Part 7
Byzantium
The apostle of Allah remained in Medina for some months and then issued orders to the people to prepare for a campaign against the Byzantine Empire. Normally, the apostle would conceal the preparations for an expedition and pretend that he was going in another direction to the one he really had in view. In the case of Tabuk, however, he made an exception because of the great distance, the difficulty of provisioning an army, and the size of the enemy force.
Many Hypocrites said to each other, “Do not march out in the heat”, because they were averse to fighting in heat, doubted the truth of Islam, and wanted to sow discontent with the prophet of Allah. Then Allah revealed this verse. ‘They said; do not march out in the heat. Say, the fire of hell will be hotter. Let them therefore laugh a little now, for they will weep much hereafter.”
The apostle of Allah especially exhorted the rich to furnish money and beasts of burden and they did so, hoping for the eternal reward.
When the apostle arrived in Tabuk, he was visited by John, the Christian governor of Ayla, who made peace with the apostle and paid him tax. Then the Jewish inhabitants of Jarba and Adhruh also came and paid him tax. The apostle gave them a document, with the following terms. ‘In the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate! This is a guarantee from Allah and from Muhammad, the prophet and apostle of Allah, to the inhabitants of Aylal Their ships and caravans are under the protection of Allah and Muhammad His prophet, as are those people of Syria, of Yemen, and of the sea coast who escort them. Whosoever commits a crime against them will be unable to atone for it with property; but his life will be at the mercy of all.’
Next the apostle of Allah dispatched Khalid to the Christian, Ukaydir, at Duma. It was a clear moonlit night and the cavalry, led by Khalid, took Ukaydir wholly by surprise and brought him to the apostle of Allah, who spared his life and, granted him peace on condition that he paid tax.
Tabuk
Before the apostle had left for Tabuk he had been approached by some men who said, “We have built a mosque for the sick and the needy, for wet and for cold nights, and we are anxious that thou should come and pray there.” However information was sent down to him from Allah about the mosque. He called two of his followers and said, “Go to this mosque, whose people are unrighteous; destroy it; burn it.” Although there were people in it, they burned and destroyed it. This was the verse of the Qur’an revealed concerning this matter: ‘And those who erected a mosque out of opposition and unbelief and to cause a schism among the Believers they will say “We desired nothing but good.” Allah knows they lie. Enter no such mosque.’ {There is no wonder Muslims of varying sects have no problem bombing each others’ mosque with no recrimination. The other sides are deemed to be unrighteous and their destruction is sanctioned by Muhammad.}
The apostle of Allah was greatly displeased with those who had remained behind and evaded the expedition and dealt sternly with three Believers. He prohibited the people from speaking to them. As Ka’b relates, ‘The people avoided us and changed their behaviour, so that I seemed to have become a stranger. I went also to the apostle and saluted him while he was sitting in his assembly after prayers and saw that he watched me while I prayed, but looked away when I turned towards him. I became impatient and climbed over the wall of my cousin, whom I loved more than any other man, and saluted him. But he took no notice of me. Then a messenger came to me and said, “The apostle orders you to separate from your wife!” So I told my wife to go to her family until Allah decided the matter according to His pleasure. Fifty days had elapsed from the time the apostle of Allah forbade the people to speak to us, then I heard a man shouting, “Here are glad tidings! The apostle announced that Allah had pardoned us.”’
The people at al Taif deliberated several months, and arrived at the conclusion that they were not strong enough to fight all the Arabs around them who had paid homage to Muhammad and made profession of Islam. Emissaries came to the apostle for an agreement on accepting Islam. They requested permission to keep their goddess al Lat for three years; but he refused. Then they insisted upon one year, but he again refused. Then they pleaded for a single month, but he refused. They said that they merely wished to spare the feelings of the devoted, the women and the children among them, and that they were nervous of frightening their people by destroying the goddess before Islam was fully established in al Taif. But the apostle still refused, and insisted on sending Abu Sufyan and al Mughira back with them to destroy her. They said, “We shall comply even though it be a humiliation!”
A Declaration of immunity was sent down by Allah. It proclaimed that Allah and His apostle, after this pilgrimage, were absolved from observance of all treaties which they had previous¬ly made with idolaters. Then the instruction to Mu¬hammad continued, 'kill the idolaters wherever you find them; make them prisoners, surround them, and besiege them wherever they may be. But if they repent and pray according to the com¬mand of Allah and pay the tax, then set them free.
Allah said, 'Fear no idolaters; rather fear Allah. Attack them! Allah desires to punish them by your hand, to put them to shame and give you the victory over them.
Only he shall visit the mosque of Allah who believes in Allah and in the day of judgement. The idolaters are impure; let them not approach the holy mosque after this year.
The apostle spoke of the wickedness and superstition of those who lived according to the Old and New Testaments, saying, 'Priests and monks devour the property of men, in vanity, and obstruct the way of Allah. For those who lay up gold and silver, and spend it not in furthering the word of Allah, there will be grievous chastisement.'
O, prophet! Wage war against the unbelievers and against the hypocrites who utter belief but have none, and be severe unto them, for their abode shall be in hell. The apostle and those who truly believe went to the holy war with their wealth and their lives; they will enjoy good fortune and be happy. The first of the emigrants and the first of the helpers have special favour in the sight of Allah and their reward in paradise will be great.
Certain tribes still remained who had not accepted Islam, so the apostle sent Khalid to the Banu al Harith in Najran, with orders to give them three days to embrace Islam, and thereafter to subdue them if they refused. Khalid sent out mounted parties in every direction to invite the people to Islam, shouting, 'Make profession of Islam and you will be saved!' The people responded to the call and entered the religion.
The apostle appointed Amir to instruct the tribes in Islam and teach them the doctrine and collect alms from them. 'He prohibit men from plaiting their hair and allowing it to hang down their backs. He must prohibit the people, in case of a quarrel, from calling out their tribes to help them they should invoke the aid of Allah alone; and those who fail to call upon Allah, but call instead upon their tribes, must be visited by the sword until they call upon Allah. The presence of the people at Friday prayers, when the call goes forth, is incumbent upon them'.
The apostle commanded to take one fifth of any booty for Allah, as well as the legal alms from the land. These consisted of 'one tenth from land irrigated by springs and rains; one twentieth from land irrigated with buckets. For every ten camels, two sheep is to be paid; for every twenty camels, four sheep; for every forty horned cattle, one cow; for every thirty, one male or female calf; for every forty sheep, a young one. This is an ordinance from Allah, ordained to believers as the required alms; but he who is more generous will win merit.
Any Jew or Christian who persists in his religion must pay one golden dinar or its equivalent in cloth. He who pays this will be protected by Allah, and His prophet; he who refuses to pay is an enemy of Allah and His prophet.
In the next year the apostle made preparations for the pilgrimage, and ordered his people to do the same. He took with him sacrificial animals.
During this pilgrimage the apostle preached a sermon in which he explained many things: ‘You have rights over your wives, and they have rights over you. Your rights over them are that they shall allow no one of whom you disapprove to enter your bed, nor must they commit open fornication; if they commit it, Allah permits you to exclude them from your beds, and to beat them. Treat your wives well, because they cannot fend for themselves; you have taken them on trust from Allah, and they are yours by the grace of Allah.’