Skip to content 
Challenges
After the Prophet (peace be upon him)) migrated to Medina, the Muslims were welcomed by the people of Medina, and the people converted to Islam in droves, which greatly disturbed the infidel Quraysh of Mecca. They were worried that Muhammad (PBUH) would not attack Mecca by gathering strength from the people who had been oppressed and forced to leave their homeland. Religious revenge, the existence of their invented religion and leadership, was a threat. The Muslims becoming strong meant that the pagans would be destroyed in several ways. Once Islam was established, their trade and commerce would cease, and their existence in Mecca would disappear. Moreover, Medina was essential for the people of Mecca because they had to go to Chariya to trade from there! It was because of this thinking that the Quraysh engaged in various evil tactics and schemes against the Muslims! This means that even after the Muslims migrated to Medina, more than four hundred kilometers away, they were not spared from the various kinds of mischief of the infidels of Mecca!
Strategies
After the Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated to Medina, he established a state structure within a very short time, and, keeping in mind the security of this new state called Medina, he made non-aggression pacts with two Jewish tribes and several other non-Muslim tribes of Medina. The remaining anti-Muslim tribes in Medina did not dare to attack the Muslims, thinking that they were weak, or join hands with the infidel Quraysh of Mecca and adopt any destructive method. In short, the Prophet (PBUH) decided to carry out these campaigns so that no one in Medina and Mecca would think that the Muslims were weak and in response to the various evil tactics of the infidels of Mecca.
The First Military Campaigns in Islam – Chariya and Gozwa
Before talking about the first jihad of the Muslims, it is necessary to mention some of the Chariya and Gojwa campaigns, which are particularly noteworthy (Chariya refers to those military campaigns in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not participate directly). Gojwa refers to those military campaigns in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) participated personally. Before the first battle, the Battle of Badr, There were seven notable Chariya and Gojwa campaigns led by various companions (may Allah be pleased with them).
Before the first armed conflict, the Battle of Badr, three such Chariya and four Gojwa campaigns are mentioned in history. Namely:
1. Chariya Siful Bahar
Siful means beach, Siful Bahar means sea beach. In the month of Ramadan of the first Hijri, or March 623 AD, the Prophet (PBUH) sent Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib as a commander to the coastal areas. In the desert of Rabigh, this caravan encountered Abu Sufyan. The number of Abu Sufyan’s companions was two hundred. Although there was an incident of shooting arrows at each other, it did not escalate into a battle until the end. With Abu Sufyan’s caravan were Miqdad ibn al-Bahrani and Utba ibn Ghozwan al-Majani (RA). These two had secretly converted to Islam. But they did not get the opportunity to migrate to avoid the harsh gaze of the infidels, so they finally set out with Abu Sufyan’s caravan to meet Muslims on the road and go with them to Medina. Allah fulfilled their wish.
2. Chariya Kharrar.
In the month of Zilqad of the first Hijri, or in May 623 AD, a caravan of twenty devoted Muslims was sent towards Kharar under the leadership of Hazrat Abi Waqqas (RA)—this caravan was forbidden to pass Kharar. This caravan traveled on foot; it hid during the day and traveled at night. Its flag was carried by Miqdad Ibn Amr (RA); the color was white. On the fifth day, this caravan reached Kharar and learned that the trading caravan of Quraysh had left Kharar the day before.
3. Gozwa Abwa.
A place near Jahafa is called Abwa. A place near Jahafa is called Abwa. In the second Hijri journey, or in August 623 AD, the Prophet (peace be upon him) appointed Abdullah Ibn Maktum (RA) as the representative of Medina and set out for Abwa with seventy men at the time of Mahajr. The purpose of this caravan was to intercept a trade caravan of the Quraysh. Before this expedition, the Prophet (PBUH) concluded a treaty of friendship with Amr ibn Makhshi al-Jamiri, the chief of the Banu Jamra tribe. This caravan reached Uddan (Uddan is a place between Mecca and Medina). In the end, nothing untoward happened. After fifteen days, the caravan returned to Medina. This was the first military expedition in which the Prophet (PBUH) participated.
4. Gozwa Buwat
Buwat is located 48 miles from Medina, originally the name of two mountains located in the mountainous region of Rizvi Juhayna. In Rabi’ al-Awwal 2 AH, or September 623 AD, after appointing Sa’d ibn Mayadh (RA) as the representative of Medina, the Prophet (peace be upon him) set out with a caravan of more than two hundred companions (RA). The purpose was to follow a trade caravan of the Quraysh. The caravan was led by Umayya ibn Khalaf. The caravan had one hundred members and about two and a half thousand camels. The Prophet (PBUH) reached Buwat. In the end, no untoward incident occurred.
