The Tabuk Expedition
In the course of history, wars between the Byzantines
and the Persians had been fought every now and then.
In the early years of the seventh century the Persians
defeated the Byzantines. As the Christians were
monotheists, the pagans of Arabia hailed the victory
of the Persians over the Christian Byzantines.
At that time the Holy Prophet prophesied
that within ten years the tables would be
turned, and the Byzantines would defeat
the Persians. This prophecy was fulfilled,
and in the later twenties of the seventh
century the Byzantine emperor Heracleus
inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians.
It was at this stage of the Perso-Byzantine
conflict that Islam rose into power. The
Byzantines could not view the growing
strength of Islam with favor. It was
rumored that the Byzantine emperor was
mustering a large army in Syria to invade
Arabia.
To forestall any invasion of Arabia by the Byzantines,
the Holy Prophet decided to undertake an expedition to
Tabuk on the borders of Syria.
The hot season had set in, and the season was
unfavorable to the undertaking of any expedition. It
was the harvesting season, and the people were generally
loath to leave their homes and go to the war. In spite of
these difficulties the Holy Prophet was able to raise an
army of thirty thousand men. To finance the expedition,
the Holy Prophet invited voluntary contributions, and
the Companions subscribed liberally to the cost of the
war.
The Muslim army encamped at a place called Tabook
for twenty days. When the Roman army saw the
great force their spirits dampened and they gave up
their intention of invasion or war.
Rasulullah concluded many peaceful agreements
with certain Christian tribes and returned to
Madinah. The expedition of Tabook ended the
warfare and tribe after tribe began to embrace
Islaam. Within two years the whole of Arabia was
united under the banner of Islaam and the cry of
Allah-hu-Akbar resounded from all sides.