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Badr Mo’id (the promised Badr)
After the banishment of the Bani Nadir, for about a year Muslims
enjoyed their victories and did not engage in more wars.
After the Battle of the Badr Abu Sofyan had challenged the Muslims to
meet the next year at Badr. Muhammad gathered an army of 1500 men and
headed there, but the Quraish who had set out with 2000 men had to
retrace their steps as it was a year of draught and there was not enough
provender for the camels. Muhammad went to Bard and after eight days
returned proclaiming victory and was much pleased of the campaign.
Dhat al Riqa May, A.D. 626
In the beginning of the fifth year of the Hejira, Muhammad set out to
gain more booty from the Beduine tribes living in Najd territory. He
informed his followers that his spies had informed him of the tibe Ghatafan
preparing to invade Medina and thus rouse them for a preemptive attack.
This battle is called Dhat al Riqa. A range
of hills near Al Nukhil between Al Sad and Al Shucra, - called the
mountain of patches (Dzat al Rica), because composed of red, black, and
white masses, it looks like patchwork. See K. Waqidi, 110 ½. With
an army of 400 (700 according to other traditions), Muhammad took the
tribes of Ghatafan by surprise, invaded their habitations and carried
all their women off.
To see how historic facts are twisted when reported by modern Muslim
apologists let us look at what the Muslim
American Society described this event in
their website, masnet.org:
“In the summer of 626, Banu Muharib and Banu Tha'labah, both of
Ghatafan, took to the field against the Muslims taking with them their
women and property, thus forcing the Prophet to march with his
companions to meet them. The encounter took place at Dhat al Riqa'. The
non-Muslims gave up their ground and ran away at the sight of the
adversary, leaving their families and properties to fall into the hands
of Muslims.”
The absurdity of this narrative is self-evident.
The Arabs were a polytheist society and as such they were tolerant of
other people’s beliefs. Even if the claim that the Bani Ghatafan were
planning to attack Medina was true, the motivation was not to oppose
Islam. It is more likely that they were trying to retaliate for the raid
that Muhammad made on them two years earlier stealing a herd of 500 of
their camels that were in the charge of a single boy. However despite
the claim of the historians that such a preparation was underway, we see
no evidence of that. The Bani Ghatafan were related to the Quraish, if
they really had plans to fight Muhammad, they would have joined the
Meccans in their Battles against him or they would have asked their aid.
All these make us believe that the claim that the Bani Ghatafan were
preparing to attack Medina was a pretext and nothing else.
This assumption is further validated when we see that the Bani
Ghatafan was not even prepared for the war. They are taken by complete
surprise. Many are killed, those who could run, ran for their lives and
the women are taken as slaves probably to be released with ransom.
It is unreasonable to think these people took their women
and property to the battlefield. These absurd explanations are were
fabricated to justify a treacherous attack of Muhammad on an unarmed and
unwary civilians. Any other explanation defies logic.
Muir says that the Secretary of Waqidi mentions that there was a well
- favored girl among the prisoners, but he does not say what became of
her, or indeed any of these females. They were probably ransomed.”
Knowing the character of Muhammad it is likely she became a sex slave of
the holy prophet. [footnotes of the page 223 of Chapter
XVI The Life of Muhammad]
Dumat Al-Jandal July, A.D. 626
This is an important settlements in al-jawf area.
Dumat Al-Jandal (now Jal al Jawf) was
a main town on the ancient trade route and thought to be the northern
gateway of Arabia to Palestine and Syria through Wadi al-Sarhan.
Assyrianian sources have revealed that the region was ruled by a number
of queens such as queen Zabibei and queen Shamsi. This should suffice as
proof that women before Islam were respected and had more rights than
after Islam. Dumat al-Jandal was one of the most famous markets in
northern Arabia in pre-Islamic times.
