27. 9TH YEAR OF HIJRAH AND THE GHAZWA OF TABOOK IN THE MONTH OF RAJAB OF THAT YEAR
Allah says: “O you who believe (in Allah’s Oneness and in His Messenger (Muhammad) ! Verily, the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and in the Message of Muhammad) are Najasoon (impure). So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year, and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you if He Will, out of His Bounty. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of Truth (i.e. Islam) among the People of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9 :28, 29)
It is related that Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Sa’eed Ibn Jubair, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others opine that when Allah commanded that the polytheists be prevented from coming near Masjid Al-Haram whether during the Hajj or any other time, the Quraish said: “It will certainly infringe on our commerce and markets during Hajj, and it will deprive us from our gains,” but Allah compensate them for that with the command to wage war on the People of the Book until they become Muslims or they pay the Jizyah with willful submission, and feel themselves Subdued.
I say: Afterward, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, resolved to fight against the Romans because they were closer in proximity to him and more deserving of being invited to the truth because of their closeness to Islam and Muslims. Allah says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who are the Muttaqoon.” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9: 123)
Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, decided to invade the Romans in the year of Tabook at a time when the weather was extremely hot and conditions were daunting. The matter was extremely hard on the people. He invited the surrounding Arab chiefs to come along with him on the campaign. Many people advanced with him, with their number being close to thirty thousand, as shall be related shortly. Meanwhile, there were others who remained behind. Allah reproached those, among the hypocrites and the negligent, who remained behind without a genuine excuse. Allah berated, upbraided and censured them in the most severe manner and disgraced them. He revealed a (Verse of the) Qur’an concerning them and exposed their affairs in the chapter Al-Bara’ah, which we have explained extensively in the Tafseer. He commanded the believers to go forth regardless of the condition.
Allah, Most High, says: “March forth, whether you are light or heavy, and strive hard with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah. This is better for you, if you know. Had it been a near gain and an easy journey, they would have followed you, but the distance was long for them; and they would swear by Allah. If we only could, we would certainly have come forth with you.” They destroy their own selves, and Allah knows that they are liars.” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9:41, 42) and the Verse following it. Then Allah says: “And it is not (proper) for the Believers to go out to fight (in Jihad) all together. Of every troop of them, a party only should go forth, that they (who are left behind) may get instructions in (Islamic) religion, and that they may warn their people when they return to them, so that they may beware (of evil).” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9 :122) Some people said that this Verse abrogates the previous one and others disagree. And Allah (SWT) knows best. Ibn Ishaq said that afterward, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, remained in Madinah from Dhul-Hijjah to Rajab of the 9th year. He then ordered the people to prepare for a campaign against the Romans. AzZuhri and Yazeed
Ibn ‘Abdullah Ibn Abu Bakr, ‘Asim Ibn ‘Umar Ibn Qatadah and others from among our scholars mentioned the Battle of Tabook, each one of them relating the narrations that reached him concerning this campaign. Some of them would relate part of these narrations exclusively to others. They related that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, ordered his Companions to prepare for an invasion of the Romans. This campaign fell at a most difficult time for the people. The weather was scorchingly hot, the land was arid and caked and the fruits were ripe for harvest and the people wanted to savor their fruits and the shade of their lush date trees. They detested that anything should disturb the calm situation in which they were. In most instances when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, decided for an invasion, he would hide the object of their march. But in the Battle of Tabook, he made clear the enemy owing to the length and difficulty of the journey as well as the large number of the enemy forces they were going to confront. Thus, he clarified it to them so that they may be well-prepared. He ordered that preparation be made in earnest and informed them that they were headed against the Byzantines.
One day while making arrangements for the invasion, the Messenger of Allah said to Al-Jadd Ibn Qais: “O Jadd, would you like to fight Banu Asfar this year?” He said: “O Messenger of Allah, would you excuse me from the fight so as not to put me to trial? By Allah, my people are well aware that there is no man who admires women as much as I do. I am afraid that if Iset my eyes on the women of the red people (i.e. the Romans) I might not be able to control myself.” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned away from him and said: “You are excused.” It was concerning Jadd that Allah revealed this Verse: “And among them is he who says: ‘Grant me leave (to be exempted from Jihad) and put me not into trial.’ Surely, they have fallen into trial. And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers.” (Soorah At-Tawbah: 49)
Some of the hypocrites said to one another: “Do not go forth in the heat,” detesting war, doubting the Truth and spreading rumors about the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Concerning them Allah revealed: “Those who stayed away (from the Tabook expedition) rejoiced in their staying behind the Messenger of Allah; they hated to strive and fight with their properties and their lives in the Cause of Allah, and they said: ‘March not forth in the heat’.Say: ‘The Fire of Hell is more intense in heat’, if only they could understand. So let them laugh a little and (they will) cry much as a recompense of what they used to earn (by committing sins).” (Soorah AtTawbah: 81,82)
On the authority of Katheer, the freed slave of ‘Abdur Rahman Ibn Samurah, who said: ‘Uthman Ibn Affan came to Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, with 1,000 Dinars in his cloth while the Prophet was equipping the Jaish Al-‘Usrah (the army of difficulty). He spread the money in the Prophet’s room. The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, kept turning the money in his hand saying: “None of Ibn ‘Affan’s action will harm him after today.”
On the authority of Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qais who said: “I heard ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan say to Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas, ‘Ali Ibn AbiTalib, Az-Zubair Ibn Al-‘Awwam and Talhah: ‘I beseech you by Allah, are you aware that Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: Whoever equips the army of distress, Allah will forgive him and I equipped them such that they neither lacked bridle or hubble’?” They responded: “By Allah, yes.”
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.