Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 87 - Battle of Tabuk 1 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 20th August 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 87 - Battle of Tabuk 1 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 20th August 2014
We will now move on to the Battle of Tabuk. Before we do that, there were around 6 months before the siege of Ta'if and the Battle of Tabuk. What happened in these months? Around 7 or 8 mini expeditions.
Religious Freedom in Islam
The Prophet PBUH did not participate but he sent the sahaba to neighboring tribes and lands; and the main purposes of these expeditions was to destroy large idols, public idols and to bring in the tribes to Islam. For example, the more famous ones involved Tufayl ibn Amr who was sent to destroy the idol of Dhu al-Kaffayn. And Ali ibn Abi Talib was sent to destroy a large idol by the name of al-Fuls. Now, in these modern days we have groups destroying sacred sites and idols - and they use these incidents from the seerah as evidence. We must explain that the Prophet PBUH only did this after he established his political authority in the land. In other words, he isn't destroying Dhu al-Kaffayn, al-Fuls, al-Uzza, etc. until he has political authority. This is after the conquest of Makkah and after the Battle of Hunayn - when central Arabia is his completely. And he's now expanding to all of Arabia - so when the political power is with the Islamic state, then they can contemplate destroying any idols nearby.
But there is another issue. What do the scholars say about the freedom of the other religions to worship in an Islamic state? There is a controversy amongst the early scholars of Islam, the tabi'un and the tabi-tabi'un. By unanimous consensus, Jews and Christians can practice their faith in an Islamic state. This is well known. The Qur'an and hadith are explicit about this. There's no ikhtilaf at all. How about pagan religions? Not Ahl al-Kitab? There has been ikhtilaf on this issue forever. By almost unanimous consensus idolatry is not allowed in the Arabian Peninsula. This was perhaps the greatest success of the Prophet PBUH: He permanently got rid of idol worshiping amongst the Arabs. This is the success of Islam. How about worshiping idols outside an Arabian Peninsula? 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 (fire worshipers). The reason they are included is because when Umar RA conquered Persia, he said, "Treat them 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. From this, scholars have said only Zoroastrians can be treated like the Ahl al-Kitab. However, two points:
1. There is always an opposing view and the most famous madhhab championing this view is the Hanafi madhhab which says you make qiyas on all the religions. Why stop only at Zoroastrians? They don't even believe in Allah. Jews and Christians believe in Allah. The Qur'an is explicit about this. Allah says talking about the Ahl al-Kitab. We have the same God as them - Zoroastrians do not have Allah as their God. They have some God of light and evil. They have two ultimate divinities: They don't believe in anything we believe in. Not in prophets or revelation, etc. Yet by unanimous consensus they are treated like Ahl al-Kitab. Therefore from this, the Hanafi madhhab and some Maliki scholars say all NON Arab paganistic religions have the same exception. Not Arab religions (meaning Jazira al-Arab i.e. the Hejaz) - why? Because it has a status that the other lands do not have. And the Prophet PBUH said on his deathbed, "In the Arabian peninsula, do not let two religions flourish." So you can have other religions in small communities but not in public and not flourishing.
So based on this the opinion that pretty much everyone has acted upon in the history of Islam, all the khulafa by and large tolerated every minority religion as long as it was civil. That is why we have the most bizarre religions to this day in the places of the Muslim world. The Alawis, we don't view them as Muslims: They don't pray or fast. They were only attacked by the khulafa when they themselves became violent. Otherwise they were left alone. Right now we are looking at the Yazidis of Iraq. They are a bizarre cult that emanated from within Islam but then broke away completely. They have nothing to do with Islam anymore; even though their sheikh, Adi ibn Musafir, was a righteous Sufi, when he died they continued to change. They actually believe shaytan repented from his sin, and they believe that he is now worthy of being an intercessor between them and God. So they worship the shaytan in the form of a golden peacock. So people call them 'satan worshipers.' There is obviously an element of truth here, but exaggeration since they don't view shaytan as being the shaytan we know. But they worship him anyway. The point is, the Yazidis have existed for over 1000 years. Their leader (Adi ibn Musfir) died in 250 H - this was in the heartland of the Abbasids khalifa and they were allowed to just be alone. Look at the Mughal Dynasty; the majority of the inhabitants were Hindu. And the khalifa allowed them to be as they are.
