Al-Mukdad bin Amru

In Ramadan, 2 A.H., 313 Moslem fighters went outside Madena to attack a Quraishi trade caravan coming from Sham. The caravan was very big. It had one thousand camels. Abu-Sufyan, the enemy of Islam, led it.

When the Moslems immigrated from Macca to Madena, the polytheists attacked and robbed their houses.

For this reason, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) wanted to bring back the Moslems' money. Besides he wanted to punish the Quraish. So, he began threatening their trade caravans.

The Moslems camped near Badr wells. They were waiting for the arrival of the caravan. After a period of time, they heard bad news. The news was that Abu-Sufyan changed the course of the caravan.

Meanwhile, the Quraish were preparing a big army with good weapons to save the caravan from the Moslems.

The Moslems went out to control the trade caravan.

They were not thinking about facing the big army.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) asked his Companions' opinions.

Umar bin al-Khattab stood up and said: It's Quraish and its disloyalty (i.e. the Quraish are always disloyal). By Allah! It (the Quraish) has not become abase since it became strong. And it has not believed (in Allah) since it disbelieved (in Him).

The Moslems were full of worry when they heard Umar's words. some of them thought about coming back to Madena.

During those moments, al-Mukdad bin Amru al-Kindy stood up and said with enthusiasm: Allah's Apostle, go on obeying Allah~ order! Well support you! By Allah, we won't say as the Jews had said to their prophet * You and your Lord, go and fight! Well stay here! * We say:

You and your Lord, go and fight! Well fight with you.

Happy expression appeared on our Master Muhammad's face. Then the Prophet (p.b.u.h) said to al-Ansar: What shall I do?

Saad bin Maadh answered: Allah's Apostle, we've believed in you, we've believed you.

We've confessed that which you you've brought is true.

We've promised to hear and obey!

Then, Allah's Apostle, go on what you've wanted! By Allah! If you asked us to cross the Red Sea, we would do!

The Moslems were full of enthusiasm. They got ready to face the polytheists with hearts filled with faith.

The fight started. The Moslems won it. Then they came back and remembered al-Mukdad's words.

Who was aI-Mukdad?

Al-Mukdad belonged to Kunda's tribe. He escaped from his tribe and inhabited Macca.

There he belonged to a man called al-Aswad bin Abid Yaghuth al-Zuhry. So, people called him al-Mukdad bin al- Aswad. In connection with al-Mukdad, this verse came down from the sky: * Call them with their fathers' names*

For this reason, people called him al-Mukdad bin Amru. Islam rose from the top of the Haraa Mount.

Al-Mukdad became twenty-four years old. He heard about our Master Muhammad's mission. He hurried to believe in the new religion.

He kept his Islam a secret. He met our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) secretly. Thus, he was among the earlier Moslems. He always felt the he Moslems' sufferings.

The Immigration

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) ordered his Companions to immigrate to Madena. They immigrated one by one or group by group.

Then Allah, the Glorified, ordered His Apostle to immigrate to Madena.

Al-Mukdad rejoiced at the safety of Allah's Apostle. He admired the Moslem young man Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s), who sacrificed his life to save our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) from polytheists' swords.

When our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) immigrated to Madena, the polytheists attacked and robbed the Moslems' houses. So, our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) thought about threatening the Quraishi trade caravan as a punishment.

Hamza bin Abdul-Muttalib headed the first company and went towards al-Ays area near the Red Sea. There he met the polytheistic troops headed by Abu-Jahal.

No fight took place because some Arab leaders mediated between the two parties.

In Shawwal, 1 A.H., another company went out. The number of the company was sixty fighters. Its aim was to get to Rabgh Valley to threaten the Quraishi trade road between Macca and Sham.

In Macca

The polytheists in Macca heard about the Moslems' company So Abu-Sufyan stirred up the Maccian people.

Al-Mukdad decided to join the polytheistic troops. He made advantage of the condition to immigrate to Madena.

Utbah bin Ghazwan became Moslem secretly. Al- Mukdad headed for him. They agreed on joining the polytheistic troops.

Abu-Sufyan led two hundred fighters and headed for Rabgh Valley. There, the polytheists met the Moslem company. The two sides reciprocated arrows. 

In the meantime, the polytheists were surprised to see besides; they heard the Moslems' yells sounding in the desert: Allah is great! Allah is great!

Then Abu-Sufyan knew the runaways' names. They were al-Mukdad and Utbah bin Ghazwan.

So, Abu-Sufyan was full of spite. He ordered his fighter to come back to Macca. He was afraid that might be secret Moslems among his fighters.

