(6th year of the Migration, the month of Jumadalula)

It was heard in Madinah that a trade caravan belonging to the Qurayshi polytheists was going to Makkah from Damascus.

The Prophet sent a group of cavalrymen consisting of one hundred and seventy people under the command of Zayd b. Haritha in order to capture that caravan and to leave the Qurayshi polytheists in a difficult situation economically. 

The mujahids confronted the Qurayshi caravan in a place called Is. They captured the goods in the caravan and held the people captive. Abu’l As b. Rabi, the husband of Hazrat Zaynab, the daughter of the Prophet was among the captives.

The mujahids took the goods and the captives to Madinah. The Prophet divided the goods among the mujahids.[1]

Abu’l-As is Released

Abu’l-As said to Zaynab, “Ask your father to free me.”

Zaynab told the Muslims that she took Abu’l As under protection. The Prophet said to his daughter, “We also took under protection the person that you took under protection.”[2]

Hazrat Zaynab asked the Prophet to return the goods of Abu’l As that were taken as booty. The Prophet asked the mujahids to return them. The mujahids returned all of the goods that they had taken to him.

Abu’l-As Declares that He is a Muslim

Abu’l As returned to Makkah with the goods that were returned to him. He gave the goods to their owners. Then he said, “O Qurayshis! Does anybody have any goods or rights to take from me?” They said,

“No. We have no goods or rights to claim from you.”

The spiritual mood of Abu’l As had changed due to the generous treatment of the Messenger of God, his wife Zaynab and Muslims. He explained it to the Qurayshi polytheists as follows:  

“By God, the only thing that prevented me from becoming a Muslim was my concern that you would rumor, ‘He became a Muslim to take our goods.’ However, I have delivered your goods to you now. I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of God!”[3]

Then, Abu’l-As returned to Madinah having the honor of being a Muslim. The Prophet married Zaynab off to him again.[4]

ABDURRAHMAN B. AWF IS SENT TO DUMATU’L-JANDAL

(6th year of the Migration, the month of Shaban)

In this month, the Prophet prepared a company of seven hundred people under the command of Abdurrahman b. Awf. The duty of the company was to call the people of the land of Dumatu’l-Jandal to Islam.

When the Messenger of God gave the standard to Abdurrahman b. Awf, he addressed the mujahids after praising God:  

“Fight in the way and in the name of God! Fight the unbelievers! Do not betray the goods of booty! Do not violate your agreements! Do not cut off the noses, ears and similar organs of the people that you killed! Do not kill small children!”[5]

Then, the Prophet preached Muslims in general as follows:

“O people! I take refuge in God from five misfortunes that will hit you:

When ugly acts become widespread and are committed openly in a community, unprecedented diseases, pains and agonies will appear.

When a nation deals in fraud and gives less than due when they give by measure or weight, they will suffer famine and drought, financial difficulty and oppression.

If a nation does not pay zakah (alms) for their goods, they will lack rain.

If a nation violates the treaty of God and His Messenger, their enemy will attack on them. The enemy will take some of their possessions.

When the rulers of a nation do not act in accordance with the Quran, when they avoid applying the decrees of God, God will cause discord and battles among them.”[6]

After that, Abdurrahman b. Awf set off toward Dumatu’l-Jandal together with the Muslims under his command. When he arrived there, he called them to Islam. He repeated his call for three days.

On the third day, Asbagh b. Amr al-Kalbi, their leader, who was a Christian, became a Muslim. Many people embraced Islam with him.[7]Those who did not become Muslims stayed there on condition that they paid jizyah (a kind of tax paid by non-Muslims).

When the Prophet saw Abdurrahman b. Awf and the mujahids off, the Prophet had said to him, “If they embrace Islam, marry the daughter of their leader.”

Upon this order of the Prophet, Abdurrahman married Tumadir, the daughter of Asbagh, their leader; then, he returned to Madinah together with her and the Muslims.[8]

THE FIRST RAIN PRAYER OF THE PROPHET

There was a big drought and famine in the 6th year of the Migration.

While reciting the sermon on a Friday in the month of Ramadan, the Messenger of God was asked, “Pray God to send us rain.”

Thereupon, the Prophet prayed, “O God! Send us rain! O God! Send us rain! O God! Send us rain!”[9]

All of a sudden, the sky which was as clear as a mirror, became full of clouds and it started to rain.

Then, the Prophet prayed, “O God! Make it rain heavily and make it beneficial for us.”[10]

Anas b. Malik says,

“It rained so much that we could hardly go to our houses. It rained that day, the next day, the day after that day until the next Friday.”[11]

While reciting the sermon on the next Friday, the Prophet was asked to pray God to stop the rain this time. They said,

“O Messenger of God! The houses started to collapse; the roads were blocked. Will you pray God to stop the rain?”[12]

The Messenger of God smiled, opened his hand by raising them and prayed, “O God! Send the rain around us not on us.”[13]

Anas b. Malik says,

“While the Messenger of God was praying, the parts of the sky to which he pointed became clear, and Madinah became like an open square. It was raining around Madinah but not even one raindrop fell on Madinah. The people who came from outside Madinah said it was raining a lot there.”[14]

It was the first rain prayer performed by the Messenger of God. He performed five more rain prayers at different times after that.

[1]Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 2, p. 87.

[2]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 8, p. 33; Ibn Sayyid, Uyun al-Athar, Vol. 2, p. 106.

[3]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 8, p. 33; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 177.

[4]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 8, p. 33; Ibn Athir, Usdu’l-Ghaba, Vol. 5. p. 237; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 177.

[5]Ibn Hisham, Sirah, Vol. 4, p. 280; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 184.

[6]Ibn Hisham, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 280.

[7]Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 2, p. 89.

[8]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 89, Vol. 3, p. 129; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 184.

[9]Bukhari, Sahih, Vol. 1, p. 179; Muslim, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 613.

[10]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 179.

[11]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 179; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 3, p. 261.

[12]Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 261.

[13]Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 104; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 613.

[14]Muslim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 614.