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Islamic History Mcqs
MERWAN 2: 745 – 750, FALL OF THE UMAYYAD
Merwan’s early life and character
Merwan was a son of Muhammad, who was a son of Merwan 1. Muhammad was made the governor of Mesopotamia by his brother Abdul Malik. In Mesopotamia, Merwan was born.
In 732, Hisham made Merwan 2 the governor of Mesopotamia and Armenia after Muhammad’s death; this post he retained for 12 years until he would go on throw Ibrahim out after Yazid 3’s death.
He was a true soldier; he had remained one for his whole life. He was simple and ascetic in habits. He loved his soldiers and preferred to stay in tents rather than in palaces.
Although far better than his predecessors in character, he had his shortcomings as an administrator such as his obstinate spirit, his tribal partisanship towards Modharites and lethargy he developed during his last critical days.
Initial Revolts
Yemenite in Syria
Merwan had transferred his capital from Damascus to Haran in Mesopotamia.
Hims, Kalbi, and then a revolt led by Thabit bin Noaym. All of them were crushed speedily by Merwan.
But a section of revolt army led by Hisham’s son fled away to parts of Iraq, where they joined rebels.
In Iraq
First, Ibn Muawiyah, a great grandson of Jaffar, a brother of Hazrat Ali revolted on the support of Mawali, Alides, and Kharijis.
He gained ground and rules large parts of Persia before he was chased out by new governor of Iraq.
Ibn Muawiyah fled to Khurasan to Abu Muslim, who had him murdered lest he rise up to claim the Caliphate.
But his capture of Persia for 3 years had weakened the Umayyads rule there. The rebels were now more than ever bolstered. This also proved beneficial for Abu Muslim.
Second, Kharijis revolted in Northern Iraq. After all conquering Kufa. But they were soon driven out after Merwan was free from Syrian rebels.
The finale in Khurasan
Clearly, there were four kinds of struggles raged the province. They were:
- The inter-tribal rivalry of the Tamimite and Yemenite Arab tribes
- Rivalry between the Arab tribes and the Khurassani Mawali
- The feudal clash between the Arab Settlers and the old Persian Dhiqans
- The new revolutionary force of Abu Muslim’s Alides or Shia too.
Tribes in Khurasan
When Khurasan was conquered during Umar’s reign, the region was inhabited by the tribes of Basra who conquered it for Umar. Among them the Modharite tribes like Banu Tamim, Ribab, Khuza, and Qays were in majority.
Muhallab when appointed by Hajjaj, brought with himself some Yemeni tribes. This shifted the balance a bit, but the area was rivalry-free for now.
But this turned worse when one Umayyad Caliph favored one over other and vice versa.
Mawalis
Many Persian inhabitants, feudal aristocrats, warriors, and commoners had accepted Islam. They held they wouldn’t have to pay Jizya or Kharaj anymore.
But Umayyad continued to charge, for they maintained otherwise State Treasury would run out of money. Umar 2 abolished the practice, but his successors reintroduced it.
This reintroduction had irked Mawalis too much, who grew accustomed to not paying the Jizya or Kharaj.
Arab Settlers
Some warriors from Muqatila had relinquished themselves from the duty and started living there. They started buying lands and became more feudal.
But there existed former Persian landlords too. These post-Muqatila feudals asked the Caliph to exempt them from Kharaj, over which former Persian landlords argued they be treated same.
Therefore, none were exempted. This engendered inter rivalry as well as hostility towards the Caliphate.
Abbasid Revolution begins
Setting ground in Merv
Nasr bin Sayyar had accepted Merwan 2.
A Yemeni tribe led by Juday al-Kirmani revolted in 744 in Merv. Juday won the battle and drove out Nasr from Merv.
At this time Ibrahim, the nominee from Abbasids, sent Abu Muslim to reap benefit from the chaos in Merv. Abu Muslim decided to align himself with Juday.
Juday was killed by Nasr, but soon his son Ali al-Kirmani marched against Nasr and was surprisingly joined by Abu Muslim and his followers.
Abu Muslim and his followers
There is actually no consensus among historians over who actually supported Abu Muslim in Khurasan province. It is understandable that these followers came from Mawalis, Kharijis, and some Persians. But their precise numbers and their length of support remains doubtable.
Some historians now conclude that Arab Settlers, who had grown tired of Umayyads policy, also supported Abu Muslim.
It is to be noted that the Abbasid revolution was founded on the basis that the Caliphate must remain in Ahl e Bayt, but that would not be the case as future would delineate.
