The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 91
II - Commencement of Jihād by the Sword & Fundamental Discussion on Jihād 91 who are in a state of weakness, who supplicate saying, ‘O our Lord! Take us out of this town, whose people are oppressors, and make for us, who are weak, a friend and helper from Thyself. ’” 1 Hence, one wisdom in dispatching these parties was so that such people could receive the opportunity to be delivered from a wrongdoing people. In other words, such people could reach close to Madīnah along with the caravans of the Quraish, and then escape to join the Muslim forces. Therefore, it is evident through history that when the Holy Prophet sa dispatched the very first company in the leadership of Abū ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Ḥārith ra , who happened to encounter a group lead by ‘Ikramah bin Abī Jahl, two weak Muslims who had come along with the Quraish, managed to escape from the Quraish and join the Muslims. As such, it is narrated: ْ فَر َّ مِن َ الْمُشْرِكِیْن َ اِلَی الْمُسْلِمِیْن َ الْمِقْدَاد ُ بْن ُ عَمْرٍو اَلْبَھَرَانِی ُّ حَلِیْف ُ بَنِی َ زُھَرَة َ وَعُتْبِة ُ بْن ُ غَزْوَان َ بْن ُ جَابِر ٍ حَلیْف ُ بَنِی نَوْفَل َ بْن ِ عَبْد ِ مَنَاف ٍ و َّ کَان َ مُسْلِمَیْن ِ وَلٰكِنَّھُمَا خَرَجَا یَتَوَصَّلَان ِ بِالْكُفَّار ِ اِلَی الْمُسْلِمِیْن “In this campaign, when the Muslim party encountered the army of the Quraish, two people, namely Miqdād bin ‘Amr ra and ‘Utbah bin Ghazwān ra , who were allies of the Banū Zahrah and Banū Naufal, fled from the idolaters and joined the Muslims. They were Muslims and had only set out to join the Muslims under the cover of the Quraish. ” 2 Therefore, one of the purposes of the Holy Prophet sa in dispatching these parties was also to give such people an opportunity to be delivered from the Quraish, and join the Muslims. 1 An-Nisā’ (4:76) 2 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 12, Dhikru Mā Kāna Minal-Umūril-Madhkūrati Fī Awwali Sanatim-Minal-Hijrati / Khuṭbatu Rasūlillāhi sa Fī Awwali Jumu‘atin…. . , Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 406, Sariyyatu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Ḥārith / Man Farra Minal-Mushrikīna Ilal-Muslimīn, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)