of Thaqif did not flee into the wilderness, they fled back to Ta'if. Along with whoever was in that direction, they fled back to the city of Ta'if, and that is where the Prophet PBUH turned to next. And perhaps the second largest group, they fled to a place called Awtas, and there was another battle there with some casualties but overall the Muslims were victorious.
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Victory Comes From Allah SWT
The biggest lesson from the actual battle is that, no matter how prepared you are, if you rely on yourself and your own preparation you set yourself up for failure. Never were the sahaba this many, and never did they have as much weapons, arrows, armor, sheep, camel, etc. They were never as well equipped - they had never been as well rested, they've been in Makkah for 20 days so they have eaten to their full, they are well rested and they have large numbers. But this was the cause of their downfall. Therefore victory comes from Allah no matter what we do. Our hearts must have full tawakkul that Allah will take care of the matter, not our preparation.
Eventually Allah did give them victory of course.
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Ghanima
The battle brought forth the largest ghanima the Muslims had ever conquered. Because when all of these tribes fled, they made a massive mistake of bringing all of their families, animals, property with them. The elder chieftain told them this was a foolish mistake, but the younger chieftain was adamant, and so it is estimated at least 6000 prisoners of war were taken. That is a MASSIVE amount. And over 24,000 camels. And over 40,000 goats. In our time this is tens of millions of dollars. It's a fortune the likes of which the Muslims had never come close to. And the Prophet PBUH gathered together all the spoils of war in a valley called Ji'rana.
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Shayma the Foster Sister of the Prophet PBUH
And it is narrated that when the prisoners of war were being led in, one of the ladies started screaming and shouting, "How dare you treat me like this don't you know who I am: The sister of your own companion." And she said, "I am Muhammad's foster sister." So the sahaba were shocked and told the Prophet PBUH what happened, so he told them to bring this women to him. When she came, she said to the Prophet PBUH, "I am Shayma." And he said, "How do I know?" Remember he hasn't seen her for 56 years (he is now 60 years old). So she said, "I still have the mark on my back which you bit me with when I was carrying you." So the Prophet PBUH laughed and realized this is Shayma. So he said to her, "I have two choices for you. Either you stay with us and I treat you honorably, or I shall gift you and you can go back to your tribe." And Shayma chose the latter option and it's not known whether she accepted Islam.
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Halimah and Her Husband, the Foster Parents of the Prophet PBUH
In al-Bayhaqi and other books we learn of a more interesting narration (though this narration is weaker): It's said Shayma brought her mother and father i.e. Halimah and her husband (the Prophet's PBUH foster parents). This is not impossible: Halimah would have been around 80 by now so it's reasonable. And it's said when Halimah came, the Prophet PBUH stood up for her, took off his own shawl and laid it on the ground for her. It's the highest honor possible, that you take off your own shawl. Did she accept Islam or not? The narration does not say. Regardless, he honored his foster mother and sister to the highest possible level.
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Parallels Between Hunayn and Badr
Here in the Battle of Hunayn four people died, but many were wounded. Most importantly, this is the battle in which all of the four rightly guided khulafa were wounded: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali RA. And all four of them stood by the Prophet PBUH. The Battle of Hunayn is one of only two battles mentioned by name in the Quran. Badr and Hunayn are the only two battles mentioned. And there are so many parallels between Badr and Hunayn. The main parallel is that both of them were amazing victories. Badr was an unparalleled spiritual victory; Hunayn was an unparalleled financial victory. And in both Allah sent angels down, and in both the Muslims tried their best but ultimately Allah helped them and gave them victory.
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The Siege of Ta'if
So the prisoners of war and ghanima were put in the valley of Ji'rana, and the Prophet PBUH put armed guards to protect all of this. He then made his way to Ta'if. Generally speaking, the scholars of seerah combine two incidents in one: The Ghazwa of Hunayn and the Siege of Ta'if. There was a battle in the field of Hunayn, and then from there literally the Prophet PBUH marched onto Ta'if and laid siege to the city. They are two separate incidents, but since they occur back to back and since the enemy is common you will find both lumped together. So much so scholars have differed, "Should we count these two as one?" So Ta'if was not a battle: It was a siege.
