Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar). Excellent Biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Episode 115

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Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar).

Excellent Biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Episode 115

THE INVASION OF NAJD

With the peaceful victory that the Muslims achieved at Bani An-Nadeer invasion, their control over Madinah was undisputedly established, and the hypocrites receded to a state of silence and stopped 

their artful machinations publicly. Consequently the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had ample time to 

direct all his energies and human resources towards suppressing the desert bedouins and curbing 

their harmful provocations and wicked malicious practices of killing his missionaries and even 

contemplating an invasion of Madinah itself. Meanwhile, the Muslim scouting groups reported 

building up of bedouin troops of Bani Muharib and Tha‘labah of Ghatfan around Madinah. The 

Prophet (Peace be upon him), with the Muslims, hurriedly set out to discipline those new outlaws, 

cast fear into their hearts and deter them from perpetrating further wicked practices. These 

deterring operations were carried out repeatedly and did produce effective results. The rebellious 

hard-hearted desert bedouins w ere terrorized into the mountains, and Madinah remained completely 

immune against their raids. 

In the context of these invasions, it is interesting to draw some prominence to a significant one ¾ 

Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ (rags) campaign ¾ which some scholars claim, took place in Najd ( a large area of 

tableland in the Arabian Peninsula) in Rabi‘ Ath-Thani or Jumada Al-Ula, 4 A.H. They substantiate their claim by saying that it was strategically necessary to carry out this campaign in order to quell 

the rebellious bedouins in order to meet the exigencies of the agreed upon encounter with the 

polytheists, i.e. minor Badr Battle in Sha‘ban, 4 A.H. The most authentic opinion, however, is that 

Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ campaign took place after the fall of Khaibar. This is supported by the fact that Abu 

Hurairah and Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari (May Allah be pleased with her) witnessed the battle. Abu 

Hurairah embraced Islam only some days before Khaibar, and Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari came back from 

Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and joined the Prophet (Peace be upon him) at Khaibar. The rules relating to 

the prayer of fear which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) observed at Dhat Ar-Riqa‘ campaign, were 

revealed at ‘Asfan Invasion and this beyond a shadow of doubt took place after Al-Khandaq (the 

trench) Battle in late 5 A.H.