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"If the faith of Abu
Bakr were to be weighed against the faith of all the people of the
earth, his faith would outweigh theirs." [Umar bin
Al-Khattab]
"Abu Bakr was the bravest
of the people." [Ali ibn Abi Talib]1
The apostasy
had become so general that it affected every tribe in Arabia with
the exception of the people in Makkah and Madinah and the tribe
of Thaqeef at Taif. In some cases the entire tribe apostatised.
In other cases part of the tribe apostatised while part continued
to follow the true faith; and among those who remained Muslims,
many had to pay with their lives for their faith. The flames of
disbelief were fanned by two false prophets, Tulaiha bin Khuwailid
and Musailima bin Habib, and a false prophetess by the name of Sajah
bint Al Harith. Musailima had been an impostor for some time, while
Tulaiha made his claim to prophethood during the illness of the
Holy Prophet. The most immediate threat to Madinah was posed by
Tulaiha and the tribes of West-Central and North-Central Arabia
that followed him. These tribes were the Ghatfan, the Tayy, the
Hawazin, the Bani Asad and the Bani Sulaim.
The concentrations of apostates nearest
Madinah were located in two areas: Abraq, 70 miles north-east of
Madinah, and Zhu Qissa, 24 miles east of Madinah. 2
(See Map 8) These concentrations consisted of the Ghatfan, the Hawazin
and the Tayy. A week or two after the departure of the Army of Usama,
the apostates at Zhu Qissa sent a delegation to Abu Bakr. "We
shall continue the prayers", said the delegates, "but
we shall not pay any taxes." Abu Bakr would have none of
it. "By Allah", he replied, "if you withhold
a single ounce of what is due from you, I shall fight you. I allow
you one day in which to give your reply." 3
The envoys were taken aback by the determination
and confidence of the new Caliph who seemed to be entirely unaware
of the weakness of his position. And he had given them one day!
The following morning, before the single day's ultimatum had expired,
the envoys slipped out of Madinah, which meant a rejection of Abu
Bakr's demands. Soon after their departure, Abu Bakr sent his own
envoys to all the apostate tribes, calling upon them to remain loyal
to Islam and continue to pay their taxes.
But the apostate envoys from Zhu Qissa,
before leaving Madinah, had had a good look at the place, and their
keen eyes had noticed the absence of warriors. On returning to Zhu
Qissa they told their comrades about their conversation with Abu
Bakr and the very vulnerable state of Madinah. Meanwhile Tulaiha,
who was now at Samira, had reinforced the apostates at Zhu Qissa
with a contingent under his brother, Hibal-a wily and resourceful
general. When the apostates heard the reports of the envoys, the
temptation proved too much for them; they decided to have a crack
at Madinah while it was still defenceless. Consequently, the force
at Zhu Qissa moved forward from Zhu Hussa 4
, from where, after forming a base, part of the force advanced still
nearer Madinah and went into camp, preparatory to attacking the
town. It was now the third week of July 632 (late Rabi-ul-Akhir,
11 Hijri).
Abu Bakr received intelligence of this move
and at once undertook the organisation of the defences of Madinah.
The main army was out under Usama, but Madinah was not as defenceless
as the rebels had imagined. Quite a few warriors were still there,
especially from the clan of Bani Hashim (the Prophet's own clan)
who had remained behind to mourn their departed kinsman. From these
remnants Abu Bakr scraped together a fighting force. The confidence
of Abu Bakr, never shaken, was strengthened by the thought that
he had such stalwarts with him as Ali, Zubair bin Al Awam and Talha
bin Ubaidullah. Each of these was appointed to command one?third
of the newly created force.
For three days nothing happened. The apostates,
uncertain of how they should set about their task, remained inactive.
Then, on orders from Abu Bakr, the Muslims sallied out of Madinah.
They launched a quick attack on the forward camp of the apostates
and drove them back. The apostates withdrew to Zhu Hussa. The Muslims
informed Abu Bakr of their success, and the Caliph ordered them
to stay where they were and await his instructions.
1. Tarikh Al-Khulafaa of As-Suyuti.
2. Abraq is now just a stony plain (the word
means a spur or bluff) 5 miles north of Hanakiya. Zhu Qissa does
not exist; its location is known only in terms of its distance from
Madinah (Ibn Sad: p. 590), and it was on the road to Rabaza, which
is 20 miles north-east of Hanakiya. The latter is the old Batn Nakhl.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 487; Balazuri: p. 103.
4. The location of Zhu Hussa is not known.
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