Delegations began arriving in Madeenah to declare their embracing of Islam and their wish to live under the sovereignty of the Muslim state. In Madeenah, the delegations learned much about Islam before returning to their homes. The Prophet, , would send some of his well-versed Companions to teach them their religion. The Prophet, , would also send his messengers to various locations, particularly to southern Arabia (the home of the Yemenite tribes) to teach their people the Islamic teachings and principles. Islam became well-known everywhere in Arabia, and there arose a need for teachers and callers to guide people and explain the facts about Islam to them to purify their hearts and cure their souls from the diseases and filth of Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance).
The tribe of Banu Al-Haarith bin Ka‘b refused to embrace Islam, so, the Prophet, , dispatched Khaalid bin Al-Waleed, may Allah be pleased with him, to them in a military as well as Da‘wah (propagation) related expedition.
A- The Prophet, , dispatches Khaalid bin Al-Waleed, may Allah be pleased with him, to Banu Al-Haarith bin Ka‘b (10 A.H.):
Banu Al-Haarith bin Ka‘b were living in Najraan and none of them accepted Islam. Hence, the Prophet, , dispatched Kaalid bin Al-Waleed, may Allah be pleased with him, (at the head of a military expedition) to them in the month of Rabee‘ Al-Aakhir or Jumaadaa Al–Oola of the tenth year of Hijrah (emigration).
The Prophet, , commanded him to call them to Islam first for three days before fighting them, and to accept their reversion to Islam if they did. However, if they refused, the Prophet’s, orders were to fight them.
Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, left Madeenah and set off to meet them. Then, he sent riders everywhere to invite people to Islam, and they responded and embraced Islam. Hence, Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, stayed with them to teach them Islam, the Quran, and the Sunnah, in implementation of the orders of the Prophet, . Later, Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, sent a message to the Prophet, , informing him about their reversion to Islam and that he would stay with them waiting for his orders. The Prophet, , responded by sending a letter commanding Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, to return, accompanying a delegation from Banu Al-Haarith bin Ka‘b. Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with him, did so. When the delegation met the Prophet, , he appointed Qays bin Al-Husayn as their leader. Later, the Prophet, , sent ‘Amr bin Hizaam, may Allah be pleased with him, to teach them about the religion and the Sunnah as well as other Islam-related teachings.
According to another narration, the Prophet, , sent ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib instead of Khaalid, may Allah be pleased with them. Upon arriving at Hamdaan, ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, communicated a message to them from the Messenger of Allah, , and called them to Islam. They responded to the call and became Muslims. ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to the Messenger of Allah, , informing him of this good news. The Messenger of Allah, , was delighted by the content of that letter, so he prostrated, then raised his head, and said: “Peace be upon Hamdaan. Peace be upon Hamdaan.”
The Prophet, , was keen on attaching the southern front (i.e. the Yemenite tribes) to Islam. This keenness had amazing results as proved by the outstanding achievements of the Da’wah. The large number of delegations coming from all over Yemen to Madeenah was evidence of this astonishing success. This also proves that the activities of the dispatched Companions of the Prophet, , were ceaseless and far-reaching. This peaceful Da’wah-related activity was backed up by military expeditions, for the Prophet, , sent Khaalid bin Al-Waleed, may Allah be pleased with him, and then ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, within that context.
The Prophet, , concluded several agreements with the tribes of Yemen and Hadhramawt, and they have been collected in Majmoo‘at Al-Wathaa’iq As-Siyaasiyyah (A Collection of Political Documents) by Muhammad Humayd-Allah .
Concentrating on the centers of power and authority in building societies and states was a prophetic methodology that the Prophet, , was keen on adopting throughout his life.
(To be continued)
The Prophet Sending Missions to Teach People Islamic Principles - II