But Mawalis, Kharijis, Alides, and feudals were already too alienated from Umayyads that they blindly gave their support to any rebellion against Merwan 2.
The pious groups from Makkah and Madinah, even, gave their tacit approval for the revolution.
The D-Day: 747
When Abu Muslim’s preparation were complete, a black standard was raised for the revolution in June 747.
Abu Muslim persuaded Yemeni group of Ali al-Kirmani and convinced him to join their forces. They chased Nasr out of Merv and drove him to Nishapur.
Masr cried for help from Merwan 2, but he was too busy in other smaller revolts that he didn’t pay any heed.
Merwan 2, though, did put Ibrahim, nominee of Abbasids, to death for his role in the risings. But Ibrahim had already nominated his brother, Abu’l Abbas, as his successor.
Nasr was on the run but died as a fugitive. Now, Abu Muslim was the master of Khurasan.
Kufa was later conquered too.
Deliberation over the Abbasid Caliph
Ibrahim had suggested his brother, Abu’l Abbas, to refuge in Kufa with his relatives and family.
There they hid under the roof of Abu Salama, who was appointed by Abbasids to gather force for revolt in Kufa.
We may remember that the whole event of rebellion was based upon the idea of electing someone from Ahl e Bayt, but that wasn’t the intension of the Abbasids.
At last, Abu’l Abbas was proclaimed as the new Caliph of Islamic State in November 748 in the central mosque of Kufa.
Battle of the Zab: 750
Merwan 2 finally decided to leave Harran and put up defence against the ever-increasing power of Abbasids. He garnered 120k men, but the force was weak in a sense that alienations and disunity prevailed.
The two forces met in North Iraq on the banks of Zab. Merwan 2 lost the battle largely due to his soldiers’ disloyalty and disunity.
He fled from there to a nearby city but was caught and murdered along with his few loyal followers.
This is how the first dynastic Islamic Empire came to end in 750, under Merwan 2’s rule.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
YAZID 2 (720 – 724)
Brief history
After Umar 2’s death, the throne passed to Yazid 2, brother of Sulaiman and third son of Abdul Malik.
Yazid 2 was married to a niece of Hajjaj bin Yusuf. He loved her dearly. After Sulaiman’s accession, Yazid bin Muhallab confiscated her property and persecuted her. Yazid 2 argued with his brother to order bin Muhallab to stop but to no avail. He resolved, if he ever came to power he would cut bin Muhallab into thousand pieces.
Yazid bin Muhallab after hearing about Umar 2’s death bribed the prison guards and fled from Aleppo’s prison. He started his preparation of revolt. From here Yazid 2 sent an army of 80k under Muslimah, who was a Modharite.
Ibn Muhallab died and his brothers and family were killed too. But the consequences were too grave for Umayyads after this event.
This culminated into all-out rivalry between Himayarites and Modharites. The demographics were turning into bloc game. This gave chance to a person named Muhammad ibn Ali to lay claim to the Caliphate from Abbasid.
Hazrat Abbas was an uncle of the Prophet. One of his son Abdullah was an ardent supporter of Ali and Ahl e Bayt. He died with disappointment that he couldn’t do anything. His Ali bin Abdullah, too, didn’t participate in politics.
Whereas Ali bin Abdullah’s son Muhammad bin Ali was an ambitious politician with Machiavellian art.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
The Revenue System
Following are the four types of taxes in the Revenue System of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):
Zakat and Sadaqat
Zakat was a tax that was obligatory on every Muslim, no excuses were accepted. The state collected it. It was set at 2.5 percent. Sadaqat or Sadqah was a voluntary tax or giving of alms. All the funds collected this way were redistributed among the poor by the State.
Jizya
It was a capitation-tax imposed on non-Muslims in lieu of Zakat and also for providing protection. It was mandatory on every able-bodied men. Women, children, old, insane, and disabled were exempted.
Kharaj
It was a land-tax imposed on the non-Muslim cultivators and landlords. It was levied on Jews of Khyber. They had agreed to pay half of the produce of Khyber lands when they surrendered in the battle. Every season, a man was sent to divide the produce into half and return with half to Madinah. It was also used to support the poor and for military of Madinah.
Khums
The spoils of war accrued from enemies of Islam. It was distributed among the warriors. One-fifth was reserved for the State. From that one-fifth, one-third went to the Prophet and his relatives, one-third wen to poor and needy and one-third for the general good of the Muslim community.
