After the Quraysh had taken the initiative to declare the state of war against the Muslim state in Al-Madeenah and Allah The Almighty revealed to Muslims the permission to fight, it was natural for the state of Al-Madeenah to deal with the Quraysh according to the necessities of the state of war. The activity of the Messenger of Allah was directed towards establishing the position of that state and treating the Quraysh in the same way as it declared the state of war against Al-Madeenah. Therefore, he sent expeditionsSaraaya and led battles Ghazawaat before the Greater BattleGhazwah of Badr, the most important of which are:

The Ghazwahbattle of Al-Abwaa’ (it was said that the place was called such due to the abundant illnesses it had) was the first battle led by the Prophet . It was as also known as the battleGhazwah of Wadaan (a big large village behind Al-Abwaa’). There arewere ttwo places were behind each other and the distance between them wasis six or eight miles. There was no fighting during that battle Ghazwah. Rather, there was reconciliation between Muslims and Dhamrah (a sub- tribe of Kianaanah). This battle wasGhazwah occurred took place in the month of Safar, in the second year after Hijjrah (emigration). The Muslims amounted to were two hundred riding and walking soldiers; some on horseback and some on foot.

This was the first military mission dispatched by the Messenger of Allah . It included sixty fighters of from the Muhaajiroon (emigrants). The Qurayshi enemies numbered more than two hundreds made up of riding and walking fighters. The leader of the polytheists was Abu Sufyaan bin Harb. Some scrimmages occurred between the two parties over a water in the valley of Raabigh. During this expeditionSariyyah, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, threw the first arrow in Islam. This was after his return from Al-Abwaa’.

Ibn Is’haaq said,

“Having reached Al-Madeenah after the battleGhazwah of Al-Abwaa’, the Prophet sent Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him, to Seef Al-Bahr [a coastal area in the direction of Al-‘Ees]. The Muslims amounted to were thirty riders ofromf the Muhaajiroon. He met Abu Jahl bin Hishaam at that area and there were 300 riders of the Makkans. Majdy bin ‘Amr Al-Juhani, however, prevented them from fighting as he was an alley of both of them. Both parties returned and there was no fighting among them.”

The Messenger of Allah led the battleGhazwah of Buwaat (one of the mountains of Juhaynah, in the direction of Radhway, near Yanbu‘) in the month of Rabee‘ Al-Awwal, in the 2nd year after Hijrah. He accompanied two hundreds of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, intending to seize a caravan fromor the Quraysh that included Umayyah bin Khalaf along with one hundreds men and two thousands and five hundreds camels. However, the Prophet did not catch them and so he returned to Al-Madeenah.

During this battleGhazwah, the Prophet attacked the Quraysh and appointed Abu Salamah bin ‘Abdul Aasad, may Allah be pleased with him, as a ruler in Al-Madeenah. This Such a battle was called the Ghazwah of Al-‘Ushayrah. The Prophet stayed there the month of Jumaadaa Al-’Oolaa and some days from Jumaadaa Al-’Aakhirah. He reconciled Banu Mudlij and their allies from Banu Dhamrah. The Prophet did not fight and returned to Al-Madeenah because the caravan for which the battleGhazwah was launched passed days before the arrival of the Muslims going to Ash-Shaam (greater Syria). It followed the coast of the sea. The Quraysh knew about the news and went out in order to protect the caravan and they met the Messenger of Allah and the Greater BattleGhazwah of Badr took placeoccurred.

After the battle Ghazwah of Al-‘Ushayrah, the Prophet sent Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, in on an expeditiona Sariyyah consisting of eighty men of from the Muhaajiroon (emigrants). He setsat out until he reached Al-Kharraar (a place near to Al-Juhfah) in the land of Hijaaz. He then returned without fighting.

The reason behind this was that Kurz bin Jaabir Al-Fahri had attacked Al-Madeenah and plundered some camels and cattle. The Messenger of Allah pursued him until he reached a valley named Safwaan from the direction of Badr. However, Kurz fled and the Messenger of Allah did not catch him and, thus, returned to Al-Madeenah.

The Prophet sent ‘Abdullaah bin Jahsh, may Allah be pleased with him, in with eighty men from the Muhaajiroon to Nakhlah (Nakhlat Al-Yamaaniyyah: a valley where the tribe of Hawaazin camped during the day of the Battle of Hunayn), south of Makkah in at the last day of Rajab for reconnaissance and discovering news of Quraysh’s whereabouts. They met a commercial caravan for belonging to the Quraysh and seized it. They killed its leader, ‘Amr bin Al-Hadhrami, captured two of its men, ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Abdullaah and Al-Hakam bin Kaysaan, and brought them to Al-Madeenah. The Prophet did not dispose of these booties until Allah The Exalted revealed the verse in which He Says (what means):

When this verse was the noble Quran revealed, the Prophet received the caravan and the two captives. During this expeditionSariyyah, the Muslims won their first booty, ‘Amr bin Al-Hadhrami was the first person to be killed by the Muslims, and ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Abdullaah as well as Al-Hakam bin Kaysaan were the first captives to be captured by Muslims.

Important Expeditions and Military Missions Before the Greater Battle of Badr - I