They arrived during the last week of Shawwal. Remember Ta'if is a city nestled in the mountains. There is no resemblance of desert in Ta'if - it's a green luscious place. They have natural water; grapes, fruit etc. It's not like the barren land of Makkah. They felt themselves to be superior, but they didn't have the one thing the Makkans had, and that is the Ka'bah. They cannot compete with the Ka'bah. But they did compete with wealth, finance and fortification. They had fortified their city with massive walls. And they build instruments to defend against any attack i.e. they had things at the top to throw down burning oil. Arrows, turrets etc. You won't find this in any other city in Arabia. And they had stocked supplies for almost a year inside their city - on top of this they have running water and grapes etc. So they could last a long time in their city - and it's clear this was a long term strategy in place.
The Prophet PBUH from Makkah when he heard of the people of Thaqif and Hawazin attacking, he sent 2-3 sahaba including Urwah ibn Mas'ud and Ghaylan ibn Salama, to the tribe of Jurash, in order to learn specific instruments of war that Muslims had never used before. Of them was the catapult. The first Muslim to use a catapult was the Prophet PBUH himself. Never in the history of warfare had it been used. And subhan'Allah this shows us the immense preparation and foresight of the Prophet PBUH - that in Makkah he's already thinking, "I may have to lay siege to Ta'if." And this is what happened - and so when he arrived at Ta'if, those sahaba had come back with the knowledge of how to build a catapult and battering rams to break down doors/walls. The third thing they learnt was how to construct a turtle (a large protective shield), under which the army walks under to get to the siege wall. So they learnt three new things:
1. Catapult
2. Large battering ram
3. Protective turtle shell
So right outside Ta'if, for the first time ever a catapult is built by the Muslims. Initially the sahaba camped outside the area but they were showered with volleys of arrows. So the Prophet PBUH told them to go to another location - and this location became the site of the first mosque in Ta'if. To this day, that masjid is the main masjid of the city of Ta'if. It's called the masjid of Ibn Abbas. These days that masjid is inside the city because the city has expanded but when the Prophet PBUH camped the location was obviously outside the city. So at this place the Prophet PBUH began the actual siege. And the sahaba tried a number of things. On one occasion they used the turtle to come close to the walls but the burning oil still got through and it burnt many of them; along with this the shower of arrows came and a number of people died. So the Muslims became desperate: What is to be done? How can you attack a city with thick walls? The battering rams did not work, the catapults caused some damage but it did not cause the doors to open.
The Prophet PBUH suggested to leave Ta'if for now and return later, but some of the Muslims were adamant and said, "Ya Rasulullah will we leave them now when we are so close?" They had conquered Makkah, won at Hunayn, they are on a roll and want to finish the job. So when the Prophet PBUH saw the sahaba wanted to stay, they stayed.
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Burning of Lands and Produce
And they resorted to a tactic allowed in Islam under extreme circumstances. And that is they started burning the lands and produce outside the city walls. Now burning a land means you cannot grow on it for decades. You are ruining it for a very long time - but the Muslims were desperate so they were forced into doing this. When the people of Ta'if saw this, they started begging, "We beg you by Allah and by our kinship don't do this." Because it was more difficult than a loss of a life. And when they begged in this manner, the Prophet PBUH relented and forbade the sahaba from burning anymore agriculture.
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Siege Concluded
The Prophet PBUH also made an announcement that, "Anybody who comes and joins us shall be protected; any slave who joins us, you will automatically be free." So many slaves joined the Muslim army, perhaps two dozen or more came down to join the Muslims - but by and large the city of Ta'if remained the same.
The Muslims really did not know what to do; another mini massacre takes place from the showering of arrows, the sahaba became demoralized and for the second time the Prophet PBUH says, "Let us go on." So this time they quietly agreed.
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The Prophet PBUH Makes Du'a for Thaqafi
How long did the Prophet PBUH stay outside Ta'if? There are so many different opinions from 10 days to 40 days. Allah knows best; what seems to make the most sense is around 2 weeks. The Prophet PBUH insisted before this to go back, but the sahaba insisted to try again; and then they lost more lives so for the second time the Prophet PBUH let's go and they went back.
The Muslims then returned back to Ji'rana. Before he left the sahaba said, "Make du'a against Thaqif." So the Prophet PBUH raised his hands, and everyone raised their hands, and he said, "Allah guide the people of Thaqif, bring them to us," and he made du'a for them rather than against them.
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Lessons From the Siege of Ta'if
From this incident we learn:
1) The importance of shura. Our Prophet PBUH wanted to leave but when he saw the younger sahaba wanting to stay he allowed them to stay. This shows us that a wise leader never forces his decision onto others. Even though he is the messenger of Allah.
2) Also, it shows us the sahaba should have listened to him. Ultimately the Prophet PBUH knows best.