In summer, another the year 626 Muhammad invaded this town and
captured their herds that was grazing in the neighborhood. Although the
historians have lightly mentioned this expedition, it is important as
far as the expansion of Islam is concerned since it was the first time
that the Muslims had spread their field of marauding activities so far
from Medina and so close to Syria. Terror now had overtaken all of
Arabia and no tribe felt safe. As Muir explains: “the political
horizon of the Prophet was greatly extended; the lust of plunder in the
hearts of his people acquired a far wider range”
Bani Nastaliq Oct A.D. 626
Three months after Dumat, Muhammad set his eyes on another Jewish
tribe. This time it was the turn of Bani al-Mustaliq.
Bukhari, the great biographer of Muhammad, narrates the attack on
Bani al-Mustaliq in the following story (Hadith)
To justify his attacks Muhammad always would say that he had
intelligence form his informants that such and such tribe was preparing
to attack Medina and the Muslims. With this claim, he would give
legitimacy to his marauding raids and would persuade his followers to
enlist in his armies.
The Bani Mostaliq was hitherto friendly to Muhammad. There is
no reason to suspect that they suddenly had changed their minds and had
decided to attack Medina. Knowing by now the cunning character of
Muhammad, it is logical to assume that this story was fabricated by him
just to legitimize his own hostility.
The Bani Nastaliq, is thus attacked with no warning. Bukhari reports:
"Narrated Ibn Aun:
I wrote a letter to Nafi and Nafi wrote in reply to my letter that the
Prophet had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they
were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of
water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were
taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiya on that day. Nafi said that
Ibn 'Umar had told him the above narration and that Ibn 'Umar was in
that army .”
Bukhari Vol. 3, B. 46, N. 717 :
This same Hadith is recorded in the
Sahih Muslim Book 019, Number 4292, which validates the claim of its
authenticity.
Muhammad molded his religion after Judaism and had great expectations
that the Jews would be the first to heed his call. Nevertheless, to his
chagrin, the Jews had no interest in his religion and he never forgave
them for that. You cannot reject a narcissist without invoking his rage.
Muhammad was so upset that he changed the direction of the Qiblah (the
direction towards which the Muslims pray) from Jerusalem to Kaaba, which
at that time was just a temple of idols and said Allah transformed the
Jews were transformed into apes and swine because of their transgression
(Q. 5:60)
and (Q. 2:65).
Muhammad made the Jews the scapegoat to rally his followers around
himself. He was an expert of that old trick known as “divide n’
conquer”.
The Arabs of Medina were generally a bunch of illiterate folk with
little skills and often poor who made their living by working in the
vineyards of the Jews and rendering other services to them. They where
originally immigrants from Yemen while the Jews were the masters of
trades and the owners of the lands who had called Medina home, for 2000
years. They were easy targets. Prowling their wealth and making more
money by enslaving their women and children and distributing them among
the poor Arabs while giving his followers the assurance that killing
their masters and bread givers is not only ethical but also sanctioned
by God proved a very lucrative enterprise for Muhammad, one that would
change his fortunes, and set this new religion on its eventual path of
war and military conquests.
Muhammad sent one of his companions; Bareeda bin Haseeb, to spy on
the Bani al-Mustaliq and after assessing the situation he ordered his
men to attack. Muslims came out of Madina on 2nd Shaban of 5 A.H. and
encamped at Muraisa, a place at a distance of 9 marches from Medina.
The following quote is from the Islamic site
muslims.ws
"The news of the advance of Muslim forces had already reached
Harith. In panic, his men deserted him and he himself took refuge in
some unknown place. But the local population of Muraisa took up arms
against the Muslims and rained showers of arrows in a sustained manner.
The Muslims launched a sudden and furious attack and routed the enemy,
who suffered huge casualties and nearly 600 were taken prisoners by the
Muslims. Among the booty there were 2,000 camels and 5,000 goats. ”
So the victims were taken by surprise, and since their warring men
were not armed, few who resisted were killed and the rest either escaped
or surrendered. In this raid ten men of the Mustaliq died while only one
Muslim was killed by a erring shot from another Muslim.
