Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 91 - Battle of Tabuk 4 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 17th September 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 91 - Battle of Tabuk 4 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 17th September 2014
As we said the Battle of Tabuk has so many lessons but there was no battle. We will continue discussing the stories that occurred during this time. Realize we haven't actually left Madinah yet. We have discussed things that happened in Madinah. Today, let us depart from Madinah and we'll spend a few more lessons going back and forth.
Leaving Ali ibn Abi Talib RA Behind
The Prophet PBUH left behind Muhammad ibn Maslamah as the person in charge of the affairs of Madinah. Whenever the Prophet PBUH left, he would appoint someone in charge. And he told Ali ibn Abi Talib, "You must stay behind and you will take charge of my family." So Ali will manage the mother of the believers, the Ahl al-Bayt, etc. After all, this journey will take more than a month. When the Prophet PBUH said this, the munafiqun began mocking Ali RA, that he is a burden, not worthy of fighting. Of course Ali RA is well known for his bravery, courage and fighting prowess. He is a young man so this type of mocking really affected him. And so he put on his armor, took his sword in his hand, and he caught up with the army of the Prophet PBUH. And he said, "Ya Rasulullah are you leaving me with the women and children while the munafiqun are mocking me that I am not qualified to fight?" So he begged the Prophet PBUH to let him go. Subhan'Allah this is real Iman: The true believers wanted to go, the munafiqun stayed behind and yet they had the audacity to accuse those who didn't go of cowardice. So the Prophet PBUH consoled Ali RA and said, "Are you not content to be with me like Harun was with Musa?" This is a famous hadith used by especially the Shia groups.
So the Prophet PBUH said, "Are you not happy that our relationship is like that of Harun and Musa, except that there is no prophet after me (so don't take it literally)." And the Prophet PBUH said, "They are liars, for I have only left you to be in charge of my family."
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Correcting the Misconception of the Non-Sunni Group
The Prophet PBUH said, "Are you not happy that our relationship is like that of Harun and Musa, except that there is no prophet after me (so don't take it literally)." This is one of the evidences the Shia use to say Ali RA should have been the khalifa after the Prophet PBUH. And in response, yes we affirm every single blessing for Ali including this one. But we must also take into account all the other evidence.
This narration alone does not suggest that Ali was indicated to become the next khalifa. Rather, even in this incident, Ali RA was not left in charge of the city. It was Muhammad ibn Maslamah. And Ali RA was chosen because he is within the Ahl al-Bayt. Who will take care of the family of the Prophet PBUH? Of course someone in the family! And Ali RA was married to the daughter of the Prophet PBUH. This is what the Prophet PBUH said: He left Ali to be in charge of his family. Even the context of the narration does not indicate the relationship is a political one; rather it indicates the closeness of the Prophet PBUH with Ali RA. Just like Musa AS and Harun AS were brothers, that's how close the Prophet PBUH is with Ali RA. And that is definitely a blessing we affirm to Ali ibn Abi Talib. Moreover there are many evidences we will come to of the Prophet PBUH as explicitly as possible indicating that Abu Bakr RA was supposed to be the next khalifa.
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Thaniyat al-Wada'
In any case, the Prophet PBUH continued going until he reached a very famous place of Madinah but few are aware. And this is the place of Thaniyat al-Wada'. And what is this place? Thaniya is a hill, and wada' means 'goodbye.' And north of the haram in Madinah, there was a small mount/hill that was used by many to wave goodbye to their families when they would go on a caravan going up north. They would walk with them together until they all climbed up to Thaniyat al-Wada'. Then the family would remain and the others would go on and the people would wave goodbye. Note the famous poem we know did not occur at the Hijrah; when the Prophet PBUH immigrated, the majority of Madinah wasn't Muslim. Plus he came from the south direction. The famous poem happened when the Prophet PBUH came back from Tabuk. The people went out to Thaniyat al-Wada' to welcome the Prophet PBUH back - of course all of Madinah is Muslim so they are all rejoicing the return of the Prophet PBUH.
