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Tagged: History, Jihad, Misconceptions, Sahaba
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Badr Caravan
Posted by A Hasan on March 11, 2023 at 5:24 pmWhat is the reality of what happened to Abu Sufyan’s caravan? Why did Muslims attack it?
Dr. Irfan Shahzad replied 1 year, 8 months ago 3 Members · 6 Replies -
6 Replies
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Badr Caravan
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Ahsan
Moderator March 12, 2023 at 7:50 amPlz see Discussion 34985
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Dr. Irfan Shahzad
Scholar March 12, 2023 at 7:54 amThis has been analyzed in detail in the book Hayat e Rasool Ummi by Dr. Khalid Masood, translated into English by his daughter Nikhat Sattar, in the title, The Life of the Gentile Prophet (SWS). Its summary goes as follows:
Keeping all evidence and the time required for travel between the various
convoys in mind, a more plausible explanation is that when Abū Sufyān heard
that a large group of Muslims had arrived at Dhū al-‘Ashīrah when he had left it
on his way from Makkah to Syria, he assumed that they were planning to rob his
convoy, and that although he had been safe until then, they might be waiting for
him and the convoy could be in danger. To pre-empt this, he sent a man,
Ḍhamḍam Bin ‘Amr to the Quraysh with the message that they should make
special preparations to protect the convoy on its way back. After sending the
message, he proceeded to Syria. When Ḍhamḍam reached Makkah, the incident
of the sariyyah of ‘Abdullāh Bin Jaḥash had just happened and the Quraysh
began to see this vague assumption as a reality. Some Idolaters also said that the
Muslims had the wrong perception that they could repeat the incident of
Nakhlah. The Quraysh leaders used this danger to incite the feeling of honour
among their people, but the plan they made was to use the protection of the
convoy as a ploy to eliminate the Muslims forever. Hence, they made elaborate
arrangements which suited their real purpose of waging war. They had plenty of
time for this, as the convoy would take time to come from Syria. As the time of
the convoy’s arrival came near, God showed a dream to His Prophet (sws) that aChapter 28 : The Life of the Gentile Prophet (sws) – Ḥayāt-i Rasūl-i Ummī 274
trade convoy was coming from one side, and the Quraysh army from the other.
He instructed the Prophet (sws) to call the Muslims out, and promised him that
Muslims would be granted victory over one of these two groups. The Prophet
(sws) gathered his people together, told them about his dream and about both
possibilities and gave orders to prepare for war. Because the fight would be
tough, he gave instructions to prepare accordingly. The Muslims were oppressed,
poor and without many possessions. Some expressed the wish that they should
not have to fight in such conditions of poverty and that they be allowed to attack
the trade convoy. Other companions saw in this a confrontation between Islam
and disbelief and they understood that the time had come for the promise for the
defeat of falsehood to be fulfilled. Biographers, referring to this situation, write:
“When the Prophet (sws) motivated his people for war, some took it as an
ordinary happening, but others felt its weight. This happened because people did
not believe that the Prophet (sws) would face war”.1
We believe that this is a description of the psychological condition of two
groups of Muslims. One understood the seriousness of the issue and prepared
accordingly. The other remained under the presumption of meeting the trade
convoy, and thought that the idea of a war was too farfetched. Coincidentally, the
narratives that have been collected by the oldest biographers represent those
related to the second group; this is why historians have not given importance to
the first view, although events show that the majority held these views.
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A Hasan
Contributor March 12, 2023 at 11:14 amWhy would someone randomly make up that the Muslims were waiting at dhul ashirah?
There must be some reality to this rumour no? Or at least something must have sparked it?
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Dr. Irfan Shahzad
Scholar March 13, 2023 at 3:54 amThese are the perceptions of the people there who narrated the events, but since the reality is told by Quran, so we are in the position to refute the perceptions of the narrators. Now we have to reorganize the jigsaw as much as we can or even speculate, in accordance with the description of the Quran.
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A Hasan
Contributor March 13, 2023 at 7:54 amWhat specific part of the Quran refutes the Muslims attacking the caravan?
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Dr. Irfan Shahzad
Scholar March 14, 2023 at 12:20 am8: 5. The very start of the expedition refutes it and then other verses that say it was to set or framed by God to establish Haq from Batil
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