During the month Sha’bân of this year* the fast of Ramadzân was made obligatory, the alms on breaking the fast became an ordinance, and on the last-mentioned festival his lordship the refuge of prophecy—u. w. b.— went out to the desert and held prayers to a congregation. In this year also the Ka’bah was appointed to be the Qiblah.* The ancients are at variance in what direction the Qiblah was before the Flight. Some allege that in Mekkah his lordship was accustomed to turn his face towards Jerusalem when he said his prayers, but others state that he turned towards the Qiblah of the Friend of the Merciful,* namely, the house of the Ka’bah. When that prince arrived in Madinah he prayed with his face towards Jerusalem to please the Jews, and continued thus for some time; but when it came to his knowledge that the Jews were saying: ‘It is strange that Muhammad differs with us in the religion, but agrees with us in the Qiblah,’ his illuminated mind was offended that the possessors of the book* opposed him, and he decided to change the Qiblah from Jerusalem to another direction, but waited for a Divine revelation on this subject. Accordingly when his lordship happened to be one day engaged in ante-meridian prayers with his companions in the mosque of Solmah, Jebrâil made his appearance and revealed the following verse: ‘Verily we behold thee turning thy face to the sky; therefore we appoint thee a Qiblah thou lovest. Turn therefore thy face to the sacred mosque.’* When this verse descended his lordship was making the second prayer-flexion, but immediately turned towards the Ka’bah. The friends of his lordship, who imitated him, did so likewise, and thus completed their prayers. Afterwards this was surnamed the mosque of the two Qiblahs. When the direction of the Qiblah was changed, those who were displeased railed, and the foolish Jews said: ‘Muhammad has abandoned our Qiblah only from envy,’ whereon the verse was revealed: ‘The foolish men will say: What hath turned them from their Qiblah, towards which they formerly prayed? Say: Unto Allah belongeth the east and the west; He directeth whom He pleaseth into the right way.’* The Qiblah was changed in the second year after the Flight, about the middle of the month Rajab. Abu Sa’yd Hadry states that when the Qiblah was altered the apostle of God came to the mosque of Qobba and changed its wall, so that the one now existing was arranged with his own blessed hands, and the Qiblah rectified. It is said that his holy and prophetic lordship was accustomed to go on Sundays to the mosque of Qobba, and it is authenticated that he said with his own wonderfully eloquent tongue: ‘Whoever performs the [religious] ablution, enters the mosque of Qobba, and prays there, will obtain his reward.’
During the second year of the Flight also the matrimonial knot was tied between his lordship A’li Murtadza— —u. w. b.—and Fattimah Zohra—u. w. b. It is alleged that awhile before the said event Ssiddiq waited upon the prince of existences—u. w. b.—and sued for the hand of Fattimah, but his lordship replied: ‘I am waiting for a revelation.’ Ssiddiq [i.e., Abu Bakr] repeated these words to Fârûq [i.e., O’mar], and the latter said: ‘He has rejected thy request.’ After that Ssiddiq said to Fârûq: ‘Take thou this business in hand.’ Accordingly O’mar waited upon his prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—and proffered Ssiddiq’s request, but obtained the same answer, which he then communicated to the disappointed suitor. After a few days the friends and confidants of A’li Murtadza— u. w. b.—advised him to sue for the hand of the princess of the women of this world, but he replied: ‘How can I obtain the girl after Abu Bakr and O’mar have been refused?’ His friends nevertheless insisted, and said: ‘Thy connection with his lordship is more intimate than that of any other man, because thou art a relative, and thy proposal is likely to be responded to.’ It is related in the Aa’llâmu-l-wara that after the two old gentlemen had thus been disappointed, some persons said to A’li: ‘Why suest thou not for Fattimah?’ and that he answered: ‘I possess nothing.’ They rejoined: ‘His lordship wants nothing from thee.’ Then Murtadza—u. w. b.—waited upon his lordship, but was so bashful that he could not speak anything, and returned. The next day he again paid a visit, but was too modest to utter one word [on the subject]. When, however, he made his appearance the third time, his lordship asked: ‘Perhaps thou hast come to sue for the hand of Fattimah?’ He replied: ‘Yes, O apostle of Allah.’ The prophet—u. w. b.—gracefully accepted his request, and in most of the biographies it is stated that A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.—said: ‘When I waited upon the apostle of Allah—u. w. b—to sue for the hand of Fattimah Zohra, saluted him, and silently took a seat, he returned my greeting, and asked: “A’li, what wantest thou?” I replied: “I ask for the hand of Fattimah.” And he only replied: “Welcome! welcome!” When I had left the exalted assembly, a number of Anssâr met, and asked me whether he had given me his daughter or not. I replied that he only said: “Welcome! welcome!” They continued: “One of the two words uttered by his lordship is sufficient for thee.”’ In the Aa’llâmu-l-wara it is recorded that Jebrâil appeared to the apostle of Allah, and said: ‘O apostle of Allah, God commands thee to marry Fattimah to A’li.’ The prophet—upon whom and upon whose family be the blessing of Allah—said to Fattimah: ‘A’li, the son of Abu Tâleb, is a man whose consanguinity to me and excellence in Islâm are well known. I have asked my God to marry thee to the best of His creatures, and to gather them all [at last] to Himself. Something concerning thee has been mentioned.’ And explaining the proposal, he concluded: ‘Make thy decision.’ She remained, however, silent, and the apostle of Allah took it [i.e., her silence] for consent.
It is related after A’kramah, that when A’li—u. w. b.— sued for Fattimah, his lordship the apostle said: ‘What marriage-gift wilt thou settle upon her?’ A’li replied: ‘I have nothing with me.’ His lordship continued: ‘Where is thy Hattymah coat of mail?’ He acknowledged that it was in his possession, whereon his lordship ordered him to settle it upon her as a marriage portion. It is said that the Lord A’li—u. w. b.—sold that coat of mail to O’thmân for four hundred and eighty dirhems. It was a broad and heavy one, upon which no sabre could take effect; but after O’thmân had bought it, he again presented A’li therewith. Then Murtadza A’li took it, and surrendered it, together with its price of four hundred and eighty dirhems, to the Mussttafa—u. w. b.—and his lordship then pronounced a benediction upon O’thmân. There is a tradition that two danks of the above sum were spent on perfume and four on a trousseau, consisting of a robe, two silver bracelets, a linen coverlet, and a small pillow of the same material, but some allege that there were two pillows; other necessaries were also purchased from the above sum.
It is related of Awus B. Mâlek that he said: ‘I was with his lordship when the signs of Divine revelation appeared on him, which having irradiated him, he said: “Awus, knowest thou what message Jebrâil has brought from the Lord of glory?” I replied: “O apostle of Allah, may my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee! What is it?” He continued: “The message to me is: God commands thee to marry Fattimah to A’li.” He continued: “Awus, go and take Abu Bakr, O’mar, O’thmân, Ttolhah, and Zobeir, with a number of the Anssâr, and tell them that I am calling them.” I obeyed the command of his lordship, and invited them. When they were assembled, the Lord A’li being also present, his lordship the refuge of the apostolate delivered a very eloquent and rhetorical harangue as follows: “God the most glorious and magnificent has ordered me to give [my daughter] Fattimah to A’li B. Abu Tâleb for a wife. Accordingly I have given her to A’li for a wife, for a marriage portion of four hundred mithqâls of silver. A’li, consentest thou?” Thereon the latter replied affirmatively.’ In some traditions it is narrated that the Commander of the Faithful [Ali] held the matrimonial oration by order of the apostle of God, whereon the latter pronounced a benediction upon A’li—u. w. b.—and upon Fattimah—u. w. b.—saying: ‘May God make you of one mind, prosper and bless your efforts, and give you a numerous and prosperous offspring.’ The [matrimonial] knot having been tied, a plate of dates was produced at the behest of the lord of apostleship—u. w. b.—and everyone present took a handful of dates. Asmâ, the daughter of A’mys, says: ‘When Fattimah was given to A’li, I found no other carpet in his house except strewed sand. I also perceived a mattress stuffed with date-fibres, and an earthen vessel with a jug.’