Al-Fay
The lands conquered by the Muslims, which became the property of the Islamic State. Anything that came from there was to be used in the same way as Khums.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
Government and Society under the Prophet
Islamic State under the Prophet
Pre-Islamic Arabia had no central authority. The kind political system varied from place to place. The best was that your tribe would protect against any other tribe. It was ‘each tribe for itself’. They were ready to fight over petty
issues. Seldom did form an alliance. And when they did, it was to fight against the third tribe.
The sovereignty of the tribe customarily lay in the chief of the tribe. The Islamic State formed in Madinah had sovereignty in God. The Prophet was the sovereign Head of the state.
Islam brought the concept of Ummah, where the relationship was based on faith and not on kinship or blood relation.
It is also assumed that Arabia never rose to political prominence on world map because it had no federal/central authority before Islam. The fact is also proven after the emergence of Madinah. Madinah conquered vast lands and got them under the umbrella of State of Madinah.
There was no law of the land, only lawlessness prevailed. In Islamic State, Quran and Sunnah would be the law.
The Prophet as a sovereign
He was the sovereign head of the Islamic State subjected to supreme authority of God. He possessed both spiritual and secular authority & political and judicial powers. He was the supreme commander of Islamic forces and chief administrator of Ummah. He was a ruler and a lawgiver.
The Mosque of Madinah
It was a place of worship, the office, and the court for the Prophet. He performed almost all duties there. He led the prayers there and consulted close companions there. He planned the wars and foreign policy there: all the letters were written there, and each foreign delegate was received there. He resolved judicial matters there and also introduced most of the revelations there, so that they would become the law from thereon. The Mimbar (Pulpit) was a symbol of his sovereign authority. In short, the mosque acted as a secretariat too.
The Provincial Administration
The early Islamic State was a centralized confederacy of the semi-autonomous tribes and a few towns and cities. Usually, the Prophet acted as a supreme chief of every tribe through their tribe chief. Nonetheless, there were places where individuals were sent. Some places were in remote and had little to no knowledge of Islam, so the Prophet sent teams that would rule them and teach them about Islam.
Over the course of time, the Holy Prophet divided the areas into Provincial units. As soon as one area exceeded the proscribed limit, a governor was sent, and it supposedly became a provincial unit. It was done to accommodate the remote tribes from city centers. Khyber and Taif were made provinces so that the tribes and settlement lying in outskirts would also come under the administrative system. The governor performed the duties in same manner as the prophet except the prophetic ones. The laws were to be followed as dictated by the Prophet in Madinah. A Qazi was also sent to each unit. Like governors, these men were of upright character since Islam places high degree of significance on Justice.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
LAST DAYS OF THE HOLY PROPHET
The Farewell Pilgrimage
The 10th year of Hijrah had seen Islam triumphant over the whole of Arabia. The Prophet announced his intention to perform Hajj. 90,000 individuals responded to his call. By the time, they had started performing hajj on the 8th Zu’l Hajj, the crowd had amounted to 124,00.
All the rites and rituals were performed that day the way we perform them today.
Farewell Sermon at Arafat
The Prophet delivered a sermon/speech at Arafat for the last time before leaving this ephemeral world. He started as, “O people! Listen to my words, for I do not know whether I shall ever meet you in this place again after this year.”
The following points paint a clear picture of the message of the sermon.
- The blood and property are sacred. Lord will ask you of your works. One mustn’t breach another’s property.
- All usury is abolished.
- All bloodshed in the Days of Ignorance is to be left unavenged.
- You have rights over your people and they have rights over you. You have taken them only as a trust from God.
- Every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and that all Muslims are brethren.
- Everyone is equal. No Arab has superiority over Ajmi and vice versa.
- Feed and clothe your slaves well. If they commit a fault, of which you aren’t inclined to forgive, then part from them.
“Let him that is present tell it unto him that is absent. May be he that shall be told may remember better than he who has heard it.”
Then the Prophet asked, “O God! Have I conveyed Thy message? Upon this people replied with one accord. “Yes”, The Prophet added: “O God! Thou art my Witness.”
At the very moment a revelation came, which the Prophet read instantly, “this day, have I perfected for you your faith, and completed My blessings upon you, and have accepted for you al-Islam as your religion.”
Achievements of the Holy Prophet
- End of Jahiliya period
- Unification of the Arab tribes
- Consolidation of Islam
- Foundation of a universal religion
Never in the history of the world a man had so little achieved much as the Prophet did. The Holy Prophet began his life as an orphan, lived his boyhood and youth in poverty as a shepherd and a salesman, and then as a recluse in Mount Hira, then he became a humble preacher, for which he was persecuted and hunted out of his native city, to become a refugee in an alien city. At last, he rose to be ‘the Ruler of Arabia.’
