The Battle of Tabuk took place in 9 Hijri. Tabuk is a famous place situated on the Damascus from Madina. The name of one of the springs in this area was Tabuk, accordingly the name of this battle was also named Battle of Tabuk. After the battle of Motah, the Roman empire decided to attack the Muslims. Ghassani tribes who were under Roman influence in Syria and belonged to the Christian religion, they were aroused by Caesar of Rome Hercul for this fight. Syrian traders brought the news to Madina that the Romans have prepared a huge army to compete with the Muslims in Syria and it was supported by Hercul.
When the Holy Prophet was informed of this, he ordered to prepare for war with the Romans. These were the days of severe famine and intense heat. It was the season of fruit ripening due to which it was very difficult to leave the houses. Despite all these unfavorable conditions, when the Prophet () announced the Battle of Tabuk, the Companions of the Prophet() started preparations with great enthusiasm. The Holy Prophet made participation in this campaign compulsory for everyone who was healthy and had a ride.
Allah's Messenger began to collect wealth and resources for the preparation of Battle of Tabuk. On the command of the Holy Prophet the Companions of the Prophet showered their wealth and goods in his feet. Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique offered all the wealth of his house to the service of the Holy Prophet (s).
The Messenger of Allah said to him:
Translation:
"What did you leave for your family?"
Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique said:
"I have left for them the love and affection of Allah and His Messenger.”
Hazrat Umer brought half of his belongings and wealth on the call of Holy Prophet (s). Hazrat Usman brought one hundred horses, nine hundred camels and one thousand dinars for the preparation of Battle of Tabuk. He provided supplies to one third of the army. Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Auf gave four thousand dirhams, Syedna Asim bin Adi gave 90 wisqs (13 tonnes or 500 kgs) of dates and Hazrat Abu Aqeel worked for the whole night and got some dates as his wage which he presented to the Holy Prophet.
Alongwith the Companions of the Holy Prophet , the Sahabiyaat Syeda Umm-e-Sinan also presented their belongings to the Holy Prophet Aslamiya says that I have seen Muslim women were putting their necklaces, bangles, rings, earrings and other ornaments and clothes on a sheet in the room of Syeda Ayesha (R.A) .
On the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, Hazrat Ali(a) was given the duty to protect the Ahl al-Bayt, and to carry out some domestic and other relevant tasks. The Holy Prophet(s) to stay in asked some of his Companions to stay in Madina due to lack of travelling facilities. At this, tears flowed down from the eyes of the companions of the Holy Prophet due to their enthusiasm for Jihad, sincerity and faith.
The preparations for the Tabuk expedition were going on in full swing. Arrangements were being made for travel and rides, but the group of hypocrites was engaged in various conspiracies. The leaders of the hypocrites, Jad bin Qais and Abdullah bin Abi, were definitely not willing to leave for Jihad. They were engaged in demoralizing the Muslims including their party and making them afraid of the Romans.
When the Prophet () took the Islamic army and left for Tabuk, the leader of the hypocrites, Abdullah bin Abi, returned with his companions from Saniyatil Wida near the place called Zabab, saying: Despite the hardships of such hot weather, the Muslims are going to fight the Romans. The Romans are so powerful that no one can resist them. In this way, Allah revealed the condition of the hypocrites to the Muslims and they were exposed.
An army of 30,000 companions of the Holy Prophet headed towards Syria. During the journey, the Muslims faced three kinds of difficulties. Rides were few, goods for travelling were short and there was severe shortage of water. The Companions (4) used to ride on a camel turn by turn. A handful of dates were distributed among many people. The Muslims covered this distance of eight hundred and five kilometers with extreme perseverance, patience and courage. Because of the lack of supplies and the inconvenience of travel, it was also called Jaish-al-Usrah, meaning the army of hardships.
Seeing the bold advancement of the Muslims, the Roman army could not dare to face the Islamic army. In this battle, the Muslims won without a fight. The Prophet(s) Companions (iv) returned to Madina after staying twenty days at the place of Tabuk,. The women and children welcomed the Prophet (s) warmly upon reaching Madina.
In the Battle of Tabuk, Syedna Ka'ab Bin Malik, Hilal bin Umayyah and Murarah bin Rabeeh stayed behind from fighting the battle without any valid reason. Upon return from the Battle of Tabuk, when the hypocrites were busy in making lame excuses, they came to the Holy Prophet and told the truth and asked for forgiveness. The Holy Prophet accepted their statements, entrusted the acceptance of their repentance to Allah and forbade his companions from communicating with them. Fifty days of this social isolation passed, which were the most difficult days of their life. Allah Almighty sent a revelation to the Holy of the Prophet and accepted their repentance. The Companions Prophet and were saying, “Congratulations were congratulating Hazrat Kaab Allah has accepted your repentance and forgave you. Hazrat Ka'ab bin Malik (iv) attended the Holy Prophet (s) in Masjid-e-Nabawi. His (s) face lit up with blessed happiness.
The Holy Prophet (s) said,
"May Allah bless you today, this day is the most blessed of all the days that have passed on you since your birth till today."
Hazrat Ka'ab Bin Malik asked if that forgiveness was from Allah or the Holy Prophet.
At this, the Holy Prophet() said,
"This forgiveness is from Allah. "
Hearing this, Hazrat Ka'ab bin Malik (a) said,
" O Prophet of Allah (s), these are the blessings of speaking the truth. I promise that I will always speak the truth till the day I live. How pleasantly Allah Almighty has blessed me for speaking the truth. ''