3) It also shows us the mercy of the Prophet PBUH - why would he not ask for forgiveness for the second time. After all it's the same city that tortured and expelled him, and subhan'Allah, Allah answered his du'a. This shows us the goal of Islam is guidance. If anyone deserves to be killed it is Thaqif, but still the Prophet PBUH is hopeful, "O Allah guide them to Islam."
4) Of the greatest lesson that is very profound is that, this world is never a world of ultimate victory. Look at our Prophet PBUH, in his greatest moment of glory he does not get Ta'if. He's won Makkah, you would expect Ta'if is nothing, just icing on the cake. But no, this world is a world of test - it's not a bed of roses. It's a world of trials and tribulations, you won't get one thing after another. Even in his moment of glory, our Prophet PBUH was shown you weren't getting everything. And he had to suffer: The siege of Ta'if had at least 4x the number of casualties than Hunayn. And the Prophet PBUH did not win over Ta'if - therefore if this is the case with the Prophet PBUH, that he won some and lost some, how about us? Will everything be easy for us? No. Just because you might lose one doesn't mean Allah is angry with you. It just means this is life.
5) We also see the Prophet PBUH does not have an issue learning sciences and technology from anyone. He sent the sahaba to a far away tribe to learn this knowledge - knowledge is universal, and any beneficial knowledge we should take. This also shows Islam is not anti science or modern technology - we will take it as long as it does not conflict with theology.
6) We also learn the importance of psychological warfare. That the Prophet PBUH called out to the slaves and noblemen of Ta'if, "Come and we'll protect you, and free you." And the issue of burning the crops and produce - the Prophet PBUH allowed it but still he has a soft spot and after a while he stopped the sahaba from doing it. But it shows us in extreme times it is allowed to do something of this nature.
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Incentives to Convert
Let us return to Ji'rana where the Prophet PBUH went back to where all the spoils of war are. In front of him were literally tens of millions worth in treasure. Thousands of camels, goats, weapons etc. The Prophet PBUH camped at Ji'rana and waited for more than a week. So since the actual Battle of Hunayn started, around 25 days have passed. What did he wait for? He waited for the tribe of Hawazin to come and negotiate a settlement for their tribe and families. At the end of the day, this is their women and children. And he wanted the Hawazin to come and accept Islam - if they did, everything will be returned back to them. Subhan'Allah. In our times with our western mindset, we ask, "These people are being bribed with Islam." And the response is, yes, they are! So what?! Anything is allowed, because we are speaking from the paradigm of truth. And we can use anything halal as long as it's not forced - obviously anyone who wants their wife and children back will accept Islam. But then what? When he takes the money and he has to pretend to be a Muslim, eventually Islam will enter his heart. This is the difference between Islam and others. We will give that truth with whatever bribe is necessary because once Islam is tasted, eventually it will become beloved to that person.
The phenomenon of marriage conversion is common: Initially the person accepts Islam just for marriage purposes, but eventually his/her Islam becomes very strong. Also never has a group been bribed into faith and then for generations they accept it and flourish in it, except Islam. And subhan'Allah missionary work in Muslims lands has been by and large a complete failure. Ultimately the true religion will enter the heart and Islam is true. Yes there can be incentives for people to convert. This occurred before with the Banu al-Mustaliq in Madinah when the Prophet PBUH married Juwayriyya RA. And the entire tribe became Muslim so they went back with all their property and belongings and carried on like normal except they are Muslims. So the Prophet PBUH wanted the same thing to happen to Hawazin.
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Distribution of Ghanima
However Hawazin do not come back and now the Muslims are eager, "Where's my share?" According to Islamic law, the rules of ghanima are relatively complicated, but it's said the army will get a certain percentage. But this type of ghanima that is left behind, it's up to the ruler to decide what to do with it. The ghanima of someone who has been killed is separate; similarly the ghanima left behind has separate rulings. The tens of millions left behind is of the latter type, so the soldiers do not have any guaranteed share of it. So it's up to the Prophet PBUH to decide. And what did he do? He began to give the largest gifts that had ever been seen in Islam to specific people. One by one by name. Ibn Ishaq lists up to a dozen people including Abu Sufyan: The Prophet PBUH gave him 100 camels at a time when most of the people of Makkah didn't have a single camel. Having a single camel is huge deal - it means you are upper middle class. Yet the Prophet PBUH gave Abu Sufyan 100 camels which is a fortune. And he gave Safwan ibn Umayyah 100 camels. From Ghatafan, one of the coarse Bedouins got 100 camels. And soon. And he gave large gifts to Muawiyah, the son of Abu Sufyan. And the full brother of Abu Jahal, al-Harith ibn Hisham - basically all the dignitaries of the Quraysh go back with fortunes. And the Muhajirun were given some of the shares too.
