Invasion of Waddan

Invasion of al-Abwa or Waddan, also known as the Battle of Waddan or Battle of Abwa, was the first battle involving Muslim forces led by the Prophet Muhammad. It was the fourth raid and the first Ghazwa (i.e. led by the prophet himself) which was preceded by the Sariyyah lead by Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. Most of the battles which took place in Waddan Abwa were small skirmishes: sometimes only arrows were fired and no casualties took place; they were mainly a prelude to a bigger war. These caravan raids, taking place from 623 to 624, led to the Battle of Badr.

Background
After Muhammad and his followers had migrated to Medina in 622, the Quraysh confiscated the belongings they had left behind. From Medina, the Muslims attacked several of the Quraysh's caravans traveling from Syria to Mecca. In 624, Abu Sufyan was the leader of one caravan, and as a Muslim force moved to intercept him, he called for help from the Quraysh. This resulted in the Battle of Badr, which ended in a Muslim victory. However, Abu Sufyan managed to bring his caravan home to Mecca. The death of most Quraysh leaders in the battle left him the leader of Mecca.

Abu Sufyan later converted to Islam and became a Sahaba after Muhamnad showed him mercy when Mecca was captured. In a famous hadith Abu Sufyan said:

"This is my eye, it has been injured for the sake of Allah and Islam."

Banu Ḍamra caravan raid
The Caravan of Al Ḍamra was raided. Negotiations began and the two leaders signed a treaty with Banu Ḍamra.

According to Muslim scholar Muhammad al-Zurqani, the provisions of the pact/treaty go as follows : "'This document is from Muhammad, the messenger of Allah, concerning the Banu Ḍamra. In which he (Muhamnmad)established them safety and security in their wealth and lives. They can expect support from the Muslims, unless they oppose the religion of Allah. They are also expected to respond positively if the prophet sought their help'" The treaty meant that both parties were forbidden from raiding each other, to join hostile concentrations against each other and to support each other's enemies. William Montgomery Watt, saw this as a deliberate attempt by Muhammad to provoke the Meccan's.

After the treaty, Muhammad returned to Madīnah without meeting a war and remained there for the rest of Ṣafar and the beginning of Rabī‘u’l-awwal.