Now, after the Prophet PBUH passed by the Thaniyat al-Wada', he paused and reorganized the troops; we already said it was the largest number ever assembled, 15,000 to 30,000. So the Prophet PBUH assigned battalions, leaders, sub-leaders, etc. This demonstrates the extreme competence, management skills and organizational skills of the Prophet PBUH, even though he never trained in military school. He assigned leaders to subgroups with flags, etc. al-Waqidi goes into much detail about which leader was assigned with which flag, etc. As usual our Prophet PBUH divided based upon the tribes.
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Is Nationalism Halal?
As usual our Prophet PBUH divided based upon the tribes. Again, no doubt Islam came to eliminate tribalism, yet it is human nature that people of one region, language and ethnicity have the same affinity. Islam does not obliterate those ties. Thus even in battle it is better to have the people you know around you.
In our times, the issues of nationality, etc. - there is nothing wrong with feeling an affinity with people from your background, nation state and culture. You feel an affinity based on nothing but nationality and there is nothing wrong with this.
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So the Prophet PBUH departed out. On the journey a number of things happened, today we'll mention 1 or 2.
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The Story of Mu'adh ibn Jabal RA
One of the things that happened is narrated by Mu'adh ibn Jabal in the Musnad Imam Ahmad. The Musnad of Imam Ahmad is a very large book; the largest present compilation of hadith in our times. It is published in 50 volumes, and this is volume 36, hadith number 22,122. It is a beautiful narration - again the incident of Tabuk has incidents spread throughout, there is no battle like Badr or Uhud. It is narrated that Mu'adh ibn Jabal narrated, "When the Prophet PBUH went out towards Tabuk, after he had prayed Fajr with the people on the way to Tabuk, the people went back on their camels. And when the sun began to rise up, the people began falling asleep on their mounts." So they are getting sleepy. And Mu'adh said he is following the Prophet PBUH, but as the people fell asleep, their camels began splitting up and Mu'adh's camel almost tripped. So Mu'adh said, "I jerked it back with the reigns and it went up and scared the camel of the Prophet PBUH. At this, the camel of the Prophet PBUH ran forward. And the Prophet PBUH was wearing his turban around his face, so he took it off and looked behind to see who has done this. And he saw me."
So the Prophet PBUH said, "Ya Mu'adh!" Mu'adh said, "Labbayka, ya Rasulullah." The Prophet PBUH said, "Come here." So Mu'adh said, "I came close to him, until our saddles were touching one another. And the Prophet PBUH said, "I didn't realize the people are so separated from us," because everyone is here and there. So Mu'adh said, "The people became sleepy and the camels went all around." And it's no big deal, they are all wandering. Allah knows what day this is: Everyone is tired on the way to Tabuk. So the Prophet PBUH said, "I didn't realize the people are so far away" and Mu'adh makes an excuse, "Ya Rasulullah, they fell asleep out of being tired." So the Prophet PBUH said, "And I too was sleeping" so Mu'adh said, "When I saw that I am so close to the Prophet PBUH and there is nobody else except the two of us, I said, 'Ya Rasulullah, give me permission to ask you something.'"
Subhan'Allah the sahaba were waiting for this type of opportunity and look at the adab of Mu'adh. So much manners, that he is all alone with the Prophet PBUH, and they are on a long journey and Mu'adh is so happy that he finally has private time with the Prophet PBUH. So he's asking permission. So Mu'adh says, "Give me permission to ask a question which has caused me to think and ponder until I've become sick." What a beautiful hadith. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Ask whatever you want." So Mu'adh said, "Ya Rasulullah, tell me what I can do to enter Jannah, something only you can tell me."
