Battle of Tabuk: Difference between revisions

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One day, a Nabataean merchant said that Heraclius, then the Roman king, had prepared a great army by convincing some Arab tribes like: Lakhm, Judham, Ghassan, and 'Amila. Forefront troops had already camped in Balqa', northern Tabuk; and the Roman king was in Hims. In other accounts, without mentioning this story, it's only been reported that [[the Prophet (s)]] left Medina to fight Romans. [[Al-Ya'qubi]] believes the aim of the Prophet (s) in this military expedition had been to take the revenge for murdering [[Ja'far b. Abi Talib]].

After the Prophet (s) revealed his intentions to fight Romans, some of the [[Sahaba]] (his companions), specially the [[Munfiqun]] (the hypocrites) refused to join the army or tried to weaken the morale of other soldiers. It can be assumed that the great emphasis on going to this military expedition had been more a tactic of the Prophet (s) to expose some of Munafiqun and the reality behind their activities in Medina, than a response to a Roman threat.

 

There are historical indications that may support this view, such as: the extensive efforts of Munafiqun to weaken the morale of Muslim soldiers, embattling of [['Abd Allah b. Ubay]] forces against the Muslim Army and based on one account, an attempt on the Prophet's life on his way back from Tabuk by some of Munafiqun.

[[The Prophet (s)]] wanted to hasten the formation of the army but there were problems such as the hot weather, long distance and the poverty of some of the companions; to the point that this expedition has been referred to as: Jaysh al-'Usr (the army of hardship). That is why the Prophet (s), unlike other military expeditions, clearly explained his intentions and aims in order to get his people well-prepared. He first camped in [[Thanyyat al-Wida']] near [[Medina]] and then left toward Roman borders, to the north, in an army of more than thirty thousand soldiers.

=='Ali (a), the successor of the Prophet (s)==

Before leaving Medina, the Prophet (s) appointed [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] as his successor, or based on a report, as the guardian of his family in Medina. [[Munafiqun]] who had planned for riot, regarded the presence of Imam 'Ali (a) in Medina as a major obstacle in their way; therefore they started their propaganda against him. They said "the Prophet (s) is not pleased with 'Ali, that is why he has left him in Medina". The effect of such propaganda was to the point that in order to thwart it, 'Ali (a) met the Prophet (s) in [[Jurf]], somewhere near Median, and the Prophet (s) told him a phrase according to which, the kind of relation between the Prophet and 'Ali is that of between Moses and Aaron, with the exception that there will not be any [[prophethood]] after the Prophet Muhammad (s). This narration, which later gained the title: [[Hadith Manzila]] (the saying of the Position), has been documented in traditional collections through numerous chains of transmission. Also this Prophetic saying has been cited as one of the decisive proofs for the immediate [[succession]] of Imam 'Ali after the Prophet (s). Interestingly, this was against the activities of Munafiqun shortly after the Prophet (s) had left Medina for a long journey.

After some days, the Muslim army reached Tabuk area and stayed there for twenty days. There, based on al-Waqidi's report, it became clear that the reports about Roman military expedition had not been correct. However, based on other accounts, the Roman king sent some envoys to [[the Prophet (s)]] whom were kindly welcomed by the Prophet (s). Meanwhile, the Prophet (s) signed a peace treaty on the condition of receiving [[Jizya]] from Ukaydir b. 'Abd al-Malik al-Kindi, the head of [[Dumat al-Jandal]], and the inhabitants of Adruh, Jirba and Ayla.

The Prophet returned to [[Medina]] in the [[Ramadan]] of [[9]]/630. He accepted the excuses of those who had refused to join the Army and made [[Istighfar]] (request Allah's forgiveness) for them. However, he ordered Muslims cut their relations with three of them; who were forgiven after [[revelation]] of [[verse]]s 117 to 119 of [[Sura al-Tawba]].

 

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