The point is, these incidents of certain groups destroying idols use the example of the Prophet PBUH wrongly. Technically speaking, in an ideal Islamic state you could not practice shirk publicly - so you worship in your place of worship. The idols the Prophet PBUH destroyed were public idols. There's a difference between public shirk vs shirk done in closed door temples. Historically speaking this is how Muslim lands existed: The khalifa allowed other religions to exist, and the Islamic state allowed people to worship other than Allah but within their temples. They weren't allowed to be public in this regard. So here we have an extremism that certain groups want to do destroy anything and everything. Firstly to do this, you need to have status and authority in the land. The Prophet PBUH didn't begin his dawah by destroying idols. He destroyed them when he conquered Makkah after 20 years of preaching. Second, they don't know properly what to destroy. The sharia allows the worship of other than Allah if it's done in their own places of worship. This is the standard, majority position. And historically this is how the ummah did it. The general rule is the ummah tolerated other beliefs as long as the shirk wasn't practiced in public. Again we mention these types of incidents are misused and abused.
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Names Given to the Expedition
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, both mentioned in hadith, and one referenced to in the Qur'an.
1. Ghazwa Tabuk
As for the most prominent name, it is Ghazwa Tabuk. Mu'adh ibn Jabal said, "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 - make sure you do not touch its water until I get there.'" So the Prophet PBUH called a small spring Tabuk. We'll discuss why the sahaba ran out of water, they were extremely thirsty and they thought they were about to die. So Mu'adh said, "When we arrived we saw a small slither of water." All the water had dried up in the spring.
And Mu'adh said, "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." So Mu'adh did not quote what the Prophet PBUH say. 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. Mu'adh continues: "he 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." Because of this incident and the fact that they were about to die, the expedition became called the Expedition of Tabuk.
There is a hadith in Sahih Muslim where in the Prophet PBUH said, "O Mu'adh it's only a matter of time, if you live long enough, this very land will become a land of greenery." When the Prophet PBUH said this, Tabuk was in the middle of a desert. No one lived there. Today Tabuk, simply because our Prophet PBUH camped there and predicted it, it is one of the most largest cities in Arabia. It's in fact the largest city in Northern Arabia and yes, Tabuk used to be on the trading route between Sham and Yemen, but no one lived in Tabuk. But after the Prophet PBUH died, in early Islam, people began to congregate there. It became more and more prestigious over time, and around 400 years ago the Ottomans built a famous fortress there. Eventually they built the famous railroad from Istanbul to Madinah. So you could literally travel by rail from anywhere in Europe to Istanbul and then to Madinah. So when the Ottomans connected Istanbul to Damascus to Madinah, they made Tabuk one of the major stopping points which increased its dwellings and residence. Until now Tabuk is one of the largest cities in Arabia. It has a population of more than 500,000 - and it's indeed a land of greenery exactly as the Prophet PBUH predicted. The hadith is in Sahih Muslim. Subhan'Allah. And it's been said the very oasis the Prophet PBUH allegedly drank from, it is still green and water is still there. And also said that there's a masjid there called Masjid Rasulullah (but wasn't built by the Prophet PBUH).
2. Jaysh al-Usrah
The second main name of the expedition is Jaysh al-Usrah (the Army of Great Difficulty). This is the more common name amongst the sahaba. Imam al-Bukhari when he discusses the book of seerah, when he gets to Tabuk: He has both names in the chapter heading including Jaysh al-Usrah. So why was Tabuk called the Difficult Expedition? Of course every single expedition was difficult but what made this special? Firstly, there was no actual battle in Tabuk. There was no clash of swords, yet the difficulties of Tabuk was much more than any other 'battle.' So it was called the difficult ghazwa even though there was no bloodshed. But what happened was so harsh the sahaba almost died maybe multiple times. Why?
1. This was the largest army Arabia had seen in its entire history. In Hunayn there were 10-12,000. In Tabuk it is estimated some books say even up to 20,000 gathered. The point is this was the largest gathering ever - 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 your side. So no one should say, "Are you accusing the historians of lying?" No. Rather it's human nature, not lying. When someone says, "20,000" we take it with the understanding that, 'Okay it means a large number, it doesn't have to be exactly 20,000.' Realistically 20,000 seems too big, but nonetheless it's the largest expedition ever mounted by the Prophet PBUH.
