17. THE EXPEDITION OF AWTAS
The reason for this expedition was that when Hawazin were defeated, a group from them, which included Malik Ibn ‘Awf An- Nasri, went to Ta’if and entrenched themselves in a fortress, while another group fled to a place called Awtas. Allah’s Messenger dispatched against the latter group a raiding contingent from his Companions, and appointed Abu ‘Amir Al-Ash‘ari as their commander. They fought and conquered them.
Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, himself went to lay siege to the inhabitants of Ta’if. Al-Bukhari related on the authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari who narrated that “when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, finished from the Battle of Hunain, he sent Abu ‘Amir at the head of an army to Awtas. He (i.e. Abu ‘Amir) met Duraid Ibn As-Simmah. Duraid was killed and Allah defeated those who were with him. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent me with Abu ‘Amir. Abu ‘Amir was shot in his knee with an arrow that became fixed in it by a man from Ju‘sham. I went to him and said, ‘O uncle! Who shot you?’ He pointed to me out (to his killer) saying: ‘That is my killer who shot me (with an arrow).’ I headed toward him and overtook him, and when he saw me, he fled; I followed him and shouted at him saying: ‘Won’t you be ashamed? Won’t you stop?’ So that person stopped, and we exchanged two strokes of the swords and I killed him. Then I said to Abu ‘Amir: ‘Allah has killed your attacker.’ He said: ‘Take out this arrow.’ I removed it, and water oozed out of the wound. He then said: ‘O son of my brother! Convey my compliments to the Prophet and request him to ask Allah’s forgiveness for me.’
“Abu ‘Amir made me his successor in commanding the people (i.e. troops). He survived for a short while and then died. (Later) I returned and entered upon the Prophet at his house, and found him lying on a bed made of stalks of date-palm leaves knitted with ropes, and on it there was bedding. The strings of the bed had left their traces over his back and sides. I told the Prophet about our and Abu ‘Amir’s news and how he had said: ‘Tell him to ask Allah’s forgiveness for me.’ The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, asked for water, performed ablution and then raised his hands, saying: ‘O Allah! Forgive ‘Ubaid, Abu ‘Amir.’ At that time I saw the whiteness of the Prophet’s armpits. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then said: ‘O Allah, make him (i.e. Abu ‘Amir) on the Day of Resurrection,superior to many of Your human creatures.’ I said: ‘Will you ask Allah’s forgiveness for me?’ (On that) the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘O Allah, forgive the sins of ‘Abdullah Ibn Qais and admit him to a nice entrance (i.e. Paradise) on the Day of Resurrection.’ Abu Burdah said: ‘One of the prayers was for Abu ‘Amir and the other was for Abu Moosa (i.e. ‘Abdullah Ibn Qais) ‘.”
On the authority of Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri who narrated: “We obtained some women from the captives of the Battle of Awtas who had husbands and we detested having relations with them while they had husbands. So we asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and this Verse was revealed: “Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those (captives and slaves) whom your right hands possess.” (Soorah An-Nisa’ 4:24) So they were made permissible.
A group of the pious predecessors have advanced this Verse as evidence that the sale of a slave-girl is her divorce. This opinion is related from Ibn Mas‘ood, Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b, Jabir Ibn ‘Abdullah, Ibn ‘Abbas, Sa’eed Ibn AlMusayyab and Al-Hasan Al-Basri. However, a majority of scholars oppose them using as evidence the Hadith of Bareerah when she was sold and she was given the choice either to dissolve her marriage or sustain it. If her sale was her divorce, she would not have been given a choice. We have extensively explored this issue in the Tafseer in a manner that suffices.
By: Ibn Katheer
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.