The Quraysh Trade Caravan

“I swear by Allah that I have just offered the prayer with the Noble Prophet ﷺ while facing the Kaaba.”

The people of Quba received this news the next morning at the time of the Fajr prayer. They were in the second Rak‘ah when the caller announced:

“People! Be aware! The direction of the Qiblah has been changed toward the Kaaba.”

While still offering the prayer, the people turned toward the new direction of the Qiblah.

Thus, the Qiblah of the Muslims became the Baytullah.

In the same year, that is, 3 AH, the command to fast during Ramadan and to give Sadaqat al-Fitr was revealed.

Then a pulpit was installed in Masjid an-Nabawi. Until the pulpit was made, the Prophet ﷺ would stand leaning against the trunk of a date-palm tree and deliver the sermon.

When the pulpit was made and the Prophet ﷺ delivered the sermon from the pulpit instead of leaning against that date-palm trunk, the trunk began to weep.

Its crying became so loud that everyone in the mosque could hear it. Its voice was so painful that the entire mosque seemed to tremble. It was crying like a she-camel cries when it loses its young one.

Hearing its crying, the Noble Prophet ﷺ came down from the pulpit and went toward it. He embraced it against his chest.

After this, the sound of a child sobbing began to come from it.

The Noble Prophet ﷺ lovingly stroked it with his hand and said:

“Be calm and quiet.”

Only then did its crying stop.

After this, the Prophet ﷺ ordered that the trunk be buried beneath the pulpit.

The Prophet ﷺ once said:

“The area between my house and my pulpit is one of the gardens of Paradise.”

That is, this place is itself a place from Paradise. Allah Almighty has included this place among the gardens of Paradise.

You have already read in the previous pages that the Prophet ﷺ had set out with the intention of attacking a Qurayshi trading caravan. However, when the Prophet ﷺ reached ‘Ushayrah, the caravan had already passed through that place and departed toward Syria.

Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ returned.

Then, when the Prophet ﷺ received information that the caravan was returning from Syria and that the profits from its merchandise would be used against the Muslims, he gave the following command:

“The trading caravan of Quraysh is coming. It contains their wealth and property. Advance toward it and attack it. Perhaps Allah will grant you benefit from it.”

The leader of this caravan was Abu Sufyan رضي الله عنه. He was also one of the chiefs of Quraysh.

(At that time, he had not yet accepted Islam. He accepted Islam at the time of the Conquest of Makkah.)

It was his habit that whenever his caravan reached the land of the Hijaz, he would send spies to obtain information about the routes.

He was also afraid of the Prophet ﷺ.

Therefore, his spy informed him that the Noble Prophet ﷺ had already set out to intercept the trading caravan.

Hearing this, Abu Sufyan رضي الله عنه became frightened.

He immediately sent a man toward Makkah and gave him these instructions:

“Cut the ears of your camel, turn its saddle upside down, tear the front and back of your shirt, and enter Makkah in this condition. Tell them that Muhammad ﷺ is going to attack their caravan with his Companions.”

He did this so that the polytheists would come quickly to provide assistance.

The man departed very quickly.

Before he had even reached Makkah, ‘Atikah bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib had a dream.

She was the paternal aunt of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

(It could not be established whether she later accepted Islam or not. There is a difference of opinion in the narrations. Some narrations state that she accepted faith, while others state that she did not accept Islam.)

The dream was very frightening, and she became afraid.

She told her dream to Hazrat ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه, but only on the condition that he would not tell anyone else.

He said:

“Very well, tell me the dream. What did you see?”

‘Atikah bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib said:

“I saw in a dream that a man was riding on a camel and coming toward us.

“He continued until he stopped at Abtah.”

(Abtah is some distance away from Makkah al-Mukarramah.)

“Standing there, he called out in a loud voice:

‘O people! Within three days, prepare yourselves to go to your places of death.’

“Then I saw that people had gathered around him.

“After that, he proceeded from there and entered the Baytullah, and the people followed behind him.

“Then I saw that the man, along with his camel, appeared on the roof of the Kaaba.

“There too, he loudly called out the same words.

“After that, he climbed Mount Abu Qubays.

“There too, he called out the same words.

“Then he picked up a stone and rolled it down.

“When the stone rolled down from there and reached the foot of the mountain, it suddenly broke into pieces.

“Then there was no house in Makkah whose pieces it did not reach.”

After hearing this dream, Hazrat ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه said:

“By Allah, ‘Atikah! You have seen a very strange dream. Do not mention it to anyone yourself either.”

Hazrat ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه left from there.

On the way, he met Walid ibn ‘Utbah, who was his friend.

Hazrat ‘Abbas رضي الله عنه told him the dream and made him promise that he would not tell anyone about it.

Walid went and told the dream to his son, ‘Utbah.

In this way, the dream continued to spread from one person to another until it became widely known everywhere.

People in Makkah began discussing the dream extensively.

Finally, three days later, the man riding the camel whom Hazrat Abu Sufyan رضي الله عنه had sent entered Makkah.

He reached the middle of the valley of Makkah, stood on his camel, and called out:

“O Quraysh! Take care of your trading caravan! Muhammad ﷺ is going to attack the wealth and property that Abu Sufyan is bringing. Hurry and come to help!”

All the Quraysh had invested their wealth in this trading caravan.

Therefore, everyone began preparing for war.

Those who were wealthy helped the poor so that as many people as possible could go to fight.

The great chiefs began encouraging the people to go to war.

One of the chiefs, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, said in his speech:

“O Quraysh! Will you tolerate Muhammad ﷺ and his irreligious companions taking control of your wealth and property?

“Therefore, go out for battle. Whoever has little wealth, my wealth is available for him.”

In this way, all the chiefs prepared themselves.

However, Abu Lahab made no preparations.

He had become frightened because of ‘Atikah’s dream.

He used to say:

“‘Atikah’s dream is absolutely true, and it will appear exactly as she saw it.”

Abu Lahab did not go himself, but he gave four thousand dirhams to ‘As ibn Hisham and prepared him to go to the battle in his place.

Meanwhile, extensive preparations were being made in Makkah.

On the other side, the Noble Prophet ﷺ departed from Madinah.

Outside Madinah, near a well called Bi’r ‘Utbah, he ordered the army to camp.

The Prophet ﷺ instructed the Companions رضي الله عنهم to drink water from this well, and he also drank from it himself.

It was here that the Prophet ﷺ ordered:

“Count the Muslims.”

Everyone was counted, and the Prophet ﷺ also inspected all of them.

Those who were too young were sent back.

Among those who were sent back were Hazrat Usamah ibn Zayd, Rafi‘ ibn Khadij, Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, Usayd ibn Zuhayr, Zayd ibn Arqam, and Zayd ibn Thabit رضي الله عنهم.

When they were ordered to return, ‘Umayr ibn Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه began to cry.

Eventually, the Prophet ﷺ gave him permission to go.

Thus, he participated in the battle.

At that time, he was sixteen years old.