ISLAM IN AWS TRIBE & KHAZRAJ TRIBE

These six men from the Khazraj tribe of Yathrib were Asad bin Zurara, Auf bin Harith bin Rifaa (Auf bin Ifra’a), Rafi bin Malik bin Ailan, Qatba bin Amir Hadida, Uqba bin Nabi, and Jabir bin Abdullah bin Riqab. They had come along with other pilgrims from Yathrib to Makkah in the eleventh year of the Prophet ﷺ’s mission. Yathrib was also home to some Jewish tribes, and occasionally disputes would flare up between the Arabs and Jews. The Jewish minority would intimmidate the Arabs by saying soon a Prophet ﷺ would be sent to lead the Jews into battle. The Arabs, they claimed, would be slaughtered like the people of Aad and Iram. These six pilgrims were sitting together in Mina (just outside Makkah) one night when the Prophet ﷺ passed by. He approached them and asked, “Who are you?”

“We belong to the Khazraj,” they answered. “Allies of the Jews,” the Prophet ﷺ commented. They replied in the affirmative. “Let us sit together and talk,” the Prophet ﷺ suggested. He spoke to them about Islam, recited some verses of the Qur’an, and invited them to believe in Alllah, the One, the Exalted. 

The men sitting with the Prophet ﷺ recognised who he was. “This is the same Prophet ﷺ the Jews constantly threaten us with. Let us pledge allegience to him before they do.” All six men accepted Islam. “We left our people in such a plight,” they said. “If Allah unites us through you, you would be honoured more than anyone else among us.” The six new Muslims promised that they would invite their people to Islam upon returning to Yathrib, and that they would meet the Prophet ﷺ during the next pilgrimage.

First pledge of Aqabah 

 

The next year, five of the six men from Yathrib returned to meet the Prophet ﷺ during Hajj. They brought with them five converts from their own tribe and two from the tribe of Aus. The names of the five converts of the Khazraj were Mu’adh bin Harith (Mu’adh bin Ifra’a), Zakwan bin Abdul Qays, Ubada bin Samit, Yazeed bin Thulba, and Abbas bin Ubada bin Fadhla. The two men from the Aus tribe were Abul Haytham bin Al-Tayhan and Uwaym bin Sa’eda.

Again they met the Prophet ﷺ in Mina, where he taught them more about Islam and asked them to make an oath of allegiance. This was known as the First Pledge of Aqabah. Specifically, it was a pact between the men and Allah that they would not associate any partners with Allah, commit theft, fornicate, kill their children, vilify others, nor disobey the Prophet ﷺ when he instructed them to do good. Whoever fulfilled this pledge would receive his reward from Allah, and whoever violated any part of it and was proven guilty would be punished in this world as an attonement. If, however, someone broke the pledge and Allah hid his sin from people, that person would be dealt with by Allah, Who would either forgive him or punish him.

Islam spreads in Yathrib

 

When the men who took the pledge at Aqabah finished performing Hajj, the Prophet ﷺ sent Mus’ab bin Umayr along with them to teach them the Qur’an. In Yathrib, Mus’ab stayed with Abu Umama Asad bin Zurara. The two directed their efforts towards teaching non-Muslims about Islam. One day as Umayr and Abu Umama sat in an orchard, Sa’d bin Mu’adh, the chieftian of the Aus tribe, spotted them. He said to his cousin, Usayd bin Hudhayr, “Go and rebuke those two who have come to deceive our weak.” Weapon in hand, Usayd approached the two Muslims. Asad saw him and warned Mus’ab, “Here comes a chieftain.”

The second pledge of Aqabah

 

In the thirteenth year of the Prophet ﷺ’s mission, many pilgrims from Yathrib made their way to Makkah, Muslims and pagans alike. The Muslims wanted to meet with the Prophet ﷺ , and invite him to move to Yathrib. The harrassment, abuse and fear that overshadowed the Prophet ﷺ and his followers in Makkah had dismayed the Muslims of Yathrib, who resolved to offer the Prophet ﷺ their loyal protection if he moved there. They arranged a secret meeting with him late one night at Aqabah after the Hajj.

To keep their meeting a secret from the Makkan pagans, the seventy-three Muslims from Yathrib sneaked out to Aqabah, some in pairs, some alone, to make what was to be known as the Second Pledge of Aqabah. All but eleven were from the Khazraj tribe. Two women were present as well – Nasiba bint Ka’b from Banu Najjar and Asma bint Amr from Banu Salamah. The Prophet ﷺ was accompanied by his uncle, Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib, who, though not a Muslim at the time, was concered about his nephews welfare. Abbas began by saying, “The Prophet ﷺ has both security and honour in Makkah. If you cannot guarantee to protect him in Yathrib, then let him remain in Makkah.”

 Baraa bin Marur spoke for the Muslims of Yathrib: “We are determined to offer our loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ and sacrifice ourselves for him, and we are willing to make a covenant to this effect.

” The Prophet ﷺ recited some verses from the Qur’an and had the men from Yathrib take the following oath: “We will worship none but Allah, and we will never Associate any partner with Him.” 

