Batn Rabigh Caravan Raid

The expedition of Baṭn Rābigh (بطن رابغ) took place in 1 AH of the Islamic calendar (April, 623 CE), in the month of Shawwāl. This raid took place 8 or 9 months after the Hijra, a few weeks after the first one at al-‘Īṣ.

This was the 1st or 2nd Caravan Expedition Muḥammad ordered. Only the Muhājirūn (the Emigrants from Makkah) took part in it.

Location
Baṭn Rābigh is located about 10 miles away from Juḥfah.

Muslim view
The Quraysh of Makkah became genuinely worried when they saw that the Prophet was gaining control over the principal trade route to Syria by signing non-aggression treaties and forming alliances with the neighboring tribes (Banū Ḍamrah, Banū Juhaynah) of Madīnah. They therefore sent a cavalry commanded by Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb or ’Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl or Mikraz ibn Ḥafṣ consisting of 200 riders in order to make a pre-emptive attack on the Muslims of Madīnah. The purpose of this surprise raid was to regain the authority of Makkah over the territory. By waging war against Madīnah, they intended to terrorize its inhabitants so that they would surrender Muḥammad, drive him out or even execute him.

Western view
About a month after Hamzah's unsuccessful bid to plunder, Muḥammad entrusted a party of 60 Muhājirūn led by ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Ḥārith to conduct another operation at a Quraysh caravan that was returning from Syria and protected by 200 armed men. The Muslims raided this Quraysh caravan to relieve themselves from poverty.

Description
On receiving the intelligence of machinations of the Quraysh, the Prophet expeditiously dispatched ‘Ubaidah ibn al-Ḥārith ibn al-Muṭṭalib ibn ‘Abd Manāf ibn Quṣayy at the head of 60 or 80 Emigrants on foot to the frontier of Madīnah. The operation was so covert that they used to walk at night and hide during the day. The objective of this mission was to forestall the Quraysh army in their attempt to trespass on the borders of Madīnah.

The platoon went as far as a well in Ḥijāz below Thaniyyat al-Murrah, where they encountered a large contingent of Quraysh.

Al-Miqdād ibn ‘Amr Al-Bahrānī, an ally of Banū Zuhra, defected from the troop of Quraysh and joined the ranks of ‘Ubaidah, along with ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwān ibn Jābir al-Māzinī, an ally of the Banū Nawfal ibn  'Abd  Manāf. These two men had already accepted Islam in secret and they availed themselves of this opportunity to join the Muslim forces.

The Muslims had a white flag carried by Mistah ibn Athatha ibn al-Muṭṭalib ibn ‘Abd Manāf. It is believed that ‘Ubaydah was the first to carry the banner of Islam; others say Ḥamzah was the first to carry the first banner.

Result
No fighting took place, as the Quraysh were quite far from the place where Muslims were in the offing to attack the caravan. Nevertheless, Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ shot an arrow at the Quraysh. This is known as the first arrow of Islam.

The incident is partly referenced in the Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri ḥadīth collection:

"I heard Sa’d saying, "I was the first amongst the 'Arabs who shot an arrow for Allah's Cause. We used to fight along with the Prophets,..."

- Muḥammad al-Bukhāri

The two forces separated thereafter, the Muslims positioning a rear-guard. The Muslim force maintained their military rank even at the time of their withdrawal. This proved that their opponent party was not simply a civilian, business caravan, rather a well-organized troop equipped with heavy weaponry. Otherwise, the Muslims would not have needed to retain their military order or structure even at the time of their retreat.