So it's the largest ever - why would this make it difficult? Resources, logistics, food and water. Also Ghazwa Tabuk took place late July - so it is the hottest time of the year where temperatures rise to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 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.
2. Also Ghazwa Tabuk is the furthest distance ever traveled as a prophet with an army. In his youth he traveled with his uncle to Syria, but as the leader of an army, it's the furthest he's ever traveled. So he's leading an expedition far away from Madinah, most likely 1000 miles. And they are walking in the desert in the sun in July to go to Tabuk.
3. Going to Tabuk 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. Most people for most of their lives, before the era of modern jobs, did not know how much they will make every month. We are accustomed to a salary - wallahi this is a blessing from Allah. The majority of humanity for most of its existence lived day to day, week to week not knowing what was going to happen. And there were certain seasons in which you store up food and rations for multiple years. The number one season was harvest season in July. 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 society for Madinah, harvest season was the paycheck for the year. So it's their best source of income, but now they're being told, "Leave everything, we have to go Tabuk and then we'll 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 that, "Tell us about the Expedition of Difficulty - what happened?" So Umar RA said, "We left with the Prophet PBUH to Tabuk, in extremely hot weather, and we reached a place where we felt so thirsty, we felt our 'throats would collapse' (an Arabic expression for death). And people went out in search for 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 you camel that means you have to walk the entire way back but they still decided to kill the camel. And Umar RA continued: "..Until finally Abu Bakr pleaded with the Prophet PBUH, that, 'Ya Rasulullah, make du'a for us.'" So the Prophet PBUH said, "If you wish," and Umar RA narrates the Prophet's PBUH hands did not come down until the sky began to pour with rain.
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Tangent: One Should Not Rely on Miracles
So this is another miracle of the Prophet PBUH. Now, this also shows us a very important thing: The Prophet PBUH did not rely on miracles. He sees the sahaba at the very verge of death, but Abu Bakr had to prod him that, 'Ya Rasulullah, please make du'a.' Why? The Prophet PBUH wants to show you can't just rely on miracles, rather you have to struggle to achieve your goals. The Prophet PBUH had to struggle throughout the entire seerah: Badr, Uhud, Ahzab. And look at the situation now - yes the miracle does come but at the very end. Not at the beginning; only after struggle and sacrifice. In this there is a lesson for us. Maybe our miracles are not as blatant but wallahi the true believers who follow the path of the Prophet PBUH will see mini miracles, if they put it in the struggle and effort. If they put in the effort Allah will bless them in the end.
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(Cont.) 2. Jaysh al-Usrah
So for all of these reasons it was called the Difficult Expedition (Jaysh al-Usrah). Allah references this in the Qur'an:
لَّقَد تَّابَ اللَّهُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنصَارِ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُ فِي سَاعَةِ الْعُسْرَةِ
"Allah has accepted the repentance of the Prophet PBUH, Muhajirun, and Ansar, those who followed him at the Time of Difficulty..." [9:117]
So Allah called it the 'Time of Difficulty' and that is what Tabuk is called. Qatada, the main student of Ibn Abbas commentates on this verse, and says, "This verse refers to the Battle of Tabuk - they left towards Syria in the blazing summer, and they were tested severely, so much so it's mentioned 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." So Qatada said, "Allah then accepted their repentance and allowed them to come home," meaning Allah saved them from sure death and allowed them to live to come home.
Therefore the two primary names of this expedition are: Ghazwa Tabuk and 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. 6 months exactly after the Siege of Ta'if. And if you calculate it in modern times, it's basically late July. 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 he himself has not found a clear cut, satisfactory answer (but has come to a conclusion that he will share later). What are some of the reasons mentioned by the classical seerah scholars?
1. Ibn Asakir (famous historian) reports, and this report is mentioned by 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 Judgement Day.'" So according to this report, the Jews wanted to get rid of the Prophet PBUH and send him on a goose chase in Syria so he abandons Madinah, so they could get rid of the Muslims. According to this report, this is why Allah revealed in the Qur'an, Surah 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 will only last for a short while." [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 send him up north to Syria.
But this first opinion simply cannot be true for multiple reasons. First, there are no Jews left in Madinah. They have all been expelled or converted to Islam. Second, can you imagine the Prophet PBUH just listening to something as silly as this? It doesn't make any sense. Lastly, Surah al-Isra is a Makkan surah, so how can it refer to Ghazwa Tabuk?
