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Paper 1 Battles

The document outlines significant battles during the Prophet Muhammad's lifetime, including the Battle of Tabuk, Battle of Mu'ta, Battle of Hunain, and the Conquest of Makkah. Each battle highlights the challenges faced by the Muslims, their strategic responses, and the outcomes that contributed to the expansion of Islam. Key figures such as Khalid bin Walid and Abu Sufyan played crucial roles in these events, leading to the establishment of Muslim authority in the region.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
28 views4 pages

Paper 1 Battles

The document outlines significant battles during the Prophet Muhammad's lifetime, including the Battle of Tabuk, Battle of Mu'ta, Battle of Hunain, and the Conquest of Makkah. Each battle highlights the challenges faced by the Muslims, their strategic responses, and the outcomes that contributed to the expansion of Islam. Key figures such as Khalid bin Walid and Abu Sufyan played crucial roles in these events, leading to the establishment of Muslim authority in the region.

Uploaded by

Nawfel
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Battle of Tabuk

The Battle of Tabuk (630) took place due to the Byzantines


becoming wary of the growing Muslim power and them wanting
to defeat the Muslims before they became too big or powerful
to conquer. Heraclius therefore ordered a large army to be
prepared. The Nabateans brought news to Madina of the army
that Heraclius was preparing. It was the time for harvesting
crops and the weather was very hot while the crops were
ready to be harvested but the Prophet (pbuh) made a decision
to go to war and meet the Byzantines on their border.
Everyone donated generously for the battle: ʿUthman gave a
lot of his wealth for the campaign, which was praised by the
Prophet (pbuh), Abu Bakr and ʿUmar gave all and half of their
wealth respectively. ʿAli was left behind to look after his family.
The Muslims marched to Tabuk with 30 000 men, with the
hypocrites staying behind using the excuse of hot weather:
‘Say, O Prophet (pbuh), “The Fire of Hell is far hotter!”’. The
army faced many hardships in the intense heat and had little
water. Once at Tabuk they stayed around 20 days, but the
Byzantine army did not arrive. The Prophet (pbuh) made
treaties with some of the tribes on the border. On the return to
Madina the Muslims’ reputation as a powerful force reached far
and wide, and many delegations came to visit him after this
event.
Battle of Mu’ta
This was the fiercest battle during the Prophet’s lifetime, fought
in 629 (8AH). The Prophet (pbuh) had sent Al-Harith bin ‘Umair
al-Azdi carrying a letter to the ruler of Basra, inviting him to
Islam. He was intercepted and killed by the governor of al-
Balqa’. The Prophet (pbuh) had to act over this killing, and so
mobilised an army of 3000 men; people near the scene of Al-
Harith’s murder would be invited to Islam and if they accepted
no battle would ensue. Zaid bin Haritha was to lead the army,
Ja’far bin Abi Talib would replace him, and ‘Abdullah bin
Rawaha would replace Ja’far if he fell. Heraclius sent 100 000
troops with another 100 000 from tribes allied to the
Byzantines. The two armies fought relentlessly. Zaid was
martyred and so Ja’far took his place. He had his right arm cut
off, then his left, and eventually he too was martyred. ‘Abdullah
then took his place and fought until he was martyred. Khalid
bin Walid stepped up to take leadership and showed his skills
as a strategist; the Muslims from the back were asked to come
to the front to give the impression of reinforcements, then they
gradually retreated to save lives. The Byzantines, thinking they
had to fight a renewed army did not come forward again, which
allowed the battle to end.
Battle of Hunain
In the Battle of Hunain the sects of Hawazin and Thaqif did not
want to submit to Islam so they decided to fight against the
Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) marched to meet them with
12,000 men. The enemy were already waiting for the Muslim
army, hiding and waiting to hurl stones and arrows at them.
When this happened, the enemy attack became fierce, and
the Muslims started to retreat. The Prophet (pbuh) called out:
‘Come on, people! I am the Messenger of Allah. I am
Muhammad, the son of Abdullah.’ Eventually the Prophet’s
troops returned, and they went on to defeat the army. Because
the enemy’s leader Malik bin ‘Awf had told everyone to take
their families and belongings with them, the Muslims captured
huge spoils of war. This battle is mentioned in Sura Tawba,
(25–26).
Conquest of Makkah
The Quraysh had broken the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya,
by attacking Banu Khuza’ah who had allied with the Muslims.
Realising the seriousness of the situation the Quraysh sent Abu
Sufyan to ensure the treaty was intact, but he was unsuccessful.
After making preparations for war, the Prophet (pbuh) set out with
10 000 soldiers. It was 8AH. The Prophet’s army stopped outside
Makka and it was here that Abu Sufyan became Muslim and his
house was later made a place of safety. Abu Sufyan returned to
Makka and warned the Quraysh not to resist the Muslim army;
most put down their arms, but a few (Safwan, Ikrimah, Suhayl)
swore to block the Muslim army from entering Makka. There were
4 groups, one led by Khalid bin Walid that faced resistance
leading to some deaths. The Prophet (pbuh) knocked down the
360 idols in the Ka’ba. The keys to the Ka’ba were given to
‘Uthman bin Talha, and at the time of prayer, Bilal ascended the
Ka’ba and gave the adhan. Apart from nine people, the Quraysh
were pardoned, including Wahshi and Hind. The Prophet (pbuh)
said that anyone seeking refuge in Abu Sufyan’s house, in the
Ka’ba or who remained in their houses, will not be punished.
Some Qur’anic verses related to the incident are 17.81 and
34.49.

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