In aI-Madena aI-Monawwara

Al-Mukdad lived happily in Madena. The Moslems were full of faith, for the Prophet (p.b.u.h) treated them all kindly.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was very careful of the Moslems. He was always thinking about their security and future in here and hereafter.

Al-Mukdad deeply believed. He loved Allah's Apostle. So, he was always going with him to wage holy war against the polytheists.

One day, the polytheists attacked Madena pastures and ordered them of their cattle. So, our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) asked the Moslems to chase them.

Al-Mukdad was among the first Moslems who obeyed the order of Allah's Apostle. Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) led two hundred horsemen to chase the attackers but they ran away.

After the Prophet (p.b.u.h) had dismayed polytheists, he came back to Madena. That raid named Badr Minor Battle.

Badr Major Battle

In Ramadan, 13th, the Moslems went out to hinder a Quraishi trade caravan, coming from Sham.

Near Badr wells, the Moslems heard that the polytheists would form an army. Besides Abu-Jahal led the army.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) asked his Companions' opinions. Some Companions advised him to come back to Madena. Meanwhile the Moslems were very worried.

During those moments, al-Mukdad stood up and said enthusiastic words. The words made the Moslems full of faith.

When the fight broke out, the Moslems fought bravely. In the meantime, our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) asked Allah to grant His believing slaves a victory. Only a few hours, the Moslems could defeat the polytheists.

Allah took revenge on Abu-Jahal and Umayyah bin Khulaif, for they had tortured the Moslems. Besides, the Moslems captured some polytheists, such as aI-Nadhar bin al-Harith, Akabah bin Abu-Myad, and others.

Al-Mukdad captured al-Nadhar bin al-Harith.

The Moslems took the prisoners of war and headed for Madena. When they reached al-Atheel area, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered a Moslem to kill al-Nadhar bin al-Harith.

Al-Nadhar bin al-Harith had tortured the Moslems in Macca. So, the Moslems prayed for Allah to save them from him.

For this reason, Allah's Apostle ordered Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s), the hero of Islam, to kill al-Nadhar bin al-Harith to save the deprived Moslems from his torture.

Al-Mukdad said:

Allah's Apostle, he's my prisoner!

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) knew that al-Mukdad wanted ransom. So, he raised his hands towards the sky and said:

Allah make al-Mukdad rich with your favour!

Al-Mukdad became satisfied with the prophet's prayers. So, he handed the enemy of Islam and of humanity to the Moslems to punish him.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked his Companions to treat the prisoners of war kindly. Besides he released some prisoners without ransom because they were poor. And he asked the prisoners who could read and write to teach the Moslems' children as ransom.

The Battle of Uhud

After their defeat at the Battle of Badr, the polytheists decided to take revenge on the Moslems. So, they formed a big army. The number of the army was three thousand fighters.

The polytheists advanced towards Madena. When they reached it, they left their camels and horses to graze on its pastures. They did that to challenge the Moslems.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked the advice of his

Companions. Some Companions advised him to stay at Madena, and some advised him to go out of it. The Moslem young men were eager to start the battle outside Madena. So, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) decided to go out Madena.

The Moslem Army got to Uhud Mount. There, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) prepared his troops to start the battle.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered the best fifty bowmen to stay on al-Aynayn Mount, a small mountain, to guard the Moslems from the back.

When the baffle broke out, the polytheists horsemen tried to attack the Moslems from the back. So, the bowmen faced them, stopped their attack, and forced them to withdraw. The polytheists tried three times, but they failed because the Moslem horsemen headed by al-Mukdad faced their attack and fought them bravely.

The polytheists headed by Khalid bin al-Waleed came back to their positions.

During those moments, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ordered the Moslems to launch an opposite attack to drop the polytheists' banner to weaken their spirits.

Strong fights took place around the banner. When the banner dropped from a fighter's hand, another raised it.

Finally, the banner dropped. So, the Moslems defeated polytheists. The polytheists ran away. Their idol fell off the camel.

The bowmen saw the polytheists running away. And they saw their Moslems brothers chasing them and collecting booty. They came down the mountain. So, their leader reminded them of our Master Muhammad's advice.

But they said: The polytheists have run away. There's no need to stay.

During that moment Khalid bin al-Waleed and his horsemen launched a severe attack. So, the remaining bowmen could not resist the attack.

The polytheists' horsemen took the Moslems by surprise. So, the Moslems were in chaos. In the meantime, some Moslems were killed and others were wounded.