It is related that his lordship the refuge of apostleship —u. w. b.—sent Fattimah—u. w. b.—to the house of A’li in the company of Omm Selym, and that he had, after reciting his dormitory prayers, himself paid them a visit with a pitcher of water, into which he threw some of his blessed saliva, having pronounced over it twice the ‘I take refuge’* and some prayers. Then he sprinkled some of that water upon the head, face, and breast of Fattimah— u. w. b.—some on the head of A’li—u. w. b.—and between his two shoulders, saying: ‘My God, they belong to me, and I to them. As defilement has departed from me, and Thou hast cleansed me, so cleanse them both.’ Then he said: ‘Arise, and go to bed. May God associate you to each other, and bless you in your progeny!’ When his lordship was going away, Fattimah wept, whereon the prophet turned back and said: ‘O my daughter, why weepest thou? I have given thee to be the wife of him who precedes all others in Islâm, and is pre-eminent over everybody in the knowledge of God.’ In some traditions it is related that the lord of existences—u. w. b.—said: ‘I have given thee a husband who is the best man of my family.’ He also said: ‘I swear by Him in whose hands my life is that I have married thee to a prince in this world who will be one of the blessed in the next.’ Some allege that he said: ‘I have given thee away in marriage in this world and in the next.’ Jâber the Anssâri—u. w. b. —says: ‘I was present at the wedding of Fattimah— u. w. b.—and Ali—u. w. b.—nor did I ever see a marriage better than that. The prophet—u. w. b.—presented us with dates, raisins, and lemons, and we ate of them.’ It is recorded that Sa’d had brought roasted meat, and some of the Anssâr brought several goblets full of millet, which constituted the wedding meal of Fattimah. Hassan Bossry —A. h. m. o. h.—says that Fattimah—u. w. b.—and A’li —u. w. b.—possessed a counterpane which was not large enough to cover them both. It is recorded in the Seir Kazrâni that both the wedding and the consummation thereof had taken place in the month Rabyi’ the first, but in the Rauzatu-l-âhbâb it is stated that it was celebrated in the month Rajab during the second year of the Flight, and the consummation of it likewise during the same month. According to another tradition, however, it was held after Fattimah—u. w. b.—had, by the command of his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—made arrangements for the interior, and A’li B. Abu Tâleb for the exterior of the house. Both, however, being unequal to their tasks, Fattimah —u. w. b.—went, with the approbation of A’li— u. w. b.—to the house of the prince of existences—u. w. b. —in order to obtain the aid of one of the girls who had been brought for that occasion; but as his lordship was not in the house, Fattimah explained the case, and returned. When the lord of existences—u. w. b.—had arrived at home, Ssiddiqah [i.e., his wife A’ayshah] stated the request of Fattimah, whereon that prince of the sons of Adam condescended to pay her a visit that night; but finding her in bed with A’li—u. w. b.—he said: ‘Do not move, but remain in your place.’ Then his lordship sat down just above their heads, and, placing his blessed feet between A’li and Fattimah, said to the pupil of his eye: ‘Thou hast been at my house to ask for assistance.’ A’li replied: ‘I have sent Fattimah on account of the trouble she had in setting the house to rights.’ The Mussttafa said: ‘I shall teach you something which will be better than a servant. When you go to bed you must thirty-four times say: “God is great!” and thirty-three times: “Praise be to God!” This will be better for you than a servant.’ A’li Murtadza—u. w. b.—says: ‘I began that very moment to recite these words, and never omitted them afterwards.’ Having been [long afterwards] asked whether he had not forgotten them in the night of abhorrence,* he replied: ‘I had left them out in the beginning of the night, but I made good the omission during the end of it.’ The narrative of the events of that night will be recorded in the wars of A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b. —with Moa’wiah B. Abu Sofyân, if it pleaseth Allah the most high.
