Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 92 - Battle of Tabuk 5 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 15th October 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 92 - Battle of Tabuk 5 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 15th October 2014
We will aim to finish the main events of the Battle of Tabuk, and next time we will revise Surah al-Tawba with regards to Tabuk. We discussed many episodes and today we'll continue with what happened during the 20 days the Prophet PBUH was at Tabuk, and what happened on the way back.
Recap
We know from Bukhari he prayed the qasr salah for all of those 20 days. And in the area of Tabuk there was a small pool of water, and the Prophet PBUH told the sahaba, "Do not touch the water." And how many people were in Tabuk? We don't know the exact amount but it's reported to be 10,000 or 20,000 up to 30,000. Of these, one or two of them used the water of Tabuk before the Prophet PBUH arrived. When he arrived he was angry at them and rebuked them for disobeying him. Nonetheless the Prophet PBUH took some water in his hand, gargled it and spit it back in the pool. And that caused the water to come all the way to the brim, and the army was able to feed itself throughout the time they were there. It is said there is still a pool to this day in that area of Tabuk; they know the exact location where the Prophet PBUH camped, they built a masjid over there called 'Masjid al-Tawba.' And there is a well that is the exact same well the Prophet PBUH used.
As we said there was no battle - so what can we discuss? Many small instances and hadith the Prophet PBUH said. For 20 days when he was there, he gave lots of small khutbahs and the books of seerah have recorded them.
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Instances of the Content of the Sermons of the Prophet PBUH
One day the Prophet PBUH stood up after salah and said, "Today Allah has given me five things that He hasn't given anyone before me:
1. I have been sent to all of mankind and those before me were only sent to their people
2. I have been helped by Allah to the distance of a month's journey that the enemy will be frightened of me (i.e. the people were so terrified the tribes of Ghassanids and the Romans didn't show up even though it took a month for the Muslims to arrive).
3. Ghanima is halal for me, but not those before me. We know from the hadith that before the Prophet PBUH, Allah would send a lightning bolt from heaven in front of the people's eyes and nothing would be left. This was a sign their deed was accepted. But the Prophet PBUH said, "No other prophet was allowed ghanima except me."
4. The whole earth has been made a masjid, so whatever person of my ummah happens to have to pray, he may do the ablution and pray wherever he is. Whereas the previous ummah could only pray in the houses of worship (indeed the Jews to this day cannot pray except in the Synagogue, and they have much more stricter purification rules that the water has to be running, etc. For us any water is fine and if we don't have water, we can do masah i.e. tayammum. This is why the Prophet PBUH said, "Anywhere in the world you have your tahur and masjid.")
5. What is the fifth one? Allah told me to ask what I want, and I decided to save my request for YOU until the day of Judgement; so any of you who says 'la ilaha illaLlah' will get this fifth one (the special intercession of the Prophet PBUH that his ummah will eventually enter Jannah)."
He also announced predictions, that the Muslims shall inherit the empires of Rome and Persia and this is exactly what happened. And note at this moment in Tabuk the Prophet PBUH is closest to Rome and Persia than he ever was. And so he announces, "Allah has promised the treasures of Rome and Persia."
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Mu'jiza and Karamat That Happened During the Expedition
Of the miracles that happened in the journey to Tabuk, during their stay and on the way back, was that the army ran out of food due to their huge numbers. So the Prophet PBUH made special du'a for water, and whatever food they had lasted all of their time during Tabuk. And this miracle of increasing food and water is a standard constant miracle the Prophet PBUH brought. It happened explicitly at least two dozen times; in the Battle of Tabuk alone it happened four or five times as reported in many narrations, that the sahaba complained there is nothing left, the Prophet PBUH makes du'a to Allah and Allah provides. In one occasion it's narrated the water came right out of his fingers (narrated in Hudaybiyyah as well). We also have a narration in the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd that some of the sahaba got lost and they couldn't find their way back to camp. So Allah gave them a karamat (a mini miracle). The prophets receive mu'jiza (miracles) whereas non-prophets can be given karamats. What happened is the sahabi said his fingers began to glow in the dark, and so he used them as a torch to find his way back. The Prophet PBUH also did other miracles in terms of predictions.
