Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 283
283 Siege By the fifth year of the Hijar, the bitter hostility of Quraish towards Islam and the Muslims had assumed dangerous proportions. Their poisonous propaganda against Islam had set many Arab tribes of Hedjaz against the Muslims, so much so that even some of t hose who had hitherto maintained good relations with the Muslims, adopted a hostile attitude towards them. The lead was taken by Banu Mustalaq, a clan of the well - known Banu Khuzaa. Their chief, Harith bin Abi Dharar, visited several neighbouring tribes an d induced them to join him in his hostile enterprise against the Muslims. When the Holy Prophet received intimation of this situation, he dispatched Bareedah bin Haseeb to Banu Mustalaq to gather intelligence and to report back quickly. He returned soon an d informed the Holy Prophet that Banu Mustalaq was indeed making large - scale preparations for the invasion of Medina. Thereupon the Holy Prophet announced his intention of leading a pre - emptive expedition against Banu Mustalaq and a large number of his Com panions became ready to march with him, and so also a much larger number of the disaffected than had accompanied him on any previous occasion. This force had only thirty horses all told, and a larger number of camels, so that the members of the force had t o take turns in