Muhammad: Break with the JewsIn about the 13th month after the Hijra, Muhammad is said to have led a
raiding party of about 200 men to Buwat, without, however, engaging the
100 Meccans who were escorting a caravan of 2500 camels.^164
During the same month, Muhammad is reported to have gone as far as Saf-
awan in pursuit of Kurz b. Jabir, who had stolen herds grazing near Medina.
Muhammad did not find him.^165
In the 16th month after the Hijra, Muhammad tried to intercept a Meccan
caravan on its way to Syria, but it eluded him. He had assembled 150-200
men, who rode 30 camels in alternation. This expedition reach^166 ed al-Ush- ayra, and Muhammad is said to have made treaties with the Banu Mudlij and Banu Damra there. The battle of Badr took place when Muhammad tried to raid this caravan on its return from Syria.Ali is also reported to
have been called Abu Turab at al-`Ushayra.^167
In the 17th month after the Hijra, during the pagan holy month of Rajab,
Muhammad sent out a raiding party of 8 (12 or 13) Muslims under the
command of Abdullah b. Jahsh with a sealed message (evidently to prevent possible spies from knowing their destination). A^168 fter two days' journey, the Muslims opened the letter, those who did not wish to continue were to return to Medina, and the others were to go to the valley of Nakhla (not far from Mecca) to wait for a caravan. Two of the Muslims claimed to have lost their camel and went looking for it. At Nakhla the remaining Muslims saw a Meccan caravan, which was escorted by four men. Because of the heathenumra, fighting was generally forbidden in the month of
Rajab, but faced with either breaking this tradition or letting the caravan
reach Mecca, the Muslims, some of whom were posing as pilgrims, decided
to attack. One Meccan was killed, two were captured and one got away.
The Meccans seem to have captured the two Muslims who had lost their
camel. When the Muslims returned to Medina with the booty of^169 camels,
wine, raisins and leather, Muhammad was accused of having violated the
peace of the "holy" month, but he denied responsibility for the armed
conflict. Qur'an 2:214 was then revealed, in which the sacredness of the
pagan month of Rajab was maintained, and the Meccans were accused
(among other things) of the greater sin of seducing some from "Allah's
way." After the Muslims were returned, Muhammad let the Mecca^170171 ns
ransom his captives, one of whom became a Muslim. Islamic traditions
contradict one another in both the matter as to whether or not Muhammad
paid the blood-money for the Meccan who was killed, and in th^172 e question