News reached the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) that the Romans were preparing to raid the North of the Arabian Peninsula in order to wipe out the memory of the spectacular tactical withdrawal which the Muslim army had staged in the battle of Mu’tah. This time he (pbuh) decided to face the foreign threat himself, so he (pbuh) drew up a plan designed to finally kill off any ambitions that the Roman leaders held about interfering in the affairs of the Muslims or any thoughts that they may have entertained about raiding their lands.
It was the end of the summer, the heat was intense and there was a drought in effect. The distance between Madinah and al-Sham was long and hard and it was not the season for traveling. Therefore, the journey would require endurance. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh), taking these factors into account, uncharacteristically disclosed the destination to his men in order for them to make adequate preparations. In his other military encounters the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) always kept his aims a secret, misleading the enemy by adopting a strategy of deceptive maneuvers.
However, on this occasion, in view of the extenuating circumstances, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) declared his intention to fight the Romans alongside their borders from the first day. He (pbuh) sent for all the tribes asking them to prepare for war so that as many Mujahideen as possible could be gathered. He (pbuh) ordered the wealthy Muslims to spend from what Allah (swt) had generously provided them with in order to arm, if possible, the Muslim army to the teeth. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also began inciting and exhorting people to join in the Jihad. In reply the Muslim response varied. Those who had embraced Islam with their hearts full of guidance and light hurried to the call of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) with great zeal and courage. Some of them were poor, not even possessing a mule to ride on, and others were rich, they brought all their possessions and handed them to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). It was these who volunteered wholeheartedly to fight in the way of Allah (swt), longing all the while for martyrdom. But those who had embraced Islam for no other reason than out of fear or personal gain - fear of the Muslims or anticipation of gaining a share of the booty - those were lukewarm in their response and they were the ones who began finding excuses. They whispered among themselves about the raid that was to take place in this far off land that cooked in the burning heat. These were the hypocrites. They said to each other, “Do not fight in this heat.” Allah (swt) revealed the following concerning their predicament,
“And they said: “March not forth in the heat.” Say: “The Fire of Hell is more intense in heat, if only they could understand” [At-Tauba, 9:81]
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Jadd ibn Qays, “Would you like to fight the Banu Asfar, Jadd?” Jadd replied, “Will you allow me to stay behind and not tempt me, for everyone knows that I am strongly addicted to women and I am afraid that if I see the Roman women I shall not be able to control myself ?” On hearing this the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) turned away from him. It was about him that Allah (swt) revealed the following verse,
“And among them is he who says: “Grant me leave (to be exempted from Jihad) and put me not into trial” Surely, they have fallen into trial. And verily, Hell is surrounding the disbelievers.” [At-Tauba, 9:49]
The hypocrites did not stop there, they began inciting people not to join in the Jihad and so the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) decided to deal with them harshly and teach them a lesson. When news reached him that some of the hypocrites were meeting in the house of Suwaylim the Jew, where they were plotting and introducing doubt into the peoples’ minds by urging them to stay behind and not fight, he (pbuh) sent Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah to them along with a group of his (pbuh) Sahabah and they burned the house down. Everyone fled the scene and one of them broke his leg while escaping from the building. This served as a warning to others and none of the hypocrites dared to repeat such sedition again.
The firmness and forcefulness with which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went about preparing the army produced a deep effect on the public and a very large number of troops were gathered. In all, about thirty thousand people answered the call to Jihad. The army was named the army of ‘al-‘Usrah (crisis or hardship) because it was asked to face a formidable Byzantine force in the summer heat far away from Madinah. The army also required massive financing. The assembled army was led in prayer by Abu Bakr, while the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sorted out his unfinished business in Madinah and issued his instructions during his absence. These were that Muhammad ibn Maslamah would be in charge of Madinah and ‘Ali would remain behind to look after the wives of Allah’s Messenger. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) then rejoined the army and took command. Thereupon, the order went out to move forward. They proceeded to advance en masse in a spectacular display of strength and might which was witnessed by the people remaining in Madinah. Women climbed onto the rooftops to see off this massive force of Mujahideen.
The army moved relentlessly towards al-Sham, not entertaining any second thoughts, unperturbed by the heat, thirst or famine. Some of those who lagged behind were moved by this display of strength and courage and so they soon joined the force and marched towards Tabuk where the Roman armies were encamped ready to raid the Muslims. However, when the Romans heard about the size and strength of the Muslim army, the recollection of Mu’tah flashed before their eyes. They recalled the bravery and resolve of the Muslims despite their inferior weapons and lack of numbers. The fact that this time the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was at the head of the Muslim army sent shivers down their spines. They were simply terrified and this led to them rushing back into the interior of al-Sham and the safety of their fortresses. After their withdrawal from Tabuk the Roman positions on the border of al-Sham became deserted. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) heard this he moved unmolested into Tabuk, occupied it without a fight and encamped there. He (pbuh) chose not to chase the Romans, but contented himself with the occupation of Tabuk and control of the nearby border regions. The Muslim force remained in Tabuk for about a month dealing with those remaining forces who wished to fight or resist them. He (pbuh) sent messages to the leaders and governors who were under Roman control in the area. He (pbuh) wrote to Yuhanna ibn Ru’mah governor of Aylah, the people al-Jarba’ and of Adhrah telling them to submit or face invasion and they yielded to him and obeyed. They made peace with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and paid the Jizyah. Having completely fulfilled his objective the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) then returned to Madinah.
In his absence, the hypocrites took advantage of the situation to spread rumors and cause division among the believers. They strengthened their seditious operations within the society by building a “masjid” in Thu Awan, a town about an hour journey (during daylight hours) from Madinah. The “masjid” was used to shelter the hypocrites who tried to distort the words of Allah and who attempted to cause division in society by spreading poisonous tales. The owners of the “masjid” had approached the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as he was preparing for the expedition to Tabuk asking him to come and pray there. He (pbuh) asked them to wait until he returned from his trip. On returning the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) heard of their mischievous deeds and the truth about the “masjid” was revealed to him. The “masjid” was ordered to be destroyed and it was categorically burned down. The hypocrites were dealt with very harshly indeed. In light of their experience they became terrified and never again thought to indulge in such ventures.
The Tabuk expedition marked the completion of the Muslims’ authority over the whole of the Arabian Peninsula. The word of Allah spread all over the land and Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) secured his (pbuh) dominance and established his (pbuh) authority without anyone remaining to challenge him. After this time, the congregations of Arab tribes came to him in crowds pledging their obedience and declaring their Islam.