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The Status of the Ansar
The one group left completely untouched was the Ansar. Not a single penny out of the big share was given to them. And human nature kicked in, so some of the younger sahaba of the Ansar began murmuring. The narrations clearly mention it was the younger ones. And they say, "When there is war we are told to come, but when there is booty and money we are nowhere to be found." Another said, "May Allah forgive Rasulullah, he gives to the Quraysh and leaves us, even though our swords are still dripping with their bloods." So money is money - and you see people getting fortunes, and you think they are enemies of Allah, and yet they go with the fortune but you are left with nothing. And the younger sahaba murmured, until finally Sa'd ibn Ubadah, the senior of the Ansar, kindly requests an audience with the Prophet PBUH to talk to the Ansar - and he hints there are problems within the group. And note it shows the wisdom of Sa'd, that he's not complaining but he realizes there is a legitimate issue. The Prophet PBUH asks, "Where do you find yourself?" And he says, "I am one of my people." Subhan'Allah he is a human but his Iman is in the skies. Deep down inside he also has that desire. So the Prophet PBUH tells him, "Bring all the Ansar and make sure no one is in the tent except the Ansar."
So they cram until there was NO space at all. And people are outside listening in from the Ansar. And the Prophet PBUH gave one of the most powerful moving khutbahs ever to the Ansar. Full of praise of the Ansar. One of the powerful lectures in the seerah. He said, "If all of mankind were to go in one direction and the Ansar in another, I would go with the Ansar." And he said, "Were it not for the Hijrah, I would be from the Ansar," i.e. he was born in Makkah, but he's basically from the Ansar. And he said, "I give to some people because I fear for their greed and desires, and I don't give to others because I trust what Allah has given in their hearts, and that fortune is more than what I can give them." And he continued, "The Quraysh is still new to Islam and I wish to comfort them by bringing them close to me." And he said, "O Allah have mercy of the Ansar, and their children and their children." And he said at the end a line that shook them to their core. And the room began to cry. And he said, "Are you not happy that people go back with sheep and camels and goats, but you go back home with Rasulullah PBUH?" And they began to cry so much and they said, "We are content with Islam and you ya Rasulullah." And so the Prophet PBUH calmed them down, and it really shows us the status of the Ansar. He didn't give them a single penny: Why? Because what Allah had given them was more precious than money. And that is why there is a hadith, "Loving the Ansar is a part of Iman."
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Generosity Will Sway the Heart
So the Prophet PBUH took care of those whose hearts you need to bring close i.e. those people for whom money sways. And Safwan ibn Umayyah is a prime example. This is when he converted to Islam. Right now when the Prophet PBUH gives him 100 camels. Because he realizes, it's not possible for this man to be a man of this world. And subhan'Allah by the time the Prophet PBUH was done handing fortune after fortune out, not one single penny went into his pocket. It's humanly impossible for anybody to live like this - it's a sign he's a true prophet. And Safwan says, "Wallahi the Prophet PBUH was the most despised to me, but he continued to give and give and give until he became the most beloved to me." Such generosity will sway the heart.
And Hakim ibn Hizam as well got a mini fortune - this is free money, so he said, "Give me some more." The Prophet PBUH gave it. And again he said, "Give me some more." So the Prophet PBUH gave him some more. Three times this happened so he keeps on asking, until finally the fourth time the Prophet PBUH said, "Ya Hakim, this money is sweet, luscious and green - and whoever takes it with an open and generous heart Allah will give them blessings. But whoever takes it wanting more out of greed, this is like the one who keeps on wanting but isn't satisfied" i.e. he is saying, "Don't be greedy and beg for more." When Hakim heard this, he said, "Ya Rasulullah I will never ask anybody for anything." And subhan'Allah after this in his entire life he didn't ask anybody for anything. And the hadith says that Allah puts us in charge of our money - so we are accountable for everything.
