several Muslims (12 soldiers). The siege continued for some twenty-five to thirty nights.
Allah had not willed the fall of Ta’if. So the Prophet (r) gave orders to lift the siege and
depart.
THE EXPEDITION TO TABUK
The purpose of the expedition was to discourage the growing belligerence of the neigh-
boring forces to the North with a show of strength.
The move to Tabuk took place in Rajab, 9 A.H.; Tabuk was situated halfway between Ma-
dinah and Damascus, about 700 km from Madinah. The march was against Romans and
their allies of the Arabian tribes of the North. The Muslim force was 30,000 soldiers.
When the Prophet saw that there was no movement of troops by the enemy who seemed
to have abandoned their military mobilization of the border towns, he gave orders for the
return march; the objective of the expedition having been achieved.
THE YEAR OF DEPUTATIONS
The Prophet of God (r) felt happy on the arrival of a deputation from Tujib. They asked
questions about a number of things and the Prophet (r) got the answers to their questions
written for them. Then they made a request on being told more about the Qur’an and the
Sunnah which caused the Prophet (r) to express fondness for them. He instructed Bilal to
entertain them well. However, they stayed but for a few days with the Prophet (r) and
expressed the desire to return to their homes. When they were asked why they wanted to
depart so soon, they replied, “We want to go back to tell our people how we met the Mes-
senger of God (r), what talks we had with him and what replies he gave to our questions.”
Thereafter they returned and again called upon the Prophet (r) during the pilgrimage in 10
A.H. when the Prophet (r) was at Mina. (Zad al-Ma'ad, Vol. II, p. 43)
Deputation also called upon the Prophet (r) from Bani Fazara, Bani Asad, Bahra and ‘Ad-
hara, and all of them accepted Islam. The Prophet (r) promised them the capture of Syria,
but forbade them to have recourse to seers for divination of the future and commanded
them to cease offering the sacrifices they had been doing hitherto. He also told them that
only the sacrifice on the occasion of ‘Id-ul-Adha was lawful for them. When the delegations
of Bali, Dhi Murrah and Khawlan called upon the Prophet (r), he asked them about the idol
of Khawlan to which they had been paying divine honors. They replied, “God bless you! God
has replaced it by what has been brought by you. There are, however, a few elderly persons
and senile women who are devoted to it but we will break it when we go back.
Deputations also came to the Prophet (r) from Muharib, Ghassan, Ghamid and Nakh’a.
(The envoys of Arabian tribes coming to Madinah learned about Islam and its institutions,
watched the graceful and genial behavior of the Prophet (r) and benefited from the com-