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
The Fall of Makkah
Background
After the treat of Hudaibiya, Banu Baqr allied itself with Quraish while Banu Khuza’a aligned itself with Muslims of Madinah. Both resided in Makkah, though and were bitter rivals.
On the suggestions of Quraish, Banu Baqr attacked Banu Khuza’a members and that too in Kaaba where bloodshed was strictly prohibited. The members of Khuza’a along with their chief hurried to Madinah to ask for help.
It is also necessary to express here that the Quraish leadership was itself divided over the future course. Abu Sufyan of Umayya bloc was against inciting Banu Baqr while members of Banu Makhzum incited Banu Baqr and wanted to somehow throw away the treaty of Hudaibiya.
Consequently, the Prophet presented Makkans with three options 1. To pay blood money 2. Leave Banu Baqr unprotected 3. Renounce the treat null and void.
All three options were a dilemma for the Makkans. Paying blood-money would leave their image tarnished. Leaving Baqr unprotected would grow apprehensions among their other allies. And abrogating the treaty altogether meant war, which most of the Quraishites were not ready to fight, except for few leaders of Makhzum.
The Prophet Marches on Makkah: 630 A.D.
The Prophet had already decided to march to Makkah. He kept hi plan a secret till the end. On January 1, 630 an army of 10,000 warriors left Madinah for Makkah.
The Prophet had asked for allied tribes to provide with men and supplements, which they willingly did. The army after arriving there, lit thousands of goblet fires. First, it sent a signal to Makkans that an army has arrived. Second, everyone was to light his /her own fire. Since there were a lot of fires, it looked like a big army had marched.
The majority of the Quraish wanted to surrender except for few. Abu Sufyan rushed to the army camp to submit himself to Islam, which he finally did. Next morning, he was sent by the Prophet back to Makkah to deliver a message that anyone who takes a shelter under Abu Sufyan or Kaaba would be forgiven and left unhurt.
Right after that, the Prophet marched with dividing his army into 4 columns. They all were to cover different parts of the Makkah city.
A bloodless occupation
All the columns were strictly prohibited from initiating the attack or even trying to incite one. For example, Sa’ad bin Obaidiah uttered some foul words when
he entered Makkah, but the Prophet at once went to him and had him replaced by his son Qays bin Sa’ad.
All columns met no resistance, except for Khalid bin Walid’s. He was to enter from Southern side where resided die hard Makhzums. The leaders of Makhzum fought a bit, but after seeing their inevitable loss ran on their heels. 19 Makkans were killed there and 2 Muslims too.
The Prophet entered Makkah, a place that had mercilessly persecuted Muslims and attacked Madinah repeatedly, with no feeling of vengeance or hostility. He entered as a “Prophet of Peace” rather than as a “Prophet of War”.
He directly went to Kaaba to perform a Tawaf. Then he set on to smash the idols present inside it.
Quraish submits
After conquering Makkah, he called all Makkans to Mount Safa. There he asked them what kind of punishment they were expecting. Their mind went wild thinking of all the atrocities they had committed upon the Prophet and his followers.
The Prophet said: No blame on you this day. Go, you are free.
The statement had profound effect on the Makkans. They came in flocks to submit to Islam. Even the bitter enemies were forgiven. Hind bin Utbah, wife of Abu Sufyan and daughter of Utbah bin Rabia, came to ask for forgiveness which was readily accepted. Note that she was the one who ate the Prophet’s uncle’s liver after battle of Ohud.
Wife of Ikrima, son of Abu Jahal, came to submit and asked for forgiveness of her husband. Both were forgiven. Ikrima returned. Suhail bin Amr, too, submitted through his son.
In short, it was conquest not through arms but through peace and mercy.
After the submission, then the Prophet went on to destroy the idols present inside the Kaaba.
Significance of the conquest
Sir William Muir writes, “The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration. It was indeed for
his own interest to forgive the past and cast into oblivion its slight and injuries. But this did, nonetheless, require a large and generous heart.”
It opened the way to all-out unification of Makkah. The enemies that had rallied all smaller enemies to counter Islam were now faithful friends.
All the nomadic tribes that had still not come in the fold of Islam came under it after this event. They were now sure that he was the Prophet since his bitter enemy has accepted it.
