The First Expeditions from Madinah

Because of his jealousy and his “lost” kingship, Ibn Salul responded positively to the message from the polytheists. Abdurahman ibn Ka’b narrated that:

When this reached Abdullah ibn Ubai and those with him who worshipped idols, they gathered to fight the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

When they heard this from the Prophet ﷺ, they dispersed.

Their leader, Abdullah ibn Ubai, appeared to comply on the surface, but in his heart he remained a treacherous collaborator with the Quraysh and the envious among the Jews. Skirmishes and provocations would eventually lead to a large-scale confrontation between the Muslims and the polytheists.

The Incident between Sa’d ibn Mu’adh ﵁ and Abu Jahl

Sa’d ibn Mu’adh ﵁ had been friends with Umayyah ibn Khalaf, one of the leaders of Makkah, since before Islam. Whenever Umayyah visited Madinah, he stayed as a guest with Sa’d ﵁, and the reverse was also true. Their friendship remained intact into the early days of Islam, for when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, Sa’d made the intention to perform 'Umrah in Makkah. Once he arrived in Makkah, he stayed with Umayyah and asked him:

Find me a time when the House is empty so that I may perform tawaf around it.

Umayyah therefore took him to the Ka’bah during the midday hours, and on the way they ran into Abu Jahl.

The hostility between Makkah and Madinah was thus openly declared at an early stage. It was essential to prepare for what was to come.

Military Expeditions

The command to finally take up arms after years of persecution was given:

Given the provocations and threats from Makkah, it was of great importance to bring the trade routes leading to Makkah under control. The Prophet ﷺ did this in two ways:

1. He concluded treaties with tribes living along the trade routes or between the trade routes and Madinah. This was in effect an extension of the Charter of Madinah, in which agreements had already been made between the Muslims and the Jews.
2. He sent out military expeditions to establish the Muslim military presence along the trade routes.

The following missions were carried out:

Saiful Bahr

In Ramadan of the first year of the Hijrah, under the command of Hamza ibn Abdulmuttalib ﵁, thirty Muhajirun were tasked with intercepting a caravan of the Quraysh. It was a caravan of three hundred men, including Abu Jahl. The two parties met and prepared for battle. Majdi ibn 'Amr, who had good relations with both sides, happened to be present and ensured that a direct confrontation was avoided.

Rabigh

In Shawwal of the first year of the Hijrah, Ubaida ibn Al-Harith ibn Al-Muttalib ﵁ was sent out at the head of sixty riders to Batn Rabigh. There they encountered a caravan of two hundred men under the command of Abu Sufyan. Arrows were exchanged, but it did not come to an actual battle. What did happen was that Al-Miqdad ibn 'Amr Al-Bahrani ﵁ and 'Utbah ibn Ghazwan Al-Mazini ﵁ defected to the side of Ubaida ﵁.

Kharrar

In Dhul Qa’dah of the first year of the Hijrah, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas ﵁ was sent at the head of twenty riders to Al-Kharrar. When they arrived after five days, they found camels that had been left behind by the Quraysh.

The Expedition of Al-Abwa’

It was the month of Safar in the second year of the Hijrah when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself set out with seventy men, mostly from the Muhajirun, to intercept a caravan of the Quraysh. Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah ﵁ was appointed to oversee affairs in Madinah. They reached Al-Abwa’ and concluded a treaty with 'Amr ibn Makhshi Ad-Damri. The treaty read as follows:

“This document is from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, concerning the Banu Damrah, in which Muhammad establishes for them safety and protection for their possessions and their lives. They may expect support from the Muslims as long as they do not turn against the religion of Allah. They are likewise expected to respond positively when the Prophet requests their assistance.”

The Expedition of Buwat

This took place in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal in the second year of the Hijrah. The Prophet ﷺ, at the head of two hundred Companions, marched out to Buwat to intercept a caravan of the Quraysh. Umayyah ibn Khalaf and 2,500 camels were part of the caravan. When he ﷺ arrived at Buwat, the caravan had already departed. Once again, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh ﵁ was entrusted with leading Madinah in the absence of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Expedition of Safwan

In the same month, a small group of polytheists under the command of Kurz ibn Jabir Al-Fihri raided the pastures of Madinah and took some animals. Seventy men under the command of the Prophet ﷺ set out in pursuit. They followed them as far as Safwan, near Badr, but could not catch up. This mission is called the “forerunner of Badr.” During the absence of the Prophet ﷺ, Zayd ibn Haritha ﵁ was appointed to assume leadership in Madinah.

The Expedition of Dhil 'Ushairah

In Jumada al-Ula of the second year of the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ led 150 to 200 Ansar on a mission to intercept a caravan of the Quraysh. He ﷺ arrived at Dhil 'Ushairah, but the caravan had already departed. This was the same caravan the Muslims had tried to intercept earlier during the Buwat expedition. In the meantime, the Prophet ﷺ drew up a treaty with Banu Mudlij. The Prophet ﷺ assigned Abu Salama ibn 'Abdul-Asad Al-Makhzumi ﵁ to govern Madinah during his absence.

Nakhla

In the month of Rajab of the second year of the Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ ordered Abdullah ibn Jahsh Asadi ﵁ to set out at the head of twelve Muhajirun toward Nakhla. He was given a letter that he was not to open until two days had passed. He followed the instructions in the letter and read that he had been ordered to go to Nakhla, a specific place between Makkah and Ta’if, to reconnoiter a caravan of the Quraysh. At Nakhla they saw the caravan pass by with loads of raisins, foodstuffs, and other goods. Among the party were prominent polytheists such as 'Amr ibn Al-Hadrami, 'Uthman and Nawfal, the sons of Abdullah ibn Al-Mughirah, and others. The Muslims conferred among themselves to decide whether they should attack, especially since it was the sacred month of Rajab, one of the months in which fighting was forbidden according to the customs of the Arabs at the time.

This was no easy decision. The sacred month of Rajab was one of the four months in which the Arabs traditionally ceased all hostilities. Violating this custom would expose the Muslims to enormous criticism and political damage. On the other hand, if they let the caravan pass, they would miss a unique opportunity to deal the Quraysh a strategic blow. The Companions ﵃ weighed the risks and ultimately reached a difficult decision.

In the end, they decided to launch the attack. 'Amr ibn Al-Hadrami was struck fatally by an arrow. 'Uthman and Al-Hakam were taken prisoner. Nawfal managed to escape. The Muslims returned with the war spoils and two captives. They set aside one fifth of the spoils for the Prophet ﷺ and took the rest for themselves. The Messenger ﷺ disapproved of this because of the month of Rajab. The polytheists seized on this opportunity to accuse the Muslims of violating what Allah had declared sacred. This caused great distress among the Companions ﵁ until they were finally put at ease by the following revelation:

The Words of Allah ﷻ were clear: the accusations of the polytheists were unfounded. Their years of persecution of the Muslims, in which they were killed, attacked, and robbed of their wealth, were far worse. Shortly after, the two prisoners were released and blood money was paid to the father of 'Amr ibn Al-Hadrami. The Quraysh began to feel the threat from Madinah. From Madinah, the Muslims controlled a territory spanning over 450 kilometers.

These early expeditions, though they seldom led to actual fighting, were of immense strategic value. They established the Muslim military presence along the most important trade routes, forced the Quraysh to protect their caravans with larger numbers, and laid the groundwork for alliances with local tribes that would later prove decisive. It was only a matter of months before this growing tension would lead to the first major confrontation: the Battle of Badr.