“We will obey the Prophet ﷺ.” “We will give of our wealth freely in prosperity and in poverty.” “We will counsel others to do good deeds and instruct them to refrain from evil.” “We will serve Allah, even when others show contempt.” “We will protect the Prophet ﷺ as we protect our women and children.”

 Additionally, according to Ubada, the Yathrib Muslims also pledged not to disobey those in authority. Baraa bin Manur took the Prophet ﷺ’s hand and said, “I swear by the One Who has sent you with the Truth, we shall certainly protect you as we do our families. By Allah! We are sons of battle and weapons are our toys. This is what we have inherited from our ancestors.”

Abul Haytham bin Al-Tayhan then said, “O Prophet ﷺ! We are bound to our people by a covenant, and by pledging loyalty to you, we are about to cut off our old ties. If success comes to you and you conquer Makkah, will you return to Makkah and then leave us defenseless?”

The Prophet ﷺ smiled and said, “No! Blood is blood, and destruction is destruction. I am of you, and you are of me. I will wage war against those who make war upon you, and be at peace with those who are at peace with you.”

“You know what you are all agreeing to,” Abbas warned. “All of you are pledging to go to war. So, what will you do if if you lose all your wealth and property, and all your leaders are killed? Will you abandon the Prophet ﷺ? If so, let him stay here in Makkah, because if you forsake him it will be a disgrace in this world and the next. However, if you stand by him even in the face of destruction, you will find a reward in this world and the next.”

 The Yathrib Muslims listened to Abbas and then vowed that they would support the Prophet ﷺ no matter how great the risks involved. Someone then asked the Prophet ﷺ , “Tell me, O Prophet ﷺ! What we will get in exchange for all this?”

 “Paradise,” the Prophet ﷺ replied simply. “Give us your hand,” the people said. Asad bin Zurara then took the Prophet ﷺ’s hand in his and addressed the gathering: “O people of Yathrib, after a long journey we have found the Prophet ﷺ of God. Taking his hand means incurring the enmity of all the Arabs, the deaths of our chiefs in his defense, and the clash of swords. If you are prepared for this, take the Prophet ﷺ’s hand, and with Allah lies the reward. If, however, you have any reservations, forsake him now.” 

Unswerving in their faith, the assembly cried out, “Remove your hand, Asad. We are ready to clasp the Prophet ﷺ’s hand.” Some sources indicate that Asad bin Zurara was the first to take the oath, while others name Abul Haytham bin Al-Tayhan and Baraa bin Marur as the first. The two women present took the oath without shaking hands.

Twelve chiefs

 

After everyone had taken the oath of allegience, the Prophet ﷺ asked the people to select twelve men who would be responsible for the affairs of the community. Nine members of the Khazraj tribe were chosen along with three from the Aus tribe. 

The nine Khazraj chiefs were Sa’d bin Ubada bin Daleem, Asad bin Zurara bin Ads, Sa’d bin Rabi’a bin Amr, Abdullah bin Rawaha bin Thulba, Rafi bin Malik bin Ajlan, Baraa bin Marur bin Sakhar, Abdullah bin Amr bin Haram, Ubada bin Samit bin Qays, and Mundhir bin Amr bin Khanis. The three chiefs from the Aus tribe were Usayd bin Hudhayr bin Samak, Sa’d bin Khathima bin Harith, and Rifaah bin Abdul Mundhir bin Zubayr (other sources mention Abdul Haytham bin Al-Tayhan as well). 

After these twelve were elected, the Prophet ﷺ said to them, “You are like the apostles of Isa [Jesus] . You are responsible for the community [in Yathrib] while I am the caretaker of the entire body of Muslims.” 

Just as the people were about to disperse, a strange voice was heard calling out: “O men of the camp! Will you not deal with Muhammad? Right now disbelief has prevailed and he and his followers are preapring to fight you.” The Prophet ﷺ knew that it was a demon speaking. He called back, “O enemy of Allah! Soon I will deal with you.” The Prophet ﷺ then told the Muslims to return quietly to their beds as day was about to break.

 The next morning, the Quraysh, having heard a rumour about the pledge at Aqabah, went to the Yathrib camp to protest against what had happened. They resented their visitors’ patronage of someone they deemed to be an outcast, and voiced their displeasure about any contact between the contingent from Yathrib and the Prophet ﷺ . The polytheists of Yathrib, who knew nothing of the event, insisted nothing had taken place, while the Muslims kept silent. The Quraysh reluctantly accepted the polytheists’ reassurance and returned home.

Later however, the Quraysh found out that the rumour was in fact true. Infuriated, they sent their horsemen to apprehend any who took part in the pledge, and at Adhaker they captured Sa’d bin Ubada and Mundhir bin Amr. While Mundhir bin Amr managed to escape, Sa’d was bound and taken to Makkah. The Muslims from Yathrib planned to raid Makkah in order to free their brother Muslim. Before they could carry out their plans, however, Sa’d was freed by two Makkans, Mut’im bin Adiy and Harith bin Harb, whose caravans Sa’d had protected in Yathrib. Sa’d rejoined the others, and they all returned home safely.

REFERENCE:

BOOK: WHEN THE MOON SPLIT FINAL.

Compiled by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri

Edited and Translated by Tabassum Siraj – Michael Richardson Badr Azimabadi