Soon after the fall of Makkah, a tribe named Hawazin rose to challenge the Prophet. It lay at the South-East of Makkah. They had great relations with Persia and were already subtle rivals of Quraish due to Quraish’s trade and spiritual supremacy.
They were met at Hunayn, where they were beaten by Muslim army. The POWs that included women and children were released which softened their hearts and most of them accepted Islam. The first one to do so was their Chief Malik.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
Battle of Ditch: 627 A.D.
Causes
Following are the causes of the Battle of Ditch:
Abu Sufyan had challenged the Holy Prophet to meet him next year at Badr. The Muslims reached there with an army of 1500 men. They waited there for 8 days but there was no trace of the Quraishites.
This had two-pronged impact: Muslims were bolstered because the Makkans didn’t appear and the Makkans themselves were now sure that the Holy Prophet and his followers were still resolute and undeterred after Battle of Ohud.
The Holy Prophet’s expeditions against the desert tribes helped the Makkans. Makkans had now the support of dozens of smaller Bedouin tribes. The Jewish tribe, Banu Nazir, which had been driven out of Madinah to Khyber also joined hands with the Quraish.
From here and there, the Makkans managed to form an army of 10,000 men for the battle. The estimates vary between 10k to 25k. It was under the command of Abu Sufyan.
The Muslims could only muster army of 3000 men.
The Main Event
In view of defeat at Ohud, Muslims this time decided to adopt defensive strategy. They knew too well that 3 sides of Madinah were covered and largely impenetrable.
Only Southern side remained undefended and opened. Salman, a close companion, suggested the trench-warfare method. They were to build trenches along the Southern border of Madinah so that the enemies wouldn’t at least get in. hence, the work to dig a trench begun and lasted for 8 days.
The enemy upon their arrival were shocked and appalled. The pagan Arabs were simple men. They liked to fight in the open. They abhorred the idea of any other and untraditional method. They started abusing the Muslims while Muslims started hurling arrows toward them.
The Prophet came to know Jewish tribe, Banu Qurayza. They were conspiring with Makkans against their fellow citizens. On the other hand, Makkans had found one weak spot in the trench. They kept coming but Muslims kept them at bay. But Muslims were weary after keeping that one spot safe for weeks now.
The Prophet thought about playing not only physical but mind game. He sent a man to Jews to request them. The man asked the Jews to ask the Makkans for hostage if they were to receive Jew aid. The man told them that the Makkans were treacherous lot. The Jews accepted the advice.
On the other hand, the Prophet sent a man to the Makkan army and told them that the Jews were a treacherous lot who would ask for hostages if the time came.
When the time came, the Jews asked for hostages and the Makkans realized the Muslims were correct. So any hope for alliance between them was thwarted this way.
The battle had been going on for 30 days now. The native Arabs were not accustomed to such long wars and so weren’t Bedouin tribes. Their supplies
were running short with each passing day. Their camels and horses were dying due to notorious winter, for which Madinah is famous.
Abu Sufyan on seeing the situation called meeting and the leaders decided to abandon the battle and return. He fully knew that Bedouin tribes would defect any day now. So, this way fled leaving behind only empty camps with dead camels and few horses.
Results & Impact
In war terms, battle of ditch was a peaceful affair. Only 9 Muslims were martyred.
The trench proved to be a determining factor. Makkans didn’t expect such wittiness from the Muslims. Again, the war was a war of waiting. Muslims had their whole city, Madinah, behind them to support them for supplies.
Whereas the Makkans had limited supplies which were dwindling with each day.
Another key cause was disunity among the army. The Makkans had promised their smaller allies bounty and return within short period. Tribes’ patience was running short.
The war also proved how sharpness can save many lives. The sharpness was first digging trench and then sowing the seeds of suspicion between Banu Qurayza and the Makkans.
By the time the war happened, the Makkans had already lost their trade to Syria. They had run short of wealth at home. In short, they were now ever in defensive position. There was also tensions within the Quraish over the leadership.
Another key impact of battle of dich was expulsion of Jews from Madinah, as we shall see later.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
The Battle of Ohud: 625 A.D.
Causes
Following are the Causes of Battle of Ohud:
The key cause of the battle was the Battle of Badr itself which had generated intense animosity among the Quraish. They lost their prestige, leaders, and at some extent trade.
Another chief cause was Abu Sufyan’s raid in the outskirts of Madinah, which came to be known as Ghazwat as-Sawiq. Upon hearing of the raid, the Prophet along with some men reached the spot. The Makkans in confusion fled leaving behind their bags filled with meal which is called ‘sawiq’ in Arabic.