So Mu'adh is saying, "I have a question, thinking about which has made me sick." He's going crazy with the question, and what is the question?, "What do I need to do to enter Jannah?" So the Prophet PBUH said an expression used to indicate good fortune i.e. 'great,' 'what a noble thing' or 'wow' (but it's not translatable in English). The Prophet PBUH is praising Mu'adh for the question. And the Prophet PBUH said, "You have asked a great matter (three times)." And he said, "And it is an easy thing if Allah wants good for you (three times)." Mu'adh said the Prophet PBUH would always repeat the important things three times. Then Mu'adh said the Prophet PBUH said, "Believe in Allah and the last day, and you offer the salah, and you worship Allah alone, and you do this until you die upon this." So Mu'adh said, "Ya Rasulullah, repeat this for me," so the Prophet PBUH repeated. Then the Prophet PBUH said, "If you want I will inform you about the head of this matter (the most important part), the backbone (pillar) and the crown (jewel) of the matter." So Mu'adh said, "Yes of course, may my mother and father be given in your ransom," and this is how the sahaba addressed the Prophet PBUH. So the Prophet PBUH said, "The head of all of this is the shahada, the backbone is establishing the salah and giving zakat, and the crown Jewels is jihad for the sake of Allah." And remember they are on jihad right now. Then the Prophet PBUH said, "I have been commanded to do qital (fight) of the people until they establish salah, give zakat and testify the shahada, and if they do, then their lives and properties are protected in the rights of Allah."
This hadith is commonly misused by the extremist groups. The fact is the Prophet PBUH said this hadith on the way to Tabuk. So the Prophet PBUH is telling us WHY he is going to Tabuk. Therefore when the Prophet PBUH says, 'al-nas,' this means the 'people' in the context of what he is talking about. Thus the Islamic state is not obliged to be waging war against everyone. That is why the Abbasids and Ottomans had boundaries, and were not always at war with everyone on the outside. Then the Prophet PBUH said, "I swear by the One in whose Hand is my soul, no face becomes tired, no foot becomes dusty in any deed that will raise it higher in Jannah, after the fard salah, like jihad in the way of Allah." So face becoming tired and feet becoming dusty; and again this is being said in the Battle of Tabuk. So it is an encouragement for a legitimate jihad for the sake of Allah. And the Prophet PBUH said, "Nothing makes the scales heavier than spending money on an animal that is in the way of Allah or carrying people in the way of Allah."
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Praying Qasr
So the Prophet PBUH marched towards Tabuk; we don't have an exact date as to when he arrived, but we know he stayed there for 20 days. And he prayed qasr throughout all of this 20 days. This issue is narrated in many hadith. So he prayed two rak'at, never the full four rak'at for the fard prayers. This of course leads to a huge controversy, especially present in early Islam, that how long can you remain a traveler? The majority of scholars in all four madhhabs, they all said, this hadith ONLY applies to the state of war. You cannot extrapolate from this '20 days.' And it is only legitimate when you do not know how many days you will remain at a location. When the enemy might attack at any time. Then you may do qasr for 20 days, or even 6 months. If you are literally on the battlefield, and you don't know when you are going to come back, or when the enemy will attack. Then there is no time limit because every day is uncertain. So the majority opinion is that this narration is irrelevant to the traveler going to London, Toronto, etc. and staying for a fixed amount. Other schools of thought say, "No this hadith shows you can be a traveler for up to 20 days." This is an opinion held outside of the four madhhab.
Ibn Taymiyyah and others held the view there is no time limit for a traveler as long as there is a legitimate reason. Majority scholars say 4 days is the time limit - if you know you will stay more than 4 days, or 21 salah - you cannot do qasr salah. This is the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali position. And the Hanafi position says 15 days (half a month) you may remain as a traveler. The correct opinion in fact is that, there is no particular number of days. Rather, if you are a bona fide traveler in an awkward circumstance, then it can prolong the time limit. If you are not a traveler and even if it's for two days and you are at 'home,' then again you are not a traveler (i.e. if you go to a vacation house).
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Khutbah on the Morning of Tabuk
In any case, the Prophet PBUH arrived at Tabuk and it's reported in one of the books of hadith that the Prophet PBUH gave a khutbah the morning they arrived. This khutbah is reported with a weak chain, but some wordings are reported in authentic chains. And the narration is very beautiful. So let us read the entire khutbah. But note the isnad/chain of narrators are not as preserved as the laws of Islam. So this is one of the seerah narrations, therefore there is no harm in narrating it since we don't derive laws from it, but it gives us a glimpse into the Prophet's PBUH khutbahs. Also, some of the narrations are authentic for sure. So this is a khutbah of the Prophet PBUH, narrated by Uqba ibn Amir.
