Khilafat-e-Rashidah — Page 170
170 KHILAFAT-E-R A SHIDAH “Take alms out of their wealth. ” Nobody else is empowered to take Zakat. So the whole of Arabia turned back on their faith and came out to fight. In the days of the Holy Prophet sa , no doubt, Islam was weak, but the attack of Arabian tribes was in a scattered form. Sometime one tribe attacked, and sometime another did so. In the battle of Ahzab, the army of infidels collectively attacked the Muslims, and at that time Islam had gained greatly in strength, though they were not strong enough to avoid fear of any attack in future. After the battle, the Holy Prophet sa set out to conquer Mecca. On his way the other tribes of Arabia also came out to render their help. In this way God restrained the enemies so that the Muslims might become strong enough to be dominant in the whole of Arabia. But during apostasy, the people of all the places refused to pay Zakat except Mecca and Medina, and a small town. The tribes came out to fight. At some places they had an army of hundred thousand. But the Muslims had an army of ten thousand, and that too was set out for Syria. It was the army the Holy Prophet sa had prepared to attack the Roman territory before his death. Hadrat Usama ra was made the chief of it. The rest of the people were either weak, old, or too young. In such circumstances, the Companions ra thought that if the army of Hadrat Usama ra was sent at the time of disturbances, there would not be any arrangement for the protection of Medina, so a delegation of great