In addition, Safwan bin Umayya sent his caravan to the North well to the East of Madinah to avoid the blockade by Muslims on coastal route on the West. But Muslims somehow came to know of this and on orders of the Prophet raided the caravan with 100 men. They captured the merchandise worth 100,000 dirhams.
For all of these reasons, the Makkans set out to Madinah with 3000 men under the leadership of Abu Sufyan. Women also accompanied the army. Among them one was Hind bin Utbah, daughter of Utba bin Rabia and wife of Abu Sufyan. She had vowed to avenge her father.
The Main Event
The Makkan army reached oasis near a hill called Ohud, North of Madinah. Whereas in Madinah, key leaders were discussing the strategy to be adopted. the Holy Prophet was in favor of defence position and not leave Madinah. But the young warriors were energetic and wanted to fight. Finally, the Muslim army left Madinah to face the opponent at Ohud.
The army had 1000 mean, of which 300 were Abu Sufyan’s. Half way through the road, Sufyan deserted the Muslim army along with his 300 men, leaving Muslims only 700 in number.
Next morning, the Holy Prophet set out to station the army strategically. Army was placed on the western slope of Ohud. This had few advantages, but there was a rear passage on the hill. the Holy Prophet put 50 men there to protect the passage so that the Quraish couldn’t cross it.
According to the Arabic tradition, as was mentioned in the last battle, the Muslims were winning decisively till the second stage. They were on advance even in the third stage. The Quraish upon seeing their losses retreated a bit.
Seeing them retreating, few Muslims started plundering the camps, more and more Muslims joined the plundering. The turning point occurred when the Muslims stationed at the passage joined the raiding too. Only 12 remained there.
Seeing this, Khalid bin Waleed hurried to passage rallying an army behind him. From here on, Muslims were now in defence position and their defeat was largely inevitable. In the fighting, the Holy Prophet got injured too. Someone, probably among the Muslims, started rumor that the Holy Prophet had died which further declined the morale of Muslim army.
The Makkans upon hearing the news also retreated a bit and finally decided to return to Makkah.
Results & Impact
70 Muslim warriors were martyred. Among them one was Hamza, uncle of the Holy Prophet. He was killed by Hind bin Utbah. The Makkans mutilated the martyrs of the war. In fact, Hind ate Hamza’s liver.
The chief reason behind the defeat was desertion of archers stationed at the rear passage.
Due to the defeat, certain Bedouin tribes started leaving the fold of Islam. Some of them were being bribed by the Makkans. They resorted to evil schemes. Once, they invited 70 Muslims for preaching. The clan killed them upon their arrival.
If Badr brought them prestige, confidence, and bounty, Ohud brought them the realization that discipline, were obedience necessary. They knew now that it was their greed that turned the victory into a defeat.
Some Muslims were now even more resolute. Their faith was now strengthened.
The Makkans were definitely victorious. But for them the war was not ideological but personal. They had set out to avenge their near and dear ones, which they did. They returned without further marching towards Madinah. Had they done so, Islam might not have spread.
There was no single objective among their ranks. It was every man for himself. Victory or no victory, their defeat was inevitable in the coming times.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
Foundation of the Republic of Madinah
Yathrib at the time of Hijrah
As mentioned earlier, the Battle of Bu’ath had caused much destruction and discontent among the populace.
To rid Yathrib continuous warlike situation, the tribes decided to end their enmity and elect a chief with central authority.
At home, it was being decided that Abduallah bin Obay would be the leader. Whereas, there were other Arabs that were busy pledging in Makkah.
At the time of the Holy Prophet’s arrival, Yathrib was divided into two blocs: Ansar and Muhajireens / 2. Jews and supporters of Abdullah bin Obay.
It is pertinent to express here that Yathribis reached out to the Holy Prophet because they had their fear that Abdullah might not be impartial in future. Thus, they wanted some impartial, just, and upright.
The Brotherhood
The Muhajireens that arrived in Madinah were in state of poverty. They had to abandon all their wealth in Makkah which was seized by the Quraish.
The Ansars were in position to help. And they helped immensely without any question. There are many unbelievable, yet true, stories of their generosity.
This relationship showed how Islam connected people not on ethnicity, race, color, wealth, or area but by faith.
Over time, the Muhajireens became independent; they started trading.
The event also portrayed what an Ummah would look like. Madinah prospered because Ansars helped, if they hadn’t it is highly probable that state of Madinah would’ve been the same as it was before.
For complete Islamic history notes click here.