5. Gozwa Safwan
In the month of Rabi’ul Awwal of the second Hijri, or in September 623 AD, an infidel named Qarz Ibn Jabir al-Fahari attacked Medina and looted some cattle. After receiving this news, the Prophet (peace be upon him) set out with seventy companions (may Allah be pleased with him) to pursue the looters. However, since Qarz and his men were able to escape, no untoward incident occurred. Zayd bin Haritha (may Allah be pleased with him) served as the representative of Medina during this campaign.
6. Ghazwa Dhu’l-Ushayrah
Ushayra is the name of a place near Yanbu. In the months of Jamadi’ul Awwal and Jamadi’ul Thani of the second Hijri, or in November and December 623 AD, the Prophet (peace be upon him) set out with one hundred and fifty companions (may Allah be pleased with him) to pursue a caravan that was leaving Mecca for Syria. This caravan had thirty camels so that everyone could ride them in turns. This caravan reached Dhul-Ushayra. The Quraysh caravan reached Syria earlier. However, an attempt was made to arrest them while returning from Syria, but the Quraysh managed to escape to Mecca. But this incident played a major role in preparing the ground for the Battle of Badr. Abu Salma Ibn Abdul Asad Makhzumi (RA) served as the representative of Medina during this campaign.
7. Chariya Nakhlah
In the month of Rajab of the second Hijri, or in January 624 AD, a group of twelve people was sent under the leadership of Abdullah Ibn Jahash (may Allah be pleased with him). There was a camel for every two people—so that one could ride and the other could walk. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) a letter and said that it should be read after a two-day journey. After two days of travel, the letter was opened. It was written, “When you read this letter of mine, you will disembark at Nakhlah, a place between Mecca and Ta’if. There you will wait for a caravan of Quraysh. You will also inform me of the news.” On the way, the camels of Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Utbah Ibn Ghozwan (may Allah be pleased with him) got lost; because of this, these two fell behind. Abdullah (RA) read the letter to his companions and said, “There is no compulsion against anyone; only those for whom martyrdom is dear can stay. I will move forward even if I am alone.”
In the month of Rajab of the second Hijri, or in January 624 AD, a group of twelve people was sent under the leadership of Abdullah ibn Jahash (may Allah be pleased with him). There was a camel for every two people—so that one could ride and the other could walk. The Messenger of Allah When the caravan reached Nakhlah, it heard that a Quraysh trade caravan was passing by that route. The caravan included Abdullah Ibn Mughira’s two sons, Uthman and Nawfal, and Mughira’s slaves Amr Ibn Hazrami and Hakim ibn Qaisan. It was the last day of the sacred month of Rajab. Considering that fighting would desecrate the sacred month and that the Quraysh caravan would be able to enter Medina if they did not pursue it, the Muslims followed the Quraysh caravan. First, they shot an arrow at Amr ibn Hazrami, who fell to his death on the first arrow. Uthman and Hakim were arrested, but Nawfal managed to escape. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) set off for Medina with the prisoners and booty. They had taken out one-fifth of the booty they had taken on the way. It was the first battle of Islam, and Allah revealed the verse on the division of the spoils of war in support of this calculation. The disbelievers had a massive opportunity to criticize the fact that this battle took place in the sacred month. To refute their criticism, Allah revealed the verse of the Quran: “They ask you about the sacred month. Say, ‘Fighting therein is a great sin. But to hinder people from the path of Allah, to deny Allah, to obstruct the Sacred Mosque, and to expel its inhabitants from it is a greater sin in the sight of Allah. A fitnah is a greater sin than waiting for murder. (Al-Baqarah, 217) Shortly after this, in the month of Sha’ban of the second Hijri, Allah made jihad obligatory. Several verses were revealed in the Quran commanding jihad. And in that month, in February 624 AD, Allah changed the direction of prayer from the Sacred Mosque to the Sacred Mosque. A few days after this incident, Abu Sufyan, accompanied by a group of miscreants, came to Medina and tried to create terror by cutting down some trees and killing cattle.
(Reference – Ar-Raheequl Maktum, Rahmatul-Lil Alameen, Tafseer IBN Kathir)
