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Prior to the Era of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah

Towards the end of the second volume of this book, as already mentioned, from the start of 6 A.H., the second era of the Holy Prophet’s life in Madīnah begins. The three prominent distinctions of this new era were three:

Firstly, the city of Madīnah had now been practically cleansed of non-Muslim elements. Although a group of the hypocrites was present in Madīnah, due to their heartfelt enmity and secret conspiracies at that time, these people were even more enraged than previously. Yet still, they called themselves Muslims. As far as the public order was concerned they were a part of Islāmic society.

Secondly, although the Quraish of Makkah were in action against Islām, their failure in the Battle of Aḥzāb3 had cast such a blow that they no longer remained the epicentre of Islām’s enmity.

Thirdly, the field of battle had turned away from Madīnah and spread to different parts of Arabia. On account of this last development, the external expeditions of the Muslims became more numerous and diverse in their type, and becoming far more widespread in their scope than ever before, began to present themselves as diverse expeditions. Therefore, it is known through history that 6 A.H., which we are now entering, was a year of unusual conveyance and movement for the Muslims.4 They were forced to leave Madīnah, more or less, eighteen times, and among these expeditions, one expedition (i.e., the Ghazwah5 of Ḥudaibiyyah) was especially significant and widespread in its influence.

In actuality, the tribes of Arabia after having exerted the utmost of their force at the Battle of Aḥzāb, which occurred at the end of 5 A.H., became practically dismayed at the thought that they could annihilate the Muslims in their own home. However, the fire of enmity towards Islām was still aflame in their breasts. As a matter of fact, the deplorable defeat at the Battle of Aḥzāb had further enraged their inner animosity. For this reason, if at one hand the barbaric and bloodthirsty tribes of Arabia had abandoned the idea of a planned attack on Madīnah, and the prophecy of the Holy Prophet(sa) was fulfilled that after the Battle of Aḥzāb these people would not attack Madīnah, on the other hand they were arming themselves with new weaponry, and entering into the battlefield in order to wipe out Islām and expunge the Muslims. As such, in this era they undertook three plans:

Firstly, they proposed that wherever the influence of Islām was spreading among tribes outside of Madīnah, or the probability of this existed, the publication of Islām be stopped by force, so that no new individual becomes a Muslim and migrates to Madīnah, consequently becoming a source of strength for the Muslims.

Secondly, they proposed secretly conducting raids on the outskirts of Madīnah, causing the Muslims a loss of life and wealth.

Thirdly, they secretly planned to assassinate the Holy Prophet(sa), who was the nucleus of the Islāmic order.6

Although, to some extent, these three plans were already a viable prospect for the infidels and they desired to carry them out whenever possible, they turned their attention and as if began to employ the whole of their efforts in the success of these plans in particular. Therefore, those expeditions, which shall now be mentioned, were primarily a result of these very plans of the infidels of Arabia. From among them, we present some details of some of these Ghazwāt7 and Sarāyah8, and a brief overview of others for our readers.