He says when the sahaba arrived at Tabuk, after they prayed the Fajr prayer, the Prophet PBUH stood up and praised Allah with how He deserves to be praised, then he said, "O people, to proceed." Note it is the sunnah of every khutbah to start by praising Allah, and then saying, 'أما بعد/Amma ba'd' to indicate the praise is over and moving to the actual speech. So 'amma ba'd' is a marker.
"The most truthful of all speech is the book of Allah, and the firmest handhold is the speech of Taqwa (it could mean the actual kalimah or any righteous word). The best of all paths is the path of Ibrahim (Allah says this in the Quran). And the best sunnah (way) is the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH. (Notice you already notice the khutbah is short, sweet and to the point. Every phrase is profound. Each word and sentence you can give an entire lecture about). The best hadith is the dhikr of Allah. The best of all stories are those in the Quran. The best of all deeds are those done with sincerity and dedication. And the worst of all deeds are innovations. And the best guidance is the guidance of the prophets. And the best death is the death of a martyr. And the most blind of blindnesses is to be misguided after Allah has guided you. And the best of deeds is that which benefits you in this world and the next. And the best knowledge is that which is followed. And the worst blindness is the blindness of the heart. And the higher hand is better than the lower hand (being rich is better than poor). And that which is little and suffices you, is better than that which is a lot and distracts you. And the worst excuse is the excuse you give at the time of death. And the most evil of regrets is the regret on the day of Judgement (as Allah says in the Quran, 'on that day every man will feel, but of what use is feeling on that day?') And there are those people who don't come to Jumu'ah at all except on rare occasions. And there are those who don't do dhikr of Allah except rarely. And of the worst of all sins is a lying tongue. And the best richness is the richness of the heart. And the best of all baggage is taqwa. And the pinnacle of wisdom is to fear Allah. And the best thing that settles in the heart is yaqin. And alcohol is the mother of all evils. And women are the forebringers of shaytan (for men). And the worst of all income is the income of interest (riba). And the worst thing to eat is the property of an orphan. And the fortunate person is he who learns from the mistakes of others."
And the hadith goes on. This phrase is in Bukhari: "to curse a believer is a sin, and to fight him is kufr. And to eat of his flesh is backbiting. And the sanctity of his money is like the sanctity of his blood. And whoever asks for forgiveness, Allah will forgive. And whoever controls his anger, Allah will reward. And whoever is patient at a calamity, Allah will give him better than what was taken away. And whoever wants to show off, Allah will show (punishment) through him. And whoever is patient, Allah will give him more. Then the Prophet PBUH concluded, "O Allah, forgive me and my ummah (three times)." So it's a beautiful narration that highlights the khutbahs of the Prophet PBUH.
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Sealing the Northern Barrier Against the Romans
What else happened during the 20 days the Prophet PBUH was at Tabuk? The khutbah happened on the first day. Of the things that happened of a political nature, he sent Khalid ibn al-Walid with around 100 sahaba on a mini expedition to one of the neighboring tribes in that region of Tabuk in a small area called Dawmat al-Jandal, up north close to the Syrian border. There was a very famous tribe, one of the largest in Arabia (from Yemen), the tribe of Kinda. It was a Christian Arab tribe, and they were one of the most prestigious tribes and they had a strong relationship with the emperor of Rome. And they were known for their bravery and warriorship, and also they were one of the few tribes whose chieftain was called a king (malik). So the Prophet PBUH sent Khalid and said, "You will find the chieftain (named Ukaydir) away from his entourage in the midst of some cows." So the Prophet PBUH is picturing this bizarre scene; however, as he said it, it so happened.
On one evening Ukaydir was in his palace when his herd of cows came to the door of the palace and began barging against it all night long. And his wife got fed up and said, "You have to stop this." So Ukaydir said, "Okay I'll take care of it" - he then went himself with some servants to take the cows out. Lo and behold Khalid ibn al-Walid with 350 sahaba come and find the king in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of cows and a few servants. So he is captured and brought in front of the Prophet PBUH - he doesn't convert, but he agrees to break off his relationship with the Romans, pay the jizya to the Prophet PBUH, and NOT attack the Muslims. This was one of the big successes during Tabuk.
