Chief of the Prophets — Page 94
Chapter Six 94 I have been ordained to wage war against those disbelievers who have come out in the field against Islam besides those who become Muslims. 1 Some people mistakenly concluded from this Ḥadīth that Muḥammad sa was commanded to wage war against all the disbelievers of the world until such a time when they became Muslim. Types of Wars Fought by Muslims Though generally the wars fought by Muslims were fought in self- defence, at certain times the Muslims had to pick up the sword for the sake of the establishment of peace and religious freedom. Some wars were a kind of retribution where a nation or a tribe had to be punished for some heinous crime, oppression, or deception. Some wars were also political in nature, for example in some cases Muslims signed treaties with nations or tribes to defend each other in case of an enemy attack. So far, defence related causes of wars have been mentioned as most of the wars fought by Muslims fall in this category. Other causes for wars will be discussed at appropriate places. Reasons for Smaller Armed Expeditions It has been mentioned that when the schemes of the disbelievers of Makkah to rouse the people of Madīnah against the Muslims failed, they started inciting the whole of Arabia against the Muslims. As a result, all the tribes of Arabia began preparation to attack the Muslims. There was a great danger that if some effective measures were not taken to stop them, the bloodthirsty and hostile Arabs would make life impossible for the Muslims of Madīnah. Therefore, Muḥammad sa started sending small expeditions of Companions outside Madīnah to the surrounding areas on reconnaissance 1 Tirmidhī, Kitābul-Īmān (Book of Faith).