And it was in this time when the converts began flooding in from the Bedouin tribes. Why? Because people just wanted money, money, money. That's why they were converting. And we have at least six or seven incidents of people asking for money. Of them is the chieftain of the Bedouin who comes and grabs the Prophet PBUH by the collar, and yanks him and says, "Give me some of this money you are giving to others." So the Prophet PBUH smiled and said, "Give him some." In one occasion the Prophet PBUH was surrounded by Bedouins begging for money until his back was against a thorny bush, and he goes to the bush and his upper garment becomes stuck. This was at the very end when the money is all finished. And our Prophet PBUH became slightly irritated and this is human nature, and he said, "Return my garment to me for wallahi if I had as many camels as the shrubs around, you would have found me to give the last one of them to you - I would not keep anything to myself, you would have found me to be generous" i.e. he doesn't have anything to give.
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Beginning of Ultra-Fanaticism
It is also here the theological incident occurs where ultra fanaticism, kharijite mentality comes into play. This is when a man with a straggly beard and large forehead came to the Prophet PBUH and said, "Ya Muhammad," and you do not address the Prophet PBUH by his first name but he did. And he said, "Fear Allah on this money." And the Prophet PBUH said, "Woe to you. Who will be just if I am not just on this earth?" But the man said, "This is a distribution you are not doing for the sake of Allah. And the Prophet PBUH said, "Will you not trust me when the One who is in the Heavens trusts me?" After this the man harshly walked away, and this is truly kufr which is why Umar asked to assassinate him. But the Prophet PBUH refused and said, "Woe to me if the people start saying I kill my own companions. From his type will come a group of people that will recite the Quran, but it will not leave their throats (i.e. they won't understand), and you will think their salah, zakat and actions are better than yours, yet they will leave Islam like an arrow leaves a target once it has hit it." And he said, "They are the worst of people" and in one version the word 'khawarij' is used - but the name kharijites was established to them later, and these are ultra fanatics. And we still have them around today, where quite literally they kill innocent people but they still pray salah etc. Killing people is no issue to them, but they are careful with the food they eat etc. So it's a fanatic mentality which we are aware of. And the Prophet PBUH said these types of people will come until the Day of Judgement. And this man is the prototype: He literally thinks he is more righteous than the Prophet PBUH. He thinks he is holier than Rasulullah, saying, "You aren't just in handing money out I can do a better job." Think about this. It's exactly what the ultra fanatics say, and frankly they are amongst the jihadist groups.
One of the interesting things: When the Bedouins came to the Prophet PBUH and they are harsh with him, sometimes he is gentle, other times he is slightly irritated but he never gets angry. But when this guy comes, it's not just rudeness, it's theological, you cannot challenge the status of the Prophet PBUH. You cannot accuse him of not being sincere. It's not personal anymore it's theological. The Bedouin comes, yanks the Prophet PBUH and says, "Give me money." Okay - the Prophet PBUH knows this is just greed so he overlooked it and was gentle. The Bedouins surrounded him and gets a little irritated and said, "If I had, I would give. But I don't have, so go." But still nothing really major. But then this guy comes and accuses the Prophet PBUH of being unjust. You cannot allow this to go. The status and sanctity of the Prophet PBUH cannot be overlooked and challenged. Therefore the Prophet PBUH got angry and said, "Woe to you." It's not a personal issue - it's an issue of Allah choosing an appropriate person to be a messenger. When you challenge that status, you are challenging Allah. And this is why the Prophet PBUH says, "The one in the heavens has trusted me, who are you?" And when Umar RA said, "Let me execute him" - the Prophet PBUH did not defend him. He did not execute for the greater good of the community, not his good. Recall Hatib when he sent the letter to the Quraysh before the conquest - the Prophet PBUH defended him and said, "He was a Badri, etc." But this guy was not defended at all since he's crossed the line, which is to mock the maqam al-Nubuwwah. Challenging the maqam al-Nubuwwah is something that cannot emanate from a heart of even the slightest bit of Iman.
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Maslahah in Islam
But note the Prophet PBUH didn't execute him for the PR of the ummah. This clearly shows PR exists: You have to think of the broader image. This is exactly what the Prophet PBUH said: "let not the PEOPLE say I kill my own companions." There is something called maslahah: The greater good of the community. Sometimes a good course of action is avoided for the greater good - indeed, perhaps this mans penalty was death but for the community the Prophet PBUH did not do it. Those who spread rumors will say, "He kills his OWN people" - they will twist it. There are many evidences of this.