When the polytheists saw the Moslems' chaotic condition, they came back and carded their banner. So, the Moslem Army was between two forces. The horsemen were at their back, and the infantry were in front of them.

The polytheists tried to kill our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) to destroy Islam totally. But the sincere Companions such as Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s), al-Mukdad, alZubair, Musab bin Umair, Abu-Dujana al-Ansary, Sahal bin Hunaif and others resisted the polytheists bravely. They defended the Prophet (p.b.u.h) against them.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) decided to withdraw his troops to Uhud Mount to defend themselves against the polytheists easily. While the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and his troops were withdrawing, they fought the polytheists till they reached Uhud heights. So, after a while, the polytheists stopped their attacks.

The great Lesson

The Baffle of Uhud was a lesson for the Moslems. They learnt a lot from it.

They learnt how to obey the Prophet (p.b.u.h) at any rate, for his obedience meant victory, and his disobedience meant defeat.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was badly wounded. The reason was that he ordered the bowmen not to leave their place on al-Aynayn Mount at any rate, but they forgot his order.

The Arab tribes scorned the Moslems' shaken reputation. Meanwhile, the hypocrites and the Jews rejoiced at their misfortune.

For this reason our Mmaster Muhammad (p.b.u.h) wanted to restore Islam to its reputation. So, he reorganized his troops to chase the polytheists.

 Hamraa al-Asad

Though wounded, the Moslems obeyed and supported the great Prophet (p.b.u.h). So, he took them and headed for a place called Hamraa al-Asad.

The Jews were surprised to see the Moslems going with enthusiasm to face the polytheists' army a day after the Battle of Uhud.

The polytheists thought about attacking Madena again .1 to destroy Islam completely. So, Abu-Sufyan had camped at al-Rouhaa.

Abu-Sufyan heard about the Moslem Army's coming. He was worried, for he knew that the Moslems' defeat was because of the bowmen's neglect. So, he withdrew his fighters to Macca. He tried to frighten the Moslems. Thus, he sent them his threats to Hamraa al-Asad.

The Moslems did not They went on camping at They were burning fire at night to challenge the polytheists.

Abu-Sufyan was afraid. So, he ordered his troops to withdraw to Macca.

Thus, our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) could restore Islam to its former reputation in the Arab Peninsula.

Allah loves Him

Al-Mukdad deeply believed in Allah and His Apostle. So, our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) said about him and about some of his Companions:

Allah has ordered me to love four (persons), and He has told me that He loves them. The persons are Ali al-Mukdad, Abu-Dhari and Salman.

Our Master Muhammad (p.b.u.h) passed away. Some Companions were certain that his successor would be Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s).

Still some Muhajireen and Ansar held a meeting in Bani Saaida's Sakeefa (Shelter). There was a serious competition for the Caliphate. Finally, Abu-Bakr was appointed caliph.

Al-Mukdad, Salman, Ammar, Abu-Dharr, Abu-Ayyoob alAnsary, al-Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib, and others were surprised at that appointment. So, they stood by Imam Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s).

The Imam insisted on his attitude. His wife Fatima alZahraa, our Master Muhammad's daughter, supported him.

Fatima al-Zahraa was displeased with what had happened after her great father's passing away. So, she passed away six months after Abu-Bakr's Caliphate.

Imam Ali (a.s) was forced to acknowledge Abu-Bakr to avoid disunity. Then the other Companions acknowledged him, too.

Al-Mukdad paid homage and began waging holy war. He taught people the Koran. His reading became famous all over Sham.

Al-Mukdad stayed loyal to Allah and His Apostle. He did not change his opinion.

The Second Caliph appointed six persons. They were Ali bin Abu-Talib (a.s), thman bin Affan, Abdul-Rahman bin Auf, Saad bin Abi-Wakkas, al-Zubair bin al-Awam, and Talha bin Abdullah. The appointed persons held a meeting to elect one of them caliph. person hear

Some Companions hoped that Imam Ali (a.s) would be elected. Thus al-Mukdad shouted to make the appointed

If you appoint Ali caliph, we'll hear and obey.

Ammar bin Yasir supported al-Mukdad. But the ambitious persons played an important role. So, Uthman  was appointed caliph

The End

Al-Mukdad saw Uthman deviating from the Prophet's, Abu-Bakr's, and Umar's behaviour. However, he stayed loyal to his religion. He became ninety years old. Then he passed away.

Source - The companions of the Prophet and their Followers series: Al-Mukdad. By Kamal al-Sayyid.