Of other miracles, it's narrated in Bukhari the Prophet PBUH predicted, "Count six things before the Day of Judgement:
1. "My death"
2. "The conquest of Bayt al-Maqdis" (and this happened less than 2 years after the death of the Prophet PBUH)
3. "Two plagues that will eliminate you (in the time of Umar RA there was a serious plague, and other commentators guess what plagues they are. Allah knows if they've happened or will happen in the future)"
4. "You will be given lots of money, so much so that a person will be given 100 dinars (more than the annual income for sahaba) and he will be irritated and angry"
5. "A fitna (trial) that no house of the Arabs (Muslims) will be unaffected by it."
So there will be a major calamity that will affect the entire ummah. What is it? People in our times say it's happening now, but Allah knows best. We may guess, but it's not our right to apply a specific prediction of the Prophet PBUH to a specific event in time. The current scholars however say the current crisis of the ummah really is something that is a trial for the ummah.
6. "You will have a truce between yourselves and the Bani Asfar (Romans)."
Other hadith tell us details that there will be a common enemy between the Romans and Muslims. Then the hadith goes on, "Then the Romans will be treacherous and break the treaty, and they'll come and fight you under 80 flags - this will be at the very end of time." This war at the end of time are predictions you can find in various hadith and even the Bible.
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The Great Honor of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf RA
Another incident that occurred in these 20 nights was a great honor for Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and that is that the Prophet PBUH prayed behind him. And he is only one of two sahaba whom the Prophet PBUH prayed behind in his lifetime. Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba narrates, "The Prophet PBUH woke up to use the restroom before Fajr, so he went away from the people. The sahabi narrating the hadith said he took water and a spear to put his cloak on it (to provide shelter). "And so when he came back I poured the water for him and he washed his face and hands. And he tried to wash his elbows but his sleeves were too long." So the Prophet PBUH was wearing a jubba which had big heavy arms. So the sahaba said the Prophet PBUH put his hands inside and lifted the sleeves up. This shows we cannot be lazy in doing wudu. Each and every limb has to be touched by water. And as for the masah, Mughira said, "He put his fingers inside his turban, and then wiped over the turban." So masah (tayammum) is allowed for the turban; similarly women are allowed to do masah over their hijab. If a man is wearing a turban (not a topi) they may do masah. Then Mughira said, "I bent down to take his shoes off but the Prophet PBUH said, 'Leave them on for I wore them while I was in a state of tahara,'" so the Prophet PBUH did masah over his shoes. Then they walk back to the campsite but lo and behold the sahaba have begun Salah al-Fajr because the Prophet PBUH took some time.
And so the Prophet PBUH stood at the end of the line, and it was dark but people began to recognize him and the commotion spread. That the Prophet PBUH is THERE. Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf understood the Prophet PBUH is there, so he took a step back but the Prophet PBUH motioned to him to remain. So the Prophet PBUH completed the salah, behind Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and he missed a rakat so he and Mughira stood up to read the missed rakat. This is the only time the Prophet PBUH prayed behind a sahabi.
Note this didn't happen intentionally - they were waiting for the Prophet PBUH but he didn't come. But the sahaba knew the salah is SO important that they didn't even delay it for the Prophet PBUH. That really underscores the status of salah. We are lazy in our salah; imagine even the Prophet PBUH, the sahaba knew he was going to come but the time for Fajr was going so they decide to pray. Even though the Prophet PBUH was going to come shortly. This also shows us the blessing of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. At the end of the day he is one of the 10 promised Jannah, and he is an early convert, and his status is similar to that of Umar, Uthman and Ali RA. So he was considered to be of that elite circle, and so he was nominated to lead the jama'ah. As for Abu Bakr RA, when the Prophet PBUH felt sick he ordered Abu Bakr to lead. For around one week Abu Bakr led the salah; one day, when Abu Bakr was leading the Prophet PBUH walked out. And he sat next to Abu Bakr, and when Abu Bakr saw the Prophet PBUH was there, he took a step back. But the Prophet PBUH motioned to him that, "Stay where you are." But Abu Bakr STILL disobeyed the Prophet PBUH and took a step back, and the Prophet PBUH then was forced to come up. The Prophet PBUH said to him, "Why did you disobey me?" Abu Bakr said, "It is not allowed for the son of Abu Quhafa to lead the Prophet PBUH in salah," so the disobedience was out of love and respect, so technically he never led the Prophet PBUH is salah. So Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf was the ONLY human ever who led a prophet in salah. This happened in one of the Fajr salahs during the 20 days at Tabuk.