Another famous example is that the Prophet PBUH complained to Aisha RA that the Quraysh have not built the Ka'bah upon the proper foundation (it was supposed to be a rectangle, not a square) so he said, "Look at what your people have done." Aisha RA replied, "Why don't you just rebuild it upon the foundation of Ibrahim?" But the Prophet PBUH said, "Because your people are brand new Muslims, Iman is still fresh - so destroying the Ka'bah and rebuilding it will be difficult for them." Because he left it, it remained that way for 14 centuries accept for Abdullah ibn Zubayr who broke it and rebuilt it on the foundations of Ibrahim AS (rectangle). Until Abdul Malik broke it down and rebuilt it into a square. But when the next khalifa came, he asked Imam Malik, "Should I break it down and bring it back as according to the hadith?" But Imam Malik said, "No I don't want the Ka'bah to become a toy for the khalifas to play with." It's the fiqh of imam Malik - ideally it should be a rectangle upon the foundations of Ibrahim AS. This is what the Prophet PBUH wanted, but he realized it will cause too much fitna so he just let it be. And this is maslahah.
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The Hawazin Finally Comes to Embrace Islam
Wrapping up, after all the war booty has been distributed, the Hawazin come. But it's too late. The Prophet PBUH has waited one month since the battle; and the people are clamoring for the money - it's right there and they want it. But the Prophet PBUH waited one month but after that by a few days the tribe of Hawazin come. And they want to embrace Islam, hoping it's not too late to get all their property and wealth back. But the Prophet PBUH said, "It's too late now, but choose between your wealth and your families: Let's see what I can do for you." So they said, "Of course our families." They are all Muslims now, so the Prophet PBUH said, "Okay after Salah al-Zuhr, you will stand up and ask to have your families given back and ask intercession from me to the Muslims" - note, these prisoners of war have now been taken by the sahaba. And their ransom is worth a lot of money. So the Prophet PBUH is saying choose one out of wealth and families since he can't ask everyone to give everything back. They obviously choose their families - the point is, the goal is to get the families released without any money. But that is a lot of money to give up. After all the Prophet PBUH waited but Hawazin didn't come. So now after Zuhr they will ask the Prophet PBUH to intercede for them in front of the Muslims.
This is what they did, and the Prophet PBUH said, "As for the prisoners in my tribe, I am in charge of the Banu Abdul Muttalib, and so all of them are yours so take them." This of course is a sign to the other leaders to stand, and this is exactly what happened. Every one of the Quraysh leaders stood up - and said, "As for the ones of mine, they are for you ya Rasulullah." So each tribe gives up their prisoners, except for some new Muslim Bedouin tribes. They said, "No we won't give them for free, you can purchase them from us." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Okay I will take in charge of this, I don't have money now but as soon as the next ghanima comes you will have the first share." And so all of the families were returned back to the Hawazin. So most tribes gave the families back for free, but some Bedouin tribes wanted money. But in the end the Hawazin got all their families back - but not their property/wealth.
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Performing Umrah
On the way back to Makkah when the Prophet PBUH is camped at Ji'rana, this is where he wore his ihram and did Umrah for the third time in his life. We consider the Prophet PBUH to have done four Umrahs. Three real, one reward only. As for the rewarded Umrah, it's the Umrah of Hudaybiyyah. He didn't physically do it but Allah gave him the reward. The second is Umrah al-Qada (the next year, after Hudaybiyyah). Then the third is this Umrah from Ji'rana. When he entered Makkah he did not do Umrah; he came as a military conqueror - all the sahaba were wearing full armor. But now the Prophet PBUH is coming back into Makkah, now he is doing Umrah. For 19 days in Makkah before, he did lots of tawaf and lots of nafl but no Umrah. He goes to Hunayn, goes to Ta'if, comes back to Ji'rana, distributes the booty and now he is going back to Makkah wearing the ihram and does Umrah. The fourth and final Umrah is the one he did in the Hajj, and he did a Hajj al-Qiran (when you do an Umrah and Hajj together in one ihram). So the Prophet PBUH did four Umrahs in total, one of them is reward only. So the sunnah is to do Umrah when you enter Makkah. Not to go from Makkah and do multiple Umrahs. Our Prophet PBUH and the senior sahaba never did this. Zero times. Is it wrong, haram etc.? NO. It is sunnah, what our Prophet PBUH did, for 19 days he sat in Makkah but he doesn't go out and come back to do Umrah. He never did it and the senior sahaba never did it. It is something that protects the sanctity of the Umrah. If you do 10 Umrahs in 5 days it becomes cheap. Rather, do one Umrah and make it special - after all Umrah is a minor Hajj. So you keep the sanctity of the Umrah by doing it in this manner. Therefore the ultimate sunnah is to do Umrah only once when you enter Makkah.
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One final point: Eventually the tribe of Thaqif accepted Islam the next year as we will discuss.