The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 14
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 14 Sariyyah of Zaid bin Ḥārithah to Banī Sulaim - Rabī‘ul-Ākhir 6 A. H. In this month, Rabī‘ul-Ākhir 6 A. H. , the Holy Prophet sa dispatched a few Muslims to the tribe Banī Sulaim under the command of his freed slave and previously adopted son, Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra. This tribe resided in the region of Najd at a place called Jamūm and had been at war against the Holy Prophet sa for some time now. As such, this tribe played a significant role against the Muslims in the Battle of the Ditch as well. 1 When Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra and his companions reached Jamūm, which was located at a distance of approximately 50 miles from Madīnah, they found it to be empty. However, they were able to find the whereabouts of where a portion of the Banū Sulaim were grazing their cattle, from a woman named Ḥalīmah from the Muzainah tribe, who was from among the opponents of Islām. Therefore, benefiting from this intelligence, Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra attacked the place. This sudden attack caused most of the people to flee and they dispersed here and there. However, the Muslims were able to capture a few prisoners and some cattle, which they took hold of and returned to Madīnah. Coincidentally, the husband of Ḥalīmah was also among the prisoners, and although he was an enemy of war, considering Ḥalīmah’s assistance, not only did the Holy Prophet sa release Ḥalīmah without ransom but also released her husband as an act of benevolence. Thereafter, Ḥalīmah and her husband happily returned to their homeland. 2 Sariyyah of Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra to ‘Īṣ - Jamādi’ul-Ūlā 6 A. H. Not many days had passed since the return of Zaid bin Ḥārithah ra , when the Holy Prophet sa sent him from Madīnah once again during the month of Jamādi’ul-Ūlā , commanding 170 companions. The scholars of Sīrat have written that the cause of this expedition was that a caravan of the Quraish was arriving from Syria and that the Holy Prophet sa had sent this squadron for the interception of this caravan. We have already written a principle note on the interception of these caravans in the beginning of the section on 1 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 3, p. 18, Ghazwatul-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 293, Sariyyatu Zaid-ibni Ḥārithata Ilā Banī Sulaimin Bil-Jamūmi, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)