During this year also the blessed verse, ‘And those who fight for the religion of Allah, although they may have been oppressed, Allah is able to aid them,’* was revealed, and the religious war commenced. It is necessary to know that, according to the usage of biographers, every military expedition in which his lordship was present, and which started against the enemies of the religion, be it that fighting actually took place or not, is, according to its intention and departure, called Ghazâ or Ghazwah. On the other hand, whenever a legion of the companions was despatched for defence or attack against those who were misguided, it is named Seriah. Some assert that this year his lordship the refuge of prophecy—u. w. b.—sent O’baydah B. Alhâreth, who was called the Sheikh of the Mohâjer, with sixty of the latter, and some say seventy, against a number of the Qoraish who had come out from Mekkah for a certain purpose, and that, having prepared a white flag for that Seriah, he gave it to Mosattah B. Athâmah.* Some assert that this was the first banner of the banners of Islâm, which was tied to a staff and set up. This expedition marched and reached the idolaters, whose number amounted to two hundred. According to some traditions, Abu Sofyân commanded the hostile party on that occasion. When both sides met, they commenced to shoot arrows at each other, and the first man of the professors of Islâm who discharged an arrow against them was Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss. The image-worshippers fancied that another portion of the army of Islâm had been kept in reserve to watch and to attack them, wherefore they fled. It is said that on that said day Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss had twenty arrows with him, every one of which struck an idolater. Sa’ad relates: ‘When the Qoraish began to flee, I turned to O’baydah B. Alhâreth, and said: “We ought to pursue the idolaters, because they are afraid of us.” But Abu O’baydah would not consent, and therefore they returned to Madinah.’ Some say that the first man whom the apostle—u. w. b.— appointed Amir was Hamzah, and that the first standard he tied was for him. The reason for sending Hamzah was as follows: When it came to the august hearing of his lordship the refuge of termination—u. w. b.—that a number of the Qoraish were just returning from a commercial journey from Syria to Mekkah, he prepared a banner and ordered Hamzah B. A’bd-ul-Muttalleb to hasten with thirty Mohâjer to attack the caravan. It is related that before this contest his holy and prophetic lordship had not ordered the Anssâr to take part in the religious wars because he thought they would not aid his cause, unless the enemies attacked Madinah itself. In short, his lordship despatched Hamzah towards the caravan, who accordingly started to Sayfu-l-bahar, which belongs to the region of Khamynah, and met —after performing the journey—Abu Jahl with the caravan of the Qoraish, which consisted of three hundred men. When, however, the two armies met and desired to attack each other, Muhammad B. O’mar Jahany, who was under oath from both parties, stepped between them and interfered, so that the caravan entered the sanctuary [of Mekkah] without let or hindrance, and Hamzah with his companions returned to Madinah. When his lordship the apostle was informed of the mediation of Muhammad, that prince approved of his interference and sent him a gift. According to the Rauzatu-l-âhbâb, the narrative of the Ghazwatu-l-Abrâr, which is also named Ghazwat Duzdân, preceded the just-recorded two Seriahs, and it is narrated therein that during the first, the second, and till the end of the third year the apostle of Allah had appointed Sa’d B. E’bâdah as his lieutenant in Madinah, and that he started in person from it with a number of his companions against the Qoraish and the Bani Dzumayrah, and that when they had reached the stage of Abrâr, Mahshy B. O’mar, the chief of the tribe Dzumayrah, came forward and made a treaty of peace, whereon his holy and prophetic lordship returned from that place.