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Burial of Abdullah Dhu al-Bijadayn RA
Ibn Mas'ud reports that, "One night I woke up, and I saw a fire in the distance around the Prophet PBUH, Abu Bakr and Umar. I went to see what was there and behold Abdullah Dhu al-Bijadayn had died." Dhu al-Bijadayn means 'the One With the Two Coarse Garments.' His story is that, when he converted his tribe refused to give him anything. They just kicked him out. So he left only wearing one garment, when he got to Madinah he was so embarrassed he tore the one garment he had into two to try and cover his body, and thus he was known as 'the One With the Two Garments.' And it just so happened he died that night. As so the Prophet PBUH, Abu Bakr and Umar were doing janazah salah over him. This shows us it is halal to bury someone at night; we see it here and we see it in the lady who used to clean the masjid so it's permissible to bury at night if that is what the situation dictates. And Ibn Mas'ud narrates the Prophet PBUH himself went into the grave, and he said to Abu Bakr and Umar, "Hand him to me," and so they handed Abdullah Dhu al-Bijadayn, and as the Prophet PBUH was filling the grave he said, "O Allah, I am pleased with this servant of yours, so you as well be pleased with him." Ibn Mas'ud said, "How I wish I would be the dead person in that grave right now." And this shows us the care and concern the Prophet PBUH had for all the sahaba. This isn't an elite sahaba, we don't know anything about him. But the fact that the leader of the army is waking up at night and personally burying him, what will that do to the morale of the troops? When they see the Prophet PBUH himself in the grave and with his bare hands filling it up, this builds an unparalleled enthusiasm in the sahaba.
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Fiqh: Washing Limbs Once
We also have many fiqh issues from Tabuk. In the books of hadith regarding many things you find, 'In the Battle of Tabuk...' or, 'During the Battle of Tabuk...' because many things happened at Tabuk. For example one sahaba said, "I saw during Tabuk the Prophet PBUH do wudu only 'once once.'" So we learn it's permissible to do wudu once. Water was scarce at the Tabuk, so we see that it is permissible to only wash the limbs once.
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Fiqh: Salah During Travel
We also learn the Prophet PBUH would always pray with a sutrah, and he always took a sutrah. Sometimes he would shove a spear on the ground; other times he would put the saddle of the camel on the ground. One of the sahaba asked him, "Ya Rasulullah how much should the sutrah be?" The Prophet PBUH said, "It should be as large as the saddle of a camel," i.e. something visible that will stop people. We also learn from Tabuk the Prophet PBUH combined ALL of the salah on the way going and on the way back. And that in Tabuk for 20 days he did qasr (every four rak'at is made into two) but he didn't combine. This shows us the sunnah is that you only combine salahs during the actual travel. And when you get to your destination you stop combining and you pray each salah individually but do qasr. The Prophet PBUH did that at the Conquest of Makkah as well. On the way going and coming back, the Prophet PBUH combined Zuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha - but in Makkah and in Tabuk he never combined salahs. This is a common negligence/misunderstanding that is against the sunnah of the Prophet PBUH. He never ever combined when he was at a temporary location. He only combined during the actual journey. Once you get to your destination you do qasr. How long? We discussed before; one opinion is 20 days based on Tabuk. The strongest is that there is no set number of days. It goes back to your own state of affairs. Are you travelling or are you semi settled, etc.? The majority opinion is four days and there's no problem with sticking with this.