Similarly 3-4 other tribe leaders agreed to such conditions and hence the entire northern barrier was sealed against the Romans. And perhaps this was the greatest political wisdom for why Allah willed Tabuk. There is a huge army siting in Tabuk; people like Ukaydir and others cannot fight it. Thus when they see this massive army, a number of northern tribes basically decided it's in their best interest to break off their ties with Rome and pay the jizya to the Prophet PBUH. When they were camped at Tabuk, Ukaydir sent gifts to the army to show his loyalty in alliance. And it is said he sent the Prophet PBUH a shawl the likes of which they had never seen. And there was even gold threading on it. And the Prophet PBUH wore this beautiful cloth, and the sahaba were amazed at how beautiful the shawl was.
According to one narration the sahaba were walking around it in awe and amazement. Again we must understand the poverty of the Arabs, especially in the Hejaz area was very high. They didn't even have water other than zamzam. The Hejaz Arabs were importing everything; they don't have a civilization. Even the currency they were using was Roman/Persian. So they are seeing amazing 'tailor made' suits. So the Prophet PBUH said, "You are impressed with this? For wallahi, the handkerchief that Sa'd ibn Mu'adh has in Jannah is more precious than this entire shawl you are seeing."
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Establishing Treaties
It's also said the Prophet PBUH established a treaty with another northern tribe king, and the king sent him gifts. Many other local tribes also made peace treaties with the Prophet PBUH.
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The Famous Incident of Heraclius Quizzing the Prophet PBUH Through a Messenger
We conclude with one of the most beautiful stories of the seerah that took place at Tabuk. This story is found in the musnad books; the books of seerah briefly mention it, however it's found more in the books of hadith. We find it in Musnad of Imam Ahmad, hadith 15,655 (volume 24). And this is the famous incident of Heraclius testing the Prophet PBUH through a messenger. The hadith is narrated by Sa'id ibn Abi Rashid, "There was a man from the tribe of Tanukh, so he was called the Tanukhi, from Hims (Homs, Syria). He was a neighbor of mine, very old, having reached nearly 100 years old. So I asked him, 'Please tell me the story of the letter that was sent to the Prophet PBUH from Heraclius." So this tabi', Sa'id ibn Abi Rashid said he met the man, and in another version he said he met the man in the church of Hims. So the Tanukhi said, "Yes I will tell you. The Prophet PBUH came to Tabuk so he sent Dihyah al-Kalbi to Heraclius." Note this is the second letter to Heraclius. He already sent one before (the story with Abu Sufyan). "When the messenger (Dihyah) came to Heraclius, he called the priests of Rome all together and he locked the door. And he said to them, 'You have seen the status of this man and his affairs (i.e. look at how much he's conquered). And he's now sent me a letter inviting me to one of three things:
1. Either follow his religion
2. Pay the jizya and we keep our lands
3. We fight him
And Hiraqal (Heraclius) says, "You know from what we've read from our scriptures that he will eventually control what is under our feet. So why don't we follow him and his religion now? Or if you refuse, at least let's have peace with him and give him the money," i.e. Hiraqal is saying he is a true prophet. When the priests heard this, they all bolted and rushed to the door to tell the people Hiraqal is willing to give up Christianity. Remember it's a religious figurehead - to this day, the king/queen is the head of the church. Back then it was a God given right: As the head of a political system you are appointed by God to defend the church. So to even suggest he will become a Muslim is too much for them to handle. So they said, "Are you saying you will give up Christianity, and become servants to the Bedouins to Hejaz?" When Hiraqal saw they won't give in, he said to them, "This was only a test, I am testing you to see how firm you are."