In this year he tied a banner for Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss and despatched him with twenty individuals against a caravan of the Qoraish to Harra, which is situated near Jahnah, and ordered him not to march beyond that place. Accordingly Sa’ad started with his men for that destination, marched during the night, and lay concealed in the day. When, however, he arrived on the fifth day at Harra, he was informed that the caravan had [already] passed one day before. Therefore he returned again to Madinah. In the Mustaqadza it is recorded that during the first year of the Flight [i.e., Hegira] the verse of Slaughter* had been revealed. During this year his holy and prophetic lordship —u. w. b.—also despatched the above-mentioned Seriahs against the enemies and opponents; but Allah the Most High knows best about the correctness of this statement. In the second year of the Flight his lordship also started with two hundred of his companions against a caravan of the Qoraish, which travelled with one thousand five hundred camels. When he departed from Madinah he appointed Sa’d Moghâd as his lieutenant therein, marched as far as the Wâdy, near a mountain called Radzuwy, but did not meet the idolaters, and returned to Madinah. During this same year it also reached the exalted hearing of his lordship the best of men that a great number of the Qoraish were travelling with abundant merchandise to [the town of] Ghazwah, which is situated in Syria. The said caravan consisted of one thousand camels, carried fifty thousand gold dinârs, and every inhabitant of Mekkah who owned property had despatched some goods therewith. Accordingly his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.— prepared a standard and appointed Hamzah B. A’bd-ul-Muttalleb over it; and leaving Abu Solmah B. A’bd-ul-asad Makhzumy as his lieutenant in Madinah, he departed —according to a certain tradition—with two hundred men to U’shrat, which is a locality in the plain of Baqyi’; but arriving there he learnt that the caravan had already passed and was distant. He therefore returned from U’shrat to Madinah. In this march A’li B. Abu Tâleb— u. w. b.—disappeared with Abu Turâb, which happened as follows: A’mmâr Yâser and A’li—u. w. b.—had fallen asleep in a sandy plain, but his lordship the refuge of termination happened to come across them, and, awakening them, said: ‘Get up, O Abu Turâb!’ and further exclaimed: ‘O Ali, I shall inform thee who is the most wretched of the wretched.’ A’li Murtadza said: ‘Speak, O apostle of God.’ Then his lordship uttered with his august tongue the words: ‘The most unfortunate men are two. The one is he who cut off the feet of Sâlah’s camel,* and the other is he who will besmear thy face and moustache with blood.’ When his lordship the refuge of apostleship said these words, he passed his two blessed hands over the countenance of A’li—u. w. b.
In this year his lordship the apostle went out of Madinah with twenty Mohâjer in pursuit of Karaz B. Jâber B. Fahri, who had driven away and stolen the camels of his lordship; the latter appointed Zaid B. Hâreth as his lieutenant in Madinah, and having with his blessed hands presented the standard to Ali B. Abu Tâleb, he marched after Karaz as far as the Wâdy Ssafuwân, which is in the vicinity of Bedr; but having been unable to find him, he returned to Madinah, and this is called the first Ghazwah of Bedr.
During this year his lordship the refuge of the apostolate —u. w. b.—despatched A’bdullah B. Hajash Asdy, the son of his paternal aunt, with twelve men, and according to other traditions with eight or nine, to the Battan of Nakhlah, Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss, A’kâshah B. Abu Muhsan Asdy, Abu Hodqah B. O’tbah B. Rabya’h, and O’tbah B. Ghazwân being of that blessed company. A’bdullah B. Hajash says: ‘On a certain night when the prince of existences—u. w. b.—finished his evening prayers he ordered me to arm myself next morning and to come to him to be sent somewhere. I acted as I was bid, and a number of the Qoraish were with me. His lordship dictated a letter to Abu B. Ka’b, gave it to me, appointed me leader of the men, and ordered me not to peruse the letter until after the expiration of two days, whereon I was to communicate it to my companions, and to act in conformity with its contents. I asked: “O apostle of Allah, in what direction am I to depart?” And he said: “March towards Najd.”’ It is related that A’bdullah started with his companions, and that he opened the letter after two days, its contents being as follows: ‘In the name of Allah the merciful, the clement!’ But after [the usual preamble]: ‘Advance in the name of God the Most High and Glorious, and when thou arrivest by His blessing in the Battan of Nakhlah with thy companions, wait there for the caravan of the Qoraish, because thou mayst probably derive profit therefrom. Nor must thou take anyone with thee against his own will. Let those who like accompany thee, and those remain who like to stay behind.’ After perusing this letter A’bdullah said to his companions: ‘I am going to the Battan of Nakhlah, but I force no one to accompany me. Let all who covet martyrdom come with me, and let all return who wish to do so.’ Then all replied: ‘By the blessing of God we obey His command and that of the prophet. Advance with the benediction of God, for we shall not lag behind thee.’ On that day Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss and O’tbah B. Ghazwân lost the camel which they rode by turns, and departed in search of it by the permission of Ebn Hajash. The other companions [meanwhile] traversed the distance, and arrived in the Battan of Nakhlah. Then the caravan of the Qoraish, which was accompanied also by A’mru B. Alkhadzramy, Hukm B. Kyân, O’thmân B. A’bdullah Makhzûmy, and by his brother Naufil B. A’bdullah, met the army of Islâm in the Battan of Nakhlah. The idolaters, being suspicious, desired to accelerate their march, so that A’bdullah divined their intention, and said to his friends: ‘The people of the caravan are afraid. Let a man shave his head, to make them believe that we are going on pilgrimage to Mekkah, and to free them from their apprehensions.’ Accordingly A’amer B. Rabya’h shaved the head of A’kâshah B. Muhsan, and the latter thus displayed himself to the idolaters, so that when they perceived him they said to each other: ‘These people are going on pilgrimage.’ They were accordingly pacified, allowed their camels to stray in the plain, and began to eat their meal. Although that day was the beginning of the month Rajab, the Musalmâns were not sure whether it was the last of the month Jomâdy the second, or the first of Rajab; accordingly they did not know whether they ought to attack the caravan or not,* and held a consultation, wherein they arrived at the decision to annihilate the caravan of aberration. Accordingly, they made a sudden rush upon the infidels, and among the professors of Islâm Wâqed B. A’bdullah shot an arrow at A’mru B. Khadzramy, sending him to the infernal regions. O’thmân B. A’bdullah and Hukm B. Kyân were captured in the grasp of fate, Naufil ran away, and the whole property of the caravan fell into the hands of the Musalmâns. It is related in the Mustaqadza that the first idolater and infidel who fell at the hands of those who were fighting for the religion was A’mru Dhu-l-Khadzramy, and that the first prisoners were O’thmân with Hukm B. Kyân. When A’bdullah B. Hajash and the conquering warriors were returning from the Battan of Nakhlah and approached Madinah, A’bdullah picked out some goods for his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—and distributed the rest among his friends, although at that time the verse concerning the fifth part [of the booty] had not yet been revealed.* When the idolatrous Qoraish heard what had taken place, they said: ‘The affairs of Muhammad will scarcely prosper, because he has disregarded a sacred month, and has ordered blood to be shed and depredations to be committed therein.’ They blamed the Musalmâns who were in Mekkah, and delivered speeches to the Jews as well. When the conversations of the opponents reached the most holy audition of his lordship the apostle, he ordered the goods of the spoils by no means to be spent, kept Hukm B. Kyân and O’thmân, who were prisoners, in abeyance, and blamed the companions of the Seriah, saying to them: ‘I have not ordered you to fight in a sacred month.’ He reproved all the companions of A’bdullah B. Hajash with their friends, so that they all repented and thought that the wrath of the Lord would befall those who had been present in that expedition. Meanwhile the following verse was revealed: ‘They will ask thee concerning the sacred month [whether they may wage] war therein. Answer: To war therein is grievous, but to obstruct the way of Allah, and infidelity towards Him, and [to keep men from] the holy mosque, and to drive out His people from thence, is more grievous in the sight of Allah, and the temptation [to idolatry] is more grievous than to kill [in the sacred month].’* At this verse those rejoiced who had been present in that Seriah, and after the Ghazwah of Bedr his prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—divided the property in the same manner as A’bdullah B. Hajash had distributed it, but some allege that he divided it immediately. It is related that the Qoraish sent a messenger to his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—requesting him to liberate Hukm B. Kyân and O’thmân, but the prince of existences replied: ‘Sa’ad B. Abu Woqqâss and O’tbah B. Ghazwân went in search of a camel; if they return in safety to Madinah, we shall liberate the two prisoners, but if not, we shall kill them in retaliation for those two individuals.’ When Sa’ad and O’tbah returned his lordship the prophet offered Islâm to the two prisoners, who first refused, but afterwards Hukm B. Kyân was ennobled by professing Islâm, and having in the battle against the son of Moa’wiah tasted the beverage of martyrdom, he departed to the gardens of paradise. O’thmân B. A’bdullah, not having been aided by [Divine] grace, returned after his liberation to Mekkah, where he persisted in his infidelity and wickedness until his departure to the abode of perdition.