In total, 200 families, with their herds and flocks and household
goods formed the booty. Muhammad kept a fifth and the rest was
distributed among his men. To encourage the development of cavalry in
his army, Muhammad made the share of the horsemen three times more than
that of footmen.
Unlike what most people may think, Muhammad’s intentions were not
to convert people to his religion. His real aim was power, wealth and
domination. Religion was just the pretext he used to subdue and conquer.
He weighed each case differently and considered its financial benefits.
In most cases it was more profitable if the people did not convert to
Islam, but were killed and their belongings taken as spoils of war and
their wives and children enslaved and soled with huge profits. This
could bring sudden wealth to the the prophet of God that otherwise he
could not have. If people were given the choice they could have feared
defeat and the harsh consequences and they could have accepted Islam.
This meant that they would have to become tributaries to Muhammad ’s
coffers and contribute to his army. However it also meant they would not
be looted completely. That is why Muhammad did not deem appropriate to
warn the Bani Mustaliq just as he never warned his other victims but
attacked them by surprise.
Muslim, another biographer of Muhammad narrates:
Ibn 'Aun reported: I wrote to Nafi' inquiring from him whether it was
necessary to extend (to the disbelievers) an invitation to accept
(Islam) before meeting them in fight. He wrote (in reply) to me that it
was necessary in the early days of Islam. The Messenger of Allah (may
peace be upon him) made a raid upon Banu Mustaliq while they were
unaware and their cattle were having a drink at the water. He killed
those who fought and imprisoned others. On that very day, he captured
Juwairiya bint al-Harith In the chapter dedicated to Muhammad’s
wives we will talk about Juwairiyah . Nafi'
said that this tradition was related to him by Abdullah b. Umar who
(himself) was among the raiding troops.”
Book 019, Number
4292:
Muslim warriors carried on this sunnah (examples set by Muhammad)
after his death. When a Muslim army invaded a town, they would not allow
anyone to convert to Islam for three days. During these three days they
could kill as many men as they liked, pillage their properties, then
rape and enslave their women and children. In this way the Muslim
warriors could be paid off for their services. Only after a town had
been decimated and all the young women and children that could be sold
as slaves were captured, would the brutal campaign of Islamization, with
its cruel mandate that all must convert or die, began. However the Jews
and the Christians were given protection to live provided they pay a
penalty tax called Jizyah and enter into dhimmitude. Dhimmi means
protected. But the dhimmis had to pay a hefty jizyah for their
protection. This Jizyah was the source of livelihood of the Muslims who
through it were able to live like parasites off the labor of the dhimmis.
The following Hadith, reported by Bukhari, records the source for this
practice based on the admonitions of Muhammad toward the dhimmi:
Narrated Juwairiya bin Qudama At-Tamimi:
We said to 'Umar bin Al-Khattab, oh Chief of the believers! Advise
us." He said, "I advise you to fulfill Allah's Convention
(made with the Dhimmis) as it is the convention of your Prophet and the
source of the livelihood of your dependents (i.e. the taxes from the
Dhimmis.) " Volume
4, Book 53, Number 388:
To see the level of fanaticism that Muhammad had instilled in the
minds of his especially younger followers, it is noteworthy to mentions
an altercation that occurred between the Ansar and the Muhajeroon. A
Muhajer struck a blow at an Ansar and
soon the two groups drew their swords to come to the defense of their
own man. The skirmish was soon settled and amity restored. But Abdullah
ibn Obay, the man that had bargained with Muhammad for not massacring
the Bani Qainuqa said to his people, “This
is what you have brought upon yourselves, by inviting these
strangers to dwell amongst us. When we return to Medina, the Mightier shall
surely expel the Meaner!"
Muhammad was upset of these words and Ibn Hisham says that Abdallah's
son who had converted to Islam approached the Prophet and offered to
bring his father's head, if Muhammad desired it; saying - "If he is
to be killed, I will do it myself. If any other man commits the deed,
the Devil will tempt me to avenge my father's blood: and by killing a
Believer for an Unbeliever, I shall go to Hell. Allow me to kill him
myself!" Hishami, p.313.
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