2. Another reason given is that the Romans were sending an expedition to battle the Muslims, and according to this narration, the chieftain of the Ghassanid Arabs (the northern Arabian tribe that bordered the Roman Empire; over the course of the last century, they converted to Christianity so they were a Christian Arab tribe), they had a very cozy relationship with the emperor of Rome. It's reported in this narration that the chief of Ghassanids sent a message to the chief of Rome saying they want to attack Madinah, OR they falsely sent a message saying, "The Prophet PBUH is dead so send an army so we can attack Madinah." So according to this report, 40,000 Roman troops were sent to Tabuk and the Prophet PBUH went up north to battle them. Firstly this particular narration does not seem to be authentic in terms of isnad. Secondly, it's really inconceivable to imagine the Romans sending 40,000 troops because they frankly didn't care about the Arabs. The Arabs posed no threat to the Roman Empire. If they wanted to conquer the Arabs they could have done it at any time over the last few years.
3. The Ghassanids themselves were the targets and not the Romans. And that there was a threat the Ghassanids would attack Madinah. There seems to be some basis to the validity of this. For example, 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 and more money, etc. And then Allah revealed, "If you want this world, come and I will give you as much as you want and you go and live your life. But if you want Allah and His messenger and the final dar al-akhira, this is what I have to offer." In this narration, Umar RA narrates the story that his co-worker came rushing to him saying, "Something's happened." Umar RA 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. The point being: Umar RA was worried about the Ghassanids attacking. We've also seen in the past 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 them. Note it's claimed the Prophet PBUH wanted to get revenge for Mu'tah and the massacres that happened; also the death of Ja'far. But once again the question is why now? This can wait until January. Why in July?
4. This leaves us with one logical answer, and that is, it was a command from Allah to test the believers. There doesn't seem to be an immediate threat. Neither from the Romans or the Ghassanids. So what it appears to be the case, this was a test from Allah. It was a direct commandment from Allah that could not be disobeyed. And the Prophet PBUH told the sahaba, "You have to go and fight." And there is no questioning. And perhaps there is evidence for this in the Qur'an, based on the opinion of Ibn Kathir and al-Baghawi - Surah 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]
At-Tabari, the earliest mufassir, says this verse was the verse that commanded the Prophet PBUH to fight the neighboring Arabs, and once he's done to turn his attention up north to the Romans. So this is Surah al-Tawba - all of it was revealed pretty much in Ghazwa Tabuk. Thus perhaps this verse came down and the Prophet PBUH understood, "Allah is commanding me to go up north, now that I've secured all of central Arabia." There's 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 this interpretation is that al-Waqidi mentions the Prophet PBUH sent out messengers to the neighboring tribes, even Makkah, requesting them to send all able-bodied men to fight. And he did not hide where he was going unlike every other battle. Everyone knew what was going on. This is an all out military expedition. And, if you read Surah al-Tawba, never is the command for jihad and qital (fighting with a sword in your hand i.e. physically) given so bluntly. It's all about Ghazwa Tabuk, and so Allah is commanding in a manner not found anywhere in the Qur'an and that's why this Surah is also called Surah al-Qital. For example:
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]
Now if you look at all of these verses, which by the way are always used by jihadist groups. The problem comes these groups cut and paste these verses as if they apply to their cause. The only time a verse can apply with a specific cause is with the cause it was revealed for. Allah revealed the Surah for Tabuk. No one can take a verse and apply it to a particular expedition in our times. That type of specificity of cutting Qur'an and hadith and applying it directly for your situation - this is wrong and not possible. The bluntness for encouraging people to do qital and jihad 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 armies or any physical threat. It was because Allah told them and the sahaba were put through a very difficult test.
Why did Allah test them? Many reasons: Raise their ranks, increase their Iman and also to prepare them for the future expeditions after the death of the Prophet PBUH. Why? Because this is the final ghazwa. This is it. Khalas. Right after this the Prophet PBUH goes to do his final Hajj, he falls ill and he dies. Then what happened? Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, the Umayyads, etc. It's as if Ghazwa Tabuk was a test so the sahaba pass, and so they can move to bigger things for the ummah. Therefore looking at the context, there's no threat, it's most likely just a command from Allah merely to test them.
