In its early days, the new Muslim state in Madinah was no more than a ministate in the middle of a fiercely hostile environment. Hence, the Muslims expected attack from every quarter. One report states: “When the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions arrived in Madinah where they were made welcome by the Ansar, i.e. the Prophet’s supporters in that city, the rest of Arabia were united against them. They would not go to bed without keeping their arms close to them, and they would take up their arms when they woke up. They wondered whether they would see a day when they would feel safe and secure. God revealed in the Qur’an His promise that they would triumph and live in security.
In that early period, the Muslims hardly went through two peaceful months without having to send an expedition, or raise a force to face an impending attack on their city. One such emergency took place when the Jewish tribe of Al-Nadir violated their treaty with the Muslims, trying to assassinate the Prophet. This led to the Muslims setting siege to Al-Nadir quarters, until they were evacuated. Barely two months later, the Prophet learned that the two Arabian tribes of Muharib and Thaalabah were mobilizing to attack Madinah. Working on the basis that attack is the best defense, the Prophet marched with a force of 700 of his followers covering a very long way until they reached a place called Nakhl in the Najd province, right in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. There the Muslims came face to face with a very large concentration of enemy forces. The two sides drew very close to each other. The Muslims were worried because they realized that they were heavily outnumbered. Despite their numerical strength, their enemies felt very fearful as well. Neither party was keen to attack and both hoped that a clash could somehow be averted.
This was a very hard campaign for the Muslims. They had covered a great distance from Madinah and they had to walk over very hard terrain. The expedition is known in the Muslim history books as “The expedition of cloth pieces”, or Dhat Al-Riqaa, the name is taken from the fact that the Muslims had to wrap their feet in pieces of cloth to relieve the pain as they walked over rocky areas. When the two forces stood face to face, the feeling of fear was common to both of them. It was indeed in this expedition that the Prophet used in his prayers with the Muslims the method known as “Prayers in the case of fear”. This method means that the army is divided into two halves and they take turns as they pray with the Prophet. He himself would pray the whole prayer while one half of his men joined him for the first part of the prayers; then they would finish their prayers individually. When they had finished, the other half would join the Prophet for the rest of his prayers. Thus everyone in the army would have joined the same prayers while one half would always be free, watching the enemy and making sure that they did not exploit the time of prayers in order to attack the Muslims. This method of prayer is outlined in Verse 102 of Surah 4, entitled Women.
No clash, however, took place between the two sides. The Prophet managed to withdraw with his forces intact without engaging the enemy.
An incident related by Jabir ibn Abdullah, a young Companion of the Prophet who went on this expedition, tells us much about the care the Prophet took of his community. Jabir was riding a weak camel, which meant that he kept falling behind. When the Prophet noticed him and learned that the camel was not a strong one, he asked Jabir to sit him down. When he did, the Prophet said to him: “Give me the stick in your hand, or cut a stick for me from a tree.” The Prophet pricked the side of the camel with the stick several times and asked Jabir to mount the camel. Jabir says: “By Him who sent the Prophet with the message of truth, the camel was then as fast as any.”
The Prophet was then chatting to Jabir and asked him: “Would you sell me this camel of yours, Jabir?”
Jabir replied: “It is yours as a gift.”
The Prophet said: “No, but sell it to me.”
Jabir said: “Make me an offer then.”
The Prophet said: “I will give you one dirham (the silver currency at the time) for it.” Jabir declined the offer and said: “Then you would give me an unfair price.”
The Prophet said: “What do you say to two dirhams?”
Jabir declined again. The Prophet kept increasing the price and Jabir kept declining, until the Prophet offered him an ounce of silver. Jabir then said: “Would you be happy to pay this price, Messenger of God?”
The Prophet answered in the affirmative and Jabir accepted the price.
The Prophet asked Jabir whether he was married and Jabir answered that he was. The Prophet then asked him about his wife and whether she was a virgin getting married for the first time or a woman who had been married before. Jabir’s wife was of the latter type. The Prophet said: “Would it not have been better if you had married a young virgin with whom you can play and have fun?”
Jabir who was perhaps less than 20 years of age at that time said: “Messenger of God, my father was killed at Uhud, leaving me my seven sisters to look after. I therefore married a woman who could look after them and keep the family together.”
The Prophet replied, “Then you have done the right thing, God willing. When we arrive at Sirar, we will have some camels slaughtered and we will celebrate. Your wife will then hear that we have celebrated her marriage and she will put her cushions.” (Putting up cushions was apparently a sign of celebrating a happy occasion.)
Jabir said: “But we have no cushions, Messenger of God.”
The Prophet said, “But you will have. When you arrive at Madinah you should arrange a good feast.”
When the Muslim army arrived at Sirar, which was only about five kilometers from Madinah, the Prophet had a number of camels slaughtered and cooked. The whole army shared in the celebration of the recent wedding of one of its soldiers. When the sun went down, the Prophet and his companions went into Madinah. Jabir told his wife what the Prophet said and she advised him to do as the Prophet told him.
The following morning Jabir took his camel and sat him down outside the Prophet’s mosque. Then Jabir went into the mosque. When the Prophet came out, he asked about the camel and was told that Jabir had brought it. He asked for Jabir to be called and when he arrived the Prophet said: “Take your camel, my nephew; it is yours.” He then called Bilal (who acted as treasurer) and told him to go with Jabir and to give him an ounce of silver. Bilal did as the Prophet bade him and gave Jabir a fraction more. Jabir said that the camel stayed with him a very long time.
It is also obvious that the Prophet did not need to buy the camel but he realized that Jabir was poor and he knew that he was supporting a family. Buying the camel and giving it as a gift to its previous owner was highly characteristic of the Prophet. He was indeed the best example of generosity. When he asked to buy the camel, he intended all the time to give it back to Jabir as a gift, but he wanted Jabir to name his price so that he felt that the matter was serious. According to one report, the terms of the deal stipulated that Jabir could utilize the camel until they had arrived in Madinah. Throughout the journey, then, Jabir was convinced that he had sold the camel. But what better wedding gift could he have hoped for than having his camel as well as its price?
