Muhammad after the occupation of Mecca

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The period of Muhammad after the conquest of Mecca started with the Conquest of Mecca in 630 and ended with his death in 632.

History

This period was preceded by the period of Muhammad in Medina.

610

Occupation of Mecca

The Muslim army entered and occupied Mecca in the year 630 CE. In 628 the Meccan tribe of Quraish and the Muslim community in Medina signed a truce called the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. Despite improved relations between Mecca and Medina after the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, a 10-year peace was to be broken by Quraish who, with their allies, the tribe of Bakr, attacked the tribe of Khuza'ah who were allies of the Muslims. However, Muhammad considered the treaty broken. Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraish in Mecca, was aware that the balances were now tilted in Muhammad's favour, went to Medina to restore the treaty but Muhammad refused to accommodate him and Abu Sufyan returned to Mecca empty-handed. When he learned that a Muslim army of 10,000 soldiers was marching towards Mecca, he converted to Islam and negotiated Mecca's transfer of power to avoid a conquest.[1] Muhammad acted generously to the Meccans, demanding only that the pagan idols around the Kaaba be destroyed.

Battle of Hunayn

The Battle of Hunain was fought between Muhammad and his followers against the Bedouin tribe of Hawazin and its subsection the Thaqif in 630 in a valley on one of the roads leading from Mecca to al-Ta'if. The battle ended in a decisive victory for the Muslims, who captured enormous spoils. The Battle of Hunayn is one of only two battles mentioned in the Qur'an by name, in Sura. The Hawazin and their allies, the Thaqif, began mobilizing their forces when they learnt from their spies that Muhammad and his army had departed from Medina to begin an assault on Mecca. The confederates apparently hoped to attack the Muslim army while it besieged Mecca. Muhammad, however, uncovered their intentions through his own spies in the camp of the Hawazin, and marched against the Hawazin just two weeks after the conquest of Mecca with a force of 12,000 men. Only four weeks had elapsed since quitting Medina. The Bedouin commander Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri ambushed the Muslims at a place where the road to al-Taif enters winding gorges; the Muslims, surprised by the assault of the Bedouin cavalry, who they thought were encamped at Awtas, began retreating in disarray. Modern historians have been unable to fully reconstruct the course of the battle from this point onwards because the different Muslim sources describing the battle give contradictory accounts. Because Malik ibn Awf al-Nasri had brought the families and flocks of the Hawazin along, the Muslims were able to capture huge spoils, consisting of 6,000 women and children and 24,000 camels. Some Bedouins fled, and split into two groups. One group went back, resulting in the Battle of Autas, while the larger group found refuge at al-Ta'if, where Muhammad besieged them.

Siege of Ta'if

The Siege of Taif took place in 630 CE, as the Muslims besieged the city of Taif after their victory in the Battle of Hunayn and Autas. However, the city did not succumb to the siege. One of their chieftains, Urwah ibn Mas'ud, was absent in Yemen during that siege.

10 AH

631 CE

Battle of Tabouk

The Battle of Tabouk (also called the Battle of Tabuk) was a military expedition said to have been led by Muhammed in October 630 CE. According to Muslim biographies, Muhammed led a force of as many as 30,000 north to Tabouk in present-day northwestern Saudi Arabia, with the intention of engaging the Byzantine army. Though not a battle in the typical sense, if historical the event would represent the opening conflict in the coming Byzantine-Arab wars. There is no contemporary Byzantine account of the events, and much of the details come from later Muslim sources. Noting this, as well as the fact that the armies never met, some Western scholars have questioned the authenticity of the details surrounding the event; though in the Arab world it is widely held as historical.

Ghassanids

The Ghassanids were a group of South Arabian Christian tribes that emigrated in the early 3rd century from Yemen to the Hauran in southern Syria, Jordan and the Holy Land where some intermarried[dubious – discuss] with Hellenized Roman settlers and Greek-speaking Early Christian communities. The term Ghassān refers to the kingdom of the Ghassanids.

Thaqif adopts Islam

Thaqif, the main tribe of the town of Ta'if adopted Islam in 632.

632

Thursday, June 4 Muhammad's will

Muhammad became ill and his health took a serious turn on a Thursday. He summoned his companions and announced that he wanted to write a will, he asked for writing materials to write a statement that would "prevent the Muslim nation from going astray for ever". The first person to reply was Umar, answering that there was no need for any will, arguing that Muhammad was ill and that Umar had the Qur'an which was sufficient for him.

Saturday, June 6 Usama's dispatchment

Muhammad had earlier sent an expedition against the Byzantine Empire (Roman) that resulted in what was known as the Battle of Mut'ah. The leader of that expedition was the dark colored Zayd ibn Haritha, Muhammad's former adopted son. Zayd died during that expedition.

Monday, June 8 death

He died on Monday, June 8, 632 A.D/ 12 Rabi' ul-Awwal, 11 A.H.

Aftermath

This period was followed by the period of the Succession to Muhammad.

See also

References

  1. K. Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (London: Phoenix, 2001 ed.), p. 642.
  2. Muhammad
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