The sahaba passed this test with flying colors, and this is also why the Prophet PBUH made it completely public. He called all the sahaba to come, and it was fard ayn for every single healthy male to participate in Ghazwa Tabuk. This is not like Badr, Uhud, etc. This was fard ayn - you HAD to do it if you were an adult male. The only person excused was someone ill or had genuine circumstances. What other battle was it that every single able bodied Muslim from everywhere had to participate? It was clear this was a test for all the sahaba so when they pass it, they have the faith, courage, confidence and Iman to go on and expand the ummah.
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Collecting Funds
Therefore when the Prophet PBUH understood the size of the expedition the first thing he did was collect funds for it. And he would stand on the mimbar and encourage people to give whatever they could. So the sahaba would donate - the Prophet PBUH gave beautiful announcements: "Whoever finances the Jaysh al-Usrah, he shall be given Jannah." Subhan'Allah. And so the sahaba donated whatever they could.
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The Famous Story of the Generosity of Uthman ibn Affan RA
And of course the lions share went to Uthman ibn Affan. 100 camels of his returned from an expedition; thus when he heard this hadith above, Uthman ibn Affan donated all that money in the thousands of gold coins. And the Prophet PBUH had 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 this hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, Uthman himself used it when the kharijites were around his house. He did not know he was going to die but he used this hadith against them and said, "Do you not know what the Prophet PBUH said about me?" And ibn Abbas used this to defend Uthman. He said, "Whatever your fabricated complaints are, don't you know your own Rasulullah said that, "Whatever Uthman does will not harm him." If he said this, 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. Umar finally went home thinking, "Today I can beat Abu Bakr because I heard this hadith directly from the Prophet PBUH" and so Umar RA took half his wealth and gave it to the Prophet PBUH. Realize the rest of the half is for his wife and children so there's nothing wrong with this. And imagine giving half your entire wealth anyway - that's a massive amount. And when Abu Bakr came and it was even more wealth, the Prophet PBUH said, "Ya Abu Bakr what did you leave for your family?" Abu Bakr said, "I left them Allah and His messenger." So Umar RA said, "I give up I cannot compete with Abu Bakr after today."
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Funds for the Ghazwa
And the Prophet PBUH gathered more money for the expedition than in any other expedition. And subhan'Allah it's amazing. Just 6 months ago he had the ghanima of Hunayn and Ta'if, but he used it all for the sake of Allah. And nothing was left in his own pocket or in the treasury. This was his methodology. He did not leave anything for himself - he gave it all away. So more financing was needed for Ghazwa Tabuk. Eventually however the funds ran out.
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The Phrase "Wallahi" as an Expression VS as a Qasam
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari narrates his tribe sent him to collect camels to go to Tabuk (you couldn't walk there - it's too far). So Abu Musa says, "I arrived and I didn't realize the Prophet PBUH was in an angry state." Why was he angry? Most likely because what is happening with the hypocrites. So Abu Musa said, "I asked him for camels and he didn't have anything." The Prophet PBUH said, "Wallahi I will not give you anything to travel upon." So Abu Musa returns distressed and he says, "I did not know the Prophet PBUH was angry; I thought he was angry at me and irritated at me." So he went back and told his tribe the Prophet PBUH will not give anything. Then Abu Musa says, "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've just purchased them from Sa'd." So some money had come through, he purchased six camels and the Prophet PBUH gives them to Abu Musa.
This also shows when you give an oath and you don't mean it, the oath is not valid. The Prophet PBUH said, "Wallahi I won't give you anything." Why? Because he didn't have anything. We use 'wallahi' as a phrase but sometimes as a genuine qasam. It's obvious from the context. In a serious state it's different. And Allah says in the Qur'an Allah does not call you to task for the 'laghw,' the vain times you say 'wallahi.' But He will for that which you are strict and firm about. The Prophet PBUH is a human, and sometimes he is angry, so in this instance he was slightly irritated. But when the money came the Prophet PBUH gave the camels. But Abu Musa wanted to confirm because after all the Prophet PBUH said, "Wallahi I won't give you anything," and now he is giving the camels. So Abu Musa wanted to clarify the situation. And thus it was explained to Abu Musa that, "No it's okay you can take the camels." The Prophet PBUH had no money so he had nothing to give, but it came out in a slightly harsh way. But when the money came, the camels were purchased and given to Abu Musa.