Then Hiraqal called one of the Arabs of his entourage, and he said to him, "Find me a man who speaks Arabic, and is a good messenger. I want to send a book to this man (the Prophet PBUH)." So this Arab of his entourage brought the Tanukhi to Hiraqal. And Hiraqal gave the Tanukhi a parchment and said, "Take this to that man (The Prophet PBUH) and whatever you forget of his speech in conversation, just memorize three things:
1. Check that, does he mention the letters that he wrote to me?
2. When he reads this letter of mine, see if he will mention anything to do with night and darkness.
3. See on his back if there is something that causes you to be alarmed (the Seal of the Prophethood)."
So from this we learn there are three signs mentioned in the classical Christian books about the Prophet PBUH. So the Tanukhi said, "I went with this message until I arrived at Tabuk." And he sees the Prophet PBUH at Tabuk. And the Prophet PBUH was sitting amongst all of his companions at the well of Tabuk. "When I saw all of them there, I asked, 'Where is your leader?'" And the sahaba said, "Over there." So the Tanukhi said, "I went walking towards him until I sat down and gave him the book. So he put it aside, and he (the Prophet PBUH) said, 'Where are you from?' I said, 'From the tribe of Tanukh.' So he said, 'Why don't you embrace Islam, the hanifiyyah, the millah of your father Ibrahim?' So the Tanukhi said, 'I am an ambassador of a nation, and my people have their religion (Christianity). And I will not embrace another religion as an ambassador, rather I will go back and think about this matter.'"
So the Prophet PBUH laughed and recited, "You do not guide those whom you love, rather Allah guides those whom he pleases." Then the Prophet PBUH said, "Oh you people of Tanukh, I wrote a letter to the Kisra of Persia, and he ripped it apart. So Allah will rip his kingdom apart. And I wrote a letter to the Najashi, and he ripped it apart, so Allah will rip his kingdom apart. And I wrote my letter to your companion (Heraclius), and he kept it safe, and so people will continue to see his strength as long as there is good in the people."
We all know the story of Kisra and he tore it up. As for the Najashi, we need to realize this is not the Najashi of Abyssinia. He died, and the Prophet PBUH prayed salah over him. Then the Prophet PBUH sent another letter to his son, and his son tore that letter up. And the magnificent kingdom of the Abyssinian empire dissolved. And we still have to this day their remnants - there was a civil war, and it's as the Prophet PBUH said: Allah tore his kingdom up. So the Tanukhi said, "This is the first of the three signs." And he said, "I took out an arrow from my quiver, and I carved out on the parchment (to not forget the first point)." Then he said to the Prophet PBUH, "Who is your secretary that will read to you?" So the Prophet PBUH said, "Muawiyah," and so he was called and he read the letter. Inside the letter there was a question Heraclius is sending to the Prophet PBUH. In it he said, "You pretend to invite me to a heaven that is as broad as the heaven and earth, so if that is the case, where then is hell?" This is the trick question being asked of the Prophet PBUH.
So our Prophet PBUH said, "Subhan'Allah, where does the night go when the day comes?" Question 2 has been answered. So the Tanukhi said, "This is the second" so he scribes down on his leather parchment the second thing is done. Then the Prophet PBUH said, "You are an ambassador, and you have a right over us, and if we had something to give you we would give you but right now I am in travel and I don't have anything." So the Prophet PBUH is excusing himself; indeed the ambassador deserves something for his travels. The Prophet PBUH is conforming to the political custom of the time, but he is saying, "I can't give you a gift because we are on travel." So someone stood up and said, "Ya Rasulullah I'll give him a gift," and the sahaba gifted a yellow garment to the Tanukhi.
The narrator asked, "Who gave you the gift?" and the Tanukhi says, "It was Uthman ibn Affan." So the Prophet PBUH then said, "Who amongst you will host this man?" - one of the Ansar stood up and said, "Me." So the Tanukhi stayed with the Ansari for the night. When it was time for him to go back the next day, he stood up to leave and the Prophet PBUH said, "Come here oh person of Tanukh," so I came rushing towards him until when I was standing in front of him, he pulled back his garment and said, 'Come and look at what your master told you to look at.'" So the Tanukhi said, "I went behind him and I saw a seal in between the two shoulder blades like a circular ball (type of hair - small as a pigeon's egg in a non-typical color). And so the Tanukh had all three signs and he went back to his home. And it indeed is a truly beautiful story of the seerah.