The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 105
III - Early Battles, Commencement of Fasting, Alteration of the Qiblah and Initial Discussion on the Battle of Badr 105 thought that Rajab had passed and the month of Sha‘bān 1 had started. 2 In some narrations it has been related that this Sariyyah was dispatched in Jamādiyul- Ākhir , and there was a doubt as to whether this day was of Jamādī or Rajab. 3 However, on the other hand, the Valley of Nakhlah was situated right on the outskirts of the Ḥaram and it was obvious that if a decision was not made that day, the caravan would have entered the Ḥaram on the following day, the sanctity of which was definite. Hence, taking all of these factors into consideration, it was finally decided that the caravan should be attacked, and the people of the caravan should either be taken captive or killed. Therefore, they launched an attack in the name of Allāh, and as a result, one man, whose name was ‘Amr bin Al-Ḥaḍramī was killed, and two were taken captive. However, the fourth individual unfortunately escaped, and the Muslims were unable to apprehend him. Thereafter, the Muslims seized the goods of the caravan. Since one man belonging to the Quraish had escaped and news of this conflict would inevitably reach Makkah quickly, ‘Abdullāh bin Jaḥsh ra and his companions swiftly returned to Madīnah with the spoils. On this occasion, Mr. Margolius writes that Muhammad sa deliberately dispatched this company in the Sacred Month, because in this month the Quraish naturally would have been unmindful, and the Muslims would find an easy and definite opportunity to raid their caravan. However, every sensible individual can understand that a small party of this nature could not have been dispatched to such a far off region to plunder a caravan, especially when the enemy headquarters were so nearby. Furthermore, history categorically establishes that this party had merely been dispatched for the purpose of obtaining intelligence. Moreover, when the Holy Prophet sa found out that the Companions had attacked the caravan, he was extremely displeased. As such, it is narrated that when they presented themselves before the Holy Prophet sa and informed him of the entire account, the Holy Prophet sa was extremely displeased and said: 1 The eighth month of the Islāmic Calendar [Publishers] 2 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 15, Sariyyatu ‘Abdillāhibni Jaḥsh, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 413-414, Sariyyatu ‘Abdillāhibni Jaḥsh , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * As-Sīratun-Nabī sa (Ibni Hishām), Translated by Sayyid ‘Alī Ḥasanī Niẓāmī Dehlwī, Volume 1, p. 421, Idārah Islāmiyyah Lahore, Third Edition (1994) [Publishers] 3 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By ‘Allāmah Shihābuddīn Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 239, Sariyyatu Amīril-Mu’minīna ‘Abdillāh bin Jaḥsh, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)