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Fiqh: Tanning the Skin of a Dead Animal
Also in Tabuk the Prophet PBUH passed by a dead animal so he said to the sahaba, "Why don't you benefit from this animal?" The sahaba said, "It's najis (impure) how can we benefit from it?" He said, "When you tan the skin, the skin become pure." So the majority position is the carcass of an animal is impure and the meat is always haram, but you can benefit from the skin of a dead animal IF you tan it. This is also fiqh from Tabuk.
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As for the political side: Treaties, he sent letters to Heraclius, etc. which we've covered before.
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Passing By the Valleys of Thamud
On the way back what happened? A number of incidents. Firstly, the Prophet PBUH passed by al-Hijr, the place of Thamud and the people of Saleh. To this day that area is well known. And those houses are still there. Now, Thamud dates back thousands of years. Their houses, and even the well the camel used is still there to this day. Why? Their houses weren't built of wood, their houses were carved into their mountains. We don't know HOW that was done. But we can still see their houses, and this is something that predates Ibrahim AS. It's of the ancient civilizations. You can walk into the mountains and literally see the rooms and chambers, and even beds which have been carved into the wall. So the Prophet PBUH passed by al-Hijr, and the people began rushing in to go and see what's inside. The Prophet PBUH commanded them to come back by saying, "الصلاة جامعة/al-salatu jami'ah" as he normally did. The Prophet PBUH would use this phrase other than the adhan to gather the people. This is also what is said for the Eid prayer, "al-salatu jami'ah."
And he PBUH said to them, "Why would you want to enter upon a people whom Allah's wrath came down upon?" So they said, "We are amazed at that, O Messenger of Allah," to which the Prophet PBUH replied, "Should I not tell you something more amazing than that? A man from amongst you who is informing you about what happened, and what will happen," i.e. 'your Prophet is more amazing than the remnants of the azab of the people of Saleh.' "So be firm, for Allah will not lose anything by punishing you." And he also said, "Do not enter in upon a people who wronged themselves and were punished for fear you will be punished how they will be punished, unless you are crying as you go in." And the Prophet PBUH covered himself with his turban, lowered his head and rushed through the valley without pausing.
And as the sahaba went through, some of them went to the wells which still had water in them. So they used water and they took it out. When the Prophet PBUH heard of this, he forbade them and said, "Any water you've collected give it to the animals." Some of them mixed the water with dough to make bread, but the Prophet PBUH said, "Do not eat that bread, give it to the animals." From this the books of fiqh mention you cannot do wudu from 'punished' water, and especially the water from the valleys of Thamud. It's a valley of punishment so we should not go over there. And he also said to them, "Do not ask Allah for miracles, because the people of Saleh asked (but they cut off the ligament of the camel)." And he told them, "The camel would come from there and go from there," and he said, "The camel would drink their water one day (and this is in the Quran)" - the entire city's water would be drunk by the camel in one day. Of course the miracle was that this huge camel was carved in front of their eyes. Allah is showing them, "You think you are powerful carving rooms into mountains; I can create life from a mountain," and in front of their eyes the camel literally walked out of the wall. And it was a massive giant camel; even though they saw that Sign, they disobeyed. It was so big the hadith says the camel would drink the water one day, and the next day it would feed the whole city with milk. But they still cut off its ligament, and, "So Allah sent upon them the sayha (loud sound) that silenced all of them under the heavens."
When the sahaba passed through the valley it was night time so they camped there, and the Prophet PBUH told them, "Do not leave your tents at night, unless you have a companion with you." Some reports mention the Prophet PBUH predicted a storm would come. Two sahaba disobeyed the command and went out; the both of them were inflicted with illnesses. The first of them went a bit mad and the Prophet PBUH made du'a for him and he was cured. The second it's said the winds took him to a far away mountain, and he had to make his own way back to Madinah later on.
