At the time, 6 A.H. had only begun and it was in the first month of the Lunar Year, i.e., the early dates of the month of Muḥarram, when the Holy Prophet(sa) received news of danger from the people of Najd. This threat was from the Qurṭā tribe which was a branch of the tribe Banū Bakr and resided in an area called Ḍariyyah in Najd, situated at a distance of seven days’ journey from Madīnah.1 Upon receiving this news, the Holy Prophet(sa) immediately dispatched a squadron of 30 mounted troops to Najd in the command of one of his companions, Muḥammad bin Maslamah Anṣārī(ra). However, Allāh the Exalted, instilled such awe in the hearts of the infidels that they took to flight after only a minor confrontation. As per the custom of war at the time, this was an opportunity for the Muslims to take the women and children of the enemy captive, as they had left them behind and retreated. However, Muḥammad bin Maslamah(ra) did not detain the women and children, and returned to Madīnah with general spoils of war which consisted of camels and goats.2
1 Based on the system of travel in that era, this distance should be considered equivalent to approximately 150 miles.
2 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, pp. 288-289, Sariyyatu Muḥammad-ibni Maslamata Ilal-Qurṭā’, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)
Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, pp. 101-102, Sariyyatul-Qurṭā’i Wa Ḥadīthu Thumāmata, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)