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The Barakah of the Du'a of the Prophet PBUH
Another incident mentioned on the way back was that their supplies were diminishing, the water they took from Tabuk was very low and the animals were withering. So they began to complain, "Ya Rasulullah do something. Our animals cannot carry us." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Bring your animals to me." So the sahaba brought them; the Prophet PBUH lined them up and patted on them and said, "O Allah, cause these animals to carry those who are in your path, for you are the One who carries on animals that are weak and strong, and that which is wet and dry, and over the land and ocean." The narrator of the hadith is Fudala who said, "By the time we got back to Madinah, our animals were so strong and energetic that we had to struggle with them to pull them back. And I would say to myself, this is the du'a of the Prophet PBUH, he made it for the wet and dry - I understand. But how about the land and ocean?" Then he said, "It came to pass we conquered Syria. And after that we went to conquer Cyprus (in the time of Muawiyah)" so Fudala said, "I was there, and when I saw all of the ships, I realized this is the du'a of the Prophet PBUH." Because what was the du'a? The Prophet PBUH said, "Carry the people on the land and in the sea." Subhan'Allah. Fudala saw with his own eyes the reality of the du'a.
Also on the way back they ran out of water again. So the Prophet PBUH made du'a for rain. So that night it rained and poured so much. And in the morning after Fajr the Prophet PBUH gave a famous khutbah reported in Bukhari that, "Allah said, 'Some of my servants woke up this morning believing in me and rejected me.'" How so? Some of the hypocrites said regarding the rain, "This is not a miracle." What did they say?, "This is because of the blessings of a star." They believed in zodiac type signs, and it happened to be on the day of a particular star so they believed the rain came from the star. So one of the hypocrites said, "It rained because we are in the time of that good luck star." So he said this to trivialize the du'a of the Prophet PBUH. So at Fajr the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah has said, 'Today, some of you woke up believing in me, others have rejected me. As for those who have said rain has fallen because of Allah they believe in me. As for those who have said rain has fallen because of a particular star, they are believers in the star and rejectors of me.'"
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On Ascribing Independent Blessings to Other Than Allah SWT
The above hadith is very important in theology - it shows us we do NOT ascribe blessings to other than Allah. If we ascribe independent blessings to other than Allah, this is major shirk. To believe a star gives you your food, or a stone is a 'good luck charm,' this is major shirk. To wear a talisman and say, 'This will protect me' - all of this goes under the issue of good luck and bad luck which we don't believe in. Believing in charms and amulets is disbelieving in Allah. Note if what you are wearing is Quran, the scholars have differed as to its permissibility. It cannot be shirk because the Quran is the speech of Allah and isn't separate from Allah. But some scholars have said it is not appropriate to wear the Quran out of respect. No one has said it is a theological problem, but out of respect it shouldn't be done. As for seeking refuge in the Quran, yes this is allowed because the Quran is the speech of Allah and the speech of Allah is an attribute of Allah. Essentially it's allowed to seek barakah from the Quran, but practically scholars have said it is disrespectful to the Quran to i.e. put it in a glove compartment.
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The Prophet PBUH Only Knows What Allah Told Him
On the way back another incident occurred wherein the munafiqun were getting irritated. The Prophet's PBUH camel was not to be found and so he sent the sahaba who went out to find it. One of the hypocrites said, "This is a man who thinks he is a prophet, and he tells you that wahy comes from the heavens, but he doesn't even know where his camel is." He said this far away from the Prophet PBUH, but it so happened that one of the people that shared the tent with him was with the Prophet PBUH at the time. So the Prophet PBUH stands up and says, "Some of you have said such and such." The man is on the other side of the army, Allah has told the Prophet PBUH what's been said. So the Prophet PBUH said, "Wallahi I am a human and I only know what Allah tells me. And Allah has just told me my camel is stuck in such a valley and its harness has caught a tree. So go get the camel." So the sahaba went and brought the camel back. This man standing next to the Prophet PBUH goes back to his entourage and tells them the entire story, and one of the other people tells him, "This is the guy who said it (pointing to the munafiq)." So the sahabi gets enraged and he kicks the person out from the army. This is another mini miracle that took place - and this again shows us, does the Prophet PBUH know the unseen? No. He himself said, "I am only a human and Allah has told me...."
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Certain Things Are Off Limits for Jokes
Another sad incident of the munafiqun occurred as well, for which Allah revealed verses, is that a group of munafiqun began laughing and joking too much beyond what was appropriate. They said completely inappropriate statements, "The Prophet PBUH is telling us we are getting to Rome and Persia. Who is he?" (Note: Wallahi it is truly bizarre and a miracle that to this day, historians do not understand how the Sassanid Empire just disappeared within 5-10 years. After 700 years of being a superpower, within 5 years the entire empire disappears and becomes an Islamic state. As for Rome, the empire was carved into half and given to Islam. And the Muslims got the better half including Alexandria which was the educational superpower of the world. It was full of prestige. Amr ibn al-As with 4000 people conquered the entire strip of Northern Africa. But these aren't happening yet during the Expedition of Tabuk.) So the munafiqun are mocking these prophecies. Another said, "Look at these people around us, they recite the Quran but they are fat and cowards." And so one of the sahaba overheard this and said, "You are lying, O enemy of Allah, and I will tell the Prophet PBUH what you said." So the sahabi began galloping to get to the front of the army to tell the Prophet PBUH, but by the time he got there, the Prophet PBUH was already in wahy. You could see his eyes were down and the sahaba knew wahy was happening. When the sahabi rushed to the Prophet PBUH, the munafiq behind him rushed as well to try and make up an excuse out of fear; meanwhile wahy is coming down, and before the sahabi could get to the Prophet PBUH and explain to him, the wahy finished and the Prophet PBUH began reciting what Allah revealed.
That, "The munafiqun are terrified that Allah will reveal something that will expose what is in their hearts." The munafiq jumps off the camel to show remorse and humbleness, and comes running to the Prophet PBUH and he thinks the sahabi has told already what he said, so he blurts out what he is going to say; as he blurts out what he will say, the Prophet PBUH is reciting the Quran, and the Quran quotes the munafiq before he even speaks. Wallahi the most amazing scene. That, "If you were to ask them why they are saying this, they will say, 'We are only laughing and having a good time.' Say, "Are you laughing and joking about Allah and His Messenger?'" It's an amazing story, the man is saying, "We were only joking," and as he is saying it, the Prophet PBUH is reciting Quran which quotes him exactly. And without even looking at the man, the Prophet PBUH goes on and Allah is saying (Surah al-Tawba verse 66):
لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا قَدْ كَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ
"Don't give me your excuses - you have committed kufr after your Iman." [9:66]
And the sahabi said, "I saw this munafiq running behind the camel of the Prophet PBUH, holding on to the stirrup and being dragged; and the Prophet PBUH would not even look at him. He just kept on repeating, 'Don't give me your excuses - you have committed kufr after your Iman.'" This is a very important lesson for us, that yes we believe in something called decency and sanctity. Yes, certain things are off limits for jokes. In fact the Quran says very clearly, "Do not make fun of their false Gods" - not only making fun of Allah and His Messengers, but even making fun of a false gods we don't believe in is forbidden. To mock or ridicule is completely haram; if that is for a false gods, how about Allah? One of the actions of kufr is to make fun of Allah and His Messenger. It's impossible for a heart of Iman to make fun of Allah. Therefore if anyone does this and wants to be forgiven they have to re-accept Islam. In other words, they are NOT Muslims. Allah is very explicit that when you make fun of Allah and His Messenger, you commit kufr.
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The Hypocrites' Attempt to Assassinate the Prophet PBUH
Therefore one of the most bizarre plots of the entire seerah of the munafiqun occurred after this incident. Some of them, it is said around 14, actually attempted to assassinate the Prophet PBUH. It seems to be a spur of the moment thing they tried and obviously failed in. When the Prophet PBUH was travelling at night, he seemed to have separated and went on top of a cliff. So his camel along with some sahaba were at a dangerous location. Ammar ibn Yasir was there along with Hudhayfah. So they narrate that, "In the middle of the night we see around 14-15 bandits with their faces covered; they came and charged the camel of the Prophet PBUH." Ammar and Hudhayfah didn't know what was going on, the Prophet PBUH took some evasive action and went down quickly into the valley, so the bandits fled away. The Prophet PBUH said, "Do you know who they were?" The sahaba said, "No." The Prophet PBUH said, "They were of the munafiqun, they wanted to throw me off the edge of the cliff." And so the Prophet PBUH was protected by Allah; most of the sahaba didn't hear of this event and the Prophet PBUH just moved on.
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Returning to Madinah Via Thaniyat al-Wada'
The Prophet PBUH finally returns back to Madinah after almost 50-60 days, maybe even three months. Here is where in Sahih Bukhari we learn that one of the sahaba said, "I was one of the children who ran outside to Thaniyat al-Wada' to welcome the Prophet PBUH." And as we have explained before, Thaniya is a "mount" or "hill," and Wada' is "goodbye." Thaniyat al-Wada' was the hill located towards the north of Madinah, and it's the place where the families would walk with the travelers. When they got to Thaniyat al-Wada' that is where they would embrace, say goodbye and watch the travelers go. In Bukhari we learn they went to Thaniyat al-Wada.'
In Bayhaqi's Dala'il al-Nubuwwah (book of miracles) we learn the women and children all went outside singing the famous poem we know. The biggest misconception is that this poem was said when the Prophet PBUH came to Madinah for the first time at the Hijrah. This is completely wrong for several reasons - the simplest one is Thaniyat al-Wada' is up north, but the Prophet PBUH came into Madinah from Quba which is directly opposite i.e. south. So it's not possible they are saying this poem and he is coming from Makkah. The poem is, "The sun has come up to us from Thaniyat al-Wada'" i.e. he is coming from up north. So this poem was said at the incident of Tabuk, not at the Hijrah. Also, when the Prophet PBUH immigrated, most of the city was not Muslim yet, whereas in Tabuk 100% are Muslim. And the Prophet PBUH returned to his masjid, prayed two rak'at, and almost immediately he began accepting delegations of the people who stayed behind, including Ka'b.
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The Wisdom of the Expedition of Tabuk
We conclude with discussing the primary benefit of the entire Incident of Tabuk. Allah knows best and as we've said, this is a big mystery: Why did the Prophet PBUH go to Tabuk? The only real answer is that Allah told him as a test and trial, and this makes sense from the Quran where Allah says in Surah al-Tawba, "Go ahead and fight," and, "O people, what is the matter with you when Allah says go and you do not?" Perhaps it was to prepare them for the death of the Prophet PBUH and the immediate conquests to come right after. And the first conquest was in the same direction; so it's as if they are being led by the Prophet PBUH to the very place and land which within a year they will go again and fight. That is why at Tabuk the Prophet PBUH tells the sahaba, "After my death you will conquest Bayt al-Maqdis."
So what appears to be the most obvious wisdom: the Prophet PBUH is about to pass away in a year. This is the final expedition and there is no war or threat. Why? Because it was the most difficult expedition merely to participate in. Just to leave everything, leave the crops, the family, etc. and go for one month's journey - if you can do that, then the fighting is easier. So it was a test from Allah and the sahaba passed the test. One can say the presence of the Prophet PBUH solidified some of the tribes, which is true, but it doesn't make sense to bring 20,000 people just to make peace treaties with small tribes of 500. The wisdom therefore is what will happen in a year - when larger armies will go up north, follow the same path and actually fight for Islam. The Prophet PBUH led them first - next time they will do it on their own. On his deathbed when the Prophet PBUH is about to die, what does he do? He prepares the army of Usama ibn Zayd to go up north